Party with Your Pup: September 24-30

Contact the event venue before attending to make sure information is accurate. Not all events allow pets, so check first.

Tuesday, September 25; 6:00 p.m.

Event: Cocktails at the Dog Museum

Location: AKC Museum of the Dog; Queeny Park

Details: cocktails in the courtyard; fundraiser; guest speaker about rare books in the museum library. 

Cost: $

Thursday, September 27; 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Event: Raw Nutrition Info & Vendor Fair

Location: Pawsitively Fintastic; South St. Louis

Details: Ask questions about feeding your pup a raw diet. Puppy playtime in the fenced yard as well with a kiddie pool (weather-dependent)

Cost: free

Steu says: Cooked or raw, I like it all!

Saturday, September 29; 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Event: Meet the Bulldog

Location: AKC Museum of the Dog; Queeny Park

Details: come meet this historic breed.

Cost: $

Sunday, September 30; 1:30-4:00 p.m.

Event: Meet the St. Bernard

Location: AKC Museum of the Dog; Queeny Park

Details: come meet the breed and talk to their owners. Find out if this breed is right for you.

Cost: $

Party with Your Pup: September 17-23

An unbelievable amount of fun stuff this week! Contact the event venue before attending to make sure information is accurate. Not all events allow pets, so check first.

Tuesday, September 18; 6:30 p.m.

Event: Dogs Dine Out

Location: Clancy's Irish Pub; Ballwin

Details: Three Dog Bakery is back to sponsoring their travelling Dogs Dine Out events. People order off the restaurant menu while the pups consume a dinner fitting with the restaurant's theme. Reservations and pre-payment required.

Cost: $20.00 per pup. People order separately.

Steu says: I love going to these! So much delicious food!

Wednesday, September 19; 6-8:00 p.m.

Event: Yappy Hour

Location: West Frisco Park; Eureka

Details: Live music, snacks for people and pups (no coolers, please). First 30 pups get a free caricature.

Cost: free (please donate one canned good)

Thursday, September 20; 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Event: Mutt Mixer

Location: Three Dog Bakery; Town & Country

Details: free snacks for pups and people; shopping discounts

Cost: free

Steu says: I have had their treats, and love the variety!

Thursday, September 20; 5-6:30 p.m.

Event: Yappy Hour

Location: Four Muddy Paws; Lafayette Square

Details: Wine tasting for people and playtime for pups. Afterwards, area restaurants will offer specials and discounts to diners with dogs.

Cost: free

Steu says: I have had their treats, and love the variety!

Saturday, September 22; 9:00 a.m.

Event: Dog Days Celebration

Location: Kirkwood Farmers' Market; Kirkwood

Details: Pet parade. Shopping for pet treats. Different animal welfare groups.

Cost: free
Steu says: This sounds like soooooo much fun!

Saturday, September 22; 7:30 a.m.-noon

Event: Strut Your Mutt

Location: Queeny Park

Details: Fundraiser for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Lots of fun activities: puppy yoga, massages, and spa; free treats, contests and activities; refreshments; live music; shopping.

Cost: $

Saturday, September 22; 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Event: Paws in the Park

Location: Broemmelsiek Park; St. Charles

Details: Off-leash fun for pups in a park with a pond. Contests, prizes, freebies, and other activities.

Cost: free

Sunday, September 23; 11 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Event: Animal Communicator

Location: Four Muddy Paws; Lafayette Square

Details: Animal communicator Catherine Hughes can let you know what your pet is thinking or feeling or put you in touch with pets who have passed on.

Cost: $25 per private 20-minute session

Steu says: I went to a pet psychic once. I told her to say that I want more walks and less picture taking.

Bath time

Steu and I went to visit my friend Sharon today. I can be all lofty and claim that we visited because she was recovering from surgery (which is true), but I also needed a favor from her (which is also true).

It rained on the way over, so I carried Steu from the car into her apartment. Cavaliers have "natural feet," which means the hair on them is allowed to grow. Someone once called them "yeti feet" and that's how I think of them. They trap and track an ungodly amount of mud and debris. Some owners elect to trim their cavalier's feet, but I never have, beyond once cutting out some stranger's wad of gum.

Halfway through our visit, Steu announced that he needed to go out, so we walked along a wooded path until he'd accomplished his mission. Also accomplished? One muddy, wet dog.

Sharon toweled him off and took this photo.

If you groom your dog regularly, and give plenty of treats while doing so, grooming should be a relatively easy task, even for a pup with a high-maintenance coat like Steu's. When he had a puppy coat, he needed no grooming at all beyond the monthly bath. His adult coat requires a daily brushing, along with regular removal of all the leaves, twigs, and vegetable matter he accumulates on his walks.

To get him used to all the brushing, I would give him a treat to chew on while he was being  brushed, sometimes several treats. Now, we've reached the point where he gets a treat when he's done. Steu doesn't like having his tail brushed, but those long feathers require a brushing every few days. Once I'm done brushing his body, I give him a treat, which he eats while I brush his tail. By the time we're both done, the process has been relatively pain free.

