The Muttropolis Blog

Spaw Day: La Jolla, CA

Spaw day was a great success, with several happy Doga Yoga dogs and even more pampered pooches who enjoyed a TTouch Massage! There were rice cake and veggie snacks for the humans with all natural lemonade on hand for a refreshing drink. For the dogs there was also cucumber water and healthful treat options. People mingled and talked about the importance of over all health, bathing, and what to look for when shopping for a good dog food.

Our goodie bags with botanical shampoo, stain removers, and two kinds of cookies (Muttshrooms and Buddy Cookies!) were also a big hit. The whole event was very zen and enjoyable!

A Different Kind of "Pit" Stop

Photo Caption: It's the Pitts: Overzealous Pit Crew Member

Our favorite story this week hails from Vacaville, California.

According to TV news station WGAL, a Vacaville man found a concerned and slightly grimey pit bull stuck in the engine of his truck and chewing through wires Tuesday morning, his family said. Walter Witthoeft had just woken up and went outside to put power steering fluid in his truck. When he popped the hood, he saw a pair of eyes, heard growling and then noticed a dog wiggling around in his engine.

The poor pooch eventually was able to wiggle out and animal service brought it to a county shelter.

Poor doggy (...let's call him Brad, Brad Pit..) what he was thinking?  Perhaps he was an associate at Quiki Mart Lube n' Tune in a prior life? A member of a pit crew? Needless to say, we hope that his new-found stardom garners him a loving forever home with a fellow automotive aficionado.

Note to his new parents: Since chewing through automotive air hoses and engine wire can be cost prohibitive (and dangerous), we suggest you peruse the  Muttropolis Extra Tough Dog Toys department.

- submitted by Schmoe-schmoo

The Taming of the 'Schmoo:' Theatrical dog house seeks new home.

Do you have a four-legged bard in your yard? Look no further.

photo caption: Fluffy mystery mutt 'Schmoo' stars in the off-off-off-off-off broadway performance of
"The Taming of the Schmoo."

It all started when we got a phone call last week from a lovely Muttropolis customer, we'll call her "D.R.," indicating that she was in possession of a large dog house that is an exact miniaturized replica of  The Old Globe Theatre.

"...say what? A replica of the Old Globe?"

Yes, the Old Globe Theatre. The one in Balboa Park in San Diego, CA.  Complete with hardwood floors, windows, curtains, operable skylights and fire-safe shingles, the house even a features an itty-bitty will-call window.

D.R. further explained how the original owner of the dog house / theatre had won it at an auction for approximately $3500, however, upon further investigation, the auction winners discovered they were unable to fit said house into their yard or through their fence for that matter.

So now D.R. is 'minding the house' and "...wouldn't it be great if we, Muttropolis, could take the house and help find a worthy cause to donate it to, using our store and online community to identify the perfect charitable cause?"

After some discussion among fellow Muttropolitans as to where we'd put the house, we agreed that this was a wonderful opportunity to help raise funds for a needy cause and that we could have some fun with it.

So we are now the proud foster parents of a miniature Old Globe Theatre (or The Thee-ahh-tuh" as we call it.) and we're accepting ideas from worthy San Diego-based animal-related causes that would like to partner with us and find a new home for the house! Send your ideas to bark@muttropolis.com with the subject line "Theatre".

- posted by Schmoe-schmoo

Train that Canine: 4/19/2008

After weeks of searching, we were finally able to find the perfect Trainer to bring into our little world. On Saturday, April 19th, Muttropolis Fashion Island was proud to present "Train that Canine" with trainer Sue Myles.

Sue had come highly recommended to us by some very dear and regular customers.
She has been training dogs since 1974. (She also use to be a stand up comedian...and boy does it show!!)

"Choke chains, pinch and shock collars are relics in the world of dog training" states Sue. She has a very practical approach to dog training and incorporates humor and a light heart into the whole event.

At about 1pm on Saturday, a cozy group of people, both new and returning clients, gathered in our store to meet Sue and get some tips on how to make their furry friends happy and healthy. She was very interactive with the group, both humans and canines, practicing different training techniques on almost everyones dog.
After more than an hour and a half of laughing, joking and training the group separated refreshed and armed with new ideas about Force Free training.

Team Mutt FI

Boulder Canine Classic

Wow!  1100 runners, over 700 dogs, 120 volunteers, 25 vendors, 1 beautiful day, 9 staff members and a great cause!

MESA's annual Canine Classic took place at the Boulder Reservoir. Runners and walkers participated in 5K or 10K races with and without their four legged friends. The proceeds benefited MESA (Moving to End Sexual
Assault) and was a lot of fun.

Thank you for being there!  You added great spirit and we appreciate all your efforts on MESA's behalf!

