Sit, Stay, Accept

The Academy might not recognize dog actors, but don’t you worry; in Hollywood, every thespian will be celebrated.

The nominations for Dog News Daily’s first annual Golden Collar Awards were announced on Wednesday, and Uggie swept, picking up nods for his work in “The Artist” and “Water for Elephants.” (He also took part in the nominations; there is nothing this little guy won’t do.) Other contenders for best dog in a theatrical film include Cosmo, the Jack Russell from “Beginners”; Hummer, the smiling Pomeranian from “Young Adult”; and Denver as Skeletor in “50/50.”

There’s a foreign film category, too; the Bagger hasn’t seen it but our money’s on Koko from “Red Dog,” an Australian film that seems to be about an inspirational mutt and Josh Lucas in an undershirt. The Golden Collars also acknowledge TV and reality shows, but not commercials – though if they did, the Bagger would nominate this.

The Golden Collar Awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on Feb 13, at a dog-friendly hotel.

Take Your Dog to Brunch

2nd Annual Puppy Love Poetry Contest

Love is in the air, and Bark Magazine is thrilled to be back with their second annual Puppy Love poetry contest—Roses are red, Violets are blue. Write a sweet poem of what your dog means to you.

Enter The Bark’s Puppy Love Poetry Contest on Facebook by leaving a poetic comment on their wall. You can finish the classic doggerel, “Roses are red, Violets are blue,” or even better, take poetic license and pen a canine Valentine in your very own style. They will award special prizes to their favorites.

The contest ends February 14th, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST

Baby It's Cold Outside

Roxie in Knit Cap by Aunt Joyce

Love Bruin

Suddie,
Have been meaning to check in for ages. Time just flies by. Bruin is doing great and is such an integral part of the family that we cannot remember what it was like before he was in our lives. The kids constantly tell us how lucky they feel to have such a wonderful guy.


He snowshoes with me every weekend in Vermont and is an excellent hiker...literally running over the snow and through the woods up the mountain. He loves the boat in the summer and enjoys lots of walks with his many canine friends. We have started a trend in our town, with many other families getting Tibetans because they are so taken with Bruin.

Can't thank you enough for a wonderful addition to our family...he enriches us every day.

Hope you are well.
Deb

Things Every Dog Should Know

Does your dog know its own name?

“I am often amazed at how many animals do not know their names,” said Lauren Henry, one of three veteran dog trainers interviewed by Sue Manning of The Associated Press in an article on commands, behaviors or skills that every dog should know. The trainers — Ms. Henry, co-owner of Talented Animals, with offices in California and Oregon; Jamie Van Wye, founder of the social “petworking” club Zoom Room; and Ron Davis of Camarillo, Calif., known for his work with Tillman the skateboarding bulldog — were asked for five or six things they thought every dog should not only be familiar with but respond immediately to in urgent situations.

“Teaching a dog to wait at a door when it’s being opened or wait in the vehicle when you open a car door and not bolt out is definitely critical for safety,” said Henry. “Stay is important, but most people don’t get the stay well enough trained that they should ever trust it in a critical situation. A leash is much safer than relying on a stay.”

Van Wye also thinks teaching “wait is better than stay. Wait is like a pause button. I’m saying: ‘Stop moving. You can go when I release you.’ It’s good for in and out of doorways, in and out of cars so they don’t run into traffic, if you put their food down. Stay is a more formal command. Wait is hold on a second.”

Others on the list included leave it, go to bed, pay attention, let’s go, play well with others and swim. To learn more, read the full article, “Trainers Offer Basic Commands That Will Help Dogs Be Safe, Become Better Pets."

A Day That Seemed as if It Would Never Come: Uncle Chichi’s Last

Uncle Chichi, a toy poodle whose unusual longevity led to fame and an appearance on “Good Morning America,” died on Tuesday after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 26. Or 24. Or maybe 25.

The imprecision over his age led to debate over whether Chichi, or the Cheech, as he was sometimes known, had been the world’s oldest living dog.

He was remarkably old; that much was agreed upon by veterinarians, his owners and the animal shelter in Charleston, S.C., that offered him for adoption more than two decades ago.

But when his owners considered seeking a place for him in Guinness World Records in 2010, after he had had a brush with death, the proof required — like puppy photos and veterinarian records — turned out to have been lost to the ages.

Chichi began showing signs of advancing age more than a decade ago and suffered from cataracts, glaucoma and a corneal ulcer. After treatments at the Animal Medical Center on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, he always bounced back to promenade down Morton Street in the West Village, where he lived. He continued to fetch — even though he could not see or hear — and even attended his owners’ wedding in Croatia in October 2010.

When the cancer became too advanced, Chichi’s owners, Frank Pavich and Janet Puhalovic, said they had no choice but to euthanize him. They notified friends of the news in an e-mail on Sunday.

“We just feel completely empty; the whole apartment’s empty,” Mr. Pavich, 38, said in an interview. “That little 10-pound guy fills up not just your apartment, but your life.”

He was adopted from the John Ancrum Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Charleston 24 years ago, Mr. Pavich said. Shelter officials indicated at the time that the dog was between 1 and 2 years old.

With Chichi ailing in the later months of his life, Mr. Pavich, a television producer, took him to Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany and France. They snapped souvenir photos in Gruyères, Switzerland, the birthplace of the pungent cheese, Chichi’s favorite indulgence.

“There was so much bonus time,” Mr. Pavich said. “It’s weird because the more time we spent with him, the more and more we loved him. We didn’t know that was possible.”

While the dog seemed unfazed by fame, others benefited from his star power: after Mr. Pavich revealed on “Good Morning America” that Chichi was particular to a dog food called Spot’s Stew, the manufacturer donated 10,000 meals to the Charleston animal shelter through the charitable site Freekibble.com. Chichi presided over the ceremony.

In December, Guinness’s official oldest living dog, Pusuke, a 26-year-old Japanese mutt, died. Representatives from Guinness did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the identity of Pusuke’s successor.

Mr. Pavich was not concerned. “He wasn’t your average dog,” he said of Chichi. “He kind of transcended that.”