The NWA Regional Mobility Authority

I’ve read several posts on various blogs now blasting the Regional Mobility Authority and their desire to expand the infrastructure in Northwest Arkansas. Now, I don’t consider myself a wealthy business owner, but I am a business owner, and I have noticed how little people like to drive in NWA. Honestly, I don’t blame them. We’ve got one artery that connects Fayetteville to Benton County, and it is literally taking your life in your own hands when you venture out. Couple this with absolutely no east-west conduits except the strip that connects 540 and 71 in Fayetteville just south of the NWA mall makes it very difficult to go anywhere. Our metro area is over 450k people, which is big enough to sustain lots of different types of businesses, but with the severe constriction in transportation options, you greatly reduce how many trips we make down to Fayetteville to enjoy some of our favorite restaurants, not to mention how many customers we have outside of Rogers that really don’t like making the trek to our store.

If you take a metro area like Dallas for a case in point. Even though sometimes it’s bumper to bumper crawl due to a wreck or sever congestion, there are several highways (35, 45, 75, et al) and the 635 loop. Everyone hops on the 635 and gets around Dallas quite easily most of the time. It’s not uncommon to take 30 minutes to get somewhere, but that gives you the entire Dallas proper as your playground. Now, take someone who lives in Rogers, but would like to go down to Dickson Street or a nice restaurant. Yes, 540 usually gets you there (except it is often bumper to bumper at the pleasant grove exit for no apparent reason other than people can’t merge properly) but that only gets you to the edge of Fayetteville. 25 minutes to get to Fayetteville, and another 15 to 20 to get across town through all of the stop lights. It’s not really that far if you compare driving distances from someplace like Dallas, but risk your life slamming on your breaks because nobody can merge and the highway really needs to be 6 or 8 lane, and then endure stop light after stop light, and then it’s almost too much trouble to want to go anywhere.

We hear the same stories from a few of our Bentonville customers that are just going to Rogers. What’s the best route to our store if you live in Bella Vista? I think this infrastructure deficit is choking out small businesses more than anything. The local shops that “Keep Fayetteville Funky” and give you dining options that aren’t met by fast food or chains. These local businesses directly support our local economy. All of the profits stay local, as opposed to just the local salaries. My wife drives 8 miles into Springdale from our house, and it takes 30 minutes down 71 - and thats the only way to get there. That is ridiculous.

Northwest Arkansas is suffering from severe urban sprawl, and the only way we are going to keep business booming is to expand our infrastructure faster than we have been. The biggest improvements have been in Rogers. It’s taken some time, but New Hope is now a very viable east-west conduit to get across Rogers with minimal lights. 40th (or 45th, I can’t remember which it is) is also a great route to get from 71 to New Hope, with minimal lights. We need more of these, and if possible, some express ways that will get you from one east-west end of each town to the other with no stop lights.

The state is not going to pony up in proportion with the growth this region has had. I know they are spending tax dollars on replacing gravel roads in SE Arkansas, and if I lived there, I would want the gravel road in front of my house paved also, but each city is going to completely die from the inside out. Rogers downtown is in this cycle. The Fayetteville square is struggling, and I see lots of property for rent in Springdale’s downtown as well. Lots of effort and discussions have centered around how to revitalize these historic areas that are rich with history and nostalgia, but the only thing that is going to truly save them are roads that will take people there quickly and effortlessly. I am not a member of this "Elitist Group" as they are being called, but I do think they are on track for the whole of NWA.

I don't necessarily agree that the move to XNA in Highfill was a good idea either, but it did offer some room for growth. If I recall, every flight went through Dallas, and then out to where ever you were going, so an extra layover plus hour flight time is about a net zero if you are driving to Tulsa for a cheaper flight. :P

It was a cold snowy night...

It was a cold snowy night, when throughout the store - not a creature was stirring - except Miss Kitty (our newest resident).

We just finished resetting the store on the Saturday before Christmas this year, and I thought it looked very festive. If anyone remembers what it looked like our very first Christmas, you will remember we only carried treats and some ceramics that we did on consignment from Ceramatherapy (who has since closed their doors). I wish I had taken photos back then for a "then and now" comparison, but to give you an idea of what it looked like, we had 5 large fake ficus trees to help fill some of the space. We also spread the treat barrels over half of the store.

We have always envisioned a cute little shop brimming with goodies, toys, and treasures for your beloved pets, but we didn't quite have the cash when we opened for a huge inventory. We had budgeted most of our opening expenses for restaurant equipment, and hadn't thought much about other products we wanted to carry at the time. Small oversight I guess.We slowly added new products with any money the store made, and this is what it looks like today, for anyone whose never made the trek to the little dog bakery in Rogers recently.



We've still got a ways to go. We want to add some party supplies, more collars and leashes, as well as a host of other products, and I realize we're not as big as petco or petsmart, but everything in our store is superior quality, since we try and find products that are guaranteed, made in the USA, or are all natural (or all three when we're lucky).

Thank you to all of our customers out there who have supported us over the last year and a half, who've given us ideas for products they would like to see in our store, and have embraced what we carry.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Bigwag Team (Erin, Cary, Toby, Holly, Anna, Terresa, Peggy, and Brandi, Sam, Hannah, TC, Yoda, Maisy, and Bitsy)

Starting off the new year with an apology

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I've got to apologize to our customers and fans to start off the new year. You see, we as a company, as well as a family (we are a family business) have been using a local publication's Pet Calendar as a form of advertising for two years now and my heart just sank when I opened up the calendar this year and saw that we were sharing advertising space with a business that supports puppy mills. It just made me sick.

We work very hard throughout the year to support local rescues and shelters, most notably the Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue and the Humane Society for Animals in Benton County. We are absolutely against puppy mills, the cruel treatment they provide their animals and any business that supports puppy mills by purchasing animals from them. We refuse to do business with companies that support these types of organizations as a matter of principle. There are lots of pet stores out there and maybe it doesn't make good business sense, but we feel like if we have to support those kinds of organizations to stay in business, then we'd just soon close shop.

We own rescue dogs from the Humane Society. But you can also refrain from supporting puppy mills by purchasing an animal from a reputable breeder. How do you know if a breeder is reputable? There was an excellent article on the Pet Connection some weeks back on how to tell if a breeder is reputable. You can also rescue pure bred animals from breed specific rescues. www.petfinder.com is an excellent source for finding them.

With so many animals that need good homes right now, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to consider rescuing animals or supporting reputable breeders. The only way to stop puppy mills is to stop buying from them and to tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. And you can also help animals in need by volunteering at or donating to rescues and shelters. We domesticated these animals - they are under our stewardship now. We can't just throw them out like garbage.

