Dogtopia of Tysons Corner, VA Blog

This holiday, Dogtopia’s non-profit, K-9 Support, will be collecting donations and creating care packages to send to military dogs and their handlers stationed overseas. We are so grateful for all they do for our country and hope to send some holiday cheer their way.

If you’d like to donate goods for a care package, please check out the wishlist above. There is also a printable PDF version. There is a donation box located in the lobby of Dogtopia of Tysons Corner. We encourage you to include photos and notes letting the soldiers know how much we all care.

Click here to learn more about K-9 Support.

One of the most anticipated events of the Northern Virginia holiday season is upon us – The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend in gorgeous old town Alexandria, VA.

The sound of bagpipes will fill the city’s quaint cobbled streets as thousands of attendees and participants enjoy family friendly events such as Taste of Scotland, a Children’s Tea Party, a Celtic Concert and the Christmas Marketplace. Not to mention the weekend’s grand jewel – the PARADE!

The parade takes place this Saturday, Dec 6th at 11am and will feature bands, local business and community groups, marching Scottish clans and Santa Paws… excuse me, Santa Claus.

Sounds fun, but what does that have to do with dogs right?

I failed to mention local dog clubs are always a favorite in the parade! In particular, it’s a wonderful scene to watch Scotties get out and strut their stuff.

Scottish Terriers have always been a favorite here at Dogtopia. Their intelligent expressions, feisty nature and “Bring it on” attitude always makes for a fun play group.

Did you know?

• The Scottish Terrier has been a Presidential Doggie 4 times – Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and George W. Bush were crazy for their Scotties.

• Regardless of your politics I think we can all agree that Barney and Miss Beazley are adorable. The annual Barney Cam will be sorely missed. If you’ve never enjoyed Barney Cam, each holiday season a film was made featuring an adventure young Barney would embark on. Cameos by some of Washington’s most powerful politicians made the videos extra fun.

• Carnegie Mellon University named the Scottish Terrier it’s official mascot in 2007.

• While black is the most recognized color, Scotties may also have a brindle or wheaten coat.

… but this will be the 7th Thanksgiving at Dogtopia of Tyson’s Corner!

One of things we have always been thankful for is the unflappable loyalty of our clients. This is especially true this year when we’ve seen such unpredictability in the economy. We’re still going strong and will have a full house of four-legged players for Thanksgiving!

Earlier this year we established an honor we dubbed “Founding Fidos“. As we approached our 6th birthday we wanted to give some special recognition to those clients who had been with us from the beginning and were absolutely vital in the success of the business.

Pouring through our evaluation logs from several years ago was an awesome stroll down memory lane. We smiled and shared “Remember when?” stories about dogs we still see bounding into our lobby each week – like Remy, Bree and Rocky. We couldn’t help, but cry at the memories of wonderful dogs we’d lost over the years like our sweetheart Maggie and our loveable Lab Taz.

The relationships we’ve built in 6 1/2 years with the dogs and their parents are simply priceless. We love seeing the enthusiastic wagging tails in the morning as they pull Mom or Dad through the door. Having a particularly cute story about your dog’s new girlfriend or how they took a swim in the water bowls is always a treat.

The fact that our top source of new clients is referral from current ones is a compliment we do not overlook. Talk about having something to be thankful for.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!