Tag Archives: old school

To all the dogs (and cats) I’ve loved before

Posted on by
23

With this post, I reach a bit of a milestone – 100 posts!  For a while, I was stumped regarding what to blog about for number 100.  (I then went on vacation, which resulted in a total post hiatus… more to come on that later.)

While driving earlier, it hit me – the perfect way to commemorate my 100th post.  I’ve decided to dedicate this post to all the pets I’ve loved before.  (Yes, that’s a nod to the Red Headed Stranger – bonus points if you figure it out without clicking on either of the links.)

Anyway, you obviously know lots about Bella, my current fur child.  I’ve also introduced you to some of my past loves – Shadow, Sparkle, Bourbon & Pedro.  Today, I’d like you to meet the rest of the pups and cats I shared my house with growing up…

Each of these wonderful animals (as well as the ones above) really deserves their own post.  So many stories to share – definitely a topic for future discussion.  For now, I’ll just stick with the basics…

I should start at the beginning (a very good place to start).  My first pet was – believe it or not – a cat.  A white cat that I named Buttercup.  (Don’t ask me why… I’d love to ask my three-year-old self the same thing.)

She wasn’t the friendliest of cats to start with, but that’s a story for another day.  She was my first love.

Next, I’d like to introduce you to Kandi, a chihuahua that my dad adopted and brought home one day.  Note – when she got older, her tongue began to stick out all the time.  We used to say that her spring was broken.

Quite the character, that one.

We also had a Norwegian Elkhound named Lady – one of the many dogs that found us over the years.

I loved to cuddle with that gal.

My sister also had a cat – though Tiger joined us when I was much older.  She was once our neighbor’s cat, but decided to adopt my sister instead.  She even decided to have her kittens in my sister’s lap – I believe my sister was around three at the time.  Talk about a surprise!

Last, but by no means least, I must introduce you to the source of my terrier love.  When I was ten years old, I met the most wonderful dog.  My parents had promised me I could get a new dog that would be officially “my” dog.  I considered many breeds, and had my heart set on a Scottish Terrier.  However, when I met this girl, that plan went out the window.  I’d already settled on the most creative name (sarcasm intentional) for the Scottish Terrier I had convinced myself I was getting.  Thus, Scotti the Toy Fox Terrier joined our family.


Take note of the teddy bear in the photo to the right… this is one of the two teddy bears that Scotti adopted and carried everywhere.

Long story short, Scotti was by my side every minute from the time I was 10 until I left for college (as well as every moment I returned home during college and beyond).  Definitely a girl’s best friend.

I have tons of wonderful stories about each of these special animals (as well as several other animals who didn’t live in my house but were responsible for some great memories).  I’m sure I’ll be sharing them over many nostalgic nights in the future.

For now, I just want to say thanks for reading my blog – the first 100 posts have been fun, and I look forward to many more.

In closing, say hi to your puppy for me… and then give him or her a big hug.

Share

Happy Howl-o-ween!

Posted on by
14
Dog eat Doug
(From Dog eat Doug – want more? Two more great Halloween strips here and here.)
Trick or treat!  It’s a Halloween-themed No Frown Friday, just for you:
  1. We begin, as always, with punny pet names: Ichabark Crane and The Great Pupkin.
  2. Speaking of names, this dog’s name is Boo, and he’s adorable.  Perfect for Halloween weekend, right?
  3. You must check out this collection of awesome canine costumes from the Annual Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade in New York.  Trust me.  (If that doesn’t satisfy your costume needs, check out the entrants in FIDO Friendly’s costume contest and then find out what Winston the cat is wearing this year.)
  4. Do you have a jack-o-lantern this year?  You could make one of these ambitious fantasy pumpkins.  Or perhaps you can create a tribute to your favorite dog breed using one of these stencils.  (If you’re not feeling up to pumpkin carving, you could always pick up one of these cakes.  Or maybe not…)
  5. Stuck with a cone of shame this holiday season?  Follow the example of Noodles the Pug and make it into an awesome Halloween costume.

Whatever your plans for the weekend, I hope it’s a wonderful one.  If nothing else, I plan to schedule a showing of my two favorite Halloween specials –It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Garfield in Disguise (though I think it’s now called Garfield’s Halloween Adventure).  It’s an annual tradition. I even have the book version of the Garfield special (in addition to tons of other Garfield books… was something of a childhood obsession).

With that in mind, I want to share this inspired video combining scenes from the Garfield special with the theme from Halloween:

That music can make anything scary.

Have a fantastic Halloween (and remember to keep your pets safe)!

Share

Dogson’s Creek

Posted on by
6

As you may know, this week I have Dawson’s Creek on the brain.  I’m not quite ready to move on.  After all, we already saluted the Bev-Niner, so it’s only fair that Dawson’s Creek gets its due. 

