While on a weekend getaway to Nashville I spotted this statue downtown. It recognizes a shelter dog who became a much-loved canine citizen as he made his daily rounds of the downtown area for nine years. Kind of cool that he’s honored this way, and everyone who stops to read the inscription is reminded of the many dogs in shelters waiting for their forever homes.
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: Butler's Run, dog statue, Nashville dogs, shelter dog memorial
I love outdoor festivals in the fall, and you know I love dogs, so I decided to trek out to Easton, Md., today to check out the annual Waterfowl Festival. The event encompasses much of historic downtown Easton, and is going on all weekend, Nov. 8-9-10. Tickets are $12, and can be purchased at booths onsite.
There are tons of art exhibits in tents and buildings downtown, featuring paintings, photography and sculptures, much of it depicting birds and sporting dogs.
The downtown area has lots of cute shops, with art galleries, clothing and gift boutiques. The local shelter–the Talbot Humane Society–has a new storefront with a good selection of gifts for animals and animal lovers.
Many festival attendees brought their dogs, this guy had no problem making himself comfortable right on the sidewalk.
And this adorable Golden pup sat calmly observing the people strolling up the street.
There are competitions and demonstrations of dock diving dogs, duck calling, fly fishing, retrievers and birds of prey. The announcer at the dock diving, which is being held at the Easton Middle School grounds, did a good job of explaining the different types of dock competitions and how each dog achieves certain levels based on the distance they can jump.
There were more than a few pooches who wouldn’t jump in the pool at all, but this guy gets the award for greatest height.
And this handler got a good laugh from the crowd because she screamed, “Go get the bad guy!” to get her dog to dive into the pool after the lure.
Overall, the crowds weren’t bad, and there were more than enough activities to keep busy all day. There are shuttle buses that run continuously between the events outside of downtown, so I recommend parking, then walking or riding a bus to all events.
My only complaint is the restaurants in town weren’t prepared, despite a huge banner touting their “Oysters and Brews” in the garden from 3-7, when we tried to eat at the Tidewater Inn at 3:30 the hostess told us the kitchen was overwhelmed and they weren’t seating anyone until 5 pm. Two other restaurants we tried also weren’t serving from 2 to 5, even though the blocked-off main street was full of hungry event attendees. Lines at the outdoor food vendors were of course long.
But overall, if you want to enjoy the fall weather tomorrow, Easton is only about an hour and a half’s drive from downtown DC, making it a great day trip!
I recently visited a dog-friendly winery out near the Appalachian Trail, Notaviva Vineyards in Purcellville, Va.
This dog-friendly winery welcomes pups at their many picnic tables overlooking the scenic rolling Virginia hills, as well as at the tables on their comfortable front porch.
The vineyard was voted Best Live Music in DC’s Wine Country, and features rock, folk, bluegrass, Celtic, jazz and classical performers. Their tasting room has comfortable couches and a loft, with a very relaxed vibe–unlike some of the wineries filled with bachelorette parties and wine tour busloads.
The weekend I was there, the Roaming Rotisserie gourmet mobile kitchen (aka food truck) had its grand opening. The truck serves delicious dry-rubbed rotisserie chicken, pulled chicken sandwiches and sides including garlic fries and cilantro-lime rice. The owner said he planned to be out at Notaviva on weekends.
The décor at Notaviva has some unique touches, such as the sink base made out of a wine barrel in one of the restrooms.
So whether you make it a day of visiting some of the many Loudon County wineries, or do some hiking before you sample the fruit of the vines, bring the two- and four-legged kids and enjoy a great day in the country!
This Saturday, Nov. 2, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington is hosting its inaugural Golden Paw Gala benefit event at the Westin Gateway hotel in Arlington, Va.
The league is rolling out the red carpet to honor shelter animals with a formal benefit event that will include a cocktail reception followed by an extensive silent auction and live auction, dinner and program. Masters of ceremonies are Dr. Katy Nelson of The Pet Show with Dr. Katy on News Channel 8 and Scott Thuman, senior political reporter and anchor ABC channel 7.
Entertainment includes Joel Silverman, professional Hollywood animal trainer, and current host of the nationally syndicated TV series Dog & Cat Training with Joel Silverman, former host of Good Dog U on Animal Planet, and author of What Color is Your Dog?. Silverman will give a presentation and demonstration with “Foster,” a rescue pup trained for movies and commercials.
Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, will deliver keynote remarks.
Tickets are $125 per person and can be purchased online at awla.ejoinme.org/GoldenPawGala or at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. VIP ticket, which include an exclusive VIP reception with Joel Silverman, Wayne Pacelle and other special guests are $175.
It’s brisk out, our area is experiencing the coolest temperatures since last April. But, what better reason to get outdoors and enjoy the crisp fall air, before it gets REALLY cold?!
Both events are on Saturday, Oct. 26:
Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training is holding its annual 3K walk through parks and a neighborhood in Fairfax. The walk begins in the parking lot behind Weber’s Pet Supermarket at 11021 Lee Hwy, Fairfax at 10:00 a.m.
Participants receive an event shirt, and refreshments and dog treats are provided along the route. Door prizes are given away at the end of the walk.
