Posted by: twodogtales | June 28, 2011

Protect your pup from a fireworks fiasco

I used to love Fourth of July fireworks. Until I had a dog that was out-of-her-mind terrified of them.

When my sweet, gentle Golden heard fireworks, gunshots or thunder, it sent her into a frantic frenzy where she would either run or try to dig or chew her way out of whatever room she was in to get away from the noise. She tore up carpeting, chewed through door frames and drywall, and broke more than a few teeth doing it.

A frightened dog can run away, bite, or act out with destructive behavior. The kindest thing you can do for your dog during Fourth of July festivities is leave them at home.

Here are some suggestions to help your pet feel safe at home during the holiday:

  • Close the windows to muffle outdoors noise
  • Play soothing music or a talk channel on the radio to distract them
  • Give them a treat that will take a while to eat, such as peanut butter in a Kong
  • If they have a place they go to when they are anxious, such as a crate or under a desk, put soft bedding and a piece of clothing that smells like you there

Some signs that your dog is fearful of loud noises include panting, pacing, howling, shivering or shaking. If they are showing some of these signs, talk to your vet before it escalates into destructive behavior. Your vet can recommend things you can do to ease your pet’s fear.

Damage done to a door by a dog scared by nearby fireworks.

Some of the things I tried over the years with my vet’s support included the anxiety-reducing prescription drug Valium; the homeopathic flower essence remedy Rescue Remedy; the hormone supplement Melatonin; acupuncture; and behavior-modification techniques like playing a CD of thunderstorms at low volumes while rewarding her with treats.

Other treatments include aromatherapy in the form of collars and air freshener-like plugins that emit calming pheromones, and pressure-point garments such as the Thundershirt™.

Do your pet and yourself a favor by making sure your pet is safe in a calm, comfortable place during Fourth of July holiday celebrations.

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Posted by: twodogtales | June 23, 2011

Dog-friendly events, June 24-25

Friday, June 24: Yappy Hour in Alexandria

Celebrate the end of the week by joining the Washington Humane Society for a Yappy Hour at Artfully Gifts & Chocolate in Alexandria.

The event is hosted by Barkley Square, and begins at 6:00 p.m. at 506 John Carlyle Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

Saturday, June 25: Dogs Days at Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

Once a month in the summer Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard welcomes two- and four-legged visitors for their “Dogs Day of June” event. The June topic is obedience training.

From 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the winery’s upper patio will be open as a dog park. At 1:00 p.m. special guest speaker Josh Brown of K9 Catalyst Dog Training will address behavioral issues and give an obedience demonstration. K9 Barkery, Two Paws Up and other dog-related vendors will be onsite.

The vineyard is located 25 minutes’ drive from the Capital Beltway at 18125 Comus Road, Dickerson, MD 20842.

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Posted by: twodogtales | June 19, 2011

No more smelly wet dogs

As I stopped by Wylie Wagg in Clarendon last week to pick up dog food, a colorful display of what looked like reusable nylon shopping bags caught my eye. But I was wrong, the display actually featured rain ponchos for dogs.

Genius! With all the rain we’ve had lately, it’s been a pain having to towel off two dogs after walks, especially in the morning when I’m rushing to get to work. And if I don’t thoroughly get them dry, you know what that means. The dreaded wet dog smell.

The poncho comes in a compact nylon pouch.

The ponchos are made by RC Pet Products of Vancouver, British Columbia, and are made in a range of colors and sizes from XXS to XXL. They are lightweight, waterproof, and come in a compact reusable nylon pouch that has a handy strap on the end so you can snap it onto a leash or a belt loop to take with you on walks.

After talking with the salespeople and taking one out of the pouch to see the size, I bought two XXLs in a cute design with blue, white and brown paw prints on a black background. Other colors included a pink paw print design, and solid yellow, red and pink.

The ponchos fit both my dogs, covering them from the base of their neck to a couple inches beyond where their tails begin. They are both retrievers that weigh about 60 pounds each. The picture on the tag shows the poncho on a long-haired German Shepherd, and not fully covering the dog’s back, so the XXL probably would cover a lot, but not all, of the back of a giant breed dog such as a Mastiff or a Great Dane.

The XXL poncho covered the entire back of a 60-lb. retriever mix.

There is a hood on the poncho, but both dogs couldn’t see to the side when it was on their head, so I pulled it down to rest on their necks. The poncho attaches with two snaps across the chest, and a widestrap with Velcro under the belly.

I recommend fastening the Velcro strap right against the belly; I found that the poncho shifted to the side if I left it loose.

