Take a Pittie Home for the Holidays (Nov. 27th) and Scamps & Scoundrels (Dec. 4th)

There's two events right around the corner: Take a Pittie Home for the Holidays (Nov. 27th)  and Scamps & Scoundrels (Dec. 4th). Hope ya enjoy and have a great holiday!

 

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Scamps and Scoundrels: An Urban Dog Challenge

Downtown Austin Goes to the Dogs

One of the first things people comment on about Austin is its amazing dog community. It boasts over 13 off-leash parks and on any given day at any given patio, you will see a dog or two at their owner’s feet enjoying a day on the town.

With that in mind, Blair Smith and Alesha Mathews of Dirty Dog (www.dirty-dog.com) have long dreamed of having an event for dogs and their owners in which they could do an activity together while checking out some of Austin’s favorite dog-friendly businesses. The only problem was time: they didn’t have any to plan an event of this size by themselves. So they reached out to their friends for help. Sarah Wolf (www.sarahkwolf.com) and Beth Bellanti (www.bellantibranding.com) didn’t hesitate to jump on board to bring this dream to fruition.

From this dynamic group has come Scamps and Scoundrels: An Urban Dog Challenge benefitting Austin Pets Alive (www.austinpetsalive.org). On December 4^th, registered teams of one dog and 1-4 humans will figure out clues to local, downtown dog-friendly businesses. Once there, the teams will be required to complete a fun task before moving on to the next location. When all tasks are complete, the teams will travel to the new Austin Pets Alive! building to check in to the finish line and join a HUGE party awaiting them.

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) was founded in 1997 as a private-sector support organization working with government entities, other nonprofits and the public to stop the killing of Austin’s adoptable dogs and cats. In 2008, APA embarked on a bold and aggressive initiative to create an Animal Resource Center, and in September of 2010 that dream became a reality—they opened their building on Manchaca and South Lamar.  APA! hopes to take on the 7,000+ animals that our city shelter is killing each year and give them a better chance at survival. Since 2008, APA has saved over 4000 from the euthanasia list at TLAC!

The party will feature some of the amazing sponsors that have signed on in support: Tito’s Vodka, Sweet Leaf Tea, Republic Tequila, Uncle Billy’s, Amy’s Ice Cream and a “drool-worthy” silent auction featuring many, many more. While there, guests will be able to tour the incredible new facility that APA calls home. The group has been astounded at the response from the local business community as well as the local dog community. Everyone is really excited about this upcoming “tail waggin’ good time”. And of course, well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome!

For more information, team registration and to RSVP to the after-party:

Event website: http://scampsandscoundrels.tumblr.com

Sarah Wolf: sarah@sarahkwolf.com, 979.575.2757

Blair Smith: info@dirty-dog.com, 512.413.3711

All-Breed Weight Pull Dec. 4-5th

The IWPA Weight pull will be on Dec. 4th-5th at SouthPaws Playschool, 2324 South Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX. 

If you are interested in the IWPA sanctioned weight pull competition (Saturday and Sunday), weigh in will be at 10:00am. Pulling starts at 10:30.  Weigh in NOT required for novice rounds. You may enter any of the novice rounds up to the time it begins (10:30).  Please see www.iwpa.net for specific rules in the competitive rounds.  Novice teams should be treated like training rounds.

Weight pull general info:

Any dog can participate and earn a title through IWPA for weight pulling.

What's the fee? Free for spectators. $10 for novice rounds - enter when you get there. Consider novice rounds a training session and a chance to see if your dog enjoys it. I will have harnesses for you to use. Most dogs take to a harness quickly. $25 for competition rounds.

What can my dog get out of weight pulling? Physical activity, confidence building, socializing, and improving their relationship with you.

What do I need to train my dog to do before then for weight pull? The come or recall command. Your dog should have basic control.

What's the most weight a dog has ever pulled? The most I've seen is 50000 lbs.  Most dogs in healthy condition can pull 10x their body weight without any additional physical training.

When do I enter? On the day of the event. Novice can enter any time before the round begins. Professional/competition rounds must be entered and weighed in before the start of the pull.

Who can participate? Anyone and any breed. No registry or club membership required.

What should I bring? Your dog on leash and yourself. Camping chair and crate if desired. I will have harnesses available for dogs 20 lbs to 160 lbs.

My dog is small. Is there anything for us to do? Yes! Even the "little" ones can weight pull. There have been Jack Russells and Italian Greyhounds that pull with success!

Fur Festival for the Animal Trustees of Austin - November 14th

2010 FUR FESTIVAL BENEFITS ANIMAL TRUSTEES OF AUSTIN

Donations from the free event will benefit the pet wellness nonprofit

  

  L Style G Style presents the first annual Fur Festival Benefit and fundraiser.   Featured activities will include a holiday pet photo booth, nutritional talks with a pet health expert, medicinal compound information, paw clippings, training tips, raffle items, giveaways, retail items for purchase, car display and massages.  This event is free to the public.  All donations will benefit Animal Trustees of Austin. Pets are welcome but must remain leashed for the duration of the event. Water for pets and a lawn rest area will be provided.  Pet waste services to be provided by Dog Duty.  www.furfestivalbenefit.com

WHERE:        L Style G Style headquarters parking Lot

                        1412 Collier St. Building B

Austin, TX 78704

                       

WHEN:           Sunday, November 14

                        1:00pm-5:00pm

Austin Barkitecture and Gypsy Picnic on Nov. 6th!

