I'm not sure if I'm bone tired, beyond tired, or jetlagged beyond repair. Any way you look it I'm even more incoherent than usual, thanks in part to some shenanigans during the travel home and a dearth of sleep. So, while I shuffle through all the pictures I took at Westminster, here's a few to kind of give an overall picture of the event. Like I said before, this was my first time alone on the DSLR with no training wheels, so they're not perfect, but I learned a lot. One, Westminster is a ... Read more »
Archives for 2012
West Coast Meets East Coast
Westminster was so much fun. I can't wait to go home and sort through all the pictures. For my first time there, it was an eventful experience. One, there was drama. There's always drama at these shows to begin with, it seems, but this year was extra dramatic. I know lots of you already know about the controversy about Westminster breaking ties with Pedigree, and all I can say for now is that I am going to do all I can to get a better understanding about what happened and report back to you, ... Read more »
I Love NY
I've made no secret of the fact that I was a little nervous about heading to New York by myself to watch the Westminster show. I mean, I'm no streetwise chick. I live in the burbs. The thought of hanging out by myself there scared me, because based on everything I was told I had come to expect the following: Bone chilling cold requiring layer upon layer of thermal undergarments Unhelpful scoundrels who would ignore me, scoff at me, or mug me Cacophony And all I have to say is this: ... Read more »
And they call it Puppy Love
Ah, New York. Land of frigid temperatures and, well, that’s as far as I’ve gotten so far. I have only one goal over the next two days, and that is to figure out how to get to Madison Square Garden from my hotel and maybe see some dogs. The rest is just gravy. Yesterday was fun. I woke up at 6 to take Brody to the Helen Woodward Puppy Love 5K, and about 5 minutes after I left the house it started drizzling. 5 minutes after that, it was pouring. Now, I looked up the weather report that morning ... Read more »
Feast or famine and the mental block of learning DSLRs
My life is a long series of monotonous daily routines punctuated by brief and terrifying moments of outright insanity. Take this weekend, for example. On Sunday, I'm running in the Helen Woodward Puppy Love 5K on the inaugural Team Iams with an ace group of dogs and friends. Brody and I are super excited. And by excited, I mean, Brody is excited for a long walk and I'm just now realizing I should have spent more time training and less time sampling Girl Scout cookies. No matter. I may ... Read more »
The Pawcurean Presents Lazy Man’s V-Day Treats
I love making treats for the pets, almost as much as I love things that are easy to make. Sometimes I'm in a complicated mood, and sometimes I'm in a lazy mood. This month, I'm lazy. As you know, I've started a torrid love affair with my dehydrator, using it to suck the water out of everything I can get my hands on in the house like a hydrophilic vampire. The chicken jerky treats went over very well, so I figured, hey, let's make some Valentine's Day treats while we're at it where I don't ... Read more »
Meet Joe. And get to know the word Esterilsol
Joe Tosini knows how to command a room. When he shakes your hand with an iron grip and leans in to stare you in the face, you know right away that whatever it is he's about to say, he feels it from his temples to his toes. "I used to be a preacher," he said to me, and I believe it. He has that ability to grab a group of people. I first watched him do it at an ACES session at the Helen Woodward Animal Center, when he was there to tell a group of animal rescue advocates from around the country ... Read more »
Them cookies are serious business, people.
One of the reasons many vets give for choosing their profession is, "I like animals better than people." It's not a good reason, mind you, and those with misanthropic tendencies learn to cover it up pretty quickly or else have a rotten career, but I will tell you from experience that well, it's true. I've been working on it. I actually get along pretty well with people, as far as I can tell. But every once in a while I experience one of those penultimate human experiences that I'm supposed to ... Read more »
Fashion Xanax
If I seem a little stressed in the next couple of months, I have a good excuse: we are going to try and sell our house. I say "try", because this is one of those housing markets when upon saying "I'm going to put my house on the market" the universal response is, "Well, good luck with that." We're staying in the area- after seeing all those pictures from Colorado this weekend I think it's safe to say I am actually quite content here in San Diego, thanks- and the decision is one that has more ... Read more »
We’re nominated for the Bloggies!
