CLEVELAND — Join the Midwest Puppy Co-Owners Papa Woof, Puppy Boo, Daddy John and Pup Scout, Midwest Puppy 2016 Gungnir, Northeast Handler 2017 Sir Damien and Northeast Puppy 2017 Pup Vidhra for LEASHED! The CLAW Handler focused social event Saturday night 11pm – 1am at the Westin 6th Floor Lobby. Sponsored by the Midwest Puppy and Northeast Puppy & Handler Contests and CLAW Grand Kennel Sponsor – Twisted Headz.
This event is a Social for Handlers. We encourage Handlers to bring their pups, or pup friends if they wish to attend, and get to know each other. Handlers are few and far between in the pup world and we’d love to help them connect and share stories and experiences. This event does have a “leash law,” and it’s encourages that pups, if attending should be on a leash with a Handler. (extra leashes will be available for a small donation to CLAW) We recognize not all pups have Handlers and not all Handlers have pups and will set up an “Adopt-a-Pup” area where Handlers can be paired with stag pups for a small “adoption fee” benefitting the CLAW charity. We ask all in attendance be respectful of each other and the space we are in. We also ask that all Dominants embrace their “Hooman” side as this is an event meant to encourage Handlers and help them meet each other. We do not want anyone excluded so everything is encouraged.
FAQs
Why are we doing this?
With many Puppy and Handler events focused on puppies we thought we would do an event focused on Handlers. We feel Handlers are integral to our community, and as we have events focused on predominantly pups we feel there should also be events encouraging handlers.
What about Alphas?
Alphas are an integral part of the pup community and we encourage them to embrace their switch nature. Alphas are welcome to assume either the pup on a leash role or try their paws at being a “Hooman” Handler.
What about strays?
Stray or uncollared pups are not discouraged. We will have an Adopt-a-Pup section for Handlers without a pup to adopt one for the social for a small fee to be donated to the CLAW charity if the pup agrees. A stray pup is also encouraged to bring a friend or a new Handler to the social to help them practice and socialize with other Handlers.
What about Handlers who wear pup hoods?
While we would never tell a pup or Handler how they should approach puppy play we ask Handlers to embrace their “Hooman” side for the social. If privacy is a concern hoods can be worn as a last resort.
What if I don’t have a puppy?
That’s ok! You don’t have to have a puppy to be a handler. This is a social focused towards Handlers in a pup centric world. Come, meet other Handlers and talk with them about their experiences. There will also be an Adopt-a-Pup station where you can adopt a puppy for the social for a small donation to the CLAW charity.
What if I’m a strong independent puppy who don’t need no Handler?
Independence is an admirable quality in a pup. That being said this is a Handler focused event. We encourage these pups to try their paw and letting someone else hold the leash. They might be surprised how much they like it.
Why are you trying to divide the community?
While we understand this is a contentious topic we feel the Handler side of Pup and Handler is underrepresented at events. We want to give Handlers a more controlled environment to get to know each other and learn more about how others approach puppy play.
Why are you trying to exclude puppies?
We’re not trying to exclude puppies at all. This is a CLAW Pups weekend for the Handlers to socialize. Puppies are of course welcome to join a Handler for the social. If a puppy is not a handler we have the Adopt-a-Pup area to help pups meet Handlers and to socialize with them. This event is focused on helping Handlers and puppies connect and network in a more subdued environment than a mosh where Handlers are more preoccupied watching out for puppies.
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/179510852561290/
