Road Trip Part 2: Pet Expo 2013

After the failed Meet and Greet between granddaughter Ellie and the Easter Bunny, we needed to move on to something more fun for her.  We had tickets for the 2013 Pet Expo in Reading, Pennsylvania, and so we left the Easter Bunny in the dust and headed to the pet show.

Guests were allowed to bring their pets along to the show, as long as they were not using retractable leashes, and as long as certain breeds were registered prior to the event.  We literally walked through the building among hundreds of dogs, some as big as small horses.  Yes, this was way more to Ellie's liking.

Although we didn't sit to watch any of the scheduled shows in the main arena, we did take Ellie into the small petting zoo and left her roam to whatever animals caught her fancy.  If the animal or bird was her size or smaller, she liked it.  If it was larger than her, she walked a wide circle around it.  Alpacas were in the scary category.

Ellie got the giggles and squeals around the goats.  She kept wanting to go back to visit them.

And she loved the bunnies too.  These were nothing like the horrible beast she had fled from earlier in the day.  

Pigs were a little puzzling to Ellie.  She didn't know whether or not to think they were worth petting.

And this silly pig, although he had several luxury beds available to him, just preferred to sleep on a floor mat.

There were all sorts of chickens, some looking more like poodles.

Ellie tried her hand at some fishing, and the whopper she caught allowed her to select a miniature stuffed animal from a bin.

Everywhere we turned there was something interesting to see, including this tired puppy watching the dog show in the dog ring.

This guy was watching the Parrot Show, but nobody seemed to want to sit anywhere near him and his "pet."  Me neither.  

Overall, I'd say we redeemed the day after our failed Easter Bunny encounter.  And frankly, I enjoyed looking at all the animals just as much as little Ellie did.  

Sometimes it's just the simple things that are best, especially when done together with those you love.