Merry Christmas!

Since the video auto-played and we couldn't disable that, we've removed it from our blog. Was a cute one. Email if you'd like a link to it.

Funny Things - For Real

So, as we got a few great responses to our request for funny things that your four-legged pals do. We also found some fun examples online. Enjoy, and happy Friday!


HOT DOG!

This mischievous guy reminded us of our client Huck out in Hampton (pictured below). Huck definitely gives him a run for his money, though. Let's see HIM get air like Huck can!



TOP DOG, HUCK:




INTERNET HUCK:





DANCE, DANCE REVOLUTION

Cody's dad reminded us of a little "dance" he likes to do for us. We found an internet equivalent for your entertainment...c'mon, we didn't want to embarrass Mr. Cody now:



STALKING YOUR PREY...OR YOUR BALL

This guy reminded us a lot of our Top Dog, Tiller. He LOVES his ball and at times will even stalk it. We grabbed a video of him one afternoon this summer and have posted it below his internet equivalent:


Tiller's "Well Trained" Internet Version


Top Dog, Tiller




ZZZZZZZZ

And, of course, the end-all-be-all. We don't typically have any sleeping Top Dogs. Upon our arrival, it's quite the opposite. But we couldn't resist posting this video from a fun website called Cute Things Falling Asleep.

Funny Things

Everyone has a story of the funny (sometimes crazy) things their dog does. Whether it's bed-bunching, singing, or carrying a stuffed hedgehog on a walk (i.e. - one of our favorite Top Dogs, Jackson), our four-legged friends can be very entertaining.


Send funny stories, videos, and pictures to us (bark@topdogwalk.com). We'll post the best of the best next week! Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!

The Monster Mash!

With Halloween right around the corner, will you give into the temptation to don your pup with the silliest costume possible? Or will you resist the overwhelming urge to put a tu-tu on your little girl.

We read an article recently that said research had shown that dogs who wear clothing (or unnecessarily stand out from the norm of nakedness) tend to be picked on. So chose your costumes carefully! It could be......their last, mooohooohahaha.

Poop.

So, we skipped a whole month of posting to bring you this gem:

A lot of times we're asked if we bring our own poop bags to our walks. And the answer is, yes. We do. Don't get us wrong. We'll use your poop bags in a flash. But there's nothing like being caught in the middle of a walk with a dog that's throwing down and neighbors looking on. And you, with no poop bag. So we always come prepared.

So what do we use to do the dirty work (haha)? Simply Out. They're a pretty simple company that stocks their products in a variety of Pet Stores and retail locations so they're easy to find. They're also eco-friendly with bio-degradable bags that are actually thick enough to serve as a reassuring poopy-hand-barrier.







So next time duty calls, consider giving these guys a whirl. Together, we can save the world. One poop at a time.


UPDATE: We also enjoyed these trendy poop bags.

RE: Pet Friendly Hotels

As a dog-owner, it's not often you'll find a hotel willing to accommodate you AND your pets. For some reason, the four legged beasts are treated as such.

Even hotels that are "pet friendly" seem to simply put up with the extra guests. After all, THEY aren't the ones with the credit cards.

But recently, Top Dog got to put one hotel to the test: Aloft at Arundel Mills in Baltimore, MD. We had tested Aloft out before at their San Antonio location. Much to our DISSatisfaction, they swiftly charged our "incidentals" credit card $250 (more than we payed for the stay itself) for "an odor that rendered the room useless." Right. So, that wasn't cool.



After a few phone calls we were refunded the outrageous sum and given a $50 credit from hotels.com. They had nothing to do with the fine, but since we booked through their service, they were more than happy to smooth things over.

We figured we'd give Aloft a second chance since they are an extremely unique and fun hotel. In many ways, they remind us of ourselves (minus the whole "odor" accusation thing).

This time around it was a whole new experience. Not only did the staff coo over our pooches, on our first night they brought them a bed, some treats, some tennis balls, and a food and water bowl (pictured).


While we do generally reccommend leaving pets at home where they're most comfortable, if you must travel WITH them, we'd definitely reccommend the Aloft hotel in Baltimore. It gets our Top Dog seal of approval.

If you have a hotel you think deserves a TD Seal, bark@topdogwalk.com

Top Dog featured by Loopt

Recently, Loopt featured Top Dog Walk on their blog for the unique way in which we utilize their tool called (what else?) Loopt. It's what WE call "real-time connect" - you simply go to our twitter page (www.twitter.com/topdogwalk) when your pooch is scheduled for a walk and, ta-da - you'll get to watch your pal as he walks around the 'hood.

