Although the skies were gray last Saturday, the attitudes of the dogs and their families who came out to Dogtoberfest in The Plains on Oct. 22 definitely were not! A good time was had by all who enjoyed the contests, hay bale maze and off-leash play area, vendors and animal rescue groups, and the grand finale scavenger hunt.
The festivities were presented by Pawgevity and Dream Acres Co-Op at the Archwood Green Barns. Check out these pictures:
Posted in News | Tags: dog-friendly events, Dogtoberfest, Pawgevity
There's nothing as relaxing as a day in the Virginia countryside with your pooches!
The weather is supposed to be crisp and clear this weekend, a great opportunity to enjoy the Virginia countryside with your dog at Dogtoberfest! Presented by Pawgevity and Dream Acres Co-Op.
Head out to the Archwood Green Barns in The Plains, Va., from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a fun-filled, canine-friendly day of contests, activities, shopping and great food for dogs and humans.
There will be a costume parade and contests for dogs and their people, vendors and exhibitors for early holiday shopping, adoptable dogs, local lunch plates for dogs and humans, a dog play area, farm animals, pumpkins, pies, and other local goodies.
Admission is free, and the event will take place rain or shine. From I-66, take exit 31 to Route 245 and follow the signs.
You can find out more information, including a schedule of events and who’s planning to attend, on the Dogtoberfest Facebook page.
Join other dog owners for a pleasant stroll through trails and a residential community for the Golden Retriever Rescue Education and Training (GRREAT) 3K Walk on Saturday, Oct. 29. The walk begins and ends at Weber’s Pet Supermarket at 11021 Lee Highway in Fairfax, Va.
This Golden wore festive fall attire for the 2010 GRREAT Walk.
Registration begins at 9:30 and the walk begins at 10:00 a.m. Cost is $15 through Oct. 12, $20 after. Each walker receives a t-shirt, and door prizes will be given out after the walk.
The GRREAT store will be on hand selling dog-themed gifts and dog toys, so you can start your holiday shopping early!
These Goldens chilled out after walking in 2010.
GRREAT is asking that participants bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to Food for Others.
These blind Goldens got a lot of attention, and treats.
In 2010, GRREAT took in or rescued 233 dogs, and placed 218 in new homes through adoption. Here are some more pictures from the 2010 event:
Posted in Events, Helping animals, Things to do | Tags: dog rescue, dog-friendly events, GRREAT
October is the American Humane Association’s Adopt-a-Dog Month. You can find dogs of every type, size, age and personality at local shelters, and if there is a specific breed you’re interested in, there are rescue organizations for nearly every breed. It’s as simple as a Google search for what you want, for example, “Golden Retriever rescue Northern Virginia” will bring up GRREAT as the first item.
Besides dogs, one of my other favorite things is ABBA music, so I was psyched when a co-worker shared a great lip-dub video from the SPCA of Wake County in North Carolina. It features shelter workers, volunteers and adoptable animals and is aptly set to the great ABBA tune “Take a Chance on Me.”
To qualify as a real lip-dub, the entire video has to be shot in one take, and the more intricate choreography and movement from room to room, the better. I can’t begin to imagine how much they had to rehearse to get this right!
Now, the last time I embedded a video into a post it worked fine in the blog, but something went wrong in the email that goes out to subscribers. Since I can’t preview the emails, in case it happens again, here’s the link to the video: http://youtu.be/SNonQIFiuhs
Petfinder.com has also designated October as Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, and shares a list of 10 things you can do to celebrate and help homeless animals on their website.
As always, thank you Petfinder for bringing my Sundae to me!
Posted in Just for laughs, News | Tags: adopt a dog, American Humane Association, cute dog video, Petfinder.com, SPCA of Wake County
Back in August I went to BlogPaws, an annual conference for pet bloggers that was held in Tysons Corner this year. Besides meeting other pet bloggers from around the country and learning blogging tips and tricks, I got to see a sneak preview of the Disney movie Spooky Buddies, which came out direct-to-video on Sept. 20.
BlogPaws is pet-friendly, so not only did I get to watch the entire movie while being leaned on by an adorable year-old Golden Retriever in training to be a service dog, but I got to meet one of the movie’s stars.
Well, OK, it wasn’t really a puppy that appeared in the movie.
As writer and director Robert Vince said during the Q&A after the screening, about five different puppies played each character. Why? C’mon, you’re dog owners! You know how fast puppies grow, and the movie took about a year to shoot.
Vince has done five “buddies” movie, which were inspired by the first, and very successful, “Air Bud” movie. He said they used more than 1,500 visual effects in the movie, including CGI to make the puppies speak.
In addition to the five Golden Retriever puppies–Budderball, Rosebud, B-Dawg, Buddha and Mudbud–other dog characters include the psychic Zelda, played by a Chinese Hairless Crested, the ghost Pip and his siblings, played by Beagles, and the villain Howl-oween Hound, played by a huge brindled dog that looks like a Mastiff.
