Don't Let Your Dog Drive. You'll Get Dizzy

A man in the foreground tries to figure out what to do as a dog in the
car drives backwards in circles around a Florida cup-de-sac.
Police eventually stopped the car, and the dog, named Max,
was miraculously not charged with reckless driving. 

I do love this report from Florida that came out last month.

A dog decided to go for a drive.  Maybe the dog wanted to be a little mavericky, too.

A Port St. Lucie man arrived home one day and left his dog Max temporarily the car while he ran into the house for a minute.

Police said:

"The dog named Max accidentally hit the shifter into reverse causing the car to circle the cul-de-sac, leaving the owner locked out of the car.....As the car circled the cup-de-sac, it struck and damaged a mailbox."

I guess police in Port St. Lucie are pretty mellow and understanding.  They entered the code on the key pad of the door and managed to stop the car.

Max, who was not wearing a seat belt, wasn't hurt and wasn't issued a citation, despite the obvious dangerous driving and lack of a seat belt. I guess dogs get a pass, which I can understan.

 Here's a video from Good Morning America:

Dog Shoves 11 Shampoo Bottles Into Tub Just Because

Who knows what goes on in the mind of a dog?  But it must be fun.

The latest example is this puppy, who seems to enjoy his job of moving  11 bottles of shampoo on the edge of a bathtub that he thinks don't belong there. He solves the problem quite efficiently. Watch the video, perhaps again and again, to brighten your day:

Swedish Post Office Demands That Dog Sign For Mailed Package

A friend sent this dog named Chaya a new doggie toy
through the Swedish postal service, plunging her
into a funny bureaucratic mess.

If you want to send a doggie toy to a dog in Sweden, or anything to any animal there, don't address the package to the pet. Address the package to the animal's human companion.

Marie Palmgren and Chaya, her boxweiler dog, found this out the hard way.

A friend of Marie and Chaya's decided to mail a dog toy to Chaya. The friend playfully addressed the package to Chaya Palmgren.

According to The Dodo, this is how everything played out:

Marie got a note from her mail carrier that a large parcel had arrived and she needed to pick it up at the post office.  It was the doggie toy for Chaya.

In Sweden, the person (or animal) that receives a package at the post office has to show ID and sign for the package. Since the package was addressed to Chaya, postal workers insisted that Chaya had to show ID and sign for the package.

Marie tried to explain that Chaya was a dog and she'd sign it on her behalf.

But rules are rules!  "They still demanded an ID and a signature from Chaya, plus ID and signature from me as the 'helper' to fetch the package," Palmgren said.

The paw prints on this postal document after
Chaya "signed" it. 

Marie returned home, rummaged through some old records and found a registration document that proved Chaya was her pet. She grabbed the paper and headed back to the post office.

But Chaya still had to sign the document. Dogs are not allowed into the post office, which was another roadblock.

Finally, Palmgren  convinced a postal worker to bring an ink pad outdoors so Chaya could sign the paperwork.

Palmgren dipped a confused Chaya's paw into the ink pad and then pushed the paw onto the document, leaving a pawprint. Close enough to be a signature, the post office finally decided.

You can see the video at the bottom of this post a perplexed Chaya signing for his package.

Her bureaucratic nightmare over, Chaya
plays with the water fountain toy
her friend mailed her

You'd think the postal workers would have at least been amused by this situation.  Uh-uh.

"The staff was very serious all the time. It wasn't a funny thing for them.... Me? I was totally flabbergasted. When I reached the car, I laughed so much that I got a pain my stomach," Palmgren said.

To nobody's surprise, Swedish media had a field day with this, highlighting this as an extreme example of the super-strict adherence to policy by government agencies, The Dodo reported. 

The gift giver felt terrible her playfulness in addressing the package caused such a problem, but Palmgren brushed aside those concerns.

"She wanted to do a kind thing. She was so sorry that it turned into this circus of absurdity...But I told her, 'On the contrary. You managed to make so many people laugh.'"

As for Chaya, she reported loves her nifty water fountain toy.

A Needed Dose Of Adorbs In An Ugly World

Conway (left) and Dozer (peeking over fence) enjoy an afternoon
of playing fetch in this still from a wonderful viral video.

We can keep absorbing the awfulness that passes for news these days, or we can take a break to prove that there is still adoreableness and niceness in the world.

We all crave that, which I'm sure is why the video at the bottom of this post went viral. It shows a great two year old boy named Conway and his next door neighbor, a dog named Dozer.

