Pitlandia in Portlandia: Woodburn Company Stores

Not too long ago, our very wise flyball trainer informed us that the Woodburn Company Stores (about 30 minutes south of Portland) allow dogs.  As much as we love bringing Athena to Home Depot, we thought that the Woodburn Outlets would be a perfect place to practice for our upcoming Canine Good Citizen test (which, BTW, is on June 16th!!).

The Woodburn Company Stores are an outdoor outlet mall that features big-name stores like Nike, The North Face, Coach, Gap, and many more.  Because it's outdoors, dogs are allowed to walk around on-leash.  A bonus is that the majority of the stores actually allow dogs inside.

Dogs in human stores:

When we first arrived to the outlets, we weren't quite sure how to tell which stores allowed dogs inside.  So, before entering our first store, B went in and asked an employee if we could bring Athena in with us.  Their response was, "as long as she's on her best behavior and doesn't bark."  We knew this would be no problem for Athena, so we brought her in for a little human shopping.

After going into a few more stores, an employee at Columbia Sportswear so kindly informed us that stores that don't allow dogs inside have a special sticker on the door like this one:

No Dogs Allowed sign

Only a few stores had the "no dogs allowed" sticker in their window, so we were able to bring Athena into most of the stores that we wanted to shop at.

Helping mom pick out clothes:

During our trip to the Woodburn Outlets, our goal was to socialize Athena in a new environment and practice for our upcoming Canine Good Citizen test.  This meant that while mom and dad were paroozing the aisles, Athena was expected to sit or lay at our feet to practice her long stays.  I was very impressed with how well she did at this, but I will admit that the cheese and pepperoni in my treat bag probably helped a little bit.

I don't know about that one, mom!

This looks bea-u-tee-ful on the Bean!

We tried to be especially mindful of the other shoppers in the stores who may not wish to do their shopping with a dog laying in the aisle, so we always made sure to have Athena in a sit or a down when other shoppers were around.  We also made a point to leave lots of room for ourselves and others to ensure that Athena never felt trapped by the towers of clothes and people.

Positive pittie press:

While shopping at the outlet stores, many people asked to meet Athena.  Aside from the everyday shoppers, many employees in the dog-friendly stores were thrilled that we brought Athena in for some shopping.  In multiple stores, the employees would swoon over Athena and compliment her perfect store manners.  Athena received two AMAZING compliments from employees at two separate stores:

1. "She's the sweetest dog that we've ever had come into the store!"
2. "She's the most well-mannered dog that we've ever had come into the store!"

Maybe they say that about every dog that walks into the store, but it still made me proud!

Athena pretending to be the dog mannequin

Don't forget the treats:

Before heading out for Woodburn, I was sure to feed Athena a light breakfast and pack the rest of her food for training opportunities.  Not only did she practice her in-store behavior, but she was also able to practice some of her confidence building activities such as bench sitting.

Athena practicing her bench sit

Throughout the whole four-hour shopping trip, we only saw three other dogs at the mall.  We actually never ran into another dog inside of a store, just outside walking around.  Athena was able to practice her "leave-it"command when we did come across another dog.  We also found out that Athena is a bit distracted by birds...

Overall experience:

We LOVED shopping with Athena at the Woodburn Outlets and give it four paws up for its dog friendliness!  

Is there any dog-friendly shopping in your area?

Pitlandia in Portlandia: Doggie Dash 2013

Back in February, I announced that Athena and I were in training to run a marathon 2.5 mile race together.  The day finally arrived this Saturday when we joined over 6,000 others on Portland's Waterfront for the Oregon Human Society's Doggie Dash!

Streets all blocked off for the race!

Of course we couldn't let Athena wear a tutu alone!

Team in Training:

One of our New Year's resolutions for Athena was that we would like her to learn how to jog with us.  Up until we began training for the Doggie Dash, Athena was the worst running buddy ever.  Whenever I would pick up speed from a walk to a jog, she would go bonkers and start sprinting.  Sprinting is now a thing of the past and I am happy to announce that Athena is now a fantastic running partner for myself and her dad!  Athena's Freedom No-Pull harness has done wonders for her as well as our "more fun than dirt" training.

Only a few steps from the finish line!

