Egads! I’m barely squeaking this in before the weekend ends! Let’s start with a fine idea from the folks at Raleigh Pop, who have found a way to make the summer concerts in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park dog-friendly. Good thinking, ladies!

Also in the “good thinking” category? The Hiway Dog program, created by Wisconsin resident Mary Gensen and promising to become a nationwide phenomenon. The idea is that dog-friendly businesses located along highways will post the Hiway Dog symbol on their highway exit signs, so that drivers will know where to exit for the services they and their dog need. It saves drivers time and exasperation, and it channels business to dog-friendly providers. Love it!

Last week, I told you about a dog-friendly casino hotel in Reno; this week, Dogtipper publicized GR88.com‘s list of the top eight pet-friendly casinos in the U.S. (including the one I mentioned, plus another one in Reno, three in Las Vegas, two in Atlantic City, and one in Williamsburg, Michigan).

Other dog-friendly getaways? Check out a post from Gracie’s Bark about Gracie’s romp on the dog-friendly beach at Gooseberry Island, near Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport, MA. On the other side of the continent, CanadianRockies.net has a really helpful page about bringing your dog with you to, yes, the Canadian Rockies — including info about dog-friendly lodging, dog parks, and access to Jasper and Banff National Parks.

In other news, Ohmidog! posted a list of dog-friendly restaurants in Santa Fe, NM, and the Daily Mail‘s MailOnline.com published an article about the K99 van, bringing ice cream just for dogs (ham and chicken sorbet!) to parks around London this summer.

And finally, how could I not mention Pug-man, which went viral this week: It’s ridiculous, but also strangely addictive….