Every so often, my wife likes to dress one of our dogs in a sweater or T-shirt when it's cold outside. She thinks they look cute. I think they look silly.
I did put on a rain coat on our Golden Retriever a few times, but that was because she insisted on a daily walk, rain or shine, and it made drying her must easier after we returned home. So I relented.
But a Snuggie? No way.
You know what I'm talking about, right? Snuggies are those robe/blanket garments that you slip your arms through in front. They might keep you warm, but you wouldn't want your friends or neighbors to see you in one.
Apparently, they're popular - no doubt because of the late-night commercials on TV. So the next logical step was to make them for pets, which the company that makes them has now done.
"With an estimated 74 million family dogs in the United States, it only made sense to keep those almost 300 million chilly paws warm this season," Anne Flynn, director of marketing for Allstar Products Group, said.
FYI: They're made of fleece, come in sizes from extra-small to large and cost $14.95. You can order them online ($7.95 for shipping).
You're not going to find one on any of my three Dachshunds, but maybe your dog would like one.
So, do you dress your dog? And would you buy a Snuggie?
The miniature Dachshund's name was Killer, but he was far from that. Killer was 11 years old and, according to his owner, had never attacked anyone.
So why did a police officer in Danville, Va., shoot and kill the small dog last week?
Because he thought Killer had rabies. So he fired his weapon, he said, in self-defense.
I had to read this story several times before it finally sank in. But even now, I have to wonder if the officer, Murrill McLean, acted too quickly and without giving thoughtful consideration to the situation.
At a news conference last Thursday, Danville Police Chief Philip Broadfoot said he regretted that the dog was killed, but he stood by McLean's decision to shoot him.
"The fact of the matter is that the dog was running loose, that it placed officer McLean in a precarious situation, and that officer McLean made a judgment decision in a fraction of a second that cannot be re-versed," Broadfoot said. "I'm not expressing regret over the decision."
Here's what happened: McLean was attempting to serve a warrant at a nearby house when he was approached by Killer, who bared his teeth and growled. Because that type of behavior is associated with rabies, McLean believed he was in danger.
When Killer lunged at him, according to McLean's report, the officer drew his gun and fired.
OK, he felt threatened. But did he act recklessly? Could he have used his foot or nightstick to fend off the dog? Could he have tried to scare the dog by shouting at him? Could he have called out to the owner, who might have heard him and retrieved Killer?
Were his actions overly rash?
A Dachshund is a small, non-threatening dog. They're biters, too, but I can't help but believe the officer in this case could have chosen another course of action. Maybe a swift kick would have turned Killer away and kept McLean from shooting him. But we'll never know.
One more thing: Killer's owner, Angela Harper, said her dog didn't have rabies.
Have you ever tasted dog food?
No thanks. It might be fine for my three Dachshunds, but I'll pass at any opportunity to try it.
Researchers, however, recently found that some people can't really differentiate between dog food and paté.
In a study released last week by the American Association of Wine Economists, researchers found that only three of 18 subjects were able to identify dog food when given four other food samples: duck liver mousse, pork liver paté and two imitation patés - pureed liverwurst and Spam. The dog food was Newman's Own, which is what I feed my dogs.
Eight of the people who tried the samples believed the liverwurst was the dog food. Then again, 72 percent thought the dog food was the worst tasting.
Robin Goldstein, co-author of the study, said, "We have this idea in our head that dog food won't taste good and that we would be able to identify it, but it turns out that is not the case."
Fine, but I still refuse to taste it.
Wind is a tricky thing. While most breezes don't seem strong enough to lift a dog off its feet, a strong, forceful gust just might sweep away a small pet.
Sounds unbelievable, right? It happened last weekend in Waterford Township, Mich., when Tinker Bell - a six-pound Chihuahua owned by Dorothy and Lavern Utley - was literally swept up, up and away by a 70-mph wind gust. Kind of like Dorothy and Toto from "The Wizard of Oz."
According to the Detroit News, "witnesses last saw the dog airborne, heading south over the Dixie Highway." Yikes!
Dorothy Utley contacted a psychic, who advised her to look for Tinker Bell in a wooded area about a mile from where she was last seen. More than 50 searchers helped look for the dog.
She was finally found Monday, about three-fourths of a mile away, dirty but happy to see her owners.
"That dog was so happy," said Dorothy, 72, who is pictured above with her husband and Tinker Bell. "She just went wild. She was so hungry, and we had to bathe her."
From now on, I'm holding on to Sadie, our seven-pound Dachshund, on windy days.
(Photo: Detroit News)
As an owner of three Dachshunds, I was thrilled to see the story about the world's oldest dog: a 20-year-old doxie who's about to be acknowledged in the next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Chanel, who lives in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., with her owner, Denice Shaughnessy, doesn't hear well and disdains the cold, but she seems to be enjoying her celebrity. British newspapers have featured her, and Jay Leno wants to bring her to California to appear on "The Tonight Show."
"She's always had this incredibly sweet disposition," Shaughnessy told Newsday, the Long Island newspaper. "And she's been through everything with me."
Guinness demanded some verification of Chanel's age such as a birth certificate, dated photos and veterinarian records. Now that her age has been proven, she'll be immortalized.
Best of all, she turns 21 on May 8.
Sadie, one of our family Dachshunds, is 13. We're hopeful she can catch up to Chanel.
