Or, in my case, a Labrador Retriever.
Given my love of terriers, I always thought that I’d be one of those scrappy pups. But who am I to argue with the results of this Dogster quiz? People love Labs, after all, so I’ll take it as a compliment.
Wondering what breed you are? Click on the graphic at right to go take the quiz. If nothing else, it’s a good way to ease into Monday.
Feel free to share your results in the comments. Did your breed surprise you?
I recently learned about Blog the Change, and decided to participate today. On July 15 (and three other times throughout the year), pet bloggers write about animal issues that are near and dear to their hearts in an effort to inspire others to get involved. (For more info, go check out Be the Change for Animals.)
When I was deciding what to write about (and there are some really touching and interesting posts out there today), I found myself coming back to the issue of pet adoption. As you may have noticed, animal rescue is a topic that pops up on this blog fairly regularly. I can’t help it – it’s genetic. My family is full of animal lovers. As I was growing up, adopting pets in need was a regular occurrence. Our rescued pups came to us from many places – neighbors moving away who couldn’t take their pet with them, owners who no longer wanted their pets and were considering getting rid of them, or the odd stray who loped into our lives and became one of the family. Each of these pooches was a blessing, and I am happy that so many of them turned around three times and curled up in my heart.
While thinking about this topic today, I immediately thought of one rescue in particular (aside from my Bella, of course, whose rescue past I’ve shared before). When I was a teenager, a stray named Romeo appeared in my aunts’ neighborhood. Poor Romeo was malnourished, and at one point had suffered some injuries. He was scared to let anyone near him. It was a slow process, but day by day he made his way closer to the front porch and the people waiting to love him. I found it so inspiring to hear about his progress, as well as the time and effort my aunts and uncle devoted to convincing Romeo that he would be safe with them. I remember sitting on the front porch and trying to feed him so that he would see he could trust me as well. Each time he took a step closer, it was a little victory. When you looked in his eyes, you could see that he wanted nothing more than to have a loving home. He just needed to overcome his fear of people in order to let himself be loved. Lucky for Romeo, my aunts and uncle were patient and kind – accordingly, Romeo became a member of the family long before he ever set foot on that porch. He was in need, and they were there to help.
For a variety of reasons, many pups (and other animals) end up homeless. If you have love to give, I urge you to consider rescuing a pup in need. Your love is a wonderful gift to give to a homeless animal, and the love you receive in return is priceless. To find more information about pets in your area that need homes, please visit Petfinder. (It’s how I found Ms. Bella!)
Can’t bring a pup home right now? Consider donating your time instead. There are many wonderful rescue organizations out there (including HART, the group that saved my Bella), and many dogs who want nothing more than people to love them. The individuals who devote their time to these rescue groups are my heroes. I hope you consider volunteering – maybe you will be able to help a lucky pup meet his match and find his forever home. Finally, even if you can’t give your time but would still like to help, there are many other ways you can make a difference.
For more inspiring rescue stories, I encourage you to check out Last Chance Highway on Animal Planet. These inspiring stories of rescued pets will tug at your heartstrings and help you clear those tear ducts out on a weekly basis. You can also find many other inspiring tales at the Petfinder.com Foundation site, and at countless other locations on the interwebs.
In closing, I have one final argument in favor of rescuing a pup: Bella. You know she’s awesome.
Check it and see… Mother Nature has a temperature of a hundred and three.
If only the title of this post was not inspired by the fact that my car told me it was 103 degrees yesterday.
And today.
With that in mind… make sure to take care of your furry friend during these sweltering summer days. If you must go outside (or if your pal gets cabin fever), there are many options you can explore. Get your pup a cooling vest or cooling bandana. Let him splash around in the kiddie pool. Cool your feline friend down with a spray bottle.
In any event, I advise you to check out these helpful tips to keep your pet cool and safe in the summer. Sunburns and overheating aren’t just for humans, after all. Unfortunately, the heat’s not the only thing to watch out for – check out a few other dangers lurking during the summer season.
One final tip, and then I will get off my (rapidly melting) soapbox… please don’t ever leave your poor pooch in a hot car. It’s a terrible idea and is extremely dangerous. Think you know just how dangerous? Take this quiz and find out.
