Not Meant to be a Three Dog Bakery

Hey Everyone!

A little over a week ago I ask those of you with three dogs if you would recommend it. The overwhelming response was yes! So, last Thursday, Cary, Hannah, Sam and I went to the Humane Society. We let Hannah and Sam play at Murphy Dog Park with the hound puppy for a little while to try and get a feel for how they would do together. But, it was hot and the end of the day and there were lots if dogs at the park, so it was hard to get a good read. Clay was kind enough to allow us to bring the puppy, Huckleberry, home for the evening to get a better feel for the situation.

Huckleberry snoozes at the store.

Well, I am sorry to report that it didn't work out so well.  I was really most concerned about Hannah's reaction, because she tends to be a little anti-social. Turns out she was fine, but Sam was not! Sam was just grumpy and growly and generally not his happy-go-lucky self. (Cassie threw her vote in with Sam, by the way)

Sam while we had Huckleberry

I think maybe given time, Sam could have accepted Huck, but I don't think he would have ever loved him. So, unfortunately, we had to return Huck to the Humane Society, which was indescribably difficult, considering he only visited us for one day. Clay said they had already had a call about him, though, and he is a smart, sweet and gentle puppy, so I know he'll find a good home. Just not with us. Maybe in the future, we'll try again. I've learned a couple things from this experience, like Sam gets along with females better than males, and any dog that's going to be a part of our family needs to be fast to keep up with Hannah and Sam. And overall, I'll try to remember not to get too attached before Hannah and Sam get their say.

Sam's smile returned after we'd dropped Huck off.

Wags & Licks (that's dog for thank you!)

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who donated at Tuesday's Puppy Shower Yappie Hour. The skies were threatening ugly weather and you still came out to give. We collected so many cleaning supplies I can't even mention them all without sounding like a shopping list. Plus, we got dry and canned food, bags full of blankets and towels and even collars and Walmart gift cards.



I dropped all the items off at the Humane Society yesterday and Clay was very thankful. He told me they've been distributing dog food to people who just can't afford it right now, because that keeps people from surrendering their animals and making the Humane Society fuller. So, I can never truly say thank you enough to all of you for helping not only homeless animals but less fortunate people as well. I am honored to have such truly beautiful customers.

Are Pet Sales Doomed?

A city in British Columbia is contemplating the outright ban of all pet sales in order to help curb impulse buying and homeless pet populations. Los Angeles has already enacted the same regulations. Locally, we have seen practically each city in Northwest Arkansas ban street side pet sales within city limits without a license. These folks typically blow in to sell $250 - $400 dogs from who knows where, and you will likely never see them again. I believe this applies to "free puppies" as well, but wold love someone who knows to comment.

Because the economy has provided scores of homeless animals in recent years, shelters are overrun, donated food supplies are dwindling and foster homes are at capacity. Puppy mills seem to be the biggest culprit in all of this, yet despite the hugely negative attitude towards these inhumane organizations, there doesn't appear to be a short supply of puppies for sale. Companies like Petco have switched from for-sale puppies to rescue adoptions - which is great, but it seems at least around here there is still a viable market for people looking to purchase puppies. Petco only adopts cats regularly. "Puppy" and "Puppies" combine to make up half of all of the local Google pet related searches - including dog food, pet supplies, and yes, sadly, even dog bakeries.

I don't want this to come off as I am opposed to breeders. I think responsible breeding is great. It's the only player in this mix that will "take back your puppy if you don't take care of it" - it is often in the contract you sign. Not signing a contract is often a tell tale sign you are not dealing with a reputable breeder.

I think a lot of people just still don't know about puppy mills and that their dollars for these puppies perpetuates these places - and the only way to stop is to vote with your dollars. But, there still appears to be a market for puppies that isn't going away. Who can blame them? Puppies are cute - irresistible even. So why don't more people visit the Humane Society or the city shelter then? Why spend $400 on a puppy mill dog that will most certainly have mental or health problems when a shelter dog for $60 will be your best friend forever?

Most of the feedback I get about people's avoidance of shelters and humane societies is that they feel depressed when they go. It looks like jail, and with so many dogs "on the chopping block" they feel sorry for them, but can't help them all. Someone even called the local Humane Society here a "War Zone". Yes, there are plans to erect a new building - they are about half way there with the funds, but the shelter is 100% donation driven and these have been hard times for donations and existing resources are needed for the increased number of homeless pets.  Aggressive spaying and neutering would be the best cure for homeless animals - but there's no government funding and the non-profits who are currently driving these efforts are not much of a cure on their own.  It seems people are just not going to spay and neuter or stop shopping at puppy mill supplied businesses.

