dogs

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Small Business Saturday — This holiday weekend, in addition to today’s traditional Black Friday shopping bonanza, Arlington residents will be able to participate in “Arlington Small Business Saturday.” The day encourages Arlingtonians to shop and dine at small, local businesses this weekend. “Your favorite retail, dining and online small businesses are participating and providing discounts or incentives on a variety of products and services,” according to organizers.

Retirement Ceremony for Therapy Dog — Bailey, a therapy dog at the Capital Hospice Halquist Center near Virginia Hospital Center, is retiring after 10 years of service to those who have life-limiting illnesses. A private retirement ceremony will be held for Bailey, a golden retriever, at the hospice center on Monday night. “Cider, special Goldrush brownies and dog treats will be served,” according to an online invitation.

Library Recovers from Database Crash — The electronic catalog and accounts system for Arlington Public Library and Arlington Public Schools is back up and running after crashing last Friday. “We are very pleased to report that our system is back online, along with research databases, and that most if not all data feared lost has been recovered and restored,” the library said on its web site. “Your privacy was never compromised. We are taking steps to prevent such an outage from happening again.” [Arlington Public Library]

Homeless Navy Vet Gets Apartment — Ernest Maas, a 61-year-old Navy veteran, is giving thanks this Thanksgiving weekend for the roof over his head. Maas got the keys to a new apartment in Arlington on Wednesday after spending the past three years homeless and living in the woods around Four Mile Run. The new apartment was coordinated by the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network. [WJLA]

Arlington Hotels: Tax Us, Please — The Hotel General Managers’ Committee of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Arlington Tourism Coalition are hoping to lobby the Virginia General Assembly to reinstate the county’s hotel tax surcharge. The 0.25 percent tax on hotel rooms in Arlington generated nearly $1 million per year that went to tourism promotion efforts. State lawmakers declined to renew the tax last year in retaliation for Arlington’s fight against HOT lanes on I-395. [Sun Gazette]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Paws to Read Coming to Cherrydale — Paws to Read, a program that allows children to practice their reading skills by reading books aloud to dogs, is making its debut at the Cherrydale Branch Library next month. The ‘Paws’ dogs will be at Cherrydale the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 10 and for one Saturday each month afterward. The program is intended for children from K-5. [Arlington Public Library]

Controversy for Fmr. Arlington Official — Former Arlington Deputy County Manager Kenneth Chandler has resigned as City Manager of Portsmouth, Va. The resignation came as the city council was preparing to fire him for the bungling of the resignation of the city’s former fire chief. [Virginian-Pilot]

Resident Pens Va. Tech Cookbook — Krista Gallagher, a Pentagon City resident, has co-written a recently-published cookbook for Virginia Tech alumni. The book, “A Taste of Virginia Tech,” compiles recipes from various restaurants around Blacksburg. Gallagher will participate in a book signing event at Bailey’s Pub and Grille in Ballston (4238 Wilson Blvd) at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8, before the nationally-televised Virginia Tech-Florida State football game. [A Taste of Virginia Tech]

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

Halloween Goes to the Dogs in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:20 p.m.) Halloween is just over two weeks away. If you have kids, that means it’s probably time to start picking out their costume for the big day. If you have a dog (or dogs) — well, you should probably start picking out their costume, too.

At least three events are planned in Arlington for those who want to celebrate Halloween with their favorite four-legged friend.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, Arlington-based Doorways for Women and Families will hold its 2nd annual Howl-O-Ween Dog Walk for the Homeless. The event is being held at Big Walnut Park (1915 N. Harrison Street).

“Bring your dogs dressed in their ‘Howl-O-Ween’ finest for a mini-walk to support Doorways for Women and Families,” the organization said of the event. “All human participants will help Doorways to reach our walker goal for the Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon, while our animal participants will get the chance to compete for prizes from local pet store merchants, including Unleashed by Petco, Weber’s Pet Supermarket, Kissable Canine and Dogma Bakery! Treats (both canine and human) will be provided for all attendees!”

On Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., PetMAC in Virginia Square (822 N. Kenmore Street) will be holding a “Doggy Halloween Party.” The event will feature “treats (for our 2 and 4 legged friends) and other refreshments, games, photos, costume contests and special store discounts,” according to the pet store.

Also on Oct. 30, Dogma Bakery and Boutique (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) will be hosting its annual Dog Trick or Treat through Shirlington Village. The trick or treating will take place from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Photo via Doorways for Women and Families

AWLA Seeks Information on Severely Injured Puppy

By ARLnow.com

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington’s Animal Control Department is seeking information about an injured puppy.

The AWLA says the 4-6 week old Boxer puppy was found yesterday, Sept. 27, on the 400 block of N. Oakland Street, in the Ashton Heights neighborhood. The puppy was “very sick and severely injured,” the organization said.

Citing an ongoing investigation, AWLA Chief Operating Officer Susan Sherman declined to release details about the nature of the puppy’s injuries.

Anyone with information about the puppy is asked to call Animal Control at 703-931-9241.

File photo of three-month-old Boxer puppy by Almcwilliams via Wikipedia

Pooch on the Loose Surprises Library Visitors

By Katie Pyzyk

Scampering and whimpers could be heard among the books at Central Library on Saturday (September 15), when a lost dog ended up inside the confines of the building.

Library assistant Thinh Vu said he was preparing the building for closing, which was just a few minutes away, when he heard a commotion coming from the book store area. At first, he thought it might be a service dog, but he quickly saw that the six pound chihuahua was simply running loose.

“I thought, great, this is last thing I need during closing time,” Vu said. “I have a dog, I love dogs. It was cute, but it shouldn’t be in the library.”

Typically, dogs and other pets aren’t allowed at the library unless they are service animals or part of the “Paws-to-Read” program. When librarians tried to find the owner by making an announcement about the loose dog and nobody came forward, they realized this dog likely was not intentionally brought in. They noticed it didn’t have a collar and figured it was a stray that somehow found its way into the building.

That’s actually partially the case. The dog — named Bella — and her owners had been visiting Arlington resident Melanie Domres last weekend. While the humans were out for a bit, Bella used the dog door on Melanie’s home to get into the backyard, managed to squeeze under the fence of Melanie’s home near Quincy Park, and squeezed under a neighbor’s fence. Bella then apparently took off on a jaunt through the neighborhood, though it’s unclear exactly how she wound up in the middle of the library.

“Bella’s eight-year-old owner was in tears,” Domres said. “We were worried because she doesn’t live in an area with busy streets, so she may have panicked. The worst feeling, even worse than losing your own dog, is losing someone else’s dog.”

While Domres and her guests scoured the neighborhood, library staff tried picking up the pooch, but she was frightened and continued to run around the auditorium area. Bella then headed for the children’s section, where one of the librarians succeeding in picking her up and calming her down.

“Perhaps she was a dog whisperer, because the dog was very content in her arms,” Vu said.

The dog was then kept in the lobby area until an animal welfare worker arrived. Librarian Kate Oberg says Bella looked awfully lonely all by herself, so Oberg decided to read her some dog themed books like “Harry the Dirty Dog.”

“She looked like she needed entertainment so I went and grabbed a couple of books, but she wasn’t even paying attention,” Oberg said. “She didn’t bark, was very well behaved and very cute.”

An animal welfare worker arrived on the scene quickly to claim the dog. After searching for more than an hour, Domres and her guests called Arlington County Animal Control and they said they had Bella. The six-year-old pooch was soon reunited with her owners, safe and sound.

“Judging by the pictures, Bella did not seem to be distressed at all,” said Domres. “I think she actually had fun on her adventure. Her owners definitely got a kick out of her ending up in the library.”

Domres said Bella and her owners will definitely be back to the neighborhood for future visits. However, the yard has been better secured to accommodate such a small dog. Domres said her dogs are larger, and she didn’t anticipate Bella’s ability to shimmy through tight spaces.

