Re-gifted Tacky Cardigan: How Corgis Herd (as Illustrated by a Dumb@ss)

But first:

<> The diagrams that follow have previously (in 2012) been published on this blog. They were tacky then too, hence, the "re-gifting." And while I'm being honest, I wouldn't be the least bit offended if you went and re-gifted  them again (and so on). They can be like an infinity gift!
<> And, by dumb@ss, I don't mean this guy:

Because, despite his needing major orthodontia, I'd bet he's smarter than someone's honor student. Somewhere. Also, I heart donkeys a lot.

No, I mean this person (who's been posterized in PicMonkey to make her blotches and extra folds less noticeable):

OH MY GOSH! YOU GUYS! I just realized the name "HEE-HAW" (as in the old TV show) is a euphemism for "Dumb@sses"! 

Of course! It makes perfect sense! They couldn't very well have called it the "Dumb@ss" show! It was their own private joke! Hee-haw! Hee-haw! (Note: I watched Hee-Haw before I ever heard of the word "dumb@ss," okay? I think Bart Simpson might have introduced me to that one.)

Ahem. 

So, since I started the week off on a herding note, I thought it might be fun to revisit a couple highly scientific diagrams I made of the dogs performing a herding demo in my back yard. Except, I don't have any barn animals for them to herd, so I substituted Youngest Child. Don't worry, it was his idea he was happy to help. Plus, no one would ever recognize him under that scary foam sheep mask I got at Target.

So in this first example, I've tried to illustrate how Jon Farleigh and Dewi (although both Cardigan Welsh Corgis, in this completely absurd scenario only*) have contrasting herding styles.

* Jon Farleigh isn't always this enlightened. 

And then here, I've illustrated why (when driving cattle, vs. herding sheep) corgis need to have short legs.

Seriously, y'all. They might have looked like hobbits with chicken legs, but those first corgis were total bad@sses! (Why do we have so many slang words with the suffix @ss? It's like we're obsessed with butts or something. I should research that and report back...)

Well, have you learned anything?! Gosh, I hope so! Feel free to share! I won't tell anyone I gifted the information to you twice already! ☺

If you'd like me to consider a photo of your pet(s) for a tacky cardigan, just post it to the Facebook or Tumblr page!

Tacky Cardigan: How Dogs Land Jobs - Genetics, Environment, or Something Else Entirely?

So, answer this question: Which came first, the dog or the dog's job? 

I'll go out on a limb and say the dog. Maybe not the ideal dog, but unlike the unsolvable chicken and egg dilemma, if you're gonna give a dog a job, there has to be a dog sitting there ready to take it, right? But then, how did the humans decide which dogs were best for which jobs? So they could work toward their "breed ideal"? Take cattle driving, for example. Of all the available dogs, WAY back when dogs were first assigned as drovers, how did the farmer decide among all the dogs? I don't know. But I'm beginning to wonder whether the cows had something to do with it...

Disclaimer: The cows made up those jokes, not me.*

Things that make you go hmm. ☺

A huge THANK YOU to my muse, the devastatingly handsome Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, and his mama Carol Bryant (yes, that Dexter, and that Carol Bryant) of the acclaimed pet lifestyle blog Fidose of Reality, for allowing me to use their photo! (I saw it on their Instagram. This was SO MUCH FUN to make!)

UPDATE! I've been feeling remiss about not crediting the cows who have appeared with speaking parts; therefore, here are their names (L to R): Lenny, Mortimer (Mort for short) and Ice-Chest.

* I totally made those dumb jokes up, but I'm allowed. I'm owned by two drovers who are shaped like step stools.

Classic Cardigan: The Time I Met Pit Bull William at the SPCA, Except He Was Really a Cardigan Corgi Mix #NDFAD

The ASPCA has designated today National Dog Fighting Awareness Day (NDFAD), but I'll be using the occasion as an excuse to retell William's story -- at least the part of it that began when we crossed paths at the Richmond SPCA, just before Thanksgiving in 2012.

You see, William -- by visual standards -- was a pit bull: large, block-shaped head, wide jaw, short coat and lean, muscular body. And when I walked by his shelter run that day -- as he had all those physical characteristics (which, by the way, I have come to regard with deep affection since starting this blog) -- he might have been just another (relatively speaking, as there are so many like him who end up homeless) handsome, even-tempered pittie, looking for a loving family to call his own.

Except the sign on his kennel door - in black letters, right beside "breed" - said he was a Cardigan Welsh Corgi/American Staffordshire Terrier mix. 

