Several weekends ago I went to visit Toronto for the Dogs with Heart Walk-a-Thon which I was a celebrity sponsor for. With everything that was going on at the time (buying a house, going on vacation), I didn’t have time to write about it. So here’s a little catch up.
First of all, Toronto is like a second home for me. It’s where my brother Oakley currently lives and where my Dad is originally from. I’ve always thought that tall tower would be a great place for me to live. With a nice strong pair of binoculars, I could do some serious babe-watching from up there.
Anyway, this trip wasn’t about babes – it was about supporting the Heart & Stroke Foundation in cooperation with the Toronto PawsWay for their charity Dog Walk-a-Thon, and they were counting on their top sponsor to show up.
So when we first arrived at the PawsWay down by the docks in Toronto, well, you know me – I had to hop up onto this big dog statue to pose for a quick photo. As my producer says, it’s called ‘establishing setting’.
I couldn’t help but admire the posters they had up around the PawsWay that advertised the event. Right in the middle of all the big-name sponsors was my little ol’ self.
It was pretty nice to see that. And what was even better was when the event organizers told me how many registrants I had referred. So out of all those names up there, I referred over 20% of the people who came. Not too shabby.
In fact, there was at least one fan of mine who came just to meet me. His name was Winston, and he was a super-cute little black and tan dachshund – very similar to myself. It was great to get to know him!
So from left to right, here’s Winston, myself, and brother Oakley.
Before the walk itself, there was some time dedicated for little activities, like silent auctions and even a professional photo shoot. Obviously the photo shoot is what drew my attention.
Here’s Oakley and I’s professional photo. Look how tight Oakley’s collar is.
Then, we had to do some warm-up exercises before leaving on walk. I would have preferred a charity expedition rather than a walk, but whatever, I wasn’t going to say anything.
Us wiener dogs are too cool to do ‘warm-up exercises’ as well. One thing I can tell you about being a celebrity – ‘looking cool’ comes first. Call it shallow if you like, but I’m speaking from experience.
So I just let Mum do the exercises.
Oakley on the other hand, wasn’t paying attention as usual. He was wandering around off of the warm-up mat. Luckily someone snapped a nice picture of him though.
Oakley’s parents brought him back onto the mat and tried to get him to do his warm-ups. We’ve always said Oakley is like a puppet for his ‘floppyness’ and willingness to let you do whatever you like with him. So he went along with it, but that didn’t stop him from having an expression of, ‘what the heck’s he doing?’
Then it was time for the walk. It wasn’t very long, but it was a nice tour of the Harbourfront. It got a little confusing with so many similar-looking black and tan dachshunds. Can you tell who’s who?
It was great just to stroll and chat with my new friends.
Overall, it was a very fun day, and I’m happy that my celebrity presence there helped to make the Dogs with Heart event such a success. I’m sure I’ll be back next year. Thanks to all my fans who came and/or lent their support!
Keep walkin’,
~ Crusoe