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?
Some stories make you want to cry.
In Missouri recently, a Golden Retriever-Labrador mix was found on a highway after her owner threw her from a pickup truck when she was just seven weeks old.
The puppy, named Ritchy (pictured above), is struggling to stay alive - but without the help of two groups and the person who found her and took her to a veterinary clinic, it's doubtful Ritchy would have made it this far.
When I read this, my emotions went from stunned disbelief to anger to sadness. I'm incredulous that someone - anyone - could do something as callous as throw a dog from a vehicle. With shelters and rescue groups readily available to take in strays and unwanted dogs, doing something as thoughtless as tossing a dog on the side of a road is more than wrong. It's unnecessary.
The fact this happened in Missouri isn't unusual. Although the state's agricultural department is pledging to crack down on bad breeders, Missouri is considered the "puppy mill capital" of America. By one estimate, it's home to more than 4,000 shoddy dog-breeding businesses.
Ritchy's immediate care was paid for by a Second Chance grant of $200 awarded by American Humane, but she needs to see a specialist for a worsening bladder problem. American Humane is working with the Coalition for Animal Rescue & Education (CARE) in Missouri to pay for additional medical care.
Let's hope officials in Missouri are able to put unlicensed and unqualified breeders out of business - and that Ritchy, now 11 weeks old, makes a full recovery and finds a good home. Six other puppies thrown from the same truck weren't so lucky.
When our Golden Retriever Monte was alive, my wife and used to take her to a groomer whom we considered to be conscientious, caring and skillful. I know she used a hand-held dryer after washing Monte, but to my knowledge, she didn't use a drying cage.
In fact, I didn't even know what a drying cage was until I read the Huffington Post. Blogger Roseanne Colletti wrote about a dog that died from heat stroke in one of these cages when the groomer put the dog inside and apparently forgot about her.
Now the dog's owner, Thomas Bruckner of Point Lookout, N.Y., wants to have drying cages and crates banned. His Web site, Badgroomer.com, also explains his desire to promote legislation that would require groomers to be trained and licensed.
Groomers use the cages and crates, which have blow dryers attached to them, to dry dogs after they've been washed. This allows the groomer to work on another dog while the first dog is drying. But if the groomer is using hot air, it can cause a dog to overheat.
That's what happened to Bailey, Bruckner's 2-year-old Beagle mix. Bruckner won an out-of-court settlement of $1,000 from the groomer but wants to ensure that other owners don't go through the same trauma.
"Our goals are simple," he wrote on his site. "We do not want Bailey to have died in vain. If this terrible and tragic experience could ever have any good come from it, it would be to prevent the needless death of any more animals. "
I agree. If you live in New York, check out his site and offer your support.
Here's a distressing story: In El Paso, Texas, a soldier stationed at Fort Bliss was accused recently of animal cruelty - and will have to answer to the charges, according to his commanding officer.
The soldier, Spc. Frank Zimmerman, is charged with failing to obey the post's policy toward animal cruelty. He allegedly beat and stomped on the neck of his Golden Retriever, Tinkerbell, killing it. He is also charged with kicking and breaking the leg of another dog, Wrigley, before returning it to a local pet adoption group.
Col. Ed Manning, the garrison commander, told KFOX-TV in El Paso that Zimmerman will be investigated before a punishment would be handed out, "if he finds that appropriate," he said.
But here's what should concern pet owners: Eleven months ago, another Fort Bliss soldier was accused of animal cruelty after it was discovered he left a dog in a crate inside an abandoned house located off base. The dog chewed its way out but eventually died without food and water.
The soldier, Dwayne Sumter, was charged with animal cruelty by the El Paso district attorney's office but was never prosecuted. He has since been transferred.
Unbelievable, isn't it? We honor soldiers as heroes, but here are two examples of people who don't deserve that title. Let's hope there's appropriate action if Zimmerman is found responsible.
My dogs aren't geniuses, but I like to think they're pretty smart. They know when it's time to eat - breakfast and dinner - and our mini-Dachshund, Sadie, has an internal clock that tells her when it's 9:30 every night. She promptly hops down from the couch, jumps on our bed and crawls under the covers. Bedtime.
Our late Golden Retriever, Monte, used to get excited every Tuesday night. She knew when it was time to make our weekly visit to the neighborhood retirement inn. And when my wife and I piled our four dogs into the car to visit my mom in Southern California, Monte's ears would twitch and she would begin to whimper as soon as got within 10 miles of our destination.
OK, so maybe all this doesn't necessarily mean my dogs are smart. Maybe they're just intuitive. But I still object to the recent findings of scientists in Sweden who claim that pure-breed dogs have seen a decline in intelligence as breeders have focused more on looks.
"Modern breeding practices are affecting the behavior and mental abilities of pedigree breeds as well as their physical features," said Kenth Svartberg, an ethologist from Stockholm University who authored the report. He said the change happened over just a few generations.
Rather than being bred for a specific purpose, such as guarding livestock or chasing quarry on a hunt, dogs are selected for breeding because of their appearance. They might have the shiniest coat rather than the keenest sense of smell or quickest reactions.
In his research, Svartberg tested 13,000 dogs for their sociability and curiosity to help him rate 31 breeds. He found that the dogs who were bred for appearance, especially show dogs, had reduced levels of these qualities. An attractive appearance, he found, could be linked to introversion and a boring personality.
Do you think your dog is smart? Tell me about it.
Frankly, my dogs weren't impressed by the findings. They read the story and scoffed.
In fact, Scooter scowled and said, "Baloney!" Then he fixed himself a sandwich.
