August 28, 2008Save the date for pet friendly eventsPlenty of things for you and your dog this fall, so be sure to save the dates for the following events: Wine, Whiskers and Song, a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4 from noon to 5 p.m. at Blue Ridge Vineyards. Well-behaved people and their leased pooches can enjoy this festival featuring wine tasting, bluegrass music and adoptable pets. Admission is $10 for tasters, $8 for non-tasters and free for dogs. Do not, however, plan on letting your dog be the designated driver. 
Spay-ghetti Supper, another SPCA fundraiser, is planned for Thursday, Oct. 16 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.. Order in bulk and save on delicious spaghetti suppers. Dinners are $6 per plate in advance, $7.50 at the door, and $5 per plate for orders of 25 or more dinners purchased in advance. All proceeds go to fund spay/neuter services at the RVSPCA. The 16th annual Howl-O-Ween Walk for the Animals is Sunday, Oct. 16 in Elmwood Park. The event will also feature a microchip clinic and DNA testing for your pooch. Click here and scroll down to the "donate now" button to pay in advance for the Spay-gehtti dinners, microchipping and the what's-your-daddy? test. (Maury Povich will not be present.) August 14, 2008Your pet could be a poster childHow would you like to see your dog's or cat's sweet, furry face plastered all over merchandise in thousands of stores all over the United States, all while helping homeless and abandoned pets? Then click right here and enter the first PetsMart Charities' Just a Buck, Change Their Luck Online Photo Contest. 
You are asked to submit a photo of your pet, along with a short essay on how your companion animal has changed your life. According to the rules, sponsors will review all eligible entries to choose 10 pooches and 10 kitties as finalists, based on the most inspirational stories. Then online voting will determine the winners. The first-place pets will get a canvas pet portrait and some complimentary merchandise featuring their pet. Merchandise bearing the visage of the winning critters will be sold in PetsMart stores as part of next year's Just a Buck campaign. Goodies related to this year's campaign, including $5 mouse pads and skins for laptops and iPods, $10 T-shirts and $15 tote bags, feature the work of artist Mitch Henderson and will be sold in stores until Aug. 26, with proceeds benefiting the non-profit organization. According to the news release, PetsMart Charities has funded more than $70 million in grants to animal welfare organizations since 1994 and helped to save more than 3 million pets through in-store adoption programs, including my sweet greyhounds Dexter and Coral, both of whom we adopted from the front of the Valley View PetsMart. If you decide to enter a photo in the contest, e-mail it to pets@roanoke.com and share it and your story with us. If your sweetie is chosen as a finalist, I promise you have my vote. August 7, 2008Flyball tournament this weekendBlog reader Laura Green posted this comment last week about a doggy sporting event this weekend: "There will be a Flyball tournament held August 9 and 10 in Blacksburg. The tournament is held indoors at the Blacksburg Community Center on Patrick Henry Drive in Blacksburg, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Spectators (two and four-legged) are welcome. If you bring your dog please make sure you use a non-retractable leash and your dog is friendly and sociable. This is a great opportunity to see the sport live and truly get a taste for all the "controlled chaos" which is Flyball. Three local teams will be represented: Heads or Tails (from Roanoke and Lynchburg), New River Express (in Blacksburg), and New River Rapids (from Blacksburg)." Flyball is a relay race ran with teams of four dogs. I have seen this event on television, and so I am excited to attend a live event. I might even take at least one of my pooches along for the ride. August 4, 2008Dog park meeting tomorrowIf you love a dog in the city of Roanoke, or are just supportive of people who love dogs in the city of Roanoke, you should attend tomorrow's public meeting to discuss the location. DATE: Tuesday, Aug. 5 Highland Park is the most likely site for the new park, and the committe touts these points for the choice of the location: • Not near a Major road The meeting was requested by the neighborhood association. The committee is sure that those who oppose the park will be in attendance. They are asking that all those in favor of the proposed location also attend to share their opinions. This is your chance to speak up, folks. The barking dog gets the park. August 1, 2008The FURminator rocks! And it can be yoursWe bought a FURminator deshedding tool last weekend and the handy little brush absolutely lives up to its reputation. My hubby used it on Dexter and I used it on Thai and it removed handfuls of hair that otherwise would be strewn over the carpet and embedded in the upholstery. Or on my black slacks. 
