Destination Dogs?

Welcome to another Dogs on Thursday! Everyone give a warm welcome to our newest members, Sue and Maurean, and stayed tuned (here and to the media) for news on the arrival of a doggy in the White House. Some are reporting that the Portugese Water Dog will be the breed of choice...



Normally, I'll be doing a spotlight on a member or another dog lover, but since we just returned from our first mini-vaction, I thought I'd share two great dog destinations in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.



Off the Bypass in Kitty Hawk, you'll find Salty Paws. Sissy and Gretchen recommend the Apple Oat biscuits. (Okay, that's all they've tried, but Sissy in particular LOVES 'em. The owner sent samples home for us to try after our chat about Sissy's special high fiber dietary needs.) In addition to the baked treats there are toys, leads and collars, and some really cute local art featuring dogs in beach scenes. We've been in several times, and the staff is always friendly and helpful. Our fur-girls were relieved to see I'd discovered they offer online shopping, so I suppose they won't have to wait for our next trip to the beach for more Apple Oats.



We've driven past Outer Barks countless times. It's not visible from the road like Salty Paws, and you do have to venture into the town of Duck and then to the back of the Scarborough Lane Shoppes to find it, but it's well worth the hunt. However, the owner went out of his way to help me a while back (I stumbled across their site during an online search for something special), so even my husband agreed we had to make the effort to find the shop. In season, there are loads of great specialty shops in the center, or you can follow my lead and shop online or by phone. They specialize in gifts for dog lovers, but they had a travel-sized pack of ear wipes which Sissy (a basset hound) sorely needed, and they have a plenty of pet toys and treats too. Bonus points for the eco-friendly shopping bag, the dark thing in the background of my photo.


Outer Barks also sponsor a couple of neat events called Yappy Happy Hours and Barker Brunch, in season. We might have to schedule a trip around those happenings, because I'm very curious...

Please leave feedback and let us know if you like our new format, the assorted topics, etc. We're ALL Dogs on Thursday, so we want this to be a blog you can't wait to read.

No More Homeless Animals

Hello again and happy Dogs on Thursday. Please be aware that any opinions expressed in this post are mine and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of the other hosts of this blog.

I had my post for this week all prepared. I was going to talk about first aid for our pets, but Nichole brought it to my attention that February 24 is National Spay Day and so I decided to talk about the animals in need.
We all have dogs and cats that we love as members of our families and many of those pets were rescued from shelters or rescue organizations.

In good economic times there are more dogs and cats, puppies and kittens than there are safe, loving homes to care for them. Now, in hard economic times, too many families are losing jobs, homes, health insurance and are desperate to just keep the human family together. They are making the terrible choice to give up beloved pets.


Shelters across the country are overwhelmed with the numbers of animals they're receiving daily. Many of these pets are older or have health problems that make it harder to place them. These dogs and cats that have spent their lives in homes where they were cared for and loved, now find themselves in cages or pens with dozens of other homeless pets. They're confused and depressed. They don't understand what they did wrong to wind up in this situation.

Most shelters still need food, blankets and other supplies, but what they need most are foster families that can relieve the load until permanent homes can be found. They need volunteers to help walk and play with these animals that are desperate for human contact. Of course, they need money.

What we all need to think about is long range planning. We know there are already more pups and kittens than homes. Now we need to be responsible and spay and neuter our pets. We need to be part of the solution, not add to the problem. Many shelters will help with the cost of surgery. Check with your veterinarian for information on what to expect from the surgery and costs involved.



There are many great rescue groups that will welcome your help. Contact one today and help a scared homeless pet have a bright happy future.

Doggy Love Is In the Air

Hello everyone, Nichole here... with my first official DOT post. Hopefully I won't bore you too much... my post is going to be mostly about various things in the news.

Earlier this week DOT received an Gracie's Golden Blogger award from (Not So) Cynical Knitting Girl! Thank You!

For all the doggy mama knitters out there, please hop on over to my blog and check out my latest review, Pet Projects: The Animal Knits Bible. I truly love this book and think you will too - and bonus, its not just about dogs, so you can find something for all your animal friends!

Saturday is Valentine's Day... don't forget your pooches!

Before popping open the champagne and indulging in the chocolates this weekend, please take a moment to visit ASPCA's Guide to a Pet-Friendly Valentine's Day. We all know that chocolate is not good for our dogs, but this guide also includes flowers, cocktails, xylitol, gift wrap and more.

If you follow my blog, you'll know that I personally love and support Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and have been following the Victory Dogs very closely. I'm happy to report that the first of these beautiful dogs has found has found her new forever home! Check out the full story here - and even better, watch the video!

Dog treats continue to show up on the ever growing list of items in peanut butter recall. Please check here to see if anything you have is on the list.

The 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Best In Show Trophy was awarded to "Ch Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee," a.k.a. "Stump,"a Sussex Spaniel. If you didn't catch the live broadcast earlier this week, you can watch the video here.

Dogs on Thursday! It's me again!

Hey, everyone. It's Gnat again. Hope you guys are all safe and as warm as you can get. We are getting record temperatures down here in Florida. It's supposed to get below freezing and be the coldest night of the year. (I guess when you read this it will have been last night) Well...I hope everyone keeps safe.

We have a couple new members this week. First off we have Whitney, who I must admit her email got lost in my inbox and I owe her a big apology because she has been with us for 3 weeks and I had not added her or welcomed her. So, please go over and say a big welcome to Whitney.

Please also say welcome to Sailor Girl and Vicki.

Well, this week I have a couple things to share. First off, our blog was recently contacted by the founders of Pet Doctor Forum and I wanted to share their forum. It's still new so there are very few active threads but you know me...I can't resist another place to talk about my dogs. They are also going to have vets that you can talk to as well. I thought this was a great idea and hope you head over and check it out. Can't hurt to support a fellow dog lover!

I also wanted to mention an awesome site. SewCrazyDogLady.com makes some really cool collars. Our household recently got outfitted with some new Steeler Collars made by her!

On her site she says "Sew Crazy Dog Lady is your source for Fun and Functional Collars and Leashes! I hand craft every collar and leash with care and attention to detail" You should definitely check her store out and she will do custom orders as well. Her collars are good quality fun for you and your dogs! You can also check out a flickr stream of other collars made by her here.

Last but not least, Lapdogcreations.com has done a review on some very cute gifts!

I hope you all stay safe and please feel free to contact me at gnatchat(at)gmail(dot)com if you have any questions or need anything. Don't forget to go over and check out everyone's posts this week.