Bad News Bearer

Good evening everyone,

I hate to start out the blog bearing bad news. No one wants to see price increases, not even business owners. We have made it our mission to provide healthy affordable treats for all dogs. As you all know we have been in business for four years but you may not be aware that we have never changed our prices on our treats. The price of ingredients have been rising steadily since the business opened but the business had been absorbing the cost. We hate to do it but unfortunately, it is to the point where we have to increase the prices because we would not be making any profit. The good news is we made the increase as low as possible and it wont be effective until August 1st. AND tomorrow is $5 FRIDAY, so you will be able to get great deals on things like Peanut Butter, Carob, and Yogurt Chips (which, sadly, will be affected by the increase). The new prices are as follows:

Basic Treats: Were $0.33 Now $0.35

Premium Treats: Were $0.50 Now $0.55

Carob, Peanut Butter, and Yogurt Chips: Were $5.50 Now $6.50

Pupcakes: Were $1.00 Now $1.25

Howl at the Moon Pies: Were $1.00 Now $1.25

Barkday Cakes: Started at $13.00 Now: starting at $15.00

We really do apologize for the inconvenience and thank everyone for their understanding and continued support.

Our Year of Free Treats Winner!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry the blog has been a little sparse lately, the birthday party takes a lot out of us. It was great and I will post some pictures soon, along with details and thank yous. But, for the time being I wanted to post the winner of the year of free treats!




You guys made it really hard on us, we got tons of great photos. But in the end there was just something irresistible about this picture of Maddie with her cake. Nicole Harris, Maddie's mom, tells us she carried that piece of cake around for quite a while before eating it. Guess she wanted to have her cake and eat it too :D

Maddie and Nicole came in today to claim their prize and of course, I had to get a picture of that too.




Congratulations again to Maddie and thanks to everyone for participating in the contest!

Iams Feline Renal Formula Recall

P&G is recalling some prescription cat food due to possible salmonella contamination:

CINCINNATI, July 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) (NYSE:  PG), is voluntarily recalling two specific lots of its prescription renal dry cat food as a precautionary measure, as it has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.
Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs
Lot Code: 01384174B4
UPC Code: 0 19014 21405 1

Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs
Lot Code: 01384174B2
UPC Code: 0 19014 21405 1
This product is available by prescription through veterinary clinics throughout the U.S.
For further information or a product refund call P&G toll-free at 877-894-4458 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST).
[...]
No illnesses have been reported.  A FDA analysis identified a positive result on the lot codes listed above.  Lot codes can be found in the lower right corner on the back of the bag.

Thank You Lillian, Stella & Margaret!

Hey Everyone!

I've typed this blog about a hundred times, but I can't seem to express the words that are in my heart as well as I'd like.  You see, yesterday Lillian and Stella, our winners of last year's Year of Free Treats, came in for their very last free treats.  And it made me want to break down and cry right there in the store.  I know, that probably seems ridiculous, but here's the thing.  Lillian and Stella are truly remarkable dogs.  And I feel blessed and honored to have been able to provide their treats over the past year.  I'm sure I'm still not making any sense.  Perhaps I should mention that Lillian and Stella are search and rescue dogs.  And that they recently worked at Albert Pike State Park.  Along with their owner Margaret Choffel, they do a job that I can only imagine is back breaking and heartbreaking.  I know that I could never bring myself to do their job and that makes me so grateful that they do it, because I also know that families need answers and closure in situations as devastating as the recent flash floods.  So, I feel like giving Lillian and Stella treats for a year was the very least that we could do and I feel like there will never be enough words to express how truly grateful we are that they do the work they do.

And since the words to say all of that are just not making themselves available, I will simply say this.  Thank you Lillian and Stella and thank you Margaret.  I am truly honored to call you customers.

Below is Margaret's winning entry from last year's story contest.  We will be announcing the winner for this year's photo contest at our birthday party on Saturday.

"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."

Bigwag in Citiscapes

Hey Everyone!

We were recently included in an article by Wendy Teal on Pets Going Posh that ran in this month's Citiscapes.  You can check out the complete article on us and many other fine pet businesses in NWA by clicking here!

Bigwag employee has a warrant for her arrest!

It was a usual day at Bigwag, baking treats, helping guests in the store, and answering the normal phone calls. The phone rings, "Thank You for calling Bigwag. This is Brandi, how may I help you?" "Ma'am, did you say your name was Brandi? We have a warrant out for your arrest and your bond is $1,000." Erin knew immediately that there was something wrong with this phone call by the expression on my face. The voice on the the other end of the line says "Brandi are you there? Someone had turned you in for being a kind person and we have probable cause that you would be a great inmate at the March of Dimes Jail & Bail." So, I need your help! I will be turning myself in peacefully on August 5th, 2010 at MiMi's Cafe in Rogers.

Here, at Bigwag, we not only like to help animal shelters and animal related charities. We enjoy helping with whatever we can! I asked myself, "Why not?" It will be a fun and I would love to support March of Dimes Charity. I have my own website that you can check out and make donations if you would like as well. We will also have donation jars in the store! All donations are 100% tax deductible and will help to fund important research, grants, and educations to further the mission of improving the health of Arkansas' babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

If you would like to be an inmate or would like to turn in someone you know to the March of Dimes Jail & Bail, you may contact Hannah Jennings at (479) 751-5475 or hjennings@marchofdimes.com.

CNN Money names Rogers, AR #10 top place to live

CNN Money names Rogers, AR #10 in the US in it's 100 best places to live 2010.

"If you focus only on the averages, life in the typical American town frankly doesn't seem so hot right now. The median home continues to lose value. Cash-strapped state and local governments are cutting services. And unemployment, at 9.3%, is still high.


But those bummer statistics obscure one important-and encouraging-fact: There are plenty of outliers. MONEY found them through its annual search for the best places in America, which this year focused on the nation's small cities (those with populations of 50,000 to 300,000). Reporters crunched reams of data to find the optimal combo of job opportunities, fiscal strength, top-notch schools, low crime, good health care, lots to do, and many other factors that help make a town great for raising a family."

The details:

10. Rogers, AR
Population: 57,000
Unemployment: 5.8%
Pluses: Low cost of living, diversity
Minus: Strip malls

If you're inclined to dismiss a small city in Arkansas as a backwater, you're making a big mistake. Rogers is right next door to Bentonville, where Wal-Mart is headquartered.

Given the power of the retail behemoth, many Fortune 500 firms that sell it their wares have moved executives to the area. Lots of them have settled in Rogers, giving it a cosmopolitan feel. (Wal-Mart's CEO, Mike Duke, also calls Rogers home.)

They're drawn by top-notch schools and outdoor activities, including swimming and wakeboarding on the town's two lakes and golfing on its five courses.

(Not all is picture perfect: Rogers does contain some rundown areas.) Though Wal-Mart has had layoffs in recent years, the jobless rate here remains low.

To see the whole article, click here. We kind of like it too ;)