Dog Yoga

Dog yoga is apparently a thing. I've heard of yoga with goats before but not with your dog but it's here, in Charlotte.

I know that yoga can improve my posture (and it certainly needs improving) but apparently it can improve your dogs too. I am sure lots of dogs enjoy it too. I would imagine it might make the class a little more interesting and certainly more entertaining than a regular class.

I love yoga. I might even love it more with Moose.

I think Moose would enjoy dog yoga. He might prefer all of the poses on his back though especially if they included a belly rub.

Check out local craft brewery scene to find their yoga class schedules. A lot of them offer it and I'll bet they even offer dog yoga occasionally!

In doing some research for this post, I stumbled across Work for your Beer. Check them out. I'm sure they occasionally have events that include your dog too.

I don't have any dog yoga photos. I'd like to have some but until I do, the one of Moose above will have to do. Can't you tell by the way he is lounging that'd he'd enjoy it? I think he would.

See Spot Run

Why did I start See Spot Run in 2009? I've always loved dogs. As a kid of course I wanted to be a veterinarian but as an adult I realized that my heart was too soft and I was too thin skinned to become one. After college I ended up in corporate America and it wasn't until 20 years later I started See Spot Run. 

I'd lost my recruiting job in November 2008 when the economy tanked. After much soul searching, I realized my heart wasn't in recruiting. I knew I wanted to do something with dogs but I had no idea what. 

I worked part time at a doggie daycare. I learned pretty quickly that wasn't where I saw myself staying long term. After a few months and talks with the hubby, I went downtown and got a business license for See Spot Run. 

My idea at the time was to offer dog running, hence the name See Spot Run, as well as traditional dog walking and pet sitting. My very first client was a golden retriever named Mojo and I ran with him. However as I aged, as the summer heat and humidity set in and I got busier, the running aspect of the business became harder.

I eventually stopped offering it. See Spot Run is full service dog walking and pet sitting. 

Do you know how great it is to be a lot of dogs' best friend? It's pretty awesome. They are always happy to see me. They always greet me with their tales wagging. That's a pretty great feeling and I'm so fortunate that I've been able to do this for over 9 years.

One thing that has surprised me is how much I enjoy doing overnight pet sitting. I'll blog about that at another time.

Hot Temperatures

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We live in Charlotte NC and that means we have several months of hot temperatures during the summer. When I photograph dogs during these month, I can pretty much guarantee that most of the photos will look like this. The dog will be panting. The tongue will be hanging out of his mouth. 

According to petmd.com, once a dog's body temperature rises, he can't sweat through his skin like we do to cool off. Dogs do sweat through their paw pads, but it's by panting that dogs circulate the necessary air through their bodies to cool down. In really hot temperatures some short nosed dogs like pugs and bulldogs have a very difficult time trying to cool off.

Here are a few pointers to help your dog stay healthy and safe during the hot summer months:

1. Plan to exercise your dog earlier in the day when it isn't so hot
2. Be aware that the pads of their feet can burn on hot pavement. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for 5 seconds. If it is hot to you, it's too hot for their paws.
3. Recognize that dogs can get heat stroke. I know a woman who was running with her lab and he died on the run of heat stroke. She had no idea it could happen. Please educate yourself and others. Seeing people running with their dog this time of year drives me crazy. If the dog is lagging behind on the run with a human, that's probably a sign.
4. Never leave your car in a vehicle. 

As a dog walker and pet sitter, the summer months are busy with clients on vacation. I will opt for shorter walks during the midday hot temperatures and then play indoors. While I am walking, I try to stay in the shade and in the grass. I tend to do longer walks earlier in the morning.

I am overly cautious with my dogs and with my client's dogs in hot temperatures. Safety first!

Dog Friendly Events

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Charlotte has a lot of dog friendly events all year long but SouthPark Magazine wrote an article that could keep you and your dog busy all summer. Here is a link to their entire article. I'm highlighting a few that they mentioned here.

Waggle For Your Beer

Wednesdays at a different brewery in Charlotte. 6-7 p.m.

