Tracy Santos, the cancer patient who led her troops through the Maryland SPCA's March for the Animals earlier this spring, will have all hands on deck on Sunday, Aug. 16 when the "Baltimore Bark Brigade" holds a dog-wash-a-thon at Eastern Animal Hospital.
Dog baths will be free with a donation to the Maryland SPCA. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Animal Hospital is at 6404 Eastern Ave. Treats for dogs, and humans, will also be available.
Save this date: On Aug. 23 National Dog Day 2008 will be celebrated on Solomon's Island.
The Calvert Marine Museum was chosen by the Animal Miracle Foundation, creator of National Dog Day, to host the free event, which will include a host of acitivies for dog lovers.
National Dog Day is about finding new families for unwanted dogs in the United States. The lifesaving goal for this year's celebration is for 20,000 dogs to find new homes through the main event in Maryland and adoption events nationwide. Last year, it helped nearly 15,000 dogs from coast to coast find homes in one day.
The event starts at 10 a.m. and runs all day. It features dog shows, vendors, entertainment, contests, demonstrations, children's activities, celebrities and most importantly, dog adoptions offered by numerous nonprofit rescue organizations.
The event will also honor Maya, the Pit Bull, National Dog Day 2008's "Hero Dog of the Year" and Luka, the National Dog Day 2008 "Great American Shelter Dog." There will also be a concert from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Calvert Concert Pavilion, featuring popular, animal loving performers such as Stop Motion Poetry, Orion Walsh and Lauren D'Aria.
The Humane Society of Baltimore County has taken its annual fund-raiser, Bark in the Park, turned it into something far huger, and given it all a new name -- DogFest 2008, which will take place Oct 4, 2008 at Shawan Downs.
This year, there's a admission fee to the day-long event ($20), but there will also be a lot more activities to take part in -- from the traditional dog agility course and contests to a classic car show, a 5K-9 run, and the Paws on Parade Walk.
It's all laid out on the DogFest Web site.
To take part in the Paws on Parade Walk of the 5K run, you should register before Sept. 19. There's a $25 fee for run, and for the walk, but a $30 donation includes a DogFest 2008 T-shirt, dog goody bag, and admission to all activities and events.
Dogs are permitted in both the walk and the run, but there's a limit of one dog per person in the run, and they must be on (non-retractable) leashes at all times.
Partipants are encouraged to collect pledges to the Humane Society for their running and walking.
Activities planned in connection with the Bark in the Park event, which runs from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., include a dog agility course, a dog swim area, dog games, dog contests and educational sessions on Pet CPR, Lyme disease, pet friendly gardening and Kong stuffing and recipes.
The American Visionary Arts Museum will celebrate the Fourth of July with its annual pet parade and talent show Friday.
(If you missed last year's, you can click here for some video.)
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. for the talent show, which, in years past, has featured such memorable pets (and talents) as hermit crabs re-enacting Revolutionary War battles, singing dogs, dancing dogs and corn on the cob eating dogs. 
The parade comes first -- a lap around AVAM's campus, which will be equipped with doggie pools for your pooch to cool off. Trophies will be awarded for Best Costume, Most Patriotic, Owner & Pet Look-alikes, Least Likely to Succeed as a Pet, and more – including the Most Visionary Pet Award.
Pets of all kinds are welcome, in costumes of all kinds, but must be leashed or carried, and owners are responsible for behavior and bodily functions -- both their pets and their own.
If you can't wait until July 4 to start partying with your dog, bring him or her along to the museum's outdoor movie night in Federal Hill Park, which Thursday will feature Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
The free movies are shown every Thursday night on a 30-foot screen on one of the museum's exterior walls, under the museum's Giant Golden Hand. they start at 9 p.m. The museum remains open until 9 p.m. on movie nights. In the event of rain, movies are shown in the Jim Rouse Visionary Center.
The next Canine & Cocktails event -- they're held the last Friday of every month during summer at the Loews Annapolis -- is Friday, June 27.
If you haven't been to one, here's some video I shot at last month's event.
This month, Luke, resident dog at the hotel, invites all his fellow working dogs in downtown Annapolis to join him as money will be raised for his favorite local charity – the SPCA of Anne Arundel County.
Several available pets from the SPCA are expected to attend the dog-friendly event as well.
We just showed up to watch, but a photo was snapped and some forms were filled out and next thing we knew my dog Ace was officially in the running to be the next Milk-Bone spokesdog.
Your dog can be too -- just show up at one of the remaining stops the Milk-Bone-mobile is making in the Baltimore area, or enter online at milk-bone.com.
A steady stream of dogwalkers stopped by the Milk-Bone campsite in Patterson Park yesterday, including Luna (right) for free treats and to enter their dog for chance to win a $100,000 contract as spokesdog.
