Tag Archives: working group

And now, for something completely different…

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In honor of Presidents’ Day, I considered doing a punny version of all 43 Presidents. (Even though Barack Obama is the 44th President, Grover Cleveland made us forever confused by serving non-consecutive terms.)  I’m sure you will be pleased to hear that I rejected that idea.  Anyway, it’s time for this week’s No Frown Friday:

  1. Your non-exhaustive list of presidential punny pet names:  Chester A. Arfur, Rover Cleveland and Dwight D. Eisenbow-wower.
  2. Enjoy a few photos of Bo, the undeniably adorable First Dog.
  3. Did you know that some members of Congress treat every day like it’s Take Your Dog to Work Day?
  4. Apparently pups get involved in politics at the local level too.  Check out this story of a rescue dog who hangs out with his City Council.
  5. Have you heard about Larry the Cat?  He’s moved in as the Prime Minister’s new mouser.

I warn you, I’m about to depart from the theme of today’s post.  The following clip has nothing to do with Presidents.  Or politics.  Or anything, really.



(via Paw Nation)

I have no idea why I decided that you needed that video today.  It just felt right.

Happy Friday!  If you’re one of the lucky folks who have Monday off, enjoy the long weekend.  If you aren’t, just watch the cat above react dramatically to this revelation, and you’ll feel better.  I promise.

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Underdog is here!

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I received the cutest card yesterday from my hub.  Even better?  He picked out the card because it celebrates rescue animals.  Does he know me or what?  On the back, there was a short profile of the cover dog, which read:

Underdog: Sabrina
Profile:  Puppy mill survivor.
Special Power:  Professional stress reliever.  She’ll sit quietly on your lap for as long as you need her.

The card was designed by a company called Hooray for the Underdog. (I always loved Underdog – the cartoon, not the recent movie – so I immediately fell a bit in love with this company.)

Hooray for the Underdog is a line by HealyGrisham Studios – a husband and wife team in Dallas.  Their portfolio is full of gorgeous animal photos.  A few years ago, HealyGrisham launched the Hooray for the Underdog line to raise money for rescue groups in North Texas.  They’ve also worked with Dallas Animal Advocates to promote spaying and neutering and have also created bus ads for the SPCA of Texas.  Pretty cool.

Check out the whole line of notecards and other items available from Hooray for the Underdog… they’re pretty awesome!  It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I’m a big fan of this one. 

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Hug two puppies & call me in the morning

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It’s the first No Frown Friday of 2011… time for some fun links to send you into the weekend:

  1. The first punny pet name of the year: Janu-hairy Jones.
  2. Did you attend any New Year’s Eve parties? I doubt anyone was wearing a party hat quite like this dog.
  3. Going back to work after a long weekend sure was tough.  At least I managed to use my computer correctly… unlike these puppies.
  4. “Walking is so overrated,” says puppy in a stroller.

So… the new year is here.  For any issues that arise in the coming months, I think we should consider the following solution:


(NATALIE PORTMAN & RASHIDA JONES Speak Out)

I know… it’s an old one, but it just seemed right today.  After all, this blog’s motto is “Puppies = Serenity Now.”  When all else fails, think of puppies and you’ll be okay.  (If you’re more of a cat person, I’ve got you covered too – check it out.)

Join this week’s Pet Blogger Hop, after the jump…






Have a great weekend!

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Thank a Veteran today

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I realize posting has slowed a bit this week… I promise I’ll return to normal form soon.  However, I did want to share a post from the archives in honor of those who have served our country.  On Memorial Day, I shared information about some inspiring heroes, both human and canine (including Military Working Dogs).

If you’d like to read it:

I think it’s a pretty appropriate post for today as well.  Thank you to those who have served our country – we are blessed that you chose to make such a sacrifice to protect our freedom.
(Also, a quick housekeeping note – No Frown Friday will be on hiatus this week.  So if you just can’t wait for more, be sure to check out the archives.  Normal posting will resume soon – in the meantime, say hi to your puppy for me!)
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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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Head of the class

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Speed Bump
(via Speed Bump)

It’s September… which means school is back in session.  I haven’t been a student in quite some time.  Neither has Ms. Bella.  She did take one obedience course… seven years later, she does sit when asked (most of the time). 

We’ve been lucky – Bella’s a fairly low-maintenance gal who doesn’t get into much trouble.  When we eventually adopt dog number two, we’ll have to be much more diligent! 

If you haven’t already guessed, the topic of today’s No Frown Friday is… school!  Let’s hit the books:

  1. This week’s punny pet names are based on some famous names that chose the School of Life instead of a college degree: Drew Hairymore, Nose-Anne Barr, Roarin’ Beatty, and J.K. Howling.
  2. During college, I often found myself suffering from doggie withdrawal.  Earlier this week, I read that Yale Law School had recognized this epidemic, and offered a solution: if you needed a boost, you could check out Monty the pup for a 30 minute play date.  The circulation listing quoted in that post is so cute it’s out of control.  (A sample… “Subjects: Dogs in libraries; Stress reliever for law students.”)  It turns out that Monty might not have been available, but that’s okay.  A girl can dream.  I would have owed so much in overdue dog fees.
  3. Who needs obedience school? This “” has a college degree!
  4. You may (or may not) remember those great literary punny pet names I shared back in June.  In any event, there’s a second installment – quite a treat!  (Be sure to take the pun-filled quiz… I’m still giggling about Captain A. Lab.)
I’ve pulled today’s video out of the Internet archives, and dusted it off for your amusement.  I remember when I first saw this video last year. It quickly earned a place on my list of favorite things:


Reactions: (1) I would have been so much better at science if it was taught by puppies.  (2) I would like to open a school where all lessons are taught with the help of puppies.  (3)  I’ve already got a foolproof plan for the drama program.

Speaking of smarty pants pups, sometimes well-educated service dogs school others in the Americans with Disabilities Act.  If you want to learn more about the valedictorians of the doggie world – those amazingly smart service dogs – check out Canine Companions for Independence.  CCI spoke at Blog Paws West last weekend, and by all accounts it was amazing!

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Remembering

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I wanted to share this great video with you from The Dog Files.  (Have your tissues handy.)  No wordy intro from me today… this video speaks for itself:

If you’d like to read more, The Thundering Herd has also posted some info about heroic 9/11 dogs.  You can also read an account from 2001 about some of the dogs working at the Pentagon.

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Dogs… in… space!

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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.

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