Wednesday, January 30, 2008

CityDog Puppy Love MuttMixer!

WHO
CityDog Magazine, you and the furry, four-legged love of your life.

WHAT
Join CityDog Magazine and fellow dog lovers to mix and mingle, sip cocktails and swap doggy tails. Are you single? Even better! Puppy love will be in the air, so whoknows...you might just meet that special two-legged someone to add to your pack.

Photographer extraordinaire J. Nichole Smith of Dane & Dane Photography will be on hand to snap portraits of your furry friend (available for purchase).

WHEN
Wednesday, February 13, 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM

WHERE
W Seattle, W Bar and Living Room
1112 4th AvenueSeattle, WA 98101
Click here for directions

WHY
Why for the love of dog, of course!

RSVP
rsvp@citydogmagazine.com

Party Animal Rules: Dogs must remain on-leash and be under your control at all times. Dogs (and people for that matter) must also play well with others. Thank you for your understanding!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

CityDog iMix: Beach Tunes

The right tunes can make a day at the beach with your hound, so we’ve picked a few "dog" songs (we mean that in a good way) to roll to when you and your four-legged friend hit the road, whether it's a day at the beach or a long weekend getaway. So, crank up the iPod and let the metaphors start flying...You might be wondering why we're featuring beach tunes in the middle of winter. Well...in the latest issue of CityDog Magazine (see below), we feature sunny Santa Barbara as our doggone weekend getaway!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Winter Issue of CityDog is Available Now!

Hot-off-the-press and available now, the winter issue of CityDog Magazine is packed with what to do and where to go with your four-legged friend throughout the West -- Seattle, Portland, San Francisco -- and everywhere in between!

This issue features:
  • Top 10 dog friendly ski resorts of the West featuring Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and northern California
  • Top 10 dog friendly coffee houses with FREE WiFi in Seattle and Portland
  • Big Dogs, Small Spaces: Tips for living with plus-size pooches in tiny abodes
  • 2007 CityDog cover dog model contestants (all 200+ of them!)
  • Doggone getaway to sunny Santa Barbara, California
  • Dog's Eye View: Frolic in Bellingham's Fairhaven neighborhood
  • When Baby Makes Four: Tips for introducing a new baby to your pack
  • Five fun ways to help animals in 2008 (drink wine, do yoga, throw a party...all for a good cause!)
  • CityDog Columns: Ask Dog Lady, Red Dog Diaries and Wag
  • And, much much more!

If you're not already a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Click here to subscribe to the only magazine solely dedicated to life and living with dog in the West.

If you ARE a subscriber, watch for your copy to arrive any day!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Win an REI Adventure Dog travel kit!

One lucky dog will win a travel kit from REI's new Adventure Dog line simply by answering a few questions in our first-ever CityDog Reader Survey. Click here to get started!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Third Episode of "Dogtown" Airs Tomorrow Night


Tune in to the National Geographic Channel this Friday, January 18 at 9 pm ET/PT to catch the latest episode of "Dogtown."

The episode, called “The Outsiders,” is described by National Geographic like this:

"A one-year-old bulldog named Wiggles arrives at Dogtown from a California shelter with unusual symptoms. He falls frequently and can’t control his bowels. Dr. Mike Dix must determine if Wiggles’ condition is life-threatening or if he’s stable enough to live in a home. Trainer Pat Whitacre faces a different kind of challenge: to transform spaniel mix Jolene from a painfully shy, fearful dog into a happy, friendly one. Step by step, Pat attempts to socialize Jolene so she has a chance at adoption. Zoey, a Rottweiler/hound mix, suffers from crippling allergies to the environment and to humans. No allergy medication has worked. Dr. Dix works on a new plan of attack.”

“The Outsiders” is the last of three episodes scheduled to air, but if the series proves successful, additional episodes will be produced and broadcast. So please, watch this terrific program and encourage your friends and family to do the same!

And, if you've seen the last two episodes, catch up on all of the dogs saved, treated, and cared for by Best Friends Animal Society here.

To learn more about Best Friends Animal Society, visit http://www.bestfriends.org/.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Seahawks Had Two Big Wins on Saturday!

The Seahawks earned more than one win this past weekend when fans donated 1,500 pounds of pet food to the Seattle Humane Society’s Pet Food Bank.

