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!!!