Photo by Sarah Beth Photography

Congratulations! You’ve made it through a long, hard winter (and a lackluster spring), and we at Sidewalk Dog think you deserve a reward. A reward that involves raw fish …

That’s right—we got such a good response from last year’s Sushi With Your Poochie shindigs at the incomparable Tiger Sushi 2 in Uptown that we’re throwing two more in June—and you’re invited! (Nuff said? Click here to purchase tickets.)

Now that we’ve done this a few times, we’re a well-oiled sushi-serving machine. We’ll have plenty of seating, attentive service, a delightfully prepared menu and all the stuff people and doggies love (and nuttin’ they don’t!) Here are some highlights to look forward to:

• The sushi artists at Tiger Sushi 2 will once again hand roll special dog-friendly maki sushi for our four-legged friends! And Bone Adventure will have some gorgeous dried doggie sushi available to go.
• Super-funny paw reader extraordinare Extreme Maggie will be on hand to inform you what lies ahead in your pet’s future.
• You’ve got two chances to attend—the event will be held on both Tuesday, June 21st and Wednesday, June 22nd. So if one night conflicts with your golf game, don’t sweat it.
• We’ll have a special menu chock full of TS2’s yummy (people) sushi. Also, Tiger Sushi is unleashing some fabulous specials on drinks, appetizers and sushi throughout the event. And don’t miss Tail-Waggin’ Mojitos and Smiling Dog Sangria.
• Ace shutterbug Sarah from Sarah Beth Photography will be on the scene snapping her signature brilliant doggie pics.
• A portion of the ticket proceeds and paw readings will go to our fabulous beneficiary, Animal Folks MN, which aims to end animal abuse and neglect through educational and legislative means. In addition, all the proceeds from raffle ticket sales will go to Animal Folks MN.
• We’d love to see you, with or without your pup!

You’re already salivating for a spicy tuna roll, right? Here’s what you need to know:

The Deets

What: Sushi With Your Poochie, an on-leash (but please, not the retractable kind!) social event presented by Sidewalk Dog and Tiger Sushi 2

Date: Tuesday, June 21st and Wednesday, June 22nd

Time: 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Location: Tiger Sushi 2’s gorgeous patio at 2841 Lyndale Ave. in Uptown Minneapolis. (Free  parking is available after 4 p.m. in the Egg & I parking lot across the street.)

Cost: $15/person in advance; $18 at door if not sold out ahead of time

Tickets: Tickets are available for either night. Choose whichever date works best for you! Click here to purchase tickets and put yourself and Fido on the guest list for fun.

Fabulously sponsored by: Bark Busters Home Dog Training, Bone Adventure, Bubbly Paws, Cahill’s Critter Care, Pampered Pooch Playground, Sarah Beth Photography, ScoopyPoo and Stunt Puppy

Beneficiary: Animal Folks MN

After roughly a year as the official Treat Taste Tester, it’s getting hard to surprise Sadie the Wonderdoodle. So it seemed only fitting to reintroduce novelty in the most literal sense possible: locally made frozen treat Doggy Fro Yo bars. Sure, she’s seen ice cream before, but this is a whole new ballgame—essentially creamsicles for dogs, perched atop rawhide “Popsicle sticks,” in wholesome flavors like peanut butter and apple. Panting from a jog on a warm spring day, we took the apple flavor (ingredients: yogurt, apples, rawhide) for a spin.

Size: About the same as a human-grade Popsicle, which translates into a week-making treat for these 40 pounds of fluffernutter.

Texture: Icy-cold perfection; just like a people Popsicle!

Test: They always seem to know when something is for them, don’t they? Even when it looks like people food. Right away, Doodle-Face knew something was going down (treat-wise, that is), and made herself available in case she was needed. There was the question of how one serves a Popsicle to a dog, so we gave her a hand and let her go at it. First, there was licking. Then, licking gave way to biting. Yogurty mustaches were ignored. And the rest, as they say, is rawhide…

Verdict: An excellent treat to chill out with on a warm and sunny day.

Where to get them: At local events and online.

