By Dr. Sue Nielsen
On Sunday, July 28th, Petite Pups Playgroup got together for their third meet up. It was another successful event. We gathered inside at Woof Gang Bakery on Bee Ridge to escape the extreme heat. 
The owner, Mark Austin, graciously opened up his store exclusively for our pups to play off leash together. He donated treats, merchandise for prizes, and gave everyone who attended a gift bag full of goodies. Many thanks to Mark for his amazing generosity and hospitality!!
We held a contest that had an array of wonderful dogs decked out in their best costumes. A Chihuahua named Dixie won the contest as she was “Pretty in Pink” – a fairy outfit complete with wings! Despite her win, she was a little camera shy.
A close second place went to Mya, a 10 month old Chihuahua, in an amazing Hula outfit with a grass skirt and a coconut bra. 
Many other pups came in their birthday suits! We had a few first timers who were very happy to have a safe group to socialize their little pups. Feedback on the event on our MEETUP page was very positive.
We also had a water preference station that pitted three different bottled waters against each other in a blind taste test. The dogs unanimously declared Evian as the clear winner over Dasani or Icelander in this very scientific study. Many of the pup parents would agree, including this writer! Just a little reminder to please give your pup the very best bottled water without fluoride, chlorine or other contaminants.
The dogs ran around the store for over an hour, interacted with each other, made new friends. A Miniature Pincher named Sammy seemed to like my Chihuahua, Rico, as there were prolonged sniffing sessions with a lot of wagging tails. Here’s Sammy with his family.
We had about fifteen dogs join in on the fun at this event. Our next meetup will be held in August. If you have a very small dog – this could be your answer for socializing your dog and meeting other small dog owners! Keep your eye on SarasotaDog’s Meetup pages for for the date and time.
Thanks!
