Remember the movie, Best in Show? It was a hysterical mockumentary about the world of dog shows and its participants, starring Parker Posey, Eugene Levy, Ed Begley Jr, Jane Lynch, and many more. Even before I was dog-obsessed, I loved this movie for its ridiculous scenarios - when Beatrice loses her Bizzy Bee, when Harlan Pepper starts naming all the different types of nuts, when Rhapsody’s handler goes around greeting all the other dogs and trying to intimidate their owners…it’s just hilarious.
Well, now there’s a real documentary called Worst in Show that chronicles the annual “World’s Ugliest Dog Contest” held every year in Petaluma, California. Co-directors John Beck and Don Lewis followed four contestants as they prepared for the contest and then followed the eventual winner, who has a very touching story about animal rescue. They also show the competition between the contestants, which makes for some very funny footage.
We are so lucky to have this film screen HERE IN DALLAS on Thursday, June 16 at the Angelika Film Center. Tickets are $15 and benefit the SPCA of Texas. This is a family-friendly film so all ages are welcome. Please purchase your tickets soon - the screenings at the San Francisco Indie Fest and the Oxford, MS Film Festival were all sold out.
Check out the trailer:
The Angelika Film Center is located at Mockingbird Station, 5321 East Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Hope to see you there!
On May 15, Sambuca in Uptown was taken over by dog-lovers from around our community. We were there for several reasons - to raise money for Metroplex Animal Coalition and Dallas Animal Advocates, to bid on wonderful silent auction prizes, to socialize with fellow dog lovers, and most importantly, to honor four men who have shown compassion for the homeless and neglected animals in our community.
The first honoree was Interim Shelter Manager at Dallas Animal Services, Lt. Scott Walton. I personally witnessed Scott’s commitment to helping Dallas animals when I reported an abandoned, tethered pit bull in Pleasant Grove. While the dog ultimately was returned to his owners, the incident brought awareness to the community about the best way to help an animal and it put the owners on notice that DAS is watching them. Similar stories are the reason that Scott was chosen to be recognized for the work he has done at Dallas Animal Services. Hopefully that work will continue with the new Shelter Manager, Jody Jones.
The next honoree was my friend, Jean-Paul (J.P.) Bonnelly. Again, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of assisting this amazing dog-catcher several times. When there is a stray dog that police or neighbors swear cannot be captured, J.P. is the person to call. He’s helped several dogs, including many that were very pregnant, get off the street and into safe homes. He’s hand-fed many litters when their moms couldn’t produce enough milk. And…he has a day job! All of this volunteer work is in addition to his “real” job and running his training business, The Republic of Dog. In short, J.P. is awesome.
Next, we met Robert Hayden, who was honored for his role in saving a beautiful German Shepherd who had been tethered and was hanging herself. He stopped, got the dog back over her fence safely, but could not just let the incident go. The owner, who had been cited for tethering their dog, chose to surrender her dog rather than pay the fine. Robert checked back at the shelter and when he saw that the dog was there, he worked hard to get her out of the shelter and into a wonderful home. This is a great example of actually getting involved rather than watching from the sidelines when there is a dog who needs our help. Good job, Robert.
The final honoree was someone who is used to being in the spotlight. Richard Hunter, a local radio personality and nationally-known comedian, made the news when he adopted one of Michael Vick’s pit bulls who had been used as a bait dog. Mel was saved, but still bears the physical and emotional scars of living as a Vick bait dog. Richard brought public awareness to Vick’s crimes and to the City Council when our former mayor pro tem, Dwaine Caraway, awarded Michael Vick, a convicted felon, a ceremonial key to the City of Dallas during SuperBowl weekend. Richard’s publicity of the embarrassing event prompted the Dallas City Council to put stricter rules around city awards. Richard’s dedication to Mel and other abused dogs in our community are the reasons he was honored as a Real Man.
In addition to our local Real Men, we also met the models from the Real Men Neuter campaign. Attendees were able to have their photos taken with these Real Men against a green backdrop.
