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.

Cinco de Mayo Contest

Shaggy's Salsa in mild and hot!

Hey Everyone!

We're proud to announce your chance to win Shaggy's salsa via our blog!  We had a great time at Yappie Hour yesterday with free samples of Shaggy's salsa, margarita punch, and margarita treats for the dogs.  We gave away several jars of Shaggy's salsa, but we still have some left!  So, we're going to give five pints away here in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  All you have to do is leave a comment on our blog before 4:00pm next Wednesday, May 12th.  The winners will be chosen through random drawing.

Elka is shy about eating her treat for the camera

A few rules and notes: Comments can be on any blog post, not just this one.  Your comments will have to be approved, so you won't see them immediately, but they should be approved by about 11:00pm each evening, if you'd like to check back to make sure they posted.  If you'd like to make more than one comment to increase your chances of winning, go ahead, but please limit yourself to one comment per post.  We will announce the five winners here next Thursday, May 13th by 4pm. Good luck and Happy Commenting!

Sophie enjoys her margarita with gusto!

Cinco de Shaggy?

We are super excited about our Cinco de Mayo Yappie Hour this year - because we will be featuring some great treats for dogs, like our Margarita treats and our Dogritos, but we will be having some human fare as well. This year we will be featuring some margarita punch with chips and salsa, but not just any salsa - Shaggy's Salsa.

Pets still don't get any salsa I'm afraid...

For those who have not heard about Shaggy's Salsa yet - Shaggy and Paige are local Northwest Arkansasites who have stumbled across what will sure to be the mother of all Salsa recipes, and they have been growing their business from the ground up. Not only will we be dishing out some for everyone to try, but we'll also be giving away jars for free to the first few Yappie Hour goers. (BTW - they won the 2009 NWACC Cinco de Mayo Salsa Competition PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD).

 "Shaggy came up with this amazing recipe and has been wowing salsa lovers for several years now. We finally decided to market the stuff - and it is good. Period. It's different - flavorful and smooth - which makes it almost too easy to eat an entire jar all by yourself - we highly recommend!"

Shaggy's Salsa can also be purchased at these locations:

• Every Saturday at the Bentonville Farmers Market
• Fayetteville: Ozark Natural Foods (aka "the Co-op")
• Rogers: White Oak Station (by the mall)
• Bentonville: Library Cafe (Bentonville Public Library)
• Eureka Springs: Silly Chile on Spring Street
• Springfield, MO at MaMa Jean's Natural Market
• El Dorado, AR at The Olde Towne Store
• Little Rock, AR: Whole Foods Market

We love being able to keep it local - and we are excited to get to try some of this Salsa after following them on facebook for sometime. Hopefully they bring us some of their new "HOT" flavor as well. Don't forget - the Cinco de May Yappie Hour is Tuesday, May 4th from 5 PM to 7 PM. Come out and try some of this salsa, take some home, become a fan on their facebook page, and support your neighbors! I almost can't wait. (I should have had them drop it off at the store early for some "pre-testing").

p.s. - while you are loading up facebook, fan our page as well!

A Little Catching Up...

Hey Everyone!

As most of you know by now, I was out of the store on Thursday and Friday because Cary had surgery.  And while a couple of days doesn't ever seem like much, it's time to miss plenty!  So I thought I'd dedicate this blog to sharing the things that have happened over the last several days.  You may know them, you may not, but I thought I'd share anyway. :D

DOG DAYS DOWNTOWN CANCELED
This is probably the most intriguing news I have to pass on.  Dog Days Downtown was scheduled for 9am-1pm on April 24th at Frisco Station Park in Downtown Rogers.  Sharon Gruetzmacher of Pet Emporium was chairing this event and she came by Friday (after stopping by Main Street Rogers Offices to find no familiar faces on hand) to let us know that the event will be canceled and not rescheduled.  Apparently Main Street Rogers is undergoing a bit of a shake up, to say the least.  They have let their paid staff go and many events that were previously organized by those staff members have now been canceled.  This should not affect the 3rd Friday Twilight Walks, so many of the events that were planned for Dog Days will now likely occur during August's Dog days of Summer Twilight Walk.  Look for details on that in the future.

BUNNY HOP SUCCESS
I've already posted pictures of the Bunny Hop, but now I have some financial news to go with it.  Toni Carter reports that the event raised over $650 for the Humane Society and Murphy Dog Park.  Thanks go to Dave Routon at NWARestaurants.com for donating the proceeds of his sales as well as to Dixie Land  Products for donating the proceeds of their sales! For those of you who aren't familiar with Dixie Land Products, it's the brain child of Ellen Leonard and her daughter and they make all natural lip balms and other skin products using wax from their local bee farm.  I personally love their mint lip balm and their lotion stick is awesome on dry skin.  The perk? They donate all their profits to the Humane Society for Animals of Benton County!  So every purchase helps a needy animal!  You can contact them at Dixielandproducts(at)yahoo(dot)com if you're interested in ordering.

