Let’s talk about fleas and ticks. 'Tis the season! I’ve been hearing too much chatter about outbreaks in Old Town to ignore this topic, so here’s the scoop on prevention, what to look for, and solutions if your dog has the unfortunate fate of a flea or tick attack. We are in the throws of the flea and tick season. This year will be exceptionally bad due to the mild and rather wimpy winter and an exceptionally early start to the warm weather. If you haven’t already, it’s time to apply those preventative medications, especially if your dog likes long walks in the woods. The two most common …

Did you know that Alexandria was named one of the top 10 best places to bring a dog in 2011? Dogs have their own page on the Alexandria Visitors Bureau website and city records show that more 40 businesses are considered "dog friendly." Agenda:Alexandria gave the floor to four dog expert panelists during its meeting on Monday night titled: “Is Alexandria Going To The Dogs?" Learn from local experts: Tykie Tobin – Board Chair of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria Tobin spoke on the commitment behind adoption and finding the right breed for “you,” while photos of eligible adoption dogs …

It’s always fascinating to find out what people do for a living, especially when you find an entrepreneur with a passion. Last week while taking care of a puppy in a Duke Street apartment, I was introduced to Elizabeth Richter and her 13-year-old companion, Max. Max is an Old English Sheepdog that Elizabeth rescued from the Alexandria Animal Shelter when Max was 11 months old. Our conversation started with dogs but quickly moved to painting. If you don’t know Elizabeth and Max from their days on Oronoco Street or playtime at Founders Park, you might have come across her work over the years at…

Hundreds of Alexandria residents descended on Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday night without any intention of boarding a plane. This crowd was headed for a party in historic Terminal A. The 2nd Annual Mardi Growl Gala, hosted by the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, transported guests to the Big Easy. Adorned with beads, masks and boas, the animal-loving crowd meandered throughout the terminal bidding on silent auction items, posing for caricature sketches, sipping on “Purr-i-canes” and enjoying small bites from a dozen local restaurants, which of course included Fat …

FoundersDogPark.com, composed of seven dog-owning, park board members and more than 100 park users, had its first annual fundraising event Friday evening, Martinis for Mutts. The group formed last year after several concerned Founders Park dog goers discovered that the city had been approached to remove the dog exercise area at the park's northwest corner. The event, hosted at the Old Dominion Boat Club, was organized to raise funds to help maintain the existing dog park as well as create several new amenities for humans and canine alike. Having had the honor of attending, I must say the …

Alexandrian Kathy Eggleston is turning a hobby into a small, home-based business inspired by her late Bernese Mountain Dog, Mason. In 2009, Mason was diagnosed with histiocytic sarcoma, which prompted Kathy to consider an alternative diet for her sick family member and his sister, Dixon. She found that most commercial-grade dog food and treats contain preservatives and additives that she wanted to avoid. She decided to put both Mason and Dixon on a human-based diet and began baking her own treats to get around the intake of these uncertain chemicals. Kathy took this love of baking for her …

The Post Office is making dog people very happy this week. If you’re still old-fashioned at heart like me and enjoy keeping the written word alive in forms other than just email, you’ve probably realized that the price of a stamp increased on Sunday to 45 cents. Many of you will make your trips to the Post Office this week, so while you’re there, check out the new “Dogs at Work” stamp series. The set of four stamps celebrates the relationship between dogs and people by highlighting four different service dogs: guide dogs, therapy dogs, tracking dogs and search dogs. The stamps were painted by…

Drills, hammers and saws….OH MY! You know the ear piercing sounds that go hand in hand with a remodel? You might have even jumped ship to a hotel on your last project. Well, the dogs need to also. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is undergoing a large construction project to replace the floors in the dog runs and they’re looking for homes for the anxious and noise-sensitive residents during the project. Does your household have room for a guest? Fostering 101 – Is it Right for me and my family? Match made in heaven - The AWLA will help to match a dog to you and/or your family based on …

We’re part of the “me generation.” We get great pleasure from seeing our names on something – Christmas stockings, bath towels, dress shirts. It’s a way of putting our mark on a product to express our unique individuality. Old Town resident Tricia Barry can’t help herself. Her dog's name is  “Yogi Barry,” so she's practically obligated to monogram her dog’s threads. Tricia has fun searching out functional and fun finds for Yogi and here she shares where to find them. Any of these would make for thoughtful last minute gifts for the dog loving people in your life. But beware, once you start, …

The weather in Alexandria was pretty spectacular over the Thanksgiving holiday, but we’ve had our fair share of rain this fall too and soon we’ll see snow. As somebody who works outside, it’s always interesting to wake up and look out the window at my fate for the day. Truth is, I don’t really mind a cold day, as long as I’m perfectly prepared. When it’s rains, I have my go-to dog walking “uniform.” It’s made up of my North Face rain jacket, REI rain pants and Hunter wellies with fleece liners, for a really cold day. When I put these things on, I can brave the elements. But what about our …