A fence divides the property between Conway's house and Dozer's but that's no reason the two can't have fun. As you see, Conway just throws a ball over the fence, and Dozer returns the favor.

I bet this can go on all day. As it should.

Watch:

Woman Gets The BEST Help Decorating Her Christmas Tree

I'm sure you have your holiday decorating done by now, given that it's just two days before Christmas.

Next year,  however, you ought to plan on hiring this woman's helper. She got her Christmas tree decorated in flash, thanks to her handy helper. Watch:

This Smart Dog Knows How To Get Ready For A Walk

This very smart dog named Ziggy knows how
to prepare to go out for a "walkie"

Ziggy the dog insanely loves to go for walks, and when his human companion suggests they take one, Ziggy gets ecstatic.

However, when you go for a walk, you have to take certain things with you.

Ziggy is smart enough to know just how to prepare to go outside, as you'll see in the video below.

The video is something like seven months old, but has recently gone even more viral than it was.

Very entertaining:

Dog Gets Beautiful Sendoff, Military Honors For Service To U.S.

Cena and Lance Cpl. Jeffrey DeYoung. Cena, a brave military
bomb sniffing dog, died this week and was given complete
military honors.

I'll start right off that this post has a high Kleenex alert, so get your tissue ready for this one.

We all know that us Americans must really take care to honor our military veterans. It's a cliche, I know,  but an important one. 

This week, proper honors went to a veteran named Cena.

Cena was a bomb-sniffing dog during combat in Iraq, serving honorably and bravely with Lance Cpl Jeffrey DeYoung of Muskegon, Michigan.

According to MLive:

"During that time, DeYoung carried Cena across rivers. Cena kept DeYoung warm during cold desert nights. DeYoung threw his body over Cena's while under heavy fire from the Taliban. And when DeYoung lost seven friends during the course of three weeks, Cena was there to comfort him."

Except for a four year separation, when DeYoung was redeployed separately from Cena, they've pretty much always been together. DeYoung says the companionship has lasted all of his adult life.

For the past three years, Cena and DeYoung were back home in Michigan, still the tightest of military buddies. True brothers in arms.

Recently, Cena, age 10, was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. This tight bond between Cena and DeYoung would have to end, at least in this physical world. Cena had to be euthanized.

Here's what DeYoung wrote on Facebook the day before Cena passed.

"Words cannot convey what I'm feeling and thinking. I want to run away and not face what I must do. But he needs me to be strong and set him free. He has blessed my life with love and admiring.

Because of him, I got to have a family. Because of him, I was able to live. May God forgive me for what I do tomorrow. And may the Lord greet you with open arms and a nice ear scratch.

Goodnight my friend, goodnight my brother. May you rest your head tonight knowing how loved you are and how dearly you will be missed."

In the last of countless acts of kindness DeYoung showed toward Cena, he made sure the dog was given full military honors at a ceremony in Michigan this week.

Cena went for a last ride in an open Jeep so he could feel the wind on his face one last time. Then, Cena and DeYoung boarded the USS LST 393. Cena was euthanized and Taps was played.

Hundreds of mourners turned out to the ceremony.

I think I speak for millions to thank Cena and DeYoung for their service. 

Here's the video:

Bulldog Really Is Into This Horror Movie

I really can't watch horror movies. My dreams afterwards are too vivid.

But in this viral video, watch this bulldog get really into a horror movie as the scene in the film gets more and more intense.

The people who uploaded the video said the dog, named Kaleesi, loves watching horror movies and tries to protect potential victims in the films. Kaleesi is especially vocal when children are endangered.

Pretty wild:

Dog Pretends To Love New Bed Even Though It Clearly Doesn't Work

Just to be nice, Kenny the golden retreiver pretends that
a much too small dog bed purchsed for him works just fine. 

As is customary here in this blog thingy, I get a little overwhelmed by the news and awfulness of the world. I'm sure you've noticed.

When that happens, I retreat to fun little dog stories, or something like that.

This is one of those times.

I've decided I really like Kenny, a 10-year-old golden retriever from Elkhart, Indiana.

His human mom, Heather Stoddard, knew Kenny needed a new doggie bed, so she ordered one on line.

Stoddard forgot to note that the doggie beds she was looking at came in various sizes. The one that arrived was teeny tiny, made for pups much smaller than big Kenny.

Dogs tend to seem appreciative of gifts and want to please their human companions so he pretended the tiny dog bed was just perfect for him.

The result was a bunch of viral photos of Kenny earnestly pretending the tiny bed worked wonderfully for him.