And that, friends, is where the story begins.

Originally published on November 18, 2012...

Meet (sweet) William, an Adoptable Cardigan Corgi Mix in Richmond, VA!

I took these photos of him while we were playing outside the Richmond SPCA (his temporary home) on Friday. Isn't he a cutie?!

That Kong you've got there makes me happy; toss it, please?
Oh, and by the way, I love you.

Hello. Guess what? I'm thankful for this here Kong...oh, and you, too.

What? Not what you were expecting? Thinking I made a typo in the title?

That perhaps Elizabeth sees the world through "Cardigan-colored glasses*"?

Well actually, I most certainly do/did...NOT!  See...?

screenshot source

Hint: Look at the breed (up there on his Richmond SPCA adoption profile).

Still scratching your head?

Maybe this (which happens to be attached to the door of his shelter run) will clear it up for you...

"See DNA results."

William is A12396298. Wisdom Panel is the name of the company that supplied
and performed the cheek-swab DNA test.

This is what's printed at the top of the test report:

"The Wisdom Panel® Shelter Dog™ computer algorithm performed over seven million calculations using 11 different models (from a single breed to complex combinations of breeds) to predict the most likely combination of pure and mixed breed dogs in the last 3 ancestral generations that best fit the DNA marker pattern observed in A12396298. The ancestry chart depicting the best statistical result of this analysis is shown in the picture below."

Here are William's test results:

Can you make out that Cardigan Corgi silhouette up there on the left?

OK, here's a closer look.

This is the image that transfixed me to the front of William's shelter run. 

Because my crappy camera (I left the nicer one at home) cut off part of the chart, here's the bottom line:

William is a "Cardigan Welsh Corgi (12.5%)/Chinese Shar-Pei (12.5%)/Boxer (12.5%) Mix crossed with American Staffordshire Terrier (25%) Mix." 

But that only adds up to 62.5% of his genetic makeup. That's because the other 37.5% is made up of many other breeds' DNA, but not enough of any particular one to be named with any level of confidence.

Oh, and just so you know, no one at the Richmond SPCA told me about William or asked me to write this post; I discovered his "secret" completely by accident, strolling through the adoptable dogs after a volunteer session earlier this week. I was so taken aback by my discovery, though, that I volunteered to go back the next morning just so I could take William (and some other dogs) for a walk and some play time outside (hence that first photo up there).

So what does all this mean?

(Note: I'm assuming William's DNA sample was clean and the results are accurate.)

That I'm trying to make a case for adopting William because he's part Cardigan Welsh Corgi? Actually, I think that would be a poor reason to adopt William. He deserves better.

To be honest, William is such a great dog (polite, happy, even-tempered, easy on the eyes, healthy, squeezable...) that I'm banking it won't be his "secret" Corgi lineage that swiftly works its way into someone's heart. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets himself adopted before you even finish reading this sentence. (Man, that would be awesome!)

What I am hoping for, however, is that the next time you (or anyone else who reads through this post) meets up with a dog who looks like William, that you might pause and reflect - even for just a moment - about all the sweet "secrets" that possibly (or likely) lie beneath that (oh, so) familiar exterior.

[ahhhhh]

* In fact, through "Cardigan-colored glasses," one could see all the colors in an 8-pack Crayola box, except for green and purple!

♦♦♦ 

Notes:
<> As if there could be any doubt, William didn't remain in the shelter for long. He was adopted and in his new forever home before Thanksgiving.
<> I intentionally omitted the words "pit bull" (and all variations) from the original post.
<> For more information about the wide range of dogs commonly referred to as pit bulls (including their history and common misconceptions), refer to The Truth About Pit Bulls at ASPCA.org.

I Would Do Anything for a Ball, but I Won't Do That

A few things first:

<> This is not that kind of blog.

<> There is nothing parodic about this post, other than the title, speaking of which...

<> Thanks, Meat Loaf.

<> There is a "permanent" x-pen in my family room; it has felt pads under the corners, to save the floor.

<> This is not a PSA about spaying and neutering your pets, but while I'm on the subject, please do.

<>  According to the book The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren, Cardigan Welsh Corgis are the 26th most intelligent dog breed.

* * *

'S'my ball. My. Ball. 

I might have mentioned before (about 106 times, here and there) that - aside from eating - Dewi's favorite activity is fetching, preferably his rope. No, let me rephrase that: Dewi is a rope addict and might need an intervention.

I know, I know - lots of dogs are crazy about fetching. You might be lucky enough to have one (or more) of your own (bless your hearts). It's just that I think Dewi might be "special." And by "special," well...