And the best part is that they both loved it! For them it's one-on-one attention and a great scratching, which is all any pet wants from a human. Well, besides pepetually filled food and water bowls, of course. The very nice folks at FURminator read the banter on this blog last week and were gracious enough to send me two more FURminators, one all-purpose model like the one I bought last weekend, and one specifically for kitties. They also sent a bag of treats, a bottle of deshedding shampoo and conditioner, and a waterless spray deshedding shampoo for pets. All the products contain Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that help keep coats and skin healthy. A very nice package indeed. And they will allow me to share these goodies with Happy Wag readers. Post a comment about why you think your dog or cat would be happy if you brought home these products, or why you would be happier in your home without so much excess hair on the carpet and furniture. The most creative comment from a dog lover, as judged by a panel of experts, will get the all-purpose model, the 'poo and 'dish, and the treats. The most compelling story from a cat person, as judged by Thai's reaction when I read them to him, will get the kitty brush, the waterless shampoo, and a copy of the book "Two Cats and the Woman They Own or Lessons I Learned from My Cats" by Patti Davis. So let the fur fly, people. Tell us your hairy stories. Contest ends August 10 at midnight. (Photo from FURminator Web site) June 24, 2008A day of wine, dogs and horsesSave the date for fourth annual Horse & Hound Wine festival in Bedford on July 12. The paw-friendly festival returns with plenty of events for pooches, wine and food for people, and a parade for horses. A prior commitment keeps me from going this year, but we had a great time when we attended last summer. It was brutally hot that day, but the event coordinators made sure to have plenty of water and wet towels on hand for the dogs, and a picnic shelter provided some relief from the sun.
Where: Johnson’s Orchard, 2122 Sheep Creek Road, Bedford June 12, 2008Bargain baths
The event is a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA and is sponsored by radio station The Planet 101.5 FM. Trained groomers will be on hand to wash and fluff your tiny Fido for $10. Big sweeties will cost an additional $5. All the proceeds go to the RVSPCA. The radio station will be broadcasting live from the dog wash and will give away t-shirts and other prizes. Expect a guest appearance by Mugsy, mascot of the Salem Avalanche, and McGruff the Crime-Fighting Dog. No word if those dogs will be bathed at the event. June 10, 2008Berners of the Valley unite
The event will feature an all-breed rally novice show. There will be show judging for all Bernese mountain dogs (Berners to those who love them) with classes for dogs over 12 months old, including a spay/neuter class and a costume class, and an exhibition-only class for champions. There will also be three conformation classes for puppies. For more information about the event and the club, click here. May 28, 2008Woofstock this weekendGet your groove on at Woofstock this weekend. The event is scheduled for Saturday, rain date is Sunday. The fun starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. in downtown Roanoke's Elmwood Park. May 14, 2008Wine and wagsFor vino fans, here is a paw-friendly wine tasting. Pack a picnic and your pooch for a tour of the Lexington Valley Vineyard on the first Friday of each month, beginning June 6 and running through October. Snack baskets are available for purchase if your don't want to bring your own lunch; the wine tasting, of course, is for two leggers only. The vineyard will provide water and biscuits for the pooches. Admission is free and the tasting begins at 4 p.m. Lexington Valley Vineyard is located at 80 Norton Way, Rockbridge Baths. Call 462-2974 or go to www.lexingtonvalleyvineyard.com for more information. May 12, 2008Dine and wash and build a fenceThe next fundraiser for the Roanoke Dog Park is a weekend-long event. 
