Welcome to Scattered Shots, written by Frostheim of Warcraft Hunters Union and the Hunting Party Podcast. Each week Frostheim uses logic and science mixed with a few mugs of Dwarven Stout to look deep into the hunter class. Got hunter questions? Feel free to email Frostheim.

Throughout the years of WoW, hunter pets have grown better and better with each expansion. In the beginning they were a pain to train and level, and we were rewarded for that pain with a pet that died in every boss fight. But over time, our pets have grown steadily stronger, easier and more customizable. While we still have some pet issues, those issues are no longer that our pets are too weak.

Of course while we know how awesome and vital our pets have become, healers are still a few expansions behind on the learning curve. They continue to prioritize the tanks or themselves over our pets. But what are you gonna do? The healer's mind is an unfathomable thing — after all, they rolled healers in the first place, which already establishes them as somewhat unstable. What I don't understand is why that nurturing impulse doesn't translate to adorably fluffy and cuddly minions of death.

So our pets are certified mini-killing machines now, but with that improvement new problems have cropped up. While we still don't know exactly what Cataclysm has in store for our pets, the recent hunter class preview gave us a peek at the direction that Blizzard may have in mind. So join me after the cut as we take a look at the current problem with hunter pets and the possible solution that Cataclysm may present.

The current hunter pet problem

Hunter pets are now more awesome than they have ever been in the history of WoW. Our pets have gone through various phases of normalization (it used to be that individual pets had different damage and attack speeds) and various phases of individualization, including the excellent pet talent trees we have now.

For a pleasant historical change, hunters are no longer complaining that their pets are useless, or die too easily, or contribute too little. But … we're still complaining.

The problem now is this: everyone in PvE has the same pet. From heroics to raids, from SV to BM, all you see is the wolf. With 32 different pet families available to hunters in the game, most of us all use the same one. The reason is simply that the wolf's special gives us more DPS than other pets, and we all want to do as much DPS as we can.

Sure, if we want to solo or do pet tanking we'll grab something from the tenacity tree. If we want to PvP, odds are good that we'll pick up a cunning pet. But if we want to hit dungeons and raids, that means the ferocity tree, and while we might occasionally want a different pet, the obvious choice 90% of the time is going to be the wolf.

How we got here

First of all, we have to realize that this problem has always existed. Even back in vanilla, with our wee pets that were adorable and not much else, everyone still chose the pet that boosted their damage the most. But as the game has advanced, the player base and the resources available to us have advanced as well. The urge to min/max our DPS has always, always been there for raiders, but once upon a time most raiders didn't actually know which pet was the best and why.

I definitely think that players now have a better overall understanding of the game mechanics and their primary class than they used to. So it's not that more people are min/maxing than ever, it's that more people have access to the knowledge to do it successfully than ever.

Now take our three pet trees. Tenacity for soloing or tanking — good variety of pets used there. Cunning for PvP — again we see a good variety of pets used based on team strategies. Then we have ferocity, our DPS tree, from which raiders and dungeon runners will pull their pets.

Ghostcrawler has brought up the design team's frustrations here before. He pointed out, very accurately, that when players are min/maxing, they're all going to take the same pet, even if the pet is only a fraction of a percent better than the next best choice. After all, more damage is more damage, and we want to do more damage — the most damage we possibly can, in fact. So as long as the pets' special attacks are different, theorycrafters will figure out which is best — by no matter how small of a margin — and that is the pet that everyone will use. It's virtually impossible to make very different abilities that will do exactly the same damage.

So the problem is either a.) pets all have unique special abilities, and 90% of the PvE population only uses the absolute best, or b.) you make all pets exactly the same, and the only difference between a cat and a wolf and a raptor is that they look different.

Frankly, neither of these sound great, do they?

The Cataclysm solution

First of all, let me stress again, we don't know exactly what Cataclysm will bring. However, the hunter class preview did give us a strong indication of a potential solution that Blizzard found — neither option A or option B, but instead, a third direction. Here's the relevant tidbit:

Pets need a little pampering, too, at least that's what the owners of Catnip 'n' Biscuits believe. The new luxury pet 'hotel' is opening this Saturday in Savannah, Georgia, giving pet owners are new reason to leave town.

