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If you and your pooch are hankering to hit the road this Sunday, heading either north on I81or south on Highway 220, you may want to check out a couple of dog-friendly fundraisers on your trip.

What goes better at the ballpark than a dog? Not much, in my opinion.

The Martinsville-Henry County SPCA will host Bark in the Park this Sunday at Hooker Field. Dogs will be admitted to the ballpark for $5 or two cans of Pedigree dog food so they can woof for the Martinsville Mustangs or the Catawba Valley Stars.

Admission for two-legged baseball fans is $5. First pitch is thrown at 7:20 p.m.

The M-HCSPCA will also have adoptable dogs at the park, and will be selling collars, Frontline Plus and doggy concessions.

If you are NoVa bound, stop by and get your pooch scrubbed and fluffed at a charity dog wash in Stafford. All proceeds will go toward the purchase of bullet-resistant vests for K9 police officers.

The event is hosted by DoodyCalls, a professional poop scooping service, and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Sittin’ Pretty Pet Salon located at 711 Garrisonville Road in Stafford. There will also be demonstrations by K9 officers and pet-related silent auction items for bidding. 

"Money raised at the charity dog wash is going toward the purchase of custom-fitted, stab and bullet-proof vests," volunteer Jayne Levey said in a news release. "These vests are costly and police departments have limited budgets. K9 unit dogs put their lives at risk; they need protection just as much as human officers do."

Costs for the dog wash are based on the size of your pooch. For dogs weighing 15 pounds or less- $10; 25 pounds or less - $15; 45 pounds or less - $20; 75 pounds or less - $25; and for dogs weighing more than 75 pounds, the cost is $30. 

Contact Shannon or Ron Cooper at (540) 424-4371 or email staffordva@doodycalls.com or go to the Sittin' Pretty Pet Salon to purchase dog wash tokens in advance.

Here's a link to this week's Happy Wag newspaper column. The column contains all sorts of details about a couple of doggy-friendly fun festivals, starting with the Mutt Strut this weekend.

I do need to make a correction to the start time for Woofstock Dog Festival, the canine carnival/music festival on May 30. I reported that the event started at noon and it actually starts at 10 a.m., so that's two hours of good times I almost stole from you.  My regrets.

I should also mention again that the Roanoke Dog Park will officially open on May 21 at 5:30 p.m. Bring your dog to Highland Park for some off-leash good times. If your pooch is new to the park scene, keep an eye out for the next Happy Wag column on Monday, May 25, for pointers on dog park etiquette and ways to get the most out of your experience.

The Roanoke Valley SPCA is sponsoring a microchip clinic on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The tiny chip is inserted under the pet's skin between the shoulder blades. That sounds worse than it actually is. Even my paper-thin-skinned greyhounds barely flinched when they were chipped. 

At the moment of chip insertion, I believe my kitty, Thai, gave the vet a very dirty look, similar to this one.

But hey, he's a cat. That's just how he rolls.

The chip can ensure that your pet finds the way home if he or she ever becomes lost. As careful as we all try to be with our pets, sometimes they just slip away. If your pet is found, that chip becomes your pet's identification card, allowing any animal control officer anywhere to be able to reunite you with your wayward fur baby.

Prove that you adopted your best buddy from the RVSPCA and the fee for the chip is only $15. For all other critters, the fee is $25. If you adopted your pal from the RVSPCA in the last two years, you have no worries; your critter is already chipped.

The long winter is over and it's time to get out into the fresh spring air and, as my dear old mother use to say, blow the stink off. Here's a couple of events that can help you and your dog to shake off the cabin fever.

Pooches on Parade

The Pooch Parade for the Franklin County Humane Society will be held Saturday, May 2, at the Franklin County YMCA Fitness Trail in Rocky Mount.  The walk will benefit the animals kept at the Humane Society shelter.

Walkers can pick up sponsor sheets from the Planned Pethood Clinic or by e-mailing donna@plannedpethoodrockymount.com.

Registration opens at 9 a.m., the walk begins at 10 a.m. and prizes will be awarded at 11 a.m. The first 50 walkers that turn in at least $25 in donations will receive a T-shirt. The event will also feature demonstrations by the canine officers of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, face-painting and balloon animals for the kids, and real animals from the shelter for adoption at the information table.

For more information, call 489-3491. 

