Noodle models DogGirl's Knits

Happy Holidays, Friends of the Furry!

It’s getting chilly out there – that means the holidays are finally here!  Noodle and I want to remind you to join us for our Holiday Open House!

For those of you admiring the sweater on our tree in the center of the circle drive (you know who you are!), that was hand knit by DogGirl & Kate, our Training and Wellness Coordinator, (and our friend Jane).  The tree sweater was one of a collection for an art project at the Blanton Museum for Explore UT weekend last spring.  It was one in a grove of 99 trees called “Knitted Wonderland.”  Enjoy!

RSVP

We want to invite you to become a special part of the DogBoy’s community – an elite group of dog-loving ambassadors who want to be a part of building the future of DogBoy’s services and products.  You can be an integral part of growing DogBoy’s the way you want to see it grow.  Do you ever walk into a restaurant or other local business and think to yourself, “This place would be so great if they asked me what I think and what I would do differently”?  I know I do.  Well I am here today to invite you to do just that.

We’re going to create a Facebook group of DogBoy’s Ambassadors, with only those of you who want to actively be a part of giving input about what you want for your dog.  We want to be a part of providing that for you, so please, contact me and tell me you want to be an official DogBoy’s Ambassador.

We’re also going to have a special Holiday Open House this year to say thank you in person. Come celebrate the season with us on Friday, December 9th from 6-8 pm at the TWC.  We will have yummy homemade appetizers and adult beverages, invite local vets and our wellness practitioners, and have wonderful door prizes to give away.  This party is just for humans, but we will have presents for you to take home to your pups!  Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

For our Christmas boarders, we will be celebrating the holidays again this year with our Second Annual Santa Paws! Purchase any retail item from DogBoy’s, and we’ll wrap it and open it with your dog on Christmas Eve.  Last year we had so many presents under the tree!  If you are boarding over the Christmas holiday and would like to participate in this fun event, just purchase a gift and leave it with the front desk.  We’ll make sure it gets labeled and to your pup, and will hopefully get a good picture or two of the fun, which we will gladly share with you after the holiday.

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for our Private Dog Park, we are almost ready!  We are in the process of ordering the signage and making the final arrangements.  We hope to be open by the first of the year.  We will have an official Dog Park Open House in February.  Thank you so much for your patience!

Enjoy this beautiful weather, give that pup of yours a belly rub, and we hope to see you or hear from you soon!

With joy,

DogGirl

Rin Tin Tin: He’s one of the earliest canine movie stars, and might just be the most famous German Shepherd in the world. In fact, the breed’s current popularity is largely thanks to this talented dog. The original Rin Tin Tin was rescued by American Corporal Lee Duncan from a bombed out kennel in Belgium in 1918 in the waning days of World War I. Duncan took Rin Tin Tin and a littermate he named Nenette back to the U.S. after the war. Both dogs got very sick, and only Rin survived. He was discovered at an exhibition thrown by a German Shepherd club (Shepherds being a relatively new breed at the time) when he jumped an astounding 11 feet, 9 inches. By comparison, the current Olympic high jump record is just over 8 feet in the men’s event. Charles Jones happened to be at the exhibition with his movie camera and filmed Rin Tin Tin and his amazing jump. The rest was cinema history. The original Rin Tin Tin made 26 movies before his death in 1932 and was credited with saving a little studio called Warner Brothers from bankruptcy. Ten generations and counting have carried on the first Rin Tin Tin’s showbiz legacy; you can read more about them and see what Rin Tin Tin XI is up to at www.rintintin.com.

