Posted by: twodogtales | March 20, 2012

Scenes from the Super Pet Expo

The girls and I headed out to the Super Pet Expo this Saturday, along with what seemed like thousands of other pet owners. The line to buy tickets stretched out the door and down the building. Many attendees had their pups in tow, or in arm, as with this very comfortable-looking, and smartly-attired Chihuahua.

Chatham and Sundae donned their St. Patty’s gear as well.

Vendors were doing a brisk business in everything from collars and toys to apparel and pet-themed gifts.

Plenty of pups were just exhausted from all the commotion.

And others took the opportunity to make new friends, of all shapes and sizes.

This sweet pup is a 3-month-old pit bull mix available for adoption from Jasmine’s House, Inc.

The gentle giants available for adoption from Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue couldn’t be more serene, even with their St. Patty’s party gear on.

Mission accomplished! One tired puppy.

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Posted by: twodogtales | March 17, 2012

St. Pat’s pup

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Posted by: twodogtales | March 15, 2012

GRREAT dog wash fundraiser March 12-24

With the extra hour of daylight we gained this week along with the unseasonably warm temperatures, you’ve probably enjoyed the great outdoors a bunch—and now you have a dirty dog to show for it.

Or, you need a clean pooch because you’ve set your heart on winning the Best Dressed Pet contest—and the grand prize of a year of free pet food from Natura Pet Products—at this weekend’s Super Pet Expo at the Dulles Expo Center (Expo runs all weekend, contest is noon Saturday, register your pet online.)

Bring your dog by Weber’s Pet Supermarket in Herndon from March 12-24 and get a great wash and help a GRREAT organization at the same time! For every wash, Weber’s will donate $10 of the $16 cost to Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training (GRREAT)!

The dog wash is a self-service wash. The tub, water, shampoo, towels, high-velocity dryers and tasty treats are all provided!

Weber’s Pet Supermarket is at 2599 John Milton Dr., Herndon, VA.

Hours for the dog wash are Mon.-Fri. 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (last bath 6:30 p.m.) and Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (last bath 4:30 p.m.). Weber’s is closed on Sundays.

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Posted by: twodogtales | March 12, 2012

Super Pet Expo March 16-18

This weekend, the Super Pet Expo returns to the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Va. The Super Pet Expo, sponsored this year by Evo Pet Food, unites pet owners and animal lovers at a shopping extravaganza and animal entertainment destination with more than 150 local and national pet product and service vendors, entertainment, adoptable animals and more.

Just a few of the items for sale at the Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training booth at the 2011 Super Pet Expo.

New this year, your pet can audition to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman’s Stupid Pet and Human Tricks segment!

On Saturday, March 17 at 5:00 p.m., a talent coordinator for the show will be taping auditions to take back to the show for consideration. Tricks must be fun, unique and safe, and all types of animals are welcome.

Teams whose tricks are selected will receive a free trip to New York City for the chance to perform their trick on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater in front of millions of Late Show viewers.

You can let your pup get his/her ya-yas out in the nearly 5,000 square feet indoor puppy playground sponsored by A Dog’s Day Out.

Popular entertainers returning from 2011 include the EVO High Flying Athletic Dog Show (aka World Class Frisbee Dogs) and the stars of the National Geographic Channel reality show “Rescue Ink,” a self-proclaimed “army of tattooed, motorcycle-riding street guys who have zero tolerance for animal abuse and neglect.”

Also back this year, you can pose your questions to representatives from the International Association of Canine Professionals to answer your questions about pet behavior, and a free workshop with Dawn Wolfe, owner of Pawsitively Famous Animal Actors.

Leashed dogs are welcome, but no flexi-leashes will be allowed.

Show hours are 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $13 for adults, $8 for children ages four to 12, and free for kids three and under. Tickets can be purchased at the door on online at www.superpetexpo.com.

The Dulles Expo Center is at 4368 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, VA 20153.

