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!

Product Review: HappyTails Spa's Calming Aromatherapy Spritzer

Hey Everybody!

It isn't every day that we use this blog to plug products and there's a good reason for that. After all, if you just wanted to read about the products we sell, you'd visit our website. But every once in a while we come across a product that is so amazing that it has to be mentioned. I came across one of those products Saturday.

Let me give you a little background - Saturday was the very first Paws-n-Spas, a dog wash to benefit the Humane Society here in Rogers. We offered $5 bathing, $5 nail clipping and $5 spa treatments. Somehow I ended up in charge of nail trimming. Now, I've trimmed a few nails in my lifetime, but I have never attempted to trim dogs' toenails out in the open at an event like this, surrounded by lots of other dogs, people and who knows what else. You can imagine, it's not the most relaxing environment to get toenails trimmed. Not to mention that most dog's aren't crazy about this practice in the first place.


Well, the first few went somewhat poorly, with the result being that I got snapped at more than once and nails ended up untrimmed. But in the midst of the chaos, I was asked to do a spa treatment and nail trim. Well, relishing another nail trim about as much as a trip to the dentist, I thought I'd put it off as long as possible, so I did the spa treatment first, rubbing the Happy Tails Calming Aromatherapy Spritzer into the dog's coat.


I have to say the result was instant. The dog relaxed and it was much easier to trim toenails. Now, I'm something of a skeptic when it comes to herbs. I like to cook with them, but use them for some medicinal value? Not my cup of tea...:p So I figured it was simply a case of this dog just being better adjusted. BUT... the pattern continued. If I tried to just trim nails, chaos. But if I sprayed the calming aromatherapy spritzer with lavender and chamomile, relaxed puppy, easier nail trim. You don't have to see this pattern very long before you're a believer. And I am. At the end of the day (we raised $730 for the Humane Society, so you figure out how many toenails I trimmed) someone said they were amazed that I'd been able trim all those toe nails. I chalk it up to the power of lavender and chamomile.

My rating: ***** (five stars)

Lots of Love,
Erin