When we got home after our first walk of about 20 minutes in a steady rain, I just pulled off the wet ponchos, and voila—dry dogs were underneath. Of course, their paws and some of the feathery fur on their legs were wet from walking through puddles, but it was a vast improvement from the full-body toweling that I normally have to do.

I hung the ponchos up to dry, and they were easy to fold back up and store in the pouches until the next rainstorm.

The ponchos cost $12.99 each at Wylie Wagg. You can find other local retailers that carry their products on the dealer locator section of RC Pet’s website.

By the way, I bought the ponchos, and am not being compensated for this review. I just wish I’d thought of inventing them myself!

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Posted by: twodogtales | June 13, 2011

Events June 13-19: Yappy hour benefits, music jam and dog park cleanup

Monday, June 13: Lucky Dog Yappy Hour at Cantina Marina

The past week’s beastly temperatures have broken, with the high expected to be only around 80 degrees on Monday. That makes it a perfect night to head to Cantina Marina on the D.C. waterfront for a Lucky Dog Animal Rescue yappy hour!

From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. there will be drink specials for the humans, treats for the canines, and Lucky Dog will be showing off some of the adorable  dogs in their care that are waiting to be adopted. See all their adoptable dogs here.

Cantina Marina is at 600 Water Street SW, Washington, D.C.

Friday, June 17: Yappy Hour hosted by The Dog Stay

The Washington Humane Society Dog Tags Program is the beneficiary of this event at The Dog Stay in Silver Spring from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.  There will be appetizers, a cash bar, and fun events that you can do with your dog like paw painting, bobbing for hot dogs and musical chairs.

WHS behavior and training counselors will be on hand to answer your questions, and they will also have adoptable dogs there.

Suggested donation is $10.

The Dog Stay is at 8122 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD.

Saturday, June 18: Jam for the Animals

Twelve hours of live music with 17 bands on two stages–and it all benefits animals! Jam for the Animals is a daylong music festival showcasing  musicians and bands in support of the Animal Rescue Fund of Maryland.

Gates open at 11:00 a.m. and the bands will play from noon to 11:00 p.m. Food will be available, artists and craftspeople will feature their wares, and shelters and rescues that will benefit from the event will have adoptable dogs there.

Attendees are not allowed to bring their pets, however.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event, and are on sale online through Ram’s Head Live here.

Jam for the Animals is at the Anne Arundel Fairgrounds, 1450 General’s Highway, Route 178, Crownsville, MD.

Saturday, June 18: Shirlington Dog Park cleanup day

With more than 5,000 dogs visiting each week, the Shirlington Community Canine Area needs TLC sometimes. Come help tidy up the park this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are asked to bring work gloves, rakes, shovels, brooms or other tools that can be used to clean up trash, clear the paved path and do other basic cleanup tasks.

The dog park is at 2601 South Arlington Mill Dr., Arlington, VA.  There is limited parking for the park behind Shirlington Self Storage building  on So. Nelson St. or you can park in Shirlington Village and take the footbridge over Four Mile Run creek to the park.

The Shirlington Dogs sponsoring group can be contacted at TheShirlingtonDogsII-owner@yahoogroups.com. To join the group, go to: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/theshirlingtondogsII/

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Posted by: twodogtales | June 11, 2011

World’s richest dog dies; estate planning for pets

It was revealed late last week that the late Leona Helmsley’s dog Trouble had died in December 2010. The only reason that it made the news is that Trouble was very likely one of the world’s wealthiest dogs.

When Helmsley died in 2007, she left many of her direct descendants out of her will. But she bequeathed the eight-year-old Maltese $12 million.

While a judge later reduced the sum to $2 million, Trouble still lived a posh life. She ‘retired’ to Lido Key in Sarasota, Fla., and according to an article in the New York Times, nearly $170,000 a year was spent on food, grooming, and salaries for her caretaker and full-time security guards.

Most of us wouldn’t dream of—not to mention have the financial resources to—leave our pets millions of dollars in our wills. But making sure your pets will be taken care of if you die before they do is an important consideration.

The Humane Society of the United States has advice on making sure your pet is taken care of both immediately and over the long term if you become disabled or die. Providing for Your Pet’s Future Without You is available to download in both English and Spanish.

If you want to learn about making legal arrangements for your pet’s care should you die, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a pet trust primer on their website with basic definitions and guidelines that will help you decide whether or not a pet trust will work for you.

All three local states allow statutory pet trusts; The District of Columbia enacted legislation allowing them in 2003, Virginia in 2006 and Maryland in 2009.

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Posted by: twodogtales | June 6, 2011

Dressed up dogs at the Bark Ball

Hundreds of supporters of the Washington Humane Society dressed up in their best black tie attire and enjoyed a fun night of cocktails, a gourmet dinner, and a silent and live auction at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, June 4.

