This one might be my favorite. I love the idea behind it.
Speaking of Barkitecture, it’s also the name of a pretty cool annual festival in Austin. Sadly, it doesn’t happen in July, which is when I went to Austin last year. Anyway, check out some of the photos.
Looks like there’s something similar in Houston and in California (and some other places) too. There needs to be one near me!
Honestly though, even if we had a dog mansion, I’m pretty sure my dogs would just nap in the grass or the dirt instead when they are hanging out in the yard. That’s just how they roll.
Did you know that Frank Lloyd Wright designed a dog house at the request of a young boy? It turns out, however, that FLW was not in tune with his inner canine. The boy’s dog, Eddie, was not a big fan of the work.
It seems that there was once a show called Barkitectureon the DIY Network. I am intrigued… is it still on? If not, what happened to it? And how did I miss it?
You know, when I was a kid, one of our dogs used to sleep on the roof of his dog house, like Snoopy. That roof was flat, however. Snoopy’s house seems kind of pointy on top. That can’t be good for his back.
Anyway, here’s how some toy manufacturers got around that problem:
http://youtu.be/1LPu2lk4cKA
Let us never speak of that terrifyingly large Woodstock again.
Okay, friends… it’s time for a little friendly debate. Of all the dogs that have appeared on television, who is the top dog?
Before we get started, the ground rules:
We’re talking fictional dogs here. A real-life hero dog or otherwise famous dog (think Uggie) who has appeared on a television news program or in a commercial doesn’t count. (Although maybe we need a sub-category of dogs in commercials. I do love Chopper, after all.)
Animated dogs totally count. Dogs that have appeared in holiday or other specials shown on television are also fair game.
Miniseries and made-for-TV movies are also in the mix. However, movies originally released in a theater and later shown on TV don’t count – that’s the subject of a future pup culture debate.
Ready? To get you started, here are a few lists of TV dogs.
I’ll even kick off the discussion with a few of my favorites:
Odie – I’m not just obsessed with Garfield. I love his canine pal too. He’s not the brightest, but he sure does have a big heart.
Seymour – Unlike the other dogs on this list, Seymour appeared in one memorableepisode, the supremely moving and beautiful “Jurassic Bark” episode of Futurama. Have you seen this one? If not, you owe it to yourself as a dog lover and a human being with a soul. I got teary just typing those sentences. Um, quick… let’s watch a happy moment from that episode.
http://youtu.be/ojmllYUbydU
Wishbone – It’s not all animated dogs here. My mom gave me a Wishbone stuffed animal one year and it was seriously the best gift ever. I mean, it’s an adorable dog and some great books. What’s the story, Wishbone?
Eddie – Given my love affair with Terriers, I guess it’s no surprise that I adored Eddie from Frasier. Moose, you were the best.
I could probably go on for a while… in particular, there are quite a few animated dogs I might add to that list. However, I’ll stop with five for now.
So… who is your favorite? Share your nominees in the comments and tell us why! (If there’s enough interest, perhaps I’ll take the top mentions and put it to a vote soon.)
February has passed, and March has slid into its place. The first signs of spring are slowly showing their face. Today is the first day of this glorious time, but do you know why tomorrow has inspired me to rhyme?
If you’re a studious scholar of literary renown, it’s likely this riddle will not cause you to frown. It just so happens that many years ago on that day, a man named Theodor Geisel joined our great mortal play. That’s right – tomorrow’s the birthday of the fab Dr. Seuss, so now you know that my rhyming has a fantastic excuse. I became similarly rhythmic at the same time last year, so I hope that this format will not cause you to jeer.
First up, I present you with a new punny pet name. Last year, Fleaodor Seuss Geisel was my entry of fame. Repeating myself would be cheating a tad, so instead I introduce you to Ms. Feral Ladd.
Do you find the alphabet much, much too tame? Use the Seussabet instead – you’ll not again feel the same.
Dr. Seuss is remembered for the Grinch, green ham, and a cat, but his body of work is far more extensive than that. Before all the Sneetches or an elephant caper, Seuss was in the same business as one Mr. Don Draper.
Speaking of hats, it seems the good doctor had quite a flair, for finding charming haberdashery to cover his hair.
I think that this story is worth sharing, so go take a quick look. I wish that someone named Martha Graham Cracker was here to read me a book.
Here’s the answer to a question you likely did not ponder: it’s Star Wars redone in shades of Seussian wonder.
Although the Lorax is often quite busy speaking for trees, he still inspires fantastical parties with the greatest of ease. (Yet if you may permit me one quibble with that adorable scheme, the use of all that paper might somewhat contradict the book’s theme? I’m probably being a picky old grouch, but if I’d kept my mouth shut, I’d have felt like a slouch. In my mind, I’ll just hope that this use was excusable, and that these cute decorations will prove to be quite reusable.)