Have you ever seen a dog fetch like this??!

So, do you think Dewi might be "special"?

Hold on to that thought for a couple minutes.

(P.S. Did you get a load of Bertie, the cat? hehe)

Now, I'm no expert on dog IQ, but I've tried a few simple tests on both Dewi and Jon Farleigh. Here's a chart with some of the results.

Test	Passed
Finds way out from under a blanket	Yes
Answers to own name, and not to random words spoken in the same tone Ex. Responds to "Dewwwiii!" but not to "Vacuuuuum!" or Fryiiiing Paaan!" for example	Yes
Understands English	Yes
Can find a treat under a cup, in between the couch cushions, under the refrigerator, in the litter box...	Yes
When playing fetch with a tennis ball, and the ball accidentally lands in an empty (shoulder-high) laundry basket, knows to hop in the basket to retrieve the ball Example:	No
If placed inside an empty (shoulder-high) laundry basket with a tennis ball, and given the command to "bring me the ball," makes an attempt to get out of the basket (with or without ball) Example:	No

And...I don't know, y'all. Based on those results, I'm inclined to think:
they're both "special!" 
Wouldn't you agree? ;-)

Out of immense curiosity, for those who have (or have had) Corgis or any other dwarf breed of dog, would your dog(s) be able to pass that last laundry basket test?

Let me know in the poll below! Thanks!

Beer Bottle Cap Pet ID Tags, plus TAKE THE QUIZ on Dogs + Beer in Pop Culture!

Note: This blog post contains a short quiz on dogs & beer in pop culture. You should take it (because I made it for you with lots of <3<3<3, dang it!)...right after these important illustrated messages!

So, have you seen pet ID tags made from bottle caps, like this one I got from Etsy (collar sold separately)? They're so cute!

Yep, I needed had to get one for a certain furry red-head with a punny Irish name.

Hint: "Jon Farleigh" is not an Irish name.

Neither is "Dewi." Plus, Dewi's not a red-head.

And, neither is Bertie (a red-head). 

So, I guess that leaves...

Bobby Flay O'Fish!

(The itty bitty, {formerly} feral, ginger kitty I plucked off the highway a few weeks ago.)

He I really needed a tag-collar combo that could live up to his name. :-)

And, I'd love for you to see up-close how the tag (and collar) look on him, but alas, it's hard to get a kitten to hold still for a fashion shoot.

So, I guess I'll have to show you using a stand-in. 

(Not like it would be the first time.)

Like this one.
He (Beefeater) came from the Amazon agency. ;-)

So, do you want to see the back of the tag? OK!

There's a clear, rubbery coating over the text (to prevent it from rubbing off). That adorable font is standard. And, depending on the size of your pet (lg/md dog vs. sm dog/cat), the split ring sizes (which control how low the tag hangs) will vary.

Oh, and if (the myriad available) beer bottle caps are not your thing, there are tons of soda pop bottle caps to choose from, too! 

The tag was $10 (before shipping) and came from the Etsy shop, Carlito's Creations. The cotton (nautical plaid) break-away cat collar, $12, came from Etsy at Chloe's Collars (which also has a huge selection of dog collars).  

Both transactions were easy and I am thrilled with my purchases!

Bobby Flay thinks his tag is a toy, however, so he's not wearing it (for real) just yet.

This crap is boring; what happened to dogs and beer?

Did anyone hear a high-pitched buzz just now?? Hmm, I could've sworn I heard it. Oh, well. 

So, anyway, when I showed my husband Bobby Flay's awesome new tag, and after he stopped mumbling something about my being a little too fond of dressing up the pets in "cutesy" accessories, we played a little game, where we tried to match beer brands to dogs (you know, in case we ever need to buy some more bottle cap ID tags). Like, for example, can you imagine a Blood Hound (or English Bulldog) with a Milwaukee's Best (aka The Beast) tag? Or maybe a Pembroke Welsh Corgi with a Heineken (Heiney) tag? (It was a fun game, y'all; you should try it!)

Well, then, all that dog and beer talk got me thinking about how often, it seems, dogs and beer appear (simultaneously) in American pop culture. And all that thinking about pop culture led me to the ends of the Internet, which filled my head with loads of useless trivia, and prompted me to create a (short) quiz, so all of you - my friends - can get filled up with useless dog and beer pop trivia, too!

And, here it is! With pictures! I hope you have as much fun with it as I did!
P.S. Remember, Google is to the Internet, as Siri is to the iPhone. Don't be afraid to use it!

