Tonight’s in-store social at Bark & Fitz Westboro is cancelled since no-one registered for this club. Please note that in order for us to host these dog socials, we must have our members register via email. This is the only way that we can group dogs according to their size & needs. For more info write to Stella Social at barkinwestboro@gmail.com

Our Dog Social Registry is growing as quickly as the snow is melting! Stella our Dog Social Clubs president, was and still is in dire need of socialization with other dogs and ‘their people’. Because of her small size, she is not confident around other dogs (especially the bigger ones). She tends to get defensive and snarly which is not good as ‘her people’ own the Bark & Fitz Westboro franchise.

Hence this is why the dog socials were born and why we felt that they needed to be reborn. Stella is now 5 years old and still needs to keep up with her social skills. Whether your dog is a social butterfly or not, belonging to our social club is beneficial for both you and your dog.

Your well behaved dog can gain confidence while modelling appropriate behaviour. Socialization in an indoor setting stimulates their brain in a different way that provides them with another form of exercise. Dogs with ‘issues’ get to deal with understanding dog people who willingly provide patience and tolerance. It’s always amazing to see the end result of an hour spent with calm and assertive people who care about the well being of their dogs and see how it reflects on others. Proceeds from the $5 attendance fee goes to B.A.R.K. rescue, a ‘no-kill’ animal rescue group that is very deserving of our support.

We are still accepting registrations. If no size or breed appropriate club exists, Stella will form one for you. Send Stella your name & email, dog’s name, breed description, month & year of birth, food your feeding & favourite treats to: barkinwestboro@gmail.com

April Socials

Fab Labs & Retrievers: Wednesday April 6th
Danes & Dogs who are Great: Thursday April 7th
Small Breed Pups: Tuesday April 12th
Medium Combo: Wednesday April 13th
Small Fries: Tuesday April 19th
Large Breed Pups: Wednesday April 20th
Smug Pugs: Tuesday April 26th
Stella Social for Doxies: Wednesday April 27th

Back by popular demand are the Dog Social Clubs with Bark & Fitz Westboro. We’re planning a few March in-door socials as we continue to plow through the winter weather. Westboro in-store dog socials are designed for dogs to hang out with dogs of similar breed or size under the watchful eye of their owners. Our in-store socials are held on weekday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Taste testing our gourmet food and treats for our canine club members is provided, sniff and play time is a given. Special guests, toy of the month promo, birthday photo booth and $5 nailclips for B.A.R.K. rescue  just to name a few of the activities that we are planning on having.

To register with our Dog Social Clubs, email Stella Social at barkinwestboro@gmail.com with your name, dog’s name, breed description, month & year of birth, along with their favourite treat & food. Stella will write back with what Social Club your dog belongs to and when the next social is. In-door socials at the store are $5 per family. Proceeds will be donated to B.A.R.K. rescue and will include the nailclip, treat & food tasting .

MARCH DOG SOCIALS

• *Danes who are Great~Wed. March 9th* 
• *Medium Combos (25 to 50lbs)~ Wed March 16th*  
• *Small Breed Puppies~ Thu March 17th*  
• *Smug Pugs~ Tue March 22nd*
• *Terriers from Boston & other places~ Thu March 24th*
• *Stella Social for Doxies~ Mon March 28th*
• *Small Fries (under 25lbs)~ Tue March 29th*
• *Large Breed Puppies~ Wed March 30th*

Thanks to all who participated as well as everyone who voted!

And the winners are…

Dog and Master

Haley and her Master as The Fisherman and the Lobster

Large Dog

Sage the Chia Pet

Medium Dog

Winston and Lola as The Frog and the Princess

Small Dog

Fedik as a beaver

Congratulations to all who won! Contact Bark and Fitz in Kanata to claim your prizes!!

I’ve mentioned here before at how much energy Paddington has. She is a Morkie, which means she is half Yorkie so she has more energy than you ever thought a dog her size could have. We were searching for ways to decrease her energy level and once we tried out the dog backpack – we were hooked!

Paddington wears her backpack like it’s her job. We put in some small rocks into each side to weigh her down and make her work more and it’s also a great way not to have to carry the poo bags around – Paddington carries the bag in her backpack!

When we first got the pack, I was worried that Paddington wouldn’t be able to move too well in it and we were proved VERY wrong. She runs like crazy and it doesn’t hinder her movement at all.

I made a quick video at Bruce Pit to demonstrate how much Paddy loves her pack. Please forgive the wobblyness and the orientation of the video as I shot it with my phone.

Paddington LOVES her backpack. We only use it when we go walking so she knows as soon as we get it out, we are going somewhere fun.

When you first start using the pack with your dog, just get him or her to wear the pack empty, and after a while you can add things to weigh it down. If you have a larger dog, instead of rocks you can try filling a water bottle a little bit and placing it on each side to add some extra weight. Make sure to increase the weight gradually and not to get the load too heavy!

The backpack Paddington has is by Ruff Wear and is available at Bark & Fitz Kanata and Westboro. It is available in the awesome green that Paddington wears so fabulously, or a really nice ice blue.