“We are so proud of our Seahawks and grateful to the Seahawks fans for their generosity,” says Brenda Barnette, CEO of the Seattle Humane Society. “With your help, we received 1,500 pounds - that’s almost ONE TON of food! Caring Seahawks fans also donated more than $1,100 which will be used to purchase even more food for our Pet Food Bank.”

The Seattle Humane Society’s Pet Food Bank feeds more than 1,000 pets of low-income community members, senior citizens, and people with HIV/AIDS. Supplies were down 40% before Saturday’s game, so game-goers were asked to bring any dog and cat food to the MaxMobile, a 33’ bright yellow mobile adoption and education center, which was located at the northwest entrance of Qwest Field.

For those who were not able to attend Saturday’s game, donations are accepted year-round at the Seattle Humane Society shelter, located in Bellevue at 13212 SE Eastgate Way.

For more information on the Seattle Humane Society’s Pet Food Bank, call (425) 649-7567 or visit www.seattlehumane.org.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

A Look Back: CityDog Launch Party

I was going through some old files and came upon the photos from the CityDog launch party back in June 2005. While CityDog has come a long way since then, it was fun to take a walk down memory lane.

Held at Seattle's Downtown Dog Lounge, the theme of the party was "Rock Star," with our dogs being the rock stars and we mere humans, their groupies.

Britney Spears, Tina Turner, Elvis, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many other rock stars, graced us with their presence at the "pawty!"

Click here to view the gallery.

Photos by Steve Schimmelman

Woof!
Brandie Ahlgren, founder
CityDog Magazine

P.S. Subscribe to CityDog Magazine and receive priority invitations to CityDog parties, events and excursions!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Seattle Seahawks Team Up With Seattle Humane Society

This coming Saturday morning, January 5, at the Seattle Seahawks' much-anticipated playoff game, the Seattle Humane Society will be collecting much-needed pet food.

With the needs so great in Washington’s flooded areas, local food banks, including the Seattle Humane Society’s Pet Food Bank, are suffering. Right now, the Pet Food Bank, which feeds more than 1,000 pets of low-income community members, senior citizens and people with HIV, is down 40 percent from this time last year and the need is critical.

Game-goers are asked to bring any kind of dog and cat food. There are no restrictions, but the greatest need is for dry cat food. To find the collection barrels, look for the Seattle Humane Society’s new MaxMobile, a bright yellow mobile adoption center parked along Occidental Avenue at the northwest corner of Qwest Field starting at 10:30 a.m. The MaxMobile will also be traveling to the game with animals in need of loving homes of their own.

“What better way to start off 2008 than to bring a pet food donation to ‘Max’ and his friends on your way to this Saturday’s Seahawks game,” says Brenda Barnette, CEO of the Seattle Humane Society. “Your donations will help people in need keep their pets well fed and healthy this year.”

For those not going to the game, donations are accepted year-round at the Seattle Humane Society shelter, located in Bellevue at 13212 SE Eastgate Way.

For more information on the Seattle Humane Society’s Pet Food Bank, call (425) 649-7567 or visit www.seattlehumane.org.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary on National Geographic Channel

If there is any reason to get cable, this is it. Beginning January 4, the National Geographic Channel will air the first episode of a weekly TV series based on Kanab, Utah's Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Titled “Dogtown,” the show “takes viewers on a journey inside the sanctuary's bustling grounds to meet the dogs and the skilled professional team dedicated to ensuring that even the toughest cases survive. This expert team of caregivers has a single mission – to transform hopeless dogs into loving pets.”

CityDog received the first two episodes on DVD a couple weeks ago. A big fan of Best Friends, I took it home, popped it into the DVD player and an emotional (and Kleenex-filled) two hours later, I am even more in awe of the trainers, handlers and medical personnel at Best Friends. Viewers will truly get to know the dedicated Dogtown staff and witness the miracles they perform every day.

National Geographic has produced three episodes, which are listed below with a synopsis of each and their scheduled airtime. If the series proves successful, the production crew will return to Best Friends to begin work on subsequent episodes. So, encourage your friends, family members and co-workers to watch the show!