  1. This week’s punny pet names come to you straight from Capeside:  Dogson Leery, Jen Brindley, Pacey Litter (or for a bird – Pacey Twitter), Crow-y Potter, and Jack McFlea.  (Dogson’s Creek… the next project from my punny production company?)
  2. The show should have just been named after Pacey instead.  If you’re a Pacey fan, you owe it to your 1999 self to watch this hilarious video about Pacey-Con 2010.
  3. I decided to see if there were any animals with Creek-related names available for adoption on Petfinder.  Allow me to introduce you to Dawson, Pacey, and Joey… they’re looking for homes!
  4. So, when I searched for “dawson’s creek puppy” (I do it for you, dear readers), I found this video.  It’s a dog… swimming in a creek for the first time.

As you may have gathered from the last item above, my search for an animal-themed Creek video for today was not so successful. So instead, I give you dogs watching TV (the commentary by the person filming amused me, and I apparently like to watch animals watch things):

For some reason, these two terriers just made me smile (and not just because they are terriers… though I’m sure that helped).  Anyway, I’m going to pretend it still relates to the Creek because they are the future dog version of Joey & Pacey… or something.

Oh, and since No Frown Friday was on hiatus last week, here’s a bonus link to some more illustrations and punny pet names from Chet Phillips (including two quizzes – check out the one at the bottom of the post for a real challenge).  You may remember the two installments of his literary pets series that I shared before – this time, the theme is artists.  Enjoy!

Share

Lick the moon

Posted on by
12

The comic below made me think of Bella, who likes to lick things. And by things, I mean any and all things she encounters.  (Seriously… everything.)

Little Dog Lost
(Trouble reading? Go here for a larger version.)

Due to the convoluted workings of my mind, I now have “Kiss the Rain” stuck in my head.  As a result (and due to the convoluted workings of the Internet), I found this gem to share with you.  (Hint: it involves the song above… and the Creek.  Yes, that Creek.)

I should probably stop now.

Share

Meow Mix Monday

Posted on by
12

Apparently, when I think of Mondays, I think of cats.  (See Exhibit 1 & Exhibit 2.)  How many Monday cat posts before I just give in and make Meow Mix Monday a regular feature?  We shall see.  In any event, here’s today’s entry in this occasional series…

I think this cat just discovered he was on a feline version of The Truman Show:


Not enough to fight away the Monday blues?  This clip of an adorable kitten attacking his mirror image should do it.

Happy Monday… hang in there.  (I couldn’t resist.)

 

Share

In the mood for food

Posted on by
14

It’s been pretty dreary and rainy lately, and that’s got me thinking about comfort food.  So… today’s No Frown Friday is food-related.  (And pet-related, of course.)

  1. Your punny pet names for the week are inspired by famous chefs: Tom Colickio, Barko DiSpirito and Woofgang Puck. (Cat Cora needed no alterations.  My favorite chef?  The Swedish Chef, of course.)
  2. Check out this dog named Dumpling… eating a dumpling.  Very meta.
  3. Quick math lesson: tiny kitten + tiny hat + tiny ice cream come = awesome commercial. (Congratulations! Simply by reading the preceding sentence, you’ve passed Cute Math 101.)
  4. Remember when Bella ate ice cream?
  5. Cats and dogs eating popsicles and peanut butter. (Serious Eats really has all of your needs covered when it comes to cute animals eating.)

Hmmm… not a lot of healthy foods in that list above.  Might I recommend you stop by Gardening with Wyatt?  The gorgeous photos of Wyatt the dog and the yummy food from his garden will inspire you to get that diet back on track.  In addition to eating better, you’ll need to hit the treadmill:

No, not like that! Try it this way:


(via Cute Overload)

Seriously though, if your pet is overweight, that’s not a good thing.  Bella’s had her battles with weight in the past, but on our vet’s advice we reduced the amount we were feeding her.  These days she’s slim and trim.  (Don’t get me wrong… she still licks the empty bowl – repeatedly – and looks at me forlornly when she finishes her meal.  She’s like a canine Oliver Twist.)

Given her druthers, I’m sure Bella would eat until she couldn’t move.  Luckily, our dogs have us to exercise self-control on their behalf – they can only eat what we feed them.  (Unlike humans – the blame for that extra cookie is all mine.) Hope you have a happy and healthy weekend!

Share

Inglewood, 90310

Posted on by
Reply

As you know, yesterday was 9-02-10.  What you may not know is that many people, including myself, found this particular date very exciting.  Obviously, the calendar wanted us all to reminisce about Beverly Hills, 90210.  Right?

It’s obviously no longer 90210 day… however, I don’t have fond memories of a show called Inglewood, 90310.  Thus, even though it’s a day late, the theme of today’s No Frown Friday is 90210. (Though let’s be honest… that show could have used more puppies.)

  1. Today’s punny pet names: Brindle and Brandog Walsh (littermates, of course), David Sil-Bird, Donna Barkin, Kelly Tay-Roar, Steve Salamanders, Houndrea Zuckerman and Dylan Sit-Stay.  (Though it’s non-punny, I also think Mrs. Teasley would be a good pet name.)
  2. Looking back at the fashion of 90210 is a surreal experience.  To think I thought that these outfits were so stylish… eek.  Speaking of fashion, have you ever visited Fashionista Puppies?  If not… do so immediately.
  3. I enjoyed this comparison of Mad Men and 90210 characters.
  4. Finally, check out a compilation of the other 90210 celebrations that happened on the Interwebs.

