WAG-A-LOT

EARTH DAY

2011-04-15T18:23:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite films this past year happens to be a documentry that takes place in the largest trash dump in the world. Artist Vik Muniz employs a group of people, who make their living sorting through trash for recycable items, to create breathtaking art out of this garbage. It is an amazingly layered story that highlights and blurs social class and celebrates human existance in the midst of the garbage we create. Check out this preview link above and see Wasteland. Since our Team subscribes to our slogan ... "Life is short. Live a little, WAG-A-LOT." We will draw attention to many of our Earth friendly products next week by offering discounts on the green products that we sell. Stay tuned for next Wednesday's WAGcast and Twitter. WAG on, Craig and Schmoo

Get Outdoors this Spring ... with your Dog!

2011-04-12T17:54:00.004-04:00

You are probably noticing an extra wag in your dog's tail as our weather warms and our landscape explodes with color! The current edition of Atlanta Magazine explores all the great things you can do "outdoors" in our fair city to enjoy this special time of year in Georgia. Most WAG-A-LOT dogs are in great shape ... thanks to routine play days full of physical exercise and mental stimulation. We encourage you to get out there and enjoy some fresh air and exercise with your canine kids. Before you know it I will be blogging about how to safely handle your dogs in the extreme (often dangerous) heat of HOTlanta. Woof/Best, Schmoo & Craig

Discounted Boarding for "WAGULARS"

2011-01-30T16:01:00.002-05:00

Our WAG Cards (Discounted Prepaid Day Care Packages) have been so popular over the years that we are finally extending this concept to our Overnight Boarding service! Later this week we will unleash the WAGULAR Rewards card. And to kick it off, we are going to be offering an extra discount just to get the party started! Schmoo and I are still working on the finishing touches ... but we are pretty stoked to extend a discount to those of you who treat WAG-A-LOT as practically a second home ... our WAGULARS! Stay tuned.

A Holiday Poem from Team WAG-A-LOT!

2010-12-27T11:02:00.005-05:00

I received the following poem from a WAG Specialist on Christmas Eve. Tammy did an amazing job of capturing the fun, joy and multitude of activities that go into every day shifts at WAG-A-LOT. What a great holiday gift for Schmoo and I ... to know that our TEAM loves what they do so much that they are even moved to get "poetic about it!"

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS AT

WAG-A-LOT

T'was the night before Christmas at WAG-A-LOT Downtown,

The dogs were all barking and playing around.

Dayna & Holly made sure check-ins were complete,

Carlo & Tammy made sure all dogs had plenty to eat.

Jamie did laundry and gave them their meds,

Ivan made sure they all had clean beds.

Rory & Ashley gave baths and made them smell sweet,

Steven & Jamie gave them luches and ice cream treats.

Johnie & Carlo made sure they played all day,

And soon it was time for PM shit to begin their day.

Brian, Jess & Nick did check-ins, name tags and stats,

And all agreed Ivan rocks the ear flap hats.

Doug, Allison, and Deiane played with the dogs all afternoon,

While Candice danced in the yard singing a happy Holiday tune!

Krisin did rubdowns and snuggled them all,

Ivan took the boot camp dogs out to play ball.

After they were all fed and meds had been done,

Kelly & Chandra smiled and said great job everyone!

A final water check & rub down. It's bed time, lights out,

A Merry Christmas for the pups is what we're all about!

Welcome to MOE'S!

2010-12-17T09:09:00.003-05:00

This past weekend dogs hanging out at the WAG-A-LOT Decatur location became stars for a day! The super yummy, successful burrito chain, Moe's Southwest Grill shot a soon to be released commercial in our lobby and grooming room. The location scouts were super impressed with our timeless, fun modern design and thought WAG-A-LOT would make an excellent spot for their new campaign. Hats off to Jennifer-Johnson Hunt, the WAG-A-LOT Decatur WAG Manager, for always keeping our lobby looking fantastic and full of super cool toys, collars, beds, etc and way tasty food, treats and chews!

YOUR DOG MAY BE BUFF BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU?

2010-12-06T13:00:00.004-05:00

You are a brilliant parent! You send your dog to the best day care in town. You occassionaly splurge and treat your k9 kid to a Boot Camp session or spa treatment. And no matter what you only feed them the high protien, all natural dog food that WAG-A-LOT carries.