“Now we examined her escape route,” she said. “A small animal like that is a whole different ball of wax.”

In a thank you note to library staff, Domres wrote: “Perhaps she [Bella] felt the reading choices in my home were not sufficient to her tastes, or perhaps she recognized a friendly and safe place when she saw one. So please accept her owners’ and my thanks for taking her in and making sure she found her way to animal control, where we picked her up after giving them a call.”

Library staff is just happy Bella was safely reunited with her family, without even causing any damage to the library.

“I’m just glad it had a happy ending,” said Vu. “Luckily, they were able to find the owner.”

Photos courtesy Arlington Public Library

Volunteer Opps: Dogtober Day, Arabic Speakers

By ARLnow.com

There are several interesting volunteer opportunities available around Arlington in the coming weeks. Among them:

Dogtober Day — The annual Dogtober Day event will be held at Lacey Woods Park (1200 N. George Mason Drive) on Saturday, October 6. Volunteers are needed from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to set up and break down, register participants, hand out prizes and help with dog games. For more information, contact Hadyn Kihm at 703-228-4724.

Language Teachers — Native Arabic speakers are wanted to lead a conversation group at the Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street). The ideal candidates should be able to speak Arabic clearly and correctly, have an interest in meeting new people and be able to work both independently and as part of a team. Training will be provided. The sessions are tentatively scheduled for Saturdays from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., but could be changed to accommodate the group leader. Anyone interested can fill out the volunteer application online. Questions can be directed to Barbara Dean at 703-228-7688.

For more information about these or other opportunities, visit the Volunteer Arlington website.

Shirlington to Host ‘Wags n’ Whiskers’ This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Hundreds pet lovers are expected to flock to Shirlington this weekend of the fifth annual “Wags n’ Whiskers” event.

Wags n’ Whiskers, which is taking place at the Village at Shirlington on Campbell Avenue, is described as a “community-oriented event for animal enthusiasts and their four-legged friends.” The event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“The afternoon animal extravaganza will feature pet adoptions from local shelters, pet contests, demonstrations, exhibitions, pet portrait photos, live music, and children’s activities including face painting, balloon animals and more,” according to a press release. “The merchants at Village at Shirlington will also host in-store specials, promotions and free giveaways.”

In addition to specials at Shirlington Village merchants, like Dogma Bakery and Ah Love Oil and Vinegar (which will have a booth handing out olive oil dog treats and demonstrating “methods of pet care using extra virgin olive oil”), a number of exhibitors will be on hand at the event.

Those exhibitors include Arlington Welfare League of Arlington, Barkley Square Pets, Caring Hands Animal Hospital, Dog Paws n Cat Claws Pet Care, Fetch! Pet Care, Fur-Get Me Not, Helping Hands Affordable Veterinary Surgery and Dental Care, The Mid-Atlantic Chinese Shar-Pei Rescue Operation, Inc., Nova Mobile Vet and NOVADog Magazine.

Courtesy photos

 

Rosslyn ‘Coyote’ Likely Not A Coyote At All

By Aaron Kraut

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Area wildlife experts are warning area homeowners to keep their pets inside at night after a couple of recent coyote attacks — including an attack at Daniels Run Park in the City of Fairfax on Monday.

Arlington is no stranger to the predatory canines, which have easily adapted to surburban and urban environments across the country. After years of reports of sightings, county naturalists in April confirmed their existence with video from Potomac Overlook Regional Park.

But naturalists are discounting the threat from a coyote-like animal that some residents have caught on camera around the Rosslyn area.

Last week reader Katherine Doty emailed us with a photo of the canine (above), which shows it with a bird in its mouth near the Iwo Jima memorial. Another reader sent in the photos below of what appear to be the same animal around 9:00 a.m. today (Friday) on Route 50 near Rosslyn.

“Some other pedestrians and I think it was a coyote,” the tipster wrote.

The animal, however, is very likely a dog (or a fox) and not a coyote, according to county naturalist Christina Yacobi.

