Sergeant Stubby: World War I Hero

When reading a list of top all-American dog breeds (breeds that were specifically cultivated in America), I happened across the story of a war hero: Sergeant Stubby, the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier. In a time when pit bulls hold a mostly negative image in our country, I think it’s good to look back at story that shows how wonderful they can actually be. Sergeant Stubby was the most decorated dog of World War I and the only military dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat. It’s no surprise that dogs were taken into war zones then; we still do … Continue reading →

Pets and Politicians

As the 2012 political race heats up candidates are trying to find new angles from which to score voters. Republican candidate Newt Gingrich has chosen pets as one of his. He recently launched a website called “Pets With Newt 2012.” The website mainly functions as a sort of social network, or at least pet picture website, where Gingrich supporters can send in photos of their animals with a caption that provides their name and reads “I’m With Newt!” The site also reveals that Gingrich’s love for animals extends beyond those of the domesticated variety, with a large front page picture … Continue reading →

Not a Fan of Pet Movies, Pt. 1

A short while ago I mentioned animal adventure movies, a type I find best exemplified by the likes of “Homeward Bound,” “Milo and Otis,” or “Babe.” Not many movies belong to this subgenre of pet films, but that shouldn’t matter because as a pet lover I ought to revel in all animal films, right? Wrong. Pet adventure movies are just about the only animal films I can take. I find most other pet films soppy or overly sentimental. I don’t mean to insult those who love them, I just can’t watch them. I think it’s because many other pet movies … Continue reading →

The Dangers of Pet Fads

When I saw “101 Dalmatians” for the first time as a kid, I loved it so much I just had to redecorate accordingly. I had two separate designs of “101 Dalmatians” bed sheets, a huge poster, a table lamp, and stuffed toys adorning my bed. But the one thing I didn’t have was an actual Dalmatian dog. No matter how much I begged my parents for one, they didn’t give in. They didn’t want to take care of a dog, so they weren’t going to bend to my whim. Unfortunately, many other parents did, either to that of their children … Continue reading →

Dogs and Cats Who Blog

Do your pets keep a blog? Do they tweet? Do they have a Myspace page? Do they chat with other ani-pals on Facebook (or Dogbook or Catbook)? Writing for your pets can actually be a great creative exercise and imagination outlet. Think about it: you’re writing in a voice that is not your own, imagining what a pet’s daily life is like, and even interacting with other imagined animal personalities. If you’ve got a reluctant writer in the house, writing as a pet might be a good way to go. Twitter is fun for the one-liners — you have to … Continue reading →

LOLCats and HotDogs

A friend and I have a nightly battle of sorts on instant messenger. He’ll send me funny pictures of cats and I retaliate with funny pictures of dogs. We can (and do) go back and forth for quite some time! My favorite site for laugh-out-loud funny dog pictures is I Has a Hotdog, the sister site to the infamous I Can Has Cheezburger for kitty pics with hilarious captions. If you’ve never visited either site, I’ll wait. Go take a look. I actually sat down the other night (between rounds of the LOLcat/hotdog wars) and looked at the history of … Continue reading →

Perfect Coat Cover Dog Contest

Does your dog have a perfect coat? He or she could become the new model for Perfect Coat dog shampoo! Dog Channel and Perfect Coat are on the hunt for some new spokesdogs. Three grand prize winners will be primped and pampered for a professional photo shoot and appear on Perfect Coat shampoo labels. With varieties like Ultra Moisturizing and Tender Care Puppy shampoo, Perfect Coat has something for everyone. The three grand prize winners will appear on three different varieties of Perfect Dog shampoo. Pretty cool! If your dog doesn’t finish in the top three, he’s still got a … Continue reading →

Uno is Numero Uno at Westminster

On Tuesday night, a beagle named Uno took Best in Show during the second day of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. More than one hundred and sixty breeds and varieties were represented at the 132nd annual affair in New York City. More than 2600 dogs entered the show. The crowd at Madison Square Garden got to their feet and roared for the little beagle. Uno joined in the cheering — he has an unusual habit of baying at the judges as if to say: “Pick me! Here I am!” Handler Aaron Wilkerson says that Uno is definitely a people’s … Continue reading →

My Mom Went to Westminster!

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show — one of the biggest dog shows out there — is going on right now at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Last year, I was very tempted to hop on a train and catch some of the action, but didn’t. But I just got the inside scoop from my mom, who went to day one of the Westminster action yesterday! Here are some of the things she noticed: It’s much easier to follow the action on TV — because there are commentators. At the show itself, it can be hard to tell … Continue reading →

Historical Pups: Lewis & Clark’s Dog Seaman

Today the dogs and I had a breakfast invitation. We drove up to St. Helens, Oregon, a cute little town just north and west of Portland on the Columbia River. My friends Ken and Jen have a house with a fenced yard there, and they always welcome my dogs with open arms. After breakfast, we took a walk down to the waterfront. There’s a cute park in front of City Hall with a winding path made from tiles. Many of the tiles have quotes from the actual travel diaries Lewis and Clark wrote when they were making their way west. … Continue reading →