Pumpkin Dog Art!

It’s time for pumpkin-carving again and for the fourth year in a row, we’re featuring pumpkin stencils of various breeds of dogs so you can carve your pumpkin to look just like your best pal.  To see the various designs and the pictures of the carved dog pumpkins, click here.

Free pumpkin-carving stencils are available for these breeds:

1. Chihuahua
2. Yorkie
3. Labrador Retriever
4. Poodle
5. Scottish Terrier
6. German Shepherd
7. Bulldog
8. Golden Retriever
9. Boxer
10.  Dachshund
11. Jack Russell Terrier
12. Beagle

When rescue groups get together, they create a sea of look-a-like dogs like you’ve never seen before.  I felt like I stepped into the Boxer territory in my Land of Dog when I attended “BoxerStock,” a fundraising event for Atlanta Boxer Rescue,  an organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of Boxers in the metropolitan-Atlanta area and also to provide support and education for Boxer guardians.   Right now on their website,  http://atlantaboxerrescue.org, there are boxers ready to be adopted.

When you get to know a certain breed of dog and you like their characteristics, you may want to get another of this kind of dog but you don’t want to support breeders because you believe there are enough dogs in the world who need home.  That’s where Rescue Groups come in.  When a Boxer is left at the Atlanta SPCA or any other shelters in the Atlanta are, the people at the kennel will call Atlanta Boxer Rescue because they know they’ll find a good home for the dog. It’s a win-win-win for the person, the dog and the shelter.

So if you’re looking for a particular kind of dog, check out your area’s rescue groups.  In Atlanta, visit  STOP’s (Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together Society) website for a list of all the rescue groups in this area.

happydogsplay.com was a vendor at Boxerstock so you’ll see lots of pictures of boxers and some pictures of the hdp.com booth.   If you’re interested in buying safe, non-toxic, double-tested dog toys and goods and gifts for dogs and dog lovers, visit our website.  Our collection of dog-centric items is not available anywhere else.   Check us out and you’ll see what I mean.

I just love functional dog art.  Take this one wall in my kitchen for instance.  A stainless steel water bowl fits perfectly into the black iron plant stand; the “Raining Cats & Dogs” sign is a key holder; the picture of the dog looking up at the birds is a food tray; and the Collie planter is now a handy scissor and pen holder.

Practical tip: If you’d like to buy one of these safe and easy-to-clean stainless steel water bowls, you’ll find them at happydogsplay.com.

A wall of fun dog art.

I love dog paint-by-numbers, I truly do.  I love that they’re all painted by regular people who just wanted to create their own art even though they weren’t “artists.” I love that most people stayed within the lines but not really because each one is different even when the design is the same.  I love to call them “Art by the People.”   Or “Photoshop before there was Photoshop.”

I just received these two Pomeranian vintage paint-by-numbers that I bought from a wonderful woman, Dixie, who lives in NYC and has a shop on Etsy.   When she sold me these, I knew how lucky I was that she was willing to part with them but when I opened the package today, I found this love letter “To My Bob” on the back of one of them and now I know how really lucky I am.   In the letter, “Your Babe” describes how she and  Bob were arguing but once they found a little dog they named “Rex,”  ”everything seem to be straightened out.”

This just made my day.  I hope it makes yours.

(And thank you Dixie for these very special PBNs.)

On the back of one of the Pom PBNs, a love letter was written just like in The Notebook.

What says "Retro" like a PBN with all the classic colors from the 50s?

From the Craftint K9 Animal Series

Most dog people I know have  experienced some version of  ”dog-in-the dishwasher” but a friend sent me this picture today and I was especially delighted that the dog actually got in the dishwasher to lick the dishes. My dogs would only lean into the dishwasher and just lick what they could but this pointer rescue knew exactly how it should be done.  (Don’t let your dogs see this because it might give them ideas.)

Jake (the yellow lab): Why didn't I ever think of jumping in the dishwasher to lick the plates? When do I get my turn?

With the all-new Aikiou (pronounced IQ) bowl, you get the latest interactive dog puzzle toy and a dog dinner bowl all in one.  What will they think of next?  (Personally, I’d love someone to invent an interactive dog toy that vacuums your house when your dog plays with it.)