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Posted by: twodogtales | March 3, 2012

Alexandria St. Patty’s Parade in pictures

Thousands of people turned out for the Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday, March 3 in Old Town Alexandria. Despite early morning rain, by the time the dog show began at 11:00 a.m., the skies had cleared. Dogs from Chihuahas to Great Danes were decked out in green finery, and most owners were, too! Here are pictures from the dog show and parade that wound down King Street beginning at 12:30 p.m.

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Posted by: twodogtales | March 1, 2012

Dog show and St. Patrick’s Day parade March 3

The 2012 Alexandria Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is this Saturday, March 3, in dog-friendly Old Town Alexandria, and the day’s festivities kick off with a dog show!

Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. at Market Square for the show, which is sponsored by the Ballyshaners and organized by Barkley Square Gourmet Dog Bakery.

Dogs and owners can compete in categories such as Dog with Best Tail Wag, Dog with Most Unusual Markings, Dog with Most Unique Appearance, Dog/Owner with Most Similar Hair, Dog with Biggest Feet, Dog with Most Unusual Tail, Dog with Best Irish Costume, and more.

Dog show judging begins at 11:15 a.m., with the Honorable Daniel O’Flaherty as the judge and newscaster John Harter as Master of Ceremonies.

After the show, the dog contestants and their owners are invited to lead the parade as it begins at 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of King and Alfred Streets and heads down King Street.

The parade is held rain or shine, and generally attracts thousands of spectators to cheer on the Irish dance troupes, pipe and drum corps, dog breed groups, bands, and more.

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Posted by: twodogtales | February 23, 2012

Lucky Dog party at Rocket Bar Feb. 29

On Wednesday, Feb. 29, join Lucky Dog Animal Rescue for their third annual Spay Day Celebration at Rocket Bar DC. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Help stop the pet overpopulation problem by making a $10 suggested donation at the door and enjoying happy hour throughout the entire event, a pool tournament, drink specials including $4 beers, well drinks and house wine, and a raffle.

Attendees who bring a bag of dog food will get five extra raffle tickets!

Rocket Bar is at 714 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

If you can’t make the Rocket Bar event, consider making an online donation to Lucky Dog’s Critical Care Fund. Two Lucky Dogs in foster homes have been hit by cars in the past few weeks, and the surgeries to save them cost $14,000. You can read about Frankie, Spot and the other dogs who have needed life-saving medical care on Lucky Dog’s blog here.

Click on the photo to read Spot's story

Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is an all-volunteer, non-profit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless animals and educating the community on responsible pet ownership. Most Lucky Dogs come from high-kill shelters in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and are brought to the D.C. area where they stay with volunteer foster families until they are placed in their forever homes.

Spaying and neutering pets will help stop the unneccessary killing of more than 3 million dogs and cats in shelters across America every year.

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Posted by: twodogtales | February 21, 2012

Martinis for Mutts: Feb. 24

This Friday, Feb. 24, Founders Dog Park in Alexandria is holding the inaugural Martinis for Mutts fundraiser and silent auction from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Old Dominion Boat Club in Old Town Alexandria. The casual event supports improvements to the dog park and features heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, a silent auction, door prizes and music.

It sounds like the organizers have pulled together an event that’s a step above the run-of-the-mill D.C. fundraiser dried-out chicken-on-a-skewer appetizers and so-so selection of silent auction items!

For example, the menu for Martinis for Mutts features scrumptious-sounding hors d’oeuvres including lime cilantro jumbo shrimp, calypso meatballs with mango chipotle sauce, and Peruvian spiced chicken with carmelized onions in petite phyllo cups.

And the grand door prize is a private home in the New Orleans French Quarter for a weekend and two plane tickets. Other raffle and silent auction items include a week at an 18th century home in a south central French village at the base of the Pyrenees mountains, bed and breakfast stays, professional architecture and construction services, Caps hockey tickets, gift certificates and gift baskets from local shops and restaurants, dog photo portraits, and more.

Tickets are $75 and are available online at www.FoundersDogPark.com. Only 100 tickets will be sold.

