Bags for Wags

Hey, Puppy Parents! What are you doing this afternoon? How about head over to the Thirsty Beaver for the Bags for Wags Cornhole Tournament? The proceeds benefit The Coalition to Unchain Dogs , which is a great cause, as I'm sure you will agree! They have sold out of all the spots which is amazing for the event, but don't fret because there is still plenty of fun to be had even if you aren't playing in the tournament, including a silent auction where you can bid on, you guessed it, an All Wags 5-day daycare package, in addition to other great prizes. Bags for Wags was started be 3 guys who just wanted to help out the animals in Charlotte, so why not go and help them out?! How cool that they did that for the animals?! Thanks, guys!

Very Exciting Announcement- Read On!

All Wags is very excited to announce that we are going to be partnering with SNIP (Spay/Neuter Initiative Partnership) to offer low-cost vaccine clinics and transport to their clinic for low-cost spay/neuter not only to All Wags customers, but to the general public. You can download the full brochure from the All Wags web page, but, let me tell you, it's time to get excited because these prices are awesome!  $8 for a rabies vaccine, $10 for other vaccines- that means more money left over for treats. Puppy parents you can drop your puppy kids off for daycare and let us know which services your pup needs and they will then get those services during the day. Easy, easy, you didn't need to take time away from work to go to the vet, your pup got a day of play and you saved a ton of money. Hint, hint again about that leaving more money for treats, I'm just saying... The first vaccine clinic for All Wags customers is going to be on Friday, August 6th. Pass along to your friends about the clinics for the general public: Saturday, August 28th is going to be the first vaccine clinic and Tuesday, September 14th will be the first spay/neuter transport day. Check out the website for all of the details and if you have any questions, just let us know!

Hot Weather, Rain and Sunshine, Oh My!

Can you seriously believe this weather we have been having? Over 100 degrees! The people say that on Saturday it actually felt like 110 degrees, that's craziness! We have moved from water play to ice play at All Wags, just to try and keep us cool. The people are putting ice in our water dishes, ice in the baby pools and just letting us play with big blocks of ice. Then, how about we had that crazy storm Saturday afternoon?! That made for some interesting times at All Wags and some fun water play. You can see Callie trying to get the water off of the top of the tarp in the back and Miss Zoey is right there ready to play in the wave that will be coming down from it. So refreshing! You've got to be creative to stay cool in this crazy heat!

The Best Workout Partner You'll Ever Have!

Reprinted from www.racecarolina.com Working out with your dogs will benefit you and your pet.  Most of our daily lives are filled with stress, noise, and a lack of physical exertion.  So, is your pet's life.  Well, maybe not the stress part.  My dogs (here to for referred to as "the sweet babies" ) only get stressed if their 8 hour nap between meals is interrupted. While dogs may not be stressed, lack of activity is an issue.     So, here are my top 5 tips to incorporate your dogs into your walking and running routines.  If you have a way to lift weights or do a spin class with your dogs, please send information in - with pictures.  1.  Your dog has a fur coat and it is hot - hit the streets early in the morning and after dark during the summer.  If you can loop back home mid walk to get a drink for the dogs, that is even better.  2. Who's walking who?  Remember, dogs are pack animals.  They will look for someone to lead the pack.  You lead the pack.  Set the tone early in the walk or run and your dogs will run by your side.  If you have a way to keep your dogs from chasing neighborhood squirrels, feel free to send that information in to me. My technique is to reattach my arm after the sweet babies jerk my arm from it's socket, but I digress.  3.  Do IT!  Let your dog's enthusiasm for walking or running motivate you to hit the streets.  Like the commercial says, "just do it". 4.  Let your dog work into your routine.  Dogs will follow your lead, even if it hurts them.  Let your dogs build their fitness.  Dogs are natural Galloway runners.  They like to run, then walk.  You dictate when to run and walk, but doing both will benefit you and your pets. 5.  Hit the trails!  We are blessed to have a great park system in Mecklenburg County.  Walking and running on the trails provides shade and a softer surface for you and your dogs.  Here are a couple of best practices for taking your dogs to the trails. A. KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEASH AT ALL TIMES. B. Bring a bag to pick up poop.  An ounce of consideration goes a long way. C. Bring a bowl for water. D. You should visit parks with which you are familiar.  Keeping up with a dog and navigating an unknown park is too much.  Double check with the park of your choice to discover any dog restrictions.