So again, I apologize. Last year this publication did not have any advertising from these puppy mill supporters. If we'd known that we would not have placed any ads and we will not be advertising in this publication next year. The real unfortunate side effect is that I have to look at these ads for twelve months now.

Solid Gold Health Food recalls canned dog food

Therese at PetSitUSA spotted this one first I think:

Solid Gold Voluntary Recall - Turkey, Ocean Fish, Carrot, & Sweet Potatoes
Formula
Turkey, Ocean Fish, Carrot, & Sweet Potatoes Formula Canned Dog
Food 13.2 oz Cans - POP-TOP CANS ONLY WITH A ‘USE BY DATE 01/02/2010′ located on
the bottom of can.
A limited production of this Turkey canned food was made
with the POP-TOP, and none of the product was distributed in any of the
following states: Arizona, California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Hawaii, or Alaska.
Solid Gold has received several complaints regarding mold
found in a batch of 13.2 oz canned Turkey, Ocean Fish, Carrot, & Sweet
Potatoes Formula, with Pop-Tops. As a precautionary measure, they ask that you
return any of this product with the ‘Use By Date 01/02/2010′; you will find
these numbers on the bottom of the cans.
* 13.2 oz Turkey and Ocean Fish
Canned Dog Food.* Purple label with a POP -TOP (Pull top) only..* Date on bottom
of can 01/02/2010* Turkey and Ocean Fish cans without a Pop-Top are not
affected.

Product Review - Christmas Yule Doos

No dog family Christmas is complete without a little doo-doo on the ole Christmas tree! These ornaments will complete any tree in style. Yule Doos are the hot tree ornament this season. Jay Leno went wild over these on the Tonight Show! A 3"x3" soft serve shape of doo, these are lightly frosted with a kiss of glittery snow and hung on a beautiful satin ribbon. Yule Doos are hilarious stocking stuffer for any dog lover. Yule Doos, "When a Tinkle's not Enough!"

Top 5 things you can do to be Merry for Christmas

Every blog does lists. Top 10 ways to maximize your SEO. Top 10 gifts to buy for Christmas. Top 10 people you should know. Top 10 websites for Black Friday sales. I thought I would post a list of my own - only I think this is the most important list of all - especially considering the giving time of year. Plus, I only have 5:

Top 5 things you can do to be Merry for Christmas
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2 Free your mind from worries.
3 Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

Cheesy? Perhaps. Dead-on? I think so. Anyone have any thoughts?

Want Some Water???

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. "What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too." "Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind." Soooo ...

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word.

Maybe this will explain.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes. When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes.

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes. Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get?

A forwarded joke.

So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.

You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime

-- Author Unknown

December Visitor

Hey Everyone!

We had a visitor here last night, and it wasn't Santa Claus. For the past few nights a cat has been hanging around the bakery. She seems to be in very good condition, but she was tremendously hungry. She was just huddling outside the door after we closed last night, so we let her spend the night in the bakery since it was so cold. I would think if she was just out patrolling the neighborhood, she would have gone home when it got cold. She's wearing a white flea collar, but no other collar or id. I think it's she likely belongs to someone, as she is very loving and isn't startled by people or noises. She doesn't seem to like dogs too much, but then, most cats don't. She left this morning after eating, but I have a feeling she's likely to be back. If you know anything about this cat or who she belongs to, please give us a call or come visit. I hate to see animals outside when it's cold.

Our new Wholesale Website is now up

We now have a new wholesale website for retailers that would like to carry Bigwag Dog Bakery products. Our site is at www.wholesale.bigwag.com.

We're excited to have this up and running for all of our wholesale customers that would like to shop online. We do need a state sales tax ID or a retailer certificate to activate your account, which can be FAXed to 479-631-2927 or emailed to sales@bigwag.com. Questions about our wholesale program can also be emailed or you can call 1-866-931-2924 during regular business hours (Mon-Sat 10 AM - 7 PM CST). We also pay for half of the shipping on orders over $250, and we pay all of the shipping for orders over $500. We also have a great deal on a starter pack which will get you up and running with a great assortment of our treats.

Be sure you subscribe to our retailer newsletter for alerts on special deals, new and seasonal treats that you won't want to miss.

If your not a retailer, you can still view our online store at www.bigwag.com.

While this website marks a landmark milestone for us in our new wholesale program that we've been developing since June, we have not altered our recipes for these treats. They are still the high quality treats that you would find in our retail store located in Rogers, AR. Still 100% natural ingredients, made in the USA at our bakery. We don't outsource to large bakeries, and we don't use any foreign ingredients from overseas. These are fresh treats hand baked with human grade ingredients, no added salt, sugar, or preservatives.

While these are some of the healthiest treats on the planet, these treats taste awesome to dogs! More dogs go to herculean lengths to get more of these than I can recount here. Stolen bags off of counters, Christmas presents sniffed out of closets, jars plucked open with uncanny ingenuity. I've had customers call our treats "doggie crack". You just can't find treats this healthy that dogs go this crazy for anywhere else.

So, I apologize for our gratuitous treat blogging today. We try to keep our blog mostly related to community events or news, but we're so excited about our new site we couldn't help it. We've been dreaming of a wholesale website since we opened in 2006. It's taken us a long time to find the time (there is just so much to do to keep the store open and stocked) and we finally found some time to work on it this holiday.

Beware of Gift Certificates From These Stores

There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankrupcy Planning). Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about.

Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Lowes to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores

