Pooch Parade Raffle!

Love your dog... for free! 

Bark & Clark is offering free entry to the Love Your Dog Pooch Parade for one pup... All you have to do is send an email telling us what makes your pooch lovable! 

Entries must be received via email by 6:00 PM on February 3rd. Include a photo and you'll be entered twice! All submissions will be entered randomized by a third-party raffle. 

The winner will be announced February 4th on Facebook and Twitter. 

This $40 value includes treats for you and your pooch!  The Bark & Clark Pooch Parades teach uptown manners for Downtown dogs. This class is so fun, it's more like an outing... We'll take a stroll through different parts of the city and focus on doggy's ability to deal with the public, the lively city and all the other pooches out and about.

Along the walk, we'll cover basic obedience to help your dog focus on you - not all the distractions. We'll also focus on manners specific to the city, such as sitting at all intersections before crossing; sitting for introductions and the proper way to greet other dogs.
This interactive lesson is sure to teach both you and pooch something new. We're positive you will really connect through fun drills and exercises, all while taking in the gorgeous sights of Downtown.

Each session ends in a more social setting, putting the focus back on you. Mix, mingle and enjoy sophisticated refreshments.... For more info, click here

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Submit entry here

or to include a photo, send an email directly to bark@barkandclark.com

One entry per pooch per day.

Thanks! And good luck!!

B&C

Valentine's Day Treats

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, do you know what you are getting for your dog yet?  If you are thinking of a box of chocolates, I would think again.  Lucky for us the good folks at FunStuffForDogs.com published a list of the best gifts and they are on sale!  

They have a wide range of things to get, if you want something simple you could go with a card or get a special gift like a burrow bed to really show how much you care.  There are toys of all sorts and treats too.  Anything you could think of, even an engagement ring and box that squeaks.

If you want to make this Valentine's Day special for you and your pooch, get them a gift that says you care and don't forget to join the Pooch Parade.

To view the list of Valentine's Day dog goodies, bark on the link:  Bark!

Top Five Reasons To Attend The Pooch Parade

The Pooch Parade is around the corner and I would love to see you there with your furry best friend!  If you still can't decide if should come out or not... here are the Top Five Reasons you should.

5.  You and your dog will meet new people.
4.  You will learn something new about or for your pup.
3.  The treats for both you and your pooch are yummy.
2.  You will have a fun night with your furry companion.
1.  It will show your doggie just how much you love them.

All that is left is to RSVP for this event!  Space is limited so do not delay.  Once the class is fully essembled I will send out the details of the evening.

To RSVP for the Pooch Parade, bark on the link:  Bark!

Dachshund Helps Fight Off Robber

Growing up with Dachshunds, I will be the first to tell you they can be quite the guard dog despite their size.  They are so protective of their people and their young.  I've seen some pretty fierce attacks by Dachshunds, enough to make a grown man run out of a house.  So when I saw this story, it really made me smile thinking of the loyalty they have to their owners and just how far they will go to protect them.  

In Miami, FL a robber posed as a pharmacy delivery man and tried to rob a 74-year-old woman.  The woman was expecting a delivery, so when the robber buzzed up and said "farmacia", she of course let him in.  She then began to question the order and he asked to use her phone.  As he pretended to be on the phone, he pulled out an electrical device and began shocking the woman repeatedly and during the struggle he grabbed the gold necklace that she was wearing around her neck and threw her to the ground.  This is when her little Dachshund came to her aid, but the robber then shocked the dog with the electrical device.  He continued to threaten the woman but she was able to get a pair of large scissors to scare the robber off.

If you should be in the Miami area, here is who the police are looking for:  "He is described as 50 to 55 years old, five-foot-two to five-foot-four and about 180-200 pounds. He has a large belly, thinning hair with receding hair line and unshaven round face. He was wearing a dark navy blue polo shirt and dark blue pants."  Additionally, he fled in a white two-door car.  If you have any information please call the Miami Police's robbery unit at 305-603-6370 or Crime Stoppers of Miami Dade at 305-471-TIPS.

To read the full story, bark on the link:  Bark!

