Urban Mushing Adventures

"Come on Loki I'm doing all the work while you sight see!", originally uploaded by WOOF Factory.

Lena and Loki are my almost 2-year-old Chow Chow mix sisters and sled dog wanna-bes who just learned to pull the scooter. Really they didn't take much learning, they love to run & pull so it all came pretty natural and they love it! They are pulling their dad here, while I take pictures.

I just finished writing an in-depth article on Urban Mushing (skating, scootering, or biking with your dog) ... check it out here>

New dog portrait complete!

Meet Loki, a chow chow/german shepherd mix! Loki's portrait is my latest work of dog art, just completed today. It is acrylic on 16x20 canvas.

Here's info on how to commission a painting of your dog:
WOOFFactory.com>

Next up are 2 beautiful lab mixes, Molly and Maggie. Check back for works in progress!

View more Loki>

Bad Dogs on Long Leashes No Longer Welcome at Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market

Come enjoy the market, with the dog and a leash
(from the Des Moines Register May 9, 2008)

There will be new dog-etiquette guidelines in place at the Downtown Farmers Market in Des Moines when it opens this Saturday. Owners must keep pooches on a 3-foot leash and away from produce, plants and prepared food. The pets should be sociable and have a current license and rabies shots.

Though other large markets ban dogs and some Iowans have complained about them, Des Moines' market will remain dog friendly.

That's great. It's a testament to the people of Iowa who recognize that the fun of the Saturday morning market experience is the medley of sounds, smells, people and even pets. Crowds stack up as knots of neighbors stop to chat or as parents push double-wide strollers through the masses. Vendors load up shoppers with bags of veggies, tossing in cooking tips for free. Non-foodies take in the scene, sipping Bloody Marys at outdoor cafés.

The market is a hodge-podge, living proof that there are great things to do in a state sometimes accused of having too few such diversions.

The market comes to life again tomorrow. Nearly 200 vendors will sell everything from free-range chickens to fresh flowers. New vendors this year include a mushroom-farming couple and producers of deer and emu meat. Crowds of up to 20,000 are expected.

Spend the morning there. Munch kettle corn or an egg roll. Buy some fresh bread, tea or handmade soap. And, if an owner invites it, enjoy petting a well-behaved, leashed dog.

Bow Wow Breakfast

Are you gonna eat that sausage?This morning we braved the rainy cold and headed downtown to the ARL of Iowa's Bow Wow Breakfast event at Brenton Skating Plaza. Catori, our nearly 5-year-old husky/ridgeback mix is an ARL alumni (Class of 2003), and we decided to take him along. Catori usually is left out when it comes to events since he tends to be rambunctious and sometimes embarrassing, although the majority of dogs and people find him quite captivating. I always joke about never taking Tor anywhere due to his potential clownish behavior, but lately he's been very, very good meeting other dogs at Petco, the vet, and on walks, so I felt he deserved a fair chance to prove me wrong.

Sniffin' some Greyhound Bootie
Catori was pretty good! Humans are always quite taken with him and vice versa and he did really good with the dogs too. Except one... a newly adopted gorgeous Doberman who is deaf. Catori and the Dobie exchanged barks (just 1 each, fortunately) while we ate breakfast off frisbee plates. Yes, I forgot to get a picture of that. We got to bring the frisbees home so we will have fun with those later.

After eating we ventured into the cold, but no longer rainy outdoors and Catori got to run and play in the enclosed ice skating area (minus ice) with a smaller, adorable, brindle hound mix girl named Sam. Sam was a foster failure (I could see why!), who had a rough puppyhood but is livin' the good life now. They had a similar style: run, playbow, then run some more. Then the Dobie came in and Catori wagged his tail but did some growling and we didn't want to risk seeing Catori's bad side so we stepped out and watched for awhile. The Doberman owner's said their guy was very submissive & still pretty puppy at 1-year-old and it would probably go fine, but Catori is prone to sudden outbursts of bad behavior and I didn't want to risk it. Hopefully they weren't offended, as it was obvious their dog was a very good boy!

Play Bow Times Two
Running Free & Fast
Sam the Hound MixBeautiful Doberman

Dog Scooter! Our new toy.

I have to share it with the dogs. We have been bikejorers for the last few years but now we are hooked on the dog scooter.

I had been wanting to order a scooter for some time but couldn't rationalize since I have a couple good bikes. But then this one popped up on Craig's List... lucky me! Best $35 I ever spent!

For more info go on letting your beasties pull you around go here: DogScooter.com

Spring makes everything super shiny

Spring makes everything super shiny, originally uploaded by RetroFire Design.

It's funny how even dogs enjoy the change of seasons. My furry beasts love the cold and snow, but the freshness of Spring definitely makes them almost as happy as it makes me. They're loving the brand new bunnies to chase, sun to lay in, grass to roll in, and all the new smells.

I'm loving everything BUT flea & tick season, dropping a chunk of cash at the vet for heartworm tests, Heartgard, Frontline, and yearly exams.

Beautiful Bulldog Contest

The Woof Factory gang (minus dogs) went downtown on Monday to watch a new Drake Bulldog be crowned in the 2008 Beautiful Bulldog contest. Over 50 Bulldogs competed for the honor. Oh my dog they were adorable... by the end I was in bulldog love! Some highlights...

This guy looks big but he is only a tiny puppy. So pink and velvety! He's planning to compete in 2009. Look out bulldogs!!

"Um, hey, I don't think this one's a Bulldog! Pug imposter!"

Sharing some slurpy bulldog love with a lady he just met.

There are lots of ways to keep your Bulldog cool in Iowa. Lots of umbrellas and doggie drinks ... but a John Deere hat is definitely the #1 choice.

This guy is the definition of cool. SOOOOOO cool!

Buddy, crowned King of the Bulldogs! Honestly, I don't know how the judges managed to pick just one. They were all wonderful!
Read the AP story on Buddy>
See the rest of my Beautiful Bulldog photos on Flickr>