Got a taste for a little south of the border flavor? Like to help homeless pets on their journey to find loving homes?

Click right here for a flyer that will let you satisfy both desires.

This Thursday night, you can dine at Abuelo’s Flavor of Mexico at Valley View Mall between 5 and 9 p.m. and 20 percent of your food and beverage purchases will be donated to the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

You have to have the flyer (from the link above) and you need to alert your server that you are an animal-loving, Mexican food aficionado when you order by presenting him/her with the flyer.

Then enjoy all the Mexican delights you like. Personally, I recommend the Yucatan shrimp fajitas.

Ole!

New River Valley pet lovers, mark you calendars: The Hampton Inn Christiansburg/Blacksburg is hosting its second annual Wags for Waffles from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 15.

“The goal of our event is to collect donations for the local shelters in exchange for dog washes, food sales and free waffles just for showing up,” Jocelyn Dugan, sales coordinator for the hotel, wrote in an email news release.

Dugan wrote that last  year the event raised over $300 for the Humane Society of Montgomery County. This year’s event will feature returning vendors Humana, HSMC, MountainView Humane and Blissfully Balanced will donate 10 minute massages in exchange for pet supplies.

NRV Varmints Pet Sitting will donate a raffle prize and Dugan said more vendors will be added later.

So yeah, get a waffle, help out pets. Sounds like a fun day to me. I will post more details as the date draws closer.

Two things mark the official end of winter for me: The opening of the outdoor pool at my fitness center (tomorrow!) and the opening of the baseball season.

Few things are more summer-like than spending an afternoon or evening at the ball park, and just so you know, you can share that experience with your best doggy friend on Sundays this season.

Every Salem Red Sox Sunday home game at LewisGale Field will feature Bark in the Park. With the purchase of a $5 Pooch Pass you can take your pup out to the ball park.

The schedule for Sunday home games is:

• May 19 at 4:05 p.m.
• June 2 at 4:05 p.m.
• June 16 at 4:05 p.m.
• July 14 at 4:05 p.m.
• July 28 at 7:05 p.m.
• Aug. 18 at 4:05 p.m.
• Sept. 1 at 4:05 p.m.

AND….drum roll please…save the date of Sunday, June 30 for the Dog Days of Summer, a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA. The gates will open at 3 p.m. for a pregame pooch parade. Line up begins at 3:30 p.m. for the parade and the first pitch is thrown at 4:05.

Volunteers for the RVSPCA will also be in the parking lot willing to scrub your pup clean for a small donation.

Remember that your well-mannered, crowd-friendly dog has to be on a leash and you should carry proof of his or her current rabies vaccine.

Until a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea there was such a thing as  a cat circus. Or a cat rock band.

And that this wonderful bit of magic tours the country and will be stopping here in Roanoke.

Here’s a link to my story about the upcoming show, including dates and ticket information, that ran in yesterday’s Inside Out section.

Let me know if you plan to attend any of the shows and if you do, please let me know what you think. Just from what I learned from Samantha Martin, the ringmaster and band leader, I think it will be a hoot.

Part of the proceeds from the shows will benefit Angels of Assisi, which will also have adoptable kitties on site if you are interested in adding a (or another) critter to your family,

Saturday was the first annaul Tail Chaser 5K and Black Dog Salvage 1-mile Dog Walk, a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA, and as a participant, I can confidently say the event was a blast.

Click here to read Duncan Adams’ story about the event from yesterday’s newspaper.

Phil and Melissa Moo before the Black Dog Salvage 1-Mile Dog Walk on Saturday.

There were hundreds of people and pooches out to enjoy a crisp, cool spring morning in Wasena Park. My husband, Phil, and I, along with our greyhound Melissa Moo, arrived shortly before 9 a.m., in time to see the start of the 5K down the greenway.

We had to wait until 10 a.m. for the walk, the event we registered for, to begin, but it was such a great day and there were so many nice folks and sweet dogs to meet that the hour flew by. It was great to see people we know, including neighbors on our cul-de-sac that came out to run the 5K and walk with their basset hound, Stella, in the walk.