Here’s a trailer for the movie:
All in all, it’s a cute, very family-friendly movie with the typical Disney positive messages about friendship, loyalty and teamwork. There’s no blood or gore, and the worst “potty gag” was a puppy fart that deflected magical demon-dog breath.
The movie is available as a Blu-Ray, DVD or movie download from the “Spooky Buddies” website.
Posted in Cool stuff | Tags: Disney, dog movies, Golden Retriever puppies, Halloween movies for kids, Spooky Buddies
Break up the monotony of the work week this Wednesday–and help homeless animals at the same time–with a cocktail cruise to benefit Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
On Oct. 5 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. enjoy views of the Washington and Alexandria waterfronts, sip cocktails, nibble on appetizers and desserts, and mingle with other animal lovers.
Unfortunately, this is a people-only event, you’ll have to leave the pooch at home.
The boat departs from the Alexandria Dock at Cameron and Union Streets in Old Town Alexandria, be ready to board at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Find out more information and pre-register online here.
Posted in Events, Helping animals, Things to do | Tags: animal rescue, cocktail cruise, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue
Even though fall officially arrived Sept. 23, it didn’t feel like it until this weekend. Pumpkin lattes at Starbucks and Caribou, jeans and fleece instead of t-shirts and shorts…and dogs with a LOT of energy to burn.
I took the girls to the off-leash community canine area at Glencarlyn Park in Arlington this afternoon and dodged raindrops while they got their ya-yas out. They chased balls in Four Mile Run, chewed sticks, took a walk along the trails, and now they’re fast asleep in their beds.
Mission accomplished.
If your dog is also feelin’ the fall weather and in need of some energy-burning activity, Saturday, October 8, is Arlington’s Dogtober Day. From 1:00 to 3:00 pm at Lacey Woods Park at 1200 N. George Mason Drive, there will be contests and games with prizes, including:
The event is free, but there are fees to enter the contests: $6 a category; $25 for unlimited categories. Participants can pre-register by Oct. 5, or onsite registration begins at 12:15 p.m. Download the registration form.
Posted in Events, Things to do | Tags: dog-friendly Arlington, dog-friendly events, Dogtober Day
East versus West, which is best?
If you’ve ever wondered what the differences are between traditional and holistic veterinary care, here’s your chance to find out without having to make an appointment with your vet.
On Sunday, Oct. 2, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Fur-Get-Me-Not’s educational workshop series focuses on “Traditional vs Holistic Veterinary Care.”
Learn about herbal remedy treatments, acupuncture, acupressure, electromagnetic treatments, and chiropractic from Dr. Jane Morse, a veterinarian at Ballston Animal Hospital who has practiced both approaches for many years. Morse will give an in-depth response on pros and cons of each method and answer specific questions about the different holistic approaches.
Registration is required, and a $15 donation is requested, which will go to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
Find out more information and register online here.
Posted in Dog health, Events | Tags: Ballston Animal Hospital, Fur-Get-Me-Not, Holistic pet care, Pet care workshop, Pet health
Mother Nature was kind to the Olde Towne Dogge Walke on Sunday, Sept. 25, with overcast skies threatening–but never delivering–rain. Hundreds of dogs and their owners came out to Alexandria’s Market Square to support the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Here are just a few of the happy pups who enjoyed treats from the vendors and a leisurely 1 1/2 mile stroll through historic Old Town Alexandria.
This Doberman made friends with a “mini-me,” a Manchester Terrier.
Walkers from Dogtopia stood out in their brightly-colored attire.
And of course, it’s not a Sunday in the fall without proper NFL fan attire for you and your dog.
Of course we couldn’t resist the hilarious Colonial cut-out photo opportunity!
This smiley-faced cutie is available for adoption from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
Posted in News | Tags: Alexandria Animal Welfare League, dog-friendly events, Olde Towne Dogge Walke
On Sunday, Sept. 25 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. you can learn about how holistic remedies may be able to help your dog’s behavior issues or health conditions at “When Health and Diet Collide,” part of Fur-Get-Me-Not’s educational workshop series.
Speaker Terri Symonds Grow is the owner of internationally recognized (and local, located on Duke St. just west of Old Town Alexandria) holistic pet store, Pet Sage. She has 15 years of experience in the pet industry, is certified in Traditional Chinese Herbology with a concentration in animal care and is an affiliate member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
She will discuss how behavior challenges such as hyper-activity and fearfulness can be directly related to food sensitivities and health problems, including skin diseases and digestive issues, as well as how foods and other natural remedies can be used as therapies and the benefits and cautions of medicinal herbs.
Registration is required, and a $15 donation is requested, which will go to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
Find out more information and register online here.
Two Dog Tales 