Treat Taste Test: Now with video! Take a look at Sadie the Wonderdoodle’s frenzied consumption of Doggy Fro Yo yourself:

By Meredeth Barzen

On the lower-right corner of Uniquely Yours' door, you'll see Sidewalk Dog's "We are a dog-friendly business" decal. Be on the lookout for the redesigned version sporting our new logo!

Business: Uniquely Yours Custom Designed Jewelry

Neighborhood: A new street-level storefront in Linden Hills; the business had previously been housed above Bibelot.

For you: Fabulous custom-designed jewelry handmade by owner Gregory Brassil. Though Gregory doesn’t have a dog, his fellow jeweler, Soren Priede, is the proud papa to two 95-pound Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

For dogs: Biscuits and lots of attention! Says Gregory: “All of us at Uniquely Yours love animals and think having a chance to pet a friendly dog in the middle of the workday is a great thing. We hope that by welcoming animals into our store, we will eliminate any worry or difficulty involved in leaving a pet outside alone.”

First of all, we know quite a few of you were wondering if darling Sadie (Ali’s date on TCL last month) found a home. She did! Calls started coming in to Pet Project Rescue shortly after Sadie made her television debut. She is now part of an adoring family in Hopkins, where she has lots of new four-legged neighborhood pals and has even enjoyed a few puppy playdates.

Wiggly, snuggly, sweet Akaysha wants to come home with you!

We’re hoping for a similar happy ending for the adoptable pup Ali brought on the show today. This month’s furbaby is Akaysha, a 15-week old honey-colored mix who clearly stole the hearts of both Elizabeth Ries and John Hanson. Friendly, feisty and smart—she’s already learning to walk on a leash—Akaysha is available for adoption through Small Dog Rescue of MN. Please reach out to them if you’d like to welcome Akaysha (or one of her siblings!) into your home.

Looking to get out and play with your pooch? The month ahead is marked by a few events you absolutely won’t want to miss.

May 15 – St. Paul Saints Dog Day Fundraiser

Try this for dog-n-human good times: Musical “Sit.” A Dog + Owner Lookalike contest. Running bases on a ball field with your best pal by your side. A free Saints baseball hat. Oh, AND a Saints baseball game. All of these delights and more are part of Family Fun Day with the Saints on Sunday, May 15, an absolute steal at just $15 a ticket ($5 of which benefits Small Dog Rescue of MN). Order and print tickets at www.saintsgroups.com.

May 21 – Beer with Your Buddy

It’s back for the summer! Often cheerfully referred to as a “dog park with a bar,” Beer with Your Buddy at the Nomad Pub is a series of events that regulars (age 21 and over, natch) look forward to all fall, winter and spring. The first of these shindigs, the May 21 kickoff, has two separate events—one from 2:00-4:30, the other from 5:00-7:30, both helping to benefit local rescue groups.

May 22 – Go Dog Go

At just $5 a tail, an afternoon of dog-focused outdoor splendor doesn’t get much better than this. Located on 80+ rompable acres at Lodge on the Lake and Camp Butwin in Eagan, the Go Dog Go event beckons with off-leash trails, a swim area, a pooch play yard, demos of canine CPR training, obedience and more. Proceeds benefit the St. Paul JCC.

Olive

But here’s the catch—did you know that two local companies are behind these genius pieces of advertising? Local ad agency Carmichael Lynch developed the campaign, and the spots’ two stars, Olive and Zelda, sport Stunt Puppy collars.

“In thinking about how to celebrate Subaru owners’ passion for their dogs, we developed a series of videos that recognize the humorous moments in a human’s life, seen through a dog’s point of view,” says Carmichael Lynch’s Melissa Schoenke.

And in case there’s any doubt about “Subaru owners’ unmatched passion for dogs,” as Schoenke puts it, she comes armed with an impressive statistic. “Nearly seven out of 10 Subaru owners own a pet and Subaru customers are 1.3 times more likely to own a pet than other auto companies’ customers.”

Stunt Puppy’s Ken Goldman agrees. “There is a lot of crossover in our consumers,” he says of Stunt Puppy and Subaru’s target demographics. “They are outdoor-loving and extremely active consumers.”