YAPPIE HOUR & THE BIGWAG NEWSLETTER
As many of you know, ever since out website got hacked a couple months back, we've been dealing with newsletter issues.  The issue being that only about a third of you are getting the newsletter at any given time.  We have finally sorted out the problem and found a way to resolve it (as of 11:30pm last night)  I am hopeful that I will get a newsletter out sometime this week, once I learn to navigate the new system.  I am so grateful to all of you for your continued patience.  In the meantime, I wanted to post our Yappie Hour specials for the rest of the month here.

Today, Tuesday April 13th - Tax Relief Yappie Hour.  You don't pay sales tax tonight as we help you get some relief from the looming tax deadline!  (Sorry, we can't help you file anything or make the lines shorter at the post office, but we figure saving money is the next best thing!)

Tuesday, April 20th - Earth Day.  Great deals on green products.  Save the Earth and some money the the same time!

Tuesday, April 27th - 70s Night.  Wear your crazy 70s clothes and come in for a night of peace, love and treats!  The dog with the most creative 70s costume will win a gift basket, so start cooking up those costumes now!

OTHER NOTES
Bill Gross stopped in today and told me that Susan Bradshaw (Dugan and Julian's mom) is in the hospital.  So please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Easter Eggstravaganza Yappie Hour

 The eggs ready to go!
Hey Everyone!

Yesterday was our second Easter Eggstravaganza. We had a great turnout - thank you all for coming! We gave away several gift certificates and even more free treat coupons. It's been a while since I worked at Yappie Hour and I had a great time catching up with everyone. Unfortunately, I had such a great time that I forgot to take pictures.


 I did get this cute one of Sebastian, in the shirt his grandma got him as an Easter present.

I would like to remind everyone that next Tuesday, April 6th at Yappie Hour we'll be stuffing eggs for the Murphy Dog Park Bunny Hop. If you help out you get 20% OFF your entire purchase. Also, you can register for the Bunny Hop in the store. It's just $5 per dog, the money goes to a great cause and it will be wonderful time!   (Don't believe me? Check out the pictures from last year)  Plus, who wants to miss the chance to win bragging rights at the Biggest Wag Contest?  I didn't think so...



 We still have plenty of Easter treats for you to make up baskets with!

March Madness Yappie Hour 2010

Hey Everyone!

Tuesday we held our second annual March Madness Yappie Hour. Each dog who came in chose a basketball cookie with a team's name on it, and if they end up with the winner, they'll get a prize at the end of the tournament. We had a great turnout, with lots of new faces. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take pictures of everyone who made it in, but here are a few faces from Tuesday for you to enjoy.

Daisy sits patiently for a picture after choosing her team

 Roscoe was too cute and wiggly to get a clear picture of, but I would have taken him home if I'd had half a chance!

Beautiful Sara smilin' for the camera

Drake eats his basketball cookie after choosing his team.

Mardi Gras Yappie Hour Photos

Hey Everyone!

We had a fantastic time at our Mardi Gras Yappie Hour and just wanted to share the pictures.  Congratulations to Toni and Steve Carter and their dogs Nic, Rose and Josie, who found the baby in the king cake and won the gift basket!

T

The king cake!  Somewhere in there is the "baby"!

Nic greets Miss Mollie, decked out in full Mardi Gras regalia

Nic says hi to Libby too!

Lola eats her cake while Lucky waits patiently for any crumbs she misses

Sundance and Abby wait for their cake too

Early Valentine's

I don't know about everyone else, but I am over winter.  I am ready for it to be warm and springy and green again.  I am glad to see the sun today, but the combination of icy roads and wintery wind is less appealing.  We are open today, so if you are out and about, stop by and see us.  Walnut is remarkably clear and I was amazed at how clear our parking lot was as well.  Since it's Tuesday, it's Yappie Hour, but since the road conditions are less than favorable, I thought we'd extend our Yappie Hour special for the entire day.  So, Valentine's Treats are 50% OFF all day.  And in case you haven't made it in to check out how cute our Valentine's treats are, I thought I'd include some pictures!

 

Hugs & Kisses (left), Conversation Hearts (right)

 

Valentine's Pretzels (left) Dipped Hearts (right)

 

Okay, so this isn't really treats, but I think the display is cute.  Besides there are Valentine's Pupcakes in the far right corner.

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!

Upcoming Yappie Hours - December 2009

Hey Everyone!

