Heading to MY NEW HOME!!!!

chicago, here we come!!!!

so, my uncle matt, my mom, and i left denver today! riding in matt's rv is pretty cool because i have some room to wander around. i'd have more if mom didn't have so much ca-rap... but it's still cool. we stopped at a motel in lincoln, nebraska for the night and will head out first thing in the morning. and what happens tomorrow? we all get to finallllllly meet debbi tibbles and jen!!!! so far, so good, my friends. so far, sooooooooo good. *lick lick*

i'm off to dreamland!

Chicago, Here I Come!

it's been pretty slow in shop dog's world... definitely a LOT easier to be a doggy customer when it's warm outside. but i'm about to have a whoooole new world of businesses to explore, because we're hitting the road!

it's true, it's true! i'm moving to chicago on tuesday, and my mom is working on opening our own shop in the spring. we'll be chronicling the journey, so keep your eyes peeled... fun is to be had in the big city... woof!

happy, happy new year! see ya' soon! *lick lick*

Falling Leaves, Frolicking Pups

My Top Three Celebrity Dog Crushes

i might be a dog, but i'm still a girl! sometimes i just like to curl up in front of the tv with a fresh bowl of water and a bully stick and dream about what life would be like with one of these doggy dreamboats...

snoopy! adorable! an oldie-but-goody! snoopy has been making people happy for years, and he sure loves that gang o' kids. plus he's really sweet with cute little woodstock! i'd imagine that snoopy would make a good husband...

eddie from "frasier". what a cutie! so much energy! woof! he's such a feisty little prankster, too, and i love that he steals every scene he's in. he's also a good, loyal companion, which is a great quality in anyone. *sigh*

and (drum roll, please!) my number one crush: brian from family guy. i love him because- like me- he thinks he's human, but he acts like a dog when it's necessary (i.e. around other dogs). and i love smart, funny men. err, dogs. men. dogs. ???

excuse me, i need to go wash my hair...

A Day in the Life of a Shop Dog

being the "doggy in the window"...

sometimes i lay in strange positions... but they are very comfortable to me...

me and hula hoop expert, krystal, and her bike expert boyfriend, zach. they are awesome.

this is me and joanne, a reiki master. she has good vibes.

me and santos, a regular customer... and very handsome boy.

being the shop dog at moondance is pretty simple. i need to be well-behaved, cute, and attentive to customers when they seem like they want some boo love. right? right. between customers, i do a lot of napping. and sitting in the window watching the other dogs walk by. and sitting in the doorway, ready to greet the ups man. one time a lady left the door wide open right when a dog was walking by and i got so excited that i ran right out and ended up in the middle of the traffic on 6th avenue. uh oh. the nice man scooped me up and took me to safety, but not before my mom's heart stopped. oops. now we have a sign on the door asking people to be careful when opening AND closing the door. it's not that i'm a bad dog, i just get really excited!

anyway, the next time you're at 6th and corona, stop in to moondance and say hi!

I've Got the Perfect Goo for Any Boo Boo!

the first in the shop dog boo product line has officially hit the shelves- boo boo goo paw salve! it's the perfect potion for sore paws or any little skin abrasions. my mom makes it with herb-infused oils, so it's really healing and works really fast. it feels good and smells good, too!

boo boo goo is available at moondance botanicals- of course!- but also at a really awesome pet shop on 11th and cherokee in the golden triangle called 'earthlings planet-friendly pet care'. it's owned by super sweet lindsay, and it's right next to the space where tonja had the original moondance shop! lindsay carries lots of healthy pet food, and has THE most delicious bones and treats in all the land.

in addition to boo boo goo, look for boo boo voodoo dogs (reverse voodoo!), flower remedies, and calming spritzers. *rubbing paws together* bwah ha haaaaaaaaaaaa!

Shave Me, Baby, One More Time!

(to the tune of- you guessed it- "baby one more time" by britney spears)

"oh, boo boo, baby!

oh, boo boo, baby!

oh, boo boo, baby!

"oh, boo boo, baby,

you're just such a dirty mess,

your fluffy is all matted!

oh, boo boo, baby,

the groomer is happ'nin' next...

you'll feel so great, i promise!

"show me how you want it to be,

tell me, boo boo,

'cuz i want to know now, off we go!

