Shelters/Rescue
Animal Shelters/Animal Control facilities
Virginia
Maryland
DC
Area wide (dogs & cats)
Dog Breed Rescue
Cat Rescue
Rabbit Rescue
Guinea Pig Rescue
Ferret Rescue
Bird Rescue
Reptile Rescue
Farm Rescue
Wildlife
National Adoption Listings
Shelters outside of DC metro area

Medical Needs
Acupuncturists
Emergency Info
Low cost medicine
Massage
Medical Orgs.
Natural Pet Care
Pet Insurance
Swim & Rehab Centers
Spay/Neuter Clinics
Veterinarians

ADOPT YELLOW PAGES HOW TO HELP NEWSROOM ADD YOUR VOICE LAW HOME | CONTACT | ABOUT | SITE MAP

Animal Yellow Pages: Fun Things to Do With Your Dog!

An important part of bonding with your dog is having fun -- and there are more fun activities you can do with your dog in this area than you can shake a stick at!

See the DogScouts site and Troop Dog World site for all these activities, and more!

Hiking
Swimming
Frisbee Catching
Flyball
Rally Obedience
Dancing
Dog Events
Happy Hours
Giving back to the community
Agility
Herding
Obedience
Boating with your dog
Canine Massage
Using his/her nose
Play Groups/Meetups
Canine Cruises
Country Club

See also: Dog Parks | Training | Events

Hiking

• K9 Trailblazers - A dog hiking club located in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, dedicated to encouraging responsible hiking with your canine companion. They hold monthly, leashed hikes on dog-friendly trails in the area. Recommended by MetroPets member!

Swimming

• Northern Virginia Animal Swim Center - Middleburg, VA - Specializes in the swimming of horses and dogs, or any animal that would benefit from the physical, therapeutic and mental benefits that swimming provides. People are not allowed to swim with their animals.
• See also: Therapeutic Swim Centers

Frisbee Catching

• National Capital Air Canines
• The Frisbee Dog Page - from Dogpatch
  

Flyball

• Beltway Bandits
  Classes in Leesburg, VA. email JSpitznas@ossinet.net
• Flyball Dogs
• Flyball invaders (Springfield, VA)
  tel: 703-569-8414, email: terri@flyball-fbi.com (classes through Fairfax County Recreation Department)
  
• Two-Lane Highway
  tel: (410)740-9375
  email: evancich@comcast.net
  Classes in Gaithersburg, MD.
  
• 4 Dog Night Flyball Team
  email: lkriete@aol.com
  Classes in Columbia, MD on Saturday evenings at 6pm.
• North American Flyball Association
• Furs Gonna Fly - Manassas, VA. email fursgonnafly@verizon.net
• Pup 'N Iron in Stafford, VA

Rally Obedience

• RallyObedience.com
• Pup 'N Iron in Stafford, VA

Dancing with Dogs (Canine Freestyle)

• Canine Freestyle Federation (see a Newfoundland dance)
• Chesapeake Rock N Rovers- Canine Freestyle club
  email: achcorgi@fcc.net
  tel: 703-753-1594
  Canine musical Freestyle club - based in Beltsville, MD. Available for Demos and workshops. Contact for demo dates.
• Musical Freestyle
• The Bark Ball - Washington Humane Society (every Spring)
• "Dances with Dogs" - Montgomery County Humane Society (every Fall)
• World Canine Freestyle Organization
• Pup 'N Iron in Stafford, VA

Dog Events

• The Bark Ball Washington Humane Society (every Spring)
• The Hot Dog Round Up - Outdoor BBQ with live music, K9 games, activities for kids, etc. Held at a horse farm in MD.
• Pet Fiesta - Reston, VA. (every May)
• Home for the Holidays - Reston, VA (every oct/nov) - multi-group adoption event organised by gooddogz.org
• Canine Games - Alexandria, VA, (every September). Dogs compete in events (eg obstacle courses, fastest ice cream eater) for gold, silver or bronze Canine Games medal. Organised by the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
• Canine Country Jamboree - Leesburg, VA. (Every October).
  email: jamboree@LeesburgCanineCountryClub.com
  22025 Evergreen Mills Road
  Leesburg, VA
  phone: 703-722-2275
• Annapolis Active Dogs Meetup - Contact them via the website or stremy23@netscape.net

Happy Hours

• EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, 5-8 pm: Doggie Happy Hour
  Holiday Inn Select Old Town 480 King St. Alexandria, VA
• Every Friday: 4-8 pm: Doggie Happy Hour
  Adams Mill Bar and Grill. Miller Lite, Pilsner Urquel & Barcardi specials until 8 p.m. (dogs on covered patio only) Sponsored by Doggie Style Bakery and the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL), a portion of food and beverage sales donated to WARL 1813 Adams Mill Road (at the corner of 18th Street and Columbia Road)
• Every Wednesday: 6-8 pm: Yappy Hour.
  Hydrant Dog Barkery, St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, 2300 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA.
• The DC Doggie Happy Hour Group on meetup.com

