"Bringing It All Together"
GRRA - Chick-Fil-A Bowl Parade 2007
| It was a cold and foggy morn. At the far side of the Georgia Dome parking lot you could just make out the ethereal forms of man and beast. No, wait. That’s women as well, and those beasts are but Golden and Labrador retrievers, lots of them, romping restlessly. They and a couple dozen GRRA volunteers are getting ready for one of our favorite events, our annual pilgrimage as part of the Chick-fil-a Bowl Parade down Atlanta’s famed Peachtree Street on New Year’s Eve day. |
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Everyone gets in coordinating attire with their GRRA sweatshirts and the dogs are dressed in our yellow GRRA bandanas. We take a few group photos, load up our backpacks with extra leashes, water, collapsible bowls, snacks for ourselves, and of course treats for the dogs, and we’re off. Shaking off the chill we hustle to the giant ramp that takes us up to street level of the massive Georgia Dome where in a few hours 60,000 crazed fans will be screaming for their Tigers, which, conveniently, is the mascot of both teams. |
After an urban hike of a mile or so we approach the staging area, pass marching bands, practicing jugglers, a slew of clowns, Shriners on their tiny motorcycles, and a fleet of fancy convertibles awaiting the parade marshals and assorted dignitaries. We hang around schmoozing for another hour as the fog lifts, the sun shines, the weather warms, and the parade gets started. What with two nearby teams competing, Auburn Tigers (orange and blue) and Clemson Tigers (orange and white), the parade route is an endless sea of orange. Even the giant feline prints plastered on every surface imaginable don’t phase our hounds. There is something about parades and dogs that brings smiles to even the most fanatic football fans. While we start out roughly in formation and in the center of the street, we soon find ourselves off to the side, countless orange-sleeved arms reaching out to pet our charges, whose tails are swinging and tongues lolling as they soak up the eager attention. Hurriedly we try to pass out GRRA info to all who seem interested. The pair of 10-week-old golden pups were particular favorites, drawing constant “oohs” and “aahs” and “they are soooo cute” from the endless masses, six to seven deep, lining the parade route. |
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| It turned out to be a glorious day and tons of fun for both the dogs and GRRA volunteers. When we got home mid-afternoon our two sprawled in their dog-beds for the remainder of the day, and showed little interest when the game actually started later that evening. Guess they already got their Chik-fil-a Bowl fix. | |
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