Happy Halloween from the Cone Ranger

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Pup Fan

When she’s not being a flashlight, I like to think that Bella is dressed in costume as the Cone Ranger. Accordingly, here’s a video of her in “costume” for your Halloween enjoyment (especially since I already shared my favorite Halloween song on Saturday). I’d recommend watching this one with the sound on to get the full benefit of the soundtrack. Poor Cone Ranger – life on Coney Island is full of challenges.

Hi-Yo, Salamander! Away!

Seriously, she was so full of energy last week (when I shot this footage) that her crazy was at an all time high. We’ve managed to institute some “cone breaks” into her schedule, which seems to help. While supervised, she seems to – mostly – be leaving her incision alone. She’s still all coned up at night and when home alone, however. I don’t trust her that much yet.

Hope you have a great Halloween!

Those better be some good treats

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Pup Fan

It’s almost time to watch Halloween cartoons! (Yes, I am five.) I do love It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown – however, for my favorite special, I have to break out the DVD player. Which one is that, you might ask? Garfield, of course. What’s yours?

Anyway, before I do that, I owe you some Halloween linkage. Enjoy…

This week’s punny pet names are inspired by my friend Coney McConerson: Conan O’Whinin’, Ichabod Cone and Cone Crawford. (I’ve also added a few new nicknames for my Coney Island friend. One of my favorites? The Cone Ranger.)
Looking for an easy Halloween treat this weekend? Try making this candy cane bark I shared over on the baking blog.
Halloween is Monday… which means it’s the last Friday that I can share Halloween costumes this year. Let’s start with 6 awesome dog costumes inspired by food.
Those photos were taken at the 21st Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. Want more? I aim to please.
Remember that awesome collection of cat costumes from last week? Now there’s one for dogs too.
Still haven’t figured out a costume for your pup? Lucky you – Doggie Stylish has a ton of ideas and tutorials! Or perhaps you’d prefer something simple? (Whatever you choose, make sure to follow these safety tips from To Dog With Love.)
Bella’s not so into pumpkin carving… maybe she’s just intimidated by the skills of these carving creatures.
Speaking of pumpkins, these Dog O’Lanterns from PupLove and Gardening with Wyatt are pretty awesome.
Don’t feel like carving? It’s not necessary for maximum cute. Exhibit A: some photos of pooches hanging out with pumpkins.

Finally, this week’s video:

I hope that you have a wonderful Halloween weekend!

Hello… is it a doggie you’re looking for?

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Pup Fan

I’ve got lots of linky goodness for you today. Before we get silly, however, I have some cool information to share with you in honor of Pit Bull Awareness Day, which just so happens to be tomorrow.

Our pals over at love and a six-foot leash have put together a special adoption event with the Montgomery County Humane Society. For a select group of lovable wonderbulls known as Little Zee’s Fabulous Four, all adoption fees will be sponsored. Once a dog in the Fabulous Four is adopted, a new one will take his or her place on the list.

If you’re in the DC area, check out the details on how you can bring one of these adorable pups home. (Even if you’re not looking for another dog right now or aren’t in DC, you can still help by spreading the word!) For bonus points, head over to Peaceful dog, where a donation will be made to the Washington Humane Society for each comment. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, back to your regularly scheduled puns…

Your punny pet name: Lionel Itchy.
Remember how much I loved that Lionel Richie teapot? Well, here’s an awesome flyer to go with it. I don’t know why he fascinates me so… perhaps I’ve been wooed by his grammar skills.
On a related note, I saw the sign below one day, and it was the highlight of my week. I’m sure the people who saw me taking this photo thought I was nuts – however, anyone who gets the reference below scores instant awesome points. (I’m beginning to think I need to join Lionel Richie Fans Anonymous. Their motto? “Hello… is it therapy you’re looking for?”)

Lionel Richie crossing

Um… moving on… looking for a treat to make for Halloween? Check out these creepy eyeball cake pops from Bakerella. (Continuing on that theme… there photos of animals’ eyes up close are pretty cool.)
If that didn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, try these awesome cakes inspired by Tim Burton. (There might even be some new eye candy on my baking blog… head on over and check it out.)
Last week, I highlighted some dogs in Halloween costumes. This week, cats get their due. (Speaking of cats, this diagram should clear up what all the fuss is about.)
Also… I think this might be the best costume ever (although I doubt it’d translate into a pet costume).
Want to see more cute pet costumes (and vote for your favorite)? Go to All Things Dog Blog to vote for the Most Original Costume, and swing by DogTipper to vote for the Cutest Costume.
I wish I’d read this article about pumpkin carving tips before I tried to carve mine last weekend. Nonetheless, maybe it’ll help you in your carving endeavors. (Are you a pumpkin carving savant? Then you might want to enter this contest.)
This photo looks like it came from some sort of horror movie.