Catnip 'n' Biscuits, a doggie day care and luxury pet hotel, is similar to human hotels in that it has individual rooms for pets, heating and air conditioning, and recreational and eating areas, but the pet hotel offers something human hotels don't: obedience school. “All pets are tested for temperament, and there's an attendant on duty at all times,” said Cathi Denham, co-owner of the hotel. “We're not a kennel with chain link fences and concrete floors. We have recycled rubber floors and theme rooms with toddler beds and TVs.” In addition, Denham says that pets older than 7 months must be spayed or neutered to attend the day care at her luxury camp (insert joke about illicit hotel room affairs here).

According to the website, dogs have their pick of luxury themed-boarding suites complete with a toddler bed and padded bedding and throw rugs, TVs and DVD players. Felines stay in kitty condos, a private area of the facility far away from all the dogs.

To make sure pets are well taken care of and to eliminate any parent-pet anxiety, parents can check in our their furry friends via Web cams, thanks to state-of-the-art equipment the owners installed in the camp area.

Laugh as you might over this new luxury amenity but there's a simple fact that makes this hotel a cash cow: Data from the American Pet Products Association, a not-for-profit trade association, estimates that $47.7 billion will be spent on pets this year, up from $45.5 billion last year and $43.2 billion in 2008.

[via Savannahnow.com]

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Kylee Copley

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Photo: urban don.

Landlord says no pets? End-run the rulebook with a robot. Isn't this fellow, hacked out of a child's toy by the awe-inspiring Don Pezzano, just adorable? But perhaps mutant Furbies are not to your taste. There are, of course, alternatives.

Think “robot dog,” think Aibo, Sony's much-loved computerized canine. Discontinued in 2006, the various models could see, walk, recognize commands and even learn from their environment and other Aibos. Sony fought a copyright war with Aibo owners to prevent them hacking the machines using third-party software, but eventually relented and released their internal programmer's kit to the public. Your best bet nowadays is Ebay. Photo: Alden Chadwick.

Extra Ketchup's reincarnation of Doctor Who companion K-9 has advantages over the TV prop original: “my K-9 is a real, programmable, electronic robot … made of metal, powered by a 12 volt lawn tractor battery, (with) an Intel Celeron processor for a brain.”

Lark Toys, a toy museum in Kellogg, MN, has this Meccanno-style pup in its gift shop. Photo: Eda Cherry

WowWee Robotics' Robopet is based on designs by Mark Tilden, according to Wikipedia. It has 5 gearboxes, a 16 bit RISC processor, and the source code is 12k of assembly language created by mark in the 1980s. Photo: Sean Dreillinger.

Look familiar? This one is at Miraikan, Japan's museum of the future. Photo: Motoyen.

This pup lives at the Sonoma County Human Society. Photo: Dogzen.

Most dogs come when called. This one plays go. (And he also goes to dinner) Photo: Torisan3500.

Photo: Robin Zebrowski's colorful robo-pup has a similarly cheerful master.

Genibo, one of the various successors left after Sony put Aibo out to pasture, searches for its master in this video posted by Aaron Nanto.

Gnesix took this shot for a college assignment; the lighting is provided by portable LEDs.

The title Phillip Torrone gave to this shot says it all: small, medium, meat.

Boston Dynamics' Big Dog (what robot dog show could do without her?) isn't available for purchase just yet. Here she is on the beach. Look out for her on a busy battlefield near you.

The week began amidst the chaos of canceled flights and stranded fliers at JFK, and the imminent threat of a doorman strike that threw city-dwellers (or at least city media) into a panic.

The Tribeca Film Festival opened, Earth Day was celebrated and President Obama popped in for a speech on financial reform.

And the week was rounded out by walking T-Rexes at Grand Central Terminal and skateboarding dogs in Central Park.

Check out the week in pictures below:

remote dog training collars

Dwain Netherton

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Humans wear underpants, so why shouldn’t dogs? Neena Pellegrini came up with a line of Pants for Dogs after her male bichon frise kept "marking" her female dogs:

First product up: cute, comfy and — of utmost importance — absorbent doggie undies and thongs.

