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Typically I think of heavy vehicles as being a natural enemy of kitties and pooches, but that is clearly not the case in Roanoke and Franklin County.

Driver, move that bus!

Beginning this week, you may notice some very adorable faces on the back of five Valley Metro buses.

Two of the city buses will sport the photo of an an adoptable pet from the Roanoke Valley SPCA.  The photos will change when the pet find his or her forever home.

One of the traveling billboards will feature information about programs at the RVSPCA, including the Pets Eat Too program that helps seniors and low-income families feed their pets. Another will highlight the foster program, where families can provide home care for infant and orphaned puppies and kittens, too young or too weak to be adopted, and allow them time to grow and get ready for a loving family.

Another bus will ask for donations to keep the non-profit adoption center operating.

Fill 'er up

The Franklin County Humane Society is hosting a "Fill the Truck" event to collect donations of food and other items for the adoption center.

The truck will be located at The General Store at 213 Scruggs Road in Moneta all day this Saturday. Donations of Purina Dog, Puppy, Cat and Kitten Chow, along with canned cat food and paper towels will be gratefully accepted.

Author and former animal shelter director Debra Cheehy will also attend the event and sign copies of her book "I Like Dogs", a children's book about shelter adoption

Valley Community Church Divine Science will have a blessing of the animals this Sunday at 11 a.m.

The church is located at 5000 Carriage Drive in Roanoke.

For more information, call 774-5512

Michael Ramsey left this comment on an earlier entry and I do believe it deserves its own blog post:

This is a belated reminder to all readers of The Happy Wag that St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church will conduct its annual Blessing of the Animals under the large oak tree beside the church on Grandin Road beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The Rev. Richard Fife, rector of St. Elizabeth's, will officiate.

ALL are welcome! You need not be a member of St. Elizabeth's or even an Episcopalian to celebrate the animals that bring such joy and unconditional love into our lives.

(Photo by Jordan Fifer of his amazing kittens Gilah and Gil. Why this photo with this post? Because kittens are a blessing.)

This weekend's festival isn't all fun and games. You can learn some useful tips, too.

As part of  this weekend's DogtoberFest, the annual fundraiser held by Saint Francis Service Dogs, Banfield Pet Hospital is offering two free sessions on pet first aid.

The two, half-hour sessions will be taught by Cynthia Harre, lead veterinarian of Banfield's Roanoke location inside the PetSmart store at Valley View.   The session are at  noon and 3 p.m.

Topics Include:          

·         How to approach an injured pet

·         How to help a pet that has experienced trauma

·         How to slow and stop the flow of blood

·         How to prevent hypothermia

Dogtoberfest is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  at Saint Francis Training Center located at 8232 Enon Drive, Roanoke. The event will include games for kids and dogs, a parade of pooches and blessings for pets. Admission is free and all dogs must be on-leash and have proof of current vaccinations.

This probably goes without saying, but please leave kitty at home.

Here's a compendium of events that I found when I sifted through the e-mails I got last week. There may be more; this was a rough sort.

This Saturday is Dogtoberfest! The annual fundraiser for Saint Francis Service Dogs is held at their training facility and is always one of the best paw-friendly festivals in the Valley. Read more about it here on Thursday and in the Inside Out section.

Pet parents who live a bit south of the 'Noke may want to check out the first annual Furry Scurry 5k Walk/Run this Saturday  at the Smith River Trail System in Fieldale. The event is a fundraiser for the Martinsville/Henry County SPCA and starts at 9 a.m. 

Dogs are welcome to the walk as long as they are friendly with people and other pooches, are current on their vaccines, and are at least 6 months old. The registration fee is $20 and you can click here for more information and to register. 

If participating in weekend festivals leaves you feeling tired and stressed, maybe downward-facing-dog or cat's pose will help you relax.  If you live in the Martinsville/Henry County area, consider a lunchtime yoga class at the SPCAMHC. Classes begin Oct. 15, run for six weeks, are taught by a trained yoga instructor, and cost $50 per person. Half of the proceeds benefiting the shelter. Participants should wear loose clothing and bring their own mats. Call 276-638-7297 by Oct. 8 to register.

The Roanoke Valley SPCAwill host Spayghetti Dinner again this year, and the pasta plates will also be available for lunch. All proceeds fund the spay/neuter program at the shelter, which prevents littering in the very best way.

Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Meals are $6 in advance, $7.50 at the door, and $5 each for advance orders of 25 or more. Click here to buy tickets (scroll about halfway down the page to see the Spayghetti logo.) This link will also allow you to donate to other RVSPCA funds, get a copy of the annual calendar, or buy Fresh Market or Kroger loyalty cards.

Heading south again, the Martinsville-Henry County SPCA will hold its Howl-O-Ween Extravaganza on Oct. 24. The event will include a Parade of Ghouls and Goblins at 2:30 p.m. (participants are asked to arrive by 2 p.m. to line up), a Bark-and-Boo costume contest, face-painting and more. Click here for more information.