Zelda

And though Stunt Puppy had worked previously with Subaru on various consumer and trade events, its involvement in the spots was something of an accident: “It was a bit unexpected,” Goldman says. “A year ago we saw the Subaru spots on TV and I noticed one of the dogs was wearing Stunt Puppy gear. I knew Carmichael Lynch was involved in making the spots so I gave them a ring. After I got in touch with Carmichael Lynch, I walked them through our brand and they thought it might be a good fit for Subaru so they put us in touch with the US headquarters. Since then, we’ve stayed in touch with Carmichael Lynch as they continue to work on the brand and continue to shoot more spots with the same dogs.”

Working with a national brand has been “a blast,” Goldman says. “They are terrific. Totally down to earth. Even though [Stunt Puppy] is selling our products in six countries, we’re in our infancy and tiny compared to Subaru. The cool thing is that they treat us as equals and realize we have a lot in common—most importantly, a target consumer.”

Still, it must be exciting seeing your hard work on TV. “It’s a gas,” Goldman says. “I always get a kick out of seeing our gear anywhere.”

And though Carmichael Lynch’s offices aren’t dog-friendly, they make an exception for their four-legged film stars. Says Schoenke, “Olive and Zelda live with Carmichael Lynch employees and make guest appearances when they can.”

By Meredeth Barzen

Feast your eyes on all this wrinkly goodness:

Burnice was pretty sleepy at the opening, but "when she's up, she's full-steam ahead," Burnham says.

The proud papa, WACSO (a.k.a. Robb Burnham), was happy to report that, after a short period of adjustment, Grady, his grown-up French Bulldog, has embraced the new puppy. And, of course, WACSO has already committed Burnice’s many fabulous folds to his signature line-drawing style.

"Meet Burnice, the bulldog puppy! 8 weeks old and already full of spunk and trouble ... waddling around with her cinnamon bun tail like she owns the place."

If you haven’t already, check out WACSO’s show, which runs at Gallery 360 in South Minneapolis until May 29th and displays a mix of his canine creations and landmark line drawings. For a closer look at the artist’s creative process, check out Sidewalk Dog’s full-length interview.

By Meredeth Barzen

Are you ready to do some serious fundraising? Because the warm-weather walk-for-charity events season is about to kick into high gear, starting with Animal Humane Society’s Walk for Animals on Saturday, April 30. The event, in its 37th year (that’s at least 259 in dog years!) starts at AHS’ Golden Valley location and proceeds through scenic Theodore Wirth Park. Last year’s walk attracted roughly 10,000 people and 5,000 animals, and AHS has planned lots of new contests and goodies to keep attendance high:

• Show off your dog’s skills at the FOX 9 Stunt Dog contest. The winner gets a guest appearance on FOX 9’s morning show!
• Can Fido carry a tune or count to 10? Enter the Cities 97 Talent Show for a crack at a cool Cities 97 prize package.
• Chow down at the Crave Burger Bar featuring veggie or turkey burgers and Thousand Hills Cattle Company grass-fed beef deliciousness. Or, treat your pup to a raw burger from Raw Bistro.
• Get State Fair fever with a cob of roasted corn.
• Panda Express will be using their skills to “Wok for Animals.” (We can’t take credit for this gem of a pun; that goes to AHS’ Deb Balzer.)

In addition to all that fun and games, Sidewalk Dog will be there with bells on. This year, we’re working with the amazing folks at Caribou Coffee to put together a gorgeous and generous Coffee/Dog Lovers gift basket, which includes gifts from Sarah Beth Photography, yum-yums from Sojos and coffee and gift cards from Caribou. Fun fact: the Park Place Caribou in St. Louis Park is quickly becoming “the Dog-Lover’s Caribou” due to the fact that it’s managed by none other than Lisa Weikle, founder of the Twin Cities Puppy Bowl!

Stop by Sidewalk Dog’s booth to check out the prize (valued at $225!), pick up some official Sidewalk Dog lip balm and learn about our soon-to-launch, better-than-ever website! Then, visit the Caribou Coffee booth for your morning joe—20% of the day’s proceeds will go to AHS! Mention Sidewalk Dog when you order and you can enter to win this big, beautiful basket. See you at the Walk!