Keep cool out there!
It’s time once again for the World’s Ugliest Dog contest. A new winner has been crowned. Drumroll, please…
Princess Abby the chihuahua! Here is her crowning moment:
Princess Abby looks like such a sweetie. Though honestly, she’s nowhere near as ugly as the dearly departed Sam, arguably the most famous winner ever. (I once met another past winner, Elwood, at a pet expo. He was an absolute sweetie. His tongue reminded me of Kandi, the chihuahua that lived with us when I was a kid. We used to joke that her spring was broken, which is why her tongue stuck out all of the time.)
Although we all love talking about how cute our pooches are, clearly looks aren’t everything. These “ugly dogs” are pretty beautiful at heart. Many of the dogs that enter the ugly dog contest were lucky that someone adopted them – it’s not easy to find a home when you’re next to the traditionally and perpetually adorable. So next time you are considering adding a furry friend to your family, remember that all pups need love, especially the ugly ones.
This Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day! Will your pup be digging out his best business casual attire and accompanying you to the office on Friday? (Some dogs have taken full advantage of this opportunity in the past – check out the photographic evidence here.) If you are interested in participating, I urge you to check out the TYDTWDay website to learn more about how you and your company can help shelter dogs by participating.
As you may already know, Ms. Bella is not really… portable. Her tendency to get carsick from the gentle sway of the breeze outside means that she will not be hopping in the car to join us on our daily commute. However, I like to think that we take her to work on those days when one of us works from home. After all, when I work from home she tends to hang out under the desk in case her assistance is needed.
If you do decide to take your furry friend to the office with you, I recommend checking out this list of tips on how to make the day a success for you, your pup, and your colleagues. Before your puppy punches his first time card, it’s important to be prepared.
Still not sure? The video below provides some adorable and funny reasons you should consider participating:
(via TYDTWDay)
If your pup gets his W-2 this Friday, consider entering your photo in the TYDTWDay photo contest. Also, if you do participate, feel free to tell us all about it in the comments… stories and pictures are always welcome!
Have you ever wondered about the Michelin Man’s real name? Or if Mr. Clean has a first name? If the mystery of Comic Book Guy’s real name has been keeping you up at night, say farewell to insomnia. This article on CNN is for you – it reveals the real names of several fictional characters. Both interesting and useful, in my opinion. I always like to keep my brain cells filled with bits of random trivia – after all, you never know when a spontaneous game of Trivial Pursuit will occur.
Stick with me here… it’s tangent time. The aforementioned article reveals that even the Pillsbury Dougboy has a real name: Poppin’ Fresh. This news is not new to me… I learned it around the time I heard that the Geico cavemen were getting a sitcom. If starring in a sitcom is so easy that a caveman could do it (though history would prove that it was, in fact, not that easy), then couldn’t other advertising luminaries make the move as well? From this simple question, the following imaginary TV shows were born. (Around that time I created an anonymous blog, posted a few times, and promptly forgot about it… however, I’ve resurrected these ideas from that failed attempt just for you.)
TV execs out there (of which I’m sure so many read this blog), you’re welcome. If one of these shows ever appears on the air, I better get a cut of the profits.
We had a thunderstorm on Saturday night. Thunder and lightning seem to give Bella magical powers. Bella usually needs to get a running start in order to jump on our bed – however, during a storm she develops some sort of super jumping power in which she effortlessly lands somewhere in the middle of the bed. And then she paces. And jumps down. And paces some more.
As you have probably guessed, Ms. Bella is not exactly a fan of thunder. Poor pup – it’s only gotten worse over the years. We’ve tried many of the traditional suggestions to help her get over her fear (distraction, desensitization and the like), but nothing really works.
I recently saw a new product designed to help combat noise anxiety, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. Behold, the puppy earmuff. Aside from making your pet look like a DJ, the Mutt Muff (more info here) is supposed to protect sensitive puppy ears from loud noises, including thunder. I’m tempted to give it a try – though I am afraid we’d still need some sort of light-canceling goggles to keep Bella from seeing the lightning. These earmuffs would only work if the noise is what’s really upsetting her.
