Bark Parks gets one step closer

Bentonville Bark Park Update
For anyone who lives in the Bentonville area, and thinks it has taken an excruciating amount of time to get your Bark Park up and going, relax and take a deep breath. We've heard under pretty good authority that the Bentonville Bark Park is going to go up in stages, so that the whole amount they were seeking will not need to be raised before there is some place you can take your dogs. The folks responsible are finalizing plans for the fencing, and are getting ready to take take bids, and might soon be ready to have phase one completed. Yea!!! There was also a rumor that the City of Bentonville might be willing to build up the land for the Bark Park, to get it a little higher and out of the mud. I know this was one of my concerns when I first heard where the park was going in at.

Fayetteville Bark Park - Pup Parade
Walt Eilers, Fayetteville Mayoral Candidate, will be on the Fayetteville Square Saturday, July 5th, at 9:45 AM for a short pup parade, and then to discuss the current state of the proposed dog parks in Fayetteville.

Fayetteville Dog Park - Fayetteville Animal Shelter
Is Fayetteville ready for more dog parks? Saturday was my first time to see the dog park at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter, during the Grand Re-Opening celebration, and this is a very beautiful park. I get the feeling that it is entirely under utilized. Community awareness of this great park could be increased by planning some dog park activities, and promoting them. I know that the Rogers Dog Park has a great following, partly because it plays host to events like the easter egg hunt, RDOD, Mardi Paws, and Halloween Carnivals. Fun, vendor supported events, with free stuff to give away, that afford both the people and the dogs to socialize with their own kind. If Fayetteville is hosting events like these at their current park, they need to get the word out better.

Fayetteville Animal Shelters Grand Reopening

The Fayetteville Animal Shelter hosted it's Grand Re-opening Party Saturday, from 11 AM to 3 PM at it's facilities on Armstrong Rd. Dog Party USA, Angel Pet Sitters, The Humane Society of the Ozarks, as well as Bigwag were there in support of their efforts. It started to rain about 2 PM, so we bugged out a little early, but the event was winding down anyway. There was also a demonstration by Dogs Deserve Better, a group dedicated to raising awareness about dogs who spend their whole lives chained to a dog house (See the second photo above). The HSO also presented Jill Hatfield, the shelter director, with a check for $20,000, to help defray the deficit of funds that were cut from the city budget this year. Funds from the HSO 2008 planner were used to help make up the difference.

Renovations included a new air filtration system, UV lighting to help reduce microbial and bacterial infections, as well as new paint, to help the shelter feel more homier, according to Mrs. Hatfield.

Bigwag 2.0

Hey everyone -

You may have noticed that our logo is changing. Or, maybe you didn't notice - that was the problem with our old logo. It wasn't very noticeable. In preparation for our birthday party next month, we are rolling out a new Bigwag. We are now Bigwag Dog Bakery, or Bigwag 2.0, as the project has been called internally. We have a new logo, we are dropping the "gourmet" from our logo, and we are no longer mixing up the capitalized letters in Bigwag. I think, in retrospect, that the weird capitalizations made it hard to read. Everyone called us "Big Wag", or "Big Wags", or some variant of that. We had always intended "Bigwag" to be one word, we just thought the mixed up capitalizations would be fun. Turns out, it wasn't.

It was also not bold enough to get people's attention. The "Gourmet Dog Bakery" part was so small, nobody would read it, and then nobody knows what Bigwag does. Hopefully, our new logo leaves no doubt what we do. We also dropped the Bigwag dog that was to the right of the logo. We are not dropping "Bubby" out of all of our materials, in fact, he is still the same dog that is to the left. We just think he was "too cute", detracting people's attention away from the name. Everyone always remembered the cute doggy, but couldn't remember how to spell our name.

Just to prevent any rumors starting, we have not sold the bakery, and the management is still the same. If you were looking forward to new owners, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you a bit longer :P

We are also starting an initiative to get some new products in the store. We are planning on building out the "Dog Barkday" section, with party supplies, clothing, treat jars and dishes, supplements, more kinds of food, more kinds of collars, harnesses, cool new stuff nobody has seen before. If you have any requests, like the wonderful sweet potato chews that a customer pointed us towards, then don't hold back. Comment here, or let us know at the store. We'd love your input here.

We are also talking about "Bigwag After Hours", which I'm not going to divulge any secrets just yet, but we hope will be some fun social events at our store. Stay tuned for more information about that later.

