Happy holidays from all of us at Two Dog Tales!
Posted by: twodogtales | December 24, 2014
Happy holidays!
Posted in Wordless Wednesday
Posted by: twodogtales | December 14, 2014
Dog-friendly D.C. secret: U.S. National Arboretum
I recently discovered a hidden dog-friendly gem right in the city–the U.S. National Arboretum. Having passed the sign for the arboretum for years while traveling out New York Avenue on my way to Maryland, I finally decided to check it out.
What I discovered was a 446-acre living museum with vast collections of trees, shrubs, and plants set on rolling hills and dense woodland. While we visited in November, when the flowers aren’t blooming and most trees have dropped their leaves, it was easy to envision how beautiful the groves of azaleas, magnolias, dogwoods, camellias, and other flowering plant species are when in full bloom.
![IMG_5052[1]](https://twodogtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_50521.jpg)
There are nine miles of paved roads, or you can take rough trails through woods and overlooking the Anacostia River. There are benches scattered throughout the property so you can stop to enjoy beautiful Asian gardens, unique azalea, hollies, magnolias, pre-colonial native plants and more.
![IMG_5049[1]](https://twodogtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_50491.jpg)
I really enjoyed the National Capitol Columns, which sit in front of a reflecting pool in the middle of a 20-acre meadow. The sandstone columns were constructed in 1828 for the Capitol building, and a display shows them in use during a speech by President Abraham Lincoln.
![IMG_5048[1]](https://twodogtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_50481.jpg)
There is no admission fee, and plenty of parking throughout the property.
Posted in Things to do | Tags: DC dog-friendly events, dog-friendly hikes, US National Arboretum
Posted by: twodogtales | October 25, 2014
GRREAT 3K Walk in pictures
It was a gorgeous day for the GRREAT 3K Walk this morning! Chatham and Sundae joined about a hundred other four-legged pals in a nice stroll around the residential neighborhood behind Weber’s Pet Supermarket in Fairfax. The event was a fundraiser for Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training, and there were sponsor booths and vendors to get in some early holiday shopping.
Molly is a GRREAT dog whose hind legs are paralyzed, so she taught herself to walk on just her front two legs.
The table with Golden-themed gifts for sale, and benefitting GRREAT, was very popular.
This Goldendoodle is ready for some NFL football tomorrow!
Jessie, one of GRREAT’s awesome volunteers, manned the GRREAT table.
No GRREAT event is complete with a white-faced Golden Oldie.
A cute handmade holiday ornament for sale.
English Cream Golden Basil made lots of friends!
And Chatham kept her costume on for about 3 seconds before taking off the headband ears.
Posted in Helping animals, News | Tags: adopt a Golden Retriever, Golden Retrievers, GRREAT, GRREAT 3K walk, Weber's Pet Supermarket
Posted by: twodogtales | October 21, 2014
GRREAT Walk and Barktoberfest Oct. 25
Dog owners and lovers alike have lots of choices this weekend to get outdoors and support animal rescue.
Join hundreds of dog lovers this weekend in Fairfax and support Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training (GRREAT) at their annual 3K walk on Saturday, Oct. 25. Human and dog walkers are welcome, and with Halloween being next Friday, you’re encouraged to wear costumes!
The walk begins at 10:00 a.m., registration and check-in begin at 9:30 a.m. It begins in the parking lot behind Weber’s Pet Supermarket and winds through walking trails and a residential neighborhood. The fee is $25 per walker, and each participant gets a walk t-shirt.
Weber’s Pet Supermarket is at 11021 Lee Hwy, Fairfax, Va.
Check out photos from a past GRREAT walk.
Washington Animal Rescue League Barktoberfest
Also on Saturday, Oct. 25, is WARL’s Barktoberfest at Yards Park in D.C. From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. attendees can enjoy beer and wine tastings, live music, food vendors, a dog Halloween costume contest, an agility park for the dogs, and vendors with merchandise for sale.
This is WARL’s first-ever Barktoberfest, and leashed dogs are welcome.
Tickets range from free for children 12 and under, to $10 for non-beer tickets, to $35 for general and $50 for VIP.
Yards Park is at 355 Waters Street SE, Washington, D.C.
Posted by: twodogtales | October 9, 2014
Register, don’t run, still help GRREAT
You may know that I volunteer for GRREAT, Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training. It’s a (no pun intended) great organization with hundreds of passionate volunteers who have dedicated incredible amounts of time and money for 25 years to helping Golden Retrievers get back to health and live the rest of their lives as loved family members in forever homes.
