by Woof Gang, guest writer

It&squo;s here! It&squo;s here! It&squo;s here!

I am so excited, I am about to wag my tail off. This is better than the time mom left the pot roast on the kitchen counter while she was talking on the phone to Aunt Edna. The 75th Any & All Dog Show is coming October 12, and I am gonna win everything. Everything. &bsp;

Now, I know you are wondering how a dog could write a newspaper article. The same way I lie on the bed when you&squo;re not at home and lick the spoons in the dishwasher when it&squo;s left open. It&squo;s all one big mystery.

On Oct. 12, I get to ride in the car and go to the Any & All Dog Show. Thank dog I&squo;m not going to the vet to get a shot. I get to smear my nose on the windows and pant in my mama&squo;s ear the entire way to the show. I can shed, shed, shed all over the seats and nobody cares &squo;cause it&squo;s all about me. And that&squo;s not even the best part.

When I get to the Any & All Dog Show, my mama is going to let me sniff and poop and sniff and poop all I want. I get to bark and roll and jump on strangers. I get to eat weird looking grass and meet tons of other dogs that came to the show to watch me win everything. Sure, those other dogs can enter the classes, too, so they can see me real good when I win first prize. Mama said that all the proceeds from the show go to the Foothills Humane Society. Now that is something to bark about.

I hear Watson Flooring & Appliance is donating a bunch of really great doggie prizes, too. Mom better bring the big car to haul all my prizes home. I hope that cat is sitting in the window when we pull up so he can see me with all the cool stuff that I won at the 75th Any & All Dog Show ‐ not cat show!

We&squo;re gonna make a big picnic &squo;cause Carolina 1st Bank is giving a prize in the&bsp; &dquo;Tail&dquo;gating Contest. I know we&squo;ll have the best treats around. I guess we&squo;ll have lots of water, too because mama said something about hot dogs. That&squo;s okay ‐ there&squo;s a river to play in if mom doesn&squo;t catch me first!

Father Doty, from Holy Cross Episcopal Church, will be there to bless the animals at 1:45. I need all the help I can get after I ran on mom&squo;s clean floors with muddy paws chasing that stuck-up cat.

Mama said there are lots of classes for us to enter. That means I have to look my best. I&squo;ve gotta get a bath and promise not to roll in the horse poop before we get in the car. Wow, that&squo;s like having to promise not to chew up socks or chase squirrels, doggone it! But I&squo;m gonna try. Mama is making me a special costume for the costume class. I hope it&squo;s not pink. I hate pink.

So, if you&squo;re ready for a little frisky business, come see the good, the bad and the furry at the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club&squo;s 75th Any & All Dog Show, Sunday, Oct. 12 (rain date: Oct. 19). Registration is at 1 p.m. and the show starts at 2 p.m.

Come. Sit. Stay. You&squo;ll be glad you did.