Benton County Rabies Clinic Dates

Hey Everyone!

Benton County has recently published the dates for their upcoming reduced rate rabies clinics. The cost of the shots will be determined by income, so I can't give you a set price, but know that this is a great way to keep your dog up to date on his vaccines and legal while saving some precious cash. The dates will also be published on our calendar of events which will continue to be updated, so check there for the most current information we've been given.

All listings are by date, location, time and are followed by the name of the veterinarian providing the services.

March 28 Centerton City Park 10am-12pm, provided by Dr. Charles Hatfield

March 28 Avoca City Park 12:30p-2:30p, provided by New Hope Animal Hospital

March 28 Garfield Elementary 2:45p-3:45p, provided by New Hope Animal Hospital

March 28 2998 Hwy 412 (across from Wal-Mart in Siloam) 10a-4p, provided by Gentry Vet Clinic

March 28 Farmer’s Exchange (409 SW A Bentonville) 9-11a, provided by Sugar Creek Animal Hospital

March 30 Hiwasse Fire Station 4-5:30p, provided by Country View Animal Care

March 31 Country View Animal Care 8-10a, provided by Country View Animal Care

March 31 Bella Vista Animal Shelter 1-3p, provided by Sugar Creek Animal Hospital

April 1 Decatur Fire Station 4-5:30p, provided by Country View Animal Care

April 2 Sulphur Springs Park 4-5:30p, provided by Country View Animal Care

April 2 Tractor Supply (Bentonville) 1-3p, provided by Sugar Creek Animal Hospital

April 3 Mayville Community Center 4:30-5:30p, provided by Country View Animal Care

April 4 Country View Animal Care 8-10a, provided by Country View Animal Care

April 4 Little Flock Police Station 2-3p, provided by Pea Ridge Vet Clinic

April 4 Cave Springs Fire Dept. 10a-12a, provided by Dr. Charles Hatfield

April 4 All Dogs Clinic 8a-2p, provided by All Dogs Clinic

April 4 Gateway City Park 2-2:30p, provided by Oak View Animal Clinic

April 4 Gentry Vet Clinic 7a-5p, provided by Gentry Vet Clinic

TBA Rocky Branch Fire Dept TBA, provided by Prairie Creek Animal Hospital

The Soul of the Dog

Hey Everyone!

Toni Carter has organized an amazing art show of some local photographers. It will be March 23-29, and she recently got her invitations back from the printer (Copy King in Rogers, who supports the Murphy Dog Park). I wanted to post one here. They turned out beautifully and I hope we'll see you there to support homeless animals.

The Winner of our Mardi Gras Basket

Lucky eats his piece of the King Cake with the "baby" in it

One of the king cakes from our Mardi Gras celebration

Just wanted to take a minute to congratulate Lucky, a minpin owned by Angela and Clinton Sledge. Lucky found the baby in our Mardi Gras king cake and won the gift basket. Unfortunately, I somehow lost most of the pictures I took Tuesday night (the wonders of technology!) But we do have a picture of Lucky and most of a king cake. We had a terriffic turnout Tuesday, thanks to all who came, ate cake and had fun. We really enjoy seeing everyone at Yappie Hour.

For those of you who didn't get a chance to make it out this week, next Tuesday is the start of our Next Top Product contest. We challenged our employees to find the newest, hottest product in the dog world and bring it to Northwest Arkansas. They've each choosen a product and their choices will be revealed next Tuesday from 5-7pm. Come out, see the hottest products and help decide who wins the competition. The winner is decided by your purchase! The winning employee gets $100, so expect to see great things.

Bentonville Bark Park Update

Hey Guys!

As promised, I'm passing along the latest on the Bentonville Bark Park. This article is from today's Benton County Daily Record. If you'd like to read the article at its original source, click here.

Dog Park Takes Root

By Jeff Mores Staff Writer - jeffm@nwanews.com

BENTONVILLE - The planned May 2 grand opening of the Bentonville Bark Park - being constructed between the North Bentonville Trail and North Walton Boulevard - is a go, but only because the city came up with some sod to replace the grass seed that had been planted previously. The excitement surrounding the opening of the area's first off-leash dog park has been apparent since hundreds attended a fundraising event for the park last year. But while the park gates remain locked, anxious visitors hop the fence to give their pooches a sneak peek at the facilities. As a result of their actions, however, the seed that had been spread is not producing grass.