Asta: Getting to co-star in movies with the likes of Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, William Powell and Myrna Loy in the Golden Age of Hollywood would be any actor’s dream, and a wirehaired fox terrier named Skippy got to live it. He got his big break as Asta, the intrepid sidekick to socialite crime-solvers Nick and Nora Charles (played by Powell and Loy) in the movie The Thin Man and its first sequel, After The Thin Man. Skippy starred in a number of movies in the 1930s—often credited as Asta—and the biggest aside from The Thin Man films was the classic comedy Bringing Up Baby, where he played the mischievous dog George. George’s theft of a dinosaur bone causes big problems for Cary Grant’s awkward paleontologist but helps pave the way for his falling in love with Katherine Hepburn’s daffy heiress. Skippy was owned and trained by Henry and Gale East and the Easts were assisted by Frank and Rudd Weatherwax, who would soon find the biggest dog star of all—Lassie. Skippy’s fame endures on the internet where Asta still has an active fan club (www.iloveasta.com).

K-9: You don’t have to be a robot dog to be on a science fiction series—see Captain Jonathan Archer’s beagle Porthos on Enterprise—but it helps. The English science fiction series Doctor Who ran from 1963-1989 originally and is still going strong after a successful re-launch in 2005. Ten different actors have played The Doctor, the time-travelling hero and the robotic K-9 (voiced by John Leeson), a dog-shaped supercomputer with a laser bite, is one of only two characters from the original series to reappear in the new one. K-9 Mark I first appeared alongside Fourth Doctor Tom Baker (the one with the long scarf) and his companion Sarah Jane Smith (played by Elisabeth Sladen). K-9 Mark III had a cameo (again with Sarah Jane) in “The Five Doctors,” Doctor Who’s 20^th anniversary special, and went down fighting in the 2006 episode “School Reunion,” saving  Tenth Doctor David Tennant and Sarah Jane from evil aliens—just as a heroic dog should. K-9 has even appeared in two Doctor Who spin-offs: the special K-9 and Company in 1981 and the current series The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Benji: This lovable mutt with a heart of gold has been starring in movies and television series produced and directed by Joe Camp since 1974 and has been played by three different dogs. The first was Higgins, a poodle/schnauzer/cocker mix. Higgins was already a Hollywood veteran by the time Camp cast him as the original Benji; he’d been on the t.v. series Petticoat Junction and Green Acres, and starred in a movie called Mooch Goes to Hollywood before coming out of retirement at 15 to star in Benji. Higgins even did all his own stunts for the movie—not bad for the equivalent of a human 76 year-old. Higgins’ daughter, named Benji, starred in three movies, several specials, and a Saturday morning series from 1977-1989. The current Benji was adopted by Joe Camp and his wife after a three-month search and starred in 2004’s Benji: Off the Leash!

Brian Griffin: The Prius-driving, smoking, frustrated writer dog of the Griffin family on the animated comedy Family Guy is a Sinatra-loving sophisticate who would hump your leg for a dry martini. Probably the sanest member of the Griffin household, he still manages to get into plenty of trouble. He also does a mean song-and-dance number—at least when evil baby (and would-be world dominator) Stewie Griffin is available as a duet partner.

Eddie:  The fourth member of the Crane household on the t.v. series Frasier, the impish Jack Russell terrier Eddie was played by two different dogs over the series’ 11 year run: Moose, and Moose’s son Enzo, who started as Moose’s stunt double. Eddie’s antics were often at the center of Frasier episodes and he frequently did visual gags during the “tag,” the portion of the show run during the closing credits. Moose played Eddie for seven seasons and 196 episodes before retiring in 2000 at age 10 and handing the role over to Enzo full-time. Sadly, like many Hollywood families, father and son didn’t get along and had to be kept separate on the set of Frasier when they worked together. Moose passed away in 2006; Enzo starred as the older Skip in the movie My Dog Skip and as Boodles in See Spot Run in addition to his work on Frasier.

Buddy: Proving that one really good trick can turn into a career, Buddy the Golden Retriever turned his skills at basketball into a movie franchise. His ability to sink baskets brought him to the attention of Disney, who put together the movie Air Bud around the trick. In the movie, Bud escapes from a cruel owner (played by New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter) and helps a lonely teen through the death of his father and moving to a new town. Although the original Buddy only starred in the first Air Bud movie, it spawned a very successful and ongoing movie franchise.

