tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159758642010-02-20T18:01:09.936-05:00great cities, great dogshowboynoreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-84531604892808694272010-02-19T23:22:00.016-05:002010-02-20T18:01:09.944-05:00

Jack Russell terrier, rough coat, white with brown silky ears, 15 lbs, a little chunky. This lovely, well-behaved dog was found wandering on Queen St. W. in Toronto. No collar, no tags, no microchip. A great city dog. Low maintenance, enthusiastic, affectionate, good on lead. Free to a good home.The backstoryOn Valentine's Day, a guy on a bike picked this little darling up so she wouldn't get

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-84211720807102127932010-02-13T13:34:00.001-05:002010-02-13T16:55:37.718-05:00

Thanks to Ryan Bauer of dogfencediy.com for sending along this article by vet Susan Wright. Ryan sells invisible, electronic dog fencing, which he supplies in a do it yourself (diy) format, at substantial savings. I'm not sure I'm for electronic anything when it comes to dogs, but on the other hand, bad behavior is very challenging and one needs stuff that works. Before Barking Has Shattered Your

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-90540034853148820822009-11-28T13:17:00.003-05:002009-11-28T13:50:37.203-05:00

If you live in the Ottawa area, you want to know about Malcolm and Christine Watson's boarding service BoneVoyage, which they started in 2004 as an alternative to conventional kennels. Anyone who has had to board their dog while they are traveling will appreciate how hard it is to leave your dog with a stranger where they will spend most of the day in a gated compound.BoneVoyage places dogs in

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-14818951263937490292009-10-16T13:08:00.003-04:002009-10-16T13:58:50.378-04:00

Today, October 16th, 1 p.m. EST. The program's called Living Out Loud and is hosted by Robin Brown.It's always good to hear a special program on dogs. This one, titled the Dog Show, is interesting because it's about some of the less attractive aspects of dogs. Creeps in the dog park, the perils of doggie doodoo, "reluctant" dog owners, dog therapists, service dogs ...One segment, Memo to Oreo by

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-92188124253881485742009-05-11T21:32:00.004-04:002009-05-11T22:06:27.735-04:00

This little guy on the left, a critter introduced in the new Star Trek movie, is cute cute cute! It's the eyes that made it so. Those tiny lights set in deep dark sockets are a stroke of genius, capturing perfectly the loyalty, attentiveness and ineffable twinkle in every dog's eyes.Loved the movie too. The characters were remarkably credible versions of the originals, Spock and Kirk in

howboynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-63652578727775012012009-03-22T12:42:00.006-04:002009-03-22T13:35:00.666-04:00

What's in a name? Quite a lot if you want to be a mass market personality. Rapper K'Naan's name is witty and with it's explicit Somali ring, distinctive, indicative of what some people are calling the clear emergence of globalized media.K'Naan - ABC's feat. Chubb RockIt's been at least a few years since I bought a CD. I just am not that into music, and frankly have never had that kind of

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-45394766805984238512009-01-16T09:59:00.004-05:002010-02-19T22:10:56.584-05:00

This is still the best article I've found on why dogs can stand cold weather. Written by Tom Greelee, the article appeared in the March, 1971 issue of Northern Dog News and in the January, 1971 issue of the Newsletter of the Samoyed Club of Colorado.http://www.awpi.com/Combs/Huskies/Cooling.htmlThe gist of it is that dogs' blood circulation system is fundamentally different than ours as is the

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-39539745267194450502008-12-29T15:57:00.001-05:002009-01-16T09:49:27.641-05:00

Man can now fly in the air like a bird, swim under the ocean like a fish, he can burrow in the ground like a mole. Now if only he could walk the earth like a man, this would be paradise.- Tommy Douglas [Robert Bateman book bag: source]This post is not about dog behavior. It's about people behaving like dogs, in politics, in Canadian politics more particularly.First off, a little background about

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-30087036043497116162008-12-16T15:41:00.004-05:002008-12-16T16:21:00.709-05:00

Photo: Geoffrey James, Trinity Bellwoods Park, 2006It's wonderful how the off leash area sort of levels the playing field, with all types of people coming together over their common love of dogs. It's how I've been fortunate to get to know photographer Geoffrey James, who revealed recently and somewhat shyly that he has been taking photos of dogs and their owners for some time now. Above is an

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-39555508749092282822008-12-03T15:07:00.004-05:002008-12-03T15:44:48.674-05:00

Make your own leash image above from Methods and Ideas.Wendy Diamond at the Huffington Post offers these tips for the austerity decade ahead:1. Buy your cat and dog food in bulk.Good advice at any time, bigger bags are better. But not so big you have to drive your SUV to get them home. In fact, buying locally, within walking distance is a good idea. Don't live close to anything. Move.2. Get rid

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-88548543759890339772008-11-17T15:45:00.006-05:002008-11-17T17:07:00.858-05:00

Having published a couple of posts about the Obama family's hopes of getting a dog, I subscribed to a Google Alert for "Obama dog" so I could follow the news. I expected that my own posts would appear in the Alerts but to date nada.So I surfed around a little bit and found a number of bloggers talking about the same problem: how to get your blog posts noticed by Google Alerts.Haley Lovett at All

howboynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-79204615735122810152008-11-12T10:38:00.005-05:002008-11-12T12:14:09.546-05:00

This topic is growing like Topsy, demonstrating how a story that hits the mass media can generate spin offs like a sit com.Peru is offering the Obamas a hairless. Good for them. Best publicity they've had in... a dog's age, though the dog, to be frank, looks like a bat and is often toothless, inappropriate for a new U.S. government.Meanwhile vets have their stethoscopes in a knot over the idea of

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-90189220965395302482008-11-11T12:01:00.005-05:002008-11-11T14:24:00.218-05:00

Help the Obamas choose their first puppy here.[Chicago Tribune poll - Shih Tzu is 9th currently with 7.6% of the vote, shelter dog way out front at 53%]It may be not exactly be top of mind for politicians and business folk but for the nation, what kind of dog the Obamas choose is both emotionally engaging and deeply symbolic. According to a Google News search there have been over 200 articles

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-60333568233102107632008-11-07T12:03:00.007-05:002008-11-07T13:23:53.563-05:00

Barack Obama promised his kids a puppy if he won. And he did. Now the challenge will be to pick the perfect White House pooch. Apparently Joe Biden also promised his wife they could get a dog. Is anybody blogging about this, giving them advice? In fact they are:Amy Althouse mentions that the Obama's are being pressured to adopt a rescue.Sue Nelson thinks they should get a lab.Amelia Glynn thinks

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-86142365142125799272008-10-30T16:35:00.003-04:002008-10-30T16:44:37.880-04:00

I meant to post these ages ago. A recent post by my friends Christian and Julie over in Parkdale on their new blog, Ink In Our Veins, about some anonymous public art in their neighbourhood reminded me.Here's another one, posted here previously. Same artist?

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-81855480450042617702008-10-18T09:48:00.002-04:002008-10-18T10:08:02.687-04:00

Another election, second in as many years, at a taxpayer cost of $300m, and for what? another minority government. I suppose you can't blame Prime Minister Stephen Harper for trying though; he gained 19 seats, inching closer to a majority that would allow him to do pretty much what he does anyway, introduce legislation and bully the opposition until it passes.Harper remains the "big dog" in

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-25740464744541590422008-09-15T19:45:00.002-04:002008-09-15T19:49:27.989-04:00

OMG this seems just too fucked up:http://www.petsofhomeless.com/until you think about it.Not unlike thinking about the dogs of Lebanon or Iraq.Welcome to Republican America and Conservative Canada.

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-8251999931847661712008-02-18T21:04:00.004-05:002008-02-18T21:34:05.360-05:00

It is of course ridiculous to say that I consider my dog an artwork. (btw did you know that "ridiculous" now means cool; somebody told me that yesterday in the dog park. Sick! :)Okay, so language is pretty f'd up (but in a good way). But serially, from the beginning I thought this 'dog thing' I seemed determined to do (for reasons I have never clearly understood and have therefor to be taken to

howboynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-86580731484902078612008-02-16T21:37:00.003-05:002008-02-16T21:42:06.946-05:00

Most breed evaluations on the web will make note of breed limitations or unusual characteristics. Here's a very nice, short bit about the Shih Tzu, that is very true (in my experience) but also nothing you can't cope with; it's just useful to know in advance.about the Shih Tzu on amazines.com

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-9007538264484229652008-01-20T16:32:00.000-05:002008-01-20T16:35:23.664-05:00

From the folks who brought you the amazin' icanhascheezburger website:ihasahotdog

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-80981483190662780852008-01-19T15:46:00.001-05:002008-01-19T16:17:26.703-05:00

Is this expression based on how dogs are treated or on how hard they work?I think it's more the former. If you are working like a dog, it's like being beaten into submission. "Working like a dog," as an expression, is akin to "it's a dog's life." Because otherwise, dogs don't work very hard, and most dogs lives are pretty darn good.No matter that dog valorizers will surely disagree: Some people

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-17360862241547313762007-09-22T18:05:00.000-04:002007-12-02T18:55:38.118-05:00

I've been putting off this post but it feels inevitable that I should weigh in on the question of what is a Great City Dog. The caveat is that any breed can be a great city dog; it depends so much on what you do with your dog. I see all kinds of dogs in our local dog park, Trinity Bellwoods in Toronto, and some are great and some are not so great but it rarely has anything to do with breed.That

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-62677493157989506502007-08-30T00:04:00.000-04:002007-08-30T00:44:55.613-04:00

My dog has started being afraid of going out at night. It started one night with fireworks... stupid me; I wanted to see the Canada Day light show on the CNTower... I didn't think; she came along and there were kids setting off fireworks all over the place. Oreo took off across the park, stopping only when she got across the street on the far side.Also she's also been spending time with a

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-19456341620312335622007-07-29T23:12:00.000-04:002007-07-29T23:57:13.778-04:00

As I entered the dog park off leash area the other day, one dog decided to run at me and bark. Another followed and before you know there was a whole pack of them. I'm pretty good with that sort of thing, knowing that some dogs just sort of "do that," but this one dog was pretty "brave" and as he got closer and louder, it kind of scared me. Which was, no doubt, his point. His owner came

howboynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15975864.post-48428518674760764272007-06-09T17:05:00.000-04:002007-07-29T23:12:09.186-04:00

Great article in the Star today about dog licensing in Calgary:http://www.thestar.com/article/223399City licenses are unnecessary when most animals are microchipped and have rabies tags. People don't want to pay for licenses that are redundant. But if there are other services, like effective return of lost animals and humane housing and care for strays, then maybe... com'on City of Toronto,

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