Scrapbooking class helps you celebrate your pet

The best lesson veterinarian Billy Griswold ever learned from a dog?

“Ooh, probably 'Never bite when a growl will do,’ ” says the Chandler man, whose veterinary practice is in Gilbert. “A lot of dogs have a very good idea of what it’s going to take to get their way. When they run into something they don’t like, they’re very good at baring their teeth and using body language to keep a fight from breaking out.”

This kind of wisdom, garnered from living alongside man’s best friend, is the focus of Lessons Learned From Dogs, a scrapbooking class taking place Aug. 9 at Scrapology, a paper crafts store in Gilbert. The store and Griswold’s Priority Pet Hospital are partnering to offer the event.

“We have a lot of big animal fans here, so we had a lot of requests for something pet-related,” says store co-owner Diane Truchanowicz. “One of our designers put together a really cute little book.”

In the class, participants will make that book, a 12-page memory album filled with the kind of lessons only dogs can teach — phrases like “Look forward to someone you love coming home” and “Play more, worry less.” The pages are designed so participants can insert photos of their pets later and add to the book’s extra pages over time. Materials can be swapped out to make it suitable for cats or other pets.

Truchanowicz, who owns a Chihuahua-poodle mix, a yellow Lab and an Anatolian shepherd, says the class gives pet owners an easy, unique way to remember their dogs. It’s also fun.

“Once people start talking about pets or kids, you can get sidetracked, so there’s lots of chatting, and we put out snacks and drinks. You end up meeting people who enjoy the same things you do,” she says.

Veterinarian Karin Burns will attend the class to share pet advice and stories. Burns, who is married to Griswold, often creates scrapbook pages featuring the couple’s dogs, two German pointers.

“Our oldest dog was born on the Fourth of July, so every year we have a big Independence Day barbecue and dog party, and Karin tends to scrapbook that every year. Most years there are more dogs than people,” says Griswold.

Space is limited for the event, and advance registration and payment is required. A class fee covers all specialty products, but participants should bring adhesives, fine-tip scissors, a pencil, a paper trimmer, a paper piercer, a black pen, brown and/or black ink and glossy accents.

Corinna Silberg, an employee at the store who was first to sign up for the class, will be making the book with her beagle and beagle-basset hound mix in mind.

“We just love our dogs and want to be able to remember them. I’m coming in on my day off to do it,” she says.

Lessons Learned From Dogs

What: Make a 12-page album about your pooch in this class led by a scrapbooking instructor and a veterinarian.

When: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 9

Where: Scrapology, 2335 S. Lindsay Road, Suite 111, Gilbert

Cost: $30; advance registration and payment are required

Information: (480) 786-4878 or www.scrapologyaz.com

What’s the best lesson you ever learned from a pet? Share your story below.