Two for the show

Last weekend Jim Siegfried, a veteran puppy raiser, asked for volunteers with puppies to staff a booth at San Diego International Auto Show in the downtown Convention Center. The inducement was free admission to the show where a variety of new and classic cars were on display.

Steve and Dionne volunteered for a noon to 2:00 pm shift Sunday. The booth was a table with a CCI sign at one end of a huge booth paid for by Golden Boy Mobility, a firm that converts mini-vans and even pickup trucks to accommodate wheel chairs.  The location assured that lots of people who might be interested in a canine companion might pass by.

Car controls are kind of interesting...

But they can't compete with oversized images of puppies. Or real pups!

Steve reported that Dionne seemed to enjoy the experience and was not at all nervous about the crowds. The show attracted lots of parents with young children who asked if they could pet her. She probably got more petting on Sunday than in the previous two weeks. During periods of light foot traffic, Steve and Dionne practiced CCI commands.

This young lady set down her coffee and knelt on the floor for several minutes stroking Dionne.  Obviously she was in serious need of a puppy fix. 

A cheerleader for the San Diego Sockers also petted Dionne, but her pom-pom made Dionne nervous. 

 After their shift, Steve took Dionne around the show. While he looked at the new cars, particularly plug-in hybrids, Dionne received more petting and people asked about CCI.

  

After combing the show floor, Steve and Dionne decided that if they were in the market for a car (which they are not), they would buy the Toyota Prius hybrid that gets 46 mpg in city driving.