I think the answer is for city shelters and humane societies to meet the market demand. Fix up the locations so that they have some customer appeal. Don't make it look like a jail - make it look like a Petco or puppy shop. Make it cute, inviting. I saw an ad for a store that sold puppies that put puppies in baby beds and arranged the room like a nursery. How cute is that? These shelters need a facelift - and to help fund that they will need to charge more for the animals. How about $200? Thats about half price - still a good deal, but should allow them to pay for some curtains and some cute fixtures. If that's what people want, I say give it to them. At least more homeless animals will get a home and when the puppy mill puppies arrive because nobody bought them, they won't be going from the stockade to jail. Make the shelter a shopping destination. Make people leave feeling great - like they just left a puppy store - but didn't contribute to a puppy mill. Guilt free! I am sure there is a win-win in there somewhere for everyone.

Hannah's Birthday

Hey Everyone!

We celebrated Hannah's birthday on Tuesday, January 26th. While we don't know exactly how old Hannah is, owing to the fact that we adopted her from the Humane Society as an adult, we're saying it was her seventh! We are very grateful to the Humane Society for bringing Hannah into our lives and we wanted to give something back, so we donated 10% of all Yappie Hour purchases to them and our fantastic customers made sure the evening was a success.

We had a lot of fun and Hannah enjoyed having the store and the attention all to herself. (Sam stayed at home and probably slept on the couch.)

As a rule, we try to come up with something fun and new for each of a the dogs' birthdays. For Sam's birthday we came up with the dog food bowl cake, which meant we really had to top ourselves for Hannah. We tossed around a lot of cute cake ideas from cakes shaped like her favorite toys to new flavors.

But, in the end it wasn't the cake that was the innovation, but rather what was on top - Edible Dog Candles! I think Hannah may be the very first dog to ever have them! Of course, they don't actually burn, but they're cute just the same, and as far as Hannah was concerned, they're better because you can eat them!

I'm looking forward to carrying them in the store soon, in a variety of fun colors so that all Arkansas dogs can celebrate their birthdays in style!

Debt of Gratitude

 THANK YOU!

I have long said that we have the best customers and I will continue to say so, belated as it is, because you guys really went all out to help the Humane Society this Christmas.  At a time when we were surrounded by stories of economic hardship and a downturn in giving, you gave and gave and gave some more.  We collected medical supplies, collars, harnesses, lots of cleaning supplies, dog and cat treats, plus 280lbs of dog food and 72lbs of cat food.  In addition to that you donated $200 for spaying and neutering, which will go a long way to help reducing the population of homeless animals.  Plus, we collected gift cards to Lowe's and Wal-Mart that can be used for repairs to the shelter.  You guys are the greatest!  I can't say thank you enough and the staff at the Humane Society feels the same way.

These photos don't even really do justice to the amount of supplies that we in the store.  We had to store much of it behind the counter because otherwise there wouldn't have been room to walk around!

And congratulations to Angie McCormick, who won the raffle for those who donated.  Her dog Sam is a very lucky boy to be receiving this bed plus the treats, toys and more that was in the prize!

Behind The Scenes of Santa Paws

Jackie and Chad of Pets Rock Photography, and Santa getting the perfect shot placement

Behind the scenes of Santa Paws. Get your professional pet photos with Santa (and your kids). We have two spots open today still. Tomorrow is full, and we have spots open for next weekend. Call 479-631-2924 to reserve your sitting.

Santa Paws is Coming To Town!

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm tellin you why......

We still have spots to take pictures with SANTA PAWS available! This weekend is the first of three. You know your pet wants a picture with Santa Paws! They've been waiting all year! Avoid the pouty faces! The goody bags are awesome by the way! Santa dropped stocking by again this year. Double dose of pouty faces now! :(

It is possible to just drop by if you are not the reservation making type, but there could be a little bit of a wait while we squeeze you in.

It's time to register for Santa Paws!

Hey Everyone!

I know it's only October, but it's time to start thinking about pictures with Santa Paws. This is our annual fund raiser for the Humane Society for Animals and Murphy Dog Park. Photos are taken by Pets Rock Photography. The sitting fee is $5 per dog, with 100% of those fees going to the Humane Society and Dog Park. (There is a separate fee to purchase photos, Pets Rock offers several different packages at different price levels, they are really reasonable for the beautiful photos Jackie and Chad take. You can even get photo cards!)

This year photos will be taken Saturday, November 7th from 10am-6pm, Saturday, November 14th from 10am-6pm, Sunday, November 15th from 12pm-5pm and Saturday, November 21st from 10am-6pm. Spaces always fill quickly, so be sure to call us at (479) 631-2WAG to reserve your space now. There will be goody bags for the first fifty registrants as well, so if you needed more incentive, there it is.

We look forward to taking your registration and seeing your dogs when they come to sit on Santa's lap!

Photos from The Soul of the Dog

Hey Everyone!

Jen Cole was nice enough to send her pictures from Monday night's artist reception at the Soul of the Dog Photography Show. If you haven't had a chance to see the show yet, it will still be at the Rogers Library today and tomorrow during library hours. It's a beautiful show, Toni Carter did a fabulous job organizing it and all the artists did a tremendous job capturing the personalities of our four legged friends.

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

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

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!