It was a great event, and I walked away with a hand-made SMU bird house that I won in the silent auction! Great times, and I can’t wait for next year’s version. Who will be the 2012 Real Men (who) Care?
I picked up so much free stuff! Great tote bags, hats, bag clips, free food and treat samples, dog food scoops, poop scoop bag dispensers, more treats, coupons…I made out like a bandit! Great seeing Tugg the Bull Terrier again as well. The location was perfect - nice park, stage, playground for kids, picnic tables, BATHROOMS, and a great view. I’m sure this event will grow in size every year. Congratulations to Faith Mitchell (the wonderful lady who is also fostering Stranger, who was having a great time today) for organizing the event. We’ll definitely be back next year!
Here are some photos of the event - I’m sorry they are a bit overexposed. Fun times!
There’s something you should know about me: I panic. I’m a panicker. I’m that person who suddenly can’t speak if a cup of coffee is about to fall off a table, and I can never react fast enough to push the “door open” button on an elevator when someone is rushing towards its closing doors. And earlier this year, at Dog Day Afternoon, when a beautiful bulldog named Diesel was losing his life to heatstroke, I have never been so grateful that someone else was there to administer CPR. I did, however, have the presence of mind to pour water on a second bulldog who was also overheated, so I’m not completely useless in these situations. Still, part of the reason for my panic that day at Flagpole Hill was because I couldn’t remember my Pet First Aid and CPR training.
The “someone” who was present at DDA and administered CPR to Diesel was Beth Bowers, owner of Power to the Pawz Pet Services and Education and certified Pet First Aid and CPR Instructor. We talked a lot about poor Diesel, who lost his life that day, and how more pet owners needed to know what to do if their pets are in danger. On Sunday, November 14, a group of pet parents - several of whom are DDL Facebook Fans - met at Beth’s home to get educated (or in my case, re-educated).
What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday! We learned so much from Beth (such as, “Before each step, remember to BREATHE. You can’t help your dog if you are panicking.”) and each other. Each person had their own stories to share and personal perspective on why each facet of first aid is so crucial. We learned that there are only three situations when you may need to administer first aid or CPR:
1) Your dog is breathing and has a pulse.
2) Your dog is not breathing but has a pulse.
3) Your dog is not breathing and doesn’t have a pulse.
I loved that the class broke down every situation to be a simple choice. There are three ways to respond - one for each of these scenarios - so there’s less to for your panicky brain to process when you are actually in an emergency situation. It’s less intimidating, and makes you feel more confident in your reaction.
Not only were we able to practice muzzling, wrapping a wound, and rescue breathing on stuffed dogs, Beth used her own real “demo dogs” for us to practice finding a pulse, and of course, to provide some comic relief throughout the class. Her Great Pyranese/Basset Hound mix Burt is a giant furry ball of awesomeness, and was so patient as she demonstrated how to do a Snout-to-Tail assessment.
If you’re not sure what to do if your dog is choking, or if you came home to find him unconscious, or how to properly transport your dog in a vehicle (hint: if your dog is loose in your car and you need medical assistance, first responders will have to wait for Animal Control to arrive and contain your dog before they can help you), then you should really get Pet First Aid and CPR training as soon as possible. Knowledge is power, and now that I have everything fresh in my mind and have been practicing and reviewing consistently, I feel confident that I will be able to help my dogs if they are in distress. Thank you Beth for helping me help my dogs!
To attend one of Beth’s First Aid & CPR Class, email her at
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For more pictures of the class, visit the DallasDogLife.com Facebook page.
Those DallasDogLife.com readers who follow the DDL Facebook Page are probably very familiar with the story of Edward, an emaciated pit bull who was rescued from a Houston Animal Shelter.
Here’s the short version of his story (the longer version is available on Edward’s very own Facebook Fan Page): Edward was a starving stray who was living on the streets of Houston. He happened to wander into a dog lover’s garage and, although she wanted very badly to help him, she had to turn him over to the local animal shelter. Knowing that pit bulls don’t have a chance of being adopted from that shelter, Julissa posted on Craig’s List to see if anyone could help him. A DDL reader saw Julissa’s post and posted it to our Facebook page. From there, a flurry of activity - including contacting Houston area rescues, the shelter, and anyone else we could think of - ultimately resulted in Edward being sprung from the shelter but his medical state meant he was far from safe.
