My Fat Dog: The Book

One smart dog and a smarter owner: Elee the drum-playing Shiba Inu

This is a perfect example of engaging your dog in something he (or she) will really enjoy. Also, dig the crazy French rock'n'roll.  And the djembe.   

 

Zachary Quinto + short film + dogs + Kickstarter = love

Besides the fact that he's from Pittsburgh, went to CMU, scared me as Sylar, crushed it as Mr. Spock, and did a dyno-mite job in the revival of "Angels in America."

Now: He and his rescue dog Noah (who appears to have a British accent) are starring in a short film about dog adoption.   And the project, directed by Sian Heder (who! wrote! for Men of a Certain Age, my favorite series of late), is blowing up on Kickstarter, which will also raise awareness about adoption, and feature pound dogs.   Enjoy, and spread the word.

 

 

 

So, you think you keep track of your dog's life..?

Try using Daytum to do it. Daytum is a data-gathering tool that helps you measure anything in your life..or your pet's.  (The inventors have since gone to Facebook, where they kind of shook things up.)

For instance, take Charley Lhasa, a NYC pooch. From this gorgeous infographic, you can learn a lot about Charley...the kinds of dogs he meets, the length of his walks, and (very touchingly) the amount of time he's been seizure-free.

Or...GIR, inspired by Charley. Yes, GIR.  GIR's focus appears to be on chewing things up (Mum's socks), falling over (occasionally), and smelling stuff. I noticed that GIR's Daytum diary hadn't been updated in a while, and, as the owner of an older (12.5 years, in Datum time) dog, it made me pause for a while. But it looks like GIR's mum joined a startup.  Which leaves one a little less time for obsessive dog blogging.

Charley, meanwhile, has a big life beyond data, but since I can't embed his video here, you will just have to find him on his various platforms.  

 How would you use Daytum?  Would it help you manage your dog's health? I would try it, except that it is only mobile on the Apple products, and we are, so far, an Android family. And I'm not sure that I would be disciplined enough to get to my computer to track things. There is still not an app for that.

Yet.

 

 

3 women, 3 cats, some balls of yarn and a Hell's Kitchen tree: The Looons and their magic

Among the many reasons I haven't updated lately: 

My colleague Gabe Stein and I made a short film about a delightful yarn project in Hell's Kitchen, NYC.   The team calls themselves the Looons--please watch the film to see why.  Luisa and Nicki, the owner of the three cats (the ooos in the name), say that the cats were instrumental in making the tree yarn sculpture you'll see here. Sadly, the cats were not available for filming.  They were probably too busy playing with yarn. :)  Yes, I do think dogs can contribute to yarn projects.  Just not this one.  Also, please go visit the adorable home store Luisa and Nicki run, Domus.  It is eight tons of awesome.

If you live in NYC, keep an eye out for this lost dog, please: Hunny the pit!

Apparently Hunny, a sweet brindle 2-year-old, got loose on the Upper West Side three days ago. (Christmas Eve!) According to Amy, of the NYC Pit Bull Meetup, Hunny is very friendly, possibly wearing a fleece jacket, and has never been away from her owner before.  So as you're trying to get through the snow, if you see a flash of dog, please call Hunny's owner's cell.  917 902 3120 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            917 902 3120      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Poster is here:

 

 

 

Pet preparedness in hurricane season

It's hurricane season, and the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  Here's a terrific video to help you get better prepared to move your pet should you have to move quickly. One of the good things to come out of Katrina was a national pet relocation policy.

Shortcake STILL needs a home

A video from a couple of months ago. She's still looking for her forever home.Still waiting for you at Tribeca's cool doggy day care and swimming pool,  Water4dogs. Please email me if you want more details.  Because she lives at a doggy day care, she is super dog friendly.   Training?  Yep, she needs it.  But I took her out this past Saturday amongst a gigundous crowd of people biking and running and rollerblading in lower Manhattan, and all she was was friendly. 

via myfatcat.typepad.com

Always great to be reminded of this:

http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2620908

How to train your dog with doggy crack, aka venison or salmon treats..

A little video starring my dog Faith.

Too Hot for a Long Walk? Time To Train For Tricks

85 is starting to feel cool in our neck of the woods.  So our dog's not getting the walks she needs.  Until we can get her to a pool or a lake or a river or maybe even a large bucket, I do more training inside. Where to start?  How about here?  Thanks to Johan the Dog for this great library of ways to "get your trick on."  Johan's an agility dog.  How agile?  Why, agile enough to have  his own Twitter feed!