This week, the city came up with a remedy to at least a portion of the problem; workers took the sod being removed from the infields of the baseball diamonds at Memorial Park and installed it in a portion of the Bentonville Bark Park. "We're regrading the fields at Memorial Park and probably would have ended up throwing away the grass we removed there, so we decided it could be put to use at the dog park," said David Wright, city parks and recreation manager. "We sodded what we could at this time, and I think it's really going to help get things in shape for the May 2 grand opening."

Wright asks residents to stay away from the dog park until May 2 because the sod must begin to take root.

Wright said plans are to install a dog agility course prior to the opening as well.

For more information on the Bentonville Bark Park, go to www.bentonvillear.com and click on the "Bark Park" tab on the right side of the page.

To me, this sounds like a desperate plea from the city to keep off the grass. I know it's hard, especially on days when the weather is beautiful, but for the sake of everyone, I think we should try! If you really must take your dog out to run, try Murphy Dog Park in Rogers until the grass has grown in! Murphy Dog Park is located at 407 E Nursery Road. It's next door to the Humane Society for Animals in Rogers, just east of the intersection of 1st Street and Nursery Road.

I also think the City of Bentonville should get kudos for finding a way to solve a problem by using resources they already had! If more governments thought this way, we'd probably have less waste and more money.

Mardi Gras Yappie Hour Prize Basket

Hey Everyone!

I just finished putting together the basket that will be the prize for the dog who finds the baby in the king cake at Tuesday's Yappie Hour and I wanted to share photos and contents. I tried to put the newest additions to our store in the basket, so you can sample some of our hottest products.

The basket contains the following:
1 re-usable green bag, which will save you $1.00 off each purchase at our store
1 lb of our new Fish Sticks salmon treats
1 box of Earthbath Grooming wipes - which are all natural and vet approved!
1 Fetch Ball from Planet Dog, which rates a 5 out of 5 on the chomp meter, making it great for tough dogs
1 regular size Terra Bone, the all natural alternative to greenies dental treats
1 Lucky Buck Antler, the naturally shed deer antler chew (these last longer than bully sticks!)
1 container of Spot Organics ear wipes
1 bottle of Crypton deodorizer and disinfectant
1 bottle of Crypton All Natural Enzyme Action Dog stain and odor Remover (I love this product, it took a stain out of my carpet that Sam left there some time ago)

The value of this basket is $85.00! So, bring your dog by Tuesday for some free cake and a chance to win the prize!

St. Patty's Day Treats

I've already had several people asking about St. Patrick's Day Treats, so you'll be happy to know they are now available. We got a little extra creative this year, so in addition to our traditional Shamrocks we also have Bark-B-Q Horseshoes (for luck), Leprechaun Hats, Rainbows and Pots O' Gold. I'm really excited about these new treats, I think they turned out cute, so please, stop by and see them, or check them out online!

Yappie Hour was a hit!

Hey Everybody!

Our first Yappie Hour was Tuesday, and it was a great success! Thanks to everyone who came out and sampled out new treat, Fish Sticks, made with real Alaskan Salmon. Those who stopped in got a great deal on the Fish Sticks, so I know there are lots of happy dogs in NWA with salmon treats in their bellies. Fish Sticks are now available online and in our store at their regular price.

If you missed Yappie Hour this week, don't worry, we're continuing Yappie Hour every Tuesday from 5pm-7pm. This Tuesday, February 24th, we're going to celebrate Fat Tuesday. We'll have beads for everyone and King Cake for the dogs, complete with a baby for the dogs to find. And the dog that finds the baby wins a prize, so be sure to bring your dog in. And don't worry if you can't stay long, everyone is welcome at Yappie Hour.

Frontline Is Here!

Hey Everyone!