You may have seen the standard credits over the years, but did you ever see the pilot sequence?  Brandon’s mullet is amazing.

Da na na na, da na na na, tsh tsh… now I’ll be humming the theme song for days.

To bring it back to puppies (as I must)… if you live in or near the Bev Niner and want to adopt a dog like Donna and Brenda did that one time, my Google-fu also revealed that there’s a program in Los Angeles called Pets 90210.  It’s sponsored by the Beverly Hills Pet Care Foundation, and features pets for adoption from L.A. Animal Services.  You know David would have totally volunteered to host…

The Hope for Paws rescue group is also based in L.A. – you may have seen some of the videos from this group.  I urge you to check them out – they do great things!

Happy weekend!

 

Share

My brain works in mysterious ways

Posted on by
Reply

For some reason this morning I thought, “Self, you haven’t watched that Kittens Inspired by Kittens video in a long time. You should watch it again.”  So I did. As a result, I’m now sharing it with you. You may have seen it before, but I think it’s worth the nostalgia.  And if you haven’t seen it, you are in for a treat:

This adorable little girl needs to make a sequel.  How about Puppies Inspired by Puppies?

I have no idea why this video popped into my brain today… but the heart wants what it wants.  Especially on a Monday.

Share

Luke, I am your puppy

Posted on by
Reply

This photo over at Dogs in Duds (love the name) inspired today’s No Frown Friday.  We talked about real space travel last week, so let’s talk about some fictional space travel today.  That’s right, it’s time for Star Wars… puppy style!

  1. First up, punny pet names: Obi Wag Kenobi, Arf Vader, Slobber the Hutt, Luke Skybarker, Arftoo-D2, Boba Fetch, and Lando Abyssinian.
  2. In case the list above didn’t tip you off, Star Wags: A New Rope Toy is next on my imaginary movie producer list as soon as I wrap up Golden Retriever Girls and Seven Dogs for Seven Brothers.  Perhaps I’ll call the next episodes The American Shorthair Strikes Back and The Return of the Pedi-Paws. I should probably move on now…
  3. Speaking of felines, is this cat Jabba the Hutt’s stunt double?
  4. Not really pup related, but still worth a sniff… cool Star Wars cakes.
  5. This chihuahua will teach you the ways of the Force.
  6. You know you want a shirt in Chewbacca Pink.

Ok, so I had no idea what an AT-AT was until I saw the video below.  All you need to know is that it’s one of those walker things from Star Wars, and apparently it is awesome (and perfect for today’s post):

AT-AT day afternoon from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo

(via Phetched)

That concludes today’s No Frown Friday… but before I go, I’d like to bark about one of our blogging friends who has a Star Wars connection.  Stop by The Life and Times of Chew the Shih Tzu and say hi! (While you’re there, you can also learn how Chewy got his name.)

Happy weekend… may the pup be with you!

Share

Dogs… in… space!

Posted on by
Reply

That’s right.  It’s a Pigs in Space joke.

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 5.  Aboard this spacecraft?  Two dogs, named Belka and Strelka.  The Soviet Union sent these pups (along an odd assortment of traveling companions including mice, rats and flies) into space.  This motley (muttley?) crew survived the trip, and proved that living beings could endure space travel.  The dogs became national heroes.  (Other dogs weren’t so lucky.  One of the most famous of these was named Laika.)

While the use of dogs (and other animals) in these sorts of situations is of questionable morality, I won’t delve into that here.  (Although I admit, I have been pondering that issue ever since I read the story.  Some of the background reading I did for this post just made me sad.)

Anyway, enough with the serious stuff… after all, it’s No Frown Friday.  I’ve occasionally posted about space stuff before, but this time it’s all about the pups.

  1. Punny pet names?  Of course.  This week, I give you Neil Arf-strong and Fuzz Aldrin.
  2. I never saw that Space Buddies movie, but I have to admit that the canine stars were pretty cute in their spacesuits.
  3. Speaking of spacesuits, check out what real-life canine cosmonauts wore.
  4. Do you remember Snoopy’s stint as an astronaut? (If you’d like to read the week of strips illustrating Snoopy’s trips to the moon, start here.)  Snoopy has served as a NASA mascot, and NASA even gives out a Silver Snoopy award.  If you’d like to learn more about Snoopy in space, you can find more details and photos in this article.

An animated film about Belka and Strelka was released in Russia earlier this year.  When it is released in the U.S., it will be called Space Dogs 3D.  I was unable to find out much information about when it will be released or where you might be able to see it.  In any event, here’s the trailer:

If you can’t find it in theaters, there’s always the eventual DVD release, right?

Anyway, I hope you and your canine cosmonaut have a weekend that’s out of this world!  (I couldn’t resist.)

P.S. Don’t forget to donate to your local shelter or rescue group tomorrow in honor of International Homeless Animals Day.

Share