Celebrate the art car — It’s Art Car weekend in Houston! Get a sneak peek of some of the entries in this year’s parade at the Art Car Parade Sneak Peek party at Discovery Green, Friday, May 11, from 6:30 pm- 10:30 pm. Live music, the Budweiser Clydesdales– plus a free screening of Art Car: The Movie. Discovery Green is located at 1500 McKinney. This event is rain or shine. The 25th annual Art Car Parade is Saturday, May 12, 1 pm, along Allen Parkway with more than 250 entries. Grand Marshals this year are JJ Watt and Connor Barwin of the Houston Texans.

Party with your pet — The Mix 96.5 Pet-A-Palooza is May 12, 1 pm – 4 pm, at Discovery Green. You and your pet can enjoy live music, pet demonstrations, services, and more. This event is downtown at 1500 McKinney.

Cool off on the ice — Ice at the Galleria is hosting its first Learn-to-Skate Open House May 12, noon to 5 pm, featuring ice rink games, free introductory learn-to-skate classes (ages 5-7), and on-ice performances and skating exhibitions by the Houston Aeros and various mascots. Face painting, giveaways and raffle drawings are just a few of the activities you can enjoy off the rink. Ice of Galleria is located at Galleria Mall, 5015 Westheimer.

Ogle at trucks — Kids young and old alike will enjoy The Woodlands’ Touch-a-Truck event May 12 from 9 am – 11 am. Get up, close and personal with all kinds of trucks including big trucks, ambulance, fire trucks and more. Located at the Rob Fleming Aquatic Center, 6535 Creekside Forest Drive in The Woodlands.

Enjoy the ballet — Folks can enjoy three free performances of Giselle May 11, 12 and 13, 8 pm, at Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive. Free tickets for reserved covered seating are available on performance day at the Miller Outdoor box office from 10:30 am – 1 pm. Or just bring your blankets and lawn chairs for seating on the hill!

Watch a flick under the stars — Enjoy Movie Night at Waterway Square Saturday, May 12, at 8 pm. This weekend’s movie is Monsters vs. Aliens.

Create cupcake fun — Williams-Sonoma is offering a free technique class featuring a Kids’ Workshop: Cupcake for Mom May 11 or 12 (depending on location). Kids participate in a hands-on cupcake decorating event for mom while dad shops! Times vary by location: Sundays at 11 am, 1 pm, Town & Country Village; Sundays at noon, Highland Village; Sundays at 2 pm, The Woodlands Mall; Sundays at noon, Baybrook Mall; plus 11 am Saturday and 1:30 pm Sunday at First Colony Mall.

Craft a keepsake — Kids can enjoy making a handprint keepsake for mom at Lakeshore Learning’s free weekly craft.  The fun kicks off Saturday from 11 am – 3 pm. Find locations on Post Oak Blvd., Friendswood, and The Woodlands.

Help support Meals on Wheels with its Spring Pet Food Drive April 13-14 for aniMeals on Wheels program. Bring unopened packages of cat or dog food (wet or dry) plus toys and treats to Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston between 7 am – 6 pm Friday and 9 am to noon on Saturday.

Meals on Wheels started aniMeals on Wheels so home-bound seniors would not feel compelled to share their limited food and resources with their four-legged friends. Interfaith Ministries collects donated pet food that volunteers deliver each month to about 250 seniors. Overall, Interfaith Ministries serves more than 1 million meals annually to  seniors. Interfaith Ministries is located at 3217 Montrose Blvd.

The fun run is Houston’s oldest dog walk and includes a 1 mile competitive run (with your dog), 1 mile non-competitive jog/walk (without dog), and post race party. Don’t miss the doggy costume contest, HHS alumni parade, music, food, pet friendly vendor booths, and more. Visit Houston Humane Society to find out more information and to register online.

Normal adoption fees for dogs range from $75 to $150.  Each adoption package is valued at over $400 and includes a health evaluation, initial vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, microchipping, complimentary wellness exam, heartworm testing, one bag of pet food, and 30 days of pet insurance.

Houston SCPA is the only local shelter open 7 days a week. Hours are 10 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday, and 11 am to 7 pm Monday. SCPA is located at 900 Portway.

Houston Humane Society is located at 14700 Almeda Road.

The adoption fee includes everything you need (vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, complimentary wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospital, microchipping with lifetime registration, one bag of food, and 30 days of pet insurance) — a $400 value. Go online here to search for your new forever friend!

The Houston SPCA is located at 900 Portway Drive. Hours are Monday through Friday from 11 am – 7 pm and Saturday/Sunday from 10 am – 6 pm.

Get custom portraits of your favorite pet by Houston animal rescuer and pet photographer, Robyn Arouty — benefiting local rescue groups, to boot. Robyn created POCKETSHOTS as 30-minute, mini photo sessions for you and your pet and has donated more than $20,000 since she started November 2010.  The next date is February 18 from 8 am – 7 pm benefiting Scout’s Honor Rescue. The sitting fee is just $50, which normally runs $350 — plus your required donation of $25 that goes directly to the rescue.

If you’re ready to book a session, you can schedule it online here. If you would prefer to pay by check, e-mail aimee@pocketshots.org to make arrangements and reserve a slot. Arouty served as Pet Talk‘s January/February 2012 cover and fashion spread photographer. Check out her incredible online portfolio.

For a quick laugh, check out the video, POCKETSHOTS… A Day in the Life for a glimpse of what a photo session is like posing dogs and humans. I scheduled a POCKETSHOTS session last year, and Robyn and her team did an amazing job capturing the personality of my favorite pooch, Ginger. You’ve seen these photos if you’ve been around this blog awhile!

photo: Robyn Arouty Photography