Doggie Pool Party

For the water dog in your life, summer is prime time for being poolside. A close friend of Polka Dot Pup, known by the pups as "Aunt Treats", holds an annual doggie swim party during the summer months that is all the ruff. Here are some tips for hosting your own amazing dog-friendly pool party.

1. Invite all your puppy friends (and their owners of course!)
2. Pick up pet-friendly and human treats, because everyone will be hungry after a good swim
3. Doggie proof the backyard, make sure there is nothing lying around that the dogs can get into
4. Have lots of towels on hand!
5. Lay out bowls of fresh water, its not good to drink pool water all day
6. Pack the pool with floating toys that the pups can play with and don't forget the tennis balls (Vixen's favorite!)
7. Have designated "life guards" on hand just to make sure everyone is safe and having a good time
8. And last but not least, have a doggone good time!

Here are just a few shots from this years Aunt Treats Doggie Pool Party -

"The water feels so good!"

"You go first....no you go first...."

Break time














Time to dry off!


Check out more cute pictures of fellow water dogs in the pool!

For more information on throwing a pet-friendly pool party or to share your doggie pool party stories or other pet-friendly events, email polkadotpupblog@aol.com.

PUPS ON THE WEB - Upside Down Dogs

If you spend as much time on the web as we do, your bound to run across some pretty funny pet sites. If your looking for some mindless entertainment, there is everything from funny pet pics to celebrity pet gossip. One of Polka Dot Pup's favorites, Upside Down Dogs.

If your not familiar with the site, its definitely worth taking a peek. If you couldn't tell by the name, the site consists of pictures of dogs upside down. One can spend hours browsing these adorable mugs, even submit your own pups picture!

Have a favorite pet site that you can't get enough of? Submit your links here!

Beach Book Guide - Pup Edition

The sun is shining overhead, there is slight breezy in the air, you lay on a cozy beach blanket toe digging in the sand and as you stare out into the blindingly blue ocean you think to yourself....Man, I could use a good book!

Well Polka Dot Pup has come to the rescue. What day at the beach is complete without a good read to keep you entertained? Whether you are relaxing at the beach or hanging pool side, Polka Dot has found the book for you!

Marley & Me, Life and Love with the Worlds Worst Dog by John Grogan - I know I have mentioned this book before but I cannot tell you enough how good of a read it is. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry but more importantly it shows you how important a dog can be in your life.

From Bagdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman - Jay Kopelman tells a story that is both tender and thought-provoking, candidly portraying the ugly conditions in wartime Iraq, while also describing his (and his fellow Marines') growing attachment to a scruffy stray puppy.

Mostly Bob by Tom Corwin - After his beloved golden retriever died, Tom Corwin was compelled to write a letter to his friends and family to celebrate his pets life.

Shelter Dogs by Traer Scott - Photographer Traer Scott’s endearing portraits of dogs living in American shelters are irresistible and heart-rending – and make a passionate appeal to dog lovers everywhere.

A few other great doggie reads:

A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas

Lost & Found by Jacqueline Sheehan

The New Yorkers: A Novel by Cathleen Schine


Do you have a favorite pup related book we left off the list? Have a review for one of the books we selected?? Let us know...Polkadotpupblog@aol.com

You Gotta Have Faith!

I ran across this news report about the remarkable Faith awhile back and we at Polka Dot Pup have thought fondly of it ever since. That's why when I ran across it again, I had to post it in the everything dog blog.

The story is inspriational, heart warming and a little bit silly (I mean who has ever seen a dog run around on two legs!)

I take pride in the family that adopted this pet and created a wonderful home for her. I wish we could do the same for all of the homeless pets in shelters or on the streets around the world.

Pet Net Invasion - Check out the new social website for your pets

Do you ever wish you could live vicariously through your pet? Well, this might just be the next best thing.

Check out Unitedogs.com and Unitedcats.com, the new "Myspace" specifically created to focus on your pets. That's right, you can create your pets own blog, upload up to 50 pictures and chat with other pet lovers around the world.

Check it out and let Polka Dot Pup know what you think. Is it Bow Wow or Growl?

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Hot-or-not for dogs launches

A bit more than a week ago, an Estonia-based United Dogs and Cats Ltd launched two social networking sites - one for dogs and other for cats. The sites are focused on pet websites with photos.

"We think there is just way too many social networking websites for humans out there. Think of MySpace, Facebook, orkut, hi5 and all the others — there's just so many of them!" the company says about their newborn sites Unitedogs.com and Unitedcats.com.

