RuPaul's Drag Race Goes To The Dogs!

You will find me watching RuPaul's Drag Race every Monday night, but this past Monday I was even more excited than normal to see not just my favorite Drag Queens, but dogs to inspire them for this challenge!

All four of the dogs seemed pretty well behaved, except for the big Blood Hound that was rather excited by his Drag Queen.  Nothing cuter or funner to me than seeing a big Blood Hound jumping and excited.

The runway fashion that came out of this challenge was great and fun.  The last look, they all modeled with the dog on the runway, it was fun to see how each dog inspired the look.  Some hit the mark and sadly, some did not.

I was thrilled to see the last minute add in for the challenge, a dog inspired musical number!  Imagine Cats, but with dogs!  So cute and so creative.

My favorite was Ms. Sharon Needles, she had a Standard Poodle and worked some boots that you would have though she used the dog's fur on. She was also the judges favorite, as she won the challenge!

It was a very fun, if you have a chance to watch, not only is this a great show you will see some fun dogs too!  At least on this episode...

Spring Fever Pooch Parade!

The temperature is risin'!  Get your dog out & let's sniff Downtown's air on the side of the city we don't get to very often!  

It brings me great pleasure to announce Bark & Clark's Spring Pooch Parade!

Please join us for the Spring Fever Pooch Parade on May 15th @ 7pm. 

The evening will start with me, Certified Trainer, Tamara Clark, leading your pooches through the busy streets of Little Tokyo and we will make our way through the lights and people over to the sometimes no sidewalks of the Arts District.  We'll keep your dogs tail wagging with special to-go treats from Pussy & Pooch and, as usual, the evening will conclude with a chance for the humans to sit down, unwind and enjoy wonderful conversation at the dog friendly, Urth Cafe.  So fun!  

Besides the obvious fun you will have, this is a great chance to learn about how to handle your dog downtown and in general with other dogs and humans.  The Spring Fever Pooch Parade workshop's focus will be on you dogs socialization with busy sidewalks and streets and safety where sidewalks don't exist.  As well, we will have our usual education on the approved potty places and how to get your dog to go there. 
 
The benefit of working your dog in this environment is it helps reinforce their basic obedience and uses those skills to increase their focus on you - not all the distractions. We'll also work  on manners specific to the city, such as sitting at all intersections before crossing; sitting for introductions and the proper way to greet other dogs. 

We teach uptown manners for Downtown dogs! This class is so fun, it's more like an outing... So let's take a stroll through the city and focus on doggy's ability to deal with the public, the lively city and all the other pooches out and about.

I am so excited about this Pooch Parade, I hope I will see you all there and if you can't be there, I hope you will help spread the word!  

Be sure to RSVP by May 8th because space is limited.  The cost is $40/dog.

To sign up for our next Pooch Parade, give us a bark:  Bark!

Doggie Hugs

Dogster had a great article this morning about dog hugs.  Basically it is saying that a majority of dog owners (in this study anyway) are more likely to hug their dog than their spouse/significant other, relatives, or best friends.  I am guilty of this for sure.  My favorite thing in the day is to hug my dog and then dance with him.  In that moment I feel like both mine and my dog's hearts are smiling.  There is something about the way he wraps his head around my shoulder, it feels like he is hugging back and it makes me feel very happy.

Below is the article, I thought it was worth sharing.

Got dog fur across the fronts of your sweaters and shirts? Not surprising, according to a recent dog owner survey. Blame it on our dogs being just too embraceable to resist.

More than two-thirds (68 percent) of those surveyed say they hug their dogs more often than they hug "certain people" in their lives. Nearly one-third (30 percent) say they hug their dogs more than their relatives, and one-quarter (26 percent) say they hug their dogs more than they hug their best friends.

That's a lot of dog love, and could help explain what (at least to me) seems to be a rise in fur/lint rollers in stores.

But is one dog's affection gain someone else's loss? Does the good old physics law of the conservation of mass/energy apply here? Possibly. The survey of 482 U.S. adult dog owners in the Beneful Baked Delights survey found that 10 percent of women say they hug their dogs more than they hug their spouses or significant others. That probably translates to 10 percent of spouses who would like to be treated like a dog.