Fork in the Alley restaurant will donate 15 percent of all food and beverage sales this weekend, from Friday night through Sunday night, to the cause. There will also be a dog wash at the South Roanoke Fire Station across the street from the restaurant from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For a $10 donation to the dog park, your pooch will be made squeaky clean. And for those of us who are indecisive, you can have your food and wash your dog, too. For an additional $10 donation, a dog walker will parade your freshly-washed pooch around the neighborhood for an hour while you enjoy lunch at the Fork. According to the press release from NewVaConnects, the professional group in charge of raising the funds for the dog park, almost $7,000 has been donated since the campaign was launched on March 11 to build the fence and add other amenities to the off-leash area at Fishburn Park. The goal is to raise $30,000 by June 30. Fork in the Alley is located at 2123 Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke. The fire station is across the street at 2328 Crystal Springs Avenue. Donations for the dog park can also be made at its Web site. May 8, 2008Pooches on paradeThe Pooch Parade for the Franklin County Humane Society is this Saturday at the Franklin County Family YMCA Fitness Trail in Rocky Mount. Registration starts at 9 a.m.; the walk begins at 10 a.m. and prizes will be awarded at 11 a.m. Enjoy a Saturday morning walk with your dog and help raise money for the animals at the Humane Society at the same time. Walkers may pick up sponsor sheets at the Humane Society’s Planned Pethood Clinic. There will also be an agility demonstration by Jim and Cindy Rose of Agile Paws Dog Training and Reiki demonstrations by Diane Novak. Information may also be found online at www.plannedpethoodrockymount.com or call (540)489-3491. All proceeds from the Pooch Parade will benefit the Franklin County Humane Society. May 1, 2008Arthritis Walk, dogs includedGet the leash ready and take your pooch on a nice stroll for a good cause for the Roanoke Arthritis Walk on Saturday, May 10. The annual fundraiser for the National Arthritis Foundation features one- or three-mile courses and starts at Wiley Drive near the site of the former Victory Stadium. Dog parents can bring their leashed, well-behaved pooches along for the walk. For more information on arthritis, to volunteer or to build an Arthritis Walk team, call Sara Johnston at 1-800-456-4687 ext. 306 or visit the Web site at www.arthritis.org. April 23, 2008Cocktails, anyone?
Twenty percent of all sales between 5 and 8 p.m. will be donated to the causes. As I have blogged before, NewVaConnects is the force behind fencing in the dog park. Recognizing that it is completely insane to let your pooch run off-leash in the unfenced Fishburn Park, which is borderd by busy Brambleton Avenue, the group is trying to raise $30,000 to build a fence and add other amenities to the park. The group will announce the winner of the dog park logo contest at the Cocktails for a Cause event. April 17, 2008Save the date for WoofstockGet out your tie-dyed T-shirt and your Birkenstocks, put a flower in your hair, find a hemp collar for your dog and spend a groovy day at Woofstock- a music festival fundraiser for Roanoke Valley animal rescue groups. Here's some information I lifted directly for the RVSPCA Web site: "Sponsor Hounds brings us Woofstock Dog Festival on May 31from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Roanoke's Elmwood Park. Rain date is June 1. Entertainment includes all-day music with Half Moon, The Honest Scoundrels, Lonesome Pine and Burning Bridges. Silent auction, food vendors, face painting. 
Games and contests including Dog Trivia, Ugly Dog Contest, Pet/Owner Look-alike, Costume Contest, and more! Educational seminars, displays, rescue groups. $8 admission for adults, $3 for kids 7 to 12, free for kids under 6 and dogs. Proceeds from admission fees & silent auction, plus other events, to benefit local animal rescue groups including RVSPCA, Dalmatian Rescue of SW Va, Franklin County Humane and Harmony Rescue." March 28, 2008Good story about a bad dogIt's great to have a dog in your home. Except when it isn't. Journalist John Grogan's misadventures with a crazy Labrador retriever turned into the best-selling book "Marley and Me." Almost anyone who has a pooch in their heart and home has at least one "bad dog" story. And we here at The Happy Wag want to hear yours. 
