by Rebecca, Canine Marketing Manager

This past weekend, we held our annual summer Barkfest at our retail store in Natick.   This year, we wanted to come up with ways to help our dog friends relax and enjoy their summer safely.   Since it was so hot this weekend, the first thing we started with was air conditioning (a must, especially for brachiocephalic dogs, like Pugs and Shih Tzus).    We also offered complementary canine massages from our friends at Bancroft School of Massage Therapy.   The dogs all seemed much more relaxed after their massages and the owners liked that they could do something soothing for their pets.  

Here is a photo of Boomer, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, relaxing during his massage.

We also offered a low-cost microchip clinic on Sunday afternoon that was sponsored by Stray Pets in Need.   Microchips are a great way to ensure that if your pet gets lost they have a better chance of being reunited with you.     Embedding the microchip does involve a big needle, but thankfully we had the masseuses lined up to ease away any potential stress.   Here is a photo of Bella waiting patiently for her turn:

We also had a representative from Wellness Pet Food at the Barkfest.   They handed out lots of Wellness gift bags with yummy food and treat samples.   Here’s a photo of Boris patiently waiting for his gift bag:

Smartie also had a great time at Barkfest and made a ton of new friends (I think it helped that he was in charge of the gift bag and free dog food raffle).   Here he is posing with Serena and Boomer:

Smartie may look a little nervous around Phil (the Boston Terrier), but they quickly became best friends:

At the end of the weekend, once all the barking subsided, we took some time to reflect on how great our customers are and how happy they make us.   When we put together events like Barkfest, we think about what we can do to give our customers a great experience and make sure that they leave our store happy.   I think Shadow is a great representation of how successful Barkfest was this year!

by Laura C., Product Specialist

They say to truly know someone you must walk a mile in their shoes. If one mile is good then 40 must be better!

This year the SmartPak crew headed back into Boston to participate, once more, in the 2008 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. As a novice Avon Walker I was a little nervous. Thankfully, everyone who participated last year assured me that not only would I be fine but also that it couldn’t possibly rain again.

We arrived at UMASS Boston bright and early Saturday morning, all decked out in our matching t-shirts and hats (once again graciously donated by SmartPak). The campus was a sea of pink and ponchos and the air of enthusiasm was infectious! That’s funny, I thought they said it wasn’t going to rain……

With an inspiring and tear-filled opening ceremony behind us, the Avon Walk was finally underway!

Sometimes, you become so focused on the task at hand that you lose track of the little things. In truth, the subtlety of the sun peaking out was almost lost on us until we began to feel a little warm under those plastic ponchos! We cued up this year’s theme song (a more appropriate choice than any of us could have guessed) and Team SmartPak was truly “Walking on Sunshine”!

With Katie as our trusty walking DJ (speakers on a backpack keep the enthusiasm high), a well-deserved break at lunch to jettison the soggy socks, and the team mantra: “Hydrate!”, a very weary bunch of SmartPakers crossed the finish line of day one. We had reached the Wellness Village. We were exhausted but we were dry, (maybe everyone was right after all)?

We awoke the next morning a little stiff and a little sore but surprisingly upbeat. Day one was successfully behind us. Now, the only thing standing between us and the finish line was a measly 13 miles. With water bottles and camelbacks filled, feet securely bandaged, and tents collapsed and packed, we set off again.

Lunch on day two presented a most welcome surprise. Some of SmartPak’s very own canine employees turned out to wish us well (and join us for lunch). Canine enthusiasm is contagious and happy dog tails helped motivate our tired bodies and aching feet. Besides, they all looked so cute in pink!

The Team SmartPak Canine division, as well as some friends and family, joined us to walk that final mile. There is nothing on earth like the feeling of crossing that finish line - joy, sadness, exhaustion, accomplishment….it’s everything.

The closing ceremony for the 2008 Avon Walk was amazing. Walkers, supporters and Survivors all with hands clasped high above their heads showed that for those two days we truly did walk as one.

When we all came in to work on Monday it was fairly easy to pick out the Avon Walkers. Not only were we all in our pink t-shirts, but the slow, stiff, halting movements made us stick out a little. Thankfully we decided that the dress code for that day was sweatpants, t-shirts and whatever you could stand to put on your feet. I think I speak for all of us when I say, “I can’t wait to do it again next year!”

