It was the dogs that peeved William Tongue, 68, not the other wrinkles in his routine brought by Good Morning America broadcasting from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. yesterday at Annapolis' City Dock.

Traffic being routed away from downtown made parking difficult, but Tongue didn't complain about having a longer walk to the Market House where he meets three fellow Annapolis retirees so frequently that many call them The Committee.

He even liked the unusual energy in the air produced by the crowd of more than 200 who braved the rain with dolled-up children and poster-board signs in hopes of appearing on national television. ABC's morning show was in town for a day on its way down the East Coast as part of a series called "50 States - One Nation - One Year."

But while the show was being broadcast, Tongue vented to The Committee his consternation with the owners of beagles, golden retrievers, black Labradors and an overabundance of Doberman pinschers angling for a moment on camera.

"You can't go anywhere without these dogs," Tongue said.

Across the street, Jill Gilmartin, 23, of Annapolis was one of those dog owners. Her little reddish-brown Brussels griffon was wet. She held the shivering pooch, named Texas, against her chest with one arm. In the other hand, she had a sign that read, "Ask me about my dog."

Chasing airtime

The idea was to tell the viewing public that Texas is the brother of Verdell, who appeared in the Academy Award-winning Jack Nicholson movie As Good As It Gets, she said.

"We stayed up last night making signs," she said, referring also to her friend Jane Brosseau, 25, of Annapolis.

One of Brosseau's signs read, "Give me air time," but she wasn't sure it had worked.

"We walked by when Charlie Gibson was coming out of Middleton's," she said of the Good Morning America anchorman. "But I'm not sure if we got any airtime."

Among other Maryland attractions, some of the show's segments focused on the state's famous crabs and the Naval Academy, but airtime was shared with coverage of the aftermath of the storms that cut through the South and Midwest over the weekend, said Jan Hardesty, the city's public relations officer.

"We got trumped by a tornado," she said.

Around City Dock, people in animal costumes shook hands with toddlers, and members of the Naval Academy's band stood in uniform with their instruments waiting for the opportunity to play while people throughout the crowd jumped, hooted and waved their signs when they thought the camera was on them.

Nearby, a man talked on a cell phone with people watching the program at home, asking if they could see him.

Dara Adams, 33, of Annapolis had dressed her three daughters in matching outfits. Elizabeth, 5, Matilda, 3, and Lucy Adams, 2, wore red velvet hats and beige jackets, but they were more interested in bagels and milk than in appearing on television.

"We actually called our relatives in L.A. to watch just in case," their mother said.

Lights, cameras ... flags

Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer had been as eager to get some face time on the set as Gilmartin, Brosseau and Adams.

"She did get on the air, but did not speak," Hardesty said.

The city was looking good, with a special crop of flags out for the lights and cameras.

"We had everything spiffed up like we had company coming," Hardesty said.

Of course there were also a lot of dogs, too.

"They brought them 'cuz they heard you would be here," said Henry Blake, 64, teasing his friend Tongue.

"I got a dog," Tongue said. "I leave him home."

By 9 a.m., the television personalities were rushing to Charleston, S.C., for their next show.

That leaves The Committee to their normal routine in downtown Annapolis this morning - with fewer dogs.