Mars Petcare expands their recall

Mars Petcare expands their recall

Franklin, Tennessee (November 25, 2008) —Today, Mars Petcare US announced an
extension of a previously announced voluntary recall of dry cat and dog food
products manufactured at its Allentown, Pennsylvania facility with “Best By”
dates between August 11, 2009 – October 3, 2009. The pet food is being
voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella. This
voluntary recall affects product sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club, ShopRite
Supermarkets, and Wal-mart locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts,
Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Salmonella
can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross
contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially
children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people
potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all
of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea,
abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more
serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle
pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these
signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare
providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea
or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased
appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible
symptoms and potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has
consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your
veterinarian.
This action is an extension of the voluntary recall issued on
October 27, 2008 of all sizes of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food
produced at the Allentown facility on August 11, 2008. We recently learned that
an additional sample of SPECIAL KITTY® made on September 25, 2008 at the
Allentown facility tested positive for Salmonella. There have been no reported
cases of human or pet illness caused by Salmonella associated with products
produced at this facility. Mars Petcare US is taking an additional precautionary
action to protect pets and their owners by extending the October 27, 2008
voluntary recall to include all dry pet food product produced at the facility
with “Best By” dates between August 11, 2009 and October 3, 2009.
Salmonella
can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross
contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially
children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people
potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all
of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea,
abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more
serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle
pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these
signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare
providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea
or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased
appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible
symptoms and potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has
consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your
veterinarian.
This action is an extension of the voluntary recall issued on
October 27, 2008 of all sizes of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food
produced at the Allentown facility on August 11, 2008. We recently learned that
an additional sample of SPECIAL KITTY® made on September 25, 2008 at the
Allentown facility tested positive for Salmonella. There have been no reported
cases of human or pet illness caused by Salmonella associated with products
produced at this facility. Mars Petcare US is taking an additional precautionary
action to protect pets and their owners by extending the October 27, 2008
voluntary recall to include all dry pet food product produced at the facility
with “Best By” dates between August 11, 2009 and October 3, 2009.
The
following products are being recalled. (The UPC code is listed below the
item.)
Berkley & Jensen Bistro Blend Premium Cat Food 21.6#00000
20052
Berkley & Jensen Small Bites & Bones Dog Food 52#00000
14958
Ol’ Roy Puppy Complete Premium Dog Food 4#81131 79078
Ol’ Roy Puppy
Complete Premium Dog Food 20#81131 79080
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium
Dog Food 4#81131 17550
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 4.4#81131
69377
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 8#05388 67144
Ol’ Roy
Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 20#81131 17549
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition
Premium Dog Food 22#05388 60342
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food
44.1#81131 17551
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 50#78742
01022
Ol’ Roy High Performance Premium Dog Food 20#05388 60345
Ol’ Roy
High Performance Premium Dog Food 50#78742 05815
Ol’ Roy Meaty Chunks &
Gravy Premium Dog Food 22#81131 69630
Ol’ Roy Meaty Chunks & Gravy
Premium Dog Food 50#81131 69631
ShopRite Crunchy Bites, Bones and Healthy
Squares Dog Food 20#41190 04521
Special Kitty Original Premium Cat Food
3.5#81131 17557
Special Kitty Original Premium Cat Food 7#81131
17562
Special Kitty Original Premium Cat Food 18#81131 17559
Special Kitty
Gourmet Blend Premium Cat Food 3.5#81131 17546
Special Kitty Gourmet Blend
Premium Cat Food 7#81131 17547
Special Kitty Gourmet Blend Premium Cat Food
18#81131 17548
Special Kitty Kitten Premium Cat Food 3.5#81131
17553
Special Kitty Kitten Premium Cat Food 7#81131 17554

Read Mars' article here

Nigerian Puppy Scam Hits NWA

This was found on the 40/29 Hometown News website:

OARK, Ark. -- Oark resident Rosetta Darter saw an ad in the Clarksville paper offering two free Yorkshire puppies to a good home. Darter thought it was too good to be true."I thought man, I'm going to get a Yorkie," said Darter. The only contact the ad offered was an e-mail out of Nigeria, so Darter responded but soon found out what the catch was. "They said if I would go in half on the shipping they would send me the puppies to the Fort Smith Airport," said Darter. The shipping cost was $600. Darter's son-in-law found out what his mother-in-law was about to do and immediately told her it was a scam. He even wrote back to the e-mail address offering $150. The person agreed. That's when the family knew for sure it was a true scam.

Police say scams out of Nigeria are common and not much can be done.
"It's been around for years, since the '50s. The United States Secret Service and Federal Trade Service is working on trying to combat that and find ways to stop it," said Fort Smith Detective Ronald Scamardo. Police advise, the safest tactic is to
never give out your personal information or money to someone you don't
know.

Original Article is here

Springdale Animal Shelter Helps Out

Caught this interesting post from an email. Not sure which paper it was from. I think it's great to see this kind of community support!

Animal Shelter Helps Out
Reported by: Brad Reed
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 @10:15pm CST

For pet owners who are struggling to make ends meet -- help is on the
way. The Springdale Animal shelter is offering free dog food, cat food
and kitty litter to those who really need it.

"We're here for the animals, but we're also here for the people, too.,"
says Lindsey Droste, Manager of the Springdale Animal Shelter. "If
they're in a hard time, we want to help them out and we want to help
them keep their pet."

You can also get help from the Humane Society of the Ozarks. They offer
an Emergency Outreach Fund to those in need.

The Pink Poodle in Siloam Now Sells Bigwag Treats!

Hey Everyone!

For those of you who are in the Siloam Springs area, you now have a new place to get Bigwag treats. The Pink Poodle Grooming Salon is expanding to carry pet products and they are now THE place to get Bigwag treats in Siloam Springs. They are located at 4290 Highway 412, which for those of you familiar with Siloam, is on the left just after the first light going into Siloam if you are traveling towards Oklahoma. Randy and Donna, owners of the Pink Poodle, are great people who love dogs. Randy used to train and show dogs, and Donna is an accomplished groomer. I hope to get some pictures of their shop posted here soon, because they have a beautiful space. But in the meantime, if you live in the Siloam area or you need to pamper your pooch with your casino winnings, stop by and see Randy and Donna at The Pink Poodle.

Santa Paws Comes to Bigwag

Waiting For Santa is hard work!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

It may not be December yet, but Santa Paws visited Bigwag this past Saturday and Sunday to listen to the wishes of good puppies and dogs. While he was in town, he also sat for pictures, which were generously taken by Jackie and Chad Collie of Pets Rock Photography. A sitting fee of $5 per dog was donated to the Humane Society. And since more than 60 dogs came to visit Santa, that means tha over $300 was raised for the Humane Society!

If you had pictures made, they will be available for pick up at Bigwag on or after Monday, November 24th. If you didn't get a chance to stop by and see Santan but you'd still like to help the Humane Society, you can come by and get a tag off the Angel Tree to provide much needed supplies this Christmas season. In fact, we've already recieved some generous donations, and we're looking forward to getting more!

Thank you to everyone who came out to have pictures taken and make donations. We wanted to say THANK YOU! to Pets Rock for their talent and patience. Also a big thanks to our Santas, Steve and Jimmy, and to our Dog Park volunteers, Toni, Georgia, Mary Lou, Sarah, Julie and Dian.

Happy Holidays,
Erin

Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament

Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue held their first annual Texas Hold’em poker tournament November 8^th, 2008 to help raise funds for a mobile spay-neuter clinic, cover NWAAR operating costs and to protect animals. Over sixty five people came to watch and participate in Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue’s first annual Texas Hold’em poker tournament fund raiser. Play was intense with players wanting to win the grand prize a 50” flat screen television. Players started entering the event at the Rogers-Bentonville Elk’s Lodge BPOE #2144 at one in the afternoon. Play began at two with sixty five players with Chris Peplinski of the Northwest Arkansas Poker Club overseeing play. Intense play continued until almost nine that evening. Drawings were made throughout the event for prizes ranging from gift certificates to a paint ball gun. People played at side tables entertaining themselves while waiting for the final winner to be announced.