We got him to Dallas and to an experienced dog rescuer, foster, trainer, and vet tech (all rolled into one) for safe keeping. Edward was so emaciated his skeleton was clearly visible through his skin. His first vet checkup revealed that he was heartworm positive, had sarcopic mange, and infested with fleas and ticks, among other issues. For the past six weeks, the generosity of DallasDogLife.com readers and other dog lovers from around the country have made Edward’s recovery possible - almost 100% of his care has been funded by donations.
As you may have noticed, I’ve been pretty close to this story as it’s developed over these past few months and I feel like Edward and I are close homies, although until yesterday I’d never seen him in person. So when Edward’s foster mom and my friend Beth Bowers texted me to see if I wanted to help give Edward a bath and dip, I eagerly agreed.
I arrived at Beth’s and after settling in and getting Edward’s stinky sulfur and lime dip solution ready, Beth retrieved Edward from his kennel. I was overjoyed at seeing him and made a RIDICULOUS rookie move. She brought him out and instead of letting him come to me on his own, I…this is so embarrassing, I’m supposed to be a professional…I actually attempted to hug him around his neck. Geez. OK, before anyone gets the impression that it’s not safe to hug a pit bull, let me clear something up. A person should NEVER approach a dog they’ve never met by crowding their personal space, whether it’s a pit bull or a Pomeranian. Anyway, Edward, who was understandably irritated, gave a quick warning bark as though to say, “EXCUSE ME???” Of course, I stopped my incredibly rude behavior and backed up. After my own personal time out (consisting of both Beth and I laughing at my lapse in judgment), Edward forgave me and came up to me and nuzzled my face. I imagine he was saying, “I hated to bark at you like that, but how else would you learn?” Such a smart doggie.
So on to the bath - since Edward is still undergoing treatment for mange and ringworm, Beth and I both used rubber gloves (which Edward must think are yummy or a bad fashion choice, because he wanted to take them off me during the whole process). The funniest thing was Edward’s cute little game of “eat the water.” Every time Beth got the stream of water close to Edward, he tried to eat the water (not drink, not play in, but EAT) - much like this picture. Eventually we got Edward all lathered up and just had to wait a few minutes before we could rinse it out. Edward used this time to really let me know how it feels to have your personal space invaded. He’s such a love bug, and we had some good cuddle time. He actually got so comfortable that he walked behind me and gave me a few bear hugs. (Yes, I know, not good doggie manners but how can you resist this face?) Of course, Beth snapped some photos for me, and I’ve been looking at them all day.
After his bath, we had to stink him up all over again by applying his ringworm dip. It’s an orange solution that smells of sulfur and apparently doesn’t feel that great when it’s being applied to any spots on Edward that haven’t healed completely. Beth used a sponge to put the solution all over Edwards body, paying special attention to his paws, legs, and undercarriage. For the most part, he did really well and after he was all orange (the color fades after a day or so), I took him for a walk to air dry while Beth cleaned out his kennel. We worked on leash manners and jumping, and he learns so fast! I didn’t have any treats with me or he would have done even better. I had a moment of trepidation when we encountered a couple working on their yard and pushing a wheelbarrow towards us. Edward was curious, but not fearful, and simply looked at the couple as they passed us. There were dogs on their afternoon walks all over the neighborhood and he showed no signs of aggression. We also saw a couple pushing a baby carriage and again, he only seemed interested, not fearful - great signs.
After Edward was dry, Beth and I sat on the porch with him and gave him lots of belly rubs and rewarded him with affection when he remembered to “sit” instead of jumping on us. He’s a goofball - tons of quirky habits and lots of personality. He needs a lot of training, and he’ll hopefully put on some muscle after his rehabilitation is complete, but for the most part Edward is an awesome dog. Beth hopes to be able to schedule a Meet & Greet before his heartworm treatment starts, so his benefactors can see how much their donations have helped him. Just remember, you may know him, but he doesn’t know you, so be sure to introduce yourself when you see him.