P.S. Once again it is necessary to thank our wonderful supporters Steve Semick, Josh Burt, Brian Donalson and Steve Lollman. Thank you all for cheering us on at the rest stops, collecting the clothing that we shed along the way, once again helping with those tents at the wellness village, and most importantly for bringing the dogs! And of course, a very special thanks to all those individuals (friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and even pets) whose pledges on our behalf made Team SmartPak such an integral part of Avon Walk Boston 2008!

by Jen B., SmartPak Store Manager

We had a screaming good time at the 2nd annual Team SmartPak outing to the Apple Knoll Jumper Show on Wednesday June 25th! Six store employees rode in the show, and everyone else came to cheer and eat great food. Our white polo shirts were the hit of the show – we had several requests to purchase them! Thanks so much to Lissa, Karen S, Deb and the embroidery team for making sure we looked the part.
Here are the results:

Jill rode Fort Conquest in the 2’6” class
Abbey was 8th in the 2’6” class, and also rode in the 2’9” class with Cupid
Anna B was 2nd in the 2’9” class, and 5th in the 3’ class riding Chopin
Anna T was 2nd in the ground poles class with Malachi, and was 4th in the 2’9” class and 6th in the 3’3” class with Cali
Keri rode in the 3’ and the 3’3” classes on Fort Conquest
I was 2nd in the 3’ class and also rode in the 3’3” class with my mare Bella (cutest pony in the whole world!)
Amanda and Lindsey also brought their horses to experience the show atmosphere.

Our cheering section included Alana, Michael, Erin, Aly, Amanda, Morgan, Ashley, and Lindsey.
Thanks to everyone who participated (and brought food.) We’ve had requests for a repeat, so we may hold another event in August. I hope some Plymouth associates can come up – I’ll give better notice next time!

Thanks to Michael, Amanda and Abbey who all took terrific pictures!

by Rebecca, Canine Marketing Manager

This is Emma the pug. She’s 6 ½ years old and she officially entered the work force on Take Your Dog To Work Day on June 20th. She started the day by packing her lunchbox (including her SmartPak and treats to share with her new co-workers) and then we carpooled to the office (thankfully she was able to get in one last nap before arriving at the office).

Once we got to work, Emma was nervous but excited about meeting her fellow canine co-workers. In the end, her winning personality helped her easily make friends with Tiki, Max and Rocky, among others (although sharing her treats did help). Emma settled in for the work day by eating her morning SmartPak and then taking a nap. She woke up for a bit and helped test some new dog treats and also modeled a SmartPak bandana while perusing the SmartPak website for any new toys she doesn’t have yet.

Around 11:30am, all the new dog employees went outside with their human co-workers to participate in a human-canine agility course. The canine portion contained traditional agility obstacles including jumps, a tire and a tunnel. The human portion let us show our prowess in office-themed activities including stuffing SmartPak catalogs into envelopes and loading SmartPaks into sterlite containers. The winner of the event was Lilly who was assisted by Jennifer. Lola and Kiki were fierce competitors and won second place. Even though she tried her hardest, I think Emma came in last (I’ll take the blame for this since I’ve never exposed her to a tunnel in her life and they can be scary!).

As you can imagine, Emma was thoroughly exhausted after the agility event so she spent the remainder of the afternoon resting, even exercising office etiquette by not snoring too loudly. On the way home, as Emma continued to rest up for her usual night of dinner and, playing and more sleep, I thought about how lucky I was to share my day with my best friend and what a great SmartPak employee she would make. Think I’ll check around and see if the role of Chief Treat Officer is open as I know the perfect, four-legged candidate…

By Rebecca, Canine Marketing Manager

If you are local to the New England area, then you know this past weekend was HOT with temperatures in the upper 90’s! But not hot enough to keep SmartPak from attending two great dog events! The first was an agility trial co-sponsored by Canine Health Events held in Westfield, MA. We made a ton of friends at this event and got to see some amazing canine athletes.

Rocky, the Chihuahua, completely owned the course and we were blown away by his talent and big heart. After his run, he stopped by our booth for some well-deserved treats and left sporting a new SmartPak bandana. It seemed like he started a trend with his SmartPak bandana. Thankfully, we had plenty of treat and food samples on hand so no dog left hungry or unfashionable.

We also attended Paws In The Park event that is held annually by Save A Dog. This year it was held in Lincoln, MA, and we estimate about 200 dogs attended. There were dogs of all shapes and sizes, from Miniature Daschunds to some of the largest Great Danes we’ve ever seen! Thankfully, we had plenty of treats and water on hand to help keep our dog friends energized and cool despite the heat and humidity. The dogs had a really fun time and we had a great time meeting new friends (both human and canine) and talking with owners about their healthy pets.