Sadie was sooo fetching today!

Today it was sweet Sadie who stole the show. This adorable, smart, affectionate little Jack Russell Terrier mix from Pet Project Rescue is looking for her forever home (with all her charms, she may have found it today). She is said to be an absolute dream with kids, cats and dogs; we know this sweetie truly is a crowd pleaser.

Speaking of Pet Project Rescue (and weren’t we just?), their uber-fun fundraiser is this Thursday night at Summit Brewing Co. in St. Paul. There are only a few tickets remaining online, so if you want to chow down, mix and mingle, and contribute to this rescue’s goal of finding local homes for animals from three shelters in Mexico and providing free spay and neuter clinics here in Minneapolis, you’ll want to move fast!

Also a hot topic today: the Animal Humane Society’s upcoming Walk for Animals. This extravaganza on April 30 is so much more than a fundraiser—it’s also a brilliant way to spend a Saturday with your favorite four-legged family member. There will be games on the Doggie Midway, intriguing, gotta-have stuff to buy at the flealess market, and contests on the main stage (check out the Cities 97 Talent Show or the Fox 9 Stunt Dog challenge). Yep, Sidewalk Dog will be there too, and we have partnered with Caribou Coffee in the most delicious way. Swing on by and see what we’re up to!

Want more info on can’t-miss events? Check out our April newsletter!

Two words: Fashion Ball. Not only is Sidewalk Dog a proud sponsor of this super chic event, but Ballet of the Dolls, which is responsible for the whole shebang, is “shining a little spotlight” on Underdog Rescue.” Because we are huge dog lovers and believe in their mission, we want to use our event to support the work of Underdog Rescue by increasing awareness of their wonderful organization and creating an opportunity to submit donations to this worthy cause,” the event’s website says. YOU can help by visiting the Underdog Rescue booth at Fashion Ball to make a donation.

Should you choose to join us for this fun-filled night on the town, here’s what you can expect: “Fashion. Dance. Theater. A supermodel’s adventure. This springtime bash features styles from local tastemakers, saucy live dancing by the Fashion Dolls, and couture cocktails.” Intrigued? You should be. It’s going to be MAJOR.

This fundraising event for Ballet of the Dolls runs Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16. Sidewalk Dog will be there (come and say hi!) along with style-making names like Stephanie Lake Design, Blue Peg, Prairie Organic Vodka, Thorn Creative and more. Trendsetters from both sides of the river are going to make this event a veritable Mecca of local style. So be there or be square!

The Deets:

• Date: Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16
• Time: 8 p.m., both nights
• Location: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
• Tickets: April 15: $75 (Gala Night, which includes the performance, food, meet and greet with the dancers and models, and a silent auction). April 16: $35 (performance only). Click here to buy.
• More Info: Click here for all the juicy details.

Volunteer to join our pack!

It also means that SidewalkDog.com is going to be biz-zay.

Want to volunteer to join our pack? Excellent, because it just so happens we’re looking to form an elite force (um, solid group of volunteers) to help out at upcoming wingdings. Like what? Fashion Ball. AHS Walk for Animals. Sushi with Your Poochie. And that’s just for starters.

Sounds fun, right? It is! Want to be a part of it?

Hold on there, pardner. Let’s reflect first with some simple Q & A:

Do you love dogs?

Do you like people?

Have your friends commented on your unflappable nature and skill with a poop bag?

Have you ever done volunteer work?

Can you think quickly?

Can you follow directions?

Do you have a sense of humor?

Are you reliable? Super-reliable? Like, Batman-meets-Mary-Tyler-Moore reliable?

If you were an animal, what would you be? (STOP. That is a trick question, possibly typed by a cat.)

Are you willing to spend a few unpaid evenings or weekends hanging with us over the next several months?

If you answered YES to these questions, we want to hear from you!

You must be at least age 18, you must provide your t-shirt size (cuz that’s what you get for helping out with SidewalkDog.com), and you must also tell us, oh so briefly, why you’re interested in volunteering.

We can’t wait to hear from you! Drop us a note at contact@sidewalkdog.com and write “volunteer” in the Subject line.