Step 1: Get a bowl. Step 2: Put a puppy in that bowl.

Step 3: Enjoy today’s dose of Friday linkage. It’s that easy.

  1. First up, your punny pet name: Hayton Manning (for a horse, obviously).
  2. So, let’s talk about the most important bowl in the cupboard this weekend. That’s right… the Puppy Bowl is almost here! Who’s on your fantasy team?

    This is a puppy bowl, but not THE Puppy Bowl. (via giphy.com)

  3. Forget Behind the Music. Let’s go behind the Puppy Bowl! (Here’s even more behind the scenes action. You’re welcome.)
  4. You may have already seen it by now, but if not… Budweiser has officially won the advertising portion of the Super Bowl. (I don’t normally go for a Bud Light. However, the next time my only choices are of the cheap beer variety, I think I’ll have to give it the edge.)
  5. Speaking of ads, these guys are a strong contender in the less prestigious (but still intriguing) non-animal division. (Unfortunately, this year’s crop of ads aren’t all winners. Le sigh.)
  6. Anyway… wondering who will win the actual game that’s being played on Sunday? These puppies know the answer.

CarMax made an all-puppy reenactment of its Super Bowl ad this year. I heard that it was only going to be posted online, but this really has Puppy Bowl written all over it:

Next year, I think all Super Bowl ads should be reenacted with adorable animals and aired during the various Adorable Bowls.

Finally, in case you missed it, here’s what we’ve been up to on the blog lately:

Who are you rooting for this weekend? The Broncos? The Seahawks? Opie? Wyatt? Pong? (Choose your favorite player here.)

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7 other things you could do with a puppy brother

Okay, so I’m assuming that most of you have seen the puppy brother commercial. If you haven’t, today’s post will probably make more sense if you watch this video first:

I like the way that girl thinks. However, if you’re unconvinced by her reasoning – although I think taking him to show and tell and saying, “hey everyone, here’s my puppy brother” is a solid justification – let’s talk. I don’t want you to miss out on something awesome. After all, what’s not to love about this idea?

Without further ado, here are seven other things you could do with a puppy brother: Continue reading

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You put the lime on the pup-o-nut…

No Frown Friday is back, baby!

  1. First up, your punny pet name: John Stamouse. (Bonus: I love a punny dog business.) (Double bonus: Colonel Meow!)
  2. The specials at this pizza place are a work of genius. I want to go to there… although then I might never want to leave. I am in awe. I mean, I almost didn’t finish writing this post because I wanted to read them all. (It’s hard to pick a favorite, but here’s a dog-related one for your enjoyment.)
  3. I’m not too proud to admit that this next link cracked me up. It’s a list of celebrity names that are also sentences. I think I just found a new party game.
  4. Have you seen the new someecards for pet lovers? I think that this one might be my favorite.
  5. Well, my dogs are often hungry like the wolf, so I guess this all adds up. (Wondering if that Duran Duran reference was intentional? Stop wondering.)
  6. I loved this video about an adorable therapy dog. You go, dog Koko.

Finally, here’s this week’s video:

Have a fantastic weekend!

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It’s a good thing my dogs like to watch TV…

Will wonders never cease? I’m actually delivering your Friday links on Friday!

  1. First up, your punny pet name for the week: Sansa Bark for a dog and Roger Starling for a bird. (Here’s some extra punnage for you. The second one on the list cracked me up.)
  2. It just so happens that Mad Men is back on Sunday night. Are you as excited as I am? Ah, the glory days of advertising
  3. Speaking of ads, here are a few funny animal ads for your enjoyment.
  4. In other news, Game of Thrones came back last Sunday, so I’m really in TV nerd heaven right now. If I ever make that Game of Bones parody, I will totally be relying on these casting suggestions. (Jon Snow and Ygritte are my favorite doggelgangers, I think.)
  5. You may have noticed I totally just made up a word. What do you think?A dog doppelgänger would totally be a doggelganger, right? (The word doppelgänger is ripe for wordplay. For example, if you happened to be watching an adult film – or even Game of Thrones – and saw someone who looked like you, then you would have just encountered your doppelbanger. See? It’s so versatile.)
  6. Um, anyway… moving on… I can’t quite decide which of these is my favorite. I mean, you can’t go wrong following the motto of House Swanson, but how can I say no to Professor Farnsworth?
  7. This dragon should be an inspiration to us all. (For good measure, here’s a bonus dragon and a bonus dog imitating a dragon!)
  8. On a completely unrelated note, I feel like this revelation is earth shattering (at least for my younger self, who desperately wanted to be on that show). Speaking of old shows, this post totally took me down memory lane (even though some of the shows were after my time.)

