Our one and only chef….. Wendy!

Wendy our Howl-O-Ween Contest Winner

Congratulations to Wendy!  She will receive a gift bag filled with goodies as well as a 5-day daycare pass!

Wendy will now be entered to compete in the National Dogtopia Contest.  Once voting begins make sure to vote for her here!

We are treated to smiles every year during our Annual Howl-O-Ween Photo Contest and this year was no exception!

Please vote via the comments section with the name of your favorite pup. We will accept one vote per IP address. Please note all comments on the blog are reviewed before posting, so your vote will not appear automatically.

Our top vote-getter will win a 5-day daycare pass (valued at $160) and a gift bag of goodies.  He or She will also go on to compete in the Grand Championship Round against the winners from 21 other Dogtopia locations with a top prize of a 20-day daycare pass up for grabs.

Voting remains open through Sunday, October 24th. Our winner will be announced Monday.

Thank you to ALL of the participants and good luck!!

Wendy never had to bake her own treats before the financial crisis

Sofie's a Rockstar

Saudade (pronounced Sow Dah Gee) the regal Lion

Lucy is a pretty pink Ballerina

3-3? Leno will take it

Josie couldn't shake the feeling something had followed her home from the beach

Haley the precious Pumpkin

Bodi-ana Jones... complete with whip action!

Bazco is... fuzzy

Harry is Harry Potter

Princess Lili

Riley wrapped himself as a gift for his daycare girlfriend Sandy

Fang is Yoda

Dog of the Week

Buzz is an adorable little welsh terrier who stole our hearts from the second he walked through our doors. He is the life of the Toybox three times a week.

Typically pet owners begin to notice this guarding behavior when their dog is between 6 and 18 months, though the behavior can develop at any age. This problem can be alleviated in puppies fairly quickly as long as it is addressed immediately. Food guarding behavior that begins in dogs over 3 years should notify their vet, this may be a medical issue. Since food guarding is instinctual, and may not be cured, a couple tips to decrease the behavior include:

* Teach your puppy from the beginning that people approaching the bowl means something good by giving them a tasty treat such as a small piece of cheese or dog treat.

* Don’t free-feed your dog. Make sure your dog is aware of meal times. By leaving the food bowl out all day they are constantly protecting their bowl.Offer your dog a treat when removing the bowl.

* All dogs should learn drop it with food items, treats, toys, etc. Start working on this valuable skill when your dog is a puppy.

* Problems with children and food can occur, since neither dog nor child understand the threat they hold in regards to the food, make sure you feed your dog away from children in a comfortable area. This also teaches the child not to bother the dog while it is eating.

* Don’t remove your dogs food in response to growling. This reassures the dogs fears that their food is constantly in jeopardy.

Make sure you contact your veterinarian if the food aggression becomes worse or randomly develops.

Tynes, Valerie. “Is it normal for a dog to growl when someone approaches its food bowl?” Healthy Pet. Fall 2010.

Dog of the Week

Miss Zoey Jones is a beautiful brindle plott hound mix who comes to daycare frequently. We’ve seen her grow up here, going from a crazy pup to a mature young lady She loves to hang out with all her pals in the Gym, her favorite activity is running around playing tag.

Dog of the Week

Colby Leavey is adorable little Shi-Tzu who likes to come for daycare and delight us with his wiggly ways and perky personality! We love to see this “chunky monkey” wiggle his way through our lobby.

After careful consideration, a seven month old Beagle Mix named Layla was chosen as our Queen for the Day! She will be treated to a day of play with her loyal furry subjects and a trip to the royal spa for pampering, followed by a str0ll around the boutique to select the best doggie amusements. Read Layla’s tale below.

Layla’s royal canine court includes Wendy the Puggle as Court Jester, who always keeps us smiling and Skylar the Boston Terrier as our Duchess of Ashburn! Doesn’t she just look regal??

Wendy’s Entry
Skylar’s Resume for Queen

Thank you again for the wonderful entries. It’s clear that every Dogtopia dog is lucky to have such loving parents and they are all royal in their own rights!

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Queen Layla’s “Tail” as told by her Mom Christine

Layla should be queen of Dogtopia for a day. She is a seven month old beagle mix, she has a sparkle in her eyes and a smile on her face. She wasnt always such a happy girl. Layla had a rough start to life. Her first owner gave Layla and her brother to a kill shelter in rural Virginia. Her brother had parvo but Layla luckily was able to avert any sickness from her first home. From her shelter she moved to a foster home with a rescue group in rural Virginia. After they had had Layla for three months, they could no longer care for her and moved her up to a rescue group in Northern Virginia, into yet another foster home.

When I went to meet the dogs at the adoption day, Layla and her brother caught my eye. After spending time with Layla and her brother, I knew there was something special. I found out that her brother was adopted that day and Layla was going to be all alone. That’s when I decided she was the one for me. I took her home two weeks later and it was a hard adjustment. She was shy with me, scared of dogs and scared of any strangers. It took weeks of socialization and getting her into a routine for her to come out of her shell. Now she LOVES playing with dogs at the dog park and saying hello to people on her walks. I think she has finally realized that she has a home for good and all she has to do is be one good puppy! I couldn’t imagine having any other dog. She is smart, playful and has the best little freckles on her snout Her story of being rehomed and rehomed has a happy ending and Layla isn’t going anywhere. She may have had been in 5 new places with new people in the first 6 months of her life but she now has one true forever home.

Layla deserves to be queen as she is the rags to riches story.

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And we couldn’t agree more. All Hail Queen Layla!

We were very excited to see the number of participants that entered their special pup’s into the Dogtopia King or Queen for a day contest! Every email has been fantastic and must admit we have been a bit overwhelmed. We have received dozens of entries and all of them could be great choices.

Initially we’d plan to announce our winner right now and give them a whirlwind day of pampering tomorrow, but we’re still reading through the great nominations! We here at Dogtopia offer our sincerest apologies that we will have to announce on Monday morning and we will then arrange the right day with the winner for their “crowning” and pampering.

As  always, we have the best clients in the entire world and it’s been so nice to read these stories and learn even more about your great dogs!

In honor of the special day we’re seeking a pup to crown as King or Queen of Dogtopia for a day!

Entry is simple!  Submit to us in writing at alex@dogdaycare.com why your dog is super duper special and worthy of the grand title with the subject line of “Queen/King for a Day”.

Please include a picture if possible, as well as their location of attendance. All submissions are due by tomorrow, August 26th at Noon.  We will then crown the winner in celebration of National Dog Day!

His Majesty or Her Highness ( as the case may be) will then be spoiled with a Dogtopia day of pampering this Friday, August 27th- including fun with friends in daycare, a trip to the salon for a bath and pawdicure, and a sniffing spree in our boutique.

In addition to the crowning of our Dogtopia King or Queen, we would like to show our appreciation for this furry, four-legged, fun-loving, loyal species with complimentary tasty treats and one lucky pup will take home a free-5 day pass.

Join us tomorrow for all the fun!

Violet the Golden Retriever loves making sure that everyone knows that she is there and ready for some loving attention!  Not only does she want the room attendants to give her lots of love and scratches, but she is on constantly on watch to make sure there is no one outside who is missing out on the Violet experience.  Some dogs just cannot get enough!