I was so, so excited to see pawcurious is a finalist in the 2012 Bloggies Best Pet or Animal Weblog category! It would mean SO much if you would take just a moment to vote for us. It would mean more than: a bucket of truffles a closet of Jimmy Poos a nice bottle of vintage Port Yes, it would mean that much. And to entice you further, I have composed more Bad Poetry: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Please vote for us, Even though you get nothing in return because I ... Read more »
AKC/Eukanuba this weekend: join the party!
Tomorrow's the big day! For air time info, check here but it should be either 2 pm or 12 depending on your time zone. There's also an online Twitter party that will be going on simultaneously using the hashtag #AKCEukshow. I'll be there with some more Eukanuba dog food vouchers during the PST air time, 12-2 PST. I hope you can stop in! The show will mostly be covering the Best in Show finals, but as you know there was a ton of other stuff going on too. I put together a slideshow of some of ... Read more »
Game Day! With Pawcurean Dog Nachos
It's a big weekend for those of us who like to sit by the TV and eat. One, the AKC/Eukanuba show airs on Saturday, so I'll be glued to the screen jumping up and down every time I spot myself on TV. And of course, the next day is that most festive of sports events, the Super Bowl. It's fair to say I am ambivalent at best about football, so the question here is not so much "Team Pats" versus "Team Giants" as it is "Team Game" versus "Team Commercials." I for one, am of the latter persuasion. ... Read more »
Behind the Ribbon: An exclusive interview with new AKC Champ London!
As a non-dog show person, I was admittedly nervous going to a big dog show like the AKC/Eukanuba show. I don't know the lingo. I don't know how to conduct myself. I was worried that if I admitted I was as clueless as they come and didn't know a triangle from a drum that I might be laughed out of the place. After all, dog show people aren't like the rest of us, right? They're kind of stuffy. Pretentious, even. Out of touch with all of us regular folks slumming it in the trenches. As it turns ... Read more »
Dogs, DNA, and some really incredible pictures.
I've had dogs on the mind lately (what else is new?), but the world of purebreds has been there even moreso than usual. The AKC/Eukanuba show I attended in December will air on ABC on the 4th, as you probably gleaned by now since I haven't stopped yammering about it since then. In addition, I'm also going to Westminster on February 13th and 14th, for no reason other than I just wanted to see it, to marvel at the spectacle. It's such a strange confluence of worlds, society-minded dog fanciers ... Read more »
Let’s play “What Breed are you?”
When I was in school, there was a resident who could best be described as a holy terror. She ate senior students for breakfast, washing it down with the salty tears of our despair when she would mercilessly rip us to shreds in rounds. And hoo boy, did she love me. And by love, I mean, love to rip me up one side and down the other. I was an easy target; I didn't know much at the time. Her very favorite snack. "The patient in room two is a...." I studied the chart..."Belgian ... Read more »
Cat Lady Undercover
Anyone who's read this blog for a while knows I identify as a dog person. In this world, you're one or the other, it seems, but just because you lean towards one doesn't mean you dislike the other. I happen to like cats a lot, too. Which is why I took my daughter to check out the 2012 San Diego Cat Show this weekend. It really is a different world. Much like a dog show, there are 'rings' where the cats are judged. There's none of this running around in a show lead, however. The cats ... Read more »
Hello Olive
Our friends Jeff and Shelia recently brought home a poodle puppy, Olive. Now, I love these guys to begin with, but when they told me how they prepared for a new dog- being inexperienced owners- I loved them even a little more. They waited three years, until the time was right and the kids were old enough. They researched exhaustively, picking a knowledgable breeder who spent hours with them visiting, teaching them about the breed, and making sure they knew the importance of early ... Read more »
PSA: Designate a Segway-er
So I'm super excited to watch the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship on the 4th! Four days of dogapalooza collapsed into two hours- it's a tall order. I have some fun posts/giveaways planned for next week to lead up to the air date, but in the meantime I wanted to give you a little glimpse into the behind the scenes cogs of a show this size. What can I say? I live for behind-the-scenes stuff. Dogs galore, camera crews, obedience trials, police dogs, Super Dogs, conformation, agility, and ... Read more »