So what's so intoxicating about hugging a dog? The majority of owners surveyed say that hugging their dog makes them smile and feel happier. Nearly 40 percent say hugging their dog causes them to forget about the stress in their lives.Hugging isn't just a one-way street, either. According to the survey, more than 60 percent of owners say that when they hug their dog, the dog returns their affection.

I think it's true. Dogs may not hug you back, but they embrace with their eyes and a certain way of leaning and being quiet and in the moment of the hug.

So, am I the only one that hugs my dog?  Somehow I doubt that.  So tell us about it.  Share your story of doggie hugs and how they make you feel.

Good News Friday!

It isn't often that we get to read or hear about feel good stories involving Pit Bulls, but today I have one for you.  I will admit it is sad and a bit scary, but it has a happy ending and these usually don't.  Enjoy this heroic story of Kilo.

A Staten Island, N.Y., dog took a bullet for his owner and lived to wag his tail.

Kilo the pit bull was shot in the head as he tried to protect his owner from a would-be home invader posing as a FedEx deliveryman over the weekend, according to The New York Post.

The bullet ricocheted off his skull and exited through his neck, which is likely what gave him a chance to survive.

“This is like, one in a million,” Dr. Greg Panarello, whose veterinary clinic operated on Kilo, told The Post. “He’s very lucky.”

The pup's shooting happened when an intruder tried to push his way into Justin Becker's home in Graniteville, claiming he had a package to deliver, early Saturday evening, the Post reported.

The 32-year-old Becker pushed the armed intruder to the ground, but the suspect's body was already halfway inside the apartment. Kilo stuck his head out the door and the suspect pulled the trigger.

Then he ran off, leaving Becker to cradle his wounded 12-year-old pup in his arms. Becker told the Post his girlfriend thought for sure the dog would die, but Becker said he wasn't giving up on his old friend.

Becker took Kilo to South Shore Animal Hospital, where veterinarians operated on the animal. X-rays indicated the bullet never entered Kilo's skull and it appeared the pooch suffered no brain damage, reports the Post.

Kilo was able to return home to continue his recovery process.

Kilo sounds like an amazing 12-year-old!  What a brave and loyal friend to put himself in harms way.  We are all very happy that Kilo was so lucky and is able to continue to recover at home.

Happy Friday!  Don't forget to do something special with your dog this weekend.

Justice For A Dog In Wrongful Shooting

Dogster brought us a story today that is good news for one of the many wrongful shootings of dogs we have heard about in the last two years.  I've said it before and this story is a great example of it, that some officers have been a little trigger happy when it comes to dogs.  So we are all surprised and elated  when we heard that a Frederick County, Maryland, jury awarded a couple $620,000 in damages for the shooting of their affable chocolate Lab, Brandi.

The incident occurred in late 2010, when Brandi came bounding around the house to say howdy to sheriff's deputy Timonty Brooks. I sincerely doubt you've ever seen a dog who looked quite as affable. (I watched the dashcam footage, and there's no way Brandi should have been considered a threat. I'm not embedding it in this post because it might be disturbing. But here's a link to the Washington Post piece that contains the video, should you want to go there.)

Brooks and his partner had been serving a civil warrant on the son of Roger and Sandra Jenkins. The dogs were barking, and Roger Jenkins told the officers that he'd go put them away. Apparently Brooks somehow took that as a sign that they were aggressive, so when Brandi came out to greet him, he shot first, asked questions later.

The bullet struck Brandi in the area where the front leg connects to the shoulder. She went limping away, tail still almost wagging, looking kind of stunned about what just happened.

"It was very terrifying, because it was like one of your kids being shot," said Sandra Jenkins.

Brandi is 9 now, and never recovered physically from the incident. Her leg is badly damaged, and the Jenkins say it will likely be amputated in coming months. 

Brooks, who "felt bad about the shooting since Day 1," according to the sheriff's department, was clearly way too trigger happy. If you watch the dashcam video, it's lucky he didn't also blast the couple's lumbering St. Bernard as well. In the footage, Sandra Jenkins runs after that dog, trying to get him away from Brooks.

