Last week, with the move and everything else that went on, I wasn’t the most dedicated mom to my pooch. Moreover, Comet was turning one on Monday, so when I heard that Montreal’s sortiedechien.com invited us to their doggie Xmas party, I felt I owed it to her to attend.

Not really knowing what to expect, I made my way there, only to find it was a real bar with low lighting, loud music, beer and pool tables, except everyone had a beer in one hand, and was holding a dog on a leash on the other.

Since I didn’t know anyone, I initially decided I’d let Comet lead the way, greeting whomever she wanted to greet, and I’d just follow. It was her night, after all. However, after going around the room five times in the first minute, I revised the plan.

You had your social butterfly dogs like her who went around meeting and sniffing as many canines as they could (and Comet seems to be developing a clear preference for the bigger boys… she’s a Great Dane groupie). At the same time you had your cooler, shier doggies just propping up the bar, trying to look like they were enjoying themselves, secretly hoping someone would talk to them.

No doggie Christmas would have been complete without a barkalong and a gift exchange, and Comet got to go home with a stuffed bone and a new ball. And even I got to make some new friends.

Merry Christmas, Comet!

(photo from sortiedechien.com)