Best in Show!

Yesterday Leo and I went to the special "Dog Day Afternoon" at the Cabbages and Frocks Market at Marylebone. It was such a lot of fun as there were so many dogs there! I saw a Bichon Frise (as cute as a squeaky toy, although quite stand-offish to tell the truth) and a million Border Terriers (I kept thinking it was the same one each time), an Italian Greyhound, a Whippet, and many many more, and of course my new friend Dimple, a Pug/Pom cross.

Soon after we arrived, the newspaper came over to photograph Leo (everybody loves Leo!) and I muscled in on the photo as well. The photographer took lots of photos and our names. So I think we're going to be in the local paper!

And everyone kept asking what sort of dog I am, which was very exciting. One lady even said that seeing me had made her day. She said she had never met an Otterhound in person and had seen them only in the books, and that she had always said that if they ever got a dog she would want it to be an Otterhound. Then she said meeting me had made her decision - Otterhound it is! And then she photographed me with her daughters (I love posing).

We ate doggy treats (from the pet bakery) and got lots of presents, including a squeaky doggy toy that looks just like me.

Anyway, at the end of the day they had doggy competitions. I entered most well-behaved. We had to sit on command and lie down on command. I made it very far, lots of dogs were getting eliminated but I was still there! Then we had to do tricks. This worried me a little, but we did a trick with a treat where I had to wait with it under my nose but not eat it! It was a close-run thing but I did it! And everyone said I was very good and I made it to the semi-finals. But then a very clever Labrador Retriever did a trick where the treat was on his nose! And he threw it into the air and caught it! That was very clever, even I wanted him to win. And he did.

But the big news is that I then entered Best in Show. This was open to everyone, and there were Boston Terriers, West Highland Terriers, Yorkies, Huskies, Labradors, Bichon Frise, and many others, and even an Irish Water Spaniel (also very very rare) called Clancy. He had just been swimming that morning in Hampstead Heath. Even Leo entered. But he usually shuns such things. I'm sure he did it just to give me moral support. Anyway, we had to walk around and then walk into the centre of the ring and tell the judge our story. So when it was my turn I told the crowd that I was an Otterhound, one of the rarest of all the great British dog breeds, that I was so rare I was vulnerable and just one of 51 puppies this past year. And then I said it is my 6 month birthday on Monday.

Anyway, we then walked around for the judge to make her decision and she said "I am going to give it to the most handsome and I'm just waiting for him to walk around to the front," and then she said "I'm awarding Best in Show to the Otterhound!" I was so excited. And I got my photograph taken by the paper again. I won my first red rosette! and I got a hamper of treats and beauty products. I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling (neither could all the grown-ups with me). Here I am taking in the "sweet smell" of success!

So then we went to Regents Park to celebrate with ice creams (although for Leo and me it was the bag of carrot and apple treats we got at the Show - my favourite foods!). One lady stopped to talk to me and she said it was because she couldn't resist my happy smiling face (I was still smiling from Best in Show!). And I got to see ducks, geese, a big swan, paddle boats and all manner of marvellous things. And lots of people wanted to know what I am again. I have to say I love the attention.

Here I am looking at all the pigeons (I love it when they all fly!). I had just woofed here so that they would all start flying. Which is a bit cheeky I know. But then I can't fly and I think they know that.

But it's not just pigeons - all flying things are extremely irresistible - like flowers, tissues, dry leaves (Autumn must be fantastic! I can't wait!)

And here's one of my favourite photos from the day. I am  very clever don't you think, being able to balance this lady on my noble head! Actually, she walked into my photo to take another photo. Isn't that ironic? And that's rather a big word for such a young dog, but I am, after all, "Best in Show"!

And then we walked a bit further and there was a bridge which I walked over. It had lovely flower boxes on it so I stuck my head through to sniff them.

In fact there were flowers everywhere. It was so colourful it was like being in a TV plasma screen commercial.

And there were bees as big as dog biscuits! (they are called bumble-bees - they look sort of soft and cuddly, but I think not). Anyway the smells and the flowers are spectacular. And there were people everywhere enjoying the sunshine.

Here I am on the bridge. I could see many ducks and the paddle boats as well. We thought it might be fun to go on one. Maybe we will try this soon (if they let me, as the insurance might be too high for "Best in Show"!). I don't know if paddle boats are dog friendly, but speaking of dog-friendly things, I've decided I should let you know about as many dog-friendly venues as I can. I visit lots of great places that are very welcoming to dogs, so if I let you know about them, you can go there too!

So after the park we went to review the first of many dog-friendly establishments for dinner. I think this is an important service for me to provide to my readers, and I have received a lot of tips on places to try from the Doggie Pubs website. So we decided to try the Somers Town Coffee House in Carlton Street just off Euston Road (just up from the station where my Bulgarian friend had to catch the train home afterwards - not all the way to Bulgaria though, he lives in London).

Well it is fantastic! Dogs aren't allowed in the dining room, but that's ok as we preferred to sit on the sofas in the bar. The food, so I was told, was absolutely scrumptious, although nothing on the pudding menu took their fancy (they were all just too keen on ice cream after such a long hot London summer day). But best of all, they let me sit on the sofa! I was so tired, that I jumped on it before invited, but the staff said it was ok. It was marvellous. I was so relaxed I started snoring. The only criticism is that the humans were less comfortable as I took up most of the sofa. A second one would be good. Here I am sleeping on the sofa, lounging on the picnic blanket I got as a present at Crufts.

And look how comfy the arm rest on the sofa was!  I definitely want to go there again, so I hope I will see you there!

So for me the Somers Town Coffee House gets 5/5 Finnegan Stamps!

And then it was home in a London black cab (I was very tired, but not too tired to gaze out the window) for a nice long sleep with my new toy, dreaming about winning my next "Best in Show"!