Dogtopia of Woodbridge, VA Blog

We had over 50 dogs come to visit me here at Dogtopia on Sunday! We celebrated my 2^nd Birthday with dog cupcakes from Organic Doggy Kitchen - YUMMY! Dogs were coming back for seconds and thirds! (And as the birthday boy, I had like, a million!)

We had dogs of all shapes and sizes from a Bull Dog puppy to German Shepherds come to play.

Large Dog/High Energy Playgroup - February 22

In the large dog group, the veterans Molly Doodle (a Boxer), Sidney (a Golden Retriever) and Luca (a yellow Lab) played like old friends! Oh wait, they are old friends! But of course, they made new friends, too - like Libby (a white German Shepherd), Cooper (a German Shorthaired Pointer), Cali (a Vizsla), and Mya (a black Lab) - among others!

Luca, Cooper, and Sidney Having Fun on the Play Equipment

Usually the small dog group is more mellow, but this week Rosie (a Terrier mix), Lily Anne (a Miniture Schnauzer) and Laci (a Cocker Spaniel) kept things lively! As the two of them come to Dogtopia for daycare, they showed all the new dogs how to run laps, jump on the play equipment and chase balls. Of course, they also taught the new dogs that you have to check in with your parents often for a pat on the head and a kiss!

Small Dog/Low Energy Playgroup - February 22

Some of the reserved little dogs like Wesley (a miniature Poodle) were kept company by a few large yet low-key, relaxed big dogs like Sophie (a big, fluffy Chow) and Tara (a chocolate Lab) showing that size doesn’t matter when it comes to canine companionship!

One thing that the two playgroups definitely had in common was everyone was tuckered out when they left!

My mom had so much fun playing with all the new dogs and meeting their owners that she decided to host two playgroups in March! Sunday, March 8^th and Sunday, March 29^th  (Large dogs/high energy 11-1, small dogs/low energy 1-3)- tell your friends! The more the merrier! 

This blog entry is in memory of Becket…….
Becket was a favorite of both staff and other dogs; he joined us every day.
He played with big dogs and little dogs, it didn’t matter!
He will forever be in our hearts.

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The Gym

We hadn’t seen Thinstripe (a Lab) or Tuesday (a Vizsla/Whippet Mix) or recently, but when they showed up to play on Wednesday, they didn’t take long to remember how much they love running around with all their friends at Dogtopia! It was so nice to see them again.

Axl and Granite are an unlikely pair, but that didn’t stop them from snoozing together on the play equipment. (Sleeping on the play equipment? Those crazy dogs!) Axl is an English bull dog and Granite is a Great Dane/Lab mix- easily our largest and smallest dog in the Gym today!

Mya, a black Lab, and Sandy S., a yellow Lab, couldn’t stop themselves from playing, even when they had exhausted themselves. They were too tired to stand up and play so they wrestled while both lying on their sides with their legs intertwined!

Granite & Axl Relaxing on the Play Equipment

Who needs a personal trainer? The staff worked on their arm muscles by throwing a ball for Molly S., a yellow Lab, and Max M., a Border collie, all day long!

Meanwhile, Dijon, a Husky, got the crowd howling. Another Husky named Tehya, who never turns down an opportunity to sing for everybody, soon joined in - and before long even the staff were howling, too! Speaking of Huskies, Dijon and Tehya weren’t the only one in the Gym today. They were joined by Annie Rose and Koda! Tehya has so much fun at Dogtopia that she decided to bring her little sister, Zoe with her. Tehya and Zoe, a Catahoula hound, napped together on the play equipment when they were finally worn out.

Plus, my favorite Dalmatian friends joined us today - Kiko and Daisy! They kept the Romper Room buzzing with action!

Daisy & Kiko

Speaking of buzzing with action: put our next playgroup session on your calendars! Our January playgroup was a great success and we’re looking forward to meeting even more new friends in February!

Date: Sunday, February 22, 2009
Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Large dogs/High Energy
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Small dogs/Lower Energy
Cost:$10 for current Dogtopia customers
$15 for all others

For more information, call us at (703) 497-1893.

Large Dog Playgroup

Today we had our first monthly Playgroup since Dogtopia opened back in August! The large dog/high energy group played from 11 am - 1 pm and the small dogs/lower energy group played from 1 - 3 pm.

A whole bunch of dogs showed up to meet new friends and play with old buddies, too! Channel 9 News even showed up to shoot some video of the event! That was so cool. I’m sure Hollywood is going to be calling any minute now to offer me a feature role in a movie! I can just see it now…”Zeke the Super Dog” - in theaters this fall! Get my autograph now!

Molly Doodle and Luca play with a toy

There were close to 20 dogs at the big dog playgroup - Labs, boxers, hounds, golden retrievers, goldendoodles, a German shepherd, a Weimaraner - and some small dogs, too!

There was constant action on the webcam - lots of sniffing, running, climbing on the play equipment, playing fetch. Everyone was having a great time - dogs and owners alike.

Cody and Chance chilling out with their Mom

My mom’s plan is to hold these playgroups once a month. We hope that not only will everyone who came today will come back again next time but that they’ll tell their friends, too! The more the merrier, right? Right! And in the meanwhile, don’t forget that we’re always here for daycare and boarding. We even have a Valentine Special for those people who are going to be traveling February 13-15.

Valentine Special
2-night Stay: Friday morning to Sunday afternoon (pick-up by 2 pm)
* Includes a complimentary spa bath *
$100
Call now for a reservation!

Offer must be mentioned when purchasing and is not retroactive.