Now, you might be asking, what about our treats? Whats changing with those? Well, as for right now, we don't have any plans on changing our treats up. We might be adding a couple of different kinds of treats. We are currently planning some new trainer chips that are for high performance dogs, and some "super treats" that will have ingredients that lower cholesterol, help joint pain, help heart disease, etc. We're also hoping to continue our current "Treat of the month", after our "Stephen Colbert Claws" are up, to roll out something new each month just for a short period of time. We are even talking about holding contests to let our customers name the treat of the month. But, rest assured, your favorites should still be here the next time you come by our store.

So, not to fret. Bigwag 2.0 is going to be a better Bigwag. We hope to be your source of quality, innovative, ground breaking pet products for all of your needs and wants. We are all about quality, guaranteed, American made (when possible) pet products. If there is anything we can do for you or your pet, let us know!

Exploring Northwest Arkansas' Dog Parks

As of June, 2008, there are only three off-lead dog parks that I am aware of in Northwest Arkansas that are completed. Here's the rundown:

Each park has it's own rules, which may include: being up to date on all vaccinations, aggressive dogs prohibited, dogs must be spayed or neutered, puppies must be older than 6 months, owners must stay within sight of their dogs at all times, no spike collars, a maximum of 3 dogs per adult, owners must clean up after their dogs, absolutely no females in season, no glass, no tobacco products inside the fencing. If you do not know your parks rules, check for signs or ask.

Murphy Memorial Dog Park
407 E. Nursery Road,
Rogers AR 72758
(479) 631-9909 (Steve and Toni Carter)
This is a fenced in park with big dog, little dog, and training sections. Loaded full of trees, picnic tables, benches, toys, and a dog wash station, this is a beautiful park to take your four legged friends to on a nice Saturday morning. Often host to annual dog events, like the Easter Egg Hunt and Responsible Dog Ownership Day, MMDP is really at the center of the dog community of Rogers. Sitting in front of the Humane Society grounds, prospective dog owners can take their dog for a walk down to the park and let them get some exercise.
Registration/fee required.

Fayetteville Animal Shelter Dog Park
1640 Armstrong Road
Fayetteville, AR 72701
479-444-3456

Big open fenced in area with toys, bag, water and benches for owners. Don't forget to come inside and pick another play mat. Only open during the day until the sun goes down. Location: Right behind the Fayetteville animal shelter. Directions: Just turn right on to industrial drive and then pull in to the shelter and go around the back. Here is the Fayetteville Animal Shelter's website.

There are rumors of a new dog park being discussed as part of a $20 million Fayetteville parks project. Here are some articles: article, article discussing it from December, 2007. This almost sounds too good to be true, but hey!

Ft Smith Dog Park
Corner of Massard and Louisville Streets
Ft Smith, AR 72904
The Fort Smith Dog Park is dedicated to dogs and dog lovers. Like most dog parks, our purpose is to provide off-leash exercise and socialization opportunities for our four legged companions while promoting responsible dog ownership through events and programs. The temporary park was established through the efforts of the City of Fort Smith Parks & Recreation Department and the Fort Smith Airport Commission. For more information, visit their website.

Bentonville Bark Park - NOT YET COMPLETED
Walton and NW "A" Street
Bentonville, AR 72712
Plans are currently underway for this to be Bentonville's first off-leash dog park. No fencing has been installed yet. For more information on current developments, visit their website.

If anyone has any photos of their dogs enjoying any of these dog parks, or perhaps one I don't even know about, send them to me!

Facts and Myths about Your Dogs Food and Treats

Myth: The dog food I am using will help my dog live a long and healthy life.

FACT: Most commercial dog foods don't contain enough quality proteins, good fats, and proper carbohydrate sources. Instead they contain fillers, sugars, spoiled or rancid grains, toxic chemicals, preservatives, slaughterhouse waste, artificial colors and flavors, feces, and pesticides. The AAFCO allows bird beaks, feet and feathers to be used as a protein source, listed as poultry meals and by products. The average dog consumes 35-40 lbs. of artificial preservatives a year. With cancer rates in dogs increasing, as well as starting at earlier ages then ever before, the average life expectancy of our dogs is decreasing at an alarming rate.

Myth: I can manage any pet food allergy myself by switching their food.

