In moments of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag. – wh auden

OH, WHEN THE DOGS… CAME MARCHIN' IN…

On a lovely evening in August, the first ever Martha's Vineyard Dog Parade was held in breathtaking Ocean Park. (Watch clips from the parade.)

Our first ever Grand Marshall CHAPPY HOMLISH led us around the paths of the park with great style and restraint! He was accompanied by proud owners Marty and Joanne Homlish, who also showed great style and some restraint!

The dogs were all amazing. Hundreds of them!! Their owners grinning from ear to ear, spectators clapping and cheering, the trumpet playing, everyone parading—it was a spectacular sight!

Calvin Paris, our summer friend who first suggested that the Island should have a dog parade, also marched with us. Cal, who doesn't even own a dog these days, has started something wonderful, as the Martha's Vineyard Dog Parade will become part of each summer from now on.

Ed Rogers, the Island's own talented trumpeter, joined us as we paraded, adding his very special brand of music and humor to the mix.

Kate Feiffer, author of Which Puppy and Henry the Dog With No Tail, read her delightful stories to enthralled youngsters, smiling adults, and several attentive dogs!

Lisa Vanderhoop, wildlife photographer and creator of the Vineyard Seadogs Calendar, took photos—you can see some of her parade shots on our website at GoodDogGoods.com.

'FIRST DOG BOBAMA'…

Over the course of the summer, the parade evolved into a "welcome to the Vineyard" for Bo Obama, the First Family's Portuguese Water Dog.

Bo was invited to the parade, of course, and just the possibility that he might appear prompted all kinds of news media to cover the parade. The parade itself amazed the press, especially given the huge number and variety of dogs and their incredibly sporting behavior, as we all wished Bo a good vacation.

From all reports, Bo did thoroughly enjoy himself on the Island, receiving a holistic bath from Ellen Bernard of Doggone Pretty on his last day to make sure he didn't carry any bugs back to Washington, D.C.!

WHO KNEW…

When my friends John and Cynthia Farrington were happily designing their "BOBAMA, THE NEW DOG IN TOWN" T-shirt, with a little help from all of us at Good Dog Goods, who knew it would become a media sensation?!

That shirt has captured the attention of media from all over the world and the Farringtons and members of the Good Dog Goods family have appeared in newspapers and radio or television interviews from all over the place!

It has been a lot of fun. Just a few places where we've been—NPR All Things Considered, London Times, London Telegraph, New York Times, New York 1 Travel, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, USA Today, Today Show, all of the Boston news broadcasts, Fox News, CNN, the Geraldo Rivera show—it's too long a list to keep going. Who knew?!

NEXT UP…

How to spend your Martha's Vineyard vacation for four-legged members of the family—we have lots and lots of suggestions from parade participants which we will compile in a book later this Fall. In the next Newsletter, we'll share some of them . . .

Cheers,
Kerry, Mary, Gina, Deb, Sam, Kara, Katie, Erin, Julie, and Ryan

Good Dog Goods • 79 Circuit Ave. • Oak Bluffs, MA 02557-1167
866.696.7100 • gooddoggoods@gmail.com