Finally, that brings us to today’s video. This Mad Dog intro is quite clever:

Sorry for all of the TV talk today. I promise that I don’t just sit around watching TV all the time. Ask my pups. (Although they don’t seem to mind being couch potatoes from time to time.)

Speaking of pups and not sitting around, you should head over to Peggy’s Pet Place and check out the great blogs participating in the first FitDog Friday Blog Hop. (I didn’t have a chance to get a post up for it today, but I hope to participate in the future. It sounds fun!) In addition, it’s almost time for K9 Kamp again – I can’t wait to enjoy the nice weather with the pups.

What are you up to this weekend?

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Erin go bark (or St. Catrick’s Day?)

Obviously, Friday links are a little late. Let’s just call it a Shamrock Saturday instead. After all, given that St. Patrick’s Day is on Sunday, could I choose any other theme?

  1. First up, your punny pet name: Sinead O’Collar.
  2. I’d like to follow that up with a little shameless self-promotion. Looking for a dessert to make this weekend? Try my recipe for Whiskey Beeramisu (aka Irish Tiramisu). That’s right. I don’t mess around.
  3. If that’s not your speed, how about Green Beer Cupcakes or Spotted Dog?
  4. No time? I guess you could just buy a dessert instead.
  5. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way… can we discuss how weird this Lucky Charms video is? It’s like they want me to have breakfast at a dance club. (Idea: spoons that double as glow sticks. You’re welcome, party kids.)
  6. What are your plans this weekend? Whatever you do, remember to beware the sides of starch.
  7. Speaking of things that rhyme with starch, will you be giving in to March Madness? If basketball’s not your thing, you can always play Animals March Madness instead.
  8. Did you know that Greyhounds have some Irish history?
  9. Enjoy this Corgi limerick! (Also, this next link in no way relates to today’s theme, but I don’t care. The Corgi’s name is Corgnelious. I had no choice.)
  10. If you, like me, enjoy the occasional Shamrock Shake (I allow myself one per year and try not to think about how horrible it is for me), I want to let you in on a little secret. Ask for it half Shamrock, half chocolate. You won’t be sorry. (Allegedly, it’s called the McLeprechaun, but somehow I doubt that my local McDonald’s would have known that if I’d tried to order it that way.)

Finally, today’s video. There are no words…

Do you have big plans for St. Patrick’s Day?

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Unleash your inner barkitect…

I fear that last week’s Seussian link collection may have used up my yearly supply of poetic inspiration. So, we’re back to the regular format today…

  1. First up, your punny pet name: Frank Lloyd Bite.
  2. Move over, Art Vandelay. Architecture just went to the dogs. That’s right… it’s barkitecture!
  3. This one might be my favorite. I love the idea behind it.
  4. 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.
  5. Looks like there’s something similar in Houston and in California (and some other places) too. There needs to be one near me!
  6. Does your dog have a long body, but short legs? Well, you might adore these creative structures.
  7. Talk about your pampered pooches… they’re living high on the dog!
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. It seems that there was once a show called Barkitecture on 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:

Let us never speak of that terrifyingly large Woodstock again.

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Seuss-obsessed blogger on the loose (plus… cats in hats!)

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.

  1. 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.
  2. Fun flights of fancy seem quite fitting today, so enjoy these whimsical paintings without further delay.
  3. Do you find the alphabet much, much too tame? Use the Seussabet instead – you’ll not again feel the same.
  4. 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.
  5. Speaking of hats, it seems the good doctor had quite a flair, for finding charming haberdashery to cover his hair.
  6. 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.
  7. Here’s the answer to a question you likely did not ponder: it’s Star Wars redone in shades of Seussian wonder.
  8. 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.)
  9. This story is old, but some might find it surprising. Who knew that Yertle the Turtle posed the danger of a grade school uprising?
  10. If you’re not anti-Yertle and hosting a Seussian soiree, put these dishes on your menu to simply blow guests away.
  11. 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.
  12. 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):

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.)

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Down with doorbells & beeping smoke detectors on TV!

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!

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