Final play came down to the last table consisting of nine players. Onlookers watched as play slowly came down to the final grand prize winner Richard Coleman. Mr. Coleman had just lost his television and was very happy to win the 50” flat screen television.

Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue held their first annual Texas Hold’em poker tournament November 8^th, 2008 to help raise funds for a mobile spay-neuter clinic, cover NWAAR operating costs and to protect animals. Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue would like to extend a special thank you to Chris and Chrissy Peplinski for assisting NWAAR with organizing and holding the event. NWAAR would also like to thank all the sponsors, players and volunteers for their contributions. Just over two thousand seven hundred dollars was made during this event.

Who: Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue
What: First Annual Poker Tournament Fund Raiser
Where: Rogers-Bentonville Elk’s Lodge BPOE #2144 located at 501 South 40th Street, Rogers
When: November 8th, 2008
Why: To help NWAAR raise funds for a mobile spay-neuter clinic, cover NWAAR operating costs and to protect animals
E-mail: spaynwa@yahoo.com
Phone: 479-439-7978
Website: www.nwa-animalrescue.blogspot.com
Founder: Mandy Keenen
Media contact: Pam Lamb

Humane Society Angel Trees 2008

Hey Everyone,

I know it's not even Halloween yet and the Christmas decorations are out at Wal-Mart. Heck, I'm pretty sure Hobby Lobby has had Christmas trees up since July. I am usually a hardcore opponent of doing anything related to Christmas before Thanksgiving, but this past weekend I bent my rules and had a great time doing it.

What am I talking about? No, I haven't finished my Christmas shopping already, so don't start hating me. We were fortunate enough to host the Humane Society's Angel Tree and Angel Wreath making at Bigwag on Sunday. The store became a center of bells and glitter, Christmas trees and wreaths, ribbon and decorations for a few hours. I imagine it's what Santa's Workshop would look like if you ever had a chance to visit. We had lots of fantastic volunteers working to create beautiful trees and wreaths with a purpose.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Humane Society's Angels Trees and Angel Wreaths, they are much like any other angel tree, you take a tag off the tree and purchase that item to donate to the Humane Society, then return it to the Humane Society or one of several other collection points.

Now, I know this is a rough economic year and everyone is cutting back on Christmas. But, I would ask you to think twice about giving a little something to the animals at the Humane Society. The Humane Society runs completely on donations. They don't receive any local, state or federal funding. That means they depend on you to help care for homeless dogs and cats until they find forever homes. And you don't have to donate $500 to make a difference. Many of the items on the Angel Trees and Wreaths are cheap items, things like bleach and dish detergent.

So please, look for Angel Trees and Wreaths starting in November at the following locations: All Dogs Clinic, Animal Medical Center, Bigwag Dog Bakery, Camp Bow Wow, Faithful Friends Animal Clinic, the Humane Society for Animals, Murphy Dog Park, New Hope Animal Hospital, Rose Antique Mall and Flea Market, and Quality Pet Supplies. I'll add more locations as I become aware of them.

Items may be returned to Bigwag Dog Bakery, the Humane Society for Animals, Rose antique Mall and Flea Market and Quality Pet Supplies.

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of our wreath making event. And if you have any questions about how you can help out, call us or email us here at the store and we'll either answer your questions or point you in the direction of someone who can! Thanks in advance for your support of this fantastic cause.

Charitably Yours,
Erin

Special Kitty Dry Cat Food Recall

Salmonella contamination from Mars Petcare…

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — October 27, 2008 — Mars Petcare US today announced a voluntary recall of a limited number of bags of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food sold at Wal-Mart locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled following a positive test result indicating a potential contamination with Salmonella.

Pet owners with questions about the recall can call 1-877-568-4463 or visit www.petcare.mars.com.

Recalled Pet Food

Product: SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend Dry Cat Food
Best If Used By Date: AUG 11 09
Best By Date Location: Back of bag
Production Lot Code: 50 XXXX X (Found on back of bag just after “Best If Used By” date. Consumers should look for “50″ as the first two digits of the second line.)

Easy Pill Pockets - Giving Your Dog Medications

I just read a review for greenies pill pockets. While I am sure that this product probably works, I am not a big fan of the original greenies because of their digestibility issues, and to be honest, I don't know much about these pill pockets. But, I have always failed to understand why someone would need a special pill pocket to give dogs treats when every dog I have ever owned took pills so easily.

Whats my secret you ask? I use one of four human foods to give my dogs pills. First I'll try bread. I'll take a corner, and mash the bread around the pill until it's pretty dense. Most dogs swallow this so fast they don't even realize it's a pill. If you keep it small (just a corner) they will barely even taste it.

Second try, if that doesn't work, I'll do the same thing with a bit of sliced American cheese. Cheese is perfectly safe for dogs, and they love it. I don't give my dogs too much cheese, as too much might constipate them. But, a little corner or even one slice has never hurt them. I have medium sized dogs, so just vary according to the size of your dog.

Third try, if that doesn't work, I'll slice up a piece of hotdog, and poke the pill into the center. I rarely have to get to this stage, but I have not known too many dogs to need to get past this point. Sometimes I wonder if the pill even touched their tongue. Thsi is usually the express elevator to their stomachs.

TOP SECRET: I have had one dog that could tell the difference of a pill in any of these foods, and at that point no soft food, including pill pockets will help this situation. They are just too smart and have sensitive teeth. To get past this one problem, I took a corner of bread, and spread crunchy peanut butter over it, placed the pill in the center, and rolled it up like a mini burrito. Wasn't too messy, and it was virtually impossible for her to distinguish the pill from the other crunchy nuts. This never failed. The sticky quality of the peanut butter made it impossible to separate, and the nuts made it indistinguishable.

The true grace of these methods for pill pockets is that I usually have most of these items in the house already, so I don't need to rush out and buy anything to give my dogs pills. Second, they are 100% digestible, and I don't have to worry about poor quality ingredients, because they are all human grade ingredients. I don't have to worry about giving my dog sugar laden candy that is most of the commercial pet treats on the market today. If anyone else has any suggestions, please share!

Hartz Mountain recalls Rawhide

The FDA announced Hartz-Mountain is voluntarily recalling a small batch of chicken basted rawhide strips due to salmonella contamination.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- October 20, 2008 -- The Hartz Mountain Corporation, Secaucus, NJ is voluntarily recalling one specific lot of Hartz Chicken-Basted Rawhide Chips due to concerns that one or more bags within the lot are potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Hartz is fully cooperating with the US Food and Drug Administration in this voluntary recall.

To see the FDA post, visit here.