The event is the WHS’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and the money raised helps the animal welfare agency touch the lives of more than 30,000 neglected, abused, abandoned and injured animals each year.

The next best thing about the Bark Ball, though, is that you can bring your dog!

To fit in with the well-dressed crowd, Sundae and I donned our best LBDs (little black dresses) and accessorized with some festive bling.

We were far from the only blinged-out babes, however! This adorable toy poodle and her stylish owner also were both in matching black.

Fox Five’s Allison Seymour served as mistress of ceremonies, and she escorted April, a two-month-old terrier/pit bull mix, during the parade of adoptable dogs. April, pictured below with a WHS volunteer, is hanging out with a litter of labrador mix pups at the New York Avenue WHS facility since all of her brothers have been adopted. See more pictures and information about April here.

The 2011 Bark Ball mascot was Moyshe, who was recently adopted by a family along with another dog from the shelter. Moyshe was happy to pose with his program cover.

Many owners matched their dog’s outfits to their own, such as this tartan-clad couple and their kilt-wearing pup.

Tuxedos were also in abundance, both on human and canine guests.

These was just about every size, shape and age of dogs there. From this tiny, eight-week-old Pug puppy…

…to this enormous brindle Great Dane…

…to this sequin-clad Pekinese patiently waiting for the dancing to start…

…and there are few things in this world cuter than a Bulldog in a tutu.

The highlight of the live auction was a pair of business class roundtrip tickets to anywhere in the world on Qatar Airways that went for $7,500. Jewelry, sports tickets, spa services and artwork were among the items in the silent auction. One of the more curious silent auction items was this feathered cocktail dress, which drew A LOT of attention from the dogs–especially the Labradors, Setters and other bird-hunting breeds.

Many of the dogs enjoyed the treat bar hosted by Barkley Square Gourmet Dog Bakery & Boutique. Sundae especially enjoyed it. Over, and over, and over. At least she didn’t help herself, she patiently waited for passersby to exclaim, “Oh what a good dog! Can I give her a treat?”

Many of the pups were pooped by all the activity (although most didn’t poop, I saw very few accidents being cleaned up by the young volunteers). This rhinestone-collared Jack Russell Terrier watched the auction using the table as a head rest.

 

By the end of the night the WHS, which see 1,200 cases of animal neglect and abuse in Washington, D.C. every year, had raised thousands of dollars. This year they are kicking off a major fundraising campaign to build a new, state-of-the-art adoption and animal care center.

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Posted by: twodogtales | June 3, 2011

Dogs get their day in Del Ray

Hundreds of people and their pets came out to enjoy the cooler temperatures and stroll Mount Vernon Avenue during Del Ray’s First Thursday celebration June 2.

The night’s theme was ‘Dog Days of Summer.’ Most businesses set up tables on the sidewalk and gave away brochures, promotional pens, chair massages, candy and, most importantly for the event’s theme, dog biscuits.

Dog World Rescue had a number of their rescue dogs that are available for adoption in front of St. Elmos Coffee Pub. Below is NCIS Gibbs, an adorable 14-week-old boxer mix with a sweet face and sweeter disposition. Find out more about Gibbs and the other dogs waiting for their forever families to find them on the Our Dogs page of the Dog World Rescue website.

Pet safety was being promoted by a number of organizations. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria gave away Pet Alert window cling stickers to alert fire fighters that pets in a home need to be rescued.

Event sponsor Your Dog’s Best Friends, a daycare and boarding facility on Route 1 just north of Old Town, handed out information about their free Red Cross Pet First Aid class on the first Sunday of every month. The four-hour session teaches dog owners basic first aid for dogs. The Red Cross offers the class for around $60, so this is a great opportunity to learn valuable, and potentially life-saving, information for free.

Sign up for a free class here.

To learn more about the Red Cross Pet First Aid course, read my March 14, 2011 post, and be sure to read the reader comment about her experience taking the class.

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Posted by: twodogtales | May 31, 2011

Del Ray ‘Dog Days of Summer’ June 2 and weekend events

First Thursday ‘Dog Days of Summer’

This Thursday,  June 2, the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria holds its monthly First Thursday celebration, and the theme is  the Dog Days of Summer. From 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., there will be dog-friendly activities and special promotions by local businesses along Mt. Vernon Avenue.

Hosted by the Del Ray Business Association, and sponsored by Your Dog’s Best Friends, the featured charity is the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. The League will be set up at Mt. Vernon and E. Oxford Avenues with staff and adoptable animals.