It's part of a nationwide tour, in conjunction with Milk-Bone's 100th anniversary.
Once Milk-Bone culls through the entries, the best -- photos or videos depicting a "Milk-Bone moment" -- will be voted on online.
A Milk-Bone moment doesn't have to involve a Milk-Bone -- more important, it should reflect the special bond between dog and owner.
"Pets parents have a special connection with their best friends that makes them smile laugh or just feel good inside," the webstie explains. "That's what we call a Milk-Bone moment." 
It's like a "Kodak moment," with drool.
More than 7 billion Milk-Bone biscuits were made last year.
In the 1860s dog biscuits were accidentally invented in London when a butcher shop owner was experimenting with a new biscuit recipe. They tasted terrible, but he tossed one to his dog who gobbled it down.
The snack was introduced in the U.S. 100 years ago here when a New York baker bought the British recipe. The F. H. Bennett Biscuit Company was established and began selling the treats under the name "Malatoid" which was changed around 1915 to "Milk-Bone" (cow's milk being one of the ingredients.)
Milk-Bone, which turned 100 this year, is looking for their first ever SpokesDog, and today the Milk-Bone-mobile will be in Patterson Park, welcoming all contenders.
The grand prize winner of the "Make a Milk-Bone Moment" contest will receive a $100,000 contract to serve as the Milk-Bone SpokesDog.
The winner will be chosen based on photos and videos submitted to Milk-Bone that best caputure a special moment between a human and their dog.
The top 100 finalists will be posted on Milk-Bone's website, and chosen through online voting.
To find out more, and perhaps give your dog a chance at stardom, drop by any of the Milk-Bone-Mobile's stops this weekend: Today, at Patterson Park from 4 p.m.-8 p.m.; Friday and Sunday, at the Bowie Town Center Mall from noon-6 p.m; and Saturday, at the Humane Society of Baltimore County's play day and flea market, which will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The society is at 1601 Nicodemous Road in Reisterstown.
Milk-Bone has been celebrating its 100th all year. Part of the celebration included building the World’s Largest Doghouse out of Milk-Bones and a $1 million donation to Milk-Bone’s Canine Heroes program.
Wear your drool-friendly slacks, watch where you step around the office and put your sack lunch up somewhere high -- "Take Your Dog to Work Day" returns Friday.
For the second straight year, Pet Sitters International is sponsoring the day, aimed at calling attention to the joys and benefits dogs bring to life, and to the fact that there are many that need homes.
Pet Sitters International is the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, representing nearly 8,000 independent professional pet-sitting businesses in the United States, Canada and abroad.
If the company you work for, like mine, frowns on such frivolity, take off work early, pick up your dog and go to the Maryland SPCA, 3300 Falls Road, where they will be celebrating Take Your Dog to Work Day with the first of three Wine & Wag summer happy hours, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
If you do get to take part, here are some suggestions. My fellow dog blogger, Newsday's Denise Flaim, passed on these helpful tips for ensuring your dog makes a good first impression on your co-workers:
Now here's a fine idea, worthy of consideration by those who sponsor outdoor movie nights in Baltimore -- a “take your dog to the movie night” featuring a dog movie.
They're doing just that in Kansas City's Penn Valley Park, where an off-leash dog park is located.
The evening starts with a dog fashion show, followed by a dog talent contest, followed by a free outdoor screening of the film “Best in Show.”
By charging a few bucks, this might be a good fundraising idea, as well, for shelters, rescue groups and dog parks.
The event is sponsored by the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department, the Friends of Penn Valley Park and the Dogpark Improvement Group.
There's no reason for your dog to be bored this weekend.
Canton Dog Park -- the city's only official dog park -- will be holding its annual fundraiser Saturday. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (with a rain date of Sunday, June 8). It's held at the park, at the corner of Clinton and Toone streets, and will feature raffles, a silent auction and food provided by Austin Grill,.
Saturday night is the Humane Society of Baltimore County's "Black Tie and Tails Gala," a dog friendly fundraiser that includes a seated dinner -- sit! -- and a silent auction.
And in Western Maryland, the McHenry Highland Festival Celtic Dog Show continues.
On Sunday, the Yuppy Puppy Pet Boutique will host the 4th annual "A Dog's Day in Ellicott City," featuring adoptions, crafts and contests. To learn more about the event, sponsored by the Ellicott City Business Association, click here.
And in Howard County on Sunday, the 7th Annual Pet Expo will be held at the Schooley Mill Park in Highland, Md., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities include microchipping, animal massage demonstrations, therapy dog presentations, food and music. It's free.
Reminder: If you're looking to hoist a few with your dog tonight, drop by the Loew's Annapolis Hotel, which is hosting the second in its summer-long series of "Canines & Cocktails" events, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tonight's celebrates black dogs (though dogs of any color are welcome) and features Patricia Black Townsend, who has put together a book called Black is Beautiful, A Celebration of Dark Dogs.
