Top Dog 2013 registration information.

TOP DOG Registration Now Open

The Southeast Regional Top dog workshop, January 11-13, 2013 is coming to the Hostess City, Savannah, Georgia, and registration is now open.

Georgia Guide Dog Users, DixieLand Guide Dog Users and Guide Dog Users of Florida will welcome guide dog handlers, puppy raisers and many dogs and puppies from the Southeast and around the country to the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites Gateway Conference Center at 17 Gateway Blvd. East in Savannah for three days of workshops, exhibits, fine Southern food and hospitality, an optional city tour, and the chance to visit with old friends and to make new ones.

The complete schedule of events will be circulated in advance; what follows are program highlights:
A Top Dog tradition, the Blessing of the Guide Dogs
A panel discussion on current advocacy issues for guide dog handlers
A veterinarian speaking on the basics, ears, teeth and flea prevention
An interactive session on peak experiences with our dogs
An optional Red Cross certification course in canine first aid
A banquet speaker who will inspire us with her story

Online registration is available at the website, http://topdogworkshop.org/ or by phone and through the mail. The registration phone number for registrar Sally Benjamin is (850) 588-9070. The registration cost for Top Dog 2013 is $25.00 per person.

When you register you will be able to choose two lunch and two dinner meals priced very affordably and you may opt for a Friday afternoon tour of Savannah’s historic district for a cost of $25.00.

Room rates at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites Gateway will be $89.00 per night, plus 13% sales tax. These conference rates will apply from Thursday, January 10, 2013 through Sunday January 13, 2013, as well as three nights prior to and following the event. If you choose to, you could stay as many as nine nights at the special event rate. Up to four people can share these comfortably-sized rooms and a hot breakfast is included in the room rate. Located off of exit 94 from I95, the hotel is just 15 miles from the Savannah International Airport and a similar distance from both the Amtrak and Greyhound stations. It is located approximately 18 miles from Savannah’s downtown and historic district.

Make reservations at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites by calling the hotel directly at 912-925-2700, making certain to mention group code GGD (Good Good Dog). The event is also listed under the name of Georgia Guide Dog Users. The deadline for registration and hotel reservations is December 11, 2012. Make your plans now to come to Savannah in January 2013. See y’all here.

For further event information or for exhibitors or registration forms, send emails to, <2013topdog@gmail.com>

Marj Schneider, Event Coordinator