Nikki and Danny

Burrrrr….it’s cold outside!  Since my mom gets cold walking me, and there aren’t any dog parks in Prince William County, she came up with a great idea….an indoor dog park!  It’s this Sunday, January 25th 11-1 for large dogs and 1-3 for small dogs!  I can’t wait to play with other dogs and my mom can talk with all the other owners- perfect!  Hope to see you there!

Dogtopia of Woodbrige

14885 Persistence Drive

Woodbridge, VA 22191

Owners must sign a waiver certifying that their dog is up to date on vaccinations and in good health. The fee is $10 for Dogtopia of Woodbridge customers and $15 all others.

Yesterday my mom, Amber, had her busiest day of daycare since opening Dogtopia of Woodbridge - 38 dogs came to play…and 38 dogs were very tired at the end of the day! (Plus me!) I saw lots of my old friends and met some new ones, too. It was a lot of fun.

It seemed to be doubles day in daycare! There were two Huskies, two Boxers, two Golden Retreivers, two Bichons, two Lab puppies, two Golden doodles!

Becket and Rocky Napping

Lucy and Charlie, a pair of brother and sister Golden doodles, were bouncing off the walls - you can tell they just love life! They are very lovable, active dogs and were a joy for their pooch pals to play with.

When Rocky, a yellow lab puppy, got tired he curled up next to Becket, a Golden Retreiver - it’s his favorite place to nap! If you don’t believe me, just read my last blog entry. On his very first day of daycare Rocky cuddled up with Becket, too! Awww…

Annie Rose and Koda wrestled and jumped over the play equipment in true husky style. I think they look forward to Wednesdays when they know each other will be there!

Molly Doodle and Romo Playing

Romo and Molly Doodle - both Boxers - were hilarious! They had the time of their lives playing like only Boxers do!

Fletcher W., a Vizsla, just moved here from Boston and was a bit unsure about all of us new DC-area dogs at first. But he seems to be making friends quickly and I’m starting to think he may give up his hankering for the Red Sox and become a Nationals fan after a day of play at Dogtopia!

The Lab puppies, Sandy (a yellow Lab) and Mya (a black Lab) took over the Romper Room and played all day with Bella (a Corgi mix) and Tucker (a beagle mix).

Max H. Lounging

Max H. found a great spot on top of some crates to watch all the puppies play. Good times were had by all!

Brrrrr - have I mentioned that it’s cold outside? Don’t forget to come to our indoor “dog park” playdate inside at Dogtopia on January 25! We’ll provide the cleanup supplies and your dog gets to play with all of his friends in a comfortable environment.

January Playgroup/Meetup

Date: Sunday, January 25, 2009

Carrie from MPR and Nicole from Dogtopia wash dogs

Today we hosted a fundraising dog wash for Misunderstood Pit Bull Rescue and it was so much fun! Lots of dogs showed up to get a bath and all of them walked away smelling fresh and clean! I supervised from behind the counter as the nice people from the rescue group greeted all of the dogs and their owners and then whisked the canines away into our Spa for some pampering.

Daycare was really busy this afternoon, too! Cooper, a German shorthaired pointer, and Molly, a yellow Lab, kept the staff busy playing fetch over and over…and over…and over! I bet they’re both going to sleep well tonight!

Tater, a black Lab mix, laid on the couch and watched the action from afar - living up to his namesake: being a couch potato!

Chance, a Goldendoodle (that’s a Golden Retriever-Poodle mix!), snuggled up to the staff for some loving. When he wasn’t greeting the other dogs with a polite sniff, he seemed to like nothing better than to be pet! (I know someone else like that: me!)

Two little dogs, DaVinci (a Jack Russell terrier), and Annie (a beagle/whippet mix) started to play together and then the big dogs got excited and started to run around with them, so they had lots of company! The more the merrier, right?

Now I, too, am ready for a good night’s sleep! Hope to see you at daycare soon!

Carrie from MPR and Kristen M. wash Kristen's dog, Murphy Jae

Zeke

Hi everybody!

My name is Zeke. My mom, Amber, owns Dogtopia of Woodbridge!

While I do spend some of my time sleeping behind the front desk (being the official greeter is hard work, you know) I also spend a lot of my time playing in the Gym and the Romper Room with my friends. Today was no exception!

Tehya

My friend Tehya, a husky mix, had been on vacation but she came back ready to play! She and Simon, a Weimaraner, were having a great time together so I ran over to see what Rodney, a boxer, and Axl, a bulldog, were up to. They were playing together and making these funny noises - it was like they were talking in their own secret language! I wouldn’t be surprised. Those are two crazy guys…

Then Simon ran over and introduced himself to Cariad, a hound mix, who’s boarding with us for a few days. They really seemed to hit it off!

Molly S. and Murphy Jae played with balls all day - they have endless energy! Maybe they just don’t appreciate a good nap the way I do.

Granite

Granite, a friendly Great Dane/Labrador Retreiver mix, played with everyone!

Later on, I visited the Romper Room where I found a plethora of puppies! Rocky (a yellow Lab puppy who’s in his first day of daycare), Sandy (another yellow Lab puppy), Mya (a black Lab puppy), and Tucker (a beagle mix puppy) were having a blast together.

Then, I witnessed one of those cutesy moments that just make you say, “Awwww!” Rocky and Sandy curled up with Tara, a chocolate Lab, and Becket, a Golden Retriever who’s in his senior years! How adorable! (Don’t tell the dogs in the Gym that I said that…they’ll think I’ve gone soft on ‘em!)

Cali, a Vizsla, was a busy bee. She checked out every dog and every corner, while Max Hall and Pooka - both cattle dogs - played together.

Every day is like this here at Dogtopia - lots of fun with lots of friends.

I sure am looking forward to the dog washing fundraiser that we’re going to have this Saturday! I hope to see everyone there!

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