Meet up with fellow dog owners and help your pup get out some restless energy with free, guided 1.5-mile group dog walks (or runs!) in North End, Villa Heights, Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, or South End. Afterwards, owners and their pups are welcome to hang on their patios and take advantage of beer specials.

The line-up:
Wednesday, July 25: The Unknown Brewing Company
Wednesday, August 1: Sycamore Brewing
Wednesday, August 8: Free Range Brewing
Wednesday, August 15: Legion Brewing
Wednesday, August 22: The Unknown Brewing Company
Wednesday, August 29: NoDa Brewing Company

LIVE Under the Lights

Every Thursday night 7-10 p.m.

Sugar Creek Brewing, 215 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217

Head to Sugar Creek Brewing for live music every Thursday night until Sept. 27 on their newly-renovated, full-service patio. You and your pup can enjoy local bands playing everything from blues to southern rock while you throw back a cold one.

Bark in the Ballpark

Monday, July 16
Monday, August 27

7:04 p.m.

BB&T Ballpark, 324 South Mint Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

Take your dog out to the ballgame. During special Bark in the Ballpark nights, dogs are welcome to root for the home team along with their owners. Dogs get free entry, but their owners must purchase a game ticket.

Be sure to get your copy of SouthPark Magazine. Look them up and follow them on instagram and twitter too.

Most of the breweries in Charlotte are dog friendly. Do you frequent them? Do you have a favorite?

Charlotte dog walking company with a new logo

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I started See Spot Run dog walking and pet sitting in Charlotte in 2009. At the time, I used a logo that I got off of another site. Anyone else could use the logo. I saw it on a few car magnets being used by other dog walking companies in Charlotte so to avoid any confusion, I changed it.

However I never really loved the one I changed to. When I started BARKography in 2016, I hired someone to create my new logo for me and I've always loved it. 

I received an email from my See Spot Run website hosting company that said this:

In July, Google Chrome is making it official: If your site doesn’t have a security certificate, visitors will see this warning. SSL is not only the right thing to do for them, it’s also great for boosting search rankings and getting more traffic to your site.

Not to get too technical, but my See Spot Run website has always been a Wordpress site. My photography website BARKography has always been on Squarespace. I'm not tech savvy and I've found the Squarespace site to be much more user friendly. So at the suggestion of my website developer, I'm changing my See Spot Run site over to Squarespace. 

AND THIS IS IT!

It's much prettier. It's easier for me to make changes to it and add pretty pictures. 

What do you think? 

AND what do you think about the new logo? The dog reminds me of Moose and Molly. It's hound-ish. Maybe I should give him or her a name? Maybe run a contest to name him/her?

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See Spot Run is still the same Charlotte dog walking company it has always been. We just have a new look. I'd love to know what you think!

Dog Friendly Places

rescue dog in uptown Charlotte

Here is a list of dog friendly places in Charlotte:

1. Most of the breweries allow dogs. All of the ones I know of allow dogs outside. They might not allow them inside but I'm pretty sure they're allowed inside. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery has a huge outside area great for bringing your dog and every time I've been there it is always packed with dogs :)
2. US National Whitewater Center. It's really dog friendly. I've even done a couple of dog photography sessions there. I think they should build a pool for the dogs. Wouldn't that be fun and I'm sure the dogs would love cooling off on a hot summer day.
3. Blackhawk Hardware in the Park Road Shopping Center. Honestly I'm not sure why they're allowed in here but they are. I love that they are, I'm just not sure I understand why. Perhaps the owner is a dog lover.
4. Lowes and Home Depot. I see lots of off-leash dog trainers taking the dogs they're training into Lowes and Home Depot. It's a great place to desensitize the dogs I'm sure with all the random noises.

Some of establishments listed above might not be the obvious choice to bring your dog along. There of course are lots of dog parks and even The Canine Cafe where dogs are of course welcome.

Our county does have a leash law in effect so all dogs are supposed to be leashed up when they're out in public. 

I hope you found these tips useful. Let me know what other dog friendly places you frequent. What's your dog's favorite place?