Party with Your Pup: September 9-16

Contact the event venue before attending to make sure information is accurate. Not all events allow pets, so check first.

Ongoing; deadline September 30

Event: T-shirt design contest

Location: n/a

Details: Gateway Pet Guardians, which focuses on rescuing strays in East St. Louis, is sponsoring a contest for their next t-shirt.

Cost: free

Steu says: Pups can wear t-shirts too! 

Friday, September 14; 5-7 p.m.
Event: Yappy Hour
Location: I Scream Cakes; Cherokee St.
Details: sponsored by PBR, free giveaways and free PBR, puppy ice cream, discounts, and more
Steu says: I love their puppy ice cream. It has bacon AND salmon oil AND sweet potatoes. YUM!

Saturday, September 15; 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Event: Meet the Bouvier des Flandres

Location: AKC Museum of the Dog; Queeny Park

Details: Meet the breed, talk to owners, and find out if the Bouvier is right for you.

Cost: $

Steu says: Did you know Ronald Reagan had a Bouvier des Flandres? Now you do!

Walking the Dog

Steu, like most dogs, is much better behaved when he gets a daily walk. When he was a puppy, we would often walk up to three times a day. Now that he's three, one walk a day is fine. He'll even let me skip a day or two due to rain or extreme temperatures.

I, however, do not love walking. I get bored. My feet are often tired and I need new/better shoes. It's too hot, too cold, too dark, too late, too early. Whatever. I've got a million excuses.

Lately, inspired by a friend, I've re-committed to walking Steu daily, so I've been mapping our walks on Map My Walk. The site is pretty easy to use, and I discovered that we were already walking a mile a day. By mapping out a few other routes we take, I've come up with some two-mile loops and even a three-mile loop.

As long as it's not too hot, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are perfectly capable of walking just as far as your average recreational walker.

How often and how far do you walk your pup?

Party with Your Pup: September 3-9

Contact the event venue before attending to make sure information is accurate. Not all events allow pets, so check first.

All Week

Event: Dog Swims

Location: All over!

Details: Many local municipals pools will be hosting end-of-season dog swims beginning on Monday. Rather than list them all here, I am linking to St. Louis All Dogs for a comprehensive listing.Their calendar doesn't list past events, so the link is only good for this week.

Cost: varies, many events are fundraisers

Steu says: I have never done a dog swim, but I do have my own paddle pool. I have to be bribed to get it in. 

Wednesday, September 5; 7:15 p.m.

Event: Rally Obedience Orientation & Skills Assessment

Location: Shrewsbury City Center

Details: Greater St. Louis Training Club is hosting a free session to see if your pup is ready to take place in rally obedience competitions.

Cost: free (the six-week class will be $120)

Steu says: Want to read more about rally obedience? I have never learned to heel. Really, I totally suck at it. Like, you have no idea how bad I am at heeling.

Wednesday, September 5; 5-7 p.m.

Event: Yappy Hour

Location: The Boathouse; Forest Park

Details: Half-price appetizers 

Cost: $5 cover charge to benefit Forest Park Forever

Steu says: I've never been to this, so I can't say for sure yet what kind of dog things are there, besides other dogs. If you go, let me know!

Thursday, September 6

Event: Mutt Mixer

Location: Three Dog Bakery; Town & Country

Details: discounts on non-food items in the store. No details on other activities or times.

Cost: free

I really am so sad about Earthdog

Saturday, September 8; 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Event: Missouri Earthdogs Fun Day

Location: Purina Farms; Gray Summit

Details: Practice running in tunnels and racing with other dogs.

Cost: $

Steu says: I really wanted to go to this, but it may only take earthdogs. Be sure to check first! I am feeling a little sad about this.

Saturday, September 8; 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Event: Meet the Samoyed

Location: AKC Museum of the Dog; Queeny Park

Details: Stop by the Dog Museum and meet the breed

Cost: $

Saturday, September 8; 10-11 a.m.

Event: Canine Corrective Bodywork

Location: Four Muddy Paws; Lafayette Square

Details: Movement assessment and trigger point therapy for active or aging dogs.

Cost: free (reservations required)

Sunday, September 9; 1:30-4:00 p.m.

Event: Meet the Border Collie

Location: AKC Museum of the Dog; Queeny Park

Details: Stop by the Dog Museum and meet the breed

Cost: $

Steu says: My cousin is a Border Collie named Teagan. I love her.

Dog Whistles

Steu is neither Republican nor Democrat. He disdains all politics. He does NOT want to be kissed, let alone patted, by any candidate.

His namesake, Baron von Steuben, helped our nation overthrow England but had strong mercenary tendencies. Like the Baron, little Steu will deign to perform for strangers, as long as there are treats.

At all other times, he is a committed monarchist.

During this political season, however, he and I have been discussing dog-whistle politics: the use of coded language designed to appeal to the prejudices of one side while escaping the attention of the other.

Be on the lookout. Steuben does not approve.