Nuts for Mutts

"Nuts for Mutts is an annual dog show and pet fair celebrating the best of the mutt. It's just like the Westminster Dog show... okay, not really. In this show, mixed breed dogs compete in categories such as "Best Kisser," "Fastest Eater," "Most Vocal," "Mystery Mutt" and more. It's a day of fun and a way for people to show off their mutts, so nothing is taken too seriously (well, that may not always be true for all contestants).

This year the show is on June 1 in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles area). The idea originated from Bobby Dorafshar, founder of New Leash On Life Animal Rescue, a local non-profit organization that rescues and rehabilitates homeless pets.

There are special categories for purebred rescues as well.

Tickets prices are Adults are $10, Kids 12 - 3 are $5, Kids under 3 are free and Dogs are $5. You can bring your dog to watch even if he is not showing as long as you buy him a ticket.

I think maybe we will go check it out. It looks like fun! I'm a bit sad the boys can't enter because Jack has some SERIOUS ears and Patrick is the biggest kisser ever.

Sweaters, Adoptions, Colds... Oh My!

The boys got new sweaters! I know, I know. It is summer in California. However, there was a brief time there where I thought the boys were going to have to winter in Canada. So I was getting prepared. Now that they won't be wintering in the Great White North (except maybe for a Christmas visit) the sweaters will have to wait until really cold nights, or winter. The sweaters were custom made by melodypets on eBay. She charges a ridiculously low fee. I doubt it even covered her costs. She made them custom to my specifications. I am showing Patrick's sweater because Jack didn't want to be a model the day I tried them on. The sweaters are well made and I am more than pleased with them!

We did puppy school with Jack at a new location this week. He still did pretty good. It wasn't an overwhelming success like our last few outings at the dog park, but still much, much better than before. While we were there the trainer brought out Otis to help us socialize and get used to other dogs and distractions. Otis is BEAUTIFUL! He is up for adoption at Pet Mania in Burbank. He was saved from Death Row. Pet Mania always has cats, dogs and rabbits available to rescue. Right now, on top of Otis and a few other adult dogs they have a slew of puppies and kittens. Pet Mania is on the corner of Pass and Oak in Burbank.

Patrick seems to have some kind of cold. The vet gave us some CEFA drops to give him. Hopefully it clears up, he's had a rough few weeks. All his stitches are finally gone from his neuter though.

The dog we are babysitting is having good days and bad days. Not to be all negative though, he now sits wonderfully, has stopped digging through the trash and has learned he is not allowed in the kitchen. (Our kitchen is very small - so if we drop something such as a can, knife, bad food, etc it is likely it will harm the dog - so we just don't let them in there.) Also, Jack and Patrick are more tolerant of him. They will still tell him when enough is enough (he has WAY more energy than they do - granted he hasn't been allowed outside due to neuter) but overall they play and share nicely. They have sleeping as a group down pat.

Go Orange for ASPCA

April 10 is ASPCA day! What does that mean?

"Every year on April 10, the anniversary date of the founding of the ASPCA in 1866, the ASPCA will be celebrating ASPCA Day and encouraging animal lovers of all ages nationwide to GO ORANGE FOR ANIMALS! Going Orange on ASPCA Day is a tribute to the work of the ASPCA and a celebration of compassion and kindness for all living things everywhere. (Orange is the official ASPCA color and what better to celebrate than our love of animals?) "

I know my own dogs will be getting some very orange carrots as a snack, but that's not very spirited. Perhaps I will run to a fabric shop and rustle up a few orange bandannas.

April - Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month!

According the ASPCA April is the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. It is also the same month that the ASPCA was founded 142 years ago! That is nuts. To help you get into the spirit of April, the ASPCA has a few suggestions. You can check out their blog post about it.

One of the easiest suggestions it to read the Top 10 Ways to Prevent Animal Cruelty. Do your part to prevent animal cruelty.

Oprah is a Dog Lover too

Everyone knows that Oprah is a dog lover. This past Friday she dedicated her show to puppy mills. If you are interested, you can read the entire transcript on the Oprah website. I'm going to provide a quick summary below. Bill Smith's description of a puppy mill is as follows:



"Factory farms where thousands of breeding dogs are kept in cages slightly larger than their own bodies. Underfed dogs feeding an industry of corruption and greed. Instead of walking on grass, they stand a lifetime on stretched wire flooring in cramp rabbit hutches. Instead of collars or bandanas, they wear rusted livestock clips in their ears or chains with USDA tags embedded in their necks. Undeserving of a name after eight years of service, a breeding female is often led into a dark cornfield and killed once she can no longer produce her young for market."

• Bill Smith from Main Line Animal Rescue brought Oprah's attention to Puppy Mills


• There are an estimated 10 000 puppy mills in the US


• Young females are the most desirable to puppy mills, as they are baby making machines


• Females can give birth up to 140 pups in their life time


• Many dogs are "debarked" by metals pipes


• These dogs live their entire lives in cramped cages - never even stepping on grass


• Puppy mill pups are often unhealthy as they aren't bred for any good qualities and don't receive proper/if any veterinary care

Oprah will hopefully bring more attention to this horrible practice. Her site offers more information on pet adoption and finding a responsibly breeder. Buying from puppy mills and the pet stores that they feed only perpetuates the issue. During the taping of this show many of Oprah's staff adopted dogs from various rescues and shelters. If you are looking to add a canine addition to your family seriously think about adopting a pet from a rescue or a shelter. If you are still set on a puppy - find a responsible breeder!

Westminster Dog Show

I flipped to the animal channel just now - they often have interesting animal related TV, if not specifically a dog show- and the Westminster Dog Show is on. Normally I wouldn't watch a dog show, but the toy dogs are going now. They are just so darn cute! How can you not enjoy watching dogs that commentators describe as "happy, merry little dogs"? Seriously.

The show is put on by the Westminster Kennel Club.

This is kind of old news but, Uno, a Beagle, Went on to win Best in Show. Hopefully this win will make Beagle's more popular. There are lots of them out there waiting to be adopted. Beagles and Buddies is a great No Kill shelter that specializes in Beagles, but has all types of animals. If you are in the Los Angeles area, they are worth checking out.

Remember to have all new puppies check by a vet! You never know where they have been, and young puppies can take a turn for the worse quickly. This article, The Worst Pitfalls in Pet Adoption, outlines what I mean.