Tonight is the first of our holiday Yappie Hours!  We're kicking it off with Merry & Bright, a Yappie Hour to get your dog looking and smelling it's best from head to toe.  Whether your pup is in need of a bath, a brush or some mouthwash, you'll save 20% tonight on the tools to get it done.  Next week we're making it easier to pick the perfect gift with our Favorite Things Sale.  You'll save 20%-50%on our most popular items.  In our last Yappie Hour before Christmas, we're helping you get it all wrapped up with Pretty Paper.  You get free gift wrapping with your purchases.  All of these Yappie Hours are from 5pm-8pm due to our holiday hours!

And if that isn't enough, you won't want to miss our on Chew Year's Eve, the end of year celebration for your dog.  Save 20% on chews and tough toys plus 50% on treats.  Plus, December 19th you can stop by for socializing and coffee on us before you head out for shopping.

 

Upcoming Yappie Hours - November 2009

Bigwag Halloween Costume Contest 2009

Hey Everyone!

On Tuesday we held our annual Halloween costume contest during Yappie Hour.  There we many cute entries, making it very difficult to choose the winner, but we had to make a decision, so check out the entrants and the winners!

 

Lola and Lucky came wearing their cute shirts

 

Miss Mollie dressed as the devil (which couldn't be further from the truth!)

Addy in her Halloween best

Lucy the princess joins the party!

The Runners-Up

 

 Bella (the angel) and Lola (the devil)

The Winner

 

We just couldn't resist Izzy's adorable witch

 

Izzy wins this gift basket, valued over $50, containing an assortment of products including a Bamboo pin/bristle brush & flea comb combo, one of our  new Checker Chum toys, ProDental Solution, a 10 inch Bully Stick, a 10 inch bacon roll, a sample of Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Grain Free Food, a bag of our new Chicken Jerky made in the USA and some of our unique Halloween treats. 

Congratulations Izzy! 

Doggy Sock Hop

Doggy Sock Hop

Our doggy sock hop we held a couple weeks ago was a hit. It was my first time hosting a Yappie Hour and I loved every minute of it. We had 50's malt Shop Music and Pink Poodle Treats and even a little 50's dancing from Erin before she left!!

A few of our guests at the sock hop

Our poodle treats made just for the Sock Hop by Terresa


Dont Forget to keep updated on our upcoming Yappie Hours!!!

Back-to-School Thank You!

Hey Everyone!

On Tuesday we held our Back-to-school Yappie Hour and collected school supplies for local children in need. As a former elementary school teacher, this Yappie Hour was near and dear to my heart, because I've seen first hand how many children come to school unprepared because their parents can't afford supplies and I know how hard that is on the children and their teachers. Once again, you came out and reminded me how awesome and generous our customers are. We collected everything from backpacks to colored pencils and I know these supplies will help make someone's school year a little easier! THANK YOU

Fashionista Night Update

Nick in his muttrosexual outfit, complete with scarf and Gap bag!

Hey Everyone!

Yesterday was our Back-to-School Night Yappie Hour, which was a great success. We saved people money on treats and collected much needed school supplies for locals schools. But, I realized that I never posted our winner of Fashionista Night here (probably because my mind went on vacation, before I did) Anyway, Toni Carter's dog, Nick, was the winner with his Muttrosexual outfit. He won a sitting with Rachel Sloan Photography. Rachel is also running a special for Bigwag customers, 25% off sittings booked before August 31st. Check her out, her photos are absolutely gorgeous. And congratulations to Toni and Nick!

Honorable mention went to OrMe and Jetta who came dressed to the nines in sequins and feathers!

Toni can't stop smiling about her prize!

Kitty Pity Party Tonight

Hey Everyone!

I know that most of you are dog lovers out there, but I also know a few of you are animal lovers in general, which means you have cats at home as well. I have to admit the we have one cat, Cassie. She's my cat, baggage that I brought with me that Cary has had to accept... he does so grudgingly... at least while I'm looking :p And while cats generally don't enjoy treats as much as dogs do, they do still love attention and toys. So, we're dedicating tonight's Yappie Hour to the kitties with a Kitty Pity Party. We have searched high and low for unique, entertaining cat toys and healthy cat treats and I believe we've found some things your cat will really love. To see them, you'll have to come out tonight from 5pm-7pm. And if you do, you'll save 25% on all items in our kitty corner, including food!

As a sneak preview, here are some pics of Cassie playing with one of the new toys, a treat dispensing cat toy, that we filled with our new grain free cat treats.

I Scream, You Scream...

I can't wait for tonight's ice cream social Yappie Hour. Maybe it's just me, but there isn't much better on a hot summer day than ice cream. And the girls out did themselves creating adorable treats in honor of tonight's Yappie Hour, check out their handi-work in the photos below. Hope everyone will make it out to fix themselves a bowl and enjoy the beautiful day!