The video below, however, looks like it came from the best movie ever.

It’s like a remake of 8 Seconds only much more fun and without Dylan McKay.

Oh, and I know it’s No Frown Friday, but I want to keep you posted on what’s up with us today. Bella had to go in for surgery to have a lump removed this morning, and I’ll be picking her up this evening if all goes well. That being said, we’d appreciate any healing vibes you could send her way.

I’m hoping that it’ll turn out to be nothing, and that the worst part of the whole ordeal will be her displeasure regarding the cone of shame. (At least we don’t have a doggie door, I suppose…)

Eat pumpkins, not brains (or… how to survive a zombie attack)

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Pup Fan

This week, I can really use some smiles… thank goodness No Frown Friday is here when I need it most! I also have an important zombie survival tip to share with you. But first, a few things to send you into the weekend with a giggle or two:

Your punny pet name: Tyribone Lannister. (Confused? See #2 below.)
This might be the best PSA about spay/neuter ever… especially if you’re a nerd and into Game of Thrones like I am. (I’ll be adding this to the long list of puns I wish I’d come up with.)
Bet you can’t top this senior portrait.
So, I’ve told you how this blog got its name. With that in mind, I’m sure you will understand why I giggled – a lot – about these posts from Smart Dog and Doggie Stylish.
New post on the cupcake blog! You’re welcome.
With Halloween just around the corner, it seems that cute costumes are everywhere. I couldn’t stop laughing at this gallery of 50 dogs in Star Wars costumes.
Speaking of awesome costumes… it’s Ch-Ch-Chia Dog!
This one has no real connection to anything else on the list… but it’s my blog so I can take some liberties right? It’s a cheese grater that looks like a hedgehog!

Apparently I’m all about the pugs this week. I found this video somewhat hypnotic (though not quite as hypnotic as those running geese):

(via Paw Nation)

I don’t know what you saw, but I’m pretty sure I just learned how to survive a zombie attack – always sit on a kitchen rug so that the zombies can’t quite reach you. If only someone had shared this info with the cast of The Walking Dead.

Anyway… what are you up to this weekend? I’m going to a corn maze/pumpkin patch with friends, and then we’re heading back to my house for a pumpkin carving party. For Bella, that means extra people to pet her and give her love. I don’t think she’ll mind that at all.

As for the pumpkins? She isn’t all that interested. However, some animals love to eat pumpkins – how does your pet feel about them?

High five!

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Pup Fan

Time to high five our way into the weekend…

I recommend you use this week’s punny pet name for a fish: Barney Finson.
It’s like the animals from the Los Angeles Zoo are trying to outdo that puppy from Tuesday. (Bonus – baby elephant!)
Feel good story of the day: cat and family reunited after 6 years. (And it’s even another reason it’s good to adopt, not shop.)
Breaking news: Carmen Sandiego has been found. Waldo remains at large.
When a squirrel interrupts a televised baseball game, do dogs everywhere freak out? (Bella and I weren’t watching… the wounds from the Braves epic collapse are still too fresh.)
You know, it’s possible that our dogs know more about us than the rest of the world. They’re great listeners, after all.
Another genius installment from the Bloggess… enough said.
Speaking of genius – Whippet wordplay!

I’d like to give the person who came up with that Whippet pun a high five. Fun fact: giving a high five is one of the few tricks Bella has successfully mastered. This cat approves:

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Snappy wordplay and a K9 Kamp giveaway!

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Pup Fan

It’s Friday… thank goodness! (Now I know why it’s always said the other way. IF…TG is not really as catchy as TGIF.)