The department has subsequently undergone training regarding dealing with dogs.
The dashcam video is likely behind the large award - $20,000 more than the Jenkins were seeking. You can see a snippet of the video on this WJLA report. (You won't see Brandi getting shot.)

Maybe this award will help trigger-happy law enforcement officers think twice before reaching for their guns when faced with something like a wagging Labrador retriever - or any dog who is not a clear threat.

I would love to hear your feedback on what you think of this case or any other case like this.  Give us a Bark!

Choking Dog Dials Emergency Number

Petside had a great story about a Basset Hound in the UK that was choking on a telephone cord and ended up dialing "999", their emergency number, and saved his own life!  It is quite an amazing tale.

Like a dog dialing 911 in the U.S., George, a Basset Hound in the UK dialed emergency 999 while trying to free himself from a phone cord, and saved his own life.

The emergency operator received a call and heard nothing but heavy breathing and gasping, so police were dispatched to the house of owners Steve and Lydia Brown immediately, reports The Sun. In the UK 999 is the equivalent of 911.

Turns out poor George had knocked over a land line and wrapped the wire around his neck. He managed to paw on the "9" over and over, trying to free himself. And that he did.

Quite a few dogs have dialed 999 in the past, many by accident.

In 2009, 14-month-old Golden Retriever grabbed the house phone in his mouth and ran into the garden. Dispatchers heard  a man shouting at him, and assumed it was an attack. It was just his owner trying to get him back inside.

In cases of American dogs dialing 911, they are often service dogs trained to reach dispatchers during emergencies.

In 2007, a Beagle named Belle bit down on her owner’s cell phone, hitting the number "9" while he was having a seizure. Since he is diabetic, Kevin Weaver had trained Belle to do just that. He had programmed 911 into the "9" button of his phone. Belle saved his life.

So would American dogs be better off if our emergency number consisted of three identical digits, making it easier for them to “paw” the call?

The number 911 was chosen as the American emergency call-in back in 1968, because it was short, and it wasn't already being used as an office, area, or service code.

However the 999 system is even older, first introduced to London in 1937. The "9" was the easiest button to modify as a number someone wouldn’t be charged for on rotary pay phones of the day. It’s neighbor "0" was already doing the same, as the operator contact.

Perhaps it’s a good idea for Americas to make use of the single-button emergency call options on our home and cell phones… that is after we teach our dogs to only paw in the case of an emergency.

 This story inspires me to store "911" in one of my speed dials so I can teach my dog to dial it in the case of an emergency.  Though I don't think his paws are compatible with the iPhone screen.  Sometimes I miss land lines...

What's Up Downtown April!

Happy April!  This is my favorite month of the year, both my dog's and cat's birthdays are celebrated in the month, not to mention all the fun Spring time fun that happens!  Speaking of that fun, Downtown has a lot to offer this month!

This weekend is Easter, so if you haven't figured out what you are doing, Downtown has a few fun options.  You can be a part of a day long celebration including an egg hunt at either L.A. Live or The Grand Hope Park.  Or if you are past the age of enjoying an egg hunt, there are several brunch specials at Grand Cafe at the Omni, Chaya, Cafe Pinot and Kendall's Brasserie to name a few.

But that is just this weekend, there is a lot going on the rest of the month as well, including the return of cicLAvia on April 15th!  As well on the 15th, the 2012 Springfest will be happening in Chinatown.  And don't miss the Kids 4 Kids Run/Walk on April 29th.

As always, I am also looking at all the newly opened restaurants, I am really excited to try a few.  The ones that are at the top of my list are UMAMIcatessan at 8th and Broadway, L.A. Brewing Company on Broadway, any restaurant with a doggie valet has my vote!  And finally, Tossed on Wilshire will be a great lunching place.  There are a few more openings as well, but I will be starting with these.

On another note, don't miss all the cool things Pussy & Pooch have going on, including a Pet Communicator on April 21st, sign up today for your consultation!

For a full list of what's going on in DTLA, bark on the link:  BARK!