Why can’t everywhere be Louisiana? I’m serious, these people know how to party. Welcome to the 17th annual Mystic Krewe of Barkus parade. Although I was primarily in Baton Rouge during my stay, work happened to bring me to New Orleans on this particular weekend…so I snuck out for a little dog fix. 
The weather was great and yes…you wish you’d have been there! This year’s theme: “BatMutt: The Bark Knight”. Past year’s funny pun-ies include such classics as “Jurassic Bark”, “Lifestyles of the Bitch & Famous”, “Tails from the Crypt” and “Joan of Bark”. I know, I just can’t take it- ha ha!! Mystic Krewe of Barkus was created to draw attention to homeless pets and benefit various adoption and rescue organizations in the area. The parade makes its way around the French Quarter and of course is led by royalty so…lets all hail the Queen!
…loves his ball. Ya dig?
And were his ball in a competition of favorite things, it would be tied with his “Chuckit”. Dakota is a Chuckit fiend. In fact, if you drove down a bad neighborhood at night, you might find Dakota on a corner somewhere trying to score a game of Chuckit. 
Seriously though, this guy is amazing. He a large, kind, gentle and sooo super cool companion. He has an air of maturity about him that makes you want to get his opinion on everything. Like, the next time I shop for clothes, I’m going to ask him if my outfit works because he’ll tell it to me straight. He thoroughly enjoys hanging out in his back yard to the point where he never wanted to go inside. And when you Chuckit, he immediately goes after the ball, but in his own time. There’s no rush, the joy is in the journey (and the journey doesn’t include putting the ball back in your hand, he’d like to chew on it for a little bit, if you don’t mind) - hee hee!
He and his family made the photo session most enjoyable and I had a thoroughly good time working on my pitching arm. He has gorgeous brown eyes and I got lost in them once or twice, they are filled with soul and sugar. And that, my friends, is what it’s all about. Thank you, Dakota!
I just had to give a puggledy-pug shout out to these guys. { CENTRAL FLORIDA PUG RESCUE } First, they’re a rescue, yay! Second, I had the pleasure of camping next to them for an entire day at the 6th Annual Doggie Art Fest and they are awesome. Third, they had a bake sale with all proceeds going to the puglets and I bought THE BEST chocolate chip peanut butter cookies I have ever had. DEEEELICOUS! So, if you love pugs, want a pug and can’t resist that little face (which my Mom says reminds her of a crumbled soda can- in the MOST ENDEARING WAY of course!) then contact these folks because they are as nice as can be and do a wonderful job matching pugs up with great homes.
So, a couple of years ago one of my clients introduced me to this online pet networking site, Petentials.com which is pretty super neato.
Petentials is a FREE (always a plus) place for pets to meet, greet and learn about each other. Okay, so people actually have to get on the computer and type out their dog’s dirty laundry…but it’s all in good fun! No stone is left unturned and the site includes additional features such as pet blogs, videos and helpful info. It’s humorous, easily navigable and a great way to connect your pet with friends/play dates.
Why, even Mac has a page - tee hee! To register and create your profile today (remember, it’s FREE!) just click here. It’s free, fast and easy…I mean if Mac could do it, an amoeba could do it. ;-) It’s a virtual zoo and along with dogs and cats, you may happen upon an alpaca, a few good fleas and perhaps sasquatch.
[ My dog Mac's family tree: One of his many great qualities you can find on his Petentials profile ]
It’s worth checking out so getchyer blog on and go over there for some funny vidoes, touching stories and if you’re interested in something more…their matchmaking service!