"your dirtiness is killing me,

i must confess, it's all my fault... need to brush!

when i see those dreads i lose my mind!

you'll look so fine,

let's shave you, boo boo, one more time!"

this is what my mom sang to me last monday morning- don't worry, she wasn't dressed in a catholic school girl uniform (at least not this time...). she called the wag shop and deidre was SO accommodating! mom dropped me off on the way to moondance- it's a block and a half away! hellllllooooo!- and i liked the place immediately. she talked to my mom for a while, trying to figure out what i needed, and then she whisked me away before i could get upset that i was being left behind... clever! the wag shop is cage-free, so i got to run around and play with the other dogs while i was waiting my turn. i like that. a lot.

well, deidre had to cut off ALL my fluff, as i had feared. but, she was very gentle. AND she gave me a faux hawk! ha! my auntie pam calls it my faux hump, which is probably more correct. but it's pretty cool, i like it!

honestly, what dog likes getting groomed, right? but when your time comes- and it always does!- the wag shop is a great place to go! deidre does an amazing job, she's super sweet, and it's a fun place to hang out! i give the wag shop two big paws up! thanks, deidre!

15Minutes Rocks DOES Rock!

our friend, samuel is an amazing creative genius. period, end of story. he finds disgarded decorative objects (i.e. chotchkes) and gives them a new and better (more glamorous!) life by painting them vibrant colors- he even uses repurposed house paint! he layers and layers the paint until the little abandoned pieces look like brand spanking new pieces of art! check out his website! http://15minutesrocks.com.

over the fourth of july, samuel and some of his friends shared a tent at a festival on colfax, and i walked over to check it all out. such cool stuff! i got excited, so my mom had to keep me on a pretty tight leash (i'm a puppy, what can i say?!), but i still managed to have fun. my favorite thing of samuel's was the green kitty piggy bank. sooooo cute! it didn't even try to run away from me when i started barking! there was also a pink bull and a couple of birds i would have liked to chase... samuel also has his repurposed star trek jewelry over at fabric lab. he's totally geek chic! because i'm a rescue dog, i could be considered "repurposed", right? so i give samuel all four paws up! i love him!

when he's not working on his own projects, samuel is the manager of our friend, jennifer's, incredible dog-friendly design store - composition. when she lived here, her dog, abby, was the shop dog! my mom has a bunch of fun, unique jewelry and bags from there; she's been a big fan for years. it's in belmar now, so i haven't been there yet, but, of course, i give it two paws up!

next time you're looking for a unique and artistic gift, don't forget about samuel! between 15minutes and composition, you're gonna find something purrrrrfect!

Renaissance Aveda Spaaaaah and Salon in the Hotel Monaco

the life of a dog seems easy and sweet,

a nap here, a nap there, a trick and a treat.

but oh, don't you know there's work to be done!

it's not all just relaxing in the afternoon sun!  

there are squirrels and birds that need to be chased,

and big mean old dogs that must sometimes be faced.

a walk in the park is a workout for me,

my legs are quite tiny, so i make up with speed.

so sometimes my muscles get tired and sore,

and those times there's nothing that i adore more,

than strolling downtown to hotel monaco,

and the aveda salon where the beautiful go!

it's owned by our friend, the sweetest sweet, carrie,

and jessica works there, AND lisa, so merry!

the hotel monaco loves everyone's pets,

and the renaissance spa and salon always gets,

people just strolling around with their dogs,

and they're nice and they're cool and give water for jogs!

i can walk in the spa and say hi to my friends,

and if lisa's not busy, she'll massage my sore ends!

and my middle, of course, my round little tummy,

that gets hungry for treats, and they have 'em, so yummy!

so if you're coming to denver and can't leave your pet,

come to the hotel monaco and and at the spa you will get,

the best beauty treatments in all of downtown,

my friends are the BEST of the best, hands (paws) down!

renaissance aveda spa and salon gets two HUGE paws up!  go there and visit our friends!  the best facials, massages, and salon services in town!  

Dazbog for Da Dog!

i like the smell of coffee.  i do.  whenever my mom makes some at the house, i like to sit in the kitchen and just sniff away.  she won't give me any, of course, but if i hop up and give her a smooch on the lips right after she takes a sip, i can get a little taste!  aha!  well, of course we run out of coffee all the time, so when that happens, we walk over to our wonderful coffee shop down the street- dazbog.  

dazbog is on 12th and clayton and has an awesome tree-covered patio.  there are always dogs there, so i don't mind being tied up out front!  my mom can see me from the counter, so that's good, too.  she says the coffee is amazing and, of course, everyone there is really nice.  and cute! they have fruit and yogurt, too, which i love.  it's a great place for me and my mom to hang out and work because they have wi-fi, and the people watching ain't so bad, either.  :)

dazbog gets two big (and wired!) paws up!   see ya' there!

