Cute Alert: Afro Ken

I'm not sure why I haven't heard of Afro Ken until recently since I adore cute Japanese characters. He definitely is running neck and neck with Whiplash the cowboy monkey as the most awesomest thing I've seen this month. According to Wikipedia, Afro Ken is a Japanese character created by the San-X company. He is a dog with a rainbow-colored afro who is innocent, blameless and always in a good mood. Afro Ken is always willing to try new things and is attracted to objects that look like he does(?). His hair changes to look like these things as he gets close to them. There is an Afro Ken Family Tree with other dog characters, such as Techno Ken, Funky Ken, Lord Ken, Super Afro Ken, and Normal Ken (does not have wild hair). Here's a video of Afro Ken set to the "Who Let the Dogs Out" song. I like the beer and pea afros. Cute!

New York's "Queen of Mean" Leaves $12 Million to Her Dog

Leona Helmsley, the US hotel billionaire who died recently at the age of 87 just had her will read in court on Tuesday. She's apparently left the sum of $12 million to her dog, Trouble, a white Maltese. She apparently snubbed her two grandchildren in the process. If nothing else I guess this proves that every dog DOES have his/her day.

Swimming Classes for Pampered Pooches

A while ago, I posted a video about a dog spa in California raising the bar in dog pampering. Now, New York is showing its own sign of pampering. According to this article, there's a place that offers swimming lessons for those dogs who are less prone to be nautical than say, a lab. I suppose a person can look at that and remark that it's silly. But actually, I find it to be an idea of good taste. The lessons seem to cost about $15 dollars, and the instructors, according to the article, are very caring with each dog they instruct. Not to mention all the benefits that come from the exercise. So at this point, I say "why not?" If dogs are getting facials, and horoscopes, why not spend a little money to pamper them in a way that will make them both happy and healthy?

Fall Preview: Oscar Newman

Oscar Newman usually designs very girly girl items, with lots of pink and ruffles. We were please to see some "masculine" touches for this fall, such as the houndstooth and argyle. It's preppy with a bling touch!

Fall Preview: Emma Rose Design

We met up with Carol and Sherry, the design team behind Emma Rose Design, at Pet Fashion Week(end). Their hottest pieces? The metallic leather dresses! I was drooling over all the colors, red, lime green, turquoise and fuchsia. These are truly gorgeous dresses and I hinted to them that they should make a matching one for us 2-leggers. If your dog has one of these, you can be sure she is at the top of the fashion food chain. Fabulous!

Pet Fashion Week: Hair Raising

This past weekend I attended Pet Fashion Week (which curiously only occurs during the weekend) and saw some crazy, creative coifs. This is the equivalent of seeing an extravagant Paris Haute Couture show by Galliano and perhaps we can take some key points and trickle down to some wearable street styles. This year was skulls, next year snakes!

George Carlin "Life is a Series of Dogs"

Yesterday I made mention of George Carlin, and we've been without focus on any celebrities lately. So here's a little bit from our pal, George, about the secret of life and dogs.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Woofs

Sometimes, phishing through the net can be a lengthy task. Especially while looking for something worthwhile, or even as a rare gem of a treat. And so I've found some pictures to share, some of 'em creepy, some of 'em funny, and a couple of 'em downright cute.
This photo makes me think of the movie "CHUDS." Really, how unsettling is that? That's probably an adorable doggie too, when it's not brandishing a needle and showing red eyes of anger. Actually, on second inspection... that's more of pink. All right, I feel at ease. Next up...


George Carlin's got this bit where he talks about dogs having eyebrows and that leads them to have more realistic facial expressions. He thinks that if you look your dog in the face and then think about a certain event in your life, your dog's expression will match your thoughts. So, with all this established, what do you think this dog's owner was thinking about?




Hahaha... this is one of those things best kept as a joke. I'd rather not see in the news about someone actually trying to accomplish this
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If you haven't said "awwww..." to this, you're some sort of monster.

Fall Trend: Gray is the New Black

It's sometimes hard to think about fall and winter clothes during August since we're still in tank tops and flip flops, sweating, but we've got to get a head start on wardrobe planning. We don't want to be stuck in the middle of the season without something new to wear! Last year, brown made a big splash as the neutral to have. This year, gray is making headlines as the new neutral. It's turned up on many fall runways, from casual to business to evening wear. It's subdued and classic. On a grayscale of 1 to 10, we give it a 10!

Fall Preview: George

It's that time of the year when your fashion magazines are the size of the Yellow Pages. We're looking forward to seeing the new fall styles and recently met up with one of our favoritest dog clothes and accessories designers, George. Known for their clean, modern designs and fashionable colors, George does not disappoint. This season we have functional, tough-wearing, rain-proof corda shell jackets in bold colors and pleasing contrasting trim. Their bedding color palette is a gentle smoky-gray-blue-green, made in their signature corduroy. It's stylish, well-constructed and fun! Check back for more fall previews!

Donkey Back Rider

All right...so the first person to explain to me how this dog perfectly balances himself whilst asleep on this donkey gets a shiny new donkey. Also, at what point do you figure that the dog fell off as the donkey strutted about? And if there are horoscopes for dogs, are there horoscopes for donkeys too? According to Google, no and I'd like to keep it that way, thank you.

It's All in the Stars

So, horoscopes... some of us read them. We're not even sure why. They seldom speak to us. I mean, they're more for the general zodiac. After all, what happens when you're not the typical Capricorn, Leo, or Sagittarius? Probably a totally opposite effect. Heck, sometimes it's downright cruel when you get a horoscope proclaiming your day will be great when what really happens is that you get hit with a downpour while cars splash mud all over your brand new duds.

But I digress about my weekend...

There's enough of an absurdity when it comes to human horoscopes. But then we come to the field that is the dog horoscope. Now, you'd think that breed and upbringing enough would determine all you need to know about your canine counterpart. However, no... the stars seem to play a role in it too. At DogHoroscope.com, your dog can find a comprehensive understanding of her astrological sign... if she could read. If your dog can, that is beyond amazing.

Anyway, I'm not all down about the notion of this site. There are some pretty useful tips for dog owners as to how to treat or deal with certain details in regards to dog ownership. And these tips are all provided by "Sir Loin."

If you're wondering about Sir Loin's qualifications, he's a graduate of Bowser University with a bachelor's in Puppyism. He attained his Master's after completing his thesis as a Rhodes Scholar in "DOGMA"--having attended Cambridge in England. Now THAT is an education.

2-Legged Wonder

So, we've all got a string of things we cannot or choose not to do because of some hindrance or another. You can't start that business because of your lack of funds or lack of knowledge in how to get started. You want to write that novel, but you can never find the time. There's always that hike you're thinking about, but is it really worth all that effort?

Then we get reminded of the poster of the cat on the clothesline with the caption "hang in there, baby!" (or whatever it is, I forget). Anyway, still images are great, but it's easy to lose that motivational point. Luckily for you, I've found the moving images that will stir you towards a different mindset. In short, this'll teach you to walk on your own two legs and appreciate it.

"But Lu, I've always had two legs!" I'm sure you're saying. Well, two legs is fine and dandy for us bipeds... but what about animals that are used to two extra legs? Watch below.



Now after watching all that, and seeing how a dog like that can still lead a happy life... doesn't it make you want to re-evaluate your own limitations?

The Mythical Double-Nosed Andean Tiger Hound

It sounds like something straight out of a Harry Potter book or Indiana Jones movie, but Colonel John Blashford-Snell, a professional adventurer, spotted a rare dog with 2 noses in Bolivia. He said, "While we were there, sitting by the fire one night, I saw an extraordinary-looking dog that appeared to have two noses. I was sober at the time, and then I remembered the story that the legendary explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett came back with in 1913 of seeing such strange dogs in the Amazon jungle."

The Colonel first spotted this dog named Bella in 2005. When he returned in 2007, he encountered Bella's son, Xingu, who also has 2 noses. The Colonel noted that Xingu is intelligent, has a great sense of smell, and other dogs snarl at him because they can sense he is different. Maybe we need to recall the story of Rudolph to these other doggies and let them know it's okay to have a different nose!

Monkey + Dog + Cowboys = Awesome!

OMG, I think this might be the most awesomest thing I've seen in my life (okay overdramatic...at least within this month). Whiplash is a Capuchin Monkey who herds sheep, while riding a border collie. Even though a monkey is taking top billing over a dog, we're okay with it since Whiplash is really talented, cute and...kind of studly at the same time! He's got a great wardrobe and his Taco Johns commercial outfit reminds me of Clint Eastwood from the spaghetti westerns.

Belzer - Dog Worshipper

Richard Belzer is one of the stars of Law and Order SVU. What most people may not realize about this gruff looking TV detective is that he is an avid dog lover. He's usually seen with his Bebe, whom he found in a small French village. Well, the tale is more his to tell, so feel free to watch below.

Warning: this video contains mature language:

Marvel-ous Tees

So, let it be known... I'm a nerd at heart. I do nerdy stuff. I listen to soundtracks to games and movies. I read comics. Though would I be so willing to expand such nerdiness to my dog? It's tempting.

See that to the left? That there's a dog-tee sporting Captain America. And it comes in numerous varieties. Alongside Cap there's the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, the Invisible Woman, Wolverine, and my personal favorite--the Hulk.

Personally, while I find the concept lovely, I may find it easier just to buy my dog the "Pow" charm. Now that's nerdy and understated!

Pet Luxury Hotel

So there are those of us who spoil our dogs rotten. My golden's a brat, and knows how to get what she wants from me. But the idea comes along every so often that we have to be seperated, and she has to be left in a kennel. Well, it seems one establishment is looking to change all that, Wag Hotels.



That's right, folks, a hotel that caters and pampers your dogs and cats. Until I found out about this hotel, I didn't even know that a dog could get a facial (though every so often I see one that could use it). There are locations in San Francisco and Sacramento, California for now with some intentions of spanning throughout the state. If it keeps up, don't be too surprised to see them start popping up around here.

I'm a bit jealous though. For those rates, you can't even get half that stuff at a human hotel. I think I need to reconsider things for my next life...

Rent-a-Dog

Do you have a full-time life but want a part-time pet? Flexpetz tries to fill that void in your life by allowing part-time ownership of a dog. Common reasons cited for not being able to have a dog full-time: pet restrictions where you live (common in New York City), heavy traveling for work (common with many New Yorkers I know) and/or a busy family schedule. The program allows you to spend time with a dog, from a couple of hours a day to a number of days. Most of the dogs are rescued (which is great), trained, healthy and come with a bed, food and water bowls, walking leash and GPS collar. Flexpetz is currently operating in Los Angeles and San Diego, with new locations in New York City, San Francisco and London opening this fall 2007. If you've used this service, we'd love to hear the feedback.

Even the iDog Wears Clothes!

First came the iPod, now the iDog. No, it's not made by Apple but Hasbro - so you know it's mainly a toy for kids (and kid-like adults) to play their music. Turn on the tunes and the iDog will flash lights, tilt its head, and lift its ears to the beat. It seemed cute enough, but when I saw the accessories, it went from "oh that's cute" to "I want one". Granted there's not a lot of outfits - it looks like the same one in different colors, but still, that is darn cute to have a music player with clothing accessories!