“That is not a coyote,” Yacobi said last week after taking a look at Doty’s photo. “That’s a really long tail for a coyote and coyotes have tails that are really bushy. They looked like they are dipped in ink. And they don’t have that long, pointy snout and those big, giant ears.”

Yacobi said it reminded her of a dog resembling an Ibizan hound or Pharaoh hound that went missing four years ago from a family traveling at Dulles Airport. Yacobi volunteered in the search effort.

Naturalists also say that spotting a coyote out in a populated area in the middle of the day is quite unlikely.

“Coyotes are very good at avoiding people, so residents shouldn’t be overly concerned,” Long Branch Nature Center naturalist Cliff Fairweather said in April. “The key is for residents not to feed them or encourage them not to be afraid of people. The longer they are afraid of people, the better it will be for coyotes and people.”

For a comparison, another shot from this morning near Route 50 and a file photo of a coyote (via Wikipedia) can be found below.

 

Arlington Dog Daycare Moving To Falls Church

By Aaron Kraut

Dog Paws ‘n Cat Claws dog daycare (940 S. George Mason Drive) is moving out of Arlington.

The move, to a bigger space at 5818 Seminary Road in Falls Church, will allow the five-year-old business to serve as a dedicated pet adoption center, says owner Ryan Folcher.

The current space, just off of Columbia Pike, allows only for standalone pet adoption events, said Folcher, who also cited concerns about Arlington County’s move away from the type of light industrial zoning his business uses.

“We want to kind of reconstruct the building. But I don’t have the money or time to do that and risk that Arlington just says, ‘No, we’re not going to approve it,'” Folcher said. “The only thing that is zoned for Arlington is high-rise apartments and condos. I was interested in staying but my business model really can’t adopt. Financially, I just need to let the business evolve and that’s not where it’s going to happen.”

Daycare manager Lisa Niel said the current space holds between 50 and 60 dogs a day. Folcher and another employee showed off the new 7,400-square-foot daycare and retail store to clients in an open house on Sunday.

“We’ve already heard feedback from clients dropping off dogs that they love the new space,” Niel said. “We think it will broaden our client base into Alexandria, Bailey’s Crossroads and Fairfax.”

Folcher also cited Arlington County signage restrictions as an issue. Last year, the county told him he could not post temporary signage advertising holiday sales.

He hopes to have the new location ready to open by late August.

Crystal City To Host Dog-Friendly Beer Festival

By Aaron Kraut

Crystal City will be hosting an event this fall geared to lovers of both dogs and beer.

The inaugural “Pups and Pilsners” outdoor beer festival will be held on Sept. 23. The Crystal City Business Improvement District and Washington Wine Academy is stocking the event, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 1405 Crystal Drive, with a beer garden of 10 craft brews and food from Crystal City restaurants.

Entry to the “dog-friendly festival” is free — and bringing Fido is optional. The beer garden will cost you, though. Tickets will be available at washingtonwineacademy.org.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Event: ‘Dog Days of Summer’ Walk and Yappy Hour

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington Food Assistance Center’s Young Professionals Committee will be holding its second annual “Dog Days of Summer” dog walk and yappy hour fundraiser on Wednesday (July 18).

The event, which will benefit AFAC’s efforts to fight hunger, will take place after work in Clarendon.

Young professionals are invited to bring their dogs — and a $5 donation — to the (now closed) James Hunter dog park at the corner of  N. Herndon Street and 13th Street around 6:00 p.m. The walk will start at 6:30 p.m., will wind through the residential neighborhoods around Clarendon, and will end by 7:30 p.m. with a “yappy hour” on the patio at Mexicali Blues (2933 Wilson Blvd).

Those without dogs are welcome to participate — and perhaps even adopt a pooch of their own.

“Although this is a dog walk event, walkers do NOT have to have a dog to participate,” organizers said in an email. “Volunteers from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington will… join the walk with dogs in need of loving homes.”

Those interested in participating are asked to RSVP to [email protected].

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