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!

Pet Loss Support Group

Hi All!

In an age when our pets have become our children, our friends and valued members of our family, dealing with their loss can be particularly difficult, especially because others might say, "It was just a dog, it was just a cat." This leaves people with nowhere to turn to deal with their grief. It is with that understanding that Julie Jarrett is organizing a pet loss support group, a place where you can turn if you need help dealing with the grief of losing a beloved pet. She ask me to distribute the following information to those who might be in need of it:

New Pet Loss group forming

This group will be to support one another through the death of a beloved pet. Whether it be a cat, dog, horse, or any other pet, everyone is welcome. All that I ask is that we be respectful of each other and make no judgments on each other’s beliefs. Everyone experiences grief differently and has different spiritual views. There is no right or wrong, just support.

For more information contact Julie Jarrett at

644-9016 or paws4me@cox.net

Bigwag in Southern Living

Hey Everyone!

Southern Living ran an article in their August 2009 issue about eco-friendly dog products, and they ask us for our opinion. They also named us one of their "Favorite Southern Pet Shops." A portion of the article is available online in slide show format, so you can check it out by clicking on the link!

Below is an excerpt from the slideshow where we're mentioned:

Eco Dog Book & Tux Toys

This book includes tips on everything from navigating the pet food aisle to making a recycled dog bed.

Eco Dog: Healthy Living for your Pet by Corbett Marshall and Jim Deskevich (Chronicle Books, $16.95)

Arkansas-based Bigwag Dog Bakery’s Erin Hague says her dog plays all day with Tux (shown in blue and orange on shelf) because there’s room inside for a treat. They’re indestructible and made from recycled materials.

Tux Toys in Tangerine and Aqua Blue; $14.50 by West Paw Design


Photography Van Chaplin, Art Meripol / Styling Anne Turner Carroll, Article by Erin Shaw Street

They also ask us for some photos of Hannah playing with her Tux that they didn't end up using, but they were pretty cute and it seems a shame to not share them, so I thought I'd go ahead and post them here:

The Winning Story

All the fabulous entries we received... You can still come in and read them or we'll be posting others on our blog in the future.

Stella and Lillian in Bigwag

Hey Everyone!

For those of you who weren't able to make it in to read the entries for our year of Free Treats Contest, I wanted to post Margaret Choffel's story here.

My name is Margaret Choffel, I am part of the K-9 unit for Washington County Search and Rescue. I've been part of the team for the past ten years. My first search dog, Annie, was a hero, with finds to her credit, sadly died in her prime at five years of age. I currently have two Labrador females, Stella does area air scenting live find searches and cadaver searches.. She has helped to find lost victims, and has been on recovery missions as well, she is five years old and when she isn't doing SAR work, Stella goes to the Veteran's Home weekly to visit the patients, I also show her in local dog shows.. She loves her ball and as a Lab she loves treats as well.

Lillian is a yellow Lab, she is half sister to Stella and is a year younger at four years of age. Lillian's speciality is land cadaver, she has a very nice passive indication and loves treats as a reward. On her off time she also joins her sister in weekly visits to the Veteran's Home and likes to strut in the show ring when she can.. Search and Rescue requires lots of time and effort and is all voluntary. 99% of the expenses are born by the handler, the Girls work for treats, so a year's worth of treats for rewards would be very welcome.

The story as it ran in The Morning News

Pictures from Our Birthday

Hey Everyone!

I am still trying to catch up on everything from our birthday party. We did actually manage to take some pictures on our own (mostly thanks to Terresa) so I wanted to go ahead and post some here.

We had lots of fantastic vendors from the pet community

And even some from outside the pet community - the girls from The Frosted Cupcake sold bows for children and dogs. We're looking forward to their bows and tutus being available in our store!

When we say Bigwag is a family, we mean it! Adam, Brandi's boyfriend, did all the cooking... with Brandi's assistance
THANK YOU ADAM!

It wouldn't be a party without Toni being, well... Toni

Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue provided low cost microchipping and had kittens available for adoption

Cary overseeing the give away contests

Momma Mia!

Tonight we are having an Italian Night! Our Biscotti and pizza guys are HALF OFF and you won't want to miss our Limited Edition Canine-olis and Puppi-olis! Plus FREE Lasagna for humans!!!

Winners from our Birthday!

Hello All!

Today is another segment in my line of "I'm so behind it's not funny" blog posts. At our birthday party last Saturday there were lots of contests and prizes given away, not only by us but by the vendors in attendance as well. So I just wanted to congratulate all the winners and share who they are and what they won here.

Donna F. won 2 free pet visits from Sue Blumenfeld, The Errand Girl. Sue runs an awesome business for busy people. She'll do anything from renewing your tags to mailing your packages to grocery shopping!

Angela M. won a free grooming from Aussie Pet Mobile. Melvin and Viviana from Aussie Pet Mobile bring the grooming to you in their mobile pet unit - no more driving to the groomer! They service the entire Northwest Arkansas area. Melvin is one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met - he's full of information on everything from dental health to how nutrtion affects your dog's coat.

The NWA K-9 Disc Club awarded three prizes - 1st prize of discs, a leash, a collar and a leash holder went to Claudia H., 2nd prize went to Viviara P. and 3rd Prize went to Dale T. Matt Srum is the president of the NWA K-9 Disc Club and he has done a fantastic job organizing and building this organization. If you're interested in teaching your dog to play disc, check out his website.

The winner of our Biggest Wag contest was Paul K. or rather his dog, Jeff Smith. Jeff Smith was a rescue from a backyard breeder. He came to Paul is terrible shape, in need of food and attention, but now he is a wonderful success story. He wagged so hard he wagged not only his tail but his head. They won a gift basket worth $90.

Rachel Sloan of Rachel Sloan Photography also captured Cary giving Paul the gift basket and lots of other great photos of our event which you can view on her website.

Finally, the winners of our year of Free Treats Contest were Margaret Choffel and her dogs, Lillian and Stella. They were voted winners by our fantastic customers!

Lillian and Stella, winners of the Year of Free Treats

Get your story ready, because we'll hold this contest annually and you can enter at anytime at www.contest.bigwag.com!

We also want to say a big thanks to all of the other vendors who came out and supported us - American K-9 Academy, Angel Pet Sitters, Doggie Heaven, The Dog Scouts, The Frosted Cupcake, Lesli Eschbacher, Camp Bow Wow, New Hope Animal Hospital, Good Steward Pet Sitting, Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue, Murphy Dog Park and Humane Society for Animals
Our birthday party wouldn't have been as great without all of these wonderful people. And thanks also to our fantastic customers who make everything we do possible!