We'll post real-time pictures that are geo-tagged and time-stamped so you know where we are and when we're there. We covered this Top Dog bonus in a previous "Service-a-Day" post here.

From Loopt's article:

"...When we got the ball rolling for our business, we couldn't help but let our ad-training influence us: how cool would it be to tell prospective clients that they could go on virtual walks with us? To not only see a picture of their pooch on the walk, but to have it geo-tagged so they knew where we actually were - at the ice cream shop on Colley Avenue or at the fire hydrant on 21st street?

The answer: it's awesome."

Keep reading...

Top Dog becomes member of Pet Sitters International

Besides sharing an acronym with the familiar form of air pressure (PSI - har har), Pet Sitters International has set the bar for the ethical and moral standards in the Pet Sitting Industry. When you become a member, it means your business not only agrees with the guidelines established over PSI's 15 years of service, but that your business will uphold those quality guidelines in practice.

From PSI:

Founded in 1994 as the first international association for professional pet sitters, PSI is proud of the standards it has established in the industry. Our core beliefs and principals around pet care focus on professional excellence, outstanding service and high-quality standards. As a result, the association has grown into the world's largest organization for professional pet sitters.

PSI prides itself on maintaining long-term, interactive relationships with our ever-expanding network of members and the pet owners they serve. Pet sitters who subscribe to PSI's Recommended Quality Standards are equipped to offer pet owners dependable, quality pet care. These fundamental guidelines are the criteria that set apart and identify dedicated professionals.

To learn more, check out their site here.

New (Old) Top Dogs

Forgot to post these fab pics of our fab new clients, Jackson (Golden) and Roxy (Lab).

Have a wonderful weekend!

What it means to be "In Heat"

A couple of weeks ago, our 6 month old Jack Russell Terrier went into heat. It was then that I realized I didn't know too much about what it meant to be in heat.

Our formally sweet and innocent girl, Vesper

I remember as a kid, whenever our female dogs started to bleed (ewww) my mom would put a make-shift diaper on their bum that would eventually fall off. Now, they even make diapers for the special occasion of becoming a real (dog) woman:



Realizing I had some beefing-up to do, I did a quick Google search on what it all means. Below I've taken the most straight-forward result that I found. Here's the link to the full article.

#4 and #10 = yikes!

1. What is heat?

Heat is more properly called the estrous cycle. During this cycle, female dogs may get pregnant. It’s equivalent to human menstruation.

2. What are the symptoms?

Females bleed from the vagina sometimes with swelling of the vulva and increased urination. Don’t expect bleeding comparable to a human female.

For small dogs, it’s usually not much and you may need to pay close attention to your puppy to identify her first cycle. Other than the bleeding, the most noticeable symptom may be
male dogs hanging around your house.

3. When does a dog come into heat?

The average female dog has her first cycle about six months of age. A few dogs start earlier and few dogs later, even as late as 14-months.

If you have a new female puppy, you should watch her and note when she has her first cycle. If she’s 14-months old and still hasn't’t been in heat, you should take her to a veterinarian.

4. How long does the heat cycle last?

The average is three weeks or 21-days. In some dogs, it lasts only two weeks while others go four weeks.

5. How often will she be in heat?

Most female dogs have regular cycles usually every six to eight months. It’s quite typical to be in heat twice a year.

6. When can she get pregnant?

She can get pregnant only when in heat. Some breeders
test for progesterone levels to identify the most fertile days but the rule-of-thumb is that the most fertile days are 11-15 of her cycle.

Note – when she’s in heat, the average dog will permit any male
dog to mount her. Few females, however, will accept a male when
they’re not in heat.

7. Can she get pregnant her first cycle?

Yes. However, responsible breeders generally would not breed a dog that early. For one thing, you need to do genetic testing and some serious problems such as hip conditions do not show up until a dog is approximately 2-years of age.

8. Can I take her on walks during this cycle?

Yes with care. She has no problem with the exercise but she’s a walking magnet for male dogs.

Even the best trained and behaved female dog will succumb to hormones. You can’t trust her off a leash or out of your control. Never let her outside by herself even in a fenced yard if there is any possibility of male dogs nearby.

For walks, if there are male dogs in your neighborhood, it’s a good idea to take your dog in your car and drive to a remote area. Take her for the walk there and drive back home. Otherwise, the scent of her urine and vaginal discharge will blaze a trail to your home.

