SCHOOL PICTURES & BOWL CUTS

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!

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

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!

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

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

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!

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!