But what about you? If you are at all like me, you occassionaly forget to care for yourself the same way you care for your dog. Meet Nichole ... my kick ass trainer! She is fantastic and has really hepled me keep some level of personal fitness focus during my first year as a Dad to one human and four canine kids. While she gladly trains men and women, she has a new program for the new year that she is offering to her lady clientel. I think she is pretty awesome and I wanted to pass her Cyber Monday special onto any interested WAG-A-LOT readers. Check out her link HERE. Life is short. Live a little ... WAG-A-LOT!

Gavin passes the Elmo Temperament Test

2010-12-02T11:57:00.003-05:00

On a trip to NYC for UNICEF last week, our family bumped into Elmo in Central Park! My 10 month old son Gavin lit up like a Christmas tree. He wanted nothing more than to pet and love on Elmo. I giant red furry monster in person scares many children of this age ... but not Gavin. His normal day involves navigating his 4 large dogs at home ... Schmoo, Cowboy Bob, Hank and Scooter. Just like our dogs' other buddies at WAG-A-LOT, Gavin has already been "socialized" to love all things furry. Enjoy the magic of the holidays!

2011 WAG-A-LOT Calendar is here!

2010-11-22T09:30:00.004-05:00

We had a good time putting together the 2011 WAG-A-LOT Calendar this year ... mostly because it features many of our WAGULARS' School Pictures. Parker Smith did a fantastic job of catching your dogs' unique personalities at our Annual School Pictures project which are always unveiled at Back To School Night. Whether your dog made the calendar or not, this calendar is a brilliant purchase because it also features over $185 of legitimate, easy to use coupons at WAG-A-LOT throughout all of 2011. Calendars are for sale NOW in our store lobbies. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Craig & Schmoo

2010-11-21T09:02:00.002-05:00

Thank you Atlanta Intown for covering the upcoming release of WAG-A-LOT's All Creatures Great & Small. (CLICK HERE) We are so honored to be sponsoring this holiday CD that benefits the less fortunate dogs at the Atlanta Humane Society. It is so awesome when all these local organizations come together to do a how bunch of good!

I had a chance to listen to this entire CD several times over this weekend ... And in all honesty it rocks! I am tiring of most of my holiday music. This is a fresh, modern, alternative take on holiday music that is ultimately timeless, fun music. I can't believe my new favorite holiday CD is also helping dogs in our community find permanent loving homes! Happy Holidays, Craig & Schmoo

The WAG-A-LOT Holiday CD benefiting the Atlanta Humane Society & featuring the Indigo Girls and other local Artists goes on Sale in just 2 weeks!

2010-11-12T16:08:00.006-05:00

"All Creatures Great and Small" deserve a chance to WAG-A-LOT! And now a host of talented musicians have teamed up for the Holidays to make this just a little more possible for the homeless dogs of Atlanta. The WAG-A-LOT Holiday CD got some initial buzz today in the Living section of the AJC and you can check out their online post at Access Atlanta right here.

The "WAG-A-LOT All Creatures Great and Small" will go on sale on "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving, at area Best Buy locations and at WAG-A-LOT for $12. All proceeds will benefit the Atlanta Humane Society. You can also purchase the CD online (download) at www.theholidaytwelve.com. What a fantastic gift for dog lovers this holiday season. Awesome music (Indigo Girls, Kodac Harrison, Francine Reed, and many others) ... Fantastic Cause!

PUPPIES & BABIES

2010-05-04T16:48:00.017-04:00

Sorry for the huge lapse in time since the last post ... but I had a baby! A human baby. A beautiful baby boy named Gavin! Something had to give and I guess it was my Blog. Now that I can completely function with zero sleep, I am more efficient than ever. And this amazing little guy has inspired me in ways I never could have imagined. Firstly and quite literally, WAG-A-LOT now has an official Baby Onesie ... modeled by my son Gavin (above). The front starts the question, "WHY WAG A LITTLE WHEN YOU CAN ..." while the back fittingly concludes with "WAG-A-LOT" on baby's wiggly bottom! Gavin, like my four dogs, lives our mantra ... "Live a little, WAG-A-LOT!"

