www.roanoke.com

There are no words, people. Just no words.

Click here to read today's Happy Wag newspaper column, which is all about a dog's life at Six Wags Dog Park in Salem.

Click here to see the pooches in action and hear Katie Halsted, the parks's owner and operator, describe what the dogs in day-care do all day.

Halsted and the day-care attendants Sue Grimm, Kristi Lilly and Matthew McMillan were very helpful and gracious putting up with all my questions for a day. And I met so many nice dogs that I wasn't able to mention in the article.

If you have an active pooch, spending a few hours running and playing in the great outdoors can expend the excess energy that can lead to destructive behavior. While bad-dog behavior may be amusing in films like "Marley and Me," it's not funny in real life.

Dog park play can have other benefits, too. Grimm told me that her beagle, Lucy, has lost seven pounds since Grimm started bringing her to work.

I hope the story and video inspire you to get your pooch out to enjoy some of the spring sunshine. We got out and played with our dogs Saturday evening in our own fenced-in backyard and they were joyous, and completely tired, when we went to bed.

Sleeping in on a Sunday morning is a beautiful thing.

Blog entry by Heather Froeschl.

This is Mooch. He is a “new” breed: a snowshoe. It is a cross between Siamese and American shorthairs. Purebreds have typical Siamese markings but stark white feet. Mooch is not a high class purebred, but a mix of Snowshoe and Calico. He has distinct random markings, not quite symmetrical, yet reminiscent of the Siamese coloring. Snowshoes also have distinct behaviors. They typically will love to play fetch, are fascinated with water, and often behave like dogs, following their humans around the house. Mooch exhibits all of the above. He is fierce in his play and very interested in the world around him. The second picture shows what Mooch loves to do most, besides eating (his name is Mooch with good cause). When the shower or bath water starts running, so does he. And he will sit there for as long as the water is on or dripping, as if entranced.

Read more »

This week's video, well, it's not exactly a video. But it's fun, I promise.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the pooch pool party held last Saturday at Frog Pond Pool in Montgomery County.

Enjoy your weekend!

Like many millions of other fans, I cheered for swimmer Michael Phelps as he made Olympic history last week. And if he wasn't loveable enough, he's also crazy about his dog. Here's a pre-Olympic promo spot he did for NBC featuring his pooch, Herman. Enjoy the closing ceremonies.