Dogmerican Gothic

Dogmerican Gothic (B&W)

I should have made them pose with a pitchfork.

Welcome to the Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers hosted by Kol’s NotesPupLoveRescued InsanityWoof Woof Mama & I Still Want More Puppies

Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Hartz and their Angry Birds Dog ToysClick here to enter to win a set of their Holiday Angry Birds, plus be entered to win our Grand Prize package worth more than $1000!

Digging the black & white vibe we’ve got going on today? It’s part of the Black & White Sunday blog hop hosted by You Did What With Your WeinerMy Life in Blog Years, and Dachshund Nola. Stop by one of those blogs to link up and join the fun!

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The Secret Around-the-World Adventures of Owney, the Postal Dog

Have you ever heard the tale of Owney the Postal Dog? In the 1890s, the US Postal Service adopted a mailbag-loving mutt from Albany as its unofficial mascot and allowed him to travel wherever he chose by hopping on trains with the mail. Owney the Postal Dog journeyed across the country, collecting souvenir tags everywhere he went, and eventually even made a trip around the world.

Today, St. Louis artist David Montgomery and writer Marcelo Vital are trying to bring this cute pooch’s globetrotting adventures to life in a new graphic novel, “The Secret Around-the-World Adventures of Owney, the Postal Dog.”

The pair has set a Kickstarter goal campaign to cover production costs for the all-ages, 110-page full color book. (Check out some of the illustrations – they’re utterly charming.) They are also offering creative incentives to backers for various pledge levels – like autographed and limited edition copies of the book, personalized dog tags, original custom drawings and even having your pets appear as characters in the story alongside Owney!

Intrigued? Check out the video below, and then visit the Kickstarter page for more info.

Dog-Loving Disclaimer: The duo contacted me about sharing this project on my blog. However, I received nothing in return for sharing this campaign – I just think it’s cute and worth sharing with you guys! 

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Sneaky snuggle time

I took this one using my iPhone (Instagram with the black & white filter). Tavish was downstairs with the Hub, so I took the opportunity to sneak Bella up on the bed for some snuggle time. Obviously, I wasn’t going to disturb her to go get the DSLR!

Digging the black & white vibe we’ve got going on today? It’s part of the Black & White Sunday blog hop hosted by You Did What With Your Weiner, My Life in Blog Years, and Dachshund Nola. Stop by one of those blogs to link up and join the fun!

 

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Girls just wanna have pun…

It’s Friday… let’s get to the linkage!

  1. First up, your punny pet names are inspired by this slideshow (oh… hello there, Slide 15): Cullen Bones, Nathan Blue Jaydrian, and Pom Daley. (Seriously, I want to meet a Pomeranian named Pom Daley. It’s my new dream.)
  2. Speaking of punny pet names, this week I learned that Prince Harry owns a racehorse named Usain Colt. How is it possible that I never came up with that one on my own? (Bonus link: Animals with misleading names.)
  3. Emmylou Harris rocks. Check out her new project, Woofstock.
  4. Um, I would watch the heck out of Animals Acting Like Sharks Week.
  5. You know I’m a fan of all things Seussical. Thus, I loved this collection of advertising artwork from Dr. Seuss.
  6. I’m not even going to pretend that I don’t love these new ads from Old Navy featuring 90210 actors.
  7. On another nostalgia-related note… moves like Chandler!
  8. Here’s one for the Things Bella and Tavish Will Never Do files. (Oh, Corgis. Always good for a smile.) Yup… I adopt dogs that take their cues from the Gremlins.

You didn’t think I’d make it through this post with only one Olympics reference, did you? As if. Today’s video reveals the results of the Cat Sleeping Position Olympics:

That’s all folks! Hard to believe the Olympics are almost over already. Will you be spicing up your life on Sunday?

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Hairy Garfield & the Half-Belated Birthday Doodle

Today’s topic is artistic ability. I have a little – occasionally, I can render a pretty good drawing, although I never quite mastered perspective and scale. I’m by no means an artist, so today we’re actually talking about doodles: what you doodle, when you doodle, how you doodle. (That word gets more fun each time I say it… doodle, doodle, doodle. How do any of you with a Labradoodle or other -doodle dog get anything done? I’d just repeat that to myself all the time.)