Did you wake up Friday anxious to get into the Christmas spirit? Did you make trips to and from your attic while still in your pajamas because you couldn’t wait to pull out all of your decorations? Did you race out to Lowe’s and Home Depot in hopes of taking advantage of the Black Friday sales on lights and garland? Or in our case, a 12-foot inflatable Santa that I fear you can see from Arlington? Did you put on your favorite albums and get lost in the world of decorating? I did, and it was lovely. I’m new to Old Town, so I’m enjoying taking every advantage of the festive offerings in the …

The topic of disposing a dog's waste was brought to my attention recently. It's a common conversation thread on neighborhood listservs, with comments usually along the lines of "this is Alexandria, not Paris" so please clean up after your dog. But for those of you who do clean up, do you do it in an environmentally friendly way? In an effort not to repeat the four-letter word that still makes me giggle a little, at least when my name is attached to the byline, I’m going to call it ‘doo’. The first area under discussion is how we’re filling our landfill with plastic bags enclosed with this doo…

Does your dog understand English like mine does? Breakfast, dinner, outside, do it, walk, sit, easy, stop, bed, bath, treat, down, heel, water, hungry, good boy, bad and even w-a-l-k. Walter knows them all.  So why does he forget every word in Webster's lexicon when I command him to stop pulling on the leash? This usually starts at the sighting of a squirrel, but he’s not the worst offender I've had the pleasure of walking. I have been dragged around town on occassion by dogs that think pulling on the leash is acceptable because they've never been successfully broken of this habit. As a …

The leaves are piling up on the sidewalks. Football has taken over America’s Sundays. Jackets and scarves have become considerations before stepping out the front door. And most meals in my house are followed by a sweet something of the pumpkin or apple variety. Actually, thanks to the person that decided to create a holiday centered on candy, as of Monday night you can add Twix and Crunch bars to our dessert repertoire. Yes, it is fall. And it’s time to take advantage of this season and take your dog for a hike. My husband Tristan and I own an English bulldog named Walter. He is typically …

Why don't angry witches ride their brooms? They're afraid of flying off the handle. It’s that time of year. You’ve been to the pumpkin patch, your pumpkin carving party is on the calendar, you’ve made at least one pie and you have a bag of Costco candy hiding in your pantry. The only question left remaining is how to dress up the dog for Halloween. If you don’t have kids, don’t worry because there are plenty of places in Old Town to dress up your dog and take him/her to a neighborhood party. The most popular event is the annual Howl-o-Ween Costume Contest sponsored by Jackson 20 and the Hotel…

At the Olde Towne Pet Resort and Day Spa, your pet is treated as a V.I.P. (Very Important Pet). To give you an idea, your dog’s day might go something like this: Ahhhh…it’s 7 a.m. You’ve just woken up in your 60-square foot “Canine Club” suite breathing hospital-grade air from a filtration system that changes the air every three to four minutes, which means you’re less likely to come home with the “kennel cough” you contracted from your last boarding experience. If you’ve been extra spoiled by your parents who think of you more like a “dogkid” than a pet, you might be able to catch a couple …

Lately I’ve had the fortune of working with several active military personnel and their dogs - that’s who I’m calling the military brats. It’s fascinating to talk to these owners. I can’t imagine living their lifestyles and having a dog. Orders come in and planning for the dog is as much a part of the planning as the rest of the responsibilities. Some of these dogs have been on more planes than many of us. But in many cases, they’re the only constant family these folks have had during their adult lives and their companionship is invaluable. Recently I met Maddie, a large-boned German Shepherd…

Walter, Flutie, Moby and Fritz had quite the social outing Sunday. They participated in the Olde Towne Dogge Walke, an annual event benefiting the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Thankfully my husband was agreeable to an early morning to help manage my pack. Four leashes on eager dogs have an undeniable urge to tangle. The turnout was incredible. If I’m honest, I was ready to get out of the crowds at the end of the 1.5 miles, but the dogs were in doggie heaven. Dogs in blue bandanas dotted the race starting point, Market Square, with no idea why they were there but excited nonetheless. …

Don’t feed your dog tonight; let Pat do it. I love Old Town for reasons like this. Have you ever been to a restaurant that has a menu especially for dogs? This was new for me until dining at Pat Troy’s Ireland's Own located at 111 N. Pitt St. On this Old Town pub’s patio, dogs have the option of chopped chicken, hamburger, and lamb or beef stew for $5.99. Oh, and don’t forget the side of bone. Washingtonian Magazine has named it one of the Best Dog-Friendly Happy Hours in Washington in 2011, but it’s not only for the dogs. The happy hour prices alone are worth the trip. Stop in from 4 - 7 p.m…

I’m hoping this won’t elicit too many eye rolls, but it’s something that I started thinking about when Walter was a puppy and the toys were strewn throughout the house. I’m guessing this theory would apply to parents with young kids as well. Why does it seem that most toys are traffic-cone orange, fire-engine red or tennis-ball yellow? Last I checked, most of us don’t decorate our houses with the same alarming primary colors, so why do our floors have to be littered with these plastic eyesores? It’s time that toy makers start seeing dog toys as aesthetic objects, as things that look good in …