True/False is great for many reasons: the amazing films, the art installations, the music and the general atmosphere. The festival brings locals and people from all over the world to the heart of Columbia to be together and celebrate art in various forms.
And with many people come many dogs. The “floofers” may have been the best part of the weekend.
The weather on Saturday was amazing. For that one day, spring had sprung, and Mother Nature was particularly loving to CoMo. Everyone and their pooch came outside to soak up the evening. Because too many $12 films annihilated our bank accounts, we decided to tuck away our wallets and spend our lovely Saturday “dog hopping.” This ultimately meant wasting time meandering up Ninth Street with the intention of petting every dog we saw.
But what started as a broke evening pastime turned into an exciting (and furry) journalistic endeavor.
We called ourselves the “puppy prowlers,” which I admit sounds quite predatory but accurately describes what we were doing. As we worked our way from Ninth Street to Broadway, we jaywalked with reckless abandon from sidewalk to storefront. Over the course of three blocks, we met 12 puppers and their corresponding owners. Here are our favorites:
Captain is a boisterous 3-year-old golden retriever who attracted people over to a group of boys raising money outside Shakespeare’s. The best way to meet girls and rake in dough? Keep a puppy close by. Captain was the first puppy we met on our quest. He was happy to be petted by anyone who passed by and was probably hoping someone would toss a morsel his way.
Milo, a poodle and Bichon Frise mix. / Photo by Victoria Cheyne.
Milo is a tiny little poodle and Bichon Frise mix who was pretty fascinated by rocks — and kept trying to eat them. He also stood on his hind legs and smiled a lot, and it was all really cute.
Jax is a 5-month-old yellow labrador who waited near the Q line at The Picturehouse with a friendly owner. His tail never stopped wagging, and he was literally a round butter ball.
Indigo, a shepherd puppy. / Photo by Victoria Cheyne.
Indigo is a shepherd puppy who regularly models for her Instagram account and knows how to find her light. She willingly jumped up on a bench and the ledge behind it to show off an impressive repertoire of poses. Basically, she would be a selfie queen if she were human.
Mia is a 15-month-old German shepherd who patiently stood by her owner as he enjoyed frozen yogurt with a group of friends. She was pretty chill for a young puppy, so I commend her owner for his effective training.
Casey, a German pointer mix. / Photo by Victoria Cheyne.
Casey is a young German pointer mix who made up for his small stature with his personality. He has a chocolate brown face and the most velvety little ears.
A survey of the dogs around downtown is not complete without a visit from Harlan, the famous 5-year-old Great Pyrenees. As we passed by a food cart, we came across him and his owner making their way toward the Quad.
Lenny, a year-old Australian and German shepherd mix. / Photo by Victoria Cheyne.
Lenny is a year-old Australian and German shepherd mix who had the most distinctive eyes, the left brown and the right multicolored. He was a sweetheart who worked the camera and loved to be petted.
Duck laid at the feet of his owner as she sat catching up with a friend near Main Squeeze. He is a 7-year-old Alaskan shepherd mix with a calm and cool demeanor and the most beautiful reddish-brown fur. He just sprawled out on the cool concrete while we proceeded to touch his very soft ears.
An unknown dog wearing a stylish sweater. / Photo by Victoria Cheyne.
As we rounded our way back toward Shakespeare’s, we came across this scrappy fellow. We’re not embarrassed to say we hovered on the curb for a significant amount of time hoping his owner would finish her conversation so we could figure out this dog’s name and where he got that trendy sweater. Unfortunately, his owner was in for the long haul and ignored us completely.
Romeo, a seven-year-old dachshund. / Photo by Victoria Cheyne.
We met Romeo on the Quad. He was nestled in the arms of his owner and harnessed up in a bright green mesh number. When we stopped to pet him, his owners informed us that not only was Romeo a wise old soul, but he was also Chief Dog Officer at his owner’s company. Romeo also has a Juliet whom he visits occasionally.
Callie, a rescued redhound and labrador mix. / Photo by Victoria Cheyne.
Our floofer experiment rolled over into Sunday. Bailey was Q’ing for _Whose Streets_, and it was a significantly uglier day than Saturday, so fewer dogs were spotted. However, I met Callie, a rescued, attention-loving redhound and labrador mix of approximately two and a half years. She loved getting her photo taken and licked the camera lens every time it was within reach. Callie also wouldn’t stop moving, which made for some blurry photography.