April 28, 2005
turin's city council loves dogs
CNN thinks this is "offbeat news" but I think it's kind of awesome:
Dog owners in Turin will be fined up to $650 if they don't walk their pets at least three times a day, under a new law from the city's council.
People will also be banned from dyeing their pets' fur or "any form of animal mutilation" for merely aesthetic motives such as docking dogs' tails, under the law about to be passed in the northern Italian city.
"In Turin it will be illegal to turn one's dog into a ridiculous fluffy toy," the city's La Stampa daily reported.
posted by lia at 12:37 PM
April 27, 2005
tiberius the bulldog
From the Associated Press, Tiberius Crowned King of Wrinkles, Drool:
DES MOINES, Iowa - He's a mutt with a mug only a mother could love. No matter. Tiberius, a 2 1/2-year-old English bulldog, was crowned "Most Beautiful Bulldog" on Monday and will reign as the canine king at this year's Drake Relays, Iowa's premier sporting event.
Tiberius bested about 50 other eye-catching examples of the breed from throughout the Midwest in capturing the annual contest.
"What they look for is the ugliest bulldog you can find ... droopy eyes, protruding teeth, slobbering," said Dolph Pulliam, director of Drake's community outreach and development. "He rides in a golf cart around the track as the announcer announces him as the 2005 most beautiful. ... It is a coveted thing."
I don't know about that "ugliest bulldog" part, I think Tiberius is handsome! And I think he was perfectly named too. Congratulations to him and to his family, the Swifts, from us here at Puptastic!
posted by lia at 07:08 PM
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April 26, 2005
must love dogs
Diane Lane and John Cusack's new movie, out at the end of July, is Must Love Dogs, adapted from the best-selling Claire Cook novel of the same name. Here's the teaser from the site:
Thirty-something pre-school teacher Saran Nolan (Lane) has been divorced for eight months, which is much too long for her co-workers and family to bear. With the best of intentions and only her happiness in mind, Sarah's sisters, Carol (Elizabeth Perkins) and Christine (Ali Hillis), begin lining up less-than-savory potential suitors. Meanwhile, their widowed father, Bill (Christopher Plummer), is way ahread of the curve, having already cornered the market on internet dates, including his new web squeeze, the free-spirited Dolly (Stockard Channing).
Eager to launch her sister's cyber-dating debut, Carol pretends to be Sarah, goes online and puts her profile on perfectmatch.com, with the last line being "Must love dogs."
Sarah soon endures a torrent of eager wannabes and very possibly maybe, the handsome and accomplished but surprisingly awkward web date Jake (John Cusack) as well as Bob (Dermot Mulroney), the newly-divorced dad of one of her students, a hot prospect who may prove too good to be true.
As she braves a series of hilariously disastrous mismatches and first dates, Sarah begins to trust her own instincts again and learns that, no matter what, it's never a good idea to give up on love.
PerfectMatch.com, the dating service featured in the movie, has first crack at showing the trailer to it. It's a romantic comedy, so we know who's going to end with whom (hint: the guy with the cute dog gets the girl), but hey, I'm going to watch it anyway.
I mean, Diane Lane! John Cusack! Stockard Channing in a supporting role! AND dogs aplenty! I can't imagine I won't like it.
posted by lia at 09:11 PM
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April 25, 2005
dogswalk against cancer new york 2005
When was the last time you and your dog helped save a life? Dogswalk 2005 is a non-competitive dog walk-a-thon to raise money for the fight against human and animal cancers. Join us for a tail-wagging good time!
These past two years I've woken Jarvis up early on a Sunday morning in early May to do the Dogswalk and it's been lots of fun, not to mention spiritually rewarding -- we've managed to raise a few hundred dollars for cancer research between the two of us! We're not actively fundraising this time around but if you'd like to join us, we'd be happy for the company. You can register online or at the Dogswalk, and you don't even have to have a dog to participate!
Dogswalk Against Cancer
Sunday, May 1, 2005
Riverside Park 89th St & Riverside Drive
New York, NY
Registration: 9 a.m.
Start: 10 a.m.
Call 212.237.3890 for more information.
posted by lia at 02:18 PM
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April 24, 2005
gotta get out, by jim mcintyre
How much do I love this painting by Jim McIntyre? There are lots of over lovely paintings and illustrations in his Flickr stream, and his and wife's site, bigawk.com. If you like their work, keep in mind that they do take commissions.
posted by lia at 12:38 PM
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April 23, 2005
nintendogs
Gamespot's description of Nintendogs from last month, when its Japan release was confirmed:
Nintendogs is a virtual pet game where gamers play around with one of 15 different dog breeds. The DS will use its unique functions in the game. Owners can play with their pooches using the DS's touch-screen pad, call out their puppy's name by yelling into the microphone, or even issue commands such as "sit" and "stay" by barking at the handheld. The game features more than 150 items that can be used to entertain cybercanines.
Nintendo is taking a very unique method in publishing Nintendogs. The company will release the game in three different packages, which will each start off with five different puppies. You'll be able to unlock the remaining 10 puppies that aren't available by default for your cartridge by playing the game and communicating with other owners of Nintendogs, like in a virtual dog park. Another feature sees the game communicating with other Nintendog owners and virtual dogs even in the DS's sleep mode.
Rumor has it that Nintendogs will eventually be released in the US, though they might change the title to "Puppy Times". Till then, if you really want to play it, you'll have to buy an import and risk not being able to understand what's going on in the game!
The three versions of the game released are:
Nintendogs: Shiba & Friends
- Shiba
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Toy Poodle
- Welsh Corgi Pembroke
- Miniature Pinscher
Nintendogs: Miniature Dachshund & Friends
- Miniature Dachshund
- German Shepherd
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Pug
Nintendogs: Chihuahua & Friends
- Chihuahua
- Beagle
- Shih Tzu
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Labrador Retriever
I love pugs but the shiba & corgi one sounds like the most fun. I sure hope lhasa apsos are among the thirty unlockable dogs!
Puppy Times is a blog by US players who pre-ordered the Japanese version and are trying to figure it out, even though they don't all speak Japanese. From their descriptions the game really does sound like a lot of fun with creative interaction, many levels removed from Tamagotchi.
Gamespot gave the Chihuahua & Friends cartridge a good workout and shared their thoughts (and some ultra cute screenshots!) the day of the Japan release.
And someone please please please buy me this candy pink DS so I can play Nintendogs in the future. Too cute!
posted by lia at 11:28 PM
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April 22, 2005
i heart showdog moms & dads
Depending on how you feel about reality shows and whether you show dogs or not, Bravo's new reality show Showdog Moms & Dads is either the best thing ever or the worst thing ever. I love reality tv and I don't show dogs (though I know people that do), so I'm barking mad about Showdog Moms & Dads.
The first episode was hilarious, the third episode just okay, but I think the second episode featured one of the most amazing moments in reality tv history -- and it didn't even involve one of the dogs or parents being followed for the show! No, it was a dog who attacked a man at a park that one of the showdogs was at. I transcribed his mom's tearful semi-hysterical monologue, because I love you:
"For many days I didn't bring him here because I suffer when he bites me. He bite me in my vagina! When I'm walking, he sees other dogs he right away he jump on my vagina because he get so crazy! He doesn't know who I am, he forgets everything. He bites the labrador on his penis. I don't want him to bite my labrador on the penis, my labrador is a baby, he's beautiful."
...
"In my vagina two times he bite me. but his teeths are very small and they don't damage very much. Just, they pinch!"
After all of that, the best part was when we found out what the vagina-biting dog is named.
"What's his name, the dog?" "Happy."
Can't make that shit up, ladies and gents. As my friend Alaina said, "happy the dog's mom is the BEST MOMENT IN REALITY TEEVEE. EVAR!!!111!!!!"
P.S. The production company behind the show, Worlds of Wonder, has a blog where they document their various projects, including Showdog Moms & Dads. Lots of interesting things on there, from news of the participants to miscellaneous dog news. Well worth a visit.
P.P.S. If you like Showdog Moms & Dads, you might also enjoy Christopher Guest's brilliant mockumentary Best In Show, starring Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy and Parker Posey among others.
posted by lia at 05:18 PM
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take the 'poop'
posted by ranjit at 04:36 PM
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April 10, 2005
chihuahua has his own costco card
Napoleon, whose front half is a chihuahua, has his own Costco Card. Even I don't have one.
posted by ranjit at 02:43 PM
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April 06, 2005
dogs do laugh!
Science triumphs again, proving that dogs can laugh!
Professor Panksepp, of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, US, explains that neural circuits for laughter exist in "ancient" parts of our brain, whose general structure is shared amongst many animals.
They've seen evidence of laughter in dogs as well as in rats and chimpanzees, although they had to use different jokes.
posted by ranjit at 02:42 PM
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April 02, 2005
dogs really do look like their owners
News flash: top scientists of science have proven that dogs really do look like their owners.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego showed that people choose purebred dogs that resemble them. But they weren't so fussy when it came to choosing a mongrel.
Isn't science wonderful?
posted by ranjit at 01:19 AM
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