Of all the memories that I carry from the Inaugural Emma Lengquist Memorial Puppy Parade last August, there is one memory that stands above the rest. And it may not be what you think. Some of my great memories include;

inclusion connections pawsabilities
  • How many people showed up to help (Thank you)
  • How many people showed up to participate (Thank you)
  • The costumes
  • The energy
  • The fun

Well, this is my favorite memory.

A GIRL AND HER DOG
Towards the end of the actual Puppy Parade a young Hispanic girl, probably seven or eight years old, walked up to me and asked me if she could bring her dog to the parade. Earlier, somehow in all the excitement of the parade, I had noticed her and her family walking back from the grocery store to their apartment behind the shopping center of Inclusion Connections. They stopped, watched a moment and then proceeded on with their groceries to their apartment leaving the little girl behind.

As she watched the parade she inched closer and closer to me as I was standing at the very beginning of the parade. Finally, as there were only about 15-20 dogs and owners waiting to walk the runway, she takes the final step towards me and looks up at me with her big brown eyes and says “Sir, may I bring my dog?”

I mean seriously, what answer can I give other than “Of course.”?

And with that she was gone like a bullet.

Just in the nick of time she arrived with her smaller dog. I don’t really remember the dog. Just the girl. And then she took her position last in line. Some of you may remember her. For others you may not have even noticed.

What I saw, though, was a girl captured by the moment. A girl who loves her dog and wanted to show him off. She was a young girl feeding off all the energy everyone was giving off that day. I remember that moment because Emma would have done the EXACT SAME THING as that little girl.

Sure, there was no costume on the dog and sure she didn’t pay the “entry” fee. And yet, what was this event really about? It was about celebrating the memory of Emma. And to me, at least for this very first Puppy Parade, that memory will stand as the seminal moment in my personal celebration of the life I got to share with Emma.

Details of Upcoming Puppy Parade

To learn more about the 2019 Emma Lengquist Memorial Puppy Parade simply click the link to visit the page and/or join our email list. Now that we have a little experience, this one is gonna be even more fun. Olathe, Kansas will never be the same because of Emma.

Reserve September 21, 2019 on your calendar today!

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