"It was honestly funny seeing how small and thin it was. It almost looked like a pillow," said Paten Mathes, 15, Stoddard's son and Kenny's other human companion.

Kenny the golden retriever realizes the too small dog bed
is too small for him, but at least it makes a nice pillow

By the way, Stoddard realized her mistake as soon as the dog bed arrived and she went back on line to buy a dog bed that works much better for Kenny.

By the way, I get it dogs might latch onto objects that they like not entirely because they're trying to please someone, but because they like the object and it gives the comfort.

For instance, my dogs Jackson and Tonks are weird. When I sit down to watch TV, Tonks will sometime rest her head of my feet so she has the comforting if stinky scent of my shoes.

Both Jackson and Tonks want me to put down pants that need laundering on the floor so they can sleep on them, again because it's probably comforting.  

Still, I like to think part of the motivation of all this stuff that Kenny, Tonks and Jackson do are because they feel an attachment to their human companions and want to please them.

I'll go with that.

The photos of Kenny got so widespread that some pet companies sent the family some dog beds that might be a better fit for Kenny.

Kenny is testing them out and will decide which one he likes best. Any other dog beds that Kenny isn't as enthusiastic about will be donated to animal shelters, says the Huffington Post. 

See, Kenny is quite the kind dog. I have one thing to say to him. It's an approving "Woof!!!"

Jack Russell Dog Fails At Dog Competition But Wins At Life

Olly the Jack Russell terrier suffers a face plant during the Crofts
Dog Show skills competition, but who cares? He had the
time of his life, and delighted all of us. 

The recent Crufts Dog Show highlighted the discipline and agility of plenty of dogs

One dog, however, wasn't so disciplined, but gawd what a delight!

Olly he Jack Russell terrier really seemed to be having the time of his life at Crufts as he raced around the course, randomly performing some tricks, running in circles at other times.

During one leap, he landed with a a nasty face plant, but got right back up and gleefully ran around some more.

He didn't win, but he sure delighted the crowd. I love how happy he makes the announcer sound as he did the play by play.

Olly didn't win the competition, no sir. But he won all our hearts and he's winning the game of life.  We could all learn some lessons from Olly.

Watch:

This Dog Is Champ At "Mannequin Challenge"

This card game mannequin challenge has a great ending
involving a dog.  

The big craze sweeping social media these days is the Mannequin Challenge, in which groups of people are filmed posing absolutely still in the middle of an activity, as if frozen in time.

Even dogs are getting into the act, as there are a few videos out there of Fido mastering the challenge

Yeah, the trend is already overdone, but I couldn't resist one mannequin challenge, in which a group of people in a home freeze while playing cards and having a social gathering.

The scene is frankly unremarkable until the end, when we find a dog who is an absolute master at this game. The dog creates the perfect punch line to this video:

Great John Lewis Christmas Ad, With An Even Better Reaction To The Ad

This dog feels temporarily left out of the fun in the
new John Lewis Christmas advertisement. Another dog
watching the ad does NOT feel left out. 

The British retailer John Lewis always has a charming Christmas ad every year, and this year is no exception. 

In this one, parents buy their daughter a backyard trampoline that is enjoyed by some animals, and the dog inside the family house feels left out.

The first video you see in this post is the actual John Lewis ad, and the second video is the kicker.

The second video shows "someone" watching this John Lewis ad, and having the best possible reaction to it.

The first video will bring a smile to your face, the second one will absolutely make your day:



And here's the second video that's even better.

This Dog Rescue Sounds Almost Like A Crime Show Caper

Lucy the pit bull on the mend in the United States after
being secretly spirited out of Egypt to get her
away from an abusive owner.  

In Egypt, people believe purebred dogs are a status symbol.

Which is fine, as long as the dogs aren't mistreated.

But Lucy, a one-year old pitiful was mistreated. Badly.

The owner repeatedly kicked Lucy and beat her with a brick. Both sides of her jaw were broken, and she suffered other injuries.

A rescue group in Cairo tried to get the owner to give Lucy up, says The Dodo, but the guy refused.

So, it was on to Plan B: A bit of international bait and switch.

The rescue group in Cairo told the dog's owner Lucy had died of the injuries he had inflicted on her.

But she was really alive, if not well. The Cairo group got ahold of an outfit called Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation or SNARR.

SNARR spirited Lucy out of Egypt and to the United States before the dog's evil owner could figure out what was going on.

It took a lot of medical attention to make Lucy well, what with her shattered jaw and a terrible infection. But The Dodo says she's on the mend and will be put up for adoption.

