Show time!

Tomorrow is the spring graduation ceremony for Helping Paws, and though it's a happy and proud occasion for everyone, I have to admit it also makes us nervous.

When Dempsey goes training in public, he usually gets lots of compliments on his skills and his good looks. But at graduation, Dempsey is just one of dozens of Helping Paws dogs, and he isn't quite as much a star compared to all his colleagues who are at least as well trained and cared for.

The most obvious difference is grooming. We brush Dempsey's coat and teeth every day and trim his nails and clean his ears every week -- but that's about it for grooming. Heck, I barely groom myself. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I haven't combed my hair in over 20 years, after I lost my comb and forgot to buy a replacement. It's not a high priority.

This is probably why, when I think of Dempsey's grooming, I think of this:

Dempsey's colleagues, on the other hand, all look like show dogs, all the time. So for this graduation, we decided to hire Jazz's groomer, who did a fabulous! job. He looks like he's ready for Westminster.

We're so proud of how he looks, we took him on some extra field trips today, just so we could show him off. And though we usually restrict how many people he can greet, we said yes to a lot of people today. (Beverly, Margaret, and Nancy: Hope to see you tomorrow at graduation! And Margaret, you have got to look into becoming a foster.)

We're hoping all the compliments don't go to Dempsey's head, but it might be too late.