Summertime means a new HQ promotion. I know some love them, and some hate them. They can be fun, and a great theme to tie in for an event. This year’s promo is all about the numbers. The most fun way to rack up an extra souvenir is attend an event. We all know that dog owners LOVE to bring their dogs with them everywhere! I mean dog strollers are a thing, really, look it up! My suggestion to tie to dogs and the HQ promotion, is hosting a Mythical Creatures – GeoDogs! event. What is that? Simple: an event where geo-dogs can attend with their geo-human.
AHollyS stands next to a geocache along the Butler County Donut Trail.
It seems so complicated, right? Well it is not. It is super stress-free if you want it to be. Even first time hosts can pull this off and make it look easy. Don’t think of a “Pinterest Production” do what you’re able to make work with in the time and resources YOU have.
1) Find a location where dogs can attend
*I recommend the local dog park, doggie day care, or dog friendly location
*Pick a day and time
*Confirm with business or park that it is cool for you to be there. (aka permission from a business. Check park regulations for gathering regulations. Some parks have limits like no more than 25 people without a reservation. wiki.groundspeak.com is a great place to start)
2) Do something fun!
This is where things can get out of control. Pick one or two and don’t worry about “How cool it would have been it I ____________” or “What If’s?” will rob you of your job and take you out of the moment, don’t do it. A few suggestions are:
*If you have kids at home get them in on the action. Bake homemade dog treats with them to give to attendees (their geo-humans will be so envious!). Need a recipe? See the next Bullet Point
*YOU bake the treats because you like that sort of thing or are curious about what is in those things anyway! Oh, you can’t do that because you’re not Martha Stewart of the dog park. I got you covered. Here’s a recipe with ingredients you’re likely to have on hand already.
Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Treats
Does your dog love peanut butter as much as mine does? If so, you can’t go wrong with this easy homemade dog treat recipe — it’s a staple in my house. You’ll need 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup peanut butter and 2 eggs. Mix the ingredients together until combined, and then add water until it becomes wet enough to roll out as dough. (Recipe Credit: https://www.puppyleaks.com/simple-dog-treat-recipes/)
Owners will appreciate that you will know all the ingredients, as dogs have food sensitivities too. For example, cheese makes lots of dogs fart and who wants to be trapped on the ride home with that?! Not sure I want to read the thank you note after that event. As a bonus, you can use any cookie cutter you can find, because Fido, Max, and Snoopy are not that picky!
3 ingredients + water, 20 minute cook time
*Pick up a dog cake (for the dogs to eat – it is a thing really!)
*Bring paper bags for the kids to cut out floppy dog ears to wear (bring, bags, scissors, and bobby pins for this one). Attached are some picture ” how to” that you can totally hijack for your event page.
* Just ask geo-humans to wear dog ears. They can make the dog ears from the above bullet point and bring them.
Final considerations:
*Ask owners to bring travel water dishes – you bring a gallon of water
*Some dogs may be suitable to Parvo (puppies that have not had their shots). Attending dog park activities is not recommended until they are adult dogs.
3) If that seems like sooooo much work…
Just publish the event, let everyone show up and enjoy the social time. It works
If you’re reading this and Mythical Creatures was a promotion like 200 years ago, people still love there geo-dogs and still want to bring them out! This event is still a great option for first-time, creative, or cachers just looking to host an event in their area.
BONUS 4) Use this theme any time to tie in with a REAL famous dog like Balto
Don’t tell me you don’t know Balto. “Balto (1919 – March 14, 1933) was a Siberian husky and sled dog who led his team on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which diphtheria antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nenana, Alaska, by train and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease.” Read more about the real Balto and his Norwegian handler Gunnar Kaasen (shout out to the Norwegians! Love you guys! Also big thanks for Cachetur.no) Read more about real life Balto en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto
They also made a movie about Balto (you should read this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto_(film) )
You can also google famous dog and pick the hero of your choice, or that fits with date of your event.
If you’re looking for more tasty dog treat advice, visit the post: Best Dog Treats for Training.
What types of Mythical Creatures events have you attended or plan to attend? Have you ever hosted or attended a geo-dog-friendly or other geo-animal friendly event? What did cachers do to make it a fun, unique experience?
April Holly Smith (aka AHollyS) has been a registered member of Geocaching.com since 09/08/2001. She didn’t find her first geocache until receiving a blue E-Trex as a Christmas present December 2007, despite making every effort with a borrowed Magellan 2000 that only had two digits after the decimal. She’s attending GeoCoinFest 2009, 6 ASP GeoBashes, 6 Midwest GeoBashes, 2 Megas, and 6 Geowoodstocks. She buried her husband in Cache, OK cemetery (where he grew up, and coincidently was not a geocacher). She currently stays at home with her 2 girls, 5 and under. In her spare time, when she’s not geocaching, she volunteers as the Geocaching Coordinator for Stan Hywet Hall and Garden in Akron, Ohio.