This just made my day. I LOVE me some Top Golf. And I love my dogs. So when I got my TopGolf email newsletter with the subject line declaring “Bring Your Dog to TopGolf and Get a FREE Game!” I thought, it’s too good to be true! So get your WELL-BEHAVED pooches out there to the driving range! Top Golf also has Big Jenga, another favorite pastime of mine, as well as miniature golf, putting greens, and batting cages. Let’s also not forget the adult beverages and some of the hottest buffalo wings I’ve ever had.
Here’s the fine print from the Top Golf website:
Bring Your Dog to TopGolf!
Dog Days of Summer Special
Now through the end of summer, head to TopGolf with your pooch and receive a FREE game of TopGolf and a treat for your dog!
Well, now there’s a real documentary called Worst in Show that chronicles the annual “World’s Ugliest Dog Contest” held every year in Petaluma, California. Co-directors John Beck and Don Lewis followed four contestants as they prepared for the contest and then followed the eventual winner, who has a very touching story about animal rescue. They also show the competition between the contestants, which makes for some very funny footage.
We got him to Dallas and to an experienced dog rescuer, foster, trainer, and vet tech (
I arrived at Beth’s and after settling in and getting Edward’s stinky sulfur and lime dip solution ready, Beth retrieved Edward from his kennel. I was overjoyed at seeing him and made a RIDICULOUS rookie move. She brought him out and instead of letting him come to me on his own, I…this is so embarrassing, I’m supposed to be a professional…I actually attempted to hug him around his neck. Geez. OK, before anyone gets the impression that it’s not safe to hug a pit bull, let me clear something up. A person should NEVER approach a dog they’ve never met by crowding their personal space, whether it’s a pit bull or a Pomeranian. Anyway, Edward, who was understandably irritated, gave a quick warning bark as though to say, “EXCUSE ME???” Of course, I stopped my incredibly rude behavior and backed up. After my own personal time out (consisting of both Beth and I laughing at my lapse in judgment), Edward forgave me and came up to me and nuzzled my face. I imagine he was saying, “I hated to bark at you like that, but how else would you learn?” Such a smart doggie.
So on to the bath - since Edward is still undergoing treatment for mange and ringworm, Beth and I both used rubber gloves (which Edward must think are yummy or a bad fashion choice, because he wanted to take them off me during the whole process). The funniest thing was Edward’s cute little game of “eat the water.” Every time Beth got the stream of water close to Edward, he tried to eat the water (not drink, not play in, but EAT) - much like 
After his bath, we had to stink him up all over again by applying his ringworm dip. It’s an orange solution that smells of sulfur and apparently doesn’t feel that great when it’s being applied to any spots on Edward that haven’t healed completely. Beth used a sponge to put the solution all over Edwards body, paying special attention to his paws, legs, and undercarriage. For the most part, he did really well and after he was all orange (the color fades after a day or so), I took him for a walk to air dry while Beth cleaned out his kennel. We worked on leash manners and jumping, and he learns so fast! I didn’t have any treats with me or he would have done even better. I had a moment of trepidation when we encountered a couple working on their yard and pushing a wheelbarrow towards us. Edward was curious, but not fearful, and simply looked at the couple as they passed us. There were dogs on their afternoon walks all over the neighborhood and he showed no signs of aggression. We also saw a couple pushing a baby carriage and again, he only seemed interested, not fearful - great signs. 
After Edward was dry, Beth and I sat on the porch with him and gave him lots of belly rubs and rewarded him with affection when he remembered to “sit” instead of jumping on us. He’s a goofball - tons of quirky habits and lots of personality. He needs a lot of training, and he’ll hopefully put on some muscle after his rehabilitation is complete, but for the most part Edward is an awesome dog. Beth hopes to be able to schedule a Meet & Greet before his heartworm treatment starts, so his benefactors can see how much their donations have helped him. Just remember, you may know him, but he doesn’t know you, so be sure to introduce yourself when you see him. 
