My boyfriend’s dog has been known to bark at inanimate objects. Statues in the park, concrete yard decor in the shape of a donkey and of course, the moving reindeer that litter almost every lawn on the block during Christmas season. So I can’t help but wonder, what she would think of this.  

Artist Susan Hershey creates sculptures of dogs based on the photos submitted by dog owners. “I feel I have a connection with dogs, and I am able to capture their unique personalities in my sculptures,” she says on her Web site.

Capturing the “unique personality” of your pet (which I really don’t think you can do with a concrete figure based on a photo) will cost you a mere $550 if you a small to medium dog and up to $1,100 is your pup is large or more “complex”.

Aren’t they all?

I won’t be shelling out that kind of dough for a concrete replica of my $75 shelter dog, especially since the more expensive version won’t snuggle, kiss or lick my face and probably won’t be as much fun at the dog park.

It’s summertime and the weather is beautiful here in Portland.  But, I recently underestimated the harmful potential of even a mild summer day, on my dog.

Last weekend I ran into the store, leaving Maisey in the car. It was only about 74 degrees outside, and I left the windows cracked. I returned less than 15 minutes later to my love, panting. The second I saw her I felt horrible. The car was warm (not hot) and she was uncomfortable. I didn’t think for a second that the car would get so warm on a cool, breezy afternoon with the windows down.

I learned my lesson, fortunately not the hard way. You may not realize exactly how hot a car can get. Check out the numbers at mydogiscool.com, a program of United Animal Nations. When it’s 72 degrees, a car in direct sun can reach an internal temperature of 116. Even in the shade, a car can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter than outdoors, and cracking the window has almost no effect.

According to Veterinarian Cate Rinaldo, a volunteer with United Animal Nations, dogs don’t have sweat glands all over their bodies like humans do, so the main way they can cool off is by panting, which isn’t very efficient.

Once a dog’s body temperature gets over about 106 — normal temperature is around 101 — the result is “everything from nerve damage, heart problems, liver damage, systemic organ failure, and it happens fast, within a matter of minutes,” she says.

Even indoors, it can get too hot for some animals. MSNBC.com tells of an elderly, overweight beagle that died of heat exhaustion in his own home; sadly, the house did have central air conditioning but the owners hadn’t left it on since there were no people home.

I am very protective of my dog. I would never to anything to put her in harms way, and yet, I made this very simple mistake.

Please remind your friends and family that even on a nice day, being left in the car is not only dangerous for your pet, but could be deadly.

I’m loving this pet friendly city. I can bring my dog to work, I regularly go shopping with Maisey in tow, and now pet friendly remodeled homes.

Paws & Saws is the result of a couple passionate about both design and pets. They remodel homes with the idea of making pets and humans more comfortable.  On June 6, Paws & Saws will showcase homes with creative designs like a litter box built into cabinetry, a comfy dog bench with storage underneath, and floors with enough traction for dogs’ nails.

The best part of the whole thing? 100% of the proceeds of Paws & Saws will benefit the Oregon Humane Society. Your ticket includes entry into a raffle to win pet and home-related prizes as well as admission into the homes.

Go and be inspired! Our pets will thank us.

Health Magazine confirms what dog owners already know–that owning a dog is good for your health. In addition to the companionship, unconditional love and the joys they bring to our lives, studies show that dog ownership is bound to lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and increase your life expectancy.

“The breadth and depth of what dogs do to benefit humans’ happiness and longevity is pretty remarkable,” says judge Marty Becker, DVM, author of The Healing Power of Pets.

Part of this could be attributed to the fact that dogs make get up off our butts and play, move around and exercise, but I think dogs also reduce our stress and anxiety levels; they show us how to just be happy with what we’ve got.

Add to that the role dogs play as service companions and the ways that they are contributing to medicine—from detecting cancer, providing hope for autistic children, and comforting psychiatric patients—and there’s really no argument that owning a dog has a positive impact on your health and your quality of life.

My favorite part from the article?

What kind of dog is best? Dr. Becker especially sings the praises of small, mixed-breed shelter pups.

Um, hello? That’s Maisey to a T! Not that I needed a doctor to tell me that she’s the perfect dog, but the small shelter mutt shout-out sure is amiable.

Maisey helped me through a difficult transition in my life. What exactly her presence did for me is indescribable, but I’ll never doubt the power and beauty of having a dog in my life.

We’ve had a rough week. On Monday evening, I came home to a sick Maisey who wouldn’t stop throwing up. After I realized she was trying, but couldn’t go #2, I got scared something more serious might be going on. So 10:30 at night we rushed to the emergency room.

