Doggone good time

WARNING!!! 

There's mega cuteness overload going on in this post, it's definitely not for the faint of heart. We're introducing an integral part of our blogging process and just our lives in general, our little lady Minnie! Thats right that precious pup you see there perfectly poised, head titled towards the camera like an expert is our favorite four legged babe. She's usually a behind the scenes kind of girl, besides the occasional photo bomb or photo op but today we're putting her front and center for what we hope will be a string of long posts. For many people, us included our fur babies / four legged companions are family to us, we want them to be with us every chance they get to share all of life's moments with us the triumphs and the sadness and the heartache and the happiness, but unfortunately it isn't always possible. (notice how we didn't say impossible because there is always a way! Besides the word itself says "i'm possible"...anybody get the reference there?). However just because she can't go EVERYWHERE with us, doesn't mean she can't go anywhere and you bet we take every opportunity we get to bring her along on our adventures. Finding dog friendly places is not as easy as it seems but it is rewarding and exciting when we do. Today we're featuring two incredible places we found that are not only dog friendly but all around lovely places to visit and we can't sing their praises enough.

First a little background on how Minnie came to be so important in our lives, because who doesn't love a good story right ? Minnie was originally just my twin(Anna) & I's (Paola) pet, she was pretty content with having two moms and quite frankly enjoyed it. However as time went on and Kirsten spent more and more time around her Minnie decided to adopt her into the family as well. (Yes dogs can adopt humans too, you've just got to be special enough and they'll choose you). So now not only does Minnie have two kick ass mom's who happen to look almost exactly the same (talk about confusing the fur off her right?) she also has an aunt whom she loves very much.

I (Kirsten) am normally a cat person although I grew up with my fair sure of dogs and love them all to death, cats are number one in my book. (any cat ladies out there?). Cats just seem to get me more and they go well with my low maintenance life style. Dogs require a lot more work and by that I mean constant loving and attention, Minnie being no exception but she eventually wore me down.  She wouldn't take no for an answer, she seems to be very persistent and I can only help but wonder who she got it from. (probably Paola, she's very stubborn I tell you! Doesn't give up without a fight). Minnie finally won me over, she cuddled, snuggled and jumped her way into my heart and I mean that literally.

                                                            

Minnie approved places to visit 

Now onto the main event, first up on Minnie's list is an adorable little deli that caters towards a dogs every need called "Rick's Dog Deli". Its a quaint little place decorated with lively inviting colors and an all together friendly atmosphere. We saw it out of the corner of our eyes and since we had Minnie along we decided to go in just for kicks and giggles to see what it had to offer. We were hoping to find something to help tide Minnie over for the ride back home. At first we assumed it was some type of doggy restaurant (we were wrong! Shocked? Us too. That rarely ever happens we know). However once we went inside we realized it was something much better, something we never dreamed of finding.

We were immediately met by the sights and smells of what seemed to be a place that housed food for dogs, but what kind we were unsure of. A little bell chimed as soon as we stepped foot and we briefly glanced around before we were met by a very friendly, down to earth and enthusiastic employee named Mark. We were a little confused by what we were looking at since there was so much to see,intrigued nonetheless so we asked for clarification and boy did we get it. Not only did he go into detail about what goes on in there,he explained the different options,gave us some history about the company and gave us more information than we thought possible in one conversation. It was incredibly informative,very enlightening and the conversation left us with much to think about and plenty of options to choose from. If you haven't figured it out by now, its exactly like your regular run of the mill deli except for dogs. They make everything thats provided inside,dog treats,dog food etc. you name it and they've got it. They make dog food to your dogs specific needs or offer you a basic recipe to get you started. The best part about it? Its all freshly made from human food. Thats right, not a hint of preservatives or additives in anything they sell. Now have no fear, for those of you who want to give what they have to offer a try but aren't in the area,they also offer online shopping from their website and also via Amazon.

Now Minnie being the incredibly intelligent lady that she is,got one whiff of the samples Mark so gallantly provided for us and devised an evil plan. This plan entailed refusing to sit or pose for pictures like she normally does and instead stare longingly at the treats in our hands until we gave her some. Remember how we mentioned earlier that she was very persistent? This was the perfect example,she refused to take one good picture until we complied to her wishes and normally we wouldn't give in to her demands but we were curious to see how she'd react. So we took a piece out and see what would happen. Well she took one whiff of the jerky sample and gobbled it down so fast she almost bit our fingers off in the process. Once she had a taste  she begged for more however  being true to her word she somewhat cooperated,all the while searching for more treats to enjoy. Its safe to say that Rick's dog deli treats are Minnie approved!

Next on our list is a place thats quickly becoming a favorite of ours, it was mentioned in last weeks blog post (which can be found Here). We decided to visit again with the two other members of our girl group to showcase another dog friendly place for this post and also because we love this store that much. (seriously if you are near the area we cannot recommend it enough, it's spectacular).We're a bit like fan girls over this store but we can't help it,onto of all the amazing things it has to offer its dog friendly. Nothing beats being able to shop and play dress up with your dog and we mean that absolutely nothing (try to challenge that statement we dare you!). The owners recognized us from our first visit and were as charming and welcoming as ever,complimenting us on the blog post and our outfits. Just walking in we already felt ten times happier and a little retail therapy never hurts either!

Now Minnie was over the moon,finally a store that she could walk inside of and not have to be subjected to walking aimlessly around a plaza or sitting outside on a bench until both her mom's came out with bags full of new things to add to their ever changing and growing wardrobes. She could finally explore and see what all the fuss is about and she was definitely as amazed as we were by all the different options and sections that this splendid shop had to offer. You'd think a dog wouldn't be impressed by a store full of things she couldn't play with right?  You're forgetting who raised Minnie! (who are we kidding? We love all things vintage/retro inspired and so does she. Like mother like daughter yeah?). She was a bit shell shocked and pulled us each this way and that trying to decide where to go next when we gently steered her to our favorite spot. (you guys probably know whats coming next). The clothes section !!! Lo and behold new items had been added and even some we were dying to try on last time.

   

All the excitement and influx of attention (people see a cute dog and immediately want to pet it) made Minnie a bit put out and thirsty so we got her a cup of water and went into the adorable changing rooms with arms full of things ready to try on. She sat excitedly in the corner watching us shed our old clothes for new ones and then step outside to admire ourselves in the full length mirrors. She was so excited by the whole process she demanded to be in pictures with Anna nonetheless. Even though she couldn't try on new clothes she could at least appear in the pictures to show her adoring fans she was still stylish as heck. In true Minnie Fashion she posed and commenced sniffing around the dressing room area,wondering what else the store had to offer. After  we tried on a few things she decided she wanted to explore so off we went. She had a wonderful time looking around,sniffing about and getting love and attention from strangers after getting some water and fell happily asleep on the car ride back home. Her first trip to a clothing store was a huge success one that left her both happy and exhausted with all the things to see.

Fashion Show 

We hope you enjoyed this foray into our lives and all the adorable pictures of Minnie. We also hope that we gave you some inspiration to try and find dog/pet friendly places to go on adventures with your four legged friends. Theres no limits or boundaries in life that can't be crossed with a little imagination and digging around. If you have any places you'd like us to visit or any questions regarding the two featured here feel free to comment below and we'll do our best to reply !

As always thank you for reading ,

May your days be filled with pretty dresses and a lot of happiness . 

Paola & Kirsten xx 

Aka "thehepburnmovement"