She's with a foster family now who report that Lucy is a real sweetheart. 

Normally, I'm not in favor of lying and almost creating international incidents, but in this case, it was worth it.

I just hope that guy in Egypt doesn't get another dog. But I kinda hope he found out what went on with Lucy, so he can stew in his own regret for being a jerk, and too stupid to realize he was being conned in the best possible way.

Once Lucy is fully healed and with a loving family, maybe she can star in the next James Bond movie.

After all, she's experienced now in international intrigue.

Bretagne, 9/11 Search And Rescue Dog, Given Well-Deserved Hero's Farewell

Firefighters salute Bretagne as she entered an
animal hospital recently, as failing health forced
her humans to give her a peaceful death.  

Recently Bretagne, a 16-year old Golden Retriever who was the last known surviving search and rescue dog from the 9/11 terrorist attack, died of kidney failure at the age of 16.

Truly a national hero, Bretagne, spent ten days following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack site in New York, searching for victims.

In 2005, she performed much of the same heroics searching for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana.

I love the way the New York Times handled a story on the passing of Bretagne. The newspaper treated the event the way the New York Times typically writes stories on the deaths of important and influential people.

After retiring from search and rescue, Bretagne joined Texas Task Force 1 and Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department, often demonstrating search techniques for people who wanted to learn.

She also frequently visited elementary schools to help first graders with practicing their reading skills, lending her ears to the childrens' stories.

Bretagene on the job in New York after the 9/11
terrorist attack, 2001.  

Bretagne became something of a celebrity, and last year returned to New York where she was given a well deserved stay in a posh hotel and given gifts, and donations to rescue organizations on her behalf.  

In the past couple weeks, Bretagne, now quite old, became ill and suffered from kidney failure.

She was taken to an animal hospital one last time, as it was time for the hero Bretagne to pass away. Firefighters formed an honor guard and saluted Bretagne as she went into the animal hospital.

The video of this moment is below.

The firefighters offered the same sad, grateful salute as Bretagne's flag-draped coffin was taken from the animal hospital.

Bretagne was a true American hero, and we have a lot to learn from her.  I wish more humans were like her.

RIP, Bretagne.

World's Cutest Trespasser Caught On Surveillance Tape

Surveillance video captured a boy sneaking into a home's garage
so he could hug and play with a dog that was in there. 

Surveillance cameras detect all kinds of break-ins and trespassing incidents.

The one in the brief video at the bottom of this post is probably the cutest.

This was taken by a surveillance camera in the garage of Hollie Mallet's house in Pierre Part, Louisiana.

The garage doors are open and a Black Lab named Dutchess is sittting inside the garage.

All of a sudden, a boy runs into the garage -- clearly trespassing -- and hugs the dog enthusiastically, and the dog seems to enjoy the attention.

The boy, now caught red handed, then runs to his bike and takes off.

Mallet wasn't exactly ready to press trespassing charges against the boy. Instead, she posted it on Facebook in an effort to find the kid.

"Anyone know who this sweet little boy is? Every now and then when he rides his bike he will quickly come and love on my dog and play fetch real quick, but always leaves quick like he doesn't know if he should be here!

"I'd like to tell him he's welcome to stay and play, she loves the attention!"

Soon, neighbor Ginger Breaux saw the video, and clearly identified the perp in the garage as her son Josh.

Beaux was torn. Josh knew he wasn't allowed to just go onto other people's property, so that was bad. But Josh clearly had a lot of compassion for dogs and other animals, so that was a very good thing.

Mallet solved the problem when she responded to Breaux. "Hope this sweet little boy Josh continues to come play with Dutchess.....A dog is a friend for life. So glad to see that innocence and love as caught on camera instead of what they are normally used for."

Here's the surveillance video:

Horrible Person Left Dog To Die In Texas Flood, Thankfully Somebody Noticed

This dog was left to drown in a Texas flood, chained
to a porch as the water rose. A television news crew
and volunteers rescued her  

As noted in my sister blog, Matt's Weather Rapport, Texas had a really bad flood recently.

In one of the worst videos, but with one with a very happy ending, rescuers and a television news crews came upon a dog tied to a house in neck deep flood water, barely holding its head above water.

Television station KPRC reporter Phil Archer and a volunteer, Jeff Shimek jumped into the water, untied the dog from the porcj before the water rose high enough to drown the dog, and put the dog, named Archer, in their boat.  

"They chained him to the front of the fucking house,?" one of the men in the boat says when they encountered the dog.