Do Pets Have A Sixth Sense?

I talk about dogs having a special ability to communicate to us, that they can tell us things that we may not be aware of or notice.  Is this a sixth sense?  I don't know.  But according to this poll that Petside.com conducted, over half of pet owners believe that their pet has a sixth sense.

The stories that were told range from dogs warning their owners that one of them is about to have a seizure to their pets predicting a change in weather.  The method in which the pets communicate these predictions or warnings have just as large of a range, anything from excessive barking to cats behaving out of the norm. The one thing that is true in all cases is that the owners believe their pets 100% and in some cases that has saved their lives or at least kept them out of danger.

I believe that our pets can tell us all sorts of things if we listen.  They seem to pick up on things that we often miss.  I don't know if this is a sixth sense or if they are just more in tune with the five they have.  

To read this full story, bark on the link:  Bark!

A Tribute To My Robert

Yesterday evening I received the call I have so been dreading, my father telling me that earlier in the day my parents had to euthanize my dog Robert.  I got Robert, a Keeshund and Sheltie mix, 15 years ago while I was in college and he has lived a very full and happy life.  But somehow, it doesn't make it hurt less, the loss of my best friend is very real.

I found Robert the day after valentines day in a pet store where a shelter was holding an event.  My friends and I use to go there to look at and hold the puppies and dogs when we were feeling blue.  But this day was different because when I picked him up, I couldn't put him back down.  Every time I tried he would cry and cry, so I didn't feel like I had a choice.  $30 later to pay for him and who knows what I spent on the bed, food, toys and treats and we were on our way back to the dorm, where I successfully hid him for a few days.  By Wednesday of that week I was told to get him out or I was going to be kicked out.  Thankfully my parents lived on a 124 acre farm and were all too happy to take him in.  So I packed up his stuff and drove 2 hours and delivered him to his temporary home.

Robert loved the farm, besides having an elderly Dachshund to show him the ropes, he had all the land he could want to run and play on.  He remained there until about May when I moved him back with me at college in a house I rented.  This year was one of the hardest, but the best.  I had my best friend to come home to everyday and I would talk to him for hours, go on long walks, play a ton and would get pushed out of bed almost every night with his stiff leg move.  But Robert got very sick this year and began to really hate the city.  Then I ended up moving again and made the hardest decision I had to make, I realized that Robert was 100% a farm dog, not a city dog.  He was always happiest on the farm, so that is where I let him live.

My father and Robert became ultimate buddies.  It was almost as if Robert was able to fill the gap I had left when I moved away from home.  They did everything together, rides in the truck, walks through the fields, rides on the tractor and lots of snuggling.  I think my favorite thing to watch was Robert running full speed to jump into the biggest pond on my parents land and would proceed to swim laps.  He was a character with a huge heart.

Eventually, as with all pets, age caught up with him.  Yesterday morning he no longer could walk and he was barely hanging on, so my parents took him to their vet and let him have peace.  It is what I knew was coming and thought I was prepared for, but I don't think you can be prepared for this.

So I ask you all for a moment of silence to say goodbye to an amazing dog who I loved so much.  He was the best listener, a loyal friend and a natural protector.  I will forever miss and love you Robert, rest in peace my old friend.

R.I.P. Robert Smith Clark

November 1995 - January 24, 2011

Sleeping With Your Pet Could Kill You?

According to a recent study to be published in next month's issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases, there is real risk to letting our dogs and cats sleep in our bed with us. Though researchers do agree that having pets do help with both physical and mental illness and may help lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and decrease feelings of loneliness, while increasing opportunities for exercise, outdoor activities and socialization.

This study is trying to raise awareness about "the risk for transmission of zoonotic agents by close contact between pets and their owners through bed sharing, kissing or licking is real and has even been documented for life-threatening infections such as plague, internal parasites" and other serious diseases.  The greatest risk is with children or immunocompromised people.

I encourage all of you to read the article, there is some good information to take into consideration if you allow your pets to sleep in your bed.  But I will say that after reading everything, my cat will still have his spot in my bed.

For the full article, bark on the link:  Bark!