Mutt Strut

Pack up the kids and the family dog for a fundraising walk and carnival on Saturday, May 16 at Wasena Park in downtown Roanoke.

Carilion Clinic, the event's sponsor, is challenging families and work groups to compete for the "Best in Show" title, awarded to the top fund-raising mutt in the strut.

Registration starts at 9 a.m. and forms can be found here. Pre-registration is required and your well-mannered pooch will have to keep you on a leash at all times. Please bring proof that you are a responsible pet parent and your dog is up-to-date on his or her rabies vaccine.

Admission to the carnival is free. There will be a variety of contests, including dog/owner look-a-likes, best-dressed, etc. for a $5 entry fee ($15 for three or more contests.)

The event will include 10-minute seated massages for $5, concessions and a bake sale, pet photography for a $5 sitting fee, face painting for the kids, clowns and free balloons.

There will be a dog parade at noon and a presentation by Carilion's pet therapy volunteer.  A "Blessing of the Paws" will be given by the hospital chaplain.

Proceeds will benefit Carilion Clinic's patient fund, which helps families deal with expenses associated with hospice care, including last-wish requests for patients and funeral costs.

If your pet is in need of a blessing (and from the blog posts over the last couple of days, it sounds like a few need an exorcism) then get thee to St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Daleville on Sunday.

Pastor Dave Rochford will ask for a blessing for all manner of leashed, crated or otherwise contained critters outside the church sanctuary from 2 to 2:30 p.m. The service is the kickoff for a fundraising effort for Heifer International by the church's children's Sunday school classes.

Heifer International purchases livestock for families in impoverished nations.

For more information about the blessing service, call the church at 992-3030.

Ever wonder what your cat would tell you if he or she could speak human?

Kind of a scary thought, huh?

Well, since I have full two-way conversations with my cat Thai, I think I am already tuned in to his kitty demands. But an outside opinion may be helpful, and this weekend I could get a glimpse into Thai's heart and mind if I tote his photo to the Star City Cat Fancier's "Cats in Coat" show.

Pet communicators Suzanne and Chuck Fisher will be offering free 2-minute consultations to cat assistants who bring them a picture of their boss.  The event is this weekend at the Holiday Inn on Ordway Drive near the Roanoke airport.

Suzanne Fisher chats up a cat named Taz

The pair of pet communicators, who are based in Aylett, Va.,  have been featured at pet expos and cat shows all over the country. Suzanne Fisher has taught basic pet communications at some of these venues, but there will only be consultations at this weekend's event.

The Fishers said in a news release that by chatting up felines, they can help the kitties' personal assistants get to the  root of unhealthy and undesirable behaviors. Who wouldn't want to find a solution to problems like your kitty's lack of appetite, or your kitty relieving himself outside the box or leaving his signature scratches on people and furniture.

No need to bring your kitty to the show to meet the Fishers personally; they said they can get information from just a photo of your cat. I have a lot of photos of Thai, so I may bring a few for them to choose from.

Even if you are not really into the whole pet communication thing, it's free and takes two minutes of your time. I may be a little skeptical myself despite my wild imaginary conversations with Thai (yes, folks, I know he doesn't really talk to me) but it could be fun and enlightening.

You will find the Fishers at their Nature's Country Store vendor booth at the cat show. They will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The kitties take the stage this weekend at the annual Star City Cat Fanciers "Cats in Coat" show at the Holiday Inn near the Roanoke Airport.

Felines from across the region will compete for honors including best in breed and of course, best in show. Shorthairs, longhairs, no hairs, you name it, you can see it. Whatever kind of kitty suits your fancy, the Fanciers have it.

If you like cats and have never been to a cat show before, you really should go. You will not see Fluffy strut her stuff around a ring like the doggies do at their shows. The more dignified felines interact with the judges one at a time, but there are always several rings going on simultaneously, so there is never a lull in the action.

The kitties are kept in carriers in conference rooms while they wait their turns to impress the judges, which allows fans the opportunity to look at the cats and their tricked-out mobile homes and chat with the servants who tote them around.

The servants, sometimes called the owners, are passionate about their felines and are usually happy to answer questions about their kitties, but they do have to listen for their call to be judged, so if they don't want to converse, it's nothing personal.

If your kitties are like mine, they do not really appreciate a lot of excess handling. Believe me, the show kitties have no problem with being patted down like suspect in custody. They are the most agreeable cats you will ever meet. Hardly any cat-titude at all.