DOGTOWN: Crisis Dogs, airs Friday, January 4, at 9 pm ET/PT
A puppy mill – a facility that mass-breeds dogs – is raided by Nebraska state authorities. Over 170 dogs are found in terrible condition. Dogtown arranges an emergency flight for trainer Sherry Woodard to bring back some of the most traumatized dogs. Among them is a terrier mix she names Animal, who’s been driven to the brink of madness. Meanwhile, Dogtown’s head veterinarian, Dr. Mike Dix, faces a baffling medical mystery: a gentle male dog named Porto suffering from an undiagnosed illness. If Porto’s ever going to find a home, his condition has to be diagnosed and treated. Two sibling hounds – Remington and Ruger – have been rescued from a polygamist sect in which unwanted dogs are often shot. They’re safe in Dogtown, but to have any hope of adoption, they have to be split up. Trainer John Garcia has the difficult job of separating two dogs who have never lived apart.

DOGTOWN: Second Chances, airs Friday, January 11, at 9 pm ET/PT
An older chow named Bruno heads to Dogtown for much-needed medical attention. His extensive ailments include a sunken eye and balance problems – symptoms indicative of a possible brain tumor. Dr. Dix and his staff do all they can for him, but will it be too late for Bruno? The staff faces a decision every family dreads: When is it time to let a beloved animal go? Meanwhile, Dogtown heads out on a rescue mission to a local Indian reservation. As the mid-day sun beats down on them, Dogtown manager Michelle Besmehn and other staff members search a garbage dump, hoping to save any abandoned dogs. The team finds two scared puppies on the brink of dehydration hiding among the trash. Back at the sanctuary, Sherry Woodard fosters one-year-old Annie, a behaviorally challenged dog with a serious history of biting an infant. Annie’s next challenge will bring her face-to-face with one of her biggest fears – a two-year-old child.

DOGTOWN: The Outsiders, airs Friday, January 18, at 9 pm ET/PT
A one-year-old bulldog named Wiggles arrives at Dogtown with unusual symptoms: he falls frequently and can’t control his bowels. Dr. Dix must determine if Wiggles’ condition is life-threatening, or if he’s stable enough to live in a home. Trainer Pat Whitacre faces a different kind of challenge: transforming spaniel-mix Jolene from a painfully shy, fearful dog into a happy, friendly one. Step by step, Pat attempts to socialize Jolene so she has a chance at adoption. Zoey, a Rotweiler/hound mix, suffers from crippling allergies to the environment and to humans. No allergy medication has worked. Dr. Dix works on a new plan of attack. As a caregiver at Dogtown, Thomas Foyles feels a connection with the most aggressive dogs, like Bones, a Vizsla street dog who was rescued and brought to Dogtown 11 years ago. When he arrived, Bones was known for attacking other dogs, but in the last few years he has mellowed. Now, Thomas believes Bones could live in a home for his last few years. So Bones will undergo an official assessment to see if his violent tendencies are truly gone.

Click here to watch a three-minute sample of Dogtown then tune in to the National Geographic Channel starting January 4th to watch entire episodes.

Hundreds of Pets find a Home for the Holidays

Here is some good news to start the new year. The fifth annual Oregon Humane Society Home for the Holidays adoption campaign was a major success. More than 850 pets were adopted and more than 10,000 people visited the shelter during the month of December.

The goal of the adoption campaign was to find a permanent home by Dec. 31st for each of the 274 animals who were living in the shelter as of Dec. 1st. Of that group, 209 found homes. OHS is glad to report it also found homes in December for another 657 animals who arrived in the shelter after Dec. 1st, making it one of the best Decembers in the shelter’s history.

"This campaign drew attention to many or our long-term guests that for some reason had been overlooked," said Sharon Harmon, Executive Director of OHS. "I want to thank the public for opening their hearts to these animals, as many of these pets had been here since the summer.”

The remaining 65 Home for the Holidays animals will stay available for adoption as long as needed because OHS does not impose any time limits on adoptions and never euthanizes animals for space.

Notable animals that found permanent homes during the campaign include:

-- Ms. Patches, a black and white green-eyed beauty of a cat who has been looking for a home since June 28 and who was the shelter’s longest feline resident.

-- Spunky and Pepper, a pair of bonded dogs who had been at the shelter since August. This was not their first trip to OHS; they returned here after their previous owner (who adopted them from OHS) passed away.

“My thanks go out to everyone who opened up their hearts and homes to new pets. What better way to bring in the New Year than with a new furry friend,” said Harmon.