The Detroit Barker

Hello! — and apologies for the long hiatus. Life has been a whirlwind of crazy these past several months, and time and energy slip away from you so quickly sometimes. I’ve been busy with the actual job, and weathering the storm after the passing of my Libby last October, after spending nearly 15 years together.

But! It’s not all bad news! The world dropped the ever-adorable Angelo into my lap! He’s a 9-month-old Great Pyrenees and Labrador Retriever mix that I adopted from Alabama. He and his entire litter were dumped in a shopping cart behind a store, and a wonderful rescue, Angie’s Dog House, rescued, cared for, and saved as many puppies as they could. As a result, Angelo and many of his siblings made their way up to Michigan for adoption.

I didn’t realize he was going to be the mix he was — the rescue knew he was lab and SOMETHING, and I was definitely expecting a dog around Libby’s size full-grown — right now Angelo is 70 pounds with much more growing to do. But he’s a total sweetheart. He gets excited any time he sees people or other animals, which can make going out a bit tricky, BUT that means more opportunity for me to get out there and check out what the Metro has to offer again for our pets!

Onto the good stuff – The Plymouth Farmers Market!

I’ll be doing a full write-up when I don’t have a busy puppy at my side and can take proper photos, but I was very excited to see three pet-centered vendors at the market on its opening day. The market runs every Saturday from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM now until October, and is very pet-friendly, so it is worth giving it a look.

(Photo by: Plymouth Farmers Market / Facebook )

I first came across a brand-new vendor who has a new product to show off — hidden dog leashes! The leash hides inside an accessory you attach to your dog’s collar, which can be swapped out with different designs, such as a bow-tie, dog bone, and hopefully others in the future. It’s a great way to have a leash on your dog at all times that can be hidden away, and easily grabbed, and I really liked the idea of being able to swap out with different designs. While it’s only for small dogs currently, Kurt, its creator, and Northville local, was a blast to chat with, and I’ll be sure to share more info on the product once more is out there!

Secondly, I walked past an all-natural dog treat stand that had a very friendly shepherd mix helping out with the stall. It seemed to offer a variety of treats and flavors, and really, if you’re already at the market for your own treats, why not pick some up for your furry friend too?

Lastly, there was a pup popsicle stand! I will definitely be grabbing some for Angelo next time I’m there. It offered all-natural fruit-flavored frozen treats that I’m pretty sure will be a big hit once the summer weather is in full swing.

Stay tuned for future posts on all of these and more — and thank you as always for sticking around with the Detroit Barker!