Why doodles, you might ask? Well, I’m a habitual doodler, but not terribly creative. Those that have ever sat next to me in a meeting, taken a class with me, or known me for years are aware that I have a doodle of choice. It’s appeared in countless notebooks and textbooks over the years.

Yesterday happened to be the birthday of my favorite doodle inspiration, so I thought I’d honor this esteemed personage with a belated birthday doodle…

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I live in an Angry Birds game

Luna, A Dog's Life

We moved into this house in the winter of 2009. This marks the third spring we’ve spent here. The past two years were fairly uneventful. However, here in 2012, things have taken a puzzling turn. Before I get too far into it, I should warn you that this post is a long one. I promise I’ll try to make it worth your while…

For some reason, the neighborhood birds have decided that my house is a problem that needs to be pecked out of existence. It’s like living in a live-action version of Angry Birds. The siege began in April, when this little bird decided that the shiny plate on our front door was looking at him (or her) funny.

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And now, for the talent portion of our competition…

It’s Friday… let’s get to it!

  1. Your punny pet name for this week: Andy Warhowl.
  2. Meet the world’s smallest working dog – score one for the little guys!
  3. Enjoy these lessons in love from ’90s song lyrics.  Anyone have any lessons in pups learned from song lyrics to share?
  4. A dog in a top hat? Seems perfect for awards season.
  5. I was in Pottery Barn the other day and saw these adorable pillows.  Perhaps the new trend in home decor is “put a dog on it”?  (Someone alert Portlandia – say goodbye to “put a bird on it.”  Dogs are the new birds.)
  6. If so, I want to buy all of these prints. (I have a pup art addiction.)
  7. Dog ears come in so many shapes and sizes, but they’re all so darn cute.
  8. I love a good sleepy dog video… the stretch at the beginning of this one really pushes it over the top.
  9. Ah, that age old debate: cats or dogs?  Where do you land on this one?
Whether you’re Team Cat or Team Dog (also available: Team Both), you have to admit that this pup’s entry for the talent portion of the competition is pretty adorable:
Of course, he’s got nothing on those dogs barking the Star Wars theme in the teaser for VW’s Super Bowl ad.  Have you watched it yet? The dog dressed like an Ewok in the front row is just icing on the cake.

I wonder if these dogs would star in my upcoming film, Star Wags: A New Rope Toy.  Still casting for the roles of Obi Wag Kenobi, Arf Vader, Slobber the Hutt, Luke Skybarker, Arftoo-D2, Boba Fetch, and Lando Abyssinian.

Have a great weekend and may the pups be with you!

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The eyes (and ears) have it

You may remember that I mentioned I’m part of the Daily Dog Challenge group on Flickr.  There’s a new prompt each day for inspiration.  I thought I’d share a few recent shots I’ve posted for the various daily challenges in December.

Up first, the photo below was in response to the prompt: “Make a photograph with your dog that captures your idea of beauty today.”

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That one was easy – who could resist those eyes?

After the jump, find more photos for your viewing pleasure…

Another prompt from the holiday season: “However you and your dog choose to celebrate today, share it with us, and enjoy the day!”

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Roscoe chose to celebrate with a nice nap.

This next one is a bit more abstract.  The prompt: Take a high contrast photo of your dog today! Whether you use a background or some kind of photo enhancement, remember to have fun with it!”

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I don’t think I’ll ever tire of taking photos of Bella’s ear.  Is that weird?

I have a few more from December to share… but I’ll save those for next week’s Wordless Wednesday.  Have to keep you wanting more, right?

You can see all of the photos submitted as part of the DDC here.  Enjoy!

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Bella’s 2011 Holiday Tip… revealed!

Drumroll, please… you made your guesses last week, and now it’s time to reveal Bella’s 2011 Holiday Tip!

This face greets you on the front of the card:

Happy holidays!

Inside, you get another dose of Bella and this year’s tip:

Bella Holiday Tip #11


Even if you look good in antlers, you probably won’t be invited to join in the Reindeer Games.  Take a nap instead.

Finally, Bella leaves you with some additional advice on the back of the card:

It’s important to practice your landings.

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