Giving back to the community

• National Capital Therapy Dogs, Inc.
• Fairfax (VA) Pets on Wheels
• Pets on Wheels of Prince George's County
• Have your dog help other dogs by being a blood donor:
  Eastern Vetinary Blood Bank
• Paws4People Foundation - enhances the lives of special and regular education students, seniors, and the seriously ill, by utilizing the "Special Powers" of canine companionship displayed by highly trained therapy dogs in specialized educational programs, therapy visitations, and private placements.
• Also see our listing of Service Dog Organizations

Agility

• A Click Above Training Center
• Freedom Agility tel: (703) 998-5176 (classes through Fairfax County Recreation Department)
• The Touch and Go club, a USDAA club that holds USDAA
  sanctioned trials in Northern Virginia
• The Dog Agility Page - from Dogpatch
  
• Just for Fun Agility for Dogs
• North America Dog Agility Council
• United States Dog Agiliy Association
• NOVA-Agility Yahoo Group
• Pup 'N Iron in Stafford, VA

Herding

• The Herding Page - from Dogpatch
• American Border Collies Association
• Australian Shepherd Club of America
• US Border Collie Handler's Association
  

Obedience

• The Dog Obedience and Training - from Dogpatch Page
• Dog-Play - Fun with your dog (national site)
• Pup 'N Iron in Stafford, VA
• Also see our listings of trainers

Boating with your dog

• BoatU.S. (800-937-2628, www.boatus.com), with stores in Alexandria (880 S. Pickett St., 703-461-2850), Annapolis (163A Jennifer Rd., 410-573-5744), Glen Burnie (6651-20 Ritchie Highway, 410-761-5901) and Rockville (5250 Randolph Rd., 301-230-0945).
• West Marine (800-BOATING, www.westmarine.com), with stores in Alexandria (601 S. Patrick St., 703-549-7020), Woodbridge (13330 Gordon Blvd., 703-492-6225), Annapolis (113 Hillsdale Dr., 410-268-0129) and Glen Burnie (105 Chesapeake Center Court, 410-590-6556).
• Atlantic Kayak, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria, 800-297-0066, www.atlantickayak.com.
• REI (800-426-4840, www.rei.com), with stores at Bailey's Crossroads (3509 Carlin Springs Rd., 703-379-9400) and College Park (9801 Rhode Island Ave., 301-982-9681).

Massage

• PAWsitive Touch offers canine massage and instruction programs for dog owners to help their loved ones to live a long, healthy and happy life!
  email: info@pawsitivetouch.com
  P. O. Box 20093
  Alexandria, VA
  phone: 703-599-5330
• See also our complete massage listings

Using his/her nose

• SNIFFERDOG
  Laura Totis
  2284 Shamer Lane,
  hampstead, MD
  tel: 410 236 2788
  

Play Groups/Meet Ups

• The Washington DC Area Beagle Meetup Group
• FunDogs
  email: clairethomey@mac.com
  Leesburg, VA
  phone: 703-779-1333
  Meets Wednesday & Thursday evenings @ 8:00pm (unless other wise specified). Space is somewhat limited for some events. Please call or email to indicate interest! A different canine FUN event is held each week to promote different activities and learning opportunities!
• Smushnose Dogs Off-Leash Meetup: Pugs, Boston Terriers, & French Bulldogs
• Golden Retriever Off-Leash Meetup
• Northern Virginia Italian Greyhound Meetup Group
• Beagle Off-Leash Meetup
• Huge Dogs Meetup: Newfie, Great Pyranese, Berner, St. Bernard
• Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Collie, and Shetland Sheepdog Off-Leash Meetup
• Corgi Meetup
• NoVA Cocker Spaniel, Clumber Spaniel, & Cocker Mixes
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Off-Leash Meetup
• Labrador Retriever Off-Leash Meetup
• Dachshund Off-Leash Meetup
• Whippet Off-Leash Meetup

Canine Cruises

• Potomac Riverboat Company
  205 The Strand, Alexandria, VA
  (703) 684-0580
  Offered in conjunction with the local Business Associations 2nd Thursday evening of entertainment, Potomac Riverboat Company offers this fun and unique cruise on the Second Thursday of the months of May, June, July, August and September.
  All are invited, with or without a four legged friend. A howling experience for all! The dog rides free, but the human must pay for their ride.

Leesburg Canine Country Club

• Leesburg Canine Country Club
  22025 Evergreen Mills Rd, Leesburg, VA 20175
  Tel: 703-722-BARK
  email: info@leesburgcaninecountryclub.com
  Loudoun County's First Private Members Only Outdoor Recreation Center allowing dogs for its members!

Have we missed a fun dog activity? Please let us know!