Snood-Full of Love Project Wins Many Hearts (and First Prize!) at the Basset Hound Club of America’s National Specialty

One of the highlights of the 2008 BHCA’s National Specialty held the first week of October in Plano, Texas was the annual “Snood Contest”. (Snoods are fabric tubes which slip over the dogs’ heads to keep the long ears clean prior to competition.) Competitors arrived in themes ranging from sports mascots and line dancing Cowboys to a full cast of sheep in a spoof of the Serta Mattress commercial. Terri Ralenkotter, pet therapy volunteer and member of Delta Society chapter Therapy Pets of Greater Cincinnati, and her two Basset Hounds, Rain and Seti presented their entry “A Snood-Full of Love”. The entry featured over 25 colorful snoods which were decorated over the summer by the patients at Cincinnati Shriners Hospital on a clinic day. The decorated fabric was sewn into snoods.

They were assisted in the contest by Florida therapy dog handler, Ellen Ferguson and her “reading program” dog Cody (who is Seti’s grandfather!) They paraded around the show ring to the music of “What I Did For Love” and carried a banner “Proud to be a Shriners Volunteer” and “Therapy Dogs Heal”. The colorful snoods were displayed from the banner and dogs and handlers each wore one of the beautiful snood creations. Flyers were passed out to the spectators and judges explaining the project and also instructions on how to continue the project. There were several misty eyes in the audience! Competition was tight but in the end, the Snood-Full of Love Project tied for first place!

Some of the snoods were presented to other Basset Hounds who do therapy work and three snoods were auctioned off with the money going to further the therapy dogs and further craft projects for the kids. The project was so well received that a British Basset Hound club wants to do this in England! The Snood-Full of Love Project will hopefully continue on. So look for the pet therapy dogs to be well dressed on their up-coming visits!