Dogs & Beer Pop Trivia Quiz

Video Bonus: Bud Light "Dog-Sitter" 2011 Super Bowl Commercial!

It cracks me up EVERY time!

Later, y'all!

Meet (sweet) William, an Adoptable Cardigan Corgi Mix in Richmond, VA!

I took these photos of him while we were playing outside the Richmond SPCA (his temporary home) on Friday. Isn't he a cutie?!

That Kong you've got there makes me happy; toss it, please?
Oh, and by the way, I love you.

Hello. Guess what? I'm thankful for this here Kong...oh, and you, too.

What? Not what you were expecting? Thinking I made a typo in the title?
That perhaps Elizabeth sees the world through "Cardigan-colored glasses*"?

Well actually, I most certainly do/did...NOT!  See...?

screenshot source

Hint: Look at the breed (up there on his Richmond SPCA adoption profile).

Still scratching your head?

Maybe this (which happens to be attached to the door of his shelter run) will clear it up for you...

"See DNA results."

William is A12396298. Wisdom Panel is the name of the company that supplied
and performed the cheek-swab DNA test.

This is what's printed at the top of the test report:

"The Wisdom Panel® Shelter Dog™ computer algorithm performed over seven million calculations using 11 different models (from a single breed to complex combinations of breeds) to predict the most likely combination of pure and mixed breed dogs in the last 3 ancestral generations that best fit the DNA marker pattern observed in A12396298. The ancestry chart depicting the best statistical result of this analysis is shown in the picture below."

Here are William's test results:

Can you make out that Cardigan Corgi silhouette up there on the left?

OK, here's a closer look.

This is the image that transfixed me to the front of William's shelter run. 

Because my crappy camera (I left the nicer one at home) cut off part of the chart, here's the bottom line:

William is a "Cardigan Welsh Corgi (12.5%)/Chinese Shar-Pei (12.5%)/Boxer (12.5%) Mix crossed with American Staffordshire Terrier (25%) Mix." 

But that only adds up to 62.5% of his genetic makeup. That's because the other 37.5% is made up of many other breeds' DNA, but not enough of any particular one to be named with any level of confidence.

Oh, and just so you know, no one at the RSPCA told me about William or asked me to write this post; I discovered his "secret" completely by accident, strolling through the adoptable dogs after a volunteer session earlier this week. I was so taken aback by my discovery, though, that I volunteered to go back the next morning just so I could take William (and some other dogs) for a walk and some play time outside (hence that first photo up there).

So what does all this mean?

(Note: I'm assuming William's DNA sample was clean and the results are accurate.)

That I'm trying to make a case for adopting William because he's part Cardigan Welsh Corgi?
Actually, I think that would be a poor reason to adopt William. He deserves better.

To be honest, William is such a great dog (polite, happy, even-tempered, easy on the eyes, healthy, squeezable...) that I'm banking it won't be his "secret" Corgi lineage that swiftly works its way into someone's heart. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets himself adopted before you even finish reading this sentence. (Man, that would be awesome!)
;-)

What I am hoping for, however, is that the next time you (or anyone else who reads through this post) meets up with a dog who looks like William, that you might pause and reflect - even for just a moment - about all the sweet "secrets" that possibly (or likely) lie beneath that (oh, so) familiar exterior.

[ahhhhh]

*In fact, through "Cardigan-colored glasses," one could see all the colors in an 8-pack Crayola box, except for green and purple! :-) 

Did You Know? 'Less Adoptable' Pets Are Rarely Nasal Irritants

Hi, it's me, Maddox. Former less-adoptable and sometimes nasal irritant*.

Guess what? This is my happy face! :-)

So today I'll be giving a talk . . . about this business of less adoptable pets, because frankly, it takes one to know one.

Here's the thing:

~ Black is SMACK

~ Different is PRECIOUS

~ Blind is a GREAT LISTENER

~ Deaf GAZES INTO YOUR SOUL

~ Special needs LOVES YOU 10 TIMES OVER

~ Pit bull is as SOFT and SWEET as a MARSHMALLOW 

~ Old is PURE GOLD

~ and tomorrow, *Nasal Irritant (me, Maddox) is getting a complementary dental (can you say no more yuck-mouth?) by the wonderful folks at the Richmond SPCA's Clinic for Compassionate Care! Yippee!

And that's the end of my talk.
(I don't believe in beating around the bush.)

Oh, and know what else?

This is Petfinder's Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week.



So I'll just be using this as an excuse to introduce you to a couple of my "less-adoptable" homeys who still live at the Richmond (VA) SPCA.

