The Dubai pet show

This weekend was a wonderfully dog-filled one for me. On friday morning I volunteered for a garage sale organized by K9 friends, a non-profit dog rescue organization. The sale was held in a villa and my job was to be of help to the people who came there and to help with clearing up after the sale. This was my first garage sale ever and I was amazed at the things people donate and the things people buy. There was almost everything imaginable on sale and most of them got sold too. The rates were affordable and people went away with cartons full of stuff. We raised over two thousand dirhams that day and didn't go back home empty handed either. I bought two cassettes on 'how to learn arabic' and a book I've been wanting to read since long - Mark Haddon's - The curious incident of the dog in the night-time.

The next day I volunteered with the Pet show organized by K9 in association with Pedigree. I was supposed to help out at the judges ring but since a lot of volunteers did not turn up I was given duties at the entrance where I had to sell the entry passes. Luckily my friend Divya was also with me and we had a blast. The pet show was a great success with more than twenty thousand people attending and about 500 dogs participating in their various competitions and shows. There were dogs of all shapes, sizes and colour there. Since we were at the gate we missed most of the shows but managed to catch a few minutes of the Dubai police dog show and Abu Dhabi police dog show, both of which were very impressive. I was particularly taken in by the fancy dress competition and could not stop taking pictures of the poodle dressed up as a stewardess of the Emirates Airlines. There were other dogs dressed as angels, pirates, superman and one as slumdog :)

Divya and I realised that it takes a lot to volunteer. We were at the gates from 8.30 in the morning till 4 in the evening. People were coming in almost every minute and the bright sun wasn't making things any easier. There were moments when the temptation to forget the volunteering and enjoy the show as spectators was great, but then we thought that this was a choice we made and it is these things that make the difference so then why not? That kept us going and no regrets since. The perfect end to the day for me was to find out that Coco (one of the dogs I sponsor) has found a home now. What more could I have asked for?