My Mama Loves Pappa's!

my mom is a whole foods freak.  she loves it, buys almost all of our groceries there.  the only bad thing about it is there's no place within eyeshot for me to be tied up. they seem really nice, they even have a sign on the patio that says to let them know your doggy is outside and they will bring a treat, but my mom is too much of a freak to let me out of her sight.  anyway...

fortunately, we have a sweet family-owned little grocery store right down the street!  pappa's is on 12th, just east of elizabeth, and the people who work there are THE nicest!  we started going in there when we could run out eggs, but they have a lot of great staples and some fun deli food! they also have a great variety of cold beverages, which we plan on taking advantage of this summer.  AND they even have a post office in the back! bonus!

but the best thing about pappa's is that there is a place to tie me up right by the front door.   after my mom walks in, i sometimes start to get a little nervous, and whomever is working the front counter always catches my eye and makes me feel better.   it's a small place so mom can get in and out really quickly, and always feels safe about leaving me outside.  

we love our little grocery store and give it two paws up!  

It's Greek for Me!

my mom and i live close to the strip of shops and restaurants on 12th avenue, just a couple blocks east of york, and my new favorite place is chef zorba's greek restaurant!   yummmmm!

they have a patio, of course, so we can sit outside and have breakfast or a glass of wine and appetizers in the afternoon.   i love the waitresses there, they are always so nice!  and they are always really, really busy and running around like crazy.   it's a great neighborhood place; it seems like "cheers" sometimes.  we haven't been there enough for them to know our names, although you'd think they'd remember ME!  ;)   when we're getting take out, my mom ties me up right by the door since i can't walk in.  she won't leave me just anywhere, she has to feel safe and be able to see me from wherever she is.  there are always people on the patio, so i have someone to talk to while she's paying.  sometimes people stop and pet me and tell me i look just like a lamb.   i really need to learn how to baaaaaah...!

for having some of my favorite food to beg for (lamb kabobs!  yum!) and for being so convenient, i give chef zorba's two paws up!  

I'm Not Vegan, But I LOVE Ahimsa Footwear!

ahimsa footwear is one of those cute places you see when you're speeding down park (bark?!) avenue, and think "i should really check that out".  it's in a sweet little house, and, because it has only vegan products, it's intriguing! even though i enjoy chomping on some beef every once in a while, i have to respect their philosophy to do no harm to animals! 

well, when my mom and i were walking downtown yesterday, we happened past and decided to check it out.   my mom peeked in the door and informed the man behind the counter that she had a dog and asked if it was okay, and he said "of course!".   we liked it already!  

my mom commented that she had never seen me so comfortable in a retail store, and i guess that was true!  the nice man's name is phil, and he gave me a treat (vegan, of course... and delicious!) right away, so, of course i loved him!  he was also just very sweet.  my mom was drooling over a rust-colored tote bag that was made of glazed fabric, so i will have to keep that in mind for her upcoming birthday.  they had lots of really cute bags and belts and shoes that i would love to chew on!  i have a feeling that we'll return when we're in a position to carry a bunch of things home.  it's actually close to where we live, so...  we'll be baaaaaaaaaaack!

we think phil's wife owns the store and we will be excited to meet her, too!  i give ahimsa footwear two paws up!! gotta love that they respect animals so much!  and our friend, phil, is awesome!!!

I'm Always Jonesin' for Jonesy's!

we've been hearing about jonesy's for quite a while- a friend of my mom's works there- and we kept seeing it while we were driving past to go to wahoo's fish tacos (because it's really hard to NOT go to wahoo's!).  well, we finally decided to make it a destination last monday, and we are SO glad we did!   

first of all, they have a really cute little patio where i can hang out.  it's on the logan side of the building, so it's good for people watching- and for me to sit and get attention from passersby! hellllllooooooo!  there's a community doggy water bowl- which i don't usually get to drink from because my mom thinks the water is always too dirty- but this one was filled with cold, fresh water. that was a good sign!  the waitress who came out to greet us was SO nice and verrrrrrry welcoming!  we were there with aunt tonja and clary, so she had a dog AND a kid to deal with, and she was just delightful!  she looked all of us directly in the eye when speaking to us (including me and clary) and always made sure that each of us had everything we needed.  tonja and mom were impressed with the compact wine list as well as the menu.  they ordered truffle fries right off the bat and... well... i don't think i've had (i.e. begged for) anything more delicious! my mom gave me one because i was so curious, but it was so good that i couldn't help myself from barking for more!  i got one or two more, but that was all i could scam.  so i just relaxed and hung out on the sidewalk while everyone ELSE ate truffle fries. and lamb sliders.  and thai beef salad. i didn't think that was so fair, but... what can i do?!   it's a dog's life!

welllllll, right after the food arrived, so did the rain! torrential, scary rain, complete with lightning and thunder!  we had to race inside for a little bit, because we weren't quite finished, and were able to walk right in. our wonderful waitress took care of moving everything and the manager made sure we could be accommodated in the booth right next to the door.  i was glad i didn't have to sit outside in the pouring rain while everyone else finished up, so i was careful to stay put.   i might have begged a little bit, but i'm not really admitting anything... !!

i give jonesy's two HUGE paws up!  my mom and i have never felt more welcomed anywhere in denver!  thanks to jonesy's and their amazing staff!  if they could make a doggy version of truffle fries... aaaaaaaaahhhhh!  that would be SO great!!!  i'll keep my paws crossed...!