FACT: Unfortunately for pets with food allergies, most pet food diets contain some sort of mixture of beef, dairy, wheat, lamb, fish, and chicken. Even worse, some contain corn or soy. Just changing foods is bound to lead to exposure to the same allergens. There are two ways to address food allergies: feeding a diet based on high quality or exotic protein sources (this usually means venison, duck, kangaroo, rabbit or even alligator) OR feeding a diet where the proteins have been predigested into units too small to interest their immune system.

Myth: My dog can't have a food allergy because I've been feeding them the same food for years.

FACT: It can take months or even years to develop a food allergy. The immune system must be repeatedly exposed to food in question, and must develop enough antibodies to trigger an allergic reaction. A reaction to a food that occurs on the first exposure is not an allergic reaction, but rather a "food intolerance" and usually involves toxins within the food.

Myth: My dog food has 100% of the nutritional needs for my dog.

FACT: Most proteins, amino acids, and nutritional value is cooked out of the food during the baking process. Most commercial dog foods are cooked twice, once during the extrusion, and a second time to harden the food. Most commercial dog foods have such low quality proteins, from sources that are indigestible, they often will eat twice as much food to get the same nutritional value as they would from a single serving of a higher quality food.

Myth: My dog food is a quality dog food, containing only the freshest ingredients, and choice cuts of meat.

FACT: Most dog foods contain inferior ingredients, unsuitable for human consumption. By-products, meat meals, animal digest, old or rancid grains, bird feathers, even dead, diseased, and deformed animals all make up the ingredient list in many commercial dog foods.

Myth: Human food is bad for dogs.

FACT: Table scraps have been what domesticated dogs have eaten since they were domesticated. It wasn't until within the last 100 years, that large pet food manufacturers have begun marketing prepared dog food that we began to believe table scraps were bad for them. Human food is often made with sauces, salts, and seasonings, and it's these ingredients that makes our food unfit for our pets. Meats, vegetables, grains, yogurt, and cheese are all suitable ingredients for our dogs.

Myth: Vitamin C is the new cure-all wonder vitamin for dogs.

FACT: Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, which means excess is flushed from the body in the urine. While this means it is impossible to overdose on vitamin C, it also means feeding more isn't going to do anything because excess will be flushed from the body. Their are reports of vitamin C reducing kidney stone and aiding in relief of pain from hip dysplasia, however feeding large amount of C may cause diarrhea as it is a natural laxative.

Myth: All doggy treats are healthy.

FACT: Most dog treats contain large amounts of chemicals and preservatives. Think about how long most treats have been sitting on store shelves. These chemicals and preservatives contribute to poor health, especially over the long term.

USMC Disciplines Two Marines in Connection with Animal Cruelty Video

Last week the USMC released the details of the investigation about the youtube video of the two marines tossing the dog off of the cliff. One marine was discharged and the other was given non-judicial punishments that are protected under the Privacy Act.

I would like to go on the record in defense of these two marines, as their untold story makes their actions justified. That animal was sick, and with no humane means of euthanizing it, they were left with no alternative choice but to put it out of it's misery. This was not the heinous act that everyone is claiming it is...

Ok, I'm really BS-ing here. I'm mostly seeing if I can get anyone riled up over this story, and trying to cover the story and make it interesting in the sea of other posts that are out there covering the same story.

There is no justification for what they did. There is no cool story to back up their actions. It was just sick and wrong, and if you watched the video (as I did) it makes my stomach turn. The ASPCA filed an official response here.

I simply cannot fathom how someone could do this. Experts say that serial murders often start with pets or animals, and then move up to spousal abuse. I wonder if there is any history there.

Sam at TYDTW Day at the Vision Chain Office

Wow, can you say "I Look Bored?"

OK, so I brought both Sam and Hannah to the Vision Chain office today. I brought Hannah this morning, and then traded them out with Sam in the afternoon. Both dogs enjoyed meeting Ron and Lance (Although I think Lance left for the day after lunch, so he might not have met Sam - sorry to bust you out like that Lance) and they were very well behaved. Sam did a lot more exploring of the office, as there are lots of nooks and crannies. (If anyone finds a "present" let me know and I will clean it up).

They apparently were well enough behaved to get invited back again. Since Charity expressed an interest in bringing her dogs on a day she can come, maybe we should schedule an "un-official" Vision Chain TYDTW Day. More photos should transpire!

They might not have been so bored if there were more dogs to play with. Good thing the geese were way down at the far end of the pond.