There are two  fun dog friendly events going on this weekend.  While I'll won't be able to make either, you can have some fun for me. Make sure you keep your dogs on leash. 

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Barkitecture 2010

Join us for a great, free family-friendly event! The silent auctions for 27 one of a kind designer dog houses begin at noon (see schedule below) so come early to check them out and place your bids. Free parking will be available in the City Hall parking garage until 5pm.

SCHEDULE OF BARKITECTURE 2010 EVENTS

Noon-4:00pm	Dog House Silent Auction
1:00pm-2:00pm	PhotoBooth by Annie Ray
2:30pm	Fashound Show
4:30pm	Awards ceremony at Design Within Reach
4:00pm -6:00pm	Barkitecture after-party at Design Within Reach

If you plan to participate in the silent auction, please read the following information:

• Bid sheets will be placed next to the dog houses.  There will also be a silent auction table outside the Lofty Dog store with Lofty Dog, Planet Dog, and 2nd Street gift baskets, photo shoots by Nicole Mlakar-Livingston, dog toys from Doggles, and more!
• All opening bids begin at $250 and are increased in $50 increments.
• The auction closes at exactly 4pm.  The highest bidder wins.
• Winners can come to the information booth in the City Hall block to pay by cash, check, or PayPal.  
• Winners not in attendance will by notified by phone by 4:30pm and payment can be made via PayPal.
• It is the responsibility of the buyer and builder of the dog house to coordinate pick-up and delivery of the dog house. All houses must be removed no later than 6pm.

Can't come to the event but would like to make a contribution? Proceeds from the event and donations go to Animal Lovers of Austin, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that will distribute funds to Blue Dog Rescue, Austin Pets Alive, Austin Dog Rescue, and Wee Rescue.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We need volunteers to help before and during the event.  There are three shifts available (9am-12pm, 12pm-3pm, and 3pm-5pm).  If you're interested, please call Veronique at 512.476.5050.


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Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival

More Than 30 Trailers Announced for Inaugural Event

Austin isn’t just the “Capital of Live Music” anymore…we’re also the capital of Trailer Food. Paying tribute to the culinary craze that’s been tickling taste-buds all over the country, C3 Presents is rolling out over 30 of Austin’s finest mobile meal makers for the first-ever Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival at Auditorium Shores on November 6. A fun–and funky–celebration of our thriving street food scene, this one-day event will gather the cream of the trailer crop in one convenient location, allowing attendees to easily sample from dozens of vendors instead of having to trek all around town. In addition to excellent eats, Gypsy Picnic will be serving up tasty tunes all day from the music stage with a showcase of local music.  Best of all, admission to the event is free to the public. 

Not only will our rambling restaurants reach thousands of hungry new customers, they’ll also have the chance to compete for belly-pleasing bragging rights in the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Cook-off.  A panel of expert judges has been pulled together to conduct blind tastings to select the very best bites in a variety of categories, and the public will get their chance to weigh in with an overall Fan Favorite.

Down at the Gypsy Picnic even the pickiest palate will find something to savor with fast fare from all over the world.  From gourmet cheeseburgers and Texas Czech to Asian Fusion, Moroccan, Mexican and everything in between, the Gypsy Picnic features a diverse array of fine food.  Picnic gourmands will find local legends like Torchy’s Tacos, The Mighty Cone, Chi’Lantro BBQ, and The Best Wurst, in addition to food scene up-and-comers like The Flying Carpet and The Peached Tortilla.  One thing’s for sure: no matter what windows people end up ordering at, they’re going to go home impressed.

Since the Gypsy Picnic is all about connecting communities, family, and friends to food and fun, our website helps take that experience a few steps further.  At GypsyPicnic.com, food-lovers can select the trailers they want to try out, see how many other people have selected that vendor and share “menus" with their Facebook friends.

Here’s the full list of Gypsy Picnic food vendors, including trailers and trucks from every area of Austin:

 86 THIS
 Bananarchy
 Chi'Lantro BBQ
 Colibri Cuisine
 Conscious Cravings
 Coolhaus
 Cutie Pies
 Elixer Coffee
 Gourdough's - Big Fat Donuts
 Hat Creek Burger Co.
 Holy Cacao
 Izzoz Tacos
 Juan Pelota Coffee Truck
 Kate's Southern Comfort
 Kronic Krave Arepas
 Man Bites Dog
 mmmpanadas
 Patika Coffee
 Pick up Stixx
 Royito's Hot Sauce Streamer
 Short Bus Subs  
 SugarShackBBQ
 The Best Wurst
 The Flying Carpet
 The Jalopy: Rotisserie and Press
 the Mighty Cone
 the peached tortilla
 The ZubikHouse
 Torchy's Tacos
 Turf  N Surf Po’ Boy

For the latest news as the event approaches, stay tuned to www.GypsyPicnic.com.