AKC Celebrates 125th Anniversary

Congratulations are in order for the The American Kennel Club (AKC) who is proud to be celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2009. First founded in 1884, only nine breeds where registered at the time compared to the 161 recognized today.

Check out what breeds made the cut in 1884 -

Pointer

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

English Setter

Gordon Setter

Irish Setter

Clumber Spaniel

Cocker Spaniel

Irish Water Spaniel

Sussex Spaniel

Interesting AKC tidbits:

• In 1884 the English Cocker Spaniel and the Cocker Spaniel were registered as the same breed. They were separated in 1946.


• The original breeds are all current members of the Sporting Group - dogs bred to help man find and retrieve game.


• None of the original nine are in today's AKC Top 10 Most Popular Dogs in the US, but the qualities that made them effective hunters, trainability and desire to please, make them ideal family dogs today.

For more information, visit http://www.akc.org/.

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.

Take Your Dog to Work Day - June 26, 2009

Alright all you pup professionals out there, did you know that Friday, June 26 is Take Your Dog to Work Day (also known as TYDTWD)? The one day a year where your puppy pal can tag along for the day. So pack up the water bowl and a few doggie treats and head to the office for a pro-pup-tive day! For more information about Take Your Dog to Work Day, go to http://www.takeyourdog.com/.

In search of a pet-friendly company for your next career move? Check out the Top 5 Dog-Friendly Companies by Petside.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!

New iPhone App for Dog Owners - DogiDuty

Nowadays there are iPhone apps for almost anything. Lucky for us pet owners, a new pet-friendly app is now available to help organize our busy lives.

Check out DogiDuty (http://www.dogiduty.com/). This iPhone application allows you to keep your dog walker, spouse or whoever is watching your pet up-to-date with important doggie duties such as if your dog has been fed, if they have taken their walk and other important pup information. All the recipient needs is a regular email account to receive your reports.

This little puppy has it all! Keep an endless list of dogs you duty, displays owner name and pet names, easy to send out reports to family members or your whole list of clients, currently track three pets per owner and it even works with built in iphone address book for easy sending.

DogiDuty is available at the iPhone App Store - http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=308790835&mt=8

Green Pet Products

Celebrating Earth Day has never been so pet-friendly. On April 22, let your pets get in on some earth-friendly fun by providing them with all natural alternatives. Enjoy a number of organic toys, treats and more!

See more of my Going Green - Pets list at ThisNext.

For more green pet-friendly products, check out Top 10 Green Pet Toys from Petside.com.

Easter Puppy Part Two - Return of Spring-Inspired Pet Gear

Spring is a perfect time to find fun and unique pet products. Whether looking for pet-friendly gifts to fill up your pups Easter basket or just looking for some Spring-inspired gear, an assortment of brightly colored goodies are popping up like wild flowers on the web!

Below are a few of Polka Dot Pups favorite Spring-inspired pet products:








Bunny Dog Suit Costume - Trixie + Peanut










Fluff Bun Bun Dog Toy - The Haute Hound







Easter Egg Shaped Gourmet Dog Biscuits - The Barket Pet Boutique






Waterproof Daisy Daze Collar - Dublin Dog


For more great Easter gift ideas, check out my The Easter Puppy list at ThisNext or go to last year's Easter Puppy post.

To submit your favorite pet-friendly Easter products or a funny Easter Puppy moment, click here.