What’s Barkin’ at Happy Dog Barkery

When you are visiting Downtown Downers Grove with your dogs wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy some human food as well? There are plenty of restaurants with outdoor patios and we’ve compiled a list of the ones that are dog-friendly. Visit Happy Dog and then enjoy some of the great food these restaurants have to offer.

Dog Friendly Patios/Outside Tables

Angelo’s Pizza
1003 Curtiss Street
630-969-4394 (L/D)

Bello Tea
5111 Main Street
630-445-1200 (S)

Berto’s Deli
5004 Main Street
630-493-0643 (L/D)

Borrowed Earth Café
970 Warren Ave
630-795-1729 (L/D)

Capri Ristorante (Patio opens Monday July 5th)
5105 Main Street
630-241-0695 (D)

Caribou Coffee
5100 Main Street
630-963-4122 (S)

Egg Harbor Café
5128 Mochel Drive
630-963-0390 (B/L)
(Every Tuesday in the summer you can order your dog a breakfast or lunch off their special doggie menu!)

Starbucks
5002 Main Street
630-960-4059 (S)

The Cellar Door
5150 Main Street
630-241-2030 (L/D)

Dog Friendly - (Dogs must stay outside of the fence)

Ballydoyle Irish Pub
5157 Main Street
630-969-0600 (L/D)

Toscana’s
994 Warren Avenue
630-968-1715 (L/D

B-Breakfast
L-Lunch
D-Dinner
S-Sweets/Coffee

All of us at Happy Dog Barkery are extremely saddened by the oil leak in the Gulf. All the human disaster, plus the wildlife. It is very depressing to see some of the images/figures being released on the death of many different species. Who knows what is happening under the surface.

Here is one site that tells how dog hair can help with the clean-up. Ask your groomer if they are involved. http://www.matteroftrust.org/

Here is a site to give you a perspective on the size of the leak. http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/

This is Lucky, a 7 week old black male. We named him Lucky, because that is exactly what he is. His story starts out very sad. Lucky was found last week in a garbage bag with two siblings on the side of a road. Sadly, his siblings did not make it. We are happy at least one of the pups made it. Now he is here at Happy Dog. We are fostering him for Midwest Lab Rescue.

We have been notified of the impending sale of family owned Natura Pet Foods to corporate giant Proctor & Gamble. Natura is responsible for the following food lines: California Natural, Evo, Healthwise, Karma and Innova. The sale is expected to be complete sometime in June 2010.

We are deeply saddened upon the news of the sale. Natura has been one of the companies on the forefront of good, solid nutrition with high quality, totally USA sourced ingredients. Their facilities and quality control was top notch and never did we at Happy Dog have any misgivings about the food.

We believe that when a corporate giant steps in, measures are taken to improve their bottom line and therefore quality will fail. This includes the not only the quality of the ingredients, but also the unanswered question of will the sources remain completely within the US and will the quality of raw ingredients falter? We feel both instances will prove to be true. There will also be increased pressures in the production lines so the food can be pushed into every Petco, Petsmart, Walmart and even your local grocery stores within the next year or two. With increased pressure, there can be cracks throughout the entire system.

P&G states that they won’t change formulas yet, but according to AAFCO standards, anytime a formula is changed, the manufacturer has six months in which to revise the label on the bag. What this means is that the contents of the food may have changed but those changes will not be reflected on the packaging. We prefer to be proactive to prevent any possible ill effects to any companion animal.

Once the sale is complete, Happy Dog will no longer be carrying the Natura line. We value your business and hope you will accept our concerns about what may happen to the food and the overall health of your dog or cat. We are actively working on a food substitute list for each line. Be assured there will be a comparable food for your dog. We also see it as a great opportunity for you to start rotating your dog food on a regular basis, which we would be happy to discuss with you.

Please stay tuned for the substitute list to be published soon.

On Friday August 28 I logged onto Facebook to see a post from Great Lakes Lab Rescue about a starved dog that needed a foster home immediately. One look at the picture and I knew I was going to call (even though i wasn’t fostering until next year). I waited an hour *just in case* someone else would come forward first. Next thing i knew, the dog was coming via transport the next day.

When Moose arrived at Happy Dog Barkery, I immediately broke into tears. I personally have never seen a dog in this shape. He is skin and bones, literally and covered in dry skin, cuts, scabs, cut pads, chewed up tail, etc. What really struck me was how happy he seemed to be, tail was wagging and he was giving kisses right away. When we got home Moose went right into the tub for a quick bath and then he curled up to sleep. Looking at him laying down reminded me of the horrible shows I can’t even watch on Animal Planet. Moose didn’t want to go outside and I had to carry him each time.

Day 2 Sunday - Moose still doesn’t want to go outside, but we can coax him slowly with a treat. He walks on his tip toes because his pads hurt. Sleeps most of the day. Decided chasing cats was fun.

Day 3 Monday - Vet appointment first thing. On the surface, everything looks fine, just a lot of healing needed. Weighs 36.7 pounds, should probably be twice that. Blood was drawn for internal testing. Good news was that the fecal was clear. Went to work at the store. People can already notice an improvement. Moose likes to bark at other dogs. His personality is starting to show a little bit. What is coming out is a young dog with virtually no training. It still hurts when he walks, need to go very slow and wouldn’t go more than 10 feet from the back door. Really likes to chase cats and now the cats are being kept in a separate room for their own protection.

Day 4 Tuesday - A little bit stronger this morning, was a great night of sleeping, don’t think he got up at all. Went outside in the yard all the way to the back with me. Still treading lightly on the feet although they are healing a little bit, the sores are definitely smaller. Vet called and the news is good, no heartworm, organs are fine, yeah! Actually walked to the grass outside the store (Lulu was with us today and i think he was just following her). Lots of barking, need to work on that. Moose eats very well and we just have to make sure he gets outside for potty breaks often. Currently sound asleep gathering more strength.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) has announced its list of the top ten most popular purebreeds in 2008. For the 18th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, with twice as many Labs registered last year as any other breed.

Remember for any purebred, please look at rescue over buying from a puppy store. Every breed has a rescue group and you can even get the “designer mutts” at shelters all over the country. If you must buy your dog, please go to a responsible breeder.

1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Bulldog
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu

Of course, i am partial to Labs. I was introduced to the breed when my brother adopted his first lab. Once i got my house with a yard, i adopted my first lab, have had 4 others and have fostered over 40. I will never say never to another breed, but i just like my labby dogs.