http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43385542/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/court-dogs-provide-calm-traumatized-witnesses/

During college I volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused children. Having seen some pretty horrible situations I can safely say that so many children could benefit from having court dogs calm them while they recount the horrors they’ve had to live through.

It’s yet another reason I absolutely love dogs–their love & calming force are unparalleled! Kudos to the Seattle prosecutor who started working on this program!

There’s no need to worry about your dog’s size either—whether your dog is tiny or huge, don’t sweat it. Dog beds come in various sizes from XS to XXL, fitting even the largest of pooches. Today’s beds are made to be durable and are equipped with the latest comfort technology.

Some of the options available in dog beds are:

1) Bolster & donut beds: These beds provide extra support for that dog who likes to laze around. These beds are comfortable, soft and extra fluffy. They are the most popular of dog beds in the market today.
2) Eco- friendly dog beds: This bed is ideal for the dog that cares about the environment. Joking aside, eco-friendly beds have become immensely popular and help you save the environment while keeping your dog super comfortable. Despite being a relatively new addition to the market, there are many high quality options available & more are released each season.
3) Novelty & designer beds: Your little puppy likes to be different, and who can blame him!? For this purpose most shops will offer you unique dog beds that not only look different but also add that novelty factor to your home. These beds are not entirely form over function either—many of them include orthopedic foam and high quality construction.
4) Orthopedic beds: If your dog is suffering from any orthopedic-related ailments, don’t worry. There is a huge range of orthopedic beds available that will relieve your dog of any pains and joint aches he may have.
5) Outdoor and waterproof beds: If your dog likes to bunk outside and loves to be around nature, then you’ll definitely want invest in an outdoor and waterproof bed. These beds are designed so that your dog can rough it out while still having a comfortable bed to sleep on.

So there you have it, with so many choices available like Bowsers dog beds or Juicy Couture dog beds, it’s time you treat man’s best friend to the most comfortable and luxurious dog bed available! It will let allow him to snuggle up and sleep tight in his own little heaven!

The background to the video is that just over a week ago, there was a horrible accident involving our little Tobi. I was driving her and our other dog, Matza, early in the morning through a quiet residential area. The girls were buckled into their carseat, sticking their heads out the window, when the unthinkable happened–Tobi fell out the car window, her seat buckle snapped in half, and I ran her over. (Gratefully, we were approaching a stop sign when this happened and only going about 15-20 mph.) I won’t even go into how horrible that whole situation was. But, being the 8-lb trooper that she is, Tobi survived being ran over by a 3500-lb SUV–as well as the ensuing surgery to pin/plate her hips, pelvis, and spine back together. We got her home this last Tuesday night and she’s very limited in mobility for the next eight weeks.

Tobi’s pain meds are working and she can put weight on both of her hind legs, but she’s still very hesitant to use her right leg. Her right hip/pelvis did not have a clean break like her left side did, so that does cause some discomfort. However, she has shown she can walk on it just fine. So, it was quite the surprise to see that she not only decided to no longer walk on her right leg but her left too. How does this work? Check it out for yourself:

http://www.facebook.com/v/408321289925

It is a bit creepy to watch in person, but I think a lot of that is because it’s just not what we normally see from her. However, the fact she’s figured out how to walk around the entire lawn like this–to the point she’ll even do all of her business while on two legs–is absolutely amazing to me! She has taken a traumatic situation and adapted her furry little self to make the best of it so she can still keep keepin’ on. I called her surgeon yesterday and explained what she was doing; they were in a bit of disbelief, but advised to let her keep doing it and to hold off on any physical therapy for a few extra days while she learns she’s actually OK.

I can’t wait for her to make the full recovery she’s expected to make, but in the meantime I’m grateful for the tremendous lessons & courage she’s showing!

Lots of changes have been taking place at Bark Slope (a new baby lead to new ownership, which lead to a new site design, which lead to…well, you get the picture)  but we’re back and at it again in the blog world!  For some odd reason, we can’t get the blog link to work half the time, so we’re crossing the paws that this will stop soon so that we can consistently share what’s going on in the dog world as well as what’s new in the Bark Slope world–not to mention a bunch of laughs along the way.  I think we can all agree that life is so very stressful and that humor is a necessity to make it through the day!  What better way to relieve stress than to combine humor and dogs?!