Post a comment with your best "good dog gone bad" story, and you could win one of two books: "The Dog Behavior Answer Book" by Arden Moore, a noted pet behavior expert, or "Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have to Do It" by actor and author John O'Hurley. Deadline to post your comment is April 13. March 14, 2008New address for photosI love opening my e-mail box at work and seeing a new photo from blog reader. However, I hate opening my e-mail box and seeing a message from my system administrator that tells me my e-mail account is over the size limit. Frankly, my e-mail account is starting to develop image issues from constantly being told it's too big. So, if you would like to send me a photo of you pet, and I sure hope you will, please send them to pets@roanoke.com. With no annoying work-related messages to get in the way, there should be plenty of room for pet photos. And check out the Happy Wag Flickr account, where I will post photos of the week and some snapshots of my critters, too. March 13, 2008Dogs seek fun, park seeks fundsNewVaConnects, Roanoke's community action group of young professionals, has launched a Web site to help raise funds for the city's first fenced, off-leash public dog park. The group would like to raise $30,000 to add a fence to the part of Fishburn Park that the city designated as an off-leash area more than a year ago. The problem, as anyone who has been to the park with a dog can tell you, is the busy street that runs parallel to the park. It is dangerous for even well-trained dogs to be off-leash there. What can you do to help? Glad you asked: Donate the entire $30,000 to build the fence and you will indeed be the Top Dog. You will get your chosen identity (either your name or your company's name) on a permanent sign at the park's entrance, good things written about you on the Web site, and be a hero to many pooches in the Valley. Give $10,000 to the cause and you rate Four Paws way up. Again, you will get signage and Web site recognition for your generosity toward canines and their families. Come up with $5,000 at the Three Paws level and you are a founding sponsor. Your name or logo will be on the Rules and Regulations sign, and multiple shout-outs on the Web site. Again, you will be loved by many. Make a grand donation of $1,000 and you are a Two Paws donor. Enjoy an engraved message, name or corporate logo on a bench, a picnic table, a tree or a water fountain. Enjoy praise on the Web site. One Paw donors of $300 or more can reserve a commemorative brick engraved with a personal message on the park's walking path. One Paw donors will also get accolades on the park's Web site. And if you are low on funds but high on the idea of a great park, be a Big Lick donor of $5 or more and get props from pups all over the city, and on the Web site, too. So, make a paw-sitive impact on your community and check out the Web site at http://www.roanokedogpark.com/ March 11, 2008Herbal remedies for petsBridget Quatmann of Roanoke Animal Hospital will speak about holistic, integrated veterinary medicine and the use of herbs at Virginia Western Community College on Saturday, March 29, at 10 a.m. in the Natural Science Center. The speech is part of "Scarborough Faire: In Celebration of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme," a day-long event sponsored by The Herb Society of Southwestern Virginia. Admission is free, but there will be a plant sale that will benefit VWCC horticulture students. (Editors' note: I am so sorry if that song is now stuck in your head for the rest of the day.) According to the press release, Quatmann "is a certified veterinary acupuncturist and herbalist who practices integrative veterinary medicine by applying acupuncture, Chinese herbs and diet therapy for a wide array of conditions." I would attend, but I am out of town that weekend. If you get to go, post a comment and let us know what you think. February 29, 2008Go green!Roanoke's annual St. Patrick's Day parade is scheduled for Saturday, March 15 at noon. Look for many local breed rescues, like the Dalmatian Rescue of Southwest Virginia, the Great Dane rescue and my personal favorite, Star City Greyhound Adoptions, to march in the parade. If you see a pooch you like in the greyhound group, let me know and I can probably hook you up. However, the beautiful hound in the emerald green Happy Wag jacket already has a loving home. February 28, 2008Send me those photosI am shamelessly stealing an idea from fellow blogger Lindsey Nair and asking you to send me your favorite snapshot of your happy critters. The Happy Wag is all about creating a sharing community for pet parents and the four-leggers who rule their lives. What better way to create that community than sharing pics or even video files? February 8, 2008Your furry ValentineDo you have a treasured photo of you and your first furry love, that special pet that will forever wag a tail or purr in your heart? Share it with the ASPCA and you could win a nice little prize pack in its "My Furry Valentine" contest. According to the Web site, the ASPCA is looking for "your best shot of your best bud—maybe it was your childhood pooch, or the first four-legged member of your current family. You know, that special furry someone who opened up your heart and helped you earn a lifetime membership as a doting pet parent." Click here for all the rules, regulations and instructions. I wish I had a picture of Sparky, the beautiful little black-and-white spaniel who was part of my family when I was a kid. She loved me no matter how much I childishly complained about having to fill her water dish and food bowl. She would follow me everywhere, but never demanded anything of me. She would let me bury my face in her soft, doggy-scented fur and cry when the people of the world let me down. And