Sounds crazy to anyone who hasn’t had a dog with a bit of an incontinence/dribbling problem, or a female dog that hasn’t been fixed. But those of us who have owned and loved such a dog have spent more than a few minutes wishing Depends came in canine configurations.

Neena Pellegrini to the rescue.

She’s the founder of Pants for Dogs (pantsfordogs.com), a little Seattle-based cottage industry filling hundreds of orders for tiny- to massive-sized panties for female dogs, and, for male dogs, items she calls cummerbunds (although the waist isn’t, in a precise sense, the true target, of course). Each garment in its own way protects rugs, floors and whatever else needs protecting from the drips and streams we’d rather not contemplate (and certainly not discuss).

The business started four years ago when Pellegrini’s little male dog kept marking her little female dogs. A training issue, most would
say. But improvement doesn’t happen overnight. How do you protect the girls?

Sharon Peters of Pet Talk has more: Link | Pants For Dogs website

DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon has already proven itself at the box office. Combining understated 3D, quality CGI, an enjoyable story and enchanting characters, it’s a coming of age story for misfits everywhere. With Vikings. And also dragons. The question still remains, however, as to whether the success of the film itself will translate into the tangentially related realm of videogames.

Traditionally, licensed property tie-in games have been nigh universally underwhelming, at least within the context of recent console cycles. But with the success of titles like Ghostbusters: The Video Game and Batman: Arkham Asylum – not to mention X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a movie tie-in that was far superior to the source material in every conceivable way – I have at last allowed myself the luxury of hope for licensed titles.

Thankfully, How to Train Your Dragon for the Nintendo DS does a number of things right, proving that my faith isn’t totally unfounded. First and foremost, it allows you to train your own highly customizable dragon on the go. Which is pretty frakking awesome in and of itself. More importantly, it assumes that players have little interest in rehashing the movie’s script, and instead paints itself as a continuation of the story. The island of Berk and its Viking inhabitants are no longer besieged by dragons. Instead they have adopted the animals as pets. Assuming, of course, that Michael Vick is your idea of a proper pet owner. (Too soon?)

Yes, my friends, what is the purpose of having a dragon if you can’t force it into combat with its brethren? You do so by taking the role of movie characters Hiccup or Astrid in a continuing quest to become the ultimate dragon trainer. Activision and Griptonite Games have gone to great lengths to give this RPG-lite wings legs, and, more often than not, succeed.

As you fight your way through both random encounters with wild dragons and matches against your local rivals (including Snotlout Jorgenson and the Thorston twins), you acquire money and resources to better outfit your pet while your dragon acquires experience that boosts stats and unlocks new attacks from a fairly comprehensive skill tree. It’s these attacks and the way they work within the unique battle system that gives How to Train Your Dragon its first real win.

Combat is turn-based, but, rather than rely on things like mana or energy, each of these moves has an attached “time cost” that is deducted from a single replenishing bar. Low damage attacks and minor buffs use a little time, allowing for multiple instances, as opposed to major attacks which do significantly more damage at the expense of leaving your dragon easily vulnerable to retaliation as the time meter recharges. Finding the proper balance between quick bursts and time-consuming haymakers gives what’s easily perceived as a kiddie title some true depth.

There’s also an additional level of strategy that comes in the form of special attacks. A secondary meter builds up as combat progresses and, once filled, allows you to unleash a powered-up version of one of your regular attack moves, typically with spectacular results. In order to do so properly, however, you must complete an on-screen mini-game reminiscent of the quick-time events in (decidedly big boy) games like God of War of Resident Evil 4.

These combat sequences are ably padded by additional mini-games that encompass everything from the banal (flying through an obstacle course) to the sublime (crafting your own dragon armor by blowing into the mic to stoke the fire and rubbing the screen to polish the finished product). In many respects, How to Train Your Dragon makes great use of the DS’s functionality, as the game interface itself is entirely touch-based. Dragging your stylus from point to point to make Hiccup run the fixed paths of Berk, on the other hand, gets a bit tedious.