Lassie: The most famous movie and television dog of them all is the iconic Rough Collie originally played by a dog named Pal (owned and handled by Rudd and Frank Weatherwax) in the 1943 big-screen version of Eric Knight’s novella Lassie Come-Home. The huge success of that film paved the way for many more Lassie films and television series over the next 60 years and counting. Pal himself, who passed away in 1958 at the ripe old age of 18, starred in seven MGM Lassie movies and two television specials. The role was taken over by Pal’s son Lassie, Jr. and nine generations’ worth of descendents—most recently Hey Hey II in the 2006 series Lassie’s Pet Vet. More Lassie projects are in the works, but unfortunately disputes with the Weatherwax estate and the current owners of Lassie’s media rights mean that the role may not stay in Pal’s line. Among many other achievements, Lassie is one of only three animals with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—the other two being Rin Tin Tin and another German Shepherd from the silent film era, Strongheart. And like any good movie star, Lassie’s on the web at www.lassie.net.

Did we miss your favorite dog star? Nominate more in the comments section!

Contributed by Jay Robison

photo by Nicole Mlakar Photography

It’s been a week and I’m just catching my breath to tell you all about our big Open House weekend.  What a wonderful time it was – celebrating with family, friends and staff.  We’re still smiling about it!

We kicked off the weekend with a pre-party, taking time to thank our builder, our bankers, our local vets, and many of the others who made this project possible.  We decided to give the Training & Wellness Center an informal nickname, Chelsea’s Place after our first dog, Chelsea Garbo.  She’s the reason we got into this business, after all!

We also announced some BIG news.  We have made a committment to a formal partnership with the Austin Humane Society!  We are SO excited about giving back to the Austin pet community, and can’t wait to get started.  DogBoy’s will be helping out some of their more active dogs – who really need to get out and run!  We’re giving a free evaluation and day of day care for up to three shelter dogs per week.  In exchange, DogBoy’s will have the honor of a dedicated run at the AHS, and will get to be a big part of their annual Rags to Wags gala.  We just love the work that the AHS does, and we’re so proud to be a partner with them.

I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to Nicole Mlakar-Livingston of Nicole Mlakar Photography for shooting the pre-party and Saturday’s Open House.  For even more of her great pics, you can read her blog.  We’re really looking forward to working with Nicole more in 2010!

I’d also like to send big hugs and thank you’s to my mom, dad & sister for all their help with Friday’s event.  We couldn’t have pulled off such a wonderful evening without their help! 

The Open House on Saturday was loads of fun too.  We had our wonderful trainers doing demos on Agility and Rally Obedience.  So impressive!  Lisa Knaggs, Owner of Bark for Peace gave some great mini-classes on canine massage.  She’s teaching her second class out at the ranch on Friday, 2/12 if you’d like to join us!

Marcella and I did three FULL tours and really enjoyed showing everyone around.  Thanks to everyone who helped out and please come join us at Chelsea’s Place soon!

photo by Nicole Mlakar Photography

Long time no see!  This last month has been a whirlwind.  Our Training & Wellness Center is complete, the Open House is next Saturday (10 – 2 – please join us!), we’re busy with new fencing, signage, phone lines, furniture, and my iPhone has officially turned into a Pachinko machine.  Bing-ba-bing-bing-bing!

We have visited some wonderful local vets this month, letting them know all about what we’re up to, and how we can all work together to improve pet care in our community.  First we met with Dr. Carolyn Love of Love Pet Hospital, who gave us lots of great info on how to find local acupuncture vets and chiropractors (and vets) who are trained in animal chiropractic care.  We also enjoyed meeting her Office Manager, Robin, who had some great stories to share.