Proceeds benefit various area animal welfare organizations, including the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George's County. For the entire list of Canines & Cocktails events, click here.
The Canton Dog Park will hold its sixth annual summer fund-raiser Saturday, June 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (with a rain date of Sunday, June 8).
The event will be held at the park, at the corner of Clinton and Toone streets, and will feature raffles, a silent auction and food provided by Austin Grill, profits from which also go to the park.
Sponsors of the event include 2910 on the Square, Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS), Bin 604, Daily Grind, DocSide Veterinary Medical Center, Doghouse Girls, Eastern Animal Hospital, JD’s Smokehouse, Mama’s on the Half Shell, Maryland SPCA, Nacho Mama’s, Partnership Wealth Management LLC, Savannah Parke, Southern Galvanizing Company, and Vircity2.
Canton Dog Park -- the only place in the city of Baltimore where dogs can legally run off leash -- is operated by the Canton Community Association (CCA), a nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
The next in a summer-long series of "Canines & Cocktails" events at the Loew's Annapolis Hotel is in honor of black dogs, and will feature Patricia Black Townsend, who has put together a book called Black is Beautiful, A Celebration of Dark Dogs.
The May 30 event -- to which dogs of all colors are invited -- will benefit various area animal welfare organizations, including the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George's County.
Townsend said her book is intended to increase awareness of the difficulty black shelter dogs face in getting adopted and to improve their public image.
It's can be ordered online through the website of the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George's County, to which all proceeds go.
A dog-lover since childhood, Townsend, a writer and amateur photographer, has lived with black dogs for nearly 18 years.
“Of course I’ve always thought my dogs were beautiful, and it never occurred to me that other people wouldn’t think so,” she says. As Townsend became interested in animal welfare and rescue issues, she learned black dogs are the hardest for shelters and rescue organizations to find homes for.
“My goal is to get people to look at black dogs differently,” Townsend explains, “… to appreciate their attractiveness and diversity and to give more thought to adopting a black dog if they’re looking for a new fur friend.”
She also hopes to raise some money for the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County, a volunteer-run, nonprofit, animal welfare organization for which she has worked as a volunteer for several years.
As it's something a lot of people have trouble with, including me, I asked Townsend for some advice on photographing black dogs. Here's what she said:
Not being big on formalities, I consider it an achievement to have gotten through nearly 55 years of life only having to wear a tuxedo four times.
Half of those times were to get married. All of those times, they were rentals. (The tuxedos, I mean).
Now, though, another tuxedo occasion is coming up -- the Baltimore County Humane Society's Black Tie and Tails Gala, Saturday, June 7.
It is pretty much the social event of the season for the doggie crowd, and proceeds from it go to care for the animals at the Humane Society. I really should go.
But I dread the idea of going to the tuxedo place -- something about all that fussing and measuring, not to mention the thought of spending lots of money for rental clothing.
So if you have a tuxedo, and you're definitely not going, and your waist is a good 36 inches, and your height about 5 foot 9, and the only six-packs you've ever looked down and seen have been in your refrigerator, and you don't mind a relatively clean, drug and disease free stranger wearing your clothes, drop me an email.
Since it's a dog-friendly event, the tux will probably accumulate some dog hairs, but otherwise I promise to treat it well, to give it a good home for a few days, and to try and appear dashing in it, though I know I will never be as handsome as my dog.
The Humane Society of Baltimore County's Black Tie and Tails Gala will be held at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are $150 each. It features a gourmet dinner, open bar, live music, silent auction, best-dressed pet contest and more. To purchase tickets online, visit the HSBC website: www.baltimorehumane.org.
If a Sunday afternoon of wine-sipping and dog-walking -- all in the name of a worthy cause -- is your idea of a good time, the Linganore Winery has a deal for you.
On Sunday, May 4. the winery in Mount Airy will hold a "Wine and Fleas" event to benefit Maryland Westie Rescue, a volunteer group that's dedicated to saving West Highland White Terriers in Maryland.
Formed just last year, the group has already assisted 39 dogs in finding homes.
The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. and costs $20. The winery is at 13601 Glissans Mill Rd. in Mount Airy.
Guests are invited to bring their dogs and enjoy a walk around the grounds and free wine tastings throughout the day.
Dogs are allowed in the winery's private tasting area, and for those wanting to take the full tour petsitters will be available.
For more information, click here.
Loews Annapolis Hotel and Paws Pet Boutique will host “Canines and Cocktails for a Cause,” a summer-long series of fund-raisers in Annapolis to benefit area animal shelters and other causes.
Each dog-friendly Friday night event will have its own theme (not to mention "cocktails, appetizers, mocktails and Snoopy snacks.") and will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the hotel's Weather Rail's patio.
