I am still pining away for summer. I am dreaming of shorts and flip-flops and sunny days and fun on large bodies of water. And fun with dogs near large bodies of water.
So here is a video from roanoke.com taken at the Bassmaster's fishing tournament last year on Smith Mountain Lake. Keep dreaming.
Alas, my picture of my two smiling hounds did not win the Spay Day photo contest sponsored by the U.S. Humane Society. But here's a link to the slideshow of all the winning snapshots, and they are beautiful.
Enjoy!
Tomorrow is a busy day for dogs in Roanoke, with one event for fans of canine athletes and one for pooches and their families.
Early risers can enjoy the excitement at the North American Dog Agility Council Trials. The event, sponsored by the Star City Canine Training Club, starts at 8 a.m. at Hollins University. The competition starts on Saturday and ends on Sunday.
The Great Egg Beg is from noon to 2 p.m. at Six Wags Dog Park in Salem. Admission is only $5 for the whole family. The event is a fundraiser for the RVSPCA.
There will be an Easter egg hunt for the pooches, with doggie treats hidden in every egg, photos with the Easter Bunny, and a canine talent show. The event will be hosted by K92's Danny Meyers.
Ambitious dog-lovers like me will try to attend both events. I hope to have some good photos from both to post on the blog this weekend, and I will add all of them to the Happy Wag Flickr group page.
And thanks to blog reader Scott, who posted more beautiful pictures of his dog Sandy on the Happy Wag page.
It's a public site, and all blog readers and dog lovers (same thing, I know) are invited to join and post.
Star City Canine Training Club will host agility trials this weekend beginning at 8 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday at Hollins University.
The event is scheduled until 3 p.m. or when all runs are finished on both days.
Spectators are welcome, but club secretary Jayne Secor said fans need to stay at least 10 feet away from the rings at all times, and they should bring their own chairs as well as snacks and drinks since there are no food vendors.
Secor also said you should not bring your dog with you, since it may cause a distraction for the athletes.
Somedays we are all just tired of the crap. It seems to just pile up and pile up with no end in sight. Who can you turn to for help?
Call The Scoop Group.
Matt Williams, a Southwest Roanoke County resident, started The Scoop Group, a company that specializes in dog waste removal. He said his motto is "making the valley a better place, on scoop at a time."
For a price, Williams will remove all the mess your dogs can make on your lawn. Fees depend on how many pooches you have leaving presents in your yard and how often you want your yard tidied up.
The collected poo is double bagged and put it in designated dumpsters or take it directly to the transfer station.
According to a press release, Williams recently moved back to Roanoke after serving in Air Force. He was looking for a new line of work and thinks he may have found it in waste removal.
"I've always dreamed of being an entrepreneur" he said in the statement. "Now I'm an entre-manure."
The Scoop Group can be reached at 819-8839 or through its Web site, www.TheScoopGroup.net.
Not much in life feels better than sleeping in my own warm bed early on a Sunday morning. It takes a lot to lift me from deep, serene, weekend slumber.
But helping save a life will do it every time.
For the second time this year, my husband and I rose before dawn on Sunday, gulped a cup of strong coffee and headed out to take part in a logistical miracle. We were one leg in a rescue relay, taking the baton of homeless dogs are on their way to a better life with new families.
On this particular weekend, we shuttled Ava, a small but mighty bulldog mix, and Sasha, a sweet and skinny yellow lab, from their overnight accommodations in Roanoke to Marilyn, the next driver in the relay, in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Staunton. Marilyn would get them to their next exchange in Harrisonburg.
Their journey began Friday morning in Memphis, Tenn. By the end of Sunday and after 28 legs in the relay, they will be with new adoptive families coordinated by Patriot Lab & All Breed Rescue, a foster-home based group in New Hampshire.
Blog reader Mary wrote, "My sister Patty, of Roanoke, has the cutest 3 yr old pug. Her name is Betty and she just loves her little pink bed!"
Okay, had to post a few more photos, especially of the breed rescue groups that marched in the St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday. Please keep these dogs in mind if you are thinking about adopting a new pup into your family. The dogs at Star City Greyhound Adoptions and Dalmatian Rescue of Southwestern Virginia are looking for loving homes.
Here's a few pics from the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Roanoke on Saturday. The parade was a big success with plenty of pooches in the crowd and watching on the sidelines. To see more photos from the parade, go to the Happy Wag Flickr page. Post a comment if you see your pup in or at the parade.
I am like a kid at this time of year, counting down the days until summer. I have grown weary of winter, as mild as it has been here, and cannot wait for warm days spent near water.
If you, like me, feel nostalgic for summer fun, enjoy this video.
