special pet dogs — Dog Bark Park Inn

New approach to the New Year

January 13, 2010 By dogbarkpark

What happens to all those good intentions made as New Year Resolutions? So often, plans to shed some weight, rid the clutter, walk the dog more, clean out closets, etc simply dissipate as the New Year no longer feels so new anymore. Before we know it we’re back in the same rut we thought would soon be history.

Well, at Dog Bark Park, Dennis & I have declared 2010 to be the year our good intentions happen. Wisdom says we most likely won’t complete every goal. To-do lists are always longer than time or energy available. This year we plan to not fret about that fact.

Instead, we’re selecting the most pressing, or most appealing projects, and starting on them right away. We no longer will wait for that big chunk of time to throw ourselves into the task to get it done in one burst of activity. Even if only 5 or 10 minutes at a time is all we have to clear a decade of clutter in the office we’re proceeding. Slow but steady attention will get the job done! And how good does that feel?!

Here’s our progress so far:

Freshly painted and cleaned gallery/giftshop

1. Last week we cleaned, repainted, & re-arranged one section of our studio giftshop at a time working a couple hours each day.

By Friday afternoon we had a sparkling shop and that wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Bonus result was the job got done without utterly exhausting ourselves which would have happened had we attempted the entire re-do in one day.

Fresh Snow Outside, Fresh Paint Inside

2. Without a chunk of time lengthy enough to assist a family member who has a life altering disease and lives nearly an entire continent away from Idaho what can be done to help? If time most days doesn’t allow for long phone conversations or writing lengthy letters it certainly doesn’t allow frequent trips to be there in person.

My 2010 solution has been to make frequent but brief phone calls. And to send several cheery postcards each week. Bonuses are pretty obvious!

3. How to get more exercise? How to find the time to do more training with our energetic one-year old Dog Bark Park ambassador dog, Sprocket? Solution again uses the slow & steady approach. Walking Sprocket at least once a day working on his leash etiquette combines with working on my fitness goals at the same time. Again, there’s rarely time for nice long walks. I don’t care! Some walking & training is better than none isn’t it? Already we’re both making progress.

During another short clean-out session Sprocket even got involved. He played his way to the trash can with a worn-out lawn chair as recorded in these silly images.

Headed to the Trash Bin

Sprocket Taking the Trash Out!

Stay tuned for more progress reports. And send us your tips and experiences for making your resolutions reality!

Puppy Update

June 9, 2009 By dogbarkpark

It has been quite awhile since we’ve written about Sprocket, our puppy ambassador at Dog Bark Park.

Sprocket at 2 months

He’s a cheerful Golden Retriever and thinks every visitor to Dog Bark Park has come to see him!

Some of my playthings at the stuidio

And of course he is curious and playful towards everything.

In the driver's seat

Here’s Sprocket now at 3 months old loving to ride

: Wet faced

in the truck. Shown here waiting for Dennis to return.

And here he is a few weeks later wet from playing at the outdoor faucet on a warm April day.

There is not a person or animal that Sprocket doesn’t instantly like. He quite patiently sits behind the low gate between our gift shop and carving studio, hoping every vistor will deliver a pat on the head and perhaps a small treat for the hungry pup.

When we are running our chainsaws he sleeps in a narrow space behind a door where he can keep and eye & ear alert to the comings and goings of Dog Bark Park. More photos soon…. he is now 5 months old & looking like a teenage canine for sure!

Puppy update

March 28, 2009 By dogbarkpark

Our young Dog Bark Park ambassador puppy, Sprocket, is growing into his position as greeter at our gift shop. He has learned to wait behind a low wooden gate at the inner door for visitors to find him there waiting for pets & treats. He’s now gaining several pounds each week making food a very important aspect of his life right now. Sleep and play comprise the rest of his days.

My Dish is Empty

All ambassadors must rest sometime

February 2009 Greetings

February 14, 2009 By dogbarkpark

Dog Bark Park Inn Newsletter, Cottonwood, Idaho

In this newsletter:

Spring Stay & Learn Packages
We’re Blogging
Share Your Photos
In the Media &Trip Advisor
Reservations/Rates

Dog Bark Park Winter 2009 Here on the Idaho prairie, shrinking snow cover and sightings of robins suggest Winter will soon be dancing with Spring. When snow showers do arrive we let the soft flakes kiss our faces. And when the wind blows everything into fantastic white formations we marvel at the new landscape. One of Sweet Willy’s ears blew up on the back of his head where it has remained crinkled & frozen, reminding us of a frisky puppy with ears turned inside out after an energetic romp! And in this photo we think Sweet Willy has been wagging his tail so energetically to stir up the clouds!

Spring Stay & Learn Packages

Soap Making We invite you to combine a stay at the big dog this spring with a fun one-day class. Want to know how to make bread or soap, do Dutch oven cooking, pick up some photography tips, do grant writing or make herbal salves & tonics? These are fun, informative & tasty activities we’ve teamed up with Lewis Clark State College to offer. The classes are held at different locations near Cottonwood. Some are just a few hours long while others are about full day. For class descriptions & dates see our website, www.dogbarkparkinn.com/stay_and_learn.html.

We’re Blogging

“What’s that”, we asked a couple years ago when seemingly the whole world was abuzz with this latest web communication tool. Another new fad we figured & left it at that. Like the advent of so many other innovations, blogging is here to stay and is truly as useful as having another gadget in the kitchen drawer.
(Speaking of handy kitchen gadgets, we were given one recently, a pair of tongs with flat silicon paddles for turning or lifting items from the frying pan or grill. We use them all the time now!)
And now we’re also splashing about in the world of blogging. Won’t you join us? We’ll be posting new blog articles to our website so catch us there if you’d like. The direct link is http://dogbarkpark.wordpress.com. Our blog articles aim to be informative descriptive vignettes of life and goings on at Dog Bark Park with entries made more frequently than this quarterly newsletter. Our past newsletters are also archived on the blog site as well.

