Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A lab made in a lab.....

It's nice to know that over the years these owners have donated more money to the Humane Society than they spent to clone their beloved dog but I can't help thinking there are some "scientists" in Korea pretend swimming in a bed full of cash right now. I'm willing to bet they "cloned" Lancelot with a local breeder and kept the extra $154,000 for themselves.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

AKC's top 10 breeds of 2008 (USA and Boston)

Yesterday the AKC released it's top 10 list of purebred dogs compiled from their registrations in 2008. Below are the lists for both the U.S.A. and the city of Boston.

The labrador retriever came in first for the 18th year in a row, and more than twice as many Labs were registered with the AKC than any other breed last year.

UNITED STATES
---------------------
1. Labrador retriever
2. Yorkshire terrier
3. German shepherd
4. Golden retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Bulldog
9. Poodle
10. Shih tzu


BOSTON
------------
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Bulldog
4. Golden Retriever
5. Yorkshire Terrier **
6. Boxer
7. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
8. Dachshund ***
9. Beagle
10. Boston Terrier/Pug ****

* Registration data pulled from Boston zip codes as specified by U.S. Postal Service
** Tied for 4th
*** Tied for 7th
**** Tied for 9th

"The Bulldog’s popularity grew nationally as well as in Boston, rising from sixth most popular breed to third place," said AKC Spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "Also noteworthy, the Boston Terrier, named after the city, and affectionately called the (American Gentleman) tied with the Pug and Beagle for ninth place."

Friday, January 16, 2009

As I write this post the temperature in Boston is a bitter 15 degrees (but it feels like 4 degrees with the windchill...thanks weather.com). Balki was a trooper this morning and made the walk to the store in his boots, tshirt and puffy coat.

If your dog is having trouble battling the elements this winter, here's an article from Tails Magazine that offers some pointers on how to keep them as warm as possible while outside.

And here's a photo of Isla, the Cairn Terrier, in her brand spanking new Epiks boots from Gooby.

Monday, January 12, 2009

You may have seen Mickey Rourke's Golden Globe acceptance speech last night for best actor but if you haven't, here's an excerpt:

"I'd like to thank all my dogs, the ones that are here and the ones that aren't here any more because sometimes when a man's alone that's all you got is your dog and they meant the world to me."

How great is that? I'm going to see the movie just because of that quote...doesn't hurt that it has received great reviews so far too!

Rourke even brought Loki, his 16 year old chihuahua/terrier cross, with him to the Venice Film Festival red carpet ceremony because she was getting so old that he wanted to spend every last minute he could with her. Wow.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

How did "Balki" not make the list?

Better luck next year, Rover. The top 10 dog names of 2008 have been announced by Veterinary Pet Insurance, a pet health insurance provider. The list was compiled from their database of more than 450,000 insured pets. They also discovered that some of the most popular dog and cat names also rank among the Social Security Administration's most popular baby names. Drumroll please....

10. Chloe
9. Sophie
8. Daisy
7. Maggie
6. Buddy

5. Lucy
4. Molly
3. Bella
2. Bailey
1. Max

Friday, January 2, 2009

2009 and we all still hate Michael Vick....


Our best selling dog t-shirt at Pawsh since we opened in October is the "I Hate Michael Vick" shirt. And no dog has worn it better than Sophie, the Bullmastiff. She's one of the sweetest dogs in Boston but she gets her point across with her new shirt.

In related news, Sport Illustrated ran an article on the status of some of the 51 pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennels. It's a sad story but a needed reminder for why this t-shirt was made.