As always, it’s time for some fun links to send you into the weekend. As a bonus, today’s post includes information about a K9 Kamp giveaway! Read on, friend…

This week’s punny net name: William Snakespeare. (Bonus puns: Mount Ruffmore and “Is it tea you’re looking for?” That second link will show you my new favorite thing. I want one. Seriously. It’s possible I wrote a few verses of that song this week… you know I can’t fight the music.)
It’s been a big week for punny songs over here. Newly added to my catalog? “Hakuna Manatee” (it means no worries, in the inlets and bays) and “Hakuna Fritatta” (I was at a work brunch and couldn’t stop humming it to myself).
Also, here’s a special one for you Days of Our Lives fans – “Hakuna Marlena.” (It does, in fact, involve references to that time she was possessed. Now she has a “Satan-free… philosophy… Hakuna Marlena.”)
Moving on… here’s Hero, the dog-shaped hot dog steamer. There are no words.
There are, however, words for these cake pops that look like my favorite cartoon character. Those words? Awesome and adorable.
Speaking of cake, I finally posted a new recipe on my long-neglected cupcake blog.
I have a friend who has a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Snoop Dogg. I have a feeling she would appreciate this next link.
Looking for a pet-friendly hotel? How about a hotel that has dogs on staff and helps pets get adopted? As you wish.
If you got the Princess Bride reference in that last item, then you’ll love this (fictional) version of Monopoly. (If it were real, it would be currently fighting that Lionel Richie teapot for the title of my favorite thing.)
This photo just made me smile. However, this one led to a fit of giggles that I still haven’t quite gotten over. Wordplay!

As you know, I’ve been participating in K9 Kamp for the last few weeks. Today, I’m the featured blogger at Peggy’s Pet Place – swing by to check it out. In addition, K9 Kamp is giving away a set of hand-crafted, eco-friendly Fetching Sticks from Molly Products. You can enter by heading over to Peggy’s Pet Place or on this blog after the jump…

Less adoptable? Super awesome is more like it

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Pup Fan

In honor of Petfinder’s Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, I’m dedicating this week’s No Frown Friday to the less adoptable pets out there. This week’s motto? Appreciate, don’t discriminate!

Punny pet name: Mike-howl Ian Black.
Did you see my guest post on Grouchy Puppy earlier this week? If not, check out 10 great reasons to adopt an older dog.
Even better, Sharon from Grouchy Puppy did a guest post here as well (check it out if you missed it). Remember: when it comes to senior dogs, appreciate, don’t discriminate! (For a host of senior dog resources, I also recommend that you visit Daley’s Dog Years.)
Also among the less adoptable? Pop over to Something Wagging to learn about tripod dogs (a.k.a. dogs with three legs). Don’t get too cocky – I have a feeling that many of them could beat me (and probably you) in a race. You can also read about more special ~~needs~~ pets at Bessie Mac, Bringing up Bella, and browndog cbr.
I’ve talked about Black Dog Syndrome before and introduced you to some of the awesome black dogs from my past. Check out this post at the Northern Virginia Dog Blog for more info.
Do any of your pets (past or present) fit into the less adoptable (a.k.a. “awesome but people are too dumb to see it”) category? Tell me about them! (You can also stroll down memory lane with some other bloggers this week, like Kim from This One Wild Life and Dr. V from Pawcurious.)
Dawn from Affurmation shares why she prefers adopting those so-called less adoptable pets. It’s a great reason!
Warning: this story from Amazon Cares about the special bond between a less adoptable pet and his human might bring tears to your eyes. (I promised no frowns, but I said nothing about happy tears.)
Kim from CindyLu’s Muse reminds us why different is beautiful.
As Marg’s Pets will tell you, it’s not just dogs that have to deal with this label. Learn the facts about FIV-positive cats at Brian’s Home and check out some black cats at House of Carnivores and The Chronicles of Cardigan.

We end today’s post with a video of one of those less adoptable pets…

Based on how cute this “less adoptable” black dog is, I can only conclude one thing… people are crazy.

Hey girl… bird is still the word

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Pup Fan

Today’s post is inspired by that whole Ryan Gosling “Hey girl” thing (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should stop whatever you’re doing and check it out – I’ll wait). It’s not the first time Mr. Gosling has made an appearance on this blog, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I mean, the man’s dog has an adorable mohawk, AND he shares his name with adorably tiny feathered creatures.

(Before we dive in, I also wanted to encourage you to visit Grouchy Puppy – I did a guest post that will be featured there today!)

Your weekly pun: Goose Newton.
Wondering why I’ve got “Hey girl” on the brain? I blame this absolutely hilarious mash-up of Beauty and the Beast and that Honeybadger guy. It’s possible I like this version better than the original.
Apparently this goose would like to challenge the idea that dog is man’s best friend.
This duck would like to help him in that quest.
All goslings (except for Ryan) one day grow up to be geese. This video beautifully captures that process.
Speaking of birds, anyone familiar with Portlandia and that whole hilarious “Put a bird on it” thing? Whatever your answer, I recommend you head over to The Bloggess. You’ll be happy you did.
Related: maybe Portlandia was wrong and you should put a cat on it instead?
Now that we’re on the topic of cats, I just discovered this video that seems to be the perfect follow-up to Monday’s Office Space cat. Apparently curiosity about the fax machine will land the cat a rocking office job. (Bonus: cats wearing ties!)

