It was hard to ignore the sound of galloping paws through the mud on Saturday, as the monthly golden retriever meet up was underway.
Despite the rain, or maybe because of it, the 15-or-so goldens who made it out to the field near the old Discovery Passage Elementary school were having a great time. The energy was high, and the dogs loved the chance to gambol around with new friends, new smells and just all around excitement.
“Everybody just gets together and chats while the dogs play and have a good time,” said Katie Ponto, organizer of the event or owner of Girl’s Best Friend dogwalking. Ponto has her own Golden, and started the event in the summer as a way for like minded people and dogs to get to know one another.
The event is held on the last Saturday of every month at the school, with people starting to trickle in at around 10 a.m. The event is open to all Golden Retrievers and their owners. Ponto said some even come from as far away as Parksville.
“In the summer we had about 21 or 22 dogs come up, that was our biggest day.”
While not quite the record, Saturday’s turnout was quite remarkable, especially considering the weather.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Ponto said. “They all seem to get along, which is really good.”
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