Solid Gold Tiny Tots Recall

Solid Gold announced a recall of their Tiny Tots treats due to mold contamination:

Tiny Tots Dog Treat Voluntary Product Withdrawl

October 13, 2008

Due to some instances of mold growth in a single batch of Tiny Tots, we have decided to voluntarily withdraw the entire production run from the market. We would like to assure our customers that there have been no reported serious health effects on dogs that have consumed Tiny Tots from this batch.

If you have a bag of Tiny Tots with a Best Before date of April 2009, please return it to your retail store for a full refund. No other batches of Tiny Tots or any of our other jerky treats are affected.

Solid Gold is committed to producing the healthiest food, treats, and supplements for your pet. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please contact us at 800-364-4863 or online at dane@solidgoldhealth.com.

If you would like to see their post on their website, visit here.

Getting Started in Lure Coursing

We have another guest blog, this time from June Sayer, who works at Lowell Veterinary Clinic as their staff groomer, and also works with the NWA Kennel Club. She and her husband have started a lure coursing group here in NWA, and have been holding trials and fun runs at various events such as Ward Nail park in Lowell, and Murphy Dog Park.

Getting Started in Lure Coursing

The purpose of non-competitive lure coursing tests is to offer sighthound breed owners a standardized gauge to measure their hounds' coursing instinct. The purpose of the competitive lure coursing trial program is to preserve and develop the coursing skills inherent in the sighthounds and to demonstrate that they can perform the functions for which they were originally bred.

Although lure coursing events are artificial simulations of coursing, they are designed to measure and develop the characteristics of the sighthound breeds.

Lure coursing tests and trials are sports and all participants must be guided by the principles of good sportsmanship both on and off the test and trial fields (Regulations for Lure Coursing Test and Trials Handbook, Chapter 1, Section 1, page 1).

Sighthounds are a special group of hounds that are bred to hunt by sight. The sighthound breeds are: Whippets, Basenjis, Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Afghan Hounds, Borzois, Ibizan Hounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Salukis and Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

To provide a test for these breeds AKC instituted the Lure Coursing tests and trials in July, 1991. These Tests and Trials utilize a 'lure' of white plastic strung around a course of 600 to 800 yards in an open field. They are meant to preserve, test and develop the coursing instincts in these breeds. Your first step to learning about lure coursing is to get a copy of Lure Coursing Rules and Regulations and familiarize yourself with what is required to enter the various events offered. Dogs must be at least one year old to run at an AKC-approved event. Dogs with breed disqualifications are not eligible. Check the standard for your breed or the Lure Coursing Regulations for more information.

The lure coursing Tests offer the Junior Courser (JC) and Senior Courser (SC) titles. In the Junior Courser test the dog runs solo and is required to run at least a 600 yard course with four turns under two different judges. For the Senior Courser test the dog must be eligible to run in the Open Stake by virtue of having a Junior Courser title; must run with at least one other dog and must earn a qualifying score at four AKC tests under at least two different judges. To earn the Master Courser test the dog must earn 25 qualifying scores in the Open, Open Veteran or Specials Stake and have a Senior Courser Title.

In the lure coursing Trials the dogs can earn a Field Championship (FC) by accumulating 15 points with at least two first place wins of three points or more under two different judges or judging panels and at least one point must be earned in competition with at least one hound of the same breed.

Once a dog has earned an FC, they may continue to compete in order to earn a Lure Courser Excellent title (LCX). They must accumulate an additional 45 Championship points at which time they receive the LCX title. If they wish to continue to compete, they can continue to accumulate Championship points in increments of 45 and earn additional LCX levels, i.e. LCX II, LCX III, LCX IV, etc.

To find out more information on lure coursing or sighthound clubs in your area you can find them through the Club Search and for information on lure coursing events in your area use our Event Search. Coursing is a good way to keep your sighthound mentally and physically fit and nothing is more fun that seeing the sheer joy on your sighthound's face as he courses his 'quarry' instinctively.

June Sayre

These events are very exciting to watch, and if you have dogs that love to chase, this might be an ideal sport to get into. If you would like more information on Lure Coursing in NWA, please contact June at skbt4@sbcglobal.net.

Guest Blogger : Toni Carter - Motormouth dog defender

Toni is a volunteer with the Humane Society for Animals in Rogers and the Murphy Memorial Dog Park in Rogers, among many other important causes. I had asked Toni to guest blog on the Candlelight Vigil that was held in August. A little late, which is all my fault, as I do not check the email address that she sent it to me very often - or in this case, for over a month.

My reasoning for this is to try and incorporate as many folks in the real-world pet community that I can into our little community blog here to help foster communication, to help "break-in" some people who are afraid of blogs into blogging, since I believe blogging is a wonderful medium to share thoughts, ideas, news stories, articles, funny pictures, - in short, our pet community in general, here locally and nationwide.

Toni is our second guest blogger this year, and hopefully not the last. If you have ever met Toni in person, her writing style will make complete sense! Perhaps this gives some insight into her tireless efforts to help homeless animals.

Ok I am (gulp) ready!!!

Hi everyone, Cary asked me to write a few lines for his blog. I think Cary and Erin and the Tobys are the best. They have kept me hopeful and like Martin Luther King says"My eye is on the prize".

The prize in the 2008 world of Toni Carter, Motormouth dog defender, is a moratorium on breeding by all dogs and cats..just for a few days let no more be born!!!

Thursday of last week was a rough day...I did day care at

the kennel where I work then I went to Petco to clean cat cages. For some reason ( the crappy and ever existent heat) I was overwhelmed by the work at hand that folks do everyday ,then when I got home I fell apart laughing and then crying over a PETA ad that a friend sent.

PETA is very serious and very well funded. I don't know any actual members but I do think I would like to. They

have their finger on my pulse because I have been thinking about how our culture dehumanizes all of us by promoting this idea that we should not be so serious

about animal rights. It dehumanizes people and gives the worst of human weaknesses to animals.

If you have not see the ad please go the PETA website and look up "My little girl is gonna get some."

Our trivialization of animal breeding is a huge reason why this spay and neuter philosophy needs work.

Remember feminism? Ever heard of civil rights? The man in England who was a member of the House of Commons and got slavery abolished in the British Empire? The Moratorium? Earth Day? The kids who tore the Berlin Wall down piece by piece? The lone dissident in Tianman Square who stood in front of a tank FEARLESSLY?

Please realize that I love to laugh..in fact it struck me as funny when I saw a Tshirt in Eureka that said

: Life is a Bitch and then she has PUPPIES"

I giggled and said AMEN. I was in a good mood that day.

It was a beautiful day and I was happy. I walked and looked at art and I was with my friends from Kansas.