Pet photographer Jeanne Taylor will be taking picutres of dogs outside of A Show of Hands that will be available for sale.

Lucky Dog ‘barkyard’ BBQ

Celebrate Lucky Dog Animal Rescue’s 2nd anniversary with a big  outdoor celebration in a dog-friendly park in Potomac, Md., on Saturday, June 4  from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

There will be food, a doggie treat bar from Dogma Bakery in Arlington, face  painting, doggie games, a raffle and a silent auction with items including yoga  classes, weekend get-aways, doggie gift baskets and more. Dogs can romp in the 1  1/2 acre fully fenced backyard.

The park is next to Great Falls Park and is located at 8601 Falls Rd. Potomac  MD 20854.

Tickets in advance: $25 per person or $55 a family (up to 4 people) in  advance. More information and tickets are available on Lucky Dog’s website.

Bark Ball

Don’t forget, the Washington Humane Society’s Bark Ball is this weekend as well, on Saturday, June 4, at the Washington Hilton. Read more about it in my May 22 post.

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Posted by: twodogtales | May 27, 2011

Arlington County will consider community input in dog park decision

Arlington County is now saying they will give the community a chance to comment on their proposal to ban children from the Community Canine Areas (CCAs), after their plan attracted local media attention following my Two Dog Tales post on May 18.

The news initially caught the attention of the Shirlington Village Blog and ARLnow.com, then WUSA Channel 9, which ran a story on May 19.

When the news of the ban was announced at the Shirlington CCA meeting on May 18, Shirlington Dogs sponsoring group head Keith Fred said that Arlington County had not, and did not intend to, solicit public opinion before enacting the new rule.

It appears that all the media coverage has caused county officials to reconsider that position, however.

According to a May 21 Washingtonexaminer.com story, Caroline Temmermand, division chief of the Arlington County Parks and Natural Resources Division, said that the public will be given an opportunity to comment on any rule governing children at the dog parks before it is finalized.

The story stayed in the media spotlight all week. NBC Washington 4 ran a story on May 22, followed on May 23 by a report on Fox 5 News and a story on WJLA Channel 7 that featured an interview with Fred.

While a majority of early public sentiment opposed the ban, as the issue remains in the news, there appears to be no clear consensus. In ARLnow.com’s May 24 Morning Poll on the issue, 34 percent support a ban, 28 percent favor no ban, and 38 percent say a ban is not appropriate, but additional restrictions would be a good idea.

Whatever happens, the good news is that Arlington County has recognized that they need to consider the views of the taxpayers who use the dog parks before they enact a rule that could keep many visitors from enjoying play time with their kids and dogs together in the future.

Community input can still be shared with Arlington County through their website Contact Us form or at 703-228-6523 or 6525. No timeline has been established for the county to make a final decision.

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Posted by: twodogtales | May 22, 2011

Dog park in the news and Bark Ball welcomes dogs

Local blogs, television news cover Arlington County dog park kid ban

My May 18 blog post about Arlington County’s decision to ban children under age eight from Arlington County dog parks didn’t go unnoticed. By the next morning, the Shirlington Village Blog had linked to it and ARLnow.com linked to my Examiner post in their Morning Notes section. WUSA Channel 9’s news editor saw the post and assigned reporter Brittany Morehouse to do a story.

Brittany interviewed dog park users that afternoon, finding dog owners who both supported and opposed the ban. Watch the story, which aired on the May 19 early evening news broadcast.

On Friday morning, Brittany posted on her Facebook page that Arlington County staff told her calls supporting children being allowed at the park outnumbered calls in favor of a ban by 3:1. She also posted additional video footage from the interviews she conducted at the park.

I’m just glad that hopefully now the opinion of the people who actually use the park will be considered in any final decision that Arlington County makes. Let them know your thoughts through their online Contact Us form or at 703-228-6523 or 6525.

Your date’s a dog at the black tie Bark Ball

On Saturday, June 4, The Washington Humane Society holds its 24th annual Bark Ball at the Washington Hilton downtown. It’s your only opportunity in all of Washington, D.C., to dress up in black tie and bring your pooch for an evening of music and dancing, so don’t miss it!

Join leading figures from the political, media, entertainment, sports, and business worlds for exciting silent and live auctions and a parade of adoptable animals from the shelter. WTTG-TV Fox 5 News’ Allison Seymour is evening’s Master of Ceremonies, and other local news personalities will escort adoptable shelter animals throughout the night.

The VIP reception begins at 6:30 p.m., with the main event running from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Check out these photos from past Bark Balls.

Individual tickets are $225, a table is $2,500. Tickets can be purchased online through the WHS website.

The Washington Hilton is at 1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009.

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