Day of the Dash:

As great of a runner as Athena has become, I was still very nervous leading up to the day of the Doggie Dash that Athena wouldn't be able to run with me.  From all of our experiences with the Portland Pit Bull Parade and Respectabulls walking groups, Athena has an extremely hard time keeping her cool walking with other dogs.  I was starting to have nightmares of what would happen when we joined 6,000 others and their dogs for a dog run.  It actually wasn't until the night before the race that I made up my mind and decided that Athena would join me for the run.  I figured if she pulled too hard, then I'd just have to quit and hope for better next year.

All dressed up for the dash!

On the day of the run, the time approached 9:00am and I was already sweating as we lined up at the start.  I was so nervous as to what would happen as soon as the shotgun went off.  Actually, I was more afraid of what kind of mess we would be in if Athena started acting crazy during the line up with so many dogs around us.  But, I was an extremely prepared dog mama and packed a whole treat bag full of cheese, pepperoni, and kibble.  As we got in position to begin the race with hundreds of humans and their dogs, Athena had 100% attention on me and her treats.  Not once did she give a play bow to another dog (even though there were dogs only inches away from her), or even show interest in greeting those around her.

Athena got LOTS of treats for paying attention to me!

Clearly all of the other dogs knew that I was the Treat Lady

As soon as the race began and the sea of people and dogs started to run, I knew that I might be in trouble.  Athena started mega pulling and I had all that I could do to hold on tight and hope that she didn't pull the entire 2.5 miles (I may have died if she did).  Lucky for me, Athena only pulled for about the first half mile.  She finally tired herself out and trotted next to me for the remaining two miles, just like we had practiced!  I was SO proud of her.  She was what gave me the push I needed to run the entire time without stopping.

Walkers and their dogs followed the runners

Athena strutting her stuff!

All kinds of fun:

The race ended back at Waterfront park and the announcer said "here come the tutu girls!" as we crossed the finish line.  Athena was totally exhausted and did a frog flop in the grass to cool off.

When we finally caught our breath, we paroozed the many vendors at the event and stocked up on some pretty great samples.  There was also a free pancake breakfast, mimosas, beer, and goodie bags for all participants.

We also met some fellow tutu wearers who we stopped to take a picture with:

The city goes to the dogs:

Following the run, we ate lunch at the nearby Rock Bottom Brewery where they allowed Athena to join us in their outdoor seating area.  Every table outside was filled with doggie dashers!  All of the dogs were treated like royalty and received their very own water bowls and treats from the staff.

Riding public transit:

As if the day wasn't filled with enough excitement, Athena also rode on public transportation with us to and from the run.  For one day only, Trimet allowed dogs participating in the Doggie Dash to ride the max (the light rail system in Portland).  We live super close to a max line, so it was very convenient to not have to worry about driving and parking downtown.

Waiting for our train to arrive

Of course, Athena was pretty nervous getting onto the train, but she warmed up quickly with treats.

Athena the professional doggie max rider!

We did it!:

I keep bonking myself in the head that I almost didn't even bring Athena to the Doggie Dash with me.  I was just that certain that she wouldn't succeed.  I am so glad that I changed my mind and gave her the chance to succeed.  I seriously should have known that she would be a rockstar!  Not only did she exceed my expectations for the run, but she was also an amazing breed ambassador the entire day while riding the max and meeting new people and dogs at the dash.  SO many people approached us wanting to meet Athena and comment on how well behaved she was.  In all of our nine months together, the Doggie Dash has been the most rewarding day that we've spent together.  Athena really showed me how far she's come and just how lucky I am to be her dog mom!  I am also so excited to announce that the Oregon Humane Society raised nearly $400,000 at the Doggie Dash to support the animals in their care.

Post-run picture in frot of the river

Athena and I with our running buddy, J!

* Special thanks to my friend J for running in the Doggie Dash with Athena and I, AND for sporting a tutu with us!  Also, special thanks to the wonderful B for attending the Doggie Dash to be our personal photographer!*

Pitlandia in Portlandia: 1000 Acres Dog Park

Over the weekend we had some amazing weather here in Portland with temperatures in the mid-seventies.  We took full advantage of the sunshine and decided to bring Athena to a new dog park that we've heard so many great things about (yes, we do take our pit bull to dog parks).  1000 Acres Dog Park (also known as Sandy River Delta Park) is just outside of Portland in Troutdale, Oregon and has a whopping 1400 acres of land for dogs to romp through.  The park is also full of hiking trails and sits near the Sandy and Columbia rivers for dogs to take a swim in.