Loews is famous both for its dog-friendliness and its friendly dog (Luke, a Labrador Retriever who was adopted from the SPCA of Anne Arundel County). Paws Pet Boutique, which opened in 1999, raised over $13,000 in 2007 for pet-related causes.
Here's the lineup, so that you may mark your calendars:
If you love Basset hounds -- and how could you not? -- you might want to head north to the other Ocean City (New Jersey) for the annual BoardWaddle this weekend.
Hundreds of Basset Hounds and their owners will be walking through Ocean City and along the boardwalk to raise money for homeless bassets in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The BoardWaddle, modeled after a similar even in Michigan, was started by Tri State Basset Hound Rescue in 1999. Since then there have been eight successful BoardWaddles, and thousands of bassets from 35 states, Canada and Europe have taken part.
The weekend features Basset Hound olympics and an auction on Friday, and the "Doo Dah Pawrade" on Saturday. For more information, click here.
(AP Photo)
With spring having sprung, the opportunities for BYOD (D standing for dog) outings have blossomed.
Take this weekend, for instance. There's Saturday's first annual “Bark in the Park” at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is just a short walk from the dog beach.
On Sunday, the first of two "Bark in the Park" days hosted by the Bowie Baysox at Prince George's Stadium kicks off at 2:05 p.m. Tickets are from $9 to $14, and your dog gets in free.
Also Sunday, the Maryland Department of National Resources and the Maryland Park Service are sponsoring at two-hour hike and informative tour of some of the pet-friendly areas in the southern portion of Patapsco Valley State Park.
Registration is required (by Friday) for "Pets in Patapsco" and the tour size is limited to 15 people (with a maximum of two dogs per person). There's a $2 fee, and you should bring a leash and bags for dog waste. For more information, call 410-461-5005.
Also Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., artists Rosemary Williams and Patsy Helmetag will be making "Paw Posies" at Paws Pet Boutique, 64 State Circle, in Annapolis. The artists turn your dog's pawprints into floral art, at $25 a pop, $4 of which will be going to the Washington Humane Society.
And don't forget -- two weekends after this coming one -- the Maryland SPCA's March for the Animals, on April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
For other events that either center around dogs, or that are dog-friendly, vist our category "Doggie Doings," in the rail on the right hand side of this page.
The Bowie Baysox are offering two “Bark In The Park” games during the 2008 season.
The first one will be Sunday, April 6, when the Baysox take on the Erie SeaWolves at 2:05 pm at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie. A second “Bark In The Park” game will be on Sunday May 4 when the Baysox take on the Akron Aeros.
Tickets for Bark In The Park games range from $9 for general admission to $14 for a lower section ticket.
For more information on Baysox “Bark In The Park” games visit www.baysox.com or call the Baysox front offices at 301-805-6000.
Admission for your dog is free when you buy a ticket.
Ryan Roberts, Baysox communications director, said this is the eighth year the club has allowed dogs at selected games -- a practice that is becoming increasing popular with minor league teams, and has been tried out by a couple of major league clubs as well.
(Photo courtesy of Bowie Baysox)
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is free – the normal park entrance fee will be waived for those attending the event.
The day will include raffles, veterinary services including rabies vaccinations, heartworm checks, micro-chipping and nail clipping; pet portraits, vendors, rescue organizations, games and food. Best of all, it takes place just a short walk from the dog beach at Quiet Waters.
All proceeds benefit MAGDRL, a nonprofit organization that was organized in 1979 to provide rescue and care for abandoned, neglected and abused Great Danes and Great Dane mixes.
You can get more information about the event and the organization here.
The Maryland SPCA's March for the Animals is still more than a month away, but the time to start planning is now, especially if you're planning to participate as a "pack."
This year's march, the SPCA's 13th, is April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. Last year, nearly 6,000 people and their pets took part in the 1.5-mile walk, raising $330,000 -- the most successful march to date.
Walkers can take part as individuals or enter in "packs." The deadline for registering a "pack" -- four to 25 people participating as an organized group -- is March 28. Packs must raise a minimum of $40 per person and $500 per pack. In exchange they get choose a team name that will be printed on their March for Animals T-shirt, get a team photo taken at the march, and, if they raise the most money, win the Top Pack prize of "Governor's Box" seats at Camden Yards for an Orioles-Nationals game. Individual walkers who bring in $30 or more will receive water, a goody bag and an SPCA dog bandana. Those who bring in $40 or more get all that and a T-shirt.
The event will also feature, a canine agility course, lookalike and costume contests, a pet communicator, training experts, low-price micro-chipping, vendors, live music and food of the dog and human varieties. Walkers can find pledge sheets at the Enoch Pratt Library, Starbucks and Giant Food stores. Or you can click here and print one out. For more information on registration and the event, click here.
