New Hours starting June 1st

Hey everyone!

We will have new hours starting June 1st! We'll be open 9 AM - 7 PM Monday - Saturday

Basically we're just opening an hour earlier - this has been our biggest request, so we'll see how this goes.

I Love Lucy

Hey Everyone!

As many of you know, we're hosting an I love Lucy party tonight at the store. It's a drop in affair from 4pm-6pm, just come in for cake and punch for people and cake for dogs. I will definitely take pictures tonight and share them on the blog, but before that, I wanted to share Lucy's story here, so everyone would know exactly why we're celebrating Lucy.

Lucy's Story

from the NWA Pug Rescue website

It was a Saturday morning - I hadn't been out of bed too long - the first call came in - YOU'VE GOTTA HELP THIS PUG! After a few questions I found there was a hungry, dirty, blind, older female pug at the Roger's Animal Shelter. I found out it would be available the next week- after the waiting period - I made arrangements for someone to go look at her.

6 other calls came in that morning - one from one of the workers at the animal shelter - calling without authorization - she needs help - she is cold, scared and I don't think she will make it here much longer - you've gotta help.

I called the shelter and told them we would have someone there Monday to check on her wellbeing and they told us we could take her - no one will want her. So Amy went to get her - cried as she took her to Faithful Friends - she was shaking, cold, dirty, and confused.

Jolene Turner said she would watch her - she has had experience with older dogs who were blind - but the news wasn't good - Lucy has cancer. The prognosis was she would live just a short time - we could put her on some new meds if we wanted to try - YES, we wanted to try - Jolene and her husband fell in love with Lucy and decided to give her a loving home for the remainder of her life - She is celebrating a year since she came to Jolene and Rescue - Lucy loves to play CRAZY DOG with Jolene's husband and enjoys her new adopted sister Shi-Anne. She is pudgy - and doing quite well for a dog who was given weeks- maybe months- who has survived a year.

Don't feel sorry for Lucy - She is a celebration dog - not a sorrow dog - the title of the party is just how it is - - - "I Love Lucy!!!"

Welcome Oliver!

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to post a few pictures of the newest member of the Bigwag family. This is Oliver, he's Brandi's new dog. He was rescued from a family in Springdale that had him tied out constantly and fed him cat food. When asked about the dog, they said they "didn't want the stupid dog" and so Oliver became a member of Brandi's family. He has no idea just how spoiled he's about to be! Poor Oliver had an eye infection and needs dental work, but he's got a great disposition and he's really adorable. Hannah and Sam get along well with Oliver and he's great with kids too! These pictures don't really do justice to how cute he is, although they do justice to how WIGGLY he is! Stop by sometime when Brandi is working to meet Oliver in person.

Pictures from Puppy Shower for the Humane Society

Hey Everyone!

I have to say you guys are awesome! I always knew that we had the best customers, but now I have photographic evidence. Last night we held a Puppy Shower for the Humane Society from 5pm to 7pm. The goal was to fill the back of my pick-up with supplies with for the Humane Society and you guys didn't disappoint. We got all types of items for the Humane Society, everything from towels and blankets to toys and laundry soap. I took the items over to Clay Morgan at The Humane Society this morning and he sends this thanks to all of you. Thank you for being awesome, compassionate people who care not only for your pets, but for the pets without homes. It is a pleasure doing business with such classy people.

New Airline for Pets

There's a new airline for pets to travel as "pawsengers".

Pet Airways, is a pet-only airline dedicated to pet-friendly travel. With Pet Airways, your pet will be safe and comfortable flying in the main cabin --- not in cargo! Give your pet a first-class travel experience today!

I personally have seen more and more pets traveling at airports, usually in carriers "Paris Hilton style" or as lap dogs, usually smaller dogs. I haven't seen any big dogs in the airports yet, but in all of my business travels, I've seen 800% more dogs in airports this year than in the previous 10 years.

There is some inherent danger of packing up your pooch as cargo, not the least of which is that the cargo hold is not pressurized. I'm sure there have been lots of pets that have traveled as cargo seemingly just fine, but if your pet stresses easily, is up there in years, or has health problems, this might warrant extra consideration.

I think this is definitely an improvement over cargo hold transportation, but what I would like to see is an airline that lets both you and your pets travel together, side by side in a seat. I have big dogs, so I can't transport them in a small carrier or bag, and I DEFINITELY don't want them in my lap for several hours straight, but sitting next to me harnessed in a seat would be the most appealing.

Pet Food Recall - NUTRO Dry Cat Food

I know we primarily post "Dog Stuff" here, but we have a kitty too, and wanted to make sure everyone out there sees this who might be affected:

Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) — Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have more questions about the recall should call 1-8... between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST

You can read the entire press release here, as well as the listing of all foods affected.

Why is My Dog Digging?

This is Sam...

This is the hole that Sam built... (one of many)

Hey Everyone!

It was such a beautiful evening last night that I decided to sit on the patio and enjoy the weather. Unfortunately, I was greeted by a line of holes and a dirty-nosed Sam. Now, it wasn't like my backyard was going to win yard of the month any time soon, even before the holes, but it's still a pain to constantly have holes to fill in. Not to mention that the more Sam digs, the less grass there is in my yard and the more dirt there is in my house... So, I thought I'd do a little research into how to keep dogs from digging. And, I figured if I was going to research, I might as well share.

Okay, so I already knew some of this, and I'm guessing you probably do too, but some of it was new and thought provoking.

Comfort - some dogs dig to get cooler in warm weather, to get warmer in cool weather and also to comfort themselves when they are lonely. Dogs that dig for comfort often dig near the walls of your home, because this is going to be either the warmest or coolest spot. It is also where they can hear you, so a dog that is lonely will dig near the walls of your home to be closer to your sounds and smells. This usually occurs when a dog is completely an "outside" dog If a dog is digging for temperature comfort, it may help to provide some type of shelter, such as a dog house or crate. Of course, it is necessary to find a shelter that your dog is comfortable in. We have a dog house that Sam refuses to go in, so it wouldn't prevent him from digging if this were the source of his digging. If a dog is digging out of loneliness, recognizing a dog's need to belong to a pack is key. Spending time with your dog may help prevent the digging.

Boredom/Instinct - some dogs dig simply to entertain themselves, they may like the way the dirt smells or feels on their feet. This also applies to dogs that are genetically predisposed to digging, such as terriers. Digging will not necessarily occur in any specific pattern, it may occur along walls and fences but also in the middle of a yard. Provide your dog with an acceptable place to dig. You can do this by creating a dig pit, with soil that is loose and easier to dig in than the rest of your yard. You'll have to train your dog to dig in this specific space. You can do this by burying treats or favorite toys at progressively deeper depths in the pit. Boredom digging may also be relieved simply by providing your dog with interactive toys while you're away.

Food - some dogs are highly motivated by food, whether they are hungry or not, this motivates them to hunt for small animals This type of digging usually is signified by the "trailing" holes, dogs dig along the underground tunnels of vermin. They may also dig at the bases of trees or shrubbery where small animals would nest. I'm pretty sure that this is what motivates Sam. I know that he's food motivated, it's the only way he ever does anything. Plus he's caught two moles in our yard and he tracks squirrels and birds even when he's inside standing at windows. The best thing to do in this case is to remove the pests, therefore removing the temptation. In some cases, building a dig pit like described above will also work for these dogs, because you can substitute treats for small prey.

Escape - some dogs may dig to get out of the confines of yard Dogs that dig to escape usually dig along fence lines. There are many reasons that dogs try to escape. Among them is to get to a mate on the other side of a fence. Spaying or neutering your dog can help reduce digging for escape.

Attention - it turns out some dogs may dig to get attention This digging usually only occurs in your presence, and can occur anywhere in your yard, including in the middle. Ignore the behavior. Any attention, even negative attention will feed this digging. Once a dog realizes that he's not going to get attention from you when he digs, he'll give up. Also, praise other appropriate behaviors. If he brings you a ball or even just runs around, give him the attention he is craving.

Health - some dogs dig because they are not getting adequate nutrition Dogs will actually eat the dirt they dig up in an attempt to get needed potassium and phosphorus. Consider the food that your dog is eating. All foods should be balanced and contain all the nutrients necessary, but if those nutrients aren't readily available they may not be getting everything they need. You may want to check out a higher quality diet or a supplement.

A few other things to consider - on occasion dogs might dig to shorten their nails. If nothing else seems to help, check to see if your dog needs their nails trimmed back. You can also try placing your dog's poop into the hole and covering it with a layer of dirt. This often deters the dog from digging in that spot again, although it will not keep your dog from digging entirely. You can also try sprinkling cayenne pepper in the holes to discourage your dog from digging, however this will only last until the next rain.

Upcoming Yappie Hours - June 2009

Hello Everyone!

May isn't quite over, but I wanted to go ahead and publish our upcoming Yappie Hours for June. I think we'll have a lot of fun, I'm especially looking forward to our Ice Cream Social and the Patriotic Pup Parade ought to be exciting too! And for all of you cat lovers out there, check out the Kitty Pity Party on June 16th!

And, don't forget, this coming Tuesday, May 26th is our Puppy Shower for the Humane Society - you donate supplies for the Humane Society and we give you 50% OFF your entire treat purchase!

Congratulations to Jason Russell

The jar full of treats that Jason won

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that Jason Russell was the winner of last weekend's "How Many Treats" contest. We took entries at both the Dogwood Walk and New Hope Animal Clinic's Open House. Jason guessed 143 at the Dogwood Walk, which was exactly the amount in the jar! Congratulations to Jason and look for our contest at other upcoming events.

Humane Society of the Ozarks 17th Annual Dogwood Walk

After one postponement and one rescheduling, we finally had the 17th annual Dogwood Walk at Gulley Park in Fayetteville. I think it always cuts down the turnout when you postpone or reschedule, but despite that I think this was still a good event. Northwest Arkansas has some great pet events every year, and this one is not an exception. It was a little soupy, but what's a pet event without a few muddy paw prints on your pants?

I think I would give the "Best Booth" award to the "Love and Peace" booth from Weddington Animal Hospital this year. Their booth was so creative.

We should have the winner for our "Guess the cookie jar" contest ealy this week, so stay tuned to see if you are the winner!!!

Gotta Love Spring in Arkansas

Hey Guys!

Due to the predicted storms, they are going to reschedule the Bark Park Grand Opening again. When I hear the new date I will send out an update to our newsletter subscribers, along with any information I get about the Dogwood Walk. In the meantime, enjoy the sun while it's out!

Job Shadowing 2009

Crystal helps out with a batch of Cheese Dogs

Hey Everyone!

Over the last couple days, Crystal came to job shadow at Bigwag. Job shadowing is part of the 8th grade curriculum in local schools, allowing students a peak at the behind the scenes workings of jobs they think they might be interested in. Crystal helped with a multitude of jobs while she was here, from stocking to baking and dipping treats. It was great to have her here and get a fresh perspective on how great our job really is. We hope she enjoyed her time with us as well!

"How Many Treats" Contest Winner

Alma and her sister with the jar Alma's guess won

Alma won this jar and the treats inside!

Congratulations to Alma Soto! Alma was our winner from Saturday's Dog Days Downtown event. She was our closest guess, with 135. There were really 132 treats in the jar. Thanks to everyone who participated. We got lots of great guesses. If you didn't get a chance to play Saturday, we will have jars at both the Dogwood Walk at Gulley Park and at the Bark Park Grand Opening, both this Saturday, May 16th (see our calendar for more specifics) and at New Hope's Open House on Sunday, May 17th. But be forewarned, no two jars have the same number of treats, so guessing 132 is out!

Preventing Dog Bites - Part Two

Okay, so yesterday I shared a few tips on how dog owners could prevent dog bites. Of course, no matter how well you train your dog, or how responsible you are, there will always be other people who don't make wise choices. So, you have to prepare yourself and your children the best you can for dealing with an aggressive dog.

Here are the best tips I've come across. Know that unfortunately, these are NOT a guarantee that you won't be bitten, but they will help reduce your risk.

*Don't approach an unfamiliar dog, especially one that is behind a fence or tied out. If you would like to pet a dog, always ask the owner's permission first. This is especially important for children to learn. Children should also be taught that they should NOT retrieve toys from a yard where a dog is confined. It may seem important to get that ball out of the yard, but it's not worth the risk. Ring the bell and ask the owner to retrieve it for you.

*Don't bother a dog who is eating, sleeping, with puppies or otherwise occupied. The old adage let sleeping dogs lie actually applies here! This goes even for your own dog. Be especially aware that a mother dog with pups will have drastically different behavior than before she had pups. The motherly instinct to protect offspring outweighs practically everything else, and children are especially prone to want to cuddle puppies, making this a dangerous situation.

If a dog does attack:
*DON'T scream or run away.
*Remain motionless - hands to your sides, teach children to be a "tree"
*Avoid eye contact
*Back away slowly once the dog loses interest
*If a dog is attacking and you can, feed it something, a book, a purse, a bicycle, anything to put between you and the dog.
*If you are knocked over or fall, curl into a fetal position and cover your ears with your hands. Lie still, try not not roll around or scream.

After a bite:
*DON'T panic
*Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water
*Contact your doctor, if the bite is severe, go to the emergency room
*Report the bite to your local animal control - give them any information you can, if the owner was present, make sure you exchange information, if they were not present, give them a description of the dog, the location of the incident and any other relevant information that might help them locate the dog.

In NWA here are some numbers for animal control that might be useful:
Bentonville Animal Control- (479) 273-2455
Fayetteville Animal Services- (479) 444-3456
Rogers Animal Control- (479) 621-1197
Springdale Animal Control Officer- (479) 751-4542

Bentonville has combined animal control services with Rogers, so I'm not sure that the animal control number listed above is still valid. You may either need to contact Rogers Animal Control or Bentonville Police Department. The non-emegency police number for Bentonville is 271-3170.

Thanks to the Humane Society of the United States and the Center for Disease Control for all the useful information in the past two days articles.

Preventing Dog Bites - Part One

Hey Everyone!

This week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week and as this is a subject that has recently become closer to my heart (or at least my upper calf) I thought I would post some tips here. Now, I have to admit when I had considered this topic prior to being bitten, I always thought dog bite prevention was about how you responded to an aggressive dog. I thought that people who got bit reacted with fear toward dogs or tried to run away. But now I believe that the truth is the dog bite prevention is really about people who own dogs training and handling their dogs in a responsible manner, because without that, there really is very little that you can do if a dog decides to bite you.

A few facts to start you off with:
According to to the CDC,
*4.5 million people are bitten every year
*1 in 5 of those bites is serious enough to require medical attention.
*In 2006 more than 30,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery due to dog bites.

According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association,
*About a dozen Americans die each year as the result of dog bites.
*Although certain breeds are depicted as being more likely to bite, there is no scientific evidence supporting this


The CDC reports that children under the age of nine are the most likely victims and that people with dogs in their homes increase their chance of being bitten, with homes with multiple dogs further increasing their risk. They also report that adult males are bitten at a higher rate than adult females. (Tell that to the dog that decided I tasted sweeter than Cary...) I think it's easy to see from these risk factors that MOST people are bitten by dogs they know, especially by their own dogs. Not exactly how you picture it, but the way it actually happens. So, how exactly can you prevent your dog from biting you, your family members, guests or even a stranger walking in front of your house? Well, there are no fool-proof methods, but here are some things you can do to reduce your risks:

*Before you bring a dog into your home, research the breed. Sometimes little, cute cuddly dogs seem like a great match for children, but that's not always the case. Breeds such as Dalmations gained fame in children's movie, but are actually not generally well suited to children. Cocker Spaniels tend to be cute, small and fluffy, but can also be very protective of "their" possesions and as a result snap at a child who wants "their" chair. Now, this doesn't mean that every Dalmation or Cocker is going to have these traits, but as a general rule, you want to consider the breed's known qualities before bringing the animal into your home.

*Spay or Neuter your dog. This reduces your dog's desire to roam, making it less likely to be outside of your yard, getting into situations with strangers and other dogs. As a general rule, spayed and neutered dogs are less likely to be involved in biting incidents.

*Socialize your dog. Socialize your dog early and often. Exposing it to as many situations and types of people as possible makes your dog less frightful, and a secure dog is less likely to bite than a frightened one.

*Train your dog. Every member of your family should be involved in training your dog. Not only does this teach your dog manners, but it asserts you and your family members as alpha to your dog. A dog that respects you as higher pack members is less likely to bite you and your family members because it will not challenge you for possesions and positions.

*DON'T teach aggressive play. Even as a puppy, biting of any kind should NOT be considered cute. Don't encourage your dog to fight with other dogs, don't "sic" your dogs on other people or animals in play. All of these encourage aggresive behavior, and for a dog, it's hard to tell the diffirence between play and real. Your dog should never be taught that aggression is an acceptable behavior.

*Keep your dog's vaccinations/liscenses up to date. In other words, be a responsible pet owner. Having your dogs vaccinations and liscenses up to date may not prevent your dog from biting, but it will help establish the health of your animal should it be involved in a biting incident. One of the few consolances I had when I was being bitten was that the dog clearly had a current rabies tag dangling from it's colalr. Small peace of mind, but one still.

*Use common sense. Don't isolate your dog, you got your dog to be a memeber of the family, so don't leave alone outside all the time. Dogs are pack animals and need attention, if you abondon him to your back yard, he's going to get out and wander until he finds acceptance and he may get in trouble along the way. Don't take your dog into a situation where you're unsure of how he'll react. For example, Hannah is fearful of loud noises, so I would never take her to the park on the 4th of July. Dogs bite our of fear. Instead, I leave her at home in her crate where she feels safe and secure while I enjoy the fireworks. If your dogs is overprotective of you when strnagers come to the door, put your dog in another room when the pizza delivery guy comes.
Short and long of this, KNOW YOUR DOG. You are the only one who knows how your dog will react to a situation and if you are ever in doubt, ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION.

So, these are some of the ways you can help prevent dog bites as a pet owner. Tomorrow I'll address how you can prevent dog bites if a dog threatens you.

Google Rankings

I just had to post this. We've been working on our Google rankings for over three years now, doing everything that we can do: optimizing our SEO, building external links, adding content to our blog, building our community online, facebook, myspace, twitter. I'm not sure when the change happened, but look below...

If you look closely, you will notice that we've hit the #1 spot when you search for a dog bakery. This is very exciting for me, since I'm the dork that has been working on the website this whole time. The great part of this is that we did this with $0 cost. No adwords, nothing.

It reminds me of that commercial with the little boy building the pinewood derby car for his cub scout troop, and he did the best he could without cheating. Sometimes integrity is rewarded.

Now, if I could just figure out Yahoo's search engine algorithm...

Day of the Dog

We had a fantastic turnout at Dog Days Down Town yesterday. Probably the best turnout I've seen in the three years it's been going on, despite threatening weather. We gave out tons of samples, and had quite a few guesses as to "How many treats were in the treat jar". We'll announce the winner next week.

I had to laugh this morning when I saw the Record's article in this mornings paper. Of course, we didn't get any media play (we rarely do), but the funny thing I thought was that Purina did, as

"Purina handed out healthy dog food".

They were giving out samples of Beneful dog food.

I gave a presentation yesterday at this same event on how to read dog food labels, and what nobody but Sharon and my wife knew at the time was that my whole presentation was based on using Beneful as an example of what to look for to avoid, as I think Beneful is one of the worst foods out there on the market. I did not realize Purina would be there giving out samples of this food until we noticed mid morning that people were walking around with their sample bags of Beneful.

So, I changed my presentation at the last minute to "play nice". Those are real people at that booth just doing there job, and I didn't want to pick on the people - just the corporation and the horrible offering that they bill has "Healthy dog food".

If you actually heard my presentation, then you know that you really only count the ingredients before the fat, and for Beneful, this is the ingredient statement:

INGREDIENTS
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, copper sulfate, biotin, garlic oil, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

Ingredient statements, by law, must list the ingredients in descending order, so what there is the most of will be first. This is all filler and mystery chicken meat. If you read a little further, you also see soy (and my research on what soy does to dog food). Look how far down the list "carrots and peas" are. There are photos of these on the front of the label, but that far down is like a tablespoon's worth in the whole bag. What is "Animal Digest"? I'll have to ask Erin - she's the Animal Science/Nutrition major at our house.

Folks, this is anything but healthy dog food, but they've got the media behind them and their multi-million dollar marketing campaign to make the public think this is healthy food. Picutres of vegetables are anything but a representation of whats in the bag.

I actually witnessed someone going to the event yesterday, skipped every booth that was there, and went straight to the Purina table to get their "free bag of Beneful", then mentioned to his girlfriend/wife that "this is the only reason he came". If you look at the serving size required for Beneful, it's no wonder the sample bag "looks like you are getting a real bargain" for free. In five days, you are giving your dogs a "whole extra serving" because they can't digest all of those fillers. Beneful's serving sizes are HUGE!

I bought a bag of Beneful to use as a visual aid in my presentation, which I ultimately did not use. I'll have to just throw it away now - my dogs won't touch the stuff. I guess they got some money even out of me anyway. Maybe it would work as fertilizer for my flower bed?

Some days I feel like we make such good progress in our mission to educate the public of whats really going on - to actually read ingredient statements - to understand and care what those ingredient statements actually say. Yesterday was not one of those days.

I guess the Purina guys can laugh. They got what they needed out of yesterday, and the little, local dog bakery didn't get anything across about ingredients, even though I chose that to be nice. Maybe I shouldn't be so nice from now on. How do you combat brainwashing?

I wonder what would have happened if I had gotten everyone at the event yesterday to turn over their sample bags and read the ingredient statements along with me, as I explained what those ingredients actually are. If I'd known that they would be getting in the paper as "handed out healthy dog food", I might not have been so nice.

Dog Days Downtown

Hey Everyone!

Here's a press release from Main Street Rogers about this weekend's Dog Days Downtown. This is at least the third year for this event, which brings out vendors and speakers at Frisco Park in downtown Rogers. We'll have a booth there with a "Guess How Many Treats" game, so stop by and say hello!

Dogs Day Downtown

ROGERS—Bring your dog to Frisco Park, May 9th, 9am-1pm, for Dogs Day Downtown. Main Street Rogers invites you and the furry one in your family to the Historic District for a Saturday morning special event.

Local businesses will have a variety of booths and activity stations set up throughout the Park for your pet’s sheer pooch pleasure. Find fun games and discover new resources for raising your family canine. Activity stations may include such things as a Cake-Walk, Hop-a-Hoop, Dunkin’ for Bones, and more! Even if you don’t have a dog to bring, children and dog-lovers of all ages will enjoy the demonstrations and helpful speaker sessions on Frisco Stage. If your family is looking for a new addition, Rogers Animal Services, the Humane Society and NWA Animal Rescue will also have pets available for adoption. Also, rabies and/or yearly shots and microchipping will be offered for your convenience.

Frisco Stage speaker schedule (subject to change):

10:00am - Don't miss these 3 healthy grooming tips by Groom Room

10:30am - Dog Scouts - A fun activity for you and your dog. Demo of dogs painting by Dog Scouts of America Troop 150

11:00am - Read Dogs Raise Kids Reading Scores. Could Your Dog Help? By Helping Paws Therapy group

11:30am - How to tell what is in your dog's food and if it is healthy by Bigwag Dog Bakery

12:00noon – Benefits of Good Dog Food by Nature’s Select of NWA

12:30pm - Why should I spay/ neuter my dog?

Please remember every dog must remain on a leash inside city limits, and bring a bag to scoop up afterwards. For more information call Main Street Rogers at 936-5487.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

It may be icky outside, but we're ready to party here at Bigwag! The chips, queso and margarita treats are available for hungry party dogs to sample. And the margarita treats are half off tonight (that's just 25¢ a piece or $6.00 a pound)

Graduation Treats

Hey All!

About a month ago, Denise Holmes suggested that we do graduation treats, and today she's coming by to pick up a batch for her class that's graduating tomorrow. I think it's a great idea, one that anyone who's a trainer or anyone who has a dog that graduates anything from Puppy class to Therapy Dog Certification would enjoy. We're selling them in packs of three treats, one cap, one gown and one diploma. They're available online or you can call us and make an order!

Rover Makeover Closed?

We drove by the strip mall at 320 N Bloomington St in Lowell, AR yesterday, and it would seem Rover Makeover has closed. Does anyone know if they just moved?

While I have never met the shop owner, I'm sad to see a pet business close from what would appear to be blow back from the economy. As we lose pet businesses from attrition, I hope that this wonderful pet community we have in NWA is and still will be going strong.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Sam longs to be outside chasing birds