Bad day becomes great day for dog

BY JAMES TYREE Comments 0
Published: October 27, 2009

NORMAN — It could have been a horrible day: a woman with two kids and a dog in tow locks her keys in the car on the way to a happily anticipated event. Their stranding leads to a third child missing her friend’s birthday party.

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That’s what happened to Whitney Drake — the mother stranded with her son, his friend, and her dog — and to Ellie Treisa, the 8-year-old girl who opted to skip the birthday and instead saw her own beloved dog, Bomber, be proclaimed "Dog of the Year.”

Bomber won the "Dog of the Year” trophy Sunday at Reaves Park during the Second Chance Animal Sanctuary’s Dog Days event. It was the last of 12 doggy contests that ranged from Dachshund Dash and Best Kisser to Musical Sit and Biggest Paws.

"He’s the only dog I’ve had my whole life, and he’s really smart, and I’m really glad I’ve had him,” Ellie said of Bomber. "I play with him at the park, and sometimes we hang out on the hammock in the backyard.”

Drake said she and the boys went to PetSmart to buy a costume for her dog, Harry, for the Howl-o-ween pet costume event that was also Sunday in Norman. She thought Howl-o-ween was the Reaves Park event, but it was at Campus Corner during the same time as Dog Days.

When they returned to her car, Drake discovered her keys were locked inside. She called her friend, Lori Treisa, for help. Treisa’s own daughter was getting ready to attend a birthday party at the skating rink.

"She came to us and brought Ellie, who thought where we were going sounded like more fun,” said Drake, who wound up taking Ellie and Bomber to the park along with the boys and Harry. "You never know what’s going to happen on any day.”

Bomber and Harry were hardly the only canines at Reaves Park for Dog Days. Dave Karr, the event’s emcee, guessed about 100 dogs came and left during the five-hour affair.

In addition to the contests, the event also had dog agility demonstrations, face painting for kids, and offered low-cost vaccinations, microchips and photography for both dogs and cats.

Dog Days has been around for 20 years, he said, and it’s Second Chance’s biggest fundraiser. In addition, at least eight dogs that were housed at the sanctuary and brought to the park were adopted that day.

It turns out Bomber wasn’t the only pet who won big at Dog Days.