| 'Yappy Hours' and more for your dogs
I don't like the yappy little ones that nip at your feet or the loud, big ones that stick their noses in places they don't belong. I like the ones that lie in the shade and gently snore. I liked my friend's boxer Samson (rest in peace) who was big and drool-y. So when I was asked to be on the dog committee (aka the "paws" committee and the "Fifi" committee) for the park district, I was a bit hesitant. Everyone else on the committee has at least one pet. In fact, they have lizards and horses and cats and dogs and probably other animals roaming about their homes and yards that they haven't mentioned yet. But I agreed because I am generally a nice person who looks like a dog lover. Little did I know that the committee, aside from planning fun events, had a secondary, more surreptitious goal: to make me the adoptive mother of some poor pooch.
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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E-Cards Have Gone to the Dogs; Cats Fight Back!
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.
Texas boxer is champ as dog show ends
Michael Shepherd's 4-year-old boxer, Monroe, received the all-breed "Best in Show" honors Sunday in the second day of an American Kennel Association-sanctioned all-breed dog show at Jackson Fairgrounds Park.
The Flower Mound, Texas, man is a second-generation dog show competitor, and Monroe is no mere pup.
"It's our 68th all-breed best in show," Shepherd said.
What's the secret to their success?
"Good dog. Good owner. Luck," he said.
Following is a list of all Sunday's champions:
* Hound Group: Beagle (15 inch) Ch Springfield N Skyline's Big Shot, Urbandale, Iowa
* Working Group: Boxer Ch Bayview Some Like It Hot, Flower Mound, Texas
* Non-Sporting Group: Keeshonden Ch Trumpet's Jumpin' Jack Flash, Memphis
* Sporting Group: English Setter Ch Esthetes Fandango, Winchester, Ky.
Crazy canine competition
- Dusty whimpered as he watched his toy duck float away, but the golden retriever was leery of jumping off a 3-foot-high dock to retrieve it. Chris Gates and his 12-year-old daughter, Brittany, petted, coaxed and splashed Dusty, as other dog owners standing around the small pond at Forever Friends Pet Care Center yelled encouraging words. After several tries, Gates did what any dog-loving dad would do. He jumped into the pond. Dusty eventually followed. "Did I have the arc?" joked a dripping-wet Gates. Welcome to DockDogs, where dog owners end up having as much fun as their dogs - maybe more. The sport, often called "Big Air," first appeared on ESPN in 2000 and since has become the fastest-growing dog activity in the country, says Tina McLaughlin, president of Buckeye DockDogs, Ohio's only club.
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