GRREAT never turns its back on any Golden because of age or medical issue. The picture shows just a few of the special needs dogs who were surrendered or dumped by their owners that GRREAT has taken in and helped.
GRREAT has been chosen as one of the ten charities in the annual Race For A Cause, and it is the only animal-related charity this year. Each charity receives funds based on the number of people they can get to register for the race.
Your $30-$35 registration fee could turn into $50,000 for the GRREAT dogs, if enough people sign up and choose GRREAT. This amount represents nearly 1/5 of GRREAT’s average yearly vet care expenses.
GRREAT’s goal is to get 800 people to register and choose GRREAT. Even if you can’t race or attend, your registration still counts!
The registration period ends on October 18th. Register here:
https://prracing.enmotive.com/events/register/5375e920-1758-4d65-9223-78d6c0a86523
Posted by: twodogtales | October 8, 2014
Wordless Wednesday: Howl-oween is coming
It’s that time of year again, folks! Time to dress our pets up in humiliating costumes that they repay us for with potty accidents in the night, vomit-fests while you’re at work, and tearing the heck out of your favorite something. In this case, I dressed up my neighbor’s Pug, Pixie. She does not look amused.
If you’re still on the lookout for a good costume, Target has a great selection priced between $10-30. My favorite is the Princess Leia…
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: dog spider costume, Howl-oween, pet costumes, Target pet costumes, Wordless Wednesday
Posted by: twodogtales | October 7, 2014
Shirlington dog park cleanup Saturday Oct. 11
The Shirlington Dog Park gets thousands of visitors every year, and all that two- and four-legged traffic means it needs a good clean up effort at least twice a year.
This weekend give back to the best dog park inside the Beltway and help out at the clean up day, Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Basically, clean up day means clearing the paved path of debris, picking up trash, and other general maintenance items. If you have heavy gloves, a rake or shovel, bring them.
And, even though the park is Arlington County property, did you know that it’s managed entirely by volunteers? That’s right, those conveniently-placed waste bag dispensers are there for your convenience thanks to money from donations, and some signage sponsored by local businesses. So make sure to drop some dollars into the collection box that will be on a table at the entrance closest to Shirlington Village.
The park is at 2601 South Arlington Mill Drive, Arlington, VA 22206.
See you Saturday!
Posted by: twodogtales | September 24, 2014
Wordless Wednesday: Shirlington dog park memorial
For regulars at the Shirlington Dog Park, Keith Fred and his dog Daphne making their rounds emptying waste bins and filling bag dispensers was a common sight. Keith has been leading the effort to beautify and protect the dog park for many years, and was honored for his work in 2013 with a Bill Thomas Outstanding Park Service Volunteer Award.
His Lab-mix Daphne was always a few steps behind him, even as her health failed. Sadly, Keith lost her at the age of 16 earlier this year.
A memorial plaque and tree were recently installed to honor Daphne’s faithful companionship.
RIP, Daphne.
Posted by: twodogtales | September 17, 2014
Wordless Wednesday: pooch paddle!
Cute pic from last Sunday’s Pooch Paddle that I organize for my condo pool. On the last day of the pool season, before they close and drain it for winter, we invite all the residents to bring their dog over for a swim! We also collected more than $175 in donations for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: dog exercise, dog swim, Golden Retriever, Wordless Wednesday
Posted by: twodogtales | September 15, 2014
Downward dog…with your dog!
Everyone who feels guilty for leaving your pup behind while you hit the gym, Suzanne Morgan Yoga has the solution! On Saturday, Sept. 27, she’ll be holding a Yoga for Your Dog Workshop at Potomac Overlook Park in Arlington from 11:00 am to noon.
Suzanne and her Whippet, Olivia, will teach you ways to connect with your fur-child/best friend while taming your energy and learning to read your dog’s body language.
Now, I can’t say there won’t be a lot of laughs, too, check out this compilation video of “pets interrupting yoga” from YouTube (make sure to catch the woman in a yellow sweater at about 2:25 trying to do a handstand, hilarious!):
The fee is $30 per DOG (their people, however many, are free) for early-bird registration by Sept. 19. After that, if there’s space left (limited to 15 dogs) registration increases to $35. Sign up early using PayPal, Suzanne only holds this workshop a few times a year.
If you’re interested in yoga without your dog, I’ve gone to a bunch of her classes and she’s great. You don’t get the same poses/workout each time, so no boring repetitiveness, and people of every skill level can participate. She has a Groupon for new students, just $19 for five classes or $35 for 10.
Namaste!
Two Dog Tales 