WAG-A-LOT will be launching a campaign this Fall called Puppies & Babies. A percentage of all retail sales at all WAG-A-LOT locations will go to charities that help these sweet, innocent bundles of joy that feed our souls ... we are talking puppies and babies. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Mention this BLOG post now through the end of Sunday, May 9th and receive $5 OFF the WAG-A-LOT Onesie pictured above. They make a great Mother's Day gift for all new Moms. Oh, and don't worry ... the 4 dogs in my household have not been forgotten. I am still loving on Schmoo, Bob, Hank & Scooter. I just now have 5 babies to look after! WAG on

GREAT PUMPKIN

2009-10-30T09:14:00.004-04:00

Move over Charlie Brown ... check out this GREAT PUMPKIN! The WAG-A-LOT Pack (our staff) rocks! But Ashley (Groomer Extradonaire at Downtown Store) took cool and to a whole new level this season. Look what Ashley did when she applied her mad grooming skills to a pumpkin! It's a "Schmoo-Lantern"! Our logo isn't the easiest thing to carve ... I am touched and impressed. Happy Halloween!

SCHMOO EYES

2009-10-03T13:53:00.005-04:00

Thank you Parker (Parker Smith Master Photographer) for capturing that Schmoo "look"! Some of the best WAG-A-LOT School Pictures I have seen in 10 years. Click HERE (look for heading: WAG-A-LOT All-Stars) to see the entire collection of WAG-A-LOT School Pictures ... which were originally unleashed last week at our Back to School Events! This is an annual ritual. So, if you missed out on the fun this year, we hope to see your K9 Kids in the Class of 2010 event.

SCHOOL PICTURES & BOWL CUTS

2009-09-24T09:36:00.005-04:00

The classic School Picture ... awful in so many great ways! The not so cheerful backdrops, dated wardrobes and for me (yes, I have posted for your amusement one of my School Pics) this perfect bowl hair cut! WAG-A-LOT's annual School Pictures update a classic and give it a major spin ... modern pictures of your four legged dogs. Many of our customers took advantage of this yearly ritual a couple of weeks ago. Now the pictures and the Class of 2009 Superlatives are being unleashed at our Back to School Night. WAG-A-LOT Decatur Back to School Night is TONIGHT, September 24th from 7PM - 8:30PM and the WAG-A-LOT Downtown event is next Tuesday, September 29th from 7PM-8:30PM. Please join us for complimentary wine and cheese. Meet the "teachers" of WAG-A-LOT and see what the apple of your eye is really up to! I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting our newest customers. I love this event and hope you will find the time to come hang with us. WAG on, Craig

FIFTH ANNUAL LINT ROLLER PARTY, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2ND!

2009-09-17T14:33:00.004-04:00

The Annual Lint Roller Party to benefit the Lifeline Animal Project is something very near and dear to my heart. For several years this fantastic event was actually hosted by and held in WAG-A-LOT locations. This successful event has since outgrown what our busy stores can accommodate and has moved on to a beautiful space Downtown at Puritan Mills. Great food, drink, music, silent auction items and more can be enjoyed with your dog in tow. Go ahead and treat it like a formal affair ... "dare to wear black" ... there are plenty of Lint Rollers to go around! You and your dog (optional) will arrive at the Red Carpet affair and undoubtedly enjoy an evening that generates much needed dollars for the less fortunate dogs of Atlanta. Secure your tickets today! As a WAG-A-LOT customer, you can save $5 off the price of admission by typing "wagalot" in the discount code space. Go to http://www.lintrolleratlanta.org/ to learn more about this event, the good work of Lifeline Animal Project and to purchase tickets now!

Doggie Dreams

2009-08-23T14:14:00.003-04:00

For 10 years now, soothing sounds have hepled us maintain a Zen like atmosphere during the night at WAG-A-LOT. We turn our XM radios to a Classical Station and pipe relaxing music throughout our facilities. This honestly helps our guests settle down and drift off to a restful sleep. The fact that they have just played for 10 hours doesn't hurt either. But the music does sooth the dogs and drowns out any unexpected noises outside of our buildings. With that said ... there is a great event tonight at the Atlanta Water Gardens ... an Atlanta Humane Society benefit and CD release party for George Skarlouis ... who has created a CD specifically for the relaxation and enjoyment of our DOGS. The Atlanta Humane Society has been using George's CD in their facility to calm dogs for some time now. FREE ADMISSION to this event ... and you could score a Spa Weekend Package at WAG-A-LOT if you play your cards right (we are a proud sponsor of this event)! Sweet sounds and dreams to you and your dog ... http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5099874547193539606

Cupcakes & Dogs ... simple comforts!