Yep, they did.  You can see it all in the video at the bottom of this post. Poor Archer looks terrified, but that seemed mixed with gratitude when the rescuers put the dog in their boat.

The reporters and flood volunteers turned Archer over to the Houston Humane Society.

Humane Society spokeswoman Monica Schmidt said a ring around Archer's neck meant that she was chained outside for some time, Reuters reported.

A number of people have expressed interest in adopting Archer.

"She's a fantastic dog and deserves so much better than what she had," Schmidt said, according to Reuters.

The local sheriff is not happy with the people who left the dog chained in the water, either. If the find the people that left Archer behind, they might be charged with animal cruelty.

"This is infuriating," Sheriff Nevis wrote on his public Facebook page. "These residents will get a visit from me when they return."

Here's the video:

Viral Abandoned Dog Photo Has Happy Ending

This heartrending photo of a dog cruelly abandoned
on a London bus went viral.  

A photo went viral last week showing a Staffordshire Bull Terrier abandoned on a London bus.

The dog looked so dejected at being abandoned.  I'm sure a few people who saw the photo shed a few tears. How could anybody just leave such a wonderful dog on the bus to fend for itself?

You can see the photo here, near the top of this post.

What would prompt such cruelty?

The good news is the dog, named Boston, was not abandoned by his human family. He might have been kidnapped and abandoned by his kidnappers, but that's quite another thing.

Plus, bus company employees took good care of Boston while everything was sorted out. And the publicity associated with the viral photo ensured Boston came back home.

Last Thursday Boston's owner, Paulina Rybak, took him outside like she always does to do his business and he just disappeared.

Boston, having been likely abandoned on
the bus by dognappers, is now back home
and looking much happier. As are his human companions

Boston had never run off before, so Paulina and her two kids, Filip, 8, ad Zofia, 3 were distraught. The family worried they'd never seen Boston again, especially as the days ticked by with no sign of him.

The suspicion is kidnapping because the bus driver who found Boston abandoned on his rig also vaguely recalls the dog getting on the bus with two men.

Sounds like the two men might have grabbed Boston, then decided not to hang on to him.

The bus driver said Boston was very scared when he found him, and he and other staff did their best to comfort him.

Rybak went to the town council and animal shelters and other places looking for Boston, but no luck.

Then the photo went viral, and Rybak spotted the picture of Boston on the bus on the Evening Standard web site.   

The family has since been reunited, Boston is back home in good health, and all is well.

Sometimes the internet can be a horrible place. But sometimes, it's wonderful when it helps dogs like Boston and his human companions.

H/T Nothing To Do With Arborath

Can't Resist Hero Dog Stories: Maxx Leads FIrefighters To Trapped Children In Fire

Maxx leading firefighters to two children
trapped in a burning Florida home.  

The latest hero in the news is Maxx.

A house burst into flames one recent night in an Orlando suburb.

Arriving firefighters quickly realized that two children, ages four and two, were trapped somewhere in the large, flaming house, but they really didn't know where.

But Maxx, the family dog knew exactly where they were.

He led firefighters through thick smoke to where the children were, says television station WFLA and the Associated Press. 

Everyone from the house, including Maxx, were seriously injured in the fire, mostly from smoke inhalation, but because of Maxx, everyone survived.

At last report Maxx was doing well.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family, and Maxx of course. As of Saturday morning, about $41,000 had been raised, which is great, especially given the huge hospital bills and rebuilding the family will have to face.

Hey, the family deserves the help, and Maxx sure could use a reward!

Good boy, Maxx!

Soccer Is Serious Business, Until.....

Soccer is a game, so you play, right? The dog
that ran onto the field knew how to do it.  

Soccer is serious business in Latin America.

It's very important which nation wins, in a tournament like the recent 2016 Copa Libertadores match between Mexico and Venezeula.

There's one little guy who didn't get the memo, however. Soccer is a game, right? You play a game, right? So let's play!

This video shows how playing can disrupt a game in the best possible way:

Dog Appears Pleased To Be Leaving Animal Shelter After Being Adopted

Coso celebrates as she leaves an animal shelter with
the two people who just adopted her.  

I just had to post this because the photo is perfect.

Coso, age seven, is an Australian Shepherd mix who had been at the Lort Smith Animal Shelter in Melbourne, Australia because the family that had her could no longer care for her, says The Dodo.

Eventually, a family came to the animal shelter and decided to adopt Coso and bring her to a new forever home.

Judging from the photo, Coso looked rather pleased as she left the animal shelter with her new family. Her new human companions don't exactly look upset, either.