First we had the Nina Ottosson smart dog toys from Sweden and now we have the all new Aikiou bowl from Canada.  The people who invented the Aikiou bowl want your dog to play with their food and they mean that quite literally. The Aikiou is a “revolutionary” dog feeding bowl that challenges your dog to use their primal instincts to hunt down their hidden food and turn mealtime into a walk on the wild side even if it’s just your kitchen.  And, the Aikiou bowl can be used as a  fun and challenging interactive dog puzzle toy that will make your dog smarter by stimulating their brain and relieving boredom along the way. This video will show you the the Aikiou in action.

The manufacturers of the Aikiou give this explanation of why your dog might enjoy eating their meals out of the Aikiou bowl:

“By necessity, animals in nature spend much of their time hunting and foraging for their meals. Dogs in particular are adept at seeking and finding food. Unfortunately, this innate problem-solving skill is often under-exericised in domesticated animals sometimes leading to unwanted behaviours around the home. The Aikiou (IQ) bowl was developed with this in mind. Food is hidden inside the bowl’s many compartments, which your dog can access by sliding the doors open or spinning the central wheel. Allowing your dog to exercise his or her problem-solving instincts with the Aikiou bowl is fun and rewarding for both you and your pet.”

The Aikiou is for big dogs....

...or small dogs.

Or, like the Nina Ottosson interactive puzzles, the Aikiou bowl can a be another “board game” where you hide treats for your dog and watch how clever they are at finding and removing them. You hide the treats in different slots or a combination of slots and then your dog uses their nose or paw to slide or twist the openings to find the treats. To keep your dog from getting bored or catching on, you can hide just one treat or hide many treats and keep changing where you put them.

If you do use the Aikiou as your dog’s bowl, one great benefit is that for dogs who inhale their food, it will slow down their eating because they’ll now be playing hide-and-seek with their food.

I’m not so sure that the Aikiou bowl will make your dog feel like a wild animal again but no matter what, it can be fun for you and your dog to play with together.  And we all need more family time with our dogs.

The Aikiou is available now at happydogsplay.com for $24.95.

Dirty Dozen or Clean 15?

If you make your dog home-cooked meals, it’s always best to buy organic ingredients but did you know that with non-organic celery,  you can get a dose of up to 76 different pesticides?   According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) , if you’re eating non-organic celery, that’s the number of pesticides you may very well be ingesting. According to the 2010 edition of EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, the top 12 pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables contain 47 to 67 different pesticides per serving.

Different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone system effects and skin, eye and lung irritation.

We all know too sadly that compared to humans, dogs live shorter lives. They also have correspondingly shorter latency periods for the development of life-threatening diseases such as cancer (Kelsey 1998).   According to truth4dogs.org, 46% of all dogs dying of disease, will die of cancer.

The Dirty Dozen (Most Contamination)

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Domestic blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Sweet bell peppers
8. Spinach, kale and collard greens
9. Cherries
10. Potatoes
11. Imported grapes
12. Lettuce

The Clean 15 (Least Contamination)

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi fruit
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet potatoes
15. Sweet onions

Notes from the EWG:

1.  The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.  Use EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all.

2.  You can lower your pesticide consumption by nearly four-fifths by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and instead eating the least contaminated produce, according to EWG calculations.  When you eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll be exposed to an average of 10 pesticides a day. When you choose fresh produce from the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll consume fewer than 2 pesticides per day.

3.  Just washing your produce isn’t the answer. The data used to create the Guide is from produce tested as it is typically eaten. This means washed and, when applicable, peeled. For example, bananas are peeled before testing, and blueberries and peaches are washed. Because all produce has been thoroughly cleaned before analysis, washing a fruit or vegetable would not change its rank in the EWG’s Shopper’s Guide (i.e. washing a conventional apple will not make it is less contaminated).

Again, you can download the complete guide or iPhone application so you have it with you when you go shopping.

At the end of Jack's life, Vincent re-appears and helps Jack make the transition from the physical to the spiritual world.

So the “Lost” were found but to me, it was never about the people finding redemption–it was always about Vincent, the Yellow Lab.  He survived the crash and was there at the beginning of the story and there at the end.

To dog lovers, “Lost” was always about Vincent and all the dogs we get to share our journeys with and how these truly spiritual and loving beings who aren’t here for us but are here with us help us become our best selves, our truest selves.  Goodbye Vincent.