she was the kind of buddy who would patiently sit with me for hours, listening to all my far-fetched stories and closely guarded secrets, and I knew she would never bark a word to anyone. She's the reason I love dogs. Who was the special critter that sparked your love of pets? January 30, 2008Best in ShowBrowsing for something beautiful in the middle of winter? What's more beautiful than art centered around animals, besides, you know, the actual animals? Not much, I would say. Throughout the month of February, animal-themed works by local artists will be on display at the Market Gallery, Salem and Market Streets, in downtown Roanoke. The event is a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA. January 29, 2008How to order the Schutzhund bookThere was a little confusion between me and the author and publisher of the book about Schutzhund I gave away earlier this week, and I'd like to clear it up. The book, titled "The Sport of Schutzhund: A Photographic Essay" can be ordered by clicking right here. The price is $25 plus $10 for shipping. The author and publisher, B.J. Spanos, contacted me and was disappointed that I did not include that information in the original blog posting. I agree; I should have. I spent a lot of time looking over the beautiful photographs and must have hurried through the blog entry. I usually do add links and I just dropped the ball on this one. Spanos said all profits will be donated back to the sport. If you are a fan of this sport, it's a lovely book with plenty of action shots and even some pictures of adorable little future Schutzhunds. I always give away promotional and review items, which I did with this book, as a way of sharing with readers. I will personally pay for this copy since it is a service project. January 28, 2008A home for the Schutzhund bookBlog reader John commented that he has a German Shepherd Dog and would very much like to have the Schutzhund photo book, so as soon as I get John's address, the book will be on its way to him. If anyone else has interesting facts about this sport, please continue to post comments. I would love to know more about it. Thanks! January 24, 2008SchutzhundI got a book in the mail last week about schutzhund, a sport for dogs. According to the book's preface, schutzhund means "protection dog," and was originally designed as a breed test for German shepherd dogs. Participants in this sport earn titles by demonstrating skills in police service work that include tracking, obedience and protection. It's like a martial arts for dogs, and earning a "schutzhund" title is similar to earning a black belt. While most of the dogs featured in this book are German shepherds, the original schutzhunds, there are a few other breeds of dogs like rottweilers, giant schnauzers and pit bulls who participate in these trials. Anyone have any experience with this sport? If so post a comment and maybe this beautifully photographed book will find its way to you. November 20, 2007And the winner is...Asia, the jalapeno-licking, furniture-chewing pug, brings home the prize in the first Happy Wag comment contest. Here's the story: We got our middle pug, Asia, about eight years ago. She was the runt of her little and subsequently, the breeders gave us a weight gainer formula that made her teeth razor sharp. Well...she was biting into the furniture with abandon. The breeder recommended that we get jalapeno peppers and squeeze the juice onto the legs of our beautiful coffee table as a deterrent to biting. We went to a Mexican specialty store that sold us their highest potency peppers. The juice had an opposite effect on Asia. She sniffed it, licked it, and chewed all the more!! So much for best laid plans! The image of the ravenous little pug made me laugh. Hey Asia, I love peppers too, but I never used them to season furniture. Here's hoping your pet mom, Laura K., does not have to use the book "Dog Days" to prop up a table with a chewed-off leg. Thank you to everyone who posted a comment. They were all great stories and it was a tough choice. To Cali, Bogie, Beethoven, Ned, Zoe and especially poor little Boo Boo, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't eat too many table scraps! And to Katie, I am so sorry for the loss of Tawsky. I am sure he was a wonderful dog and I know you miss him. We lost a dog suddenly in August, too.I will be thankful this year for the memories we have of Missy as I am sure you will be of Tawsky. November 14, 2007Post a comment, win this bookShare a funny or touching story about your pet here at The Happy Wag and you could win a copy of "Dog Days," a beautiful photo essay book by Gandee Vasan featuring dogs expressing some very human emotions. 
November 12, 2007Share a story, win a prizeMy dog can tell time. As each weekday fades into evening, he knows its time for his family to make their journeys home. He keeps watch in our front window, peers at the driveway, and waits for the cars to pull in. He frantically runs between the kitchen door and the front window until we emerge from the garage, and then he does his happy dance. It happens every day, and it never fails to make me smile. Nothing can make a lousy day fade into memory like coming home to family. Share a story about your pet and win a hardbound copy of "Dog Days," a book by photographer Gandee Vasan. The book is "...a collection of pooch portraits showcasing a spectrum of emotions that every dog lover will recognize and enjoy." Post a comment by Friday and let us know what your dog or cat does to make you laugh, cry, smile or even scream. Hey, you know they are not always angels, but sometimes the "arrggggghhh" moments turn into treasured memories. And you can't stay mad at someone that sweet, now can you? Best story wins this beautiful book.
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