Finally, Oct 25 is Howl-O-Ween Walk for the Animals for the Roanoke Valley SPCA. Each participant must register in advance to walk, and you can click right here to do that. Read more about the fun activities planned for the event in this Thursday's Inside Out section.

The Earth Spirituality Alliance will offer a pet blessing free to all pets and their families. The ESA will accept donations to benefit Angels of Assisi. 

The event will take place at the Fire Circle at Grandin Gardens on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Be sure to bring proof of current rabies vaccine.  All dogs must be well-behaved and friendly to other well-behaved dogs. I would also suggest only bringing pooches that do not have an overwhelming urge to eat other small pets, to prevent possible mayhem.

Parking is available on Grandin Road or in the post office lot. There is no parking on site. 

For more information call 293-4075.

Grab a designated driver and a leash and you, your DD and your friendly pooch can enjoy an evening of wine, barbecue and blues this Saturday at Blue Ridge Vineyard in Eagle Rock, which will host a pet-friendly tasting and concert with The Fat Daddy Band from 6 to 9 p.m.

OK, I just read that lead paragraph and noticed it may need a little clarification. The leash is for the dog, not the designated drivers. And only tasters can enjoy the wine. No vino for doggies or the designated drivers. And barbecue is only for people; people food is not good for doggy digestive tracts. The blues is good for  every soul, people and pets.

OK, so the scenario is that tasters, a designated driver and crowd-friendly pooches can all enjoy a nice evening with music, wine and barbecue, with appropriate beverages and food for all species.

I swear I haven't been sipping anything but coffee this morning.

Don't have a friendly pooch? No problem at all. The League for Animal Protection and Alleghany Humane Society will have some adorable, adoptable mutts there that you can meet and greet.

What's better than a love story that starts at summer wine tasting?
 

The event is part of the Blue Ridge Wine Trail Concert Series. Food will be provided for sale by DJ's Catering. Admission, including a complimentary glass, is $10 for tasters and $3 for designated drivers. 

For more information and directions, go to www.blueridgevineyard.com, call 798-7642 or e-mail blueridgevines@ntelos.net.

Over 20 years ago, I lost my dad, whom I loved dearly, to liver cancer. Almost 10 years ago, my good friend Robert Wall lost his battle with luekemia.  Two years ago, we lost our dog Missy to a spinal tumor.

I will keep all of them in my heart at the Bark for Life relay on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Six Wags Dog Park in Salem from 5 to 9 p.m. 

The event, intended to celebrate cancer survivors and honor those lost to the disease, both human and canine, will add to the fundraising efforts of the Roanoke Valley Relay for Life, which benefits the American Cancer Society.

A one-mile walk around the almost 6-acre park will be led by two- and four-legged cancer survivors and will be followed by games and contests, including:

• Best costume
• Best trick
• Dog/owner look-a-ike
• Longest tongue
• Best smile
• Best dancer

Baths and massages for the pooches will be offered, and the Roanoke City K9 unit will perform a demonstration. A Wall of Hope will be built of purchased paper bones in memory of those who bravely battled cancer.

To register you can click here, or call 774-2716 or visit the American Cancer Society office at 2840 Electric Road, Suite 106, in Roanoke.

Don't you love the warm summer evenings when you can bathe your dirty dog outside? And don't you love spending warm summer evenings at the ball park watching a game?

Combine two favorite summer activities at Bark in the Park, a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

Tickets go on sale today for this event that includes a bath and admission for your dog to the Sunday, Aug. 16, Salem Red Sox/Kinston Indians game at Lewis Gale Field at the Salem Memorial Ballpark. One human gets in to the game free with each paid pooch.

Dogs less than 20 pounds can come clean and cheer for the Sox for $20. Heftier hounds get the same deal for $30. Each additional human can get a ticket for $8. Season ticket holders can get a voucher for the wash, $10 for pocket pooches and $20 for big sweeties.

Pet communicators Suzanne and Chuck Fisher will be giving free 2-minute pet communication sessions to anyone bringing in a picture of a pet to the Star City Cat Fanciers' Cat Show at  this weekend.

The show is at the Holiday Inn near the airport, 3315 Ordway Drive, July 4 and 5.

The Star City Cat Fanciers is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and welfare of cats.

The Fishers were here at the SCCF's winter show as well. They have made appearances at pet expos and cat shows across the country.

In their press release, the couple said that many people joke that they are unsure that they want to hear what their pets have to say about them. My own lack of communication with my cat Thai (pictured here) is well-documented. He has one idea about how things should work around our house, and if I have another opinion, I guess I can just keep it to myself.

This is America, after all. I have the right to be foolish and wrong in the eyes of my cat.

The Fishers maintain that by opening the lines of communication, pet parents can solve behavioral problems like choosing inappropriate places for potty breaks, furniture destruction, and using people as scratching posts.

I'm not sure I would put my faith in a brief consultation to completely resolve such sticky issues, but hey, it's free and it certainly can't hurt to get a new perspective.