Tag Archives: reviews

PSA: Don’t be fooled by the dog on the label

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A little Public Service Announcement for you today… just because something has a fun dog-themed label does not mean that you will like it.  Exhibit #1… no matter how fun you find the following beer label, I suggest you walk away and leave this bottle on the shelf.  It was not good.  Not good at all.

Even though it wasn’t very yummy, I still think the label is pretty darn cute.

That being said, I’m sure I won’t learn from my own mistakes and will fall under the spell of another deceptive dog label in the future.  (Anyone else out there suffer from this problem?)  Don’t be like me, kids…

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Through a Dog’s Eyes

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Ugh. Yesterday, I had to take a sick day.  It was absolutely zero fun.  The one bright spot was getting to catch up on my DVR.

One of the programs I watched was called Through a Dog’s Eyes.  It’s a wonderful documentary that aired on PBS in April (and again in September), and it follows a group of people as they visit Canine Assistants to meet their service dogs for the first time.  Canine Assistants is a group that breeds, trains, and places service dogs with people who have physical disabilities, seizure disorders, and other needs.  (Canine Assistants provides the dogs free to the recipients through donations and sponsorships.)  The stories of the recipients are moving and interesting – and it gives a whole new perspective on the human-canine bond.

Here’s a preview for the show – if you missed it on PBS, you can watch the entire program on the PBS website.  (Bonus: it’s narrated by Neil Patrick Harris.)

Learn more, after the jump.


PBS has a wealth of useful information and great links on its page dedicated to the program. (There are even outtakes, training tips and a section simply called “More Puppies” – talk about knowing your audience.)

The founding of Canine Assistants is a great story.  Jennifer Arnold was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of sixteen.  Jennifer’s father suggested she get a service dog.  An organization denied her application, which provided the inspiration for Jennifer to found Canine Assistants.  (The organization is truly a family affair.)

Jennifer’s training philosophy is also a great one – it’s based on the idea that the dogs want to please their people, and it’s about positive reinforcement rather than domination.  (I’m sure our friends at Never Shock a Puppy would approve.)  The program also briefly touches upon the science behind the dog-human bond.  (Through the PBS site, I found a link to the Family Dog Project, which is dedicated to researching this bond.  Interesting stuff.)

Paw Nation is doing a series of posts about another recipient who is getting a dog from Canine Assistants.  The first post appeared earlier this month – I’m looking forward to reading more.  (You can also read an interview with the After-care Coordinator for Canine Assistants.)

If you’d like to learn more about Canine Assistants, visit them here.  I’m also considering picking up Jennifer’s book (also called Through a Dog’s Eyes)… after the documentary, I’m sure it will be good!

Have you seen the documentary?  What did you think?

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A cosmo with the gals

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So, I checked out Sex and the City 2 this weekend with the gals… honestly, given some of the reviews I had read, I was expecting the worst.  (However, a review I read after I’d already seen the movie is probably my favorite.  The thesis?  Sex and the City is our Star Wars.)

It had some funny moments, but it was definitely a far cry from what made the series so great.  (Full disclosure – I’m a super fan and own all 6 seasons on DVD.)  In the past, it’s been said that NYC is the fifth character… I’d have to agree.  While I have to admit I loved the guest appearance by Liza with a Z (not Lisa with an S, ’cause Lisa with an S goes ssss not zzzz), I never quite got into the part of the movie set in Abu Dhabi.  It’s not quite Sex and the City without the City, really.  In addition, the characters seem to have less depth than ever before… at times I felt like I was watching a broad parody of the series, rather than a continuation of it.  (There was one scene with Miranda and Charlotte that I really loved, but I won’t spoil it for anyone.)  Where were the smart and funny ladies I enjoyed watching on TV?  I miss them.

In any event… although I didn’t love it, it was still a nice chance to get together with the gals.  So in honor of girls’ nights everywhere (of which I’m sure SATC2 inspired many), I thought I’d share the recipe for White Cosmos that some friends and I enjoyed during a recent girls’ night in.  We tweaked a recipe that I found on the Hostess with the Mostess blog, and the results were delicious!

Orange Overload White Cosmos
(adapted from HTWM)

1/2 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
1/2 oz lime juice
1 oz orange Stoli or other orange vodka (or 2 oz for a stronger cocktail)
2 oz white cranberry-peach juice

Pour all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker, shake well and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange spiral.

Enjoy!

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Reviewing stuff: Date Night

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It’s not all puppy-related content on here, after all. Last night, I saw Date Night with a trio of lovely ladies. I’m not going to lie – I had high hopes going into this one.  Tina Fey and Steve Carell as a married couple? I want to go to there.

I am happy to report that the movie didn’t disappoint. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the movie, Tina and Steve (that’s right… we are so on a first name basis) are a married couple in a bit of a rut. They decide to go out to dinner at a fancy restaurant without a reservation. After the host banishes them to the bar to wait for a table, they end up taking another couple’s reservation. This breach of the implied social contract results in a case of mistaken identity. Although the twists and turns of the story were pretty out there (about as out there as the plentiful parking they seemed to find on the streets of NYC), I didn’t really mind.  The movie was quite funny, and Tina and Steve were really believable as a long-married couple looking to find a way to “light up” again. There were also a ton of great people in this movie (many in bit parts) – Kristin Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, James Franco and Mila Kunis all added a little something special.

On the (just-created) review scale for this blog, I give it 4 paws. For Date Night 2, might I recommend a double date with Amy Pohler and Joel McHale? That would be my dream NBC Thursday night movie crossover. Perhaps it could also include a cameo by Tracy Morgan (bonus points if it’s in character as Brian Fellows). Synergy, baby.

However, throughout significant portions of the movie, I really just wanted to see Mark Wahlberg talk to some animals.

Say hi to your puppy for me.

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