More Fun at PawsAbilities - A Scavenger Hunt!

Have you been having fun searching for SSD Fire on the PawsAbilities website? We've been having such a good time with this game that we decided to have a scavenger hunt at PawsAbilities!

We're going to hide Fire's image at several vendors throughout PawsAbilities. We'll give you clues to help you find him, and when you do, the vendor will sign off on your scavenger hunt sheet.

When you've solved all of the clues, take your completed scavenger hunt to the Information Booth to receive your prize. Everyone who completes the scavenger hunt will get a prize! You'll also be entered into a drawing for a larger prize at the end of the day.

We hope to see you at PawsAbilities on March 10-11 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA! Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 4-12, and they're available online through March 5. After that, tickets will be available at the door.

Buy your PawsAbilities tickets today so you and your dog can try your hands and paws at the scavenger hunt!

Meet New Puppy SSD Seifert!

Very early this morning, SSD Seifert made his debut! SSD Opal gave birth to a single male puppy at 2:47 a.m.

SSD Seifert is named after Denise Seifert, one of our long-time volunteers who passed away in January. Denise and her husband Steve raised SSD Misty Morning, SSD Peach Pie and SSD Clara. Denise was dedicated to SSD, and her optimism, purpose and boundless energy brought new life and direction to SSD. She was a wonderful friend and volunteer and she will be greatly missed.

Like his namesake, SSD Seifert came into the world full of life and energy. Throughout the day on Monday, SSD Opal was showing some mild signs of beginning labor, but nothing to make Crystal, her breeder caretaker, think that she was going to give birth any time soon. As night fell, Crystal decided to sleep downstairs in the "Mom Cave" where Opal's whelping box was set up. Opal dug around in her whelping box and in her crate, but she wasn't showing any consistent nesting signs to make Crystal think there was any need to call the whelping team.

Around 1:15 a.m., Opal began acting like she wanted to go upstairs and began pacing between the stairs and the whelping box. However, because she wasn't showing any consistent signs of labor, Crystal chalked Opal's restlessness up to the fact that she wasn't used to sleeping in the basement, and after a few minutes, Opal did settle in to her whelping box.

Crystal noticed that Opal was licking a lot, so she decided to check on her periodically so she would be ready when Opal really started to show signs of labor. On one of her check-ins, she was surprised to see a puppy moving around in the whelping box!

Opal has settled in wonderfully as a mother to little Seifert. Both mom and pup are doing great!

Prizes Galore at PawsAbilities!

You and your dog could walk home with lots of prizes from PawsAbilities! How can you win these prizes?

Central PA's Cutest Dog Contest
If your dog is cute and knows it, enter him in Central PA's Cutest Dog Contest! Each dog will have their chance in the limelight as they're formally introduced on stage. Winners will be chosen by audience applause. It's free to enter.

Abrams & Weakley Parade
Sign up and march in the Abrams & Weakley Parade! Each day at 3:15 p.m., the band will lead the parade around the entire hall. It's free to enter, and you and your dog could win a prize! Prize categories include:

• Best prancer
• Biggest ears
• Bounciest
• Drool
• Most elegant
• Most handsome
• Happiest
• Most Irish
• Longest fur
• Longest tail
• Most Attentive
• Most patriotic
• Portliest
• Saddest
• Shortest
• Shortest fur
• Shortest tail
• Spots
• Tallest

Paw Draw
Try your hands and paws at Paw Draw! Spin the barrel full of chips, and then reach in to select your chips. Depending on which chips you draw, you could win prizes such as dog toys, treats, gift certificates, and more! It's $1 to spin the barrel and draw one chip, or $5 to spin the barrel and draw 6 chips.

There are lots of other things to do at PawsAbilities, including the Dog Olympic Games and the Kody Kup Walk!

Buy your tickets and bring your dog to PawsAbilities for your opportunity to play games, have fun and win prizes!

Tickets are available online through March 5. After March 5, tickets will be available at the door.

Less Than One Month Until PawsAbilities!

There's less than one month until PawsAbilities! Are you ready?

There's so much you and your dog can do:

• Dog Olympic Games
• Paw Draw
• Central PA's Cutest Dog Contest
• Abrams & Weakley Parade
• Doga
• Dog carting
• Great Biscuit Bite-Off
• costume contest
  
• and more!

New this year, Laurie Luck, a Karen Pryor-trained instructor, will teach a class based on her Puppy Charm School.

We'll also have demonstrations by The Seeing Eye; the PA State Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; accelerant detection dog K-9 Loki; Summit Search and Rescue; and more!

Buy your tickets today!