Great Dane – Basil's Travels

September 15, 2014

Woofstock 2014

Happy Sunday Funday! Yesterday was Charlotte’s annual Woofstock event. This was the 2nd year Basil, Nate, and I attended and it was a lot of fun. We met a lot of new friends; big and small. It was at the Amos South venue in the Southend neighborhood of Charlotte. Benefitting Blue ridge boxer rescue and Great Dane friends of Ruff Love, so the event was filled to the gills with Great Danes and boxers. Basil loves his big dogs and couldn’t have been more happy. There was plenty of vendors and a huge silent auction. It was a good Saturday afternoon and we are happy to be able to support two great local rescues.

More great events coming up in the next few months! Can’t wait for what fall has to offer!
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

November 6, 2013

FidoFest 2013 – Historic Southend Charlotte

This last Saturday we woke Basil up “super” early, like at 8am, for a great cause. We headed down to the Historic Southend Charlotte neighborhood in some seriously heavy fog to walk in the 3K 2X4 FidoFest! The Southend neighborhood is an area of Charlotte that we haven’t spent a lot of time in but once I learned that 80% of Southend residents are dog owners we knew we needed to spend some more time there.

This walk, where the proceeds go to CMPD Animal Care & Control, took us down the light rail line and let us really enjoy this little gem of a neighborhood. Great, clean walking paths passing by luxury apartment buildings and condos. A lot of chic shops and restaurants sprinkled in between.

On our walk we meet a lot of new friends, like a giant 7 month old great dane that kept trying to make his poor mom “win” this 3K walk! Along the way there were stop off spots for water and goodies. Basil picked up his fair share of dog treats and poopy bags while we got a lot of information about living in this area. One of the spots that was handing out swag was Club Fetch. They are a soon to be opening doggy daycare and play center. We loved their logo and then got to meet the face behind it, Jackson. Basil loves meeting fellow adorable Boston terriers and for the short time they got to sniff each other they totally hit it off. Once they open we will for sure be checking this place out and we recommend if you are in the Charlotte area you do too!

Once we finished up the little under 2 mile walk it was party time! FidoFest had set up booth after booth of sponsors offering their wares and giving out even more swag. There were also food trucks and a dog house contest. The one dog house that stood out above them all was the one made by Balfour Beatty Construction. This incredible handmade dog house is up for sale currently on eBay and the proceeds will go to Coalition to Unchain Dogs. Head over to eBay to check it out!

We had some serious fun and couldn’t have had a better time. A big thank you goes to FidoFest for really introducing us to this little spot and putting on this event. I made sure to start following them on twitter so I can keep up with the goings-on of the Historic Southend. Can’t wait for the next event!

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Basil

September 20, 2013

Woofstock 2013 and Tavern on the Tracks – Charlotte, NC

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Hello! This last weekend Basil and I attended a great event call Woofstock! This was the 5th annual Woofstock and its put on by a local Great Dane rescue and the Blue Ridge Boxer rescue. Not only were we excited to check out the event for the first time but it was also at a venue in a neighborhood we have yet to check out, the southend. Just south of uptown this little neighbor had hip townhouses, a lot of boutique shops selling local wears and a pretty cool music venue call Amos Southend. This is where Woofstock was held. We were able to enter with a small $5 donation and with a quick ID check we were given our first drink free.

Once inside Basil lost his mind! So many dogs! As you know Boston terriers are my thing but I also love, love, love large dogs and this was for sure the place to be visit with some monster dogs. Great danes, mastiffs, greyhounds and one very sweet Irish wolfhound were among pugs, mutts and just a few Boston terriers. After a circle of the event we ran into a familiar face. Lola, a fellow Boston terrier of Charlotte meet-uper and her mom were also there.

We made sure to check out all the booths inside and out and then we headed over to the silent auction. A ton of groups donated their time, goods and services to be auctioned off for charity. I was very happy to see that almost every item has one or more bid on it.

After making another circle to say goodbye to all our new friends we decided to head out and find some lunch. Lucky enough right next door was a sports bar with a large patio called Tavern on the Tracks. The moment we saw the waiters and waitresses we knew this spot was dog friendly. They were all wearing a tee-shirt with a large paw print on the back that said “Paws on the Patio.” We grabbed a sit in the corner with a large umbrella and plenty of dog water and had a great lunch. Basil even enjoyed a little of my PBR. It almost felt like we were back in Seattle!

Overall Basil votes yes to both these places and recommend if you are in Charlotte to check out Tavern on the Tracks for good food and sports; especially if you are a Michigan fan. We also recommend checking out your own local dog events and donate to a rescue of your choice.

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Basil