This year the Roanoke Valley SCPA will also be at the show with adoptable kitties. So you can go to the show and go home with a purring  souvenir.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The hotel is located at 3315 Ordway Drive in Roanoke.

I hope you were able to attend yesterday's Howl-O-Ween, the fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA, at Elmwood Park.  My hubby and I, unfortunately, have been under the weather for many days thought it was best to stay home.

From the looks of the Pup-arrazi pictures, we missed quiet a party.

Here's a picture four happy attendees: Alex Fulghun and Mason, who appears to be a pug, and Kellin White and Chynna, who looks like a pit bull or a pit bull mix. The kids are cute in their painted faces and Mason in his costume. And doesn't Chynna looks very pretty in her dress with her pink painted toenails?

To see more pictures, click here for the Roanoke Times/Inside Out Paparazzi Flickr account, and look in this Thursday's Inside Out section of the newspaper.

And if you attended, post a comment and let me know what I missed.

Ah, as my husband, a  lifetime Cubs fan, always says: Wait 'til next year.

Roanoke County Public Libraries are observing Adopt a Shelter Dog Month with fun family events that include the pooches, and will be collecting pet food donations at all four branches to help the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

The first event is Project Dogway, where Fido can work the runway looking fierce and fabulous. Ribbons will be awarded to the top three models/fashionistas. Registration is required. The first of three fashion shows is this Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Hollins branch at 1 p.m.; next is Glenvar on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. and the fashion tour ends in Vinton on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.

Author and dog trainer Lorie Long will discuss her book "A Dog Who's Always Welcome: Assistance and Therapy Dog Trainers Teach You How to Socialize and Train Your Companion Dog" at the library's headquarters on Electric Road on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m.

Also that day at the Electric Road branch there will be a silent auction of gift items for pets and people who love pets from 1 to 4 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

Bring the kids to hear children's author Tristan Perry, accompanied by her poodles Nutmeg and Mocha, read from her latest book "Furry Tails: The Adventures of Cinnamon Persimmon" at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20 at the Hollins branch.

And while I know we all think our dogs are beautiful, some mugs are, well, let's say less fortunate than others. If you are proud of your pooch's unconventional beauty, you can enter a photo in the library's Adorably Ugly Dog Contest. Pictures will be displayed in the libraries for public voting and the winners will be announced on the RCPL Web site. You will need to hurry and snap that photo soon; deadline to enter is Oct. 15 and the last day to vote is Halloween.

And if you do decide to enter your sweetie in the ugly dog contest, e-mail the picture to pets@roanoke.com and I will post it here on the blog. Maybe we can drum up a few votes for you.

We had a wonderful time Sunday afternoon at the Greyhound Planet picnic at Wasena Park in Roanoke. The annual gathering is a way to connect with other people that have adopted these great dogs, and for our hound Coral, it was a real family reunion.

Sarah Orrick, director of Star City Greyhound Adoptions, (or Saint Sarah of the Greys as my hubs and I call her) has placed at least six pooches from one particular West Virginia-born litter in homes in this area after their racing careers ended, including our sweet Coral.

Coral was reunited with two of her sisters, Cherry and Julie, on Sunday. That's Julie on the left, Coral in the middle, and Cherry on the right wearing the bandana.

The girls did not really seem to know each other (What did we expect, really? Hugs and kisses?), but when we chatted with the other dogs' pet parents, we noticed some striking similarities.

All three hounds have a disdain for riding in the car; all three have occasional tummy troubles and do best on a steady diet of Science Diet; each girl has a small black birthmark on their snouts; all of them are snuggle pups that love to rubbed, with a tendency to lay their heads in the lap of a willing petter.

There are a few differences. Julie has a lighter colored coat, and a cute little overbite. Cherry and Julie were never tried on the track, while Coral won a few races and moved up a few classes before she was retired.

All of them are sweet dogs that bring a whole lotta love to their families.

Sarah told me a while ago that she placed another littermate, a brother I think, with a family in Richmond, either late last year or earlier this year. I am not sure when or where the other two found homes.

According to a banner at the picnic, 38 Star City hounds have raced to new homes this year.

That's 38 dogs that now have forever homes due to the efforts of Star City Greyhound Adoptions and her crew of dedicated volunteers. These "greyt" folks bring out the dogs almost every weekend to PetsMart and introduce them to new adoptive families.