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Puppy love? photo by Bob Pennell Mitch Posada, 10, waits for a smooch, but Rocco, his Boston terrier, isn't so sure about the kissing contest Saturday at Pet Expo '99. The event was a fund raiser for Dogs for the Deaf and the Southern Oregon Humane Society. A day for dogged determination By JoNel Aleccia of the Mail Tribune Make no bones about it, Rocco the Boston terrier believed he was top dog at Saturday's Pet Expo '99. The pint-sized pup took to the stage at the Jackson County Exposition Park no fewer than three times to demonstrate his skills at jumping, fetching -- and kissing. In the end, another dog was deemed best smoocher, but that didn't stop the pooch and his boy -- Mitch Posada, 10, of Ashland -- from lapping up the attention. "You can teach him anything, he's really smart," the boy said, reaching in his pocket for a baseball. "Look. He's obsessed with anything circular." Rocco obliged by following the ball through a hoop formed by Mitch's arms, then chasing it back and forth over a broomstick. The sight tickled many of the dozens of dog-, cat-, snake- and llama-lovers who showed up for the first-ever event aimed at raising funds for Dogs for the Deaf and the Southern Oregon Humane Society. "We didn't know whether we'd have two people or 5,000," said Robin Dickson, head of the nonprofit Dogs for the Deaf. She won't know for days how many people attended or how much money the event raised, funds that will be evenly split between the two groups. "It's an event I've been wanting to do for years. We wanted to celebrate the bonds between pets and their owners." Those bonds were strongly evident Saturday, where dogs of every description led their owners through classes, past sales booths and into competitions that ranged from an amateur pet show to a St. Bernard carting demonstration. There were dogs wearing hats, dogs wearing coats, dogs wearing tiny little backpacks. There was a poodle draped over a woman's shoulder here, a St. Bernard lounging in a corner there, two tiny Yorkshire terriers riding in a woman's handbag. "We just came to visit and to support the Humane Society," said Doris Battye of Medford, cradling Professor Higgins and Eliza Dolittle, two tiny Yorkie pups. "Really, I brought them to socialize a bit." Socializing seemed the order of the day for dogs and owners alike as they exchanged handshakes and sniffs in the crowded aisles. "Owners of small dogs, we would like to encourage you to pick your dogs up," a voice announced over the public address system about midday. "There are many small dogs here and they are getting stepped on." Dogs were by far the dominant species at the show where a single feline came away with ribbons for both smallest and largest cat. But that didn't stop fans of other pets from browsing tables full of food supplements, fancy leashes and T-shirts that read "Don't Litter. Spay and Neuter Your Pets." Still other pet owners took advantage of more than a dozen clinics, classes and seminars offered by 35 retailers and exhibitors. "I don't have a dog; I have a cat," said Laura Salas of Medford. "It's just a great thing. When it's something I feel really strongly about, I just have to come and support it." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA