Halloween Costume Contest

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick reminder that our Halloween Yappie Hour is tomorrow from 5-7pm. Bring your dog in costume for a chance to win the gift basket pictured above. It's valued over $50 and is filled with lots of Halloween treats and toys! Plus everyone gets the employee discount on Halloween costumes, tees, toys and treats tomorrow night from 5-7pm. So be sure to stop by and join the fun!

Costume contest categories are: Cutest, Best Hand-Made, Scariest and Best Overall (which wins the basket featured here)

P.S. If you can't make it by for Yappie Hour, you can still participate in our Halloween costume contest. Just email your dog in their costume to sales@bigwag.com or send them to us via Facebook or Twitter or bring your picture in before October 31st!

Wiener Take All

Hey Everyone!

As promised, here are some belated pictures from the 4th Annual Wiener Dog Races that took place on Saturday, October 2nd. The races are an annual fundraiser for the Bella Vista Animal Shelter.

All Ready to Begin!

Our Booth! We gave away samples of treats and our new Premium Edge Healthy Weight food, plus registered people for a $25 gift certificate.

There were lots of spectators! (Which means I didn't get any good pictures of the actual races, but what a good problem to have at a fundraiser!)

The King and the Queen of the Wienies!

Some of the cute racers and spectators!

"Pup"tials of the Century

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the delay in posting these pictures. Maddy Poo Poo and Baxter the Boston were married on Tuesday, September 28th. We were honored to provide the wedding cake, beer for the reception and even the tux for the groom! This was truly an event like no other and mother of the bride, Susan was kind enough to give us permission to post pictures here.

The Engagement Photo!

The Bride

The Groom

The Wedding Cake

The Reception Table

Chowin' Down!

In Loving Memory

Hey Everyone!

I apologize that we haven't blogged for the past two weeks. It's not for lack of good material, I have great pictures to share from the events that have happened this month. But there is a post that I feel has to come first and I've struggled with exactly what to say and being able to say it. But, I think it's time so here goes:




Two weeks ago, on Wednesday October 6th, I received a text message from my mother-in-law saying that Cary's stepdad was in the hospital in critical condition. Never in a million years would I have guessed how severe the situation really was. I guess that with all the news and television dramas, critical condition simply doesn't have the sting it should. Or maybe my brain was simply in denial. Maybe my mother-in-law didn't want to admit the severity of the situation when she said we could come by the hospital sometime later that evening instead of coming right away. Heaven knows that placed in the same situation I would be in denial too. But unfortunately, no matter how hard you try to deny the truth, it's still the truth. And the truth is this. By 3am Thursday, October 7th, Cary's stepfather, Lynn Couch, had left this world forever.

When someone is gone, you quickly realized all the things you loved about them and how important they were in the fabric of your daily life, even if you didn't realize it while they were alive. Lynn was a tough guy, a guy who wasn't raised in the current climate of political correctness, a guy who said and did exactly what he thought. I have to admit, sometimes I found his bluntness and politically incorrect jokes embarrassing. Now, I wish I had let those little idiosyncrasies go and appreciated the larger picture. Because under that tough guy facade was a very loving, funny, caring man.

With Lynn gone, I've quickly come to realize how much he did and how much he meant to this family. A family that wasn't biologically his, but one which he loved fiercely no less. Lynn took care of everything Cary's grandmother needed, whether it was fixing the car or running errands. He cared and provided for Cary's mom. And he was a cornerstone of our family. With his ever present toothpick, his knack for remembering embarrassing stories about Cary and Toby and his call it as you see it approach to the world, it's hard to believe that he's really gone. He was just one of those people you figured was much to tough to every really die. And he's one of those people who I wish I had one more moment to appreciate, one more moment to thank for all he did so quietly while never asking or expecting anything in return. He will truly be missed.

Our First TV Commercial!

Hey Everyone!

I got the proofs of our first commercial and I think it's precious.  There are two fifteen second spots here, they'll be airing on television in rotation.  I'm very excited about seeing them on TV, they should start airing this month on KNWA, so keep an eye out!  (They'll also be better quality on television, so please excuse that for now, we wanted you to get a chance to see them before everyone else!)  

Thank you so much to everyone who brought their dogs out for the shoot.  We couldn't have done it without you.  I hope you won't be too disappointed if your dog's wag didn't make the final cut, we had so many dogs that I'm sure that choosing tails for the final production was difficult.

Creeping and Crawling All Month Long

October is the month where all manner of creatures shall creep and crawl, searching for happless prey or wandering through the streets searching for victims. Oh, wait, that might just be my dogs looking for critters in the back yard.

Halloween is one of my favorite seasons of the year. When I was a kid (10-12) I got to stay out late, tromping through the neighborhood until all hours of the night, basically unsupervised. That was back in the day when we had the whole neighborhood as our playground, and nobody worried about kidnappers, or pins buried in your candy, and everyone really got into the "spirit" of the evening. People dressed up their houses, both inside and out. You might even go inside someones house to grab your booty, and the whole living room would be decorated to match the homeowners theme.

I don't have kids - just dogs, so we try and make "howl-o-ween" fun for the dogs as well as the neighbor kids. I try to keep the tradition going, and if you trick or treat in Lowell you might find my house as the neighbors call it, "the spookiest house on the block". I have even adorned our house with bloody foot and hand prints the whole way up our driveway. Hey, ketchup is biodegradable, right?

There are a ton of dog events this month, and so we start with our annual Howl-O-Ween costume contest again this year, only this year it will be all month long. Submit a photo of your dog in one of the following categories:

• Cutest Ensemble - This category is the best costume that works with your dog - breed, size, and owner participation all factor into this category.
• Best Hand-Made - one of a kind costumes have their own category - no store bought costumes, but you can assemble props and pieces.
• Scariest Costume - We're looking for scary and spooky. Blood is encouraged!
• Best Overall - Chosen by the Bigwag staff - this will be our overall favorite and can be any of the other categories.

You can submit photos by emailing them to sales@bigwag.com, Facebook, or Twitter, or bring them into the store the old fashioned way - on photo paper. You can also bring your dog into the store all dressed up and we will snap the photo for you.

Tuesday, October 26th - Halloween Yappie Hour. Get your spooky spirit all warmed up in advance! We have a gift basket valued at $50 for the best costume that we see tonight! So bring in your dog in their costume, whether it's spooky or sweet, for a chance to win! Plus, get the employee discount on all Halloween Treats, Toys & Costumes tonight!

Prizes for the four categories will be awarded on Saturday, the 30th, and we will inform the winners via email. The prize awarded at the Yappie Hour will be additional and you have to be present to win.

No Howl-O-Ween would be complete without tricks and treats, so be sure you check out our special Howl-o-ween treats this year.



(top to bottom, left to right) Tombstones, Jack-o-lanterns, Cinnamon Ghost Crunch, Candy Corn, BBQ Bat Wings, and Jolly Rogers.



And don't forget the Murphy Dog Park Howl-o-ween social:

Howl-O-Ween Social

When: Sat, October 16, 11am – 2pm

Description: Fundraiser for Murphy Dog Park/Humane Society for Animals Will include trick-or-treating and costume contest with categories including most creative, owner/dog look-a-like, and vendor's choice. Vendors will be participating in a booth decoration contest with the favorite winning a 4x3 sign at Murphy Dog Park. A Biggest Wag contest will also take place.

And finally, Dog Party USA's Halloween and anniversary party:

Dog Party USA 5th Anniversary & Halloween Party

When: Sat, October 23, 5:30pm – 8:00pm

Food, Beverages, Treats, Goody Bags, Games and more. Costumes encouraged for all. For more more information contact Dog Party at 479 306-4660 or visit their website at www.dogpartyusa.com

It's "scary" how much there is to do with your dog this Howl-o-ween.