By Meredeth Barzen

A scene from the dog trick contest at Woofstock 2009.

“The Hiiiills are aliiiive …  with the sound of doooogieeeees.”

Yep, that’s right—Linden Hills Woofstock is right around the corner—Saturday Sept. 11th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to be exact. And first things first: Sidewalk Dog is going to be there with bells on.

In fact, Sidewalk Dog, Pampered Pooch Playground and K9 Connection will be be providing a warm water dog wash in the Sebastian Joe’s parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The shampoo is being provided by Topline Canine Care (a local company, natch), and all money raised will go directly to The Pet Project, which which helps people keep their pets by providing pet food and basic supplies to those who are struggling and provides connections to basic veterinary care and information on finding pet-friendly housing (you might also recognize them as the fabulous beneficiary of last week’s Sushi With Your Poochie: Part Deux—Continued ). If it’s too cold for sudsies, we’ll be playing fun doggie games in the parking lot all day long. There might even be some yummy coffee and treats from Sebastian Joe’s.

A happy customer at last year's Sidewalk Dog-sponsored warm-water dog wash.

But now that we’ve dispensed with the business, let’s talk about the event, which doubled in attendance from 2008 to 2009 according to Lauren Crandall of Pixie Song Events, which produces Woofstock. Last year, “it seemed like EVERYONE had a dog, so the numbers really were astounding,” Lauren says. “As a result, we’ve closed off more real estate this year for more dog events. Bob Bayers of Bayers Hardware is closing off his lot, which is giving us a huge amount of space for more events and safe, car-free mingling.”

All your favorites will be back, including C&E Dog Training with an agility demonstration and a Pint-Sized Play session from Fresh Air Training so smaller dogs can get in on the fun. “We’ll have live music again this year, and dog trick shows for ‘amazing’ dogs, as well as a trick event for ‘average dogs! New stuff we like includes Zen Pooch Doga (yoga with your dog) sponsored by K9 Connection, and a dog/owner photo booth sponsored by Pampered Pooch Playground. And we love that Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) are setting up tents in the Dunn Bros parking lot and having their trained therapy dogs read along with any children that would like time to cozy up with a friendly fido and a good book,” Lauren says.

And don’t forget to stop by that dog wash—we’ll see you there!

If you’re looking for dog-related or just plain dog-friendly events in the Twin Cities, then you’ve come to the right place. From the Events page on our Web site to our monthly newsletter to our Facebook page to this very blog, we’re constantly telling you what you and your dog should be doing. (Hope that’s okay!)

Below is a sampling of what’s happening over the next couple of weeks.

Various dates/times/locations – Play groups. Each one has a unique spin, so be sure to check out a few before taking your pick: Just Paws Puppy Training’s Mini Paws, The Canine Coach’s Playtime, Pampered Pooch Playground’s Tiny Tails and Fresh Air Training’s Pint-Sized Play.

Thursday, 1/21 – Talk2theAnimals Wisdom Behind the Whiskers radio show. Have you ever had the feeling your pet was trying to tell you something? Join animal communicator Janet Roper of Talk2theAnimals as she defines and talks about the benefits of animal communication. 1-2 p.m. on Diva Toolbox Radio.

Sunday, 1/24 – Animal communication/TTouch workshop. Get in touch with your dog! For just $25, you’ll receive an animal communication reading from Ilga Cimbulis and learn relaxing and calming TTouches from Aloha Pet Care & Dog Training’s Lisa Sellman. 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Auntie Ruth’s Animal Care & Wellness Center in Minnetonka. More info.

The Canine Coach's newest course: Canine Inspired Change

Saturday, 1/30 – Canine Inspired Change info session. The Canine Coach is offering a new course called Canine Inspired Change in which pet partner teams will learn to foster emotional growth and teach social skills to people of all ages in various educational settings. Attend for free or make an optional donation to Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue. For more info, click here. To register, click here.