Dogs & Storks Class

Last night people came to All Wags to learn all about how to make sure that their pups and their baby get together. Isn't that great? I mean us pups just want to be a part of the family and we are, but sometimes it can be hard for us when a new person comes to be a part of the family. Especially, when that new person takes so much of your time and makes funny noises and smells funny. We do really want to love them though, which is why it is so great that these puppy/people parents came to the class last night. They learned all about things like how to introduce the baby and the pup and what to do when the baby starts crawling. They learned all sorts of good stuff and also got to ask questions. Those pups and babies are lucky to have such awesome parents! If you are interested in learning more about the Dogs and Storks class or if you missed the class and would like to take another one, just check out the webpage for K9 Capers Dog Training.

The Shelter Pet Project

Have you heard of The Shelter Pet Project? It's this great joint effort between the Humane Society of the United States, The Ad Council and Maddie's Fund. They are doing all of these hilarious and adorable commercials trying to dispel some of the myths about shelter dogs. You have got to watch these commercials! I just love the one about the dog who gets dropped off on the side of the road. I know, I know... that's not very funny, but they way they do the commercial is. Trust me, just watch it. Let us know which one is your favorite and then also sign for updates and to help. They just need people to help spread the word. If you love shelter dogs, speak up! They will love you even more for it! There is also a really neat search engine powered by Pet Finder that asks you all of these fun questions and then matches you up with some local shelter dogs, just in case you have some extra love hanging around that you want to give to a new friend. We have a ton of shelter dogs who come to All Wags, such lucky pups who have such happy ending stories!

Please help find Fred!!!

Hi Everyone! You may have seen the flier in the All Wags lobby, but if not, we need your help to find Fred!!! Fred belongs to one of our puppy parents' friends and his family is very, very worried about him. He is 15 years old and has a hard time seeing and walking because he has bad hips and his legs are weak. He got out during the storms Monday night and is very, very scared of storms, so Fred is probably out there very scared and confused. He went missing near the Southpark Mall area, near Colony Road. His collar has his name and phone number on it but he doesn't have a microchip, so hopefully he is still wearing his collar. If you have seen Fred, please let us know! If you would like an email copy of Fred's flier, please email Karen or Kelly and we can send it to you to pass around or to hang up!

Rainy Days

We sure have had some crazy rainy days this week! Well, you know that us pups can make a game out of just about anything. Shoes, food, etc. left out are great toys for us, I'm sure you have noticed, we really can have fun with anything. We're sorry about that, by the way, it's just in our nature. Anyway, back to the fun rain! Do you know what fun we can have with a puddle and rain? This is Stella and Maynard playing a great game of tag through the puddles. Isn't it awesome?

What's your favorite summertime activity with your pup?

We want to know! What is your favorite summertime activity with your pup? Go to the All Wags page and take our poll. It's on the bottom right corner of the home page. After you vote, be sure to view results to see  what others like to do with their pups. Right now, walks/runs is the winner, but we know there are more of you out there who need to vote! If your favorite activity isn't one of the choices, be sure to vote "other" and  then leave us a comment and then let us know what yours is. We'd love to know what fun stuff you and your pup are up to this summer!

