Monthly Archives: January 2014

Step 1: Get a bowl. Step 2: Put a puppy in that bowl.

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Step 3: Enjoy today’s dose of Friday linkage. It’s that easy.

  1. First up, your punny pet name: Hayton Manning (for a horse, obviously).
  2. So, let’s talk about the most important bowl in the cupboard this weekend. That’s right… the Puppy Bowl is almost here! Who’s on your fantasy team?

    This is a puppy bowl, but not THE Puppy Bowl. (via giphy.com)

  3. Forget Behind the Music. Let’s go behind the Puppy Bowl! (Here’s even more behind the scenes action. You’re welcome.)
  4. You may have already seen it by now, but if not… Budweiser has officially won the advertising portion of the Super Bowl. (I don’t normally go for a Bud Light. However, the next time my only choices are of the cheap beer variety, I think I’ll have to give it the edge.)
  5. Speaking of ads, these guys are a strong contender in the less prestigious (but still intriguing) non-animal division. (Unfortunately, this year’s crop of ads aren’t all winners. Le sigh.)
  6. Anyway… wondering who will win the actual game that’s being played on Sunday? These puppies know the answer.

CarMax made an all-puppy reenactment of its Super Bowl ad this year. I heard that it was only going to be posted online, but this really has Puppy Bowl written all over it:

http://youtu.be/U5YL8aRwO0g

Next year, I think all Super Bowl ads should be reenacted with adorable animals and aired during the various Adorable Bowls.

Finally, in case you missed it, here’s what we’ve been up to on the blog lately:

Who are you rooting for this weekend? The Broncos? The Seahawks? Opie? Wyatt? Pong? (Choose your favorite player here.)

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Who run the world? Squirrels.

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You guys… I am seriously slacking off. I almost forgot that today is Squirrel Appreciation Day (aka Kolchak’s least favorite holiday).

Shocking, I know. (via gihpy.com)

Thanks for the reminder, Cute Overload.

In honor of this momentous day, I give you a bevy of squirrel-related puns.

You’re welcome. (via giphy.com)

Settle in with a cup of Squirrel Grey Tea (the drink of choice for refined squirrels everywhere) and enjoy this journey through the annals of squirrel history.

Continue reading →

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Are dogs furry kids?

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I (somewhat) recently read a piece from Smithsonian Magazine that posed the following question: Are Dogs Now Just Furry Kids? I figured it would be your typical article about how people spend a lot on their dogs, dress them up, and do crazy things like blog about them.

I was wrong.

Instead, it was all science-y and stuff. Researchers have found that the human-dog bond is in some ways very similar to a parent-child bond.

Now, I’m not one who considers myself a mom to my pups (I don’t really know what word I’d use), but I thought I’d do my own non-scientific analysis as to whether dogs are simply furry children. (Being an English major, my “scientific analysis” is really just an imaginary debate I had in my own head. Just roll with it, okay?)

Continue reading →

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Animal Odd Couples 2: Eclectic Boogaloo

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I like animals who break the mold. Those who refuse to conform to peer pressure and boldly look outside their own species for friends. After all, who am I to argue with generations of Disney movies saluting interspecies friendships?

via giphy.com

(And yes, I’m totally aware that I have done way more than two posts about animal odd couples. However, the number three bazillion didn’t yield any catchy rhyming titles with a completely random pop culture reference. I’m sure you understand.)

  1. First up, your punny pet names: Fawn Luc-Picard and James Flea Kirk.
  2. Never was there a story of more aww than that of Meowliet and her Droolio. (Or Drooliet and her Meowreo if you’re so inclined.)
  3. I wonder if this pair just plays that “let me tell you ’bout my best friend” song on repeat. If not, they should.
  4. I wish I could go back in time and show Tod and Copper that there was hope after all. You could have made it work, guys!
  5. Ever hope that a Rodent of Unusual Size would find love in this crazy world? (I mean, this is a thing that normal people think about, right?) As you wish.
  6. Well, this little guy is basically an odd couple in and of himself. It’s like a chick and a hamster had an unexpected love connection. Or a duck and a gerbil?
  7. Speaking of unexpected combinations… Sir Patrick Stew can moo, can you?
  8. Also rather moo-ving: “At first, it was all about the milk, but then… then I realized I was really just coming here to see you!“

Let’s take this to the next level. Coming soon, to a theater near you: in a world of cats and boxes, one cat followed his heart and declared his love… for a bag:

http://youtu.be/Lin7BGQUs8o

What can we learn from today’s linkage? Follow your heart. The resulting friendship might just be adorable.

Oh, and in case you missed anything, here’s what we’ve been up to on the blog lately:

Have a great weekend!

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Shelters you should know: Meet FOHA in northern Virginia

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Blog the ChangeFor this round of Blog the Change for Animals, I wanted to (once again) highlight an organization that has been helping animals since before I was a twinkle in my parents’ eyes.

Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) in northern Virginia has been serving the DC area since 1973. In 2012, FOHA gave me a wonderful place to volunteer and a new pup in the form of Tavish. In 2013, FOHA celebrated its 40th anniversary. This year, the fantastic folks at FOHA are continuing this important work into year forty-one. Continue reading →

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Forget the polar vortex – let’s talk about the Molar Vortex

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In light of the recent weather event – affectionately* known as the polar vortex – I’ve made a decision.** In the summer of 2012, shortly after he joined our home, Tavish went in for a dental appointment. On that fateful day, he said farewell to eight teeth.*** In honor of those brave enamel soldiers**** that gave their lives that day, I hereby proclaim the great teeth pulling of 2012… the Molar Vortex.

It would also be a good name for what happened to this guy:

via giphy.com

Oh, Bumble.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

*Affectionately? More like scornfully. Mournfully. I-wish-I-lived-somewhere-warm-fully. (I know, I know… that last one’s just a near rhyme. Call it poetic license. If you can do better, the floor is yours, Wordsworth.)

**I’ve also been plagued by the following cheer, inspired by one I heard in high school: “Brrrr. It’s cold in here! There must be a vortex in the atmosphere!”

***Life on the streets is rough, yo. (Or maybe life on the dirt roads? Those aren’t really streets.) There are no roving dentists offering free dental care to adorable homeless dogs making their way in the world today. It takes everything they’ve got. Taking a break from all their worries sure would help a lot. (Wouldn’t you like to get away… from me and my meandering thoughts? Probably.)

****Martika, I think we found your next big hit song. (I don’t know why I just decided that Martika is a regular reader, but how funny would it be if she was?)

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I like navel gazing, but I hate belly buttons

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Pet Blogger Challenge Jan. 10

I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I only like navel gazing (or, as our friend Pamela would call it, omphaloskepsis) when it’s metaphorical. Please keep your abdomens covered or – at a minimum – at a reasonable distance from my eyeballs. I can’t quite explain why, but belly buttons really weird me out.

Now that we’ve established some boundaries, dear reader, let’s move on to the real topic. (Full disclosure: I may have actually directed a few lines of “Take a Look at Me Now” at the mirror in order to psych myself up before writing this post, but let’s just keep that between us, okay?) This bout of self-reflection has been prompted by the annual Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by Go Pet Friendly and Will My Dog Hate Me, two of my favorite blogs. Continue reading →

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