Dogs are allowed off-leash in most areas of the park, but from what I had read online, most people said that they rarely see other dogs because of how vast the park is.  During our trip to the park, we saw many other dogs, but this was probably due to the amazing weather.  There were quite a few instances when Athena was off-leash and passed another dog without even glancing at them (I'm attributing this newly acquired skill to flyball practice), while other times she couldn't help but get involved in a butt-sniffing go-round.

For the most part though, Athena had stellar manners while at the park and was just happy to be hiking by my side.

However, there was one instance when Athena forgot her manners and went off on her own little adventure.  She decided to start splashing around in a swamp, which was pretty hilarious at first, until she didn't realize that there was a drop-off and fell right into deep water.  As soon as I saw her fully submerged under water, I completely freaked out.  As far as I know, the closest Athena's ever gotten to water is in the bathtub, so I figured she had never swam before.  It seemed like forever before Athena popped her head up above water as I was screaming and almost crying.  She started to doggy paddle over to the shallow edge of the swamp, but I couldn't wait any longer, so I jumped right in to save her (and ruined my good showed might I add).  I probably totally overreacted, so I give you permission to call me a helicopter parent.

After the swamp incident concluded, we continued through the trails to find the river.  Once we were there, Athena enjoyed some time playing with her ball in the sand and tip toeing into the frigid water.

Overall, we loved our trip to 1000 Acres and would definitely go for another visit in the future.  I could do with a few less dogs at the park, but I'm sure we could manage to find a less busy time and day.  I'm sure Athena can't wait to go back for some more swimming (in the river rather than in the swamp next time I hope)!

In other news, Athena is all signed up to start a Canine Good Citizen class next weekend!  Woo!

Pitlandia in Portlandia: NW Pet and Companion Fair

As mentioned a few times on our Facebook page, over the weekend we attended the NW Pet and Companion Fair held at the Portland Expo Center.  This event was free to the public and pets were welcome which meant that Athena got to join in on the fun!

Flyball Demos

We'd been planning on attending the pet fair for some time, but last week we were invited to also partake in the flyball demos with the team that we practice with, Flying Underdogs Flyball Club, as well as Muddy Paws Flyball Club and the Stumptown Racers.

Athena has really been improving in flyball, but she's not quite ready to complete a full run, let alone run with a team of three other dogs.  For this reason, she is considered a "green dog" and wasn't able to participate in the actual demos at the pet fair.  She was however able to use the time in between the demos to practice!

As many of you know, Athena is a big scaredy-cat when it comes to new situations.  For this reason I was a little unsure of how Athena would perform in a new venue, with new dogs, and lots of people around.  Apparently when flyball is involved Athena has no fear!  She was raring to go each and every time that it was her turn to practice.

Athena even did a few successful box turns (as seen in the photo above).  She used to be lazy and stretch her neck out to get the ball from the box instead of actually jumping on the box to get the ball.  This weekend she got all four paws up onto the box to release the ball!  Athena also dropped the ball on her own and tugged with me at the end of one run (usually she will run to me with the ball in her mouth, I then have to grab her collar, say "drop it", and then tug).

Not only did Athena tug with me at the end of all of her runs (in front of crowds of people!), but she also tugged with me all around the expo center on Sunday (something that she wouldn't do in public on Saturday).  I would say that this weekend was quite the flyball success!  And might I add that I may have caught a bit of the flyball bug....!

It was also so fun to watch all of the pros demoing flyball!

The very professional Marty!

A Bit Squishy:

The pet fair was clearly a huge success over the weekend because it was completely packed all day on both Saturday and Sunday.  Although this is great for the event and the vendors that attended, it wasn't so great for all of the participants and their dogs.  I found it very difficult to move through the aisles (especially on Saturday) and had a hard time even getting to a booth to look.  It was just a bit too crowded for the particular event hall that it was located in.

Doing some training away from the big crowds

A few times we walked Athena around, but I was seriously afraid that someone was going to step on her, or that a wheelchair or dog stroller would roll over her foot.  For this reason I was very glad that we had Athena's crate with us for the flyball demos and were able to put her in it when the environment got too overwhelming.  If we didn't have the crate with us, B and I probably would have had to trade off walking down the aisles while the other waited with Athena in the seating area.