Beating the Heat at All Wags

It has been so so hot for, what, like a month? More? Well, you can bet that us pups have been looking for fun ways to stay cool. Lucky for us, All Wags has pools, cool flooring, fans, and lots of fun water to play with and to drink. The people love playing with us with the hoses, and I'm sure you all know how deliciously cool a drink is fresh from a hose. Bentley here is getting double duty standing in the pool and getting the hose on his head, he's having a blast and that 90 degree weather is no match for the fun he is enjoying! Bear and River are also enjoying some fun times with the hose. They are just loving having the water sprayed on them and taking those nice, cool drinks! It's got to cool down soon, right? Until then, we've got this covered and we're having a great time during these dog days of summer!

Live Music, Beautiful Scenery and Hanging Out with Your Pup

Do you want something fabulous to do with your pup every Thursday and Saturday throughout the summer? Then be sure to check out the River Jam up at the US National Whitewater Center. It starts at 7pm on Thursdays so you have plenty of time to get out of work and get ready for fun and at 5pm on Saturdays. They have a different band each time, plus food, drinks and you can't beat the views of the water and the woods out there. Plus, the best part is that your pup is welcome to join you! You can watch some music, take a hike, all sorts of great stuff and have a great night out with your best friend!

July Issue of the All Wags Newsletter

I know that many of you puppy parents are off work today for the July 4th holiday. Are you looking for a little light reading? How about perusing the July issue of the All Wags Newsletter. There are some articles in there about different summer health topics and, of course, a delicious treat recipe if you are up to doing some experimenting in the kitchen on your day off. Be sure to also check out our dogs of the month, Spencer & Peyton and Ellie, and read all about how special they are to All Wags. Do you have some extra love to give, how about reading all about Jasmin who is pictured to the left? Her and her feline pal Pete, are waiting at Animal Care and Control for loving homes. Most of all, we hope that you just enjoy it and find it useful and fun. If you have any suggestions or anything that you would like to see in a future issue, just email Mandy & Ella's mama, Kelly. She would love to hear any ideas that you have!

Sitting on a hill with my person

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace."

- Milan Kundera

Hi, everyone, it's Mandy. Rosie let me take over the blog for a day. My mama found the quotation above while she was working on the July All Wags newsletter and our whole family just thinks it is great and so true. Mama, Ella and I actually ended up sitting on a hill yesterday, laying to be exact, and it was definitely a glorious afternoon. The three of us were out for a run and it just got way too hot, so mama decided that we should stop and take a rest on a grassy hill. The three of us just laid there together for a bit and it was just nice and such great time spent together. I hope that you all get a chance to just sit and spend some great time together all you pups and people on this long holiday weekend!

Is your pup afraid of fireworks?

4th of July is this weekend. Is your pup ready? Many pups are afraid of fireworks, even if they aren't afraid of other things like storms. Fireworks just don't happen very often, so it's not like the pups get a chance to get used to them. Imagine if you had no idea what was going on and heard all that noise?! Here are some tips for helping your pup survive fireworks season reprinted from Dogster.

Don’t be afraid to give your dog comfort. Be your dog’s advocate – do whatever you can to make her feel better during the storm.

Consider implementing some sort of a calming aid, such as sound therapy and perhaps a ThunderShirt. 

Avoid taking your dog to a fireworks display.  If you must leave her on the 4th, put her in her safe place and leave soothing music playing in your absence.

Keep your dog on leash at all times when outside for walks or potty breaks, even if you are not near a formal fireworks display, even if you are in your own backyard or neighborhood where she is reliable off the leash.

People may set fireworks off at family BBQs or picnics, so it’s best to leave your dog home if you’ll be attending these events.  If you insist on taking your dog, keep her on leash!  One of the most reliable dogs I ever knew off leash ended up disappearing and never being seen again when someone unexpectedly set off fireworks at a bonfire his owners had attended.  Frightened dogs are unpredictable dogs – use management tools to keep your dog safe.

With these tips, may you all have a fabulous and spectacular 4th of July! Eat lots of hamburgers and hot dogs, if you sneak a bite to your pups no one will tell. It's a celebration!