Registration is $25 per walker onsite. Dogs are free, and non-Goldens are welcome!
For more details go to: http://grreat.org/3kwalk.htm
Toast to the Animals
From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. head out to Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, Va., for an event to benefit the Humane Society of Fairfax County. There will be wine, food, live music, a silent auction and vendors.
Here is a list of all the sponsors, vendors and some of the silent auction items that will be there.
Registration at the door is $50 per person, and you get two complimentary glasses of wine, food and admission to the event.
It’s not every day you take a lunchtime stroll around the White House and get to meet Bo Obama’s new little sister, Sunny!
Posted in News | Tags: Bo Obama, celebrity pets, President Obama dog, President's dogs, Sunny Obama, White House dogs
Looking for a change of scenery, I headed out to Purcellville, Va., this weekend. It was about an hour and twenty minute drive from Arlington, mostly on the scenic Dulles Greenway and Route 7 West. I met up with a friend to stroll with our pups down Main Street and do some window-shopping in the boutiques and antique stores. Our ultimate destination, however, was the dog-friendly Catoctin Creek Distilling Company.
The pups were welcome inside the tasting room, where we bellied up to the bar to sample some of their small batch, handcrafted whisky, gin and brandy. You can choose to sample either straight alcohol in shot glasses, or cocktail samplers. They also cater to the canine crowd with spent rye mash and peanut butter dog treats.
We sampled Mosby’s Spirit white rye whisky, Roundstone Rye whisky, and Watershed Gin. For the cocktail samplers, first we had the Honey Cake, a refreshing mix of rye, honey, mulling spices and orange juice that would make a great holiday cocktail. It was followed by the Colonel Langdon with rye, lemon juice, maple syrup and seltzer. Sounds too sweet, but the seltzer nicely lightens it. Finally, the best of the bunch was the Pumpkin Gin Fizz with gin, pumpkin puree, lemon juice, simple syrup and ginger ale.
The staff was extremely welcoming of the dogs, giving them treats and petting Sundae when she stood to put her paws on the bar. Even all the other patrons were happy to see the pups and talk about their own dogs.
The distillery offers tours and tastings seven days a week, and you can often see the distilling equipment in operation, it’s right next to the tasting room.
Catoctin Creek Distillery is at 120 West Main St., Purcellville, VA 20132.
DC Walk for the Animals and Pet-a-Palooza
On Saturday, Sept. 28, bring your dog to the Kingsbury Center in downtown DC for a fundraising walk, pet entertainment, live music, kids activities, pet adoptions, exhibitors and more. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and benefits the Washington Humane Society.
Will Thomas, television news anchor for Fox 5, is the event emcee. At noon, there is a 1 mile walk. Participants can register as individuals or as part of a fundraising team. Walk registration is $20 per adult, $15 for youth 12 and under.
The Kingsbury Center is at 5000 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20011.
Zoom Room Rockville Yappy Hour
From 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 28 Zoom Room Rockville is hosting a Yappy Hour fundraiser for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. Zoom Room will donate 15% of ALL SALES — including retail and group classes — for September 28th to Lucky Dog and will have refreshments, Zoom Room’s doggy donuts, our famous Doggy Disco®, silent auction and more!
Zoom Room is at 11771 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852
There’s a lot of dog-friendly events this weekend, whether you want to exercise, play or relax with your pup.
Saturday, Sept. 21
Strut Your Mutt
Support Lucky Dog Animal Rescue by joining their pack and walking with them at the Strut Your Mutt walk on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Blob’s Park in Jessup, Md.
The donations raised through the LDAR Strut Your Mutt team will be used to fund Lucky Dog’s adoption programs, spay/neuter, vetting, and transport resources to ultimately impact the number of pets entering and leaving the shelters.
For more information and to Join the Pack, go to: http://www.strutyourmutt.org/team/luckydog2013
Neighborhood Dog Pawty
Come to Fort Scott park from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to enjoy a Neighborhood Dog Pawty featuring an agility course, doggie vendors, water bar, games and prizes, complimentary morning coffee and pastries, and dog adoptions.
The pawty is hosted by Susan Hand of Washington Fine Properties, and benefits the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
Fort Scott Park is at 2800 Fort Scott Drive, Arlington.
Sunday, Sept. 22
Pups and Pilsners
In Crystal City on Sunday you can sample craft beers in a dog-friendly beer garden at Vintage Crystal’s Pups and Pilsners. From 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. join the Washington Wine Academy, Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, and the Crystal City BID in the celebration for dog lovers and beer lovers alike.
There will be delicious refreshments for both humans and their pup companions, along with local restaurants selling tasty snacks, local animal rescue groups with dogs available for adoption, and pet-related businesses offering unique wares and services for pampered pets.
Tickets are $20 in advance online. Each attendee will get six tasting tickets to sample (2 oz samples) of beers (an increase from 3 last year) and token for one full beer of their choice. Walk up sales for $25 cash or credit based on availability.
There is nothing cuter in the world than a giggling baby playing with a 2-month old Golden Retriever puppy.
Two Dog Tales 