2009-08-19T21:15:00.008-04:00

Clearly I am partially to blame for the cupcake craze that has taken our nation by storm. I love this ultimate comfort food and have overly supported these desserts at many well known cupcake establishments across the country like Magnolia Bakery in NYC & Sprinkles in Los Angeles, CA. My favorite cupcakes, though, come from The Atlanta Cupcake Factory on North Highland right here in our "sweet" city. Go there immediately after reading this and get the "sugar cookie cupcake with salted carmel frosting" or the "rosemary with pine nut cupcake". The customer service here is amazing as well. The girl behind the counter explained to me that she loves her job because every customer that comes into the store is happy ... they are here to indulge in a simple little treat for themselves. I am sure my face lit up as I told her that I essentially pet dogs for a living and have the same sort of customer interaction. I have never met a dog owner I didn't like. And by definition dog lovers are simply good natured people. I have shared this story of great customer service and attitude with my Management Team ... and they love it. It inspires us to exceed expectations and it reminds us what a pleasure it is to have a meaningful job with "sweet" dogs and cool humans. Cupcakes, the ultimate comfort food. WAG-A-LOT, the ultimate comfort service. Find comfort during these "ruff" times and check out: http://www.theatlantacupcakefactory.com/ .

Dog Whisperer's 5 Commandments

2009-08-06T12:24:00.008-04:00

Men's Journal is one of those magazines I only seem to read when I am in the waiting room of a Doctor's office ... but the September 2009 edition caught my attention. It is titled, "Dog Owner's Manual." My K9 Kids tell me I am a great Dad all the time ... but that's because I feed them and give into begging and let them lick the syrup off my breakfast plate every morning. Even though I didn't technically learn anything new, I think it is great to be reminded that dogs' crave exercise, interaction & love. Men's Journal suggests remembering the Dog Whisperer's Five Commandments: (1) Walk your dog every day (or take them to Day Care); (2) Reward the Good, Ignore the Bad; (3) Don't overdo it ... have patience in training/reinforcement; (4) Say it like you mean it; (5) Be here now ... dog's don't hold grudges, neither should you ... focus on today.

GIDGET OF TACO BELL FAME DIES

2009-07-23T10:31:00.004-04:00

Gidget of Taco Bell commercial fame died on Tuesday at the age of 15. I'm a sucker for dog related marketing and surely ate many a Bean Burrito (no onions) in my day largely in part to her insanely cute antenna ears! 15 years is pretty amazing. Gidget must have lived a WAG-A-LOT lifestyle ... lots of exercise, grooming, quality food, fun & LOVE. In memory of Gidget, anyone who enters WAG-A-LOT today or tomorrow (July 23 & 24th) and says "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" will receive a free Pig's Ear for their dog's enjoyment. (Limit one per family).

UNBELIEVABLE TRAVEL DEALS AWAIT!

2009-07-23T09:50:00.005-04:00

I was recently lucky enough to manage some time off and was blown away by the travel deals everywhere to anywhere! I pulled together a trip of a lifetime to Indonesia (Bali & Java) for 60% off the rates I found when I researched this same trip one year ago. While money is certainly tight right now and we are all watching our spending ... experiences that might not normally be attainable ... just might be within your grasp right now ... a silver lining to a crummy economy. Here I am photographing my way across Java, capturing a truly spiritual moment of the Borobudur complex at sunrise. I know times are tough. But life is short and we all need to sieze the day in our own little or big way. Live a little. WAG-A-LOT!

Blog-a-little, WAG-A-LOT!

2009-06-17T17:43:00.006-04:00

Finally ... let the blogging begin! I have always fancied myself a pioneer of the dog care industry (can you believe we are currently celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary). So, I am a little embarrassed that I am now just launching the WAG-A-LOT Blog section of our website. What can I say, we've been busy lovin' on your dogs! At any rate, I have a lot to say and share ... and feel extremely lucky to have this forum. My intentions with this Blog are to share with you encounters, discoveries and ideas that inspire me and how they often translate into WAG-A-LOT services, product offerings or simply our company culture. WAG-A-LOT is not just a passionate pack of dog caring people ... it is a lifestyle. WAG-A-LOT is a way of life with a slogan that urges everyone, dogs and their people, to seize the day and to settle for nothing but honesty and integrity. Schmoo said it best, "Why wag a little when you can WAG-A-LOT."

This slightly too close iPhone picture is of me flying to a meeting with a potential WAG-A-LOT Franchisee. I have been spending a lot of time on the road/sky ... doing things like starting a Blog ... but mostly talking to really interesting people who want to be passionate owner/operators of their own WAG-A-LOT. I miss my 4 dogs and can't wait to get back home. At least I know they are in very safe hands!