Happy Howl-O-Ween

Thank you to all who participated in the Sloppy Kisses 5th Annual Canine Costume Parade/Contest held on Sunday, October 31, 2010.

We had 59 dogs entered into the costume contest and hundreds on hand that walked in the parade and witnessed the festivities. Over $330 was raised in support of the Dog-Friendly Downtown Program. Thank you all for supporting this program and for getting out and having funwith your dog!

Photos courtesy of Red Cottage Photography

A Dog-Friendly Saratoga Summer

Check out this great story that CBS6 did on the DFD Program.

Click here: Growing Trend: Dining With Your Dog

Thanks to Dave Pedinotti and Andy Brindisi for their support and for welcoming dogs into the outdoor seating areas of their downtown restaurants, The Mouzon House and Brindisi's Restaurant!

The Dog-Friendly Downtown Program would also like to welcome another restaurant and bar to the group, The Wine Bar. Visitors can often see owner, Melissa Evans, walking her adorable dog outside their 417 Broadway

location.

DFD Launch Event Day and GoPetFriendly.com

Thank you to everyone who attended the Dog-Friendly Downtown Launch Event this past Saturday! Scavenger Hunt participants, business owners, dog-lovers and Putnam Den visitors all enjoyed this doggie day out. Special thanks to GoPetFriendly.com, Mayor Scott Johnson, his wife Julie and their new dog Chase, our event sponsor The Adirondack Trust Company and program sponsors Sloppy Kisses and Saratoga Arts!

This was the blog entry that GoPetFriendly.com posted after the event! What a great review. Thanks!

Saratoga Springs for Dog-Friendly Businesses

by ROD BURKERT on MAY 17, 2010

GoPetFriendly is infatuated with Saratoga Springs, NY. Though we were only in town for a few days, we came away feeling this town is one of the most pet friendly cities we’ve had the good fortune to visit. Read on to understand why.

Lying at the southeastern edge of the Adirondacks, and known mostly for all things equine, Saratoga Springs is extending the love to canines. As we reported on Friday, the community was officially launching its Dog-Friendly Downtown initiative on Saturday. Starting almost a year ago with just 12 businesses, the number of shops identifying and marketing themselves as dog friendly has grown to 35. And just to be clear, dogs are allowed INSIDE if you see the above decal on a storefront – you don’t have to ask.

So on a radiant Saturday, teams of people and pooches sniffed out 23 businesses (listed at the end of this post) participating in a dog-friendly scavenger hunt. Amy and Ty parked the Winnebag

o in front of Sloppy Kisses and got to meet and introduce GoPetFriendly to the dog lovin’ town-folk. Meanwhile, Buster and I hit the streets. Our mission: track down the answers to 23 dog-related questions specific to each of the businesses.

I am happy to report that Buster could not have performed any better that day. I’ve previously written that Buster has his challenges, one of which is meeting other dogs when he is on leash. However, while walking the city blocks, I got the ultimate compliment. A woman, whose two dogs were barking loudly and pulling to get at a non-plussed Buster, asked me how I managed to train my dog so well! I am not sure what aura I was projecting that day, but I wish I could’ve bottled it. Oh yeah … we got all 23 questions answered, too!

After the scavenger hunt, answer sheets were tallied and winners were announced at a yappy hour held at Putnam Den. Prizes were awarded by Mayor Scott Johnson, who attended the event with his wife, Julie, and their newly rescued Cocker Spaniel, Chase. Buster and I won a gift bag of cool doggie items donated by Impressions of Saratoga that we’ll be giving away – stay tuned for details.

For more information and pictures, visit: gopetfriendly.com

What's Happening Saratoga? The DFD Launch Event!

Check out this 'What's Happening' video from Saratoga.com about this Saturday's Dog-Friendly Downtown Launch Event! Check the last post for more details!

DFD Scavenger Hunt Ballot

Click and print BOTH pages of the DFD Launch Event Scavenger Hunt Ballot. Ballots will also be available at Sloppy Kisses, Saratoga.

DFD Launch Event, May 15, 2010

11am - 3pm: Scavenger Hunt

Visit member businesses throughout the day, collecting answers to Scavenger Hunt Ballot questions. Some businesses will be offering DFD Launch Event Day promotions and sales!

3pm – 5pm: Doggy Yappy Hour at Putnam Den
Submit your ballots for a chance to win prizes donated by DFD member businsses. Prizes will be awarded by our honorary chairs, Mayor Scott Johnson, his wife Julie and their dog Chase!

The Dog-Friendly Downtown Launch Event

With over 30 member businesses, we are making Saratoga a destination, not only for two-legged customers, but also those with four legs! We are happy to announce the DFD Launch Event on Saturday May 15, 2010 from 11am - 5pm.

11am – 3pm: Scavenger Hunt
Participants will visit several member businesses throughout the day, collecting answers to Scavenger Hunt Ballot questions from each business they visit

Some businesses will be offering DFD Launch Event Day promotions and sales!

3pm – 5pm: Doggy Yappy Hour at Putnam Den
Participants will submit their ballots for a drawing
A local radio/TV personality and their dog will be recognized at the event
Radio/TV personality will select winners from those who’ve submitted completed Scavenger Hunt Ballots
Prizes will be raffled off in a winners-choice drawing

Prior to Event:

• Download/print a DFD Scavenger Hunt Ballot (coming soon!) here at the DFD website or at Sloppy Kisses.
• The ballot will include a DFD Map with business addresses.
• All Scavenger Hunt participating businesses will be listed with a question specific to their business (E.g. At Sloppy Kisses, the question may be “What is the owners dog’s name?”)
• Businesses will post answers to Scavenger Hunt questions at their location (at a front counter or in the window)
• Scavenger Hunt participants will be required to visit 7 member-businesses, collecting answers to questions pertaining to that business for their ballot to be eligible for entry into a raffle.
• A special prize will be granted to Scavenger Hunt participants who visit ALL participating DFD businesses!

We are looking forward to celebrating DFD’s official launch and hope you are too!!

If you're a member business and want more information how to get involved, please email Adrianna at aflax@saratoga-arts.org

Smooch Your Pooch / DFD Fundraiser a Success!

Thank you to everyone who attended the Smooch Your Pooch Valentines Event! We raised $600 for the Dog-Friendly Downtown Program! Thank you to the member businesses who donated food, raffle items and continue to eagerly involve themselves with the DFD Program! Thank you Putnam Den for hosting and to everyone who attended, both two and four-legged! We're looking forward to a Spring program launch event for the DFD Program. More information to come!