Sadly, so do the various fetch-quests that you must undertake to gather supplies to power up your dragon and upgrade his armor. The game’s visuals are equally uninspired. The map screen is bland and its landmarks, including important places the shop and the forge, are indistinct. The battle scenes themselves seem well animated, but the character models are rather jagged and occasionally muddied by too much random customization.

The cut scenes are nice enough, visually speaking, and the related voice acting is acceptable if oddly sparse. The same can be said for the sound direction in general; music and sound effects are suitable if not stellar.

How to Train Your Dragon is a rare jewel among licensed movie games in that it is genuinely worth playing. Of course said jewel is far from polished to perfection. That being said, it’s a bit of a hard sell at a $30 price tag. Unless, of course, you and the geeklings are rabid fans of the property itself it might be advisable to wait and pick this one up on the cheap. Still, if you’re looking for a solid play experience that’s also a kid-friendly foray into the realm of the turn-based strategy RPG, How to Train Your Dragon will suit nicely.

WIRED: a fun continuation to a fantastic film, great core gameplay mechanic, nice use of touch screen and microphone, good overall production value

TIRED: uneven play experience, muddy graphics, it’s pretty much just Pokemon except everyone has Charizard

Review material provided by Activision

spray bark collar review

Elmer Newer

F.A.C.E is the brand new collection from Loophouse. An acronym for Fabricate, Adorn, Compose, Embellish, it demonstrates the endless possibilities of custom designed rugs. Each of the new designs has been inspired by well-loved existing patterns. In F.A.C.E, designer Lorraine Statham shares her personal affinity for the discipline of patch-working and its ability to tell a story. She celebrates its wonderful contrasts: defined yet random, logical yet jumbled in this latest collection of 100% wool hand-tufted rugs.

Whoops a Daisy
Peeking through a hexagonal grid, the Daisy Chain motif (from Woodland collection) randomly appears, enhancing the lattice work. Narrow multi-colored blocks of color are placed off center, allowing the majority of the background to work a subtle gradation movement from dark (at its most central point) to lighter tones on its edges.

Dash Away
Dash Away displays the varying line thicknesses of the Reflections design (from Odyssey collection), jumping across the rug in a linear and curvaceous manner. Held within columns, these individual lines offer structure within a hap-hazard take.

Soft Spot
In Soft Spot, the ordered squares constrain the jumbled circles of varying magnitude. Patch worked from one of the subtle layers of the Estella rug design (from Hidden collection), the Soft Spot design plays with subtle striation textures within its background surfaces.

Barking Mad
The inspiration for Barking Mad came from “Bark”, a design from the previous Woodland Collection. Against this backdrop, jagged bands appear to leap from the surface of the rug, hovering above the original intricate, sequential pattern of Bark, to create Barking Mad’s striking new look.

Darn Tootin’
The lace-like lattice pattern is drawn from “Havisham” from the previous Hidden Collection and has been re-worked with a play on scale. With considered proportions and expert techniques, one color has been used to transcend a tonal story across the surface of this most beautifully subtle bespoke rug.

Photos by James Gardiner.

Ever want to know what your dog is “saying” when they bark? Or how about your cat when it purrs? Or maybe you’re a cowboy who wants to know what every neigh means. Now you can – introducing Google Translate for Animals (An April Fools Day joke of course):

Funny as all hell if you ask me. Google REALLY put some time into this joke, as there is actually an Android Application on Android Market! Pretty insane, hilarious, and insanely hilarious. Here are a few of the outputs I got when translating Dogs, Birds, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Tortoises, Horses, Chicken, Sheep, Donkeys and Pigs into English:

“My, what a day I’ve had. How was yours?”

“Testing, testing, one two one two.”

“Seriously, what’s with the stick thing? It’s getting old”

“My goodness, I am looking hot today”

“I dropped some food around here somewhere”

Let us know your personal favorites…

Right on, Google.

[Thanks Carl!]

dog bark collars reviews

Doreatha Collingwood

Welcome to Scattered Shots, written by Frostheim of Warcraft Hunters Union and the Hunting Party Podcast. Each week Frostheