Samantha Miller of All-Breed Rescue with high-styin' Sebastian. Photo by Jessica Corey-Butler

Tank loves his Wubba from Lucky Dog Outfitters best.  No, he loves his fleece rope from Sophie’s Touch.  No, he loves the squeaking grizzly bear from Urban Dogs.  No, really, what he really really REALLY loves is his ball, the blue rubber freebie I received from the Wag booth at Woofstock Saturday at Tacoma's Cheney Stadium. 
Bill loves his squeak-burping bird, the one that looks like a pheasant, perhaps because Bill is a bird-dog whose hunting days ended before they could really begin.  Hip dysplasia hit him as a puppy, but we wouldn’t return him to the breeder, as we didn’t want him to be potentially destroyed. That makes the whole no-kill mission statement of Woofstock a cause close to my own heart and home.
Woofstock meant Christmas for the puppies at my house, and it meant a world of dog-cessories opened up before my eyes.  Granted, I knew about things like Kongs and Everlasting Treat Balls and pet-boutiques even before going to the Dugan Foundation event on Aug. 5, and I even had heard tales of some of the more out-there things people did for their dogs. I’m sure I can be accused of doing some out there things (I was going to write a Kong Cookbook at one point, arranged for a Reiki “bridge” when my male greyhound was terminal with lymphoma, and worked on my own “submissive postures” to help my female greyhound with her low self esteem.)
At Woofstock, I met and observed people who are even more extreme than I am. There’s Tracy Ann, animal communicator, who will prepare numerology charts for you and your pets.  There are the folks at Uneek (100 percent organic dog treats), and there’s Karen James-Schiro of Soulful Tails Holistic Grooming and specialty day care, both of whom are committed to giving dogs the same kinds of healthy holistic options humans have.  There are Julia Russell and Carolyn Schneider, both amazing photographers who capture great canine (and feline, and equine, and even human) moments. There’s Deb Rosen, dog trainer extraordinaire who is possibly the second loudest animal activist I know, next to Jim Dugan.
Dugan’s enthusiasm shone through when he spoke with me.  He was stoked that a first-event had such a good turnout (about 650 people showed up before three, when we spoke.) At that point, more than 20 animals had received homes, among which were a horse and a dog named Odin, who was adopted as a service dog.  Forty business merchants showed their wares, two shelters brought pets, and 10 bands played.
Bill and Tank were the happiest of all, that day, as their toy box attests, and I was just happy to have my consumption of goods going to a great cause. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler