What I think of the Audi "Doberhuahua" Superbowl Commercial

I'm sure you've seen the Audi "Doberhuahua" commercial by now. I saw it before the Superbowl. I didn't even see the Superbowl (go team!). It's caused discussion in the dog and Doberman world, as one might assume. Interesting discussion, interesting thoughts. There are of course many ways to look at it.

(it's also not summer yet)

When trying to educate on dog message boards (warning, .gif post)

We've had a spate of new (and some not so new) users on Doberman Talk who have bought their puppies from less than reputable breeders and are being very public about how it was their choice, they're going to love their dogs anyway, we're all meany butts, etc. etc.

Okay. Fair point, it is their choice. And at least one of them is a troll, more likely than not. It doesn't take a lot of Doberman Talk browsing to learn what the hot buttons are: taking a puppy home too soon, bringing a male puppy into a house where there are other males, ear crop issues when a natural eared puppy was purchased from a backyard breeder and the new owner is searching for or has found a less than optimal cropping vet.

I'm not the most knowledgeable of members on Doberman Talk. There are many people there who have been in Dobermans for longer than I've been alive. There are people there who have been picking up the pieces from bad breeders for years and years, working with rescues, getting puppies shoved at them, almost anything you can imagine.

The Third Annual Pet Blogger Challenge: January 10 2013

 Thanks to Something Wagging, and Tales and Tails, I remembered the Pet Blogger Challenge way in advance this time!

1. How long have you been blogging and provide a link to your post from last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge so we can refresh our memories.

I've been Blogging since April 7 of 2011. Last year I almost forgot!

2. What do you consider the most important goals you set out in last year’s post?

The educational ones. While not every post I have is informational, I do try to maintain a consistent level of points on what I feel is responsible dog ownership, good training, and good feeding. This year, especially in November and December, I tried to call more attention to Doberman rescue, and activities and fundraisers involving those. 

3. Have you made progress toward those goals, or have your goals changed over the past year?

I think I've actually read fewer dog training books over the last year, so I need to adjust that certainly. I do think I've maintained a goo dlevel of responsibility without creeping into self-righteousness too often (yeah, I know I do it. Don't worry.)

4. How often do you post?

Typically Monday through Friday, sometimes with extras. 

5. Has your opinion of blogging on a schedule or as the spirit moves you changed?

If you publish on a schedule, why? How strict are you about your publishing deadlines? What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?

If you don’t publish on a schedule, why? How do you think your decision affects your audience? How do you know when a topic is “post-worthy?”

I started posting on a schedule mostly because I didn't want to have to scramble for material. If I know I'm doing M-F, other days optional, then I can actually compose posts ahead of time, take pictures with an eye toward entries, and lay out what exactly I'm doing, with or without blog hops. 

 6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week? How much time visiting other blogs? Share your  tips for staying on top of it all.

Oh goodness, I'm pretty sure I don't actually stay on top of it all! I do daily try to go through my list of people I follow, and comment on the entries that have inspired a thought, or that I feel I can contribute to the discussion on. I'm not really sure how much time daily I spend on the actual writing and commenting, in addition to (rather sporadically, as of late) answering the comments on my own blog. At least an hour, certainly.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?

Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions?

I look at the numbers of pageviews, but also how many people commented, whether it drew in a new (non spam) commenter, that sort of thing. Sometimes I like a post, anyway, even if nobody else seems to have!

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

I'm not sure I can say right out that I'm having any issues. I feel as though my traffic is decent, I dearly love my readers and commenters, and really just take things as they come.

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?

I'd like to continue to have videos on the Youtube. I intend to crack the books some more, both to do reviews of them and to learn/discuss more training techniques. I want to do more Command Clinic posts, as I've been more sporadic with them than I originally intended, and Elka certainly has a number of cues I can expound upon. I intend to continue posting about Doberman rescues, their fundraisers, and about dogs in need.

Monday Mischief: The Joys of Dog Ownership

So, I may or may not have a Doberman hair in my toe like a splinter. As you might imagine, it's hard to see based on light, and I might be hallucinating. Not to worry, I'm not going to post a picture of my right big toe for your perusal. Or the sole of my left foot. Yup, two. It's so awesome.

But really, our dogs sometimes put us through a lot.

Dogs I've known (part 2, the family chapter)

I asked for a lot of things as a kid. A horse, for one. A dog, as I've mentioned exhaustively. I can see how it seemed improbable that I would properly care for a dog; my ability to reliably carry out responsible tasks was not great.

It's interesting, though, to think of a family's history of pets, and responsibility, and mindsets. My grandparents are not who I would consider "pet people". On occasion, they've been the designated cat sitters when various households went on vacation, but once their kids grew up and moved out, they didn't have pets of their own anymore. My grandfather clearly loves Elka when she visits, but does not want a dog of his own, to my grandmother's relief.

(sorry for the Christmas picture. It's Elka in my grandparents' living room)

When is a debt paid? What does forgiven mean?

So, I'm sure it's not a surprise to anybody at this point that Michael Vick is a dog owner again. Or a "pet owner", according to his carefully worded official statement:

“I understand the strong emotions by some people about our family’s decision to care for a pet. As a father, it is important to make sure my children develop a healthy relationship with animals. I want to ensure that my children establish a loving bond and treat all of God’s creatures with kindness and respect. Our pet is well cared for and loved as a member of our family. This is an opportunity to break the cycle. To that end, I will continue to honor my commitment to animal welfare and be an instrument of positive change.”

He was sentenced, he spent 18 months in jail on charges related to dogfighting, and his three years of parole are up. During those three years, he had psychotherapy, and did some speaking out against dogfighting with the Humane Society CEO, Wayne Pacelle. So, do I think Michael Vick should be able to own dogs again?

Well, from what I understand from having read The Lost Dogs, he himself had a personal hand in the killing of several of the dogs that he owned. From what I've read when he was interviewed on the topic, the language he used wasn't very sorry. Or, scratch that; the language he used didn't reflect that he was sorry he had tortured and killed dogs. The language he used indicated that he was sorry he was caught and punished. During his enforced three years of no dog ownership, he has said how "unfair" it was that his daughters could not have a dog, and it was "hard for him to explain" the reason behind it. I confess to feeling a lack of empathy for him; he made a choice, many times, to do horribly cruel things for his dogs. I'm supposed to feel bad that he's suffering for his choice, and that the consequence reflects on his daughters? Sorry, but no.

I see in articles that Michael Vick and his family was encouraged to adopt from a shelter or rescue. I'm not sure if they're familiar with the fact that these organizations tend to do background checks. As the Best Friends Soceity points out, "have you owned a dog before?", among others, will be a pretty tricky question to answer. I do wonder who it was actually gave this man a dog.

The bottom line is that it really doesn't matter what I think. The crimes are not mine to forgive. There are a lot of people who think it's no big deal that he fought dogs. There are a lot of people who think he should have had a far worse sentence, including being barred from owning dogs for the rest of his life. There are people who only care whether he plays a good game of football.

I will say this for him: he didn't have to enter a partnership with the Humane Society. He didn't have to speak to Congress in support of an anti-dogfighting bill. He didn't have to go to schools and talk to kids in an effort to steer them away from dog fighting (if I'm wrong about any of this, and these things were actually part of the terms of his supervised release, please tell me and link me the sources. I do not want to spread any incorrect information).

So, do I think Michael Vick should be able to own a dog again? No. I'm not sure if I think it's too soon, or if he's entirely unforgivable, but I do not trust the safety of a dog under his care.

6 Products For People Who Are Silly For Their Dogs

Every once in awhile, in my Internet "travels", I find products that are (unfortunately) overpriced, but very clearly for people who are absolutely silly for their dogs. Mind you, I'm not using "silly" as a derogatory term; I know very well that I'm totally silly for Elka. It is her job to be the best dog (really, I believe that every dog is, at some time, for their person.) and she performs very well. Sometimes better than others, but I'd be lying if I didn't take some of the blame.

I think these things are pretty nifty, if prohibitively priced.

Take Two Aspirin and Call Me In the Morning

Yesterday morning, Elka woke me up. This isn't unusual, right? It was 9:30, about our regular walk time. She wasn't whining or asking to go out, though. She didn't hop off the bed because she detected Action in the Kitchen. She didn't step on me while repositioning. She nosed at my hand and flipped it with her snout until I woke up.

She's never done that before, and I asked her if she wanted to go out, and she hopped off the bed then, and waved her left paw at the door as I reached for the doorknob (this is something she's started doing lately, which I find adorable). When we got downstairs, though, she didn't want to go out. And I realized I had a headache. Not a migraine, thankfully, but enough that I took some Aleve, drank some water, and went back to bed for a little while longer, Elka shadowing each of my steps and settling down next to me again.

Texas Justice? Man machetes his neighbor's dog.

I guess it's important to foster good relations with your neighbors. Or know whether your neighbors are horribly unbalanced people with machetes. I cannot imagine how both miserable and angry I would be if Elka slipped her leash, ran across the street, and was hacked with a large blade. Which is exactly what happened to a dog, Mijo, in Texas, or so his owner claims.

From: Justice for Mijo :

On May 10, 2012, my dog Mijo was killed by a minister in a public street using a machete. Mijo had gotten out of his leash to be with a female dog when one of my neighbors of a couple houses down crossed the street with a machete and struck him 4 times. 
He was struck 2 in the face, 1 splitting his nose in half, the other one on his mouth, and 2 on his thigh. Mijo limped his way back but could only make it to the front porch where he died.

When I found his body, I knew he was dead but I kept petting him asking him to wake up and please come home with me. I confronted the neighbor and he said he killed the dog with the machete. When asked why he did not respond.

The Sheriff was notified but didn't even look remotely interested in the report. I have called the office several times and they told me that they haven't even gotten an investigator to look over the case. I can't press charges until that is done.

2 news stations were contacted but told me that they cant do too much because it's still under investigation. Mijo did not deserve to die this way. I will try my best to get something done about this.

There is a petition on Change.org, because, as stated above, the police have not yet investigated into this. It would be nice if they would, to say the least. Frankly, I feel if a man is willing to casually kill his neighbor's dog, he probably isn't too balanced in other areas. Willingness to hurt animals is one of the three criteria that tend to crop up if somebody is a serial killer. However, there are people who look at a situation like this and think "well, it's just a dog". If nothing else, here is where "dog as property" may be a useful tool. This man's neighbor destroyed his property and should have to make up for it in some significant way. It's a horrible situation, and I feel so very badly for Mijo, and his family.

Edited to add: as several commenters pointed out, this story is rather one sided. And also anonymous, which I ought to have noticed. So, if I've got egg on my face, that's the way it is.


From Change.org:

This man, a Minister residing in Alamo, TX, had no problem going into this house, grabbing a Machete, and striking the Yellow Labrador Retriever belonging to an Iraqi Veteran not once, not even twice, but FOUR times. His actions were thoughtless, careless, and inhumane. If he can snap at a harmless animal that was NOT attacking a human being, what could this man do to another person, or child?

A Wedding for Dogs?

I'm not sure what's going on in California.

Scruffy Rubin and Snickers Carter tied the knot, in an event to the tune of $5000. The bride wore a couture dress, Snickers had a tux and in lieu of gifts, the couple asked that donations be made to The Orphan Pet Oasis Humane Society of the Desert in Palm Springs (What an acronym that must be: OPOHSDPS. It might even be a key of Solomon.)

Oh yeah. And Scruffy and Snickers are little dogs.

Photo by Wade Byars for the Desert Sun

Rocking the Fanny Pack

Well, I finally did it. I bought a treat training pouch. That's what we in the dog world call it, anyway.

To the rest of the world, it's totally a fanny pack.