Share your Photos

We invite you to share your Dog Bark Park photos with us for posting to our new Customer Photo Gallery, which we’ll feature in every newsletter. They can be images taken during a visit to Dog Bark Park or photos showing one of our wooden creations at its new home. Send photos to frances@dogbarkparkinn.com. Emma the Bassett

Here’s Emma the basset hound posing with our wooden hound at Dog Bark Park. Both appear to be asking Dorothy share the sandwich on her lap. Meanwhile, Dorothy is waving to a friend just beyond camera view. This photo is from Kimberly and Quincy who have been guests at Dog Bark Park, taking the Dutch oven cooking class last year during one of their visits.

Bojangles and Beagle

The real Bojangles meets his wooden beagle twin. This photo is from Nate in Nashville who has several of our wooden canines and is a long-distance Dog Bark Park friend. Perhaps one day he’ll travel to Idaho for us all to meet in person. Imagine Bojangle’s surprise to learn there’s a much larger beagle too!

In the Media & Trip Advisor

Sometimes it feels that a big beagle in Idaho wouldn’t be of interest to the giant media world out there. Amazingly, we’re finding the opposite to be true.

Three days before Christmas we logged onto the Internet via MSN.com and there was a photo of the big beagles announcing Dog Bark Park to be an MSN 2008 Top Travel Story of the Year!

A lengthy article appeared in the December issue of Tourism Review Magazine. In May, look for Dog Bark Park in National Geographic Kids & Country Living magazines. On the international front we’ve been contacted from editors in Cape Town South Africa, Germany, England, Hong Kong, Greece, Poland, Norway & Brazil for articles that will be appearing soon. Amazing that in a few computer keystrokes information is transmitted & then printed or distributed!

For those of you that have stayed at Dog Bark Park we invite you to post a review at the very popular TripAdvisor.com website. It is easy to do. Just log onto www.TripAdvisor.com, find the write a review tab & follow the instructions. Pictures can even be posted should you want to provide a snapshot of your stay. Thanks so much! Your referrals help introduce Dog Bark Park to others.

A recent customer comment: “I was really over the moon when I received my wooden dogs. Thanks so much for the smooth purchase & fast delivery.”…Anne

Reservations/Rates

Although Dog Bark Park Inn B&B doesn’t open for guests until April, reservations for the spring and summer are coming in. We hope you’ll consider a visit, or return visit. Our rates are not changing this year. Idaho has always been known as an affordable destination for travel & we’re doing our part to keep it that way.

A guest’s message: “Thank you again for your great hospitality & making my parents feel truly at home at the Inn. American friendliness, openness & generosity seem to have fallen into oblivion in other parts of the world.”…Isabella, from Germany.

Did you know Idaho is home to 3200 miles of whitewater, more than any other state in the lower 48? Idaho offers so much to experience including mountains to climb, trails to hike, lakes to fish. Whether it’s outdoor recreation or cultural & urban activities that are of interest, we hope you’ll take a break from it all and come out to play, learn, & visit in Idaho. We’re happy to suggest activities & itineraries; just be in touch.

Dog Bark Park Inn – Bed and Breakfast and World’s Biggest BeagleVisit our website: http://173.236.34.130/~dogbarkp

Email: frances@dogbarkparkinn.com
For Reservations 208-962-3647

Where being in the dog-house is a GOOD thing!

Inside Scoop about our Carving Studio

December 7, 2008 By dogbarkpark

Blog article – Inside Scoop about our Carving Studio

‘Tis the time of year at Dog Bark Park when Dennis & I are busy as elves in our studio carving and painting puppies that will be holiday presents for folks near and far. With our bodies warmed by the nearby woodstove and our red ear protectors snuggly affixed atop our heads, the chainsaws whirr while classical music on NPR or country music from the local station plays as we work. Miss Tibbs, our studio cat, sleeps curled in her warm nest by the stove. All we’re missing is our beautiful golden retriever Walter, who, until last week, also positioned himself near the fire’s heat. Sadly, he succumbed to a genetic disorder that took him from us while still a pup, only 14 months old. As all who have loved their dogs will understand, we still feel him everywhere as our hearts & daily routines begin to adapt. That so many of the canines we’re creating for our customers will be remembrances for others to enjoy of their special pet dogs, we feel less alone in our sadness and appreciation for the companion we called Walter.

Both Dennis and I work on every canine created in our studio. We each do a portion of the chainsaw work on the small-size dogs (they display nicely on a desk, windowsill or shelf). Being the senior carver (more years experience, and, he is a little older too!), Dennis fashions the head and tail portion of each dog. I then carve the in-between parts and make the final shaping and finishing marks to the dogs. The process works better on the large-size carvings (these guys are big enough to be floor or deck sitters) for Dennis to carve the whole dog himself. Then I take over by engraving in the eyes and nose followed by giving the dog a good brushing and light burning from a propane torch to prepare the wood for painting. We both paint the dogs, sometimes using spray paints that are then followed by several layers of hand painting. Before each dog leaves our studio it receives a brass license tag and red neckerchief to signal it’s an authentic Dog Bark Park creation.

For more information about the 2-Dog Discount promotion mentioned on our main website, click on our Fall 2008 Newsletter posted on this blog.

VISIT OUR AVAILABILITY CALENDAR. click here.

MAKE RESERVATIONS: 208.962.3647 or email us.

New approach to the New Year

Puppy Update

Puppy update

Inside Scoop about our Carving Studio

Trip Advisor

Unusual Hotels of the World

About The Artists

Dog Bark Park Blog

Booking a stay in the big dog

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