What happened a week later to make me feel like I was that guy in the square? Kittens are so sweet and some of them have gotten homes. The faces of the adult cats haunt me. The little shepherd at the shelter cried for me to take her out last Monday.How can we change this pervasive sadness at the untimely deaths of animals?

I think that it had to do with attitudes on this day and the lack of rescuers ability to get together and vent. To cry and be supported and to stop being beaten down and cynical.We are all always running, rescuing , working, emailing,calling, thinking and hoping.

We have a chance on August 16th to begin a new cycle where each one of us is stronger and better for having worked with animals.

More on this later...I hope I have made people say " this is depressing" but that they will come back.

I am hopeful once again.

Be hope filled too!

The bible says" His Eye is on the sparrow" and Martin mentioned his eye was on the realization of his dream.

Thanks for reading

Toni Carter

Debate on dogs souls - Funny!

I was sent this via email today! Enjoy!

This is hilarious. Fight between a Catholic Church and a Presbyterian Church about dogs.

Strut for a Mutt 2008

Thursday, Sept 18th at 7:30 PM was the second annual Strut for a Mutt, sponsored by Lola Boutique, Lux Beauty, and yours truly! I personally witnessed three applications being filled out for adoptions from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter last night. The 50 VIP tables were sold out in 2 hours when the tickets went on sale. The line outside of the Dickson Street Theatre was wrapped around outside the patio well into the beginning of the event, as it was practically standing room only.

I hope I can post some real numbers on how sucessful the event was last night, but it seemed to be too big for the theatre venue. Jade and her mom even spoke about possibly needing a bigger venue next year. Congrats to her and her team for what seemed like a very well planned night, that seemed to go without a hitch.






The events pre-party began at 6:30, at which point all of the models dissappeared into the loft area to prepare for the event

.
Shortly after 7:30 the models began their trek down the catwalk, and the event has kicked off. I actually couldn't get close enough to get any good pictures of the fashion show. Maybe next year we can pony up and get a VIP table. That looked fun.

New Pet Food Recall from Mars Petcare

There is apparently a new pet food recall involving salmonella contamination with Mars Pet Food:

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Sept 12, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — Mars Petcare US Announces Nationwide Voluntary Recall Today, Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of products manufactured at its Everson, Pennsylvania facility. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund. This voluntary recall only affects the United States. [...] The company stopped production at the Everson facility on July 29, 2008 when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people infected with Salmonella Schwarzengrund. Even though no direct link between product produced at Everson and human or pet illness has been made, Mars Petcare US is taking precautionary action to protect pets and their owners by announcing a voluntary recall of all products produced at the Everson facility beginning February 18, 2008 until July 29, 2008 when we stopped production.

Read the rest here.

Paws-n-Spas donates over $700 to the Humane Society

On Friday, Bigwag Dog Bakery, on behalf of the volunteer group Paws-n-Spas, donated it's proceeds from the June 2008 dog wash fund raiser that was held at Dog Days Doggie Day Care, which amounted to over $737. I've been working with Jennifer Cole and Dian Sosaya in coordinating these events. These funds are going directly to the new building fund, which will hopefully break ground in the Spring of 2009, which if that happens according to plan, could be completed by September 2009.
This is an artist rendering of what the hopeful building could look like. Current architecture plans are being reviewed and might be finalized soon, combining elements of several design considerations that meet the property requirements as well as features that are badly needed for the new building.

Here is a short video with Clay Morgan, the Director of the Humane Society talking about Paws-n-Spas:

The next Paws-n-Spas is going to be held this Saturday, September 20th, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville. It will be benefiting Animal Havel Rescue. Details can be found at their website.

Paws-n-Spas is a volunteer effort to raise money for local rescues and shelters. Items for the wash are donated by local businesses in exchange for advertising on fliers, our website, and any other marketing that is donated by media, while volunteers provide the elbow grease. I've been building this up as an out-of-the-box dog wash fund raiser that can easily go in and raise money for organizations that might not have the know-how or wherewithal to put on and promote an event that can make a quick difference, while providing advertising for local businesses, and thus unifying the pet community around these heroic groups and individuals.

We are hoping to make the Rogers and Fayetteville dog washes a staple event year after year, and are looking for new organizations that may need help that are willing to throw in their hat to help us help them out. If you run a rescue or shelter, and would be interested in being the next host for a Paws-n-Spas, email me and let me know!

Community Updates

Hey Everyone!

I have received a few phone calls and visits this afternoon, so I wanted to post this here for those of you who are still wondering: Yes, responsible Dog Ownership day has been cancelled. The following is a statement from Mary LouPohlman of NWA Kennel Club:

We have decided to cancel Responsible Dog Ownership Day due to the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms this weekend. I want to thank all of you for your willingness to participate in this event which serves to educate the public on the importance of responsible dog ownership and celebrates the joy our canine companions bring to our lives.

The Northwest Arkansas Kennel Club wishes to express a special thank you to Rick Carthel of Invisible Fence for the generous donation made in honor of Responsible Dog Ownership to The Humane Society for Animals, Thank you Rick!

Thank you everyone, please keep safe this weekend.

Sincerely,

Mary Lou Pohlmann

Northwest Arkansas Kennel Club

Also, I wanted to alert everyone to a need in our community: The Bella Vista Animal Shelter is in desperate need of dog food. Apparently all the donated food they usually receive from Wal-Mart is now being earmarked to go to animal vicitms of the recent hurricanes, which leaves the Bella Vista shelter with only enough dog food for approximately 3 days. If you can help, please donate dry food or money to the Bella Vista Animal Shelter. You can donate in person by visiting the shelter at 32 Bella Vista Way or you can call (479) 855-6020. Read the full article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Lots of Love,
Erin

Bigwag Bright Bites Trial - Days 4, 5 & 6

Hey Everyone!

Well, Hannah has completed her 6 day trial of Bright Bites. There really wasn't much different to report over the past few days, so I thought I'd spare you the repetitive reports and just give you the final verdict. I'm going to rate every point on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being low and 10 being high.

1) Does It Taste Good? Score - 10
As far as palatability is concerned, Hannah seems to love these treats. When she hears the package crinkle, she perks up and waits eagerly for her Bright Bite. So in that respect, these are a success.

2) Does It Freshen Breath? Score - 5
I was underwhelmed by the results in this category. Hannah's breath usually just ended up smelling bland, which is not what I expected, but is better than stinky fish dog food breath. I would have liked more cinnamon in the end though, so I'm giving this point a score in the middle.

3) Did It Help With Tartar/Gingivitis? No Score
Because this was only a 6 day trial, I don't feel like I could accurately score the product. I can tell you I did NOT see any removal of tartar and Hannah still has some slight gingivitis. In this respect, you would probably be better off brushing your dog's teeth or taking them to the vet for a cleaning.