Next was a great heart to heart with our own vet, Dr. Todd Riggan of White Rock Veterinary Hospital.  Dr. Todd was excited about all the training classes we’re teaching, and gave us the name of the chiropractor who treats his pet patients.  We are looking forward to learning more about him hopefully getting him out to treat pups at DogBoy’s as well.  We love White Rock Vet!

Soon after we were knocking on the door of Dr. Neans and his super friendly crew at Central Texas Animal Hospital.  It was great hearing stories of how much Dr. Neans has seen Pflugerville grow over the years, and brainstorming about how we can work together to help the community continue to understand the importance of spaying & neutering their pets.  Thanks to Dr. Sameer Modak & their Office Manager Michelle for meeting with us as well.

Dr. Gudipally over at Pflugerville Animal Hospital introduced us to his super friendly long haired chihuahua named Levi, and a sweet kitty who’s name escapes me.  His business is growing, and he’s now treating pets in two locations.  Way to go!

Today, with DogBoy out of town, I visited our last two (but no less important) vets.  Dr. Watson at Tech Ridge Pet Hospital has such a kind heart, and his staff was so welcoming to me.  They even let me sit behind the front desk like one of their own.  Dr. Watson was interested to learn more about diet and its affect on behavior, and we look forward to talking more about that!  See our Diet Sheet if you’re curious to know more.

Finally, I got the sheer pleasure to meet Dr. Sutton at Hometown Animal Care.  We laughed about the ups and downs of the boarding industry and he told me all about the up and coming Round Rock location of the Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital.  This second location (original is off Ben White, near Hwy 290 & 71) will be a specialty hospital by day and a top notch ER by night.  We can’t wait for them to open!  A big thanks to Cindy for giving me the grand tour.

We are so grateful to all our local vets, and can’t wait to work more closely with them in the coming year.  What they all had in common was how open they were to our desire to bring alternative medicine to this area, and their sharing of the wonderful reputation we have built in this 15 years of business.  Did I mention that?  This is our 15th year!!!  Woo Hoo!  Get ready for a year of fun and lots of  new adventures!  Hope to see you at the Open House!

Our Training & Wellness Center (fondly nicknamed The Playhouse) is going up so quickly, that every time I take a picture of it, it changes before I can even post the news to you!  We are so pleased with the way it is coming.

This week, I am headed to Orlando, FL for my first official Board of Directors meeting, and the annual PCSA Fall Convention & Expo – I’m sure my head will be spinning in less than a week!  From there, I will head to the NY Sheep & Wool Fest to visit friends and family and shop for yarn till I drop (my other love).  I am really looking forward to the trip and will hopefully report to you while I’m gone.

Until then, can I just say how much I love my job?  Each time I am in the office, I meet a client who professes their love for DogBoy’s, and I get to love on their dog while we chat about their lives, their kids, and their favorite things to do with their furry best friends.  If I had less work to do, I could just sit in the office all day and chat with customers.  It’s my absolute favorite part of what I do.  Thank you for all the wonderful feedback!

Wellness Center framework

DogBoy’s growth spurt has begun! As you can see, the building is progressing nicely! The entire frame was built in a day – very impressive! Electricity has been hooked up and the driveway is poured. We are so excited! Our thanks to T.A. Todd Construction for all their hard work!

Today I made contact with the Texas Veterinary Medical Association to make sure we’re doing everything by the book as far as adding wellness services. We will hopefully meet with them in the next few weeks to make sure we’re getting off to a great start. With the help of great vets like Dr. Susan Culp, I’m sure we can make it happen!

In other news, I was elected to the PCSA (Pet Care Services Association) Board of Directors yesterday! My position starts January 1st, and I will find out more soon regarding what all it entails, but the PCSA oversees 3,000 pet care facilities nationwide (some outside the US as well) and that will mean lots of work and responsibility for me! I’m excited for the challenge, and committed to staying focused on my family both at home and at DogBoy’s at the same time. I am so grateful for all the support I have received regarding this new adventure. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.