(Note: Okay, maybe I don't know them personally; however, my mom human, who is typing this and who volunteers at the shelter, says they're way cool.)

Here's Ike.

Mom says she rudely woke kitten Ike up from a sound nap one day, but instead of being peeved (as I might have been), he purred, rubbed his shiny black furs all over her and followed her all over the room (which he shares with bunches of other fine cats, like himself).

Mom also says that he's been in the adoptable-cat-play-room WAY too long because his is just one in a small sea of black coats, plus he isn't boisterous keeps to himself, so he could be easily overlooked.

And this is Mona.

Mona and Ike live in the same play room and could be identical twins (even though Mona is a young adult and Ike is still a kitten), so mom sometimes gets them mixed up. Mona, however, is easy the type to plop on your lap before she even really know you, while Ike prefers to gaze at you from a polite distance.

Anyway, mom says Ike and Mona would make a great team, being that they kind of already are, and that since the RSPCA is adopting two kitties for the price of one ($95) through the end of September, will someone go on and bust them out, please?

And lastly, here we have the lovely Lala - a dog. Ahem.

Click here to see a cool RSPCA movie, starring ME, Lala!

Lala, here, is what they call part pit bull and part beagle. I think that makes her a peagle, or a bittie. hehe (Sorry, Lala, but what did you expect from a wise-cracking cat, like myself?) 

Kidding-among-friends aside, though, Lala, like her black-coated shelter-mates above, has been a resident at the RSPCA longer than some others, and mom (who knows her and has witnessed her wonderfullness) just wants to make it clear that (no matter her breed), she is one smooshy-cheeked precious girl . . . who would love to get busted out today!

And with that, I'll close with a question:

Less adoptable?

And an answer (pardon my "French"):

Hayle, no!

Thanks for listening. :)

Ruminations of a Herding Dog Who Misses His BFF

As I mentioned at the end of Monday's post, because Jon Farleigh was at the vet/doggie spa getting his yearly whole-body inspection and summer make-over, Dewi and I spent most of the day alone together. It was enlightening. 

Almost right away I noticed something wasn't quite right with him. Not that he was depressed or wandering around the house looking for his missing canine companion, but that his attention span toward the usual "fun" activities was significantly reduced. 

In other words, I think he was bored (and possibly in "deep" doggie thought).
Note: Deep is a relative term.

BUT, because he is a herding breed, and a particularly high energy specimen at that, Dewi did not sulk or use pitiful body language (think Eeyore) to give his angst (over missing his brother) away. In fact...well...why don't you see for yourself how the day played out.

(I sense something is not right, but I can't put my paw on it.)
"I would very much like to fetch this here rope. Now."

5 minutes later...

(This is not fun without JF trying to steal the rope from me.)
"I'm tired of this game and will no longer fetch for you."

[Follows me into the office where he gets a brand new chewy.]

Dewi: "Munch. munch. munch."

5 minutes later...

(Chewies are no fun when JF isn't here to steal them from me.)
"Mom, I think it would be fun if we played fetch again. I'll just stand here and  look at you
until you throw the rope."

(I wonder where Jon Farleigh is?)
"I'm waiting."

(I wonder if Jon Farleigh will be back by the time I get over there?)
"I'm coming!"

(This day is taking forever. I wonder if Jon Farleigh is outside?)
"I'm tired of this game and would like to go outside."

[Follows me back into the office, sits on my feet and looks up at me with his "I need to go outside" expression.]

After 10 minutes of fetching outside...

Dewi: (I wonder if Jon Farleigh is inside?) "Okay, mom, I'm ready to go back in."

20 seconds after eating a snack in the kitchen...

(I wonder whether Jon Farleigh will hear me in here and come running?)
"Hi, mom, it's me. I'd like to play with the rope again. Now, please."

(I need to scream so Jon Farleigh will hear me.)
"I said NOW, mom! Throw it now!"

(Jon Farleigh always tugs; maybe if I tug, he'll show up.)
"PSYCH! You lose!"

20 seconds later...

(I don't want to be an only dog.)
"WAAAAGH!"

5 seconds later...

(I think I've been looking for him in all the wrong places.)
"Mom, I'll see you later, okay?"

[Eerie silence. Then me discovering Dewi at the bottom of the stairs, looking up.]

Tigger: "I miss that dang red dog."

***

I think having only one Cardigan Corgi would be too tiring :)

Anyone else have a dog that "ruminates" like Dewi (when he's not used to being the only dog)?