I cried as I rushed into the emergency room, I’d convinced myself something was seriously wrong. After I told the technician her symptoms, their reaction did little to calm my fears. She was rushed into the back and I was left standing there, worried sick.

After $400 of care, it turns out everything is OK. The technician was even surprised she was going to be going home that same night. I left the emergency room armed with antibiotics, anti nausua medication and instructions for a strict 3-5 day diet.

I have no idea why this pup has such a sensitive stomach. Perhaps during her homeless stint on the streets she was eating things not ideal for a sensitive chihuahua tummy. Perhaps her previous owner didn’t feed her well, I don’t know.

I do know that our frightening Monday night reminded me just how much she brings to my life, sensitive tummy or not. I can’t imagine my life without her.

So I’ve spent the rest of this week keeping her comfortable, hiding pills in cheese, watching her detect the undesirable taste and managing to spit it out and still get all the cheese, and mixing up a tummy coating medication and injecting it into her mouth (much to her distaste).

But I’m her mom, so this is my job. It may seem thankless, but that’s what being a mom is all about, right?

Last weekend Maisey and I got outside for a good cause and participated in the Oregon Humane Society’s 2009 Doggie Dash.

The annual fundraiser raised over $220,000 for the non-profit organziation and we had a blast.

Would you be willing to pay a membership fee to use city dog parks that you currently can visit for free?

With state budget cuts trickling down to the cities within them, taken for granted luxuries such as school music and sports programs, city or state funded parks, and public transportation are being cut back or eliminated.  Seems that now, dog parks aren’t even free anymore. 

This makes me wonder, where exactly are my tax dollars going these days? Bailing out big banks, auto companies and CEO bonuses? While a possible dog park fee is by no means the biggest detriment caused by drastic state budget cuts, it’s ridiculous to think tax paying citizens are being asked to fork out more money just to go to the dog park! I would gladly pay a dog park fee if a fee was set up to support local dog shelters or help animals in need. But a mandatory dog park fee that is a direct result of government and big business financial irresponsibility is just too hard to swallow.

I understand we are in difficult times, and proposals such as the one in Novato, California are likely to pass. Can we at least make some good of it? Can dog park registrants be forced to provide proof that their dogs are up to date on vaccinations? Can a portion of the fees be used to support animal population control?

I would assume most dog owners wouldn’t deprive their pets of the joys of the dog park despite the fees, but the bone would be a lot easier to swallow if we know the program will do some good for the local pet community.

Ben Stein offers some advice on how to get through tough economic times:

Get a dog. 

I totally agree.

I’ve been a little curious in the past what breeds make up my spunky, personable long bodied chihuahua like dog. The chihuahua part seems pretty obvious, look at the ears. The shelter where I adopted her suggested maybe terrier, as well. I’ve guessed everything from a Greyhound to a Jack Russell, but I don’t think I’ve hit the mark. To be honest, I don’t really care. She’s love-able, sweet as can be, and all mine. I don’t really need to know much else. What sparks my curiosity more is where she came from. What did the first year of her life consist of that brought her into the shelter the days before I wandered in and picked her out? I like to think that she ran with a crew of feral cats. She has a habit of licking her paw, then using it to clean her face.  She also tends to crawl up on my lap in a very cat like manner. Even though I don’t need to know exactly what mix she is, every now and then I get a little curious. Turns out, most owners can be way off when guessing the breeds of their mutts.  One of my favorite sites Petside, lets you test your skills by guessing the breeds of several mutts, the results are revealed on the next page. Unfortunately, none of the mutts resembled Maisey. Maybe I will just have to shell out the $200 find out her ancestry.  Anyone want to place bets?

Porn stars love dogs, too. Adult film star Mia Presley, along with a few other notable names in the porn industry recently launched Porn Stars 4 Pups, the self proclaimed “headquarters for those interested in helping  four legged friends in various adoption places and rescues across the country.”  

Their inspiration for creating the site? According to Mia Presley; ”I think we should use our gaining celebrity for something that is a great worldly cause.”

The site features Southern California rescues, profiles of dogs available for adoption and several photos of the scantily clad stars with their pets.  Also somewhere in the mix is a photo of Ron Jeremy and a turtle. 

On the home page, the porn stars remind us that “Its important for those folks who want to help to know that giving as much as a few cents makes more of a difference then not giving at all… and giving a giving a pup a home is  just as valuable as making a conrtribution” 

Very eloquently put, ladies.  At least their heart is in the right place.

In all seriousness, celebrities and public figures that use their names to support animal well being and adoption are all heroes in my book.