All dog and cat owners can upload up to 50 photos to their pet's profile and all pets can have their own blog set up, too. All for free, of course. And users can comment everything what they see.

"We offer the pet owners community what they fully deserve - a handy, easy-to-use site with a push-button publishing functionality and a beautiful design on top of it," their lead designer speaks. Their CEO, Mr Ragnar Sass, also adds that dogs and cats should have their websites set up as easily as setting up a blog at Blogger. I think we've done it, and we will be doing a lot more." That's right. They both confirm there are lot of new things to follow soon, which are currently being crafted by their busy paws in the company's labs.

Even if you don't have a dog or cat, it may just be fun to browse the cute photos of puppies and doggies one by one, or rate them in hot-or-not way.

To see all the features it's easiest to head down to http://www.uniteddogs.com and check them all out :) Woof-woof!

Related sites:
Uniteddogs - http://www.uniteddogs.com
Unitedcats - http://www.unitedcats.com
Company's blog - http://www.uniteddogsandcats.com
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Dog Days of Summer

One of my favorite things about summer is hitting the road with my pup in tow. Lots of camping at the beach and the lake can be lots of fun but it can also be hectic and stressful on you and your pet.



Check out our list of dog friendly items perfect for summer fun!

See more of my Dog Days of Summer list at ThisNext.

SHOPPING GONE TO THE DOGS - Should dogs be allowed in malls?

Over the weekend I took a trip to the mall to search out a cute outfit for a spring wedding. I was window browsing when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a lady and her Maltese entering a retail store. Then while eating lunch, there sat another little dog dining with it's owners at a table nearby. Both pets where not service dogs but just family pets going for a shopping trip with their owners.

I am a huge pet lover and I love to take my dog everywhere with me BUT when did it become popular to have your pup tag along on a trip to the mall?


Really....why take your dog or any pet to the mall? Malls are always crowded with people which could upset your animal, not many retail stores allow pets inside and unless their is a pet boutique featuring tons of yummy yummy treats, is your pet really going to have a good time?

I can understand having your pet with you when you stop by a coffee shop, if you are traveling and need to stop somewhere or if you want to bring your pet to the pet store with you but the mall? This may be stretching the line a little bit.

Could you imagine gliding into a retail store ready to try on tons of pretty things when you step in a little accident that someones pet has left behind (because we all know not all pet owners really pick up after their pets). I think some places should just remain dog free.



This is all my own personal opinion SO please let me know how you feel about this topic. Should pets be allowed in malls?


(This topic is not regarding service dogs)

Meet Hercules, The World's Biggest Dog or The World's Biggest Fib?

Hercules is one big puppy! Named Guinness World Records "World's Biggest Dog". This is one HUGE story that I had to pass along to the Polka Dot Pup readers!

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Hercules was recently awarded the honorable distinction of Worlds Biggest Dog by Guinness World Records. Hercules is an English Mastiff who has a 38 inch neck and weighs 282 pounds.

With "paws the size of softballs" (reports the Boston Herald), the three-year-old monster is far larger and heavier than his breeds standard 200lb limit. Hercules owner Mr. Flynn says that Hercules weight is natural and not induced by a bizarre diet: "I fed him normal food and he just grew... and grew and grew and grew".

Hercules' sheer volume may have won him the Largest Dog world record, but the Heaviest Dog title still rests with another Mastiff named Kell who weighed in at 286 pounds in August of 1999. This English Mastiff, however, only has a 32-inch neck - far less than Hercules' 38-inches. Think about that for a second though - 32 inches is a standard waist size for a man!

Proud owner Tom Scott said Kell is two years old and is expected to continue to grow for the next two years. Kell needs to be fed 100lb of beef every week, and drinks gallons of goats' milk to stay healthy...

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Do you think the dog pictured above is just plain big or one big fib? Let us know what you think! (I have a feeling a little photoshop work may have been involved)

Dog Tales

I received this wonderful story from a Polka Dot Pup reader and wanted to share it with everyone. It's a beautiful example of the love between a pet and their owner.

A wonderful dog story…

Mary and her husband, Jim, had a dog, Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit, they would warn their friends not to leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease; she was just sure it was fatal. She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital, she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two week. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable. Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second, she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love; Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every night. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Do you have an inspirational story about you and your pet? Send them in and we will post them on Polka Dot Pup!