Dear Annie: I live out in the country and have found a consistently wonderful kennel for my dog. The people who work there are the owner and two helpers; all are kind, efficient and obviously dog lovers. The kennel costs $40 per night. My question is, how much of a tip to leave? Sometimes, one of the helpers is working when I pick up my dog, and sometimes it’s the owner. Should I tip differently for the helpers versus owner? Please advise. I want to do right by them! -- Asking for a Tip on Tips Dear Asking for a Tip: Thank you for your kind words. You sound like a thoughtful and considerate person. Typically, tipping can be between 15 to 20% of the services rendered. Tipping the owner is not technically considered proper etiquette, as the tip should go to the employees. But since you frequent this business often and love the services they provide for your dog, it is a kind gesture to tip generously.Dear Annie: In response to “Sick of Being Treated This Way,” I am 73 … [Read more...] about How much should I tip at the dog kennel? Dear Annie
Needs country kennel
From heartbreak to the Iditarod finish line: Living the musher life in “This Much Country”
Mushing is all over social media these days, giving fans from less frozen climes a front-row seat to the joys and tribulations of working with happy dogs through hostile weather in this extreme endurance sport. But when Kristin Knight Pace's first marriage broke up in 2009, and she packed her two dogs Maximus and Moose to a house-sitting gig outside Denali National Park for the winter and take care of a friend's sled dogs, there were no hashtags to follow to loop vicariously into the tight-knit community of elite dog sled racers in Alaska and beyond, just old-fashioned reliance on neighbors to survive her first winter and figure out how to build a new life. Moving away is a time-tested method of dealing with heartbreak, but as soon as Pace arrived in Alaska she faced more immediate problems: hauling water, splitting wood, taking care of the dogs and herself in temperatures that routinely dipped to 30 and 40 degrees below zero. In her new memoir, "This Much Country," she … [Read more...] about From heartbreak to the Iditarod finish line: Living the musher life in “This Much Country”
UPDATE: New Wine Country Bistro location opens this week
Scroll down for photo gallery of Wine Country Bistro's renovation of their new location. UPDATE: Wine Country Bistro's bar area will be open to the public for happy hour 4:30 p.m. to close on today (Oct. 26) at its new location at 4800 Line Ave. in Shreveport. The dining room will not be open on Wednesday evening. However, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the bar's appetizer menu will be available. The dining room will open officially 4:30 p.m. to close Thursday through Monday, Oct. 31, serving dinner only. The restaurant will offer lunch beginning Nov. 1. Wine Country Bistro's regular lunch, dinner and bar operation hours will be in effect beginning Nov. 1. The Wine Country Bottle Shop, previously at the original Line Avenue location, will not be featured at the new restaurant. Customers interested in purchasing wine by the bottle should visit the Wine Country Bottle Shop at Twelve Oaks on 608 Absinthe Court No. 110 in Shreveport. … [Read more...] about UPDATE: New Wine Country Bistro location opens this week
Cocoa’s K-9 Copper earns American Kennel Club Canine Excellence award for law enforcement
On a hot summer morning, Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village is full of children, and K-9 Copper of the Cocoa Police Department is in his element as his partner, Officer Chris Hattaway, leads him to the playground to say hello. A little girl approaches the big black and tan coonhound, tentative at first, and her family asks if he is friendly. Copper sits quietly and the adults and children gasp and then grin at the gentleness of a dog such as they never have seen before. Before Hattaway moves away from the playground, one of the young men asks how to join Copper’s nearly 2,000 followers on Facebook. “This is good practice,” Hattaway says as Copper sniffs the ground and greets old friends. “We’re going back to school tomorrow, our first big day. We weren’t able to spend a lot of time at Cambridge Elementary School last year, so we’re going there and we’ll spend most of the day at Cambridge, unless something comes up.” … [Read more...] about Cocoa’s K-9 Copper earns American Kennel Club Canine Excellence award for law enforcement
Families leave working loved ones behind to help Puerto Rico
Story highlights Spouses and children of federal agents who work for US Customs and Border Protection take flight to mainland The agents remain in Puerto Rico to help reopen the country's ports of entry to receive supplies (CNN)A plane leaves San Juan, Puerto Rico, filled with Hurricane Maria evacuees who feel they are leaving behind a piece of their hearts. As they look back at their now ravaged island home, some have left spouses, sons and parents in conditions that bring tears to their eyes. The story on this flight is not just about evacuating from the most devastating storm to hit Puerto Rico in a century, it's also about the separation of families for the greater good. The people aboard the flight are the spouses and children of federal agents who work for US Customs and Border Protection. These CBP agents are playing critical roles in the reopening of the airport and ports of entry, which are the lifelines of food and supplies for so many who are in desperate … [Read more...] about Families leave working loved ones behind to help Puerto Rico