Trend spotting is easy. Sales figures go up sharply when something new catches on, whether it's rap music, hybrid cars, or the newest i-phone. Remember when most homes didn't even have a computer? It's no surprise that since busy people everywhere are choosing to communicate at the speed of light in every way, e-cards have forged their way into our culture. But dog-loving e-cards? And what about the cat lovers? They need to send greetings, too!

www.SloppyKissCards.com debuted in June of 2006 and the site has already caught on in a big way. For just $9.95 USD, members can send customized greetings with any of more than 50 different breeds of dogs featured on the card. The combinations are unlimited.

Sloppy Kiss Cards is the brainchild of Nicole Stocker, a former Microsoft employee.

Editor's Diary: Snowey the Dog

I don't want to write about politics this time around, or journalism or even my life abroad. The only thing really on mind these days is my friend Snowey.

I saw Snowey on a website for Samoyeds that need a home.

Dangerous dog crackdown

“I think we have the strongest dangerous dog bylaw in the city," councillor Abe Gonshor said last month.$"/>$"/>The bylaw was sparked by recent incidents where a dog named Rosco bit two residents, one this past winter and another last summer. $"/>$"/>A dangerous dog is defined in the bylaw as one that “shows a propensity to attack or injure without provocation," actually attacks a person or animal, has been trained by its owner to attack on command and is a pure or mixed pit bull, Staffordshire bull-terrier, American bull-terrier and American Staffordshire terrier.$"/>$"/>The bylaw requires owners to make sure dogs do not attack people or other animals, are kept inside or in an enclosed outside area and, when off the property, are muzzled.$"/>$"/>Owners who violate the rules must remove the dog from the town and provide proof of this within 10 days of receiving a notice.$"/>$"/>“If the owner fails to comply after receiving the notice [demanding the dog's removal from the town], the public security director may cause the dog to be captured and turned over to the SPCA or euthanized," the bylaw says.

Dog’s name, River, is becoming an ironic label

It turns out I named a dog that can't swim after a body of water.As a good dog owner and San Marcos resident, I, of course, wanted to take my dog to the river and let her swim, chase tennis balls and do other dog stuff. Too bad that it turns out River may be the first ever dog that doesn't have the doggy paddle ingrained in her DNA.That's why I've found myself, on my last two trips to the river, giving my dog what I think may be the first ever canine swimming lessons. I figured I wouldn't have to teach swimming until I have a kid, and then I can enroll him in proper lessons so he learns not to take shortcuts. Of course, public pools won't take seven-month old Irish Setters into their swimming tutorial programs and I wouldn't pay for it anyway. That left me, River's hefty owner, to handle the process of teaching her how to swim.

Pit bulls battle stereotype

Even though the meaty dogs get a bad rap for being aggressive, people are still breeding, adopting and loving them. Like it or not, pit bulls are here to stay in Beloit and their owners couldn't be more proud. Behind every pit bull is its own unique tale.Zack and Pattie Dotson, employees for School District of Beloit, want to break the stereotype of the mean pit bull. They are the parents of a deaf and albino pit bull named Jake.

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