Saturday, 1/30 – Shure Pets at the Ladies Shopping Expo “Shop to Your Heart’s Content” event.* Visit the Shure Pets “Puppy Love” booth for a special opportunity to buy direct from local consultant Stephanie Thompsen (i.e. the nice lady who comes to your house to show you snazzy pet items). The expo, which will be held at the Andover Community Center, starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. For more info, contact Stephanie via her Web site. (See “Pet Parties are a Fun Night In.”)

Sunday, 1/31 – Peaceful protest at Petland. Join the Animal Rights Coalition for a peaceful demonstration from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. outside St. Paul’s Petland, a store that sells puppies obtained from commercial breeders who mass-produce animals. Some posters will be available. Better yet, make your own from artwork obtained here. (See “Saying No to Puppy Mills: Peaceful Protest at Petland” for a photo from a recent demonstration at Shakopee’s Petland.)

Thursday, 2/4 – Dog Day at the Metrodome. Indoor, off-leash play plus pet-related vendors in the concourse from 5-9 p.m. Only $1 per dog and FREE parking (enter at Gate B). Dogs must be licensed and tagged. Minneapolis Animal Care & Control will sell licenses on-site. Questions? Contact Adam Kocinski at adam@podiumsportsmarketing.com  or at 651.238.2651.

*Note: The Ladies Shopping Expo “Shop to Your Heart’s Content” event is not dog-friendly.

By Meredeth Barzen

September has arrived, and we all know what that means: Woofstock is coming! On Saturday, September 19, all of Linden Hills (a neighborhood that needs no officially sanctioned holiday to go dog-crazy, but appreciates it anyway) will be swarmed with pooches and their people taking in tons of doggie-centric events, vendors and contests.

Sadie the Wonderdoodle can speak from firsthand experience to say that Linden Hills is pretty dog-friendly all year round: Many of the main drag’s businesses—like Clancey’s Meats, Bayers Do it Best Hardware, Coffee & Tea Ltd. and Wonderment—not only let dogs in their stores, but reward pups for their owners’ great sign-reading skills with biscuits and belly rubs. For Woofstock, these businesses are stocking up on treats and celebrating the day with things like doggie corsages, hats for the annual Pooches Promenade, and special sales and events.

This dog is not so sure about its custom-made hat from Wonderment--but hey, the owner likes it!

These businesses are also playing sponsor for a grand four-legged scavenger hunt, where dog owners go to certain stores to sniff out a huge, golden bone. Everyone who completes the task is entered to win prizes.

We’re most excited about the Wash-a-thon and Coffee Tasting in the Sebastian Joe’s parking lot from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., sponsored by Pampered Pooch Playground, K9-Connection and yours truly, Sidewalk Dog. For a $5 suggested donation to People for Parks, the event’s beneficiary, you can have your filthy friend primped and pampered in a warm-water dog wash while you sample Sebastian Joe’s coffee.

New to the festival this year is an exciting agility demonstration put on by the folks at C&E Dog Training Center. They’re bringing their super-agile animals with them and will be showing off their skills in the Sebastian Joe’s parking lot between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Also new this year is Fresh Air Training’s Pint-Sized Play, where small dogs can romp with their similar-sized peers. Wild Rumpus bookstore (where cats and chickens reign supreme) will have a contest to see who has the most well-read dog—just snap a photo of your pooch inspired by your favorite dog in literature and bring it to the store for a chance to win a prize. And to set a soundtrack to the festivities, Trish Painter (who has a CD of dog-inspired songs) and the Linden Hills House of Music’s Rock Camp for Dads will be serenading us dog-lovers.

One of Woofstock’s perennial favorites, the dog tricks contest, will be hosted by FOX 9’s Juli Jay—and this is the first year the judges will be looking for “average” dog tricks like a fast-sit, a high-jump, a cute booty-wiggle, resemblance to owner or even being just plain old.

Some of the festivities (like the Wash-a-thon) benefit People for Parks, a nonprofit that funds projects to improve Minneapolis’ stellar park system. Or, you can help them out directly by buying an engraved paver (in tribute to anyone you love, animal or human) that will live in front of the Lake Harriet Bandshell—they’ll be exhibiting at Woofstock, so be sure to pay them a visit.

We’ll see you there!