This story is old, but some might find it surprising. Who knew that Yertle the Turtle posed the danger of a grade school uprising?
If you’re not anti-Yertle and hosting a Seussian soiree, put these dishes on your menu to simply blow guests away.
We’re not the only blog paying tribute to this brilliant writer. This poem from Cat Chat is another one to help make your day brighter.
Oh, and in case a product rep is here doing some reading, I have some advice that might help if you think of proceeding. Before you request a humble blogger work for free, I suggest you take a moment – or perhaps even three – to read this cautionary missive that will help in gauging, just why your unsolicited email could prove to be mildly enraging.
Now it’s time to abandon the numerical form. I end with a video (as is often the norm):
http://youtu.be/oJfG_sTGQ0M
How will you celebrate this prince of the book? Perhaps channeling his characters with your next fashionable look?
If I can make one final request of you at this time… if you’re going to comment, maybe do it in rhyme? Rhyming comments would fill me with utter delight. Then I’ll know that this post did not lead to mass reader flight.
(I hope that this format did make you feel glee, but regardless, dear reader, the choice was not up to me. For you see, I’m not only a great Seussian fan, I happen to share the day of my birth with the man. Now that my motives have been fully explained, I’m sure you’ll agree that my whimsy was no doubt preordained.)
Dear advertisers, marketers & others in charge of sounds on TV:
During a recent episode of Modern Family, there were no less than four doorbells in a single half hour of television. In my house, that translates to four instances of insane barking and general chaos. (One of these days, we’ll get over that doorbell mania.) I could barely get through the show.
Then, while I was watching the Oscars on Sunday, I saw a Hyundai commercial featuring the beeping of a dying smoke detector. (Apparently, this one has been around for a while, but I guess I have managed to skip over it until now. Thank you, DVR.) Luckily, Bella was upstairs at the time – nothing turns her into a neurotic mess faster than that beep. Tavish woke up, but then I muted it.
A tipster on Facebook mentioned that they read an article saying that marketers were including these sounds on purpose. The goal? To engage homes with dogs. Um, more like enrage. Or torture. At least in my house.
The video below is an extremely accurate depiction of how I feel every single time that Hyundai commercial comes on or there’s a doorbell on TV. (Don’t watch it where any dogs can hear it, okay?)
I used to assume that you just didn’t realize the chaos you were unleashing in my house. Now that I know your actions might just be premeditated, I’m feeling pretty grouchy. Be warned, advertisers. If you intentionally use these dog-annoying sounds in your commercial, I will remember your brands… but not in a good way.
Please. Make it stop.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Member of the Dog-Having Public
Readers, do these sounds cause chaos in your house? Do you also wish that advertisers would just cut it out? Let’s band together!
Last week, I wrote about some of the more interesting search terms that had brought people to this humble blog. I happened to glance at the search terms again yesterday, and saw a new one: “I want a puppy that makes puppies.”
Well, dear searcher… what exactly do you mean by that? I kind of hope you’re looking for some sort of child’s toy that I haven’t heard of yet. Or… do you want a real puppy that makes other puppies? Technically, most puppies – female and male – can play some role in the creation of other puppies. That being said, just because they can do something doesn’t always mean that they should.
Your search was actually pretty timely. Let me take a minute to tell you about World Spay Day, which just so happens to be today. (February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, my friend.) Did you ever watch The Price is Right? Remember when Bob Barker would tell you to help control the pet population?
That’s what we’re talking about today. I struggled with what to say in this post – spay and neuter is occasionally controversial, but I am in support of it. I’m not looking to court controversy today, however – I believe in encouraging people to do their homework and really consider their options.
I’ve shared this video (and others in the same campaign) before, but I think today is a good time to share it yet again:
http://youtu.be/H-P0wRfALk0
It’s something to think about, right?
Be the Change for Animals is hosting a blog hop for World Spay Day. I encourage you to swing by BtC4A and then check out the posts below to learn more about spay and neuter. Before you follow through on that goal to let your puppy make other puppies, you might want to consider all of your options and the impact your choices can have on other cute pups out there.
Apparently, dogs do not come standard with a snooze button installed. I’m not even sure if that’s an available option in the upgrade package. In any event, if you know how to install an after-market snooze button on my dogs, you might be my hero. I tried to install my own. However, as you can see, the results were not encouraging:
My husband asked why I didn’t just Photoshop the post-it onto Bella’s head… I’m sure Bella would like to ask the same question.