Joy (Wine and Spirits) to the World!

i love wine.  wine wine wine!  thankfully, just a short two-block stroll from moondance botanicals, is joy wine and spirits!  i feel much joy when i walk in the store, because the staff is SO friendly! and knowledgeable and upbeat (must be all that joy...), AND i alllllllwaaaaaaays get a biscuit when my mom is at the counter paying.  always.  :)  my mom loves the "boutique-y" feel of the store because it's easy to find the perfect wine in a snap.  and she thinks they carry a great selection of varietals, regions AND price points.  i don't know what any of that means, but when i manage to sneak a sip of whatever she gets, it's always yummy...  

one time i walked in to the store and thought the runner in the front was a patch of grass, so i started peeing... oops!  my mom was really embarrassed and asked if she could clean it up, but the nice guy who was working insisted that it was no big deal and didn't even get upset.  phew! now we always make sure that i get a little break before going inside.  what can i say, i'm just a puppy...  ahem...!

joy wine and spirits on 6th and marion gets two BIG paws up!

A Pet's Paradise IS Paradise!!

i know, i know... every pet store lets in dogs!  BUT not every pet store remembers your name, gives you lots of love, and has the best treats everrrrrr!  we love a pet's paradise, on 9th and corona!  the ladies who own it are sooooo awesome!  they also have a really cool metaphysical store next door that i like to cruise around once in a while... and you know how my mom loves all of that stuff...!  we shop at a pet's paradise because it's local, it's owned by women, the selection is great, and the customer service is amazing!   my favorite product is a big ol' bag of natural treats and chews called "hungry dog"; i highly recommend it.  you never know what you're going to get, and some of the pieces are huge, but i manage to devour every single one.  giant hoof?  no problem.  unidentified toe?  love it.  mystery chew?  yummmmm!  

a pet's paradise is a boo's paradise and i give it two paws up!

Yahoo for Wahoo's Fish Tacos!

there's a great uptown place named wahoo's,

whose patio we just love to cruise!

the food is way rockin',

but the margs will be knockin'

the next morning!  oh no!  too much booze!

wahoo's fish tacos is my mom's favorite denver restaurant!  the food is sooooo delicious (i manage a bite myself whenever i can sneak in...!), the margaritas are killlllllller (in more ways than one), the staff is reeeeeeallllllly nice, and they have a fun patio where i can hang out!   we usually go with friends, but if we go by ourselves (since i can't go inside) my mom can call from the patio and they will bring our order to our table!  now that is the ultimate in dog-friendly service!   we go to the one on 20th because it's the closest to our house, but all of the wahoo's are awesome!!!  

i had SO much fun on cinco de mayo with my sister, clary, and my aunties, tonja and jenny!  i love my family!!!

two german shepherd-sized paws up for wahoo's fish tacos!!

Mmmmm... meat! Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard

(to the tune of the theme song of the beloved 70's sitcom)

good times!

any time i need a burger.

good times! 

any time i need meat!

good times!

it's a place out on east colfax,

you walk up they feed ya', two bucks all ya' need, yeah!

the beef is all-natural and yummy,

it's coleman, it's from right 'round here.

doggy friendly, love it!

good times!

they give me biscuits, too, yo',

good times!

ain't we lucky we got 'em!

good tiiiiiiiimes!

Argonaut Loves Dogs!

i've been known to stick my furry face in a glass or two, so my mom needs to keep stocked on our favorite beverage- wine!   just a short one-mile walk from our apartment, argonaut liquors is a weekly (at least!) destination.  we usually walk down colfax to get there, which can be interesting... i'm always getting called strange names by strange people on the street- buddy, sparky, little guy (hellllllooooo, did the pink harness give you a clue?!), kujo... huh?!  i'm getting used to the smell of swisher sweets and body odor... it's just part of the adventure!   all the employees at argonaut stop and pet me as we walk through the store, and i always get a biscuit when we're paying; even the security guards are nice!  it's a big place with wide aisles so i have lots of room to run.  i like that it has tile floors, too...  just in case, i have to... uh... well, you know...!  i love argonaut and give it two BIG paws up!