First, however, introductions are in order.  The person behind the computer right now is Kade, co-owner of Bark Slope /main mutt/janitor.  (“Kade” is said like “Jade”, but with a “K”–and he would be a male. )  Sharing in the daily fun of keeping Bark Slope operating is Brenda, the other co-owner of Bark Slope/product description writer-extraordinairre/pseudo-accountant.  You’ll be hearing from both of us–along with guest authors, too.  Some are other members of the Bark Slope team, while others are experts that have been recommended to us.  Anyway, enough about us and back to what’s going on now…

Currently, we’re right in the midst of Howl-oween madness.  This year’s costumes are flying out the door (for those interested, it’s the shiny clown costume that’s most popular for us this year), but we ourselves are still at a little bit of a loss as to what costumes to use for our own dogs.  Kade has two dogs at his home in North Carolina–Matza Ball (a 4-year-old white/tan Maltichon) and Tobi Knish (a 9-month-old black Yorkipoo), while Brenda has Kade’s other dog, Duchess (a 10-year-old Lhasa Apso), living with her in Utah.  (The move across the country was a no-go for Dutchie, so she keeps Brenda company.)  Oh, and it’s a commonly asked question when people hear Matz and Tobi’s names, but no, Kade is not Jewish.  It’s a story best saved for another time, but there was logic behind how it all came to be.

As it stands, it looks like Matza will be a pink hippo, while Tobi will be a pig.  Though Matza’s personality doesn’t really resemble a hippo much, there could not be a more fitting costume for Tobi than that of a pig.  The dog can put down food like no other!  She’s six pounds, but if you were to go off of the volume she eats, you’d think you had a 50-lb. dog on your hands.  It’s insane.  Matza can be trusted to self-feed, but not Tobi.  Bless her furry little heart.

Anyway, the days are filled with wrapping up the Halloween shopping season while we’re working in the background to get the coolest possible Christmas and Hannukah items ready to go!  Shipments are arriving daily–and look to continue for the foreseeable future.  Personal favorites thus far: The “Oy Vey Cow” toy (the internal slider makes a sound that is exactly like saying “oy vey” when the toy is turned back and forth…I often just play with it myself because it’s an absolute hoot and makes me laugh everytime…yes, I’m pathetic) and the Juicy Couture teddy bear rope toy is the other toy fave.  For clothing, we are SO excited to be able to exclusively offer a high-quality, fun sweater line that was just uploaded to the site last night.  The sweaters are not able to be offered by any other online retailer, so these are ones you won’t see all over the place!  The argyle sweater and the toggle sweater are both at the top of my faves list too.  Dosha Dog’s collars, along with London Dog’s, are just amazing, but we’re also currently evaluating a couple of other lines to bring into the mix.

So, in short, there’s a lot going on and for those who have been following the blog for years (even during the stretch no new posts were added), we’ll hopefully make this blog worth your while and help brighten your day!  Having said that, if there is a topic you want discussed or even a new product you would suggest (among other things, our basic requirements are that it be high quality and unique), feel free to drop us a line.  We’re all ears!  (info@barkslope.com)

Until then, have a fantastic day!

~Kade

1. The Lazy L Bed and Breakfast is super dog-friendly.  They have a dog run and welcome all housebroken and well socialized dogs to visit their establishment.  I love this quote: Children over 10 are welcome.  Gotta love a place that puts a bigger restriction on children than dogs!

2. The Home for the Holidays party sponsored by the Delaware Humane Society is taking place November 30th at the shelter.  Join the festivities that include food, drinks and pictures with Santa!

3. Olivia & Olive: The Two Little Pugs Who Live Here…Check out this adorable blog (pic below) from dogs that live in Delaware (at least I think they do).  Love the logo and I am completely jealous of their Mom’s creativity!

4. “Doggin Delaware: The 40 Best Places to Hike with Your Dog in the First State“.  Who knew Delaware was such a great place to hike with your dog? 

5. Safe Haven Sanctuary is a no-kill shelter that aims to make Sussex County in Delaware no-kill and expand to the state level and eventually recruit bordering states to adopt the same goal. 

1. Does your dog need a break from the tough job of being a dog?  Check out the Interlaken Inn of Lakeville where dogs can enjoy off-leash hours at the lake, go on hikes on the Appalachian Trail and be welcomed with an optional VIP package just for them.

2. Stubby the hero dog (see pic below) fought side by side with soldiers during WWI and was honored by three Presidents and a lifetime member of the Red Cross, YMCA and American Legion for his courage in Germany (he was snuck on the SS Minnesota) and the morale boost he provided the soldiers.

3. Want to see the winners of an AKC Dog Show and possibly become a winner yourself?  Check out the Mohegan Sun AKC Challenge Dog Show this coming weekend, come for the show and stay for the slot machines!

4. The Connecticut Humane Society was established in 1881 and has many dogs that are looking for new homes.  There are a couple days left in Adopt a Shelter Pet month so check them out today.

5. Puppy Restraining Order: Riley, a 6 month-old Golden Retriever was awarded a restraining order against his owner’s ex-wife due to alleged abuse by the woman while taking care of Riley.  Connecticut gets a thumbs up from me for passing this new law since many animals are punished to get back at the other party in divorces and domestic violence cases.