4) Was It Easy To Use? Score - 9
Because this is a daily treat, all you have to do is give it to your dog every day, and they do the work. That makes this really easy, except for people like me that can't seem to remember to do things reliably day after day. Maybe if I'd done this longer, I would have gotten in a better habit. It's also likely that if Hannah ate at a certain time that I would be more likely to remember her daily Bright Bite, but since she's free fed, that was a difficulty for me.

5) Other Factors?
I really like that Bright Bites are 100% digestible. That is a huge factor for me, because I have a large dog that likes to eat things as fast as possible. Digestibility is why I WON'T feed rawhide or greenies. I don't want anything that could obstruct her digestive tract and cost me a bundle at the vet or worse so for that, I give them a 10.

Something I don't like - every time Hannah ate one of these, she made a big slobbery mess on the floor. Now, a plus, it was just slobbery, no color, so no staining, but for her this is just abnormal and it makes me wonder exactly what is going on here. Score 1.

Something else I'm on the fence about - the ingredients. Now, as you know, the reason we own Bigwag is because we believe in giving our dogs high quality food and treats. Things that have simple, healthy ingredients that can easily be understood. I'm not sure what all the stuff in Bright Bites is... I get the potato flour and rice flour, but I'm not sure about the titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate and tetrasodium pyrophosphate. Now, the literature says tetrasodium pyrophosphate is an ingredient in tartar control toothpaste, but I also know you aren't supposed to SWALLOW toothpaste. When I wiki tetrasodium pyrophosphate it tells me it's "slightly toxic and mildly irritating colorless transparent crystalline chemical compound" which isn't something I'm sure I want to feed to my dog once or twice a day... I think they made a good attempt, but I'd like something more natural. I give the ingredients a 3.

Overall Score: 38 out of 60, which is an average of 6.33 out of 10 points. My overall assessment, I don't think I'm likely to carry this product in my store, unless I can't find a better alternative for natural dental care.

Hope this was helpful to all of you out there looking for ways to treat doggie breath! If you have any suggestions of other products you'd like to see in our store, let us know, and we will do our best t o try those out as well.

Sincerely,
Erin

Bigwag Bright Bites Trial - Day 3

Hey Everyone!

So, I know, today should actually be day five in our Bright Bites Trial, but being human, and being busy, I admit I forgot to give Hannah her Bright Bites over the weekend. That is one down side I could see to this method of treating your dog's tartar and gum disease. You're supposed to do it every day. And while that isn't a huge commitment, it's not exactly something that crosses your mind regularly either. Today, Cary said Hannah's breath smelled like dog food before her Bright Bite. (I've designated Cary the official dog breath smeller.) Afterward he said it smelled like minty potatoes. That just goes to show you the power of suggestion, because she ate another cinnamon Bright Bite, not a mint one... I do have to agree on the potato part though, it seems that is what her breath smells like after a Bright Bite. I guess that makes sense given the first ingredient is potato flour. And while potato isn't a bad smell, it isn't minty fresh either. But it is kind of neutral. So, if you just want to neutralize bad breath, I guess there might be something to that. I guess we'll see if I can remember to do the next three days :D

Until Then,
Erin

Bigwag Bright Bites Trial - Day 2

Hey Everyone!

Hannah ate her second Bright Bite today. I had Cary smell her breath before she ate it. He said it smelled like wet grass. It took her a little longer to eat it today, she walked around for a minute before she even began chewing on it, then she finally chewed on it and it took about three minutes for her to get through the whole thing. She still left a soggy spot where she chewed it, which is not something I'm thrilled about. Afterward Cary said her breath smelled like cinnamony wet grass... :p So far, I don't really see any difference in her teeth, she still has light tartar and a little bit of what I'm guessing is light gingivitis. But as Cary pointed out, it's only day 2.

See You With More Tomorrow,
Erin

P.S. For those of you who are wondering, the ingredients of the cinnamon Bright Bites are: potato flour, rice flour, glycerine, potato starch, natural flavor, gelatin, water, canola oil, lecithin, titanium dioxide, monoglycerides of edible fatty acids, flaxseed oil, citric acid, magnesium stearate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate (I'm told this is an ingredient in human tartar control toothpaste), red #40 lake, and natural cinnamon.

Bigwag Bright Bites Trial - Day One

Hannah waits to eat her Bright Bite

Hey Everyone!

Okay, so I started the Bright Bites Trial today. I decided to do the trial just with Hannah, because we only have six samples and I didn't think three days would be enough to really do a trial with. Also, Hannah is my big chewer, so I thought she'd be a good test subject. She's also older, so she has more plaque, which is what these treats are supposed to reduce. I thought in the interest of being scientific, I would document what Hannah's teeth and gums look like with pictures. It turns out that's harder to do than you'd think. If you've ever tried to look at a dog's teeth, you know they don't like it much (they don't like to have their teeth brushed, either, so I guess that's the point of these treats) So, mostly I got blurry pictures of my fingers and Hannah's nose. Even the ones that I did have turn out are kinda gross. It is a dog's mouth, after all... so I'll spare you those pics. But I did get a few pics of Hannah eating her Bright Bite.

My observations for today were this - it did take her longer to eat this one, but still only about 2 minutes. She chewed off the points of the star first, then ate the middle and she made a big slobbery mess as she did this. That's unusual for her, even when she chews bully sticks, she really doesn't slobber. I'm not sure if that's a product of the treat or what. I did smell her breath afterwards and it didn't smelly like cinnamon. It really just smelled plain, like bread dough before it cooks or maybe plain mashed potatoes without butter. Not bad, just not fresh like I would have thought. They do recommend that you give these after meals, but we free feed Hannah and Sam and so I just gave it to her in the middle of the afternoon. Maybe you'd notice a bigger difference if you gave it right after they ate fishy food... Anyway, those are my thoughts for today.

More Tomorrow,
Erin

Finally! I get to eat it.

Wow, a whole mouthful...

Four Paws Toy Recall Update

For those of you who haven't heard yet, Four Paws makes a dog toy that caused a dog, Chai, to loose his tongue. The ball had a manufacturing defect which caused a vacuum effect that pulled Chai’s tongue into the ball. Chai was hospitalized and his tongue had to be amputated. The whole story is here - the photos are very graphic.

Four Paws has since recalled the dog toy, and has begun restitution for Chai and his owners. If you own this toy, it might be wise to throw it away. This explains why dog toys with holes in them have "two holes on opposite ends". Makes sense now.

The Bigwag Bright Bites Dental Treats Trial

Hey Everyone!

