Tag Archives: puppies

A night at the Pupsbury

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I’m in a musical mood this week. On Sunday, I had the pleasure of seeing Tristan Prettyman and Anya Marina in concert. Are you a fan? You should be. For real. (They each have many fantastic songs, but one treat we got at the live show was the two of them taking the stage together to sing this funny song about Lindsey Lohan. It’s been stuck in my head ever since, along with many of the other tunes.)

My friend M is a fan, and she got me addicted. Now it’s my turn to pass that addiction on to you. Use it wisely.

Anyway, in spite of the fact that we set the clocks forward an hour and I’m still adjusting to the schedule change, I’ve been feeling pretty good this week. (As an aside, I love Daylight Savings time and welcome it with open arms. I wish that we just stayed on DST all year.) I think it’s because I’ve been starting each morning off with fantastic tunes. Music soothes the savage beast, right? I guess it soothes me too.

Although the video below does not contain one of the songs I use to pump myself up in the morning, it’s possible that I do look something like this dog to colleagues who happen to pass by my door in the early morning hours…

If that song is now stuck in your head, I apologize. Go discover some new Tristan and Anya tunes instead. (See, I’m such a pusher!)

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Unleash your inner barkitect…

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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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Pup culture debate: Who is the best TV dog?

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Okay, friends… it’s time for a little friendly debate. Of all the dogs that have appeared on television, who is the top dog?

Before we get started, the ground rules:

  • We’re talking fictional dogs here. A real-life hero dog or otherwise famous dog (think Uggie) who has appeared on a television news program or in a commercial doesn’t count. (Although maybe we need a sub-category of dogs in commercials. I do love Chopper, after all.)
  • Animated dogs totally count. Dogs that have appeared in holiday or other specials shown on television are also fair game.
  • Miniseries and made-for-TV movies are also in the mix. However, movies originally released in a theater and later shown on TV don’t count – that’s the subject of a future pup culture debate.

Ready? To get you started, here are a few lists of TV dogs.

I’ll even kick off the discussion with a few of my favorites:

  • Snoopy – Perhaps the most famous Beagle of all time? In any event, this World War I Flying Ace flew into my heart years ago and never left. (Anyone else obsessed with the Snoopy musical?)
  • Odie – I’m not just obsessed with Garfield. I love his canine pal too. He’s not the brightest, but he sure does have a big heart.
  • Seymour – Unlike the other dogs on this list, Seymour appeared in one memorable episode, the supremely moving and beautiful “Jurassic Bark” episode of Futurama. Have you seen this one? If not, you owe it to yourself as a dog lover and a human being with a soul. I got teary just typing those sentences. Um, quick… let’s watch a happy moment from that episode.

  • Wishbone – It’s not all animated dogs here. My mom gave me a Wishbone stuffed animal one year and it was seriously the best gift ever. I mean, it’s an adorable dog and some great books. What’s the story, Wishbone?
  • Eddie – Given my love affair with Terriers, I guess it’s no surprise that I adored Eddie from Frasier. Moose, you were the best.

I could probably go on for a while… in particular, there are quite a few animated dogs I might add to that list. However, I’ll stop with five for now.

So… who is your favorite? Share your nominees in the comments and tell us why! (If there’s enough interest, perhaps I’ll take the top mentions and put it to a vote soon.)

Let the pup culture debate begin!

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National Grammar Day has gone to the dogs (and cats)

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Today is National Grammar Day. I wanted to acknowledge this important day, but I really had trouble choosing a video. So, you get two.

First, I’d like to introduce you to a cat who really loves grammar.

Next, enjoy a crash course in apostrophes from a grammar-obsessed dog.

I hope to see more videos featuring the dapper Charles. I’ll be keeping an eye on his Twitter account.

Happy National Grammar Day!

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Down with doorbells & beeping smoke detectors on TV!

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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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So you want a puppy that makes puppies?

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Last week, I wrote about some of the more interesting search terms that had brought people to this humble blog. I happened to glance at the search terms again yesterday, and saw a new one: “I want a puppy that makes puppies.”

Well, dear searcher… what exactly do you mean by that? I kind of hope you’re looking for some sort of child’s toy that I haven’t heard of yet. Or… do you want a real puppy that makes other puppies? Technically, most puppies – female and male – can play some role in the creation of other puppies. That being said, just because they can do something doesn’t always mean that they should.

Your search was actually pretty timely. Let me take a minute to tell you about World Spay Day, which just so happens to be today. (February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, my friend.) Did you ever watch The Price is Right? Remember when Bob Barker would tell you to help control the pet population?

That’s what we’re talking about today. I struggled with what to say in this post – spay and neuter is occasionally controversial, but I am in support of it. I’m not looking to court controversy today, however – I believe in encouraging people to do their homework and really consider their options.

I’ve shared this video (and others in the same campaign) before, but I think today is a good time to share it yet again:

It’s something to think about, right?

Be the Change for Animals is hosting a blog hop for World Spay Day. I encourage you to swing by BtC4A and then check out the posts below to learn more about spay and neuter. Before you follow through on that goal to let your puppy make other puppies, you might want to consider all of your options and the impact your choices can have on other cute pups out there.

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Why don’t dogs come with a snooze button?

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Apparently, dogs do not come standard with a snooze button installed. I’m not even sure if that’s an available option in the upgrade package. In any event, if you know how to install an after-market snooze button on my dogs, you might be my hero. I tried to install my own. However, as you can see, the results were not encouraging:

After-market snooze button for your dog

My husband asked why I didn’t just Photoshop the post-it onto Bella’s head… I’m sure Bella would like to ask the same question.

Oh, well. Back to the drawing board.

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