The other option we’ve considered is the Storm Defender Cape. This product appears to be more appropriate for dogs who are scared of the storm itself, instead of the noise. I saw a few articles about this cape, and was intrigued by the idea. At the first sign of a storm, you are supposed to put the cape on your dog – it’s lined with metallic fabric, which is supposed to disperse the static electricity from the storm and calm your dog. (More info available here.)
So the question is… what is it about these storms that scares Bella? Maybe I could just combine the cape and the earmuffs and Bella could moonlight as a superhero DJ. (Kidding… though that does make for a funny mental picture.) If we decide to give either of these products a shot, I’ll report back – and if anyone else has tried these or other solutions, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Keep your fingers crossed for no thunderstorms this week (or ever again)!
UPDATE: There’s a discussion over at PetSugar on this very question, if you’re interested.
It’s about time someone remade The Wizard of Oz with dogs, right? The Wizard of Dogz clip below is short and sweet (only two minutes), but well worth watching. My personal favorite is the Tin Dog.
(via Dog Blog)
When I was a child, I had to turn the movie off when the flying monkeys appeared. Those things were scary, and definitely gave me nightmares. The flying kitties in this clip are a bit frightening too, but I hope that they won’t be making any cameos in my dreams now that I’m an adult.
I’m all for casting dogs (and puppies, as long as there are rules in place to protect these young actors) in remakes of classic movies. Although I’m not a whiz with the YouTube and have no skill in directing, I am happy to serve as writer and producer on any future projects you may consider. After all, I am the creator behind the fake and successful TV show Golden Retriever Girls.
Some brief movie pitches for you to consider:
I’m sure I’ll think of better examples as soon as I publish this post… perhaps one of these days I’ll post a sequel.
At some point this week, Bella needs a bath. As she slumbers beneath the desk, stinky and content, little does she know that within days she will be suffering through such an ordeal (she really doesn’t like getting a bath). Anyway, this seems to be the perfect opportunity to post one of my favorite Bella photos:
I haven’t attempted to take photos of Bella in the bath in quite some time – usually I’m too busy playing defense to keep her in the tub, or attempting to throw up a towel shield right before she shakes off. We’ll see if I can get some new ones this time.
Given Bella’s impending doom (her description, not mine), I thought this would be a good time to share some tips with you. In my family, we have always bathed the dogs at home instead of taking them to the groomer (do they even have groomers in the sticks?). I’ve been lucky – most of my pups, Bella included, have been pretty low-maintenance. If you are a new pet parent, or considering bathing your dog at home sometimes instead of always paying the groomer, I’ve rounded up some tips for you. (If you’re an experienced pet parent, you still might find some new info or tips to improve bath time. Never stop learning, right?)
Do you have any bath tips or stinky dog stories? Feel free to shake that knowledge off and leave it in the comments, like Bella will soon be leaving water droplets all over my bathroom.
Had a lovely weekend… the in-laws are in town for a visit, so we have been enjoying spending time with them. The weather this weekend was beautiful, although perhaps a bit too hot. I took advantage of the nice weather and spent some time walking in the yard with Bella. There are a few flowers in bloom already. One of the interesting things about moving into a new home is that we’re not quite sure what has already been planted. Each day presents a new challenge (“I can name that flower in three petals!”) and often a pleasant surprise. Here are a few quick shots from the weekend:
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| One of several lilacs in the yard – a VERY pleasant surprise, given that they are my favorite flower. |
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| This little guy is all over the back corner of our yard… sadly, I’m not sure of his name. Anyone? |
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| I must say thank you to these hard-working ants – I can’t wait until the peonies are in bloom! |
All in all, a very nice weekend with family, enjoying the lovely weather. And if you’re wondering… we did make it to the Pet Fiesta. It was a fun time, although Bella elected not to take a car ride and go with us. It was a hot day for puppies to be outside (around 90 degrees), so Bella stayed indoors and took a nap. However, there were plenty of dogs in attendance (including many in need of homes. I can’t say it enough – adopt a rescue pup!). The pup at right had a novel way to beat the heat. I don’t know his name, but to me he will always be Joe Cool.