I found today’s video strangely hypnotic:

Is it the music? I don’t know, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t watch it several times. Bird is the word, after all.

You know what else I’ll be watching several times? The return of Pop-Up Video. There should really just be a channel constantly playing Pop-Up Video. Are you listening, Vh1?

My mixtape to you: 5 dog song parodies

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Pup Fan

I recently read Something Wagging’s post on 15 Ways to Tell if You’re Dog Crazy and it got me thinking. In particular, number 15 on that list is “when you sing around the house, you change the lyrics so they’re about your dog.” I have a long and storied history of changing lyrics (for both dog and non-dog related purposes). It’s a disease for which I have not sought professional help.

Today you shall get the benefit of my crazy. I present a sampling (a blog mixtape, if you will) of songs I’ve changed the lyrics of to sing to or about Bella. She gets to experience my performances live on a regular basis (it’s like I have a show in Vegas, but it’s at my house and no one pays to see me). Feel free to work these songs into your daily life – I won’t even ask you to pay royalties.

5. “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi – this whole song is perfect, but it begins, “Rolling in stuff, and you’re too blame… Bella, you give dogs a bad name.”

4. “Hey Mickey” by Toni Basil – As in, “oh Bella, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind – hey Bella!”

3. “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath – Short and to the point: “You… are… Bella dog. Do do do do do do do… you’re a dog.” This one is subject to multiple variations during live performances.

2. “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga – this one may be familiar to you: “”Open the dog food can, I’ll follow you until you walk me, pupper, pupperazzi. Baby, there’s no other pet owner for me, my pupper, pupperazzi. Promise I will whine, until that toy is mine. Maybe you should feed me, I’ll chase you down until you feed me, pupper, pupperazzi…”

Finally, my personal favorite:

1. “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club – sing it with me: “Bella Bella Bella Bella Bella Chameleon…. you come and go, you come and go-oh. Walking would be easy if you would stop zigzagging… just walk calmly, just walk calmly-eeee…” (And remember, it’s pronounced “Cha-me-lee-on.”)

There are many (MANY) more I could share with you. However, I figure I should leave you wanting more. So… do you want more? If so, perhaps I’ll post more of these another day.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here yet, but I’m in the process of participating in a 31 Days to Building a Better Blog Challenge. Today’s task was to compose a list post… hence the format. I do enjoy a good list, and I sometimes forget how fun they can be! For other list-type posts I’ve done in the past, check out these: favorite posts, bath tips, favorite tv episodes, parody TV shows and parody movie pitches. I also utilize the list format for No Frown Friday and sometimes add smaller lists in other posts (like this BlogPaws recap ). Do you use list posts? What do you think about them? Tell me about it in the comments!

You give cats… a bad name

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Pup Fan

Time for some Friday linkage! Sadly, I cannot herald the beginning of another three-day weekend. If only…

We begin, as always, with punny pet names: Bryan Waggams, Jon Bone Jovi, Richard Barx, and Madogga.
On a related note, have you ever wondered what your favorite ’80s band says about you? (I kind of hope that one of you is a huge fan of Richard Marx or The Smiths. Mine wasn’t quite as funny – I’m a big REM fan.)
Speaking of music, artist James Walker does some pretty cool stuff about subjects ranging from border collies to punk rock.
Up next, a rockstar dog: Harbor the Coonhound was just awarded the Guiness World Record for having the longest ears.
Maybe having a cone of shame is cool now… at least that’s what I have to conclude Dexter thought when creating his own, MacGyver-style.
Apparently Bella’s sock addiction is in no way unique.
Puppies in sweaters. I die.
In slightly creepy/unconventional news… would your lap dog like a substitute lap when you’re not available?
I think a palette cleanser is needed after that last link… sometimes, you just have to share the pretty.

Finally, this week’s video. If you went to middle school with this cat, he would totally take your lunch money. And then stuff you in a locker.

(via Jezebel)

Looking for something to do this weekend? If you’re in the DC metro area, consider checking out the Third Annual Doggie Day Swim tomorrow afternoon or swinging by a happy hour to support the Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART) tomorrow night.

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