Team Mutt Boulder

Cat's Meow

On Friday, April 18, 2008 approx 120 guests showed up at Muttropolis, Tucson, to support the Hermitage Cat Shelter, Arizona's first no-kill cat shelter.  Guests enjoy live jazz music, wine tasting and food from fine dining located within the La Encantada Mall . 

There was a live auction featuring paintings done by Hermitage's very own cat residents.  The artists were either cats that are permanent residents (not eligible for adoption due to serious injury or illness) or cats that have recently passed away but had been residents for several years. 

The paintings were selling at up to $600 a piece.

A fashion show followed featuring human fashions provided by stores located in La Encantada Mall.
The event is estimated to have almost doubled their donations from last year of $10.000.

Team Mutt LE

Powder Puff Day

Poodles, Shi-Tzus, Maltese, and Bichon Frises were just a few of our furry visitors on Powder Puff Day at Muttropolis in La Jolla, CA. The cuteness factor was full throttle you just couldn't help but smile at all the fluffy and silky fur balls running around. To celebrate the joy these and many other 'powder puff' breeds bring to our lives, there was coconut macaroons, chocolate covered strawberries, white chocolate tangerines, and powdered sugar tea cookies for our human guest as well as the ever rich assortment of dog cookies and jerkies for the four legged party goers.

As other dogs filtered in throughout the day, they proved that you didn't have to be a powder puff to have a good time at this fluffy party.

Labradors, Bulldogs, Golden Retrievers and even the occasional Pit Bull stopped by to play with the party pups, enjoying snacks with their owners. the gloom didn't seem to stop anyone from dropping in and saying hello. It was an event that stood as a testament that a dog can light up the room, and a room full of powder puffs can light up the whole day!

For other fun events please visit our Events & Services page

Team Mutt LJ

Just Ewe & I: An unlikely love story.

Story details courtesy of LA Daily News

So there's this guy who owns a pizza place in the San Fernando Valley who's driving to work last week when he sees a dog and sheep walking down the street together.

While the wayward duo's ultimate destination is unknown (Vegas? Walmart? Weekly counseling session?), John Caruso, the pizza-shop-owner-turned-good-Samaritan said he couldn't believe his eyes and that people were honking their car horns and attempting to stop the furry BFF's from walking up the off-ramp together and onto the freeway.

Wherever Ewe Go, I Go.

The weirdness starts when Caruso corrals the dog into his car and without hesitation the sheep jumps up into his car as well, no coaxing required.

After a variety of adventures, Caruso brought the furry duo to a local animal shelter, where any attempt to separate the two proved fruitless, as the sheep would bleat bloody murder if ever out of sight-range of the dog.

The pair were kept in adjoining cages at the shelter and at times they would nuzzle each other's noses through the bars. Even as animals in other cages were barking and yelping loudly, the two remained docile and quiet in each other's presence.

Baan-ded Pair Re-Ewe-Nited

The Dog (Maggie) and Sheep (Daisy) have since been claimed by a very relieved and grateful mother and daughter who were able to track down their furry family members through the news reports. No word on how the unlikely love affair began. To learn more details of the story visit LA Daily News

 

Easter Egg Eggstravaganza 2008

The sun was shinning, the dogs were barking, and the Easter Bunny had made a

pre-Easter visit to Muttropolis. As our doors prepared to open, we stepped outside to welcome the crowds for our first ever Easter Egg Hunt and Walk. We were very happily greeted by a sea of people and their furry friends! We had every breed of dog, from the delicate Chihuahua to a Great Dane decked out in Easter Bunny ears!!

After we took a moment to thank Haute Diggity Dog, one of our fabulous vendors for donating almost $800 to Irvine Animal Care Center we collected nearly $300 in donations from our customers as well!

And then...the doors opened and within seconds the store was flooded with eager pups helping their parents hunt out the much sought after “golden egg’s”. After a good twenty minutes of total madness the egg hunt moved outside.

The word on the street was that the Easter Bunny had dropped some eggs on his way to visit LuluLemon on the other side of the mall! Off they went, twenty to thirty dogs set off on a hunt in the beautiful sunshine to find the trail that would lead them to the last group of goodies!

We really had an amazing time, and look forward to doing another walk in the coming months. Everyone and their pups got along so well and had nothing but a good time! Thanks to everyone who joined us, and keep your eyes peeled for another event like this one!

-Muttropolis Team

Fashion

Island

Village of Muttropolis

Today, March 14th, 2008, is the launch of the Muttropolis Online Dog Park community site. Please visit and become a member. This is a great place to show off your pets by adding a photo or video, discuss an important topic, and meet others with your interests. Please email support@muttropolis.com if you have any questions.