And the winner is...

We are ready to announce who won the drawing for a free portrait session. We had such an overwhelming response that we have decided to select 3 lucky winners.

They are....



Becca Pelton
Kelley Mcallister
Amy Carnahan

Congratulations! We will be contacting you to schedule your session and receive your free portrait.

Remember, portrait sessions start at $75 and include a FREE matted 8x10. So, even if you didn't win you can't lose getting precious memories of your pet!


Gus was disappointed to learn that a lack of opposable thumbs made drawing the names virtually impossible. We stepped in and drew for him.

Cardiff Doggie Days

What a busy weekend! We spent Saturday in our booth at the Cardiff Dog Days of Summer. We we out there promoting Our Kickball Charity. We met so many nice people and amazing dogs!

We did a little shopping too. I skipped the Paul Mitchell Dog Wipes however.

We met Hazel the Boston. I won't lie, we are a tad partial to Boston Terriers. Hazel is a real doll!

We enjoyed the dog contests. I can't wait to meet the winners, each of whom won a portrait session from us!



Gus spent most of the day acting like a stubborn toddler refusing to sleep because there was too much fun going on. He finally fell asleep on the fuzzy table cloth on the table in our booth.



Long day for a little guy.

Stay tuned for tomorrow. We will be announcing the winner of the portrait drawing.

Good luck everyone!

3 "dog days of summer" vacation ideas

As the dog days of summer drag on and the heat increases, we started looking for some cool getaways. There are many dog friendly locations and accommodations available, here are some ideas.

1. Peace and Natural Beauty - Sea Ranch

Summer is the perfect time to visit the north coast of California. Most of the year this beautiful landscape and rugged coastline can be a bit chilly. Summer days, however drift between the high 60s and low 70s, perfect! Sea Ranch is 30 miles north of Jenner on the Sonoma Coast.

They offer dog beds, homemade dog treats, filtered water and miles of dog friendly beaches and trails. I must admit that the lawn and Adirondack chairs look about perfect for Mike, Gus, Myself and a glass of wine.




2. Luxury Resort - Loews Resort Coronado

Located on beautiful Coronado Island just across the bay from San Diego is the wonderful resort that brings us the Loews Coronado Bay Surf Dog Competition each June. The resort is lovely. It is surrounded by water with sweeping views. They offer loads of pet extras, including pet room service.

My favorite feature is the onsite Coronado Surf Academy that offers Doggie Surfing Lessons. How cool is that?!

3. Casual Adventure - The Russian River

The russian river has long been a summer get away destination. Towns like Monte Rio, Guerneville and Rio Nido offer vacation cabins, many of which are dog friendly.

Canoeing on the river in late summer is a mellow, wonderful way to spend a day. The river is reasonably shallow and slow moving in most spots. Perfect for Fido. Much of the year you will find wild blackberries growing along the shore. A great exuse to make stop on the river edge and have a picnic.

Wine Tasting. Online lists of dog friendly wineries in the Sonoma, Napa, Russian River and Alexander Valleys abound. I recommend calling ahead to see exactly what "pet friendly" means at each winery. Some wineries offer cool, green lawn areas for enjoying cheese platters and sipping wines in the shade. Yes please! [golly, we sound like winos]

Hiking. A leisurely nature walk is more my speed than a real "hike" [Gus agrees with me]. Either way bring a backpack so you can pack some local wine and lunch then head down to the river or up into the redwoods. You can't go wrong. Don't miss the Armstrong Redwoods State Park.

Be sure to let us know if you take any of these trips or have good doggie trippin' ideas of your own.

We love to hear reader reviews!

Happy Campers

Remember those great summer days at camp? Playing in the water, running around with friends and ropes and obstacle courses. Now your dog can enjoy all this at Camp Run a Mutt.

Camp Run a Mutt is a doggie daycamp Located near downtown in San Diego.

We had the opportunity to to take Gus [our Bostontaius Terrier] to the camp to attend a Doggie Birthday Party and he had SO MUCH FUN! He ran and played and played and played. The folks at the Camp were wonderful, really knowledgeable and it was clear they truly love dogs.

Gus isn't much of a water dog, but he did enjoy sitting next to the the lovely waterfall by the dog pond. I'm not joking here. This place is NICE! Very clean with loads of shade, toys, obstacle courses. You don't have to take my word for it, though. Check out their 4 Camp Cams.

And they offer grooming. What camper comes home smelling better than when they left?!

Gus joins us at the office each day but I see us signing him up for a camp day soon.

Betty Birthday Pawty

We attended Betty's Birthday Pawty at Camp-Run-A-Mutt. Betty is the Dog we all know from the logo for Pawyard. You can see all of the pictures from the festivities here. [This would include pictures of our very own Gus making a sloppy frosting pig of himself!]

Betty Looked lovely!

We had cake. It is a safe for pooches from Paw Pleasers Here is the birthday girl herself enjoying cake and sharing it very nicely with her big sis, Princess

The folks at Camp Run a Mutt were amazing. Really friendly and knowledgeable. If you haven't been over there yet, drop by. There is a waterfall in the doggies swimming pool. SWANKY! [or check them out on the pup cams at their website.]

Disco Disguise

Gus is wearing a fabulous fuzzy sweater. It is a color I can only describe as brindle. This makes him look a little like our big Maggie dog only with more flair. Gus does everything with flair!


Important Note: Photos by Julia Taylor-Brown [my beautiful Daughter]

Spring Sweaters

As will finish out the end of Grey May and June Gloom Gus is enjoying a lightweight mock turtle neck to take the chill off in the morning. He looks great in Aqua.

Boston!

Gus understands that being in Southern California you may be a Lakers fan. He would never hold that against you. He would, however, like to send a big shout out to his fellow Bostonians. Way to Go Celtics!

Get Well Bandit!

Bandit the Biker Dog, who does so much good for others needs our good wishes this week! He had an accident that cost him an eye. He is expected to recover, thank goodness. We saw Bandit just last Sunday at the Napa Vally Grille Fashion show where he was picking up girls on his bike. {see the Picture!} Not to worry Bandit, an eye patch adds character and chicks dig scars!

Get well soon!