In this month's newsletter I mentioned that we would soon be carrying a line of products intended to keep your dog healthier, therefore preventing you from having to make costly vet trips. I am excited to say we now have Frontline Plus in our store. We are currently carrying just the 3 month supply, but if demand is great enough, we'll carry the 6 month supply in the future. We've wanted to have Frontline in our store for a long time, but as many of you know, it's an expensive product, so it took us a while to get it. We're also hopeful that you'll find our Frontline reasonably priced - we know preventatives don't work if you can't afford them. So, checkout Frontline under Flea and Tick Solutions on our website. And for those of you who don't like to use chemicals on your pets, don't worry, we still carry Happy Tails Flea the Scene and Spot Organics Bug Off Shampoo and Bug Off Spray.

We also got the other new products that we were anticipating. So we now have all natural Grooming Wipes and all natural Ear Wipes. Plus a pet friendly, all natural cleaner for your carpet. I tried this out last night, and it took a spot out my carpet that had defied every other cleaner that I'd tried in the past month and a half, so I have to say I'm pleased :D

I hope you find these new additions as helpful as I do! And as always, if you have any questions about anything we carry, let us know and we'll do the best we can to help you out!

Arkansas Animal Cruelty Bill Is Signed Into Law

A bill making aggravated cruelty to cats, dogs and horses a felony on the first offense has been signed into law.

Gov. Mike Beebe on Wednesday signed the bill that makes aggravated animal cruelty on first offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and up to six years in prison. The bill also includes a five-year sentencing enhancement for anyone convicted of torturing an animal in the presence of a child.

Animal-welfare groups had sparred with farmers and hunters over past attempts to stiffen the state's animal cruelty laws, but supported this bill after negotiating a compromise. Read the article here.

We for one applaud this - as in "it's about time"! Hopefully this will present a deterrent for those creeps that like to use kittens for target practice. (we're watching you!)

Valentine's Yowza!

I have a question for a loyal readers. I had some extra time to browse some of our competition this morning (which almost never happens), and I came across some other valentine's treats (as I would expect), but holy cow - they are selling these conversation hearts for $4.95 a piece! We sell ours for $0.75 a piece. We've always tried to create a balance with cute, healthy, and value - probably with the most emphasis on healthy and value. We have always thought quality treats should be available to everyone - mutts and pure breeds alike.

Is this a normal price? Are we charging way too little for our treats? Would you guys pay $4.95 for a conversation heart dog treat? We could dip them in carob with pink lettering just as easy for the same cost - would you rather see some of those? Or do you think what we sell is just right? Please weigh in!

Fayetteville Animal Shelter Offers Free Boarding

The Fayetteville Animal Shelter is offering free boarding to residents without power. According to the Northwest Arkansas Times:

The Fayetteville Animal Shelter is offering free boarding to pet owners without power.

"A lot of folks are trying to tough it out at home, while some people are bringing their pets with them to work," Jill Hatfield, Fayetteville Animal Shelter superintendent, said. "We just want people to know that we are the site for sheltering if people need a temporary place for their animals during the power outage."

Hatfield said the shelter won't charge impound or boarding fees, but all animals must be vaccinated and have a city license.

The shelter lost power at about 2 p.m. Tuesday. Electricity was restored Thursday.

All animals in the shelter made it through the power outage safely.

"It was really tough," Hatfield said. "We gave lots of blankets to everyone and made sure they had fresh food and water. We don't have a generator here, but it's definitely something we'll be looking into soon. We may see if we're eligible for some type of [Federal Emergency Management Agency] assistance."

Although Jill is offering this service for free, she states that most animals adapt to the cold quite easily, as long as they have shelter, food and water. Animals at the shlter were all fine as they were without power from Tuesday through Thursday. The best place for the pets is with their owners.

This would be a great alternative people who still do not have any power, and have several BIG dogs, and taking them to a hotel is not really an option.

This is one of those rare instances where I wished I owned a boarding facility so that we could follow suite. Getting to help out our community is a big driving force for what we do with the resacues and shelters, and from a marketing stand point, this would have been a GREAT opportunity for a local shelter here in Benton County, or even a boarding facility to step up and help out.

Kudos for Jill - This was a win-win all the way around.