Download the event flyer for more information.

Founders Park is on the Alexandria waterfront at 351 North Union Street. The dog exercise area is located in the north west corner at Oronoco and North Union Streets. (map)

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Posted by: twodogtales | February 13, 2012

Best of the best: Westminster Dog Show Feb. 13 and 14

It’s that time of year! New York City has gone to the dogs for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and the rest of the country gets to watch it live on the USA Network and CNBC.

Held at Madison Square Garden, Westminster showcases the finest, fairest  and fluffiest dog breed champions from around the country.

The 2011 Best in Show winner was a native Virginian, a 5-year-old Scottish Deerhound from Warrenton named Hickory (see photo, from www.westminsterkennelclub.org).

The day after her big win Hickory went on a whirlwind media tour, visiting The Today Show, The Early Show, Good Day New York, Fox and Friends, Martha, Bloomberg News, Fox News, press events at the Empire State Building and Sardi’s Restaurant and meeting Donald Trump.

The most popular breeds entered at this year’s show are Rhodesian Ridgeback (40), French Bulldogs (39) and Labradors (38). A total of 2,077 dogs are entered, representing all of the 185 eligible breeds and varieties.

Breeds eligible for and entered at Westminster for the first time include American English Coonhounds, Cesky Terriers, Norwegian Lundehunds, Entlebucher Mountain Dogs, Finnish Lapphunds, and Xoloitzcuintlis.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. And I wanted to know too.

A) What is a Xoloitzcuintli? And B) How the heck do you pronounce it??

According to the American Kennel Club, a Xoloitzcuintli is an ancient, natural breed  from Mexico that comes in three sizes – toy, miniature and standard, and two varieties –  hairless and coated.  It is pronounced “show-low-eats-queen-tlee.”

Here is the television schedule:

NIGHT 1: Monday, February 13

Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups

8-9 p.m. (ET) live on USA Network, 9-11 p.m. (ET) live on CNBC

NIGHT 2: Tuesday, February 14

Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups, Best In Show

8-11 p.m. (ET) live on USA Network

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Posted by: twodogtales | February 10, 2012

Doggie day trip: Arlington Cemetery

We all get into our routines. Walk the dog up and down the same streets, day in and day out. Bor-ing.

But one of the great things about the Washington, D.C., area is the wide variety of neighborhoods and places you can go to walk your dog.

For example, did you know Arlington Cemetery is dog-friendly?

The cemetery encompasses 624 acres, and there are more than 30 monuments and memorials you can visit during your stroll, including the President John F. Kennedy gravesite and the Eternal Flame.

Dogs must be on a leash at all times, and make sure to bring plenty of bags to collect waste. You may have to carry it with you for a bit, but there are trash containers to be found within the cemetery grounds.

Dogs can go anywhere on the grounds people are allowed, just make sure to keep them on the sidewalk in places where there are fences or chains to protect the grass, such as around the Edward or Robert Kennedy gravesites.

Dogs aren’t allowed in the visitors’ center, where the water fountains and restrooms are located, or other buildings. I recommend bringing a human companion for your walk, so one of you can wait outside with the dog while the other uses the facilities and/or fills a water bowl for the dog.

You definitely want to be sensitive to the other visitors, especially if you go near Section 60 in the southeast part of the cemetery, where the military personnel killed in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan are buried. There are often recently-bereaved families visiting graves here who may not appreciate being approached by a dog. Many graves also have mementos from visitors on them, including stuffed animals and colored glass pebbles that signify someone has visited the grave that you don’t want your dog to mistake for toys or treats.

The cemetery opens at 8:00 a.m. year-round, and closes at 5:00 p.m. October-March and 7:00 p.m. April-September.

Obviously, if you’ve got your dog and it’s not an official service dog, you can’t take Metro. But parking at the cemetery is plentiful and costs just $1.75 for the first three hours, which is well worth the cost to get a change of scenery from your usual walking route and–more importantly–the opportunity to pay respects to those who have so honorably served our country.

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