Freebies & Fun:

Aside from the hoards of people and dogs,  I did appreciate all of the great free samples of kibble, treats, and toys that we received at the fair.  We also saw some of our favorites like Leanlix and Family Dogs New Life Shelter and even met some new people like those from Cascade Dock Dogs (watch out, Athena might be dock diver in the future!).  Athena also got to meet LOTS of doggies which is her absolute favorite!

Excuse me lady, but you're in the way of this bum!

We're always looking for dog-friendly events in Portland, so this was a fun way to spend our weekend.  Was your weekend as dog-centric as ours?

Pitlandia in Portlandia: Family Dogs Fun Walk

It's hard to believe that Little Bow Pup opened almost two months ago!  Even harder to believe is that this past weekend I set up shop for the first time at the Family Dogs New Life Shelter's 4th annual Fun Walk.

The Little Bow Pup booth!

I was honored to be invited to the event by a blog reader and was surrounded by other Portland locals such as Born Again Pit Bull Rescue, Muffinhead, Personal Beast, and Zunii Dog.  Family Dogs New Life shelter was actually the first shelter that B and I looked into when we started looking into adopting a dog.  We love that they are a no kill shelter and do not house their dogs in kennels, but rather keep dogs in large playgroups where they are able to interact and socialize similar to a doggie daycare setting.

The fundraising event was held at the Family Dogs New Life Shelter in SE Portland which happens to sit right next to the Springwater Corridor; a perfect location for a two mile morning walk!  Over five-thousand dollars was raised for the shelter during the event.

Such a dapper dog wearing a very dapper bow tie!

Not only was it great to have a booth set up for the first time, but it didn't hurt that the dogs at the event were irresistibly ADORABLE!  As much as we would have loved to bring Athena to the event, we just knew that 100+ dogs would have been just a little bit too exciting for her.  So, she stayed home with a yummy bully stick!

Check out this video of the event put together by Family Dogs New Life Shelter.  We had a blast!

Pitlandia in Portlandia: Rose City Classic

Over the weekend, B and I attended the Rose City Classic dog show held at the Portland Expo Center. It was actually the first dog show that I've ever attended (unless you count every year that I sit in front of the TV on Thanksgiving morning watching the National Dog Show...)

Doggies, Doggies, Everywhere!

This may be hard to believe, but our day at the dog show did not revolve around Miss Athena.  Nope.  She stayed at home with her babysitter (A.K.A. grandma).  So, B and I spent our time at the show admiring other pups besides our own. (Check out My Life with Flyball Dogs for some more awesome pictures from the show!)

Check out the Staffie's purple toenails!

Dreaming of Agility

My favorite aspect of the Rose City Classic was the ongoing agility runs.  We sat and watched dogs of all levels showcase their skills, and I was left daydreaming about Athena's future as an agility dog.

Maybe someday Athena will jump like that?

Shoppppping!

It wouldn't be a proper event if there wasn't shopping involved (at least that's how I feel!).  There were tons of vendors on site offering grooming supplies, food samples, toys, supplements, apparel, and accessories.  You name it-- there was a vendor for it (even really fancy doggy dental picks...like the kind a dentist would use).  We decided to document any items that we felt deserved a spot on Athena's wish list with a picture.

Athena needs this, right?

Not only were there tons of things to purchase, but we received loads of freebies.  To be honest the only reason I attend events like these are to stock up on the free stuff!  Don't judge.

Freeeeeeebies!

I also couldn't help but buy a few "presents" to bring back for Athena.  We got sucked into buying a $2.00 bag of FirstMate dog food, which we may actually consider purchasing in the future if Athena likes it.  Athena was also spoiled with a new antler, this time moose (she's loving it WAY more than her elk antler), and a couple of bully sticks.

The highlight of the trip for me was finding two Kong Cleaning Brushes in a sale bin at one of the vendor's booths for only $2.00 each!  So far I've used the brush three times and it is seriously a miracle worker.  I no longer have to stick my finger in the Kong to scrape out the leftover peanut butter!  MIRACLE!

Overall Experience

I really enjoyed the dog show, but if I were to go again, I would try to attend earlier in the weekend.  We went on Sunday, so everything was wrapping up and it didn't seem like we got the whole experience.  I also didn't necessarily like all of the crates of dogs stacked up on each other all over the place.  I know I don't know much about the dog show business, but I just felt bad for all of the dogs who were left barking and whining in their crates all day long.  But besides that, it was fun watching the judging and agility, getting freebies, and shopping around!

Have you ever attended a dog show?  What were your thoughts on the experience?