More than an hour on her feet is a lot for a greyhound, a dog that is used to sprinting very fast for a few minutes each day and spending the rest of her time crashed on the sofa.

When the walk started, it must have reminded Melissa of the starting gate at the greyhound race track, because she was eager to pass the other dogs. But that burst of energy didn’t last long, and I could tell she was getting weary at the halfway point.

We had settled into a nice pace, but right at the end, Stella, the short-legged, long-eared hound and her peppy walker, our neighbor’s daughter, beat Melissa and me to the finish line.

A greyhound, smoked in a foot race by a basset hound. Loss of cul-de-sac cred. (Insert smiley face here. Way to go Stella!)

It was really an awesome event and I look forward to next year. Maybe by then, Phil and I will be able to walk/jog the 5K. But maybe not with Melissa.

Angels of Assisi and the Regional Center for Animal Control and Protection are working together to help orphaned kittens have a chance to grow healthy and eventually find loving homes.

According to a news release from Lisa O’Neill at Angels, a network of foster homes, affectionately known as the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, bottle feeds these wee babies for the first eight weeks of life until they are old enough to be returned to the adoption center.

This Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon, the downtown shelter is asking for donations to help these fosters, including kitten formula, bottles, blankets, crates, kitty litter and toys.

If you are interested in fostering baby kitties, a foster orientation session will start at noon.

Angels of Assisi is located at 415 Campbell Avenue S.W. in downtown Roanoke.

Don’t feel like cooking tonight? Want an excuse to dine out? Like Mexican-inspired dishes?

Answer yes to any or all of those questions and the Roanoke Valley SPCA has a deal for you.

Dine in at Abulelo’s Flavor of Mexico restaurant tonight at Valley View mall between 5 and 9 p.m. and 20 percent of your food and beverage total will be donated to the RVSPCA.

Abuelo’s is located outside the mall, near Sears and Barnes and Noble.

The only trick is you have to present a flyer from the RVSPCA to your server when you order.

You can download that flyer by clicking here.

Yet another reason to look forward to the weekend: The Spay-ghetti and No Balls dinner this Friday in Moneta.

This benefit for the Bedford County Humane Society, Barn Cat Buddies and All American Mutt Rescue will be held at  Casa D’ Amici Italian Restaurant and Steakhouse, 1100 Celebration Ave Suite 204, in Moneta on March 8 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Proceeds will be used to provide low-cost spay and neuter services for dogs and cats of area residents.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $17 at the door. Dinner includes spaghetti, salad, bread and iced tea. A cash bar will be available.

Call 492-1625 or 525-2239 to purchase tickets in advance.

Mountain View Humane Spay/Neuter Clinics of Roanoke and Christiansburg are not running low on pets in need of fixing, but the clinics are running low on cash to help the pets of needy families.

The Spay it Forward Fund, which helps subsidize the fees for surgery for low-income families, is “nearly wiped out,” according to a news release.

“This fund if designed to assist residents who would like to have their companion animals sterilized and vaccinated but cannot afford even the low-cost fees charged by Mountain View Humane,” the news release said.

If you can afford to help, tax deductible donations can be sent to the Waldron-Ricci Spay/Neuter Clinic, 53 W. Main St., Christiansburg, 24073 or the Sabrina & Lucky Garvin Spay/Neuter Clinic, 5363 Peters Creek Road, Roanoke, 24019.

An opening night reception for the Roanoke Valley SPCA’s eighth annual “Best in Show” fundraiser is scheduled for Feb. 22 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Taubman Museum of Art.

More than 200 local animal-loving artists — in all manner of media — will contribute works to the juried show.

Purchased art will be available to take home between 8 and 9 p.m. the night of the reception. Unsold art will be available for purchase online at the RVSPCA website and the Best in Show Facebook page until March 30.

At least 50 percent of the proceeds of each sale will benefit the RVSPCA.

The entry judeged Best in Show by the event’s committee will be featured on the cover of the RVSPCA’s 2014 pet calendar.

Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for kids 12 and younger. This is a really fun event that showcases the wealth of talent we have here in the Roanoke region. The event usually draws a big crowd, so plan on taking your time to see all the displays.