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!

Periodontal Disease and Gingivitis in Dogs

A client of ours (Oreo) is heading into the Vet today to get his teeth cleaned. It's not surprising that without regular brushing, a dog's chompers can head south pretty quick.

So smile today, brush your teeth, and check out this article for helpful information on keeping your pet's pearly whites healthy.

Update

So, we made it back to Norfolk, VA on Monday and have spent the last week unpacking and practicing our walkin' chops with a few clients. Hence the lack of posts.


For now, we thought we'd give you this site we came across. It's a pretty helpful resource no matter where your travels take you, giving you all the dog-friendly places in the town you specify.

Could be helpful for this holiday weekends if you've brought your pal along. Here's dog-friendly a-la-Virginia-Beach:

Dog Friends

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! See you on the beach!

Dana + the TD Crew

Interview 2 preview: The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

We met up with a friend of ours who owns Sherlock, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. While his breed hasn't received the same attention as our previously featured mutt (Portugeuse Water Dog), he's definitely noteworthy.

Check out some pictures from the shoot. The film should be up early next week.

Have a great weekend.

TD

The Economy Ain't So Bad When It Brings Us Home

So here’s our story. Or at least part of it.

Two years ago, Vijay (husband) and I headed down to Dallas, TX, chasing lucrative jobs in advertising. After a car-wreck in '07, a break-in circa '08, and a lay-off courtesy of '09, we finally decided that maybe Dallas wasn’t the town for us. So, Tuesday was my last day at the ad-shop. And on Saturday, we’ll hop in a car and drive 19 hours back to our hometown, Norfolk, VA.

It’s funny to think, it’ll be nearly 2 years to the day that we pulled out of that driveway and headed south. My mom was tearing-up in the front yard as we drove 1,500 miles away for an indeterminate amount of time. So as a surprise, we've kept our re-arrival back home a secret. Only a few select people know (and, of course, the entire internet). But so far, no one has blown our carefully constructed cover. She supported us all the way and come Sunday, she'll get her long-overdue Mother's Day gift.

So what do we plan to do in Norfolk? Well, it's simple: Our own thing. In the worst economic climate in decades, my husband was laid-off and I put in my two weeks notice without hesitation. It was time. Time to start a business founded on our passion: our pets.

We've started to find our way with a homemade website (topdogwalk.com) and with friends and family by our side to help us take-off (and eventually land). But we're banking on the fire of genuine enthusiasm to carry us through to the other side.

Don’t get me wrong. The ad-world and Texas were fun - and the bonus of a promised income wasn't so bad either. (not to mention the two great pups we found here in The Lone Star.) But the prospect of taking advantage of the economy when it's down is just to good to pass up.

So, look out Norfolk. We're coming home.

Vijay, James, and Vesper at The Alamo

Our second visit with Vesper at 7 weeks

Vesper and James meet for the first time

The breeder's grandchild loved Vesper

Dana and James at the Texas Capitol in Austin

Austin is the music capital of the world. James wished he could play.

Our first weekend with James, May 2007

A First weekend with James

Though it may seem otherwise, the crash was not our fault. November 2008

Heading to our first Ranger's game, Dallas

Driving through Birmingham on the drive down from Norfolk, May 2007

On the drive down to Dallas

Mapping out the way

The last time my car was in Virginia Beach, heading over the Lesner Bridge and on to Texas

Owning a Portuguese Water Dog

So, as we said in our last post, we met up with our PWD friend, Tilly, and asked her mom what it's like to have her in the family.

If you have specific questions about PWDs, send them to info@topdogwalk.com and we'll send them on to Tilly.

What it's like to own a Portuguese Water Dog

Tilly enjoys some love from her mom, Hannah

Just a few weeks ago it was announced that a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo would become the new First Dog at The White House. So we met up with a Portie friend of ours named Tilly to discuss the craziness that has ensued.

Does she feel overwhelmed by the sudden fame? Is she excited her breed is finally getting some cred.?

Find out when we post the dog-on-the-street interview on Monday.

Have a great weekend,

TD

Oldest Dog Turns 21

Now that, THAT is a top dog. Let's have a slice of cake and a shot to celebrate.

Full article here.

The owner said Chanel, who has to wear glasses to compensate for cataracts, now spends most of her time relaxing at home.

"She used to run 3 miles with me every day," Shaughnessy said. "She still enjoys a walk, but now she's carried for a lot of it."

Does your dog eat poo?

Just saw an interesting post by FilaPet, sort of addressing why dogs eat poo. I've always heard that puppies get confused since it's the norm for mothers of many species to regurgitate partially digested food to make it easier for their swaddling young to eat. And hey, who can really tell the difference between the front and back end of a dog when you've only been on the planet a mere 4 weeks?

But what happens when it's persistent? What can you do? FilaPet Vet offers up these fairly clear tips:

• Clean up all dog stools immediately
• Have your veterinarian examine your pet for any health problems
• Feed your puppy a fully balanced diet. Ensure the diet you are using has the terms "complete and balanced" on the package
• When your dog goes to eat any feces, firmly say ‘No’
• Use bitter tasting agents to discourage your pet from eating stools.

Still, you gotta wonder - maybe it just tastes good? I feel another poll coming on...

Have a fabulous TD weekend.

Service-a-day: Facebook (even more connectivity!)

Have we mentioned we're on Facebook? Yeah, because we totally are on Facebook. We have this WHOLE page on Facebook. So, yeah, it's on Facebook.