9. When I can have her spayed?

The answer to that one has changed continually over the
25-years I’ve been in the dog business. People used to be told to let their dog go through at least one cycle or let them have one litter.

Today, veterinarians are doing it much earlier. Some vets spay as early as 6-weeks of age! Talk to your veterinarian about your dog and the vet’s preferences. The state of veterinary medicine also is much improved over the past 25-years.

10. If I don’t have her spayed, will she go through menopause.

No. Her fertility may decline but she will not go through menopause comparable to a human’s. She won’t lose her ability to become pregnant even as a senior so if you don’t want to her to have any (or more) litters, she must be spayed.

Doggie guilt-trips don't exist

In fact, it's all in our mind. A new research study revealed that those sad eyes are messing with our brains. Truth be told, we project our human feelings onto our droopy-eyed pals. And those eyes, they might have a whole other meaning.

Check out this article for more details. Then, tell us what you think, bark@topdogwalk.com.

Virginia Lotto's Lucky Dog Contest

So, the new faces on the VA Lotto Lucky Dog scratchers were revealed yesterday. Take a look. Maybe one is your neighbor: HERE

Some shots from The Dog Days of Summer Dog Walk in Norfolk, VA

Big Abbott, the Great Dane

Ocean View, Norfolk - the site of the festivities

Winner of the "Smallest Dog" contest at 2.4lbs!



Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, Walker
This is Fenway, a Poodle + Pekingese mix

Vesper enjoying herself when she wasn't in other dog's faces!

New Number!

757-754-WALK (9255)

Gives a call (or a txt).

Dog Days of Summer next weekend

What are you doing next weekend? We're heading to the Ocean View "Dog Days of Summer" event.


All the proceeds from the contests, food, etc will go toward a fence for the Maple Avenue Dog Park. So come out and meet your neighbors, enter a few contests, and find us for a free dog walk card (we'll be wearing Top Dog shirts).

Here are a few details. For the full list, head to their website here.


DETAILS
On-site registration starts @ 9:30am
Or pre-register online by clicking here

Parade & Contest: 10:30-12:30

Dogs will be judged in 5 Categories:

Best Dressed (Owner and Dog) Biggest Smallest Most Unusual (Ugly Dog) Best Trick/Trained Dog First Place Winners will receive gift bags valued at $200 Festivities... Raffle, Auction, Face Painting, Sparky the Firehouse Dog, Food & Beverages Will be held at the Maple Avenue Dog Park - 176 Maple Avenue

Service-a-day: Shuttle Service

So, let's start "service-a-days" back up (as they've turned into more of a "service-a-month").

One service that we haven't talked about is our shuttle service. Whether you need your buddy picked up from the vet, the groomer, or the pub, we'll swoop in to help.

We have a flat rate of $40 for a round-trip most anywhere in Hampton Roads. Obviously, if you only want one-way fare, we can swing that too at a discount. Plus, we'll discount closer distances based on mileage and the task at hand.

Still working out a "water taxi" concept - you know, for those Eastern Shore pups...

New Top Dog: Peanut

Our newest addition to the Top Dog family is a Boston Terrier named Peanut. She lives in Norfolk in a beautiful neighborhood called Ghent. She's very mild-mannered and a pleasure to walk.

Our New Top Dog: Huck

We thought it'd be fun to start showing off all the dogs that comprise Top Dog. Figured we'd start with our latest addition, Huck. He's 7 months old and a whole lot of fun in a little package. Check out his glamor shots from yesterday:

Owning a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

UPDATE: BACK UP!



At last, a video to kick-off our official launch today. If you have more questions about what it's like to own a "Swissie", bark@topdogwalk.com.

Cougar VS Dog

Saw this today on CNN.com. Some corny undertones (circa "underdog"), but an interesting story just the same:

Virginia Beach

Bomba

One of our first clients, a 7 year old black Lab named Bomba. Bomba is from Carrollton, VA. The black fur is sorta tough in the hot summer sun. But we keep him in the shade and he manages.

VA Lottery's Lucky Dog Contest

There are 4 hours left to "make your dog a star".

Just pick up a Lucky Dog scratcher ticket from a wonderful quick-mart like 7-11, then use your non-winning ticket numbers to enter your dog to be on the face of up-coming tickets (plus other prizes).

You can enter multiple photos with multiple non-winner tickets. Enter here on their website.


It's a win-win situation though with a top scratcher prize of $10k.

Sorry for the late notice. I just found out myself today.

ENDS: Tonight, May 26th!