Back in July I was contacted by a representative from Taste of the Wild who read our blog and saw that we had recommended Taste of the Wild because Sam and Hannah loved it and because it reduced Sam's gas. He offered to send us samples of Taste of the Wild to give away at our birthday. He also included samples of Bright Bites Dental Treats. Now, we don't sell these treats in our store currently, but we were still grateful for the giveaways. Well, shortly after that, Andre (the rep) asked if Sam and Hannah had gotten to sample any Bright Bites. Of course, they hadn't because we gave them all away. So, he sent us some more to try out.

Well, for those of you who know Sam and Hannah, you know that they are both large dogs (about 50lbs) and that Hannah can chew through anything (including Cary's electric razor and all of our remotes, but that's another story!) The samples that we received were for small dogs (up to 15lbs) They came in three flavors, Cinnamon, Spearmint and Peppermint. After using these samples for about a week, I discovered two things: 1) Sam and Hannah prefer cinnamon. For what reason, I don't know, but hey, those were the ones they always chose first. 2) If you give a 50lb dog a treat designed for a 15lb dog, they really just swallow it whole. Which, since they tell me that Bright Bites are 100% soluble and digest in 18 hours even if swallowed whole, isn't a big concern - but it doesn't do much for their breath. Maybe their stomachs smelled good, but I can't study that...

So, when Andre checked back in, I told him what I'd found out so far. And he sent me some new samples for large dogs, which I received today. Well, I decided that in order to provide an unbiased report on this product, it would be best to just give you a daily report (for the next 6 days) on how they respond and what we think. So, check back tomorrow for our first update on the Bigwag Bright Bite Trial.

Scientifically Speaking,
Erin :)

P.S. I did take some pictures of Hannah and Sam scarfing up the small Bright Bites, so I thought I'd post them here, for those of you haven't/can't visit them in the store, and therefor don't know what they look like.

Hannah with a few bits of a Bright Bite moments after being given the small size

Sam about to eat his Bright Bite (can't you just hear the vacuum sound?)

People Food May Shorten Dog's Life

Darlene Dunn of Channel 40/29 wrote an article on the effects of giving your pet human food and table scraps.

“I had an experience with a (Yorkshire terrier) that was given bacon every morning for breakfast,” she says. “Anything greasy, fatty or salty is not good. The dog would end up skipping meals, waiting on the bacon.” The pooch was eventually diagnosed with pancreatitis.

Read the original post here.

While our treats are made with human grade ingredients, we actually agree with this article. (shock, awe, and gasp) Most of what is out there is not that good for dogs. Especially if it's loaded with salt, fat, or sugar - and if you look at what most people's diets consist of, then you would agree thats it's hard to find foods that are not loaded up on those three ingredients.

On rare occasion we come across a dog that will turn it's nose at our treats, and after a little interrogation, we soon find out that the dog got McDonalds hamburgers every day for lunch. While our treats are very tasty, if not addictive to most dogs, there really isn't any comparison of a liver cookie to a McDonalds hamburger. I would turn my nose too! Our cookies would probably be healthier for me tho, even tho I usually choose McD's for myself.

New Razorback Song

I thought this was too funny not to pass on. A local artist Steve Lee has coined a new razorback theme song, and he's trying to get it played at games. Here's a video for you to enjoy.




There is also a nice interview on him at the Fayetteville Flyer

The Bigwag Blog Century Mark - secrets for other local businesses

This is our monumental 100th post. Not too bad for a fairly young blog. Why do I keep up with a blog for a small pet business? Is it because we're crazy? I refuse to answer that last question on grounds it may incriminate me.

It's fairly common knowledge that newspapers are on the decline. Readership has diminished over the years. More and more younger people are turning to blogs for their source of news and information. I'm 36, and blogs and the Google RSS reader are pretty much my entire source of news these days. The RSS feeder allows me to digest a lot of articles every week quickly, including my local news.

Why is this important? Surely there are more important things we could write about.

The concept for us started back with the Menu Foods pet food recall. Our customers were starving for information, and trust was at an all time low for packaged dog food. We didn't have a good way of getting updates out to our customers, so I began researching what could we do that we could post news updates and blurbs to. By the time we figured out we could write a blog, most of the recall news had subsided, but the blog still seemed like a good idea. Our blog has evolved over the months to be more of a community, where we let you into our world, talk about products we found that are remarkable, keep you up to date on important news we find, and maybe even give you a laugh or two.

As a small business, a blog is an invaluable marketing tool. I think it's important for every small business to find a niche that they can use a blog for. For us, binding the pet community together seemed like a natural extension of our newsletter, our customers, and the events we participate in. It's just one of the tools that help people transcend from "Know about us", to "Trust us", and finally to "Love Us". It allows us to feature other pet businesses in NW Arkansas, talk about the pet community, and give glimpses inside a real dog bakery - which is a fairly new concept for NWA. The products we feature or review are typically items that "actually work" or performed better than we would have guessed, or are super nutritional for your pet. We try not to just post advertisements for products that we have overstocked and want to sell through on. So far, they haven't really been about our every day treats either.

So, what benefit has our blog given our business? Well, our website traffic has increased 1200% since this time last year. Our internet orders had increased 400%. More people find us, and have a chance to really learn about the folks that you are trusting your pets health with. Few companies give that kind of transparency, let alone local businesses, and I think that feeds the "Trust Us" level that we work very hard to get to. I think it's important for our customers to hear stories like: we've been trying to figure out how to make doggie suckers and pops, because a customer asked us about some they saw somewhere else, but the only thing we can find to use for the stick are rawhide straws, and we refuse to carry rawhide, so we still don't have any doggie suckers or pops. We're keeping our eyes peeled for a natural, non-rawhide, popsicle stick idea, but still haven't come up with anything. If anyone has a good idea - please let me know!

Someone might ask, "Whats he got against rawhide?" The information is there, but what you might not know, is that it is largely a personal choice for me. I had to extract a piece of rawhide from my dogs throat to save his life several years ago. A little research turned up rawhide was dangerous to swallow, and I don't know of any dogs that don't try and swallow rawhide chew toys.

It's impossible to convey that kind of information in a newspaper advertisement, or at least we haven't come up with a good way to yet. There are still a lot of people that hear the term "Dog Bakery" and think birthday cakes, or trips for treats after the vet or groomer. What they don't know (yet) is that we feel a personal responsibility to elevate your pets lives, through nutrition, better health, aroma therapy products that actually work, toys that challenge and expand their minds, chews that are made in the USA and are 100% digestible. We help dogs that have food allergies, dogs that are diabetic, dogs that need tougher toys, and dogs that need homes.

More and more people research products and companies on the internet first. Having a great internet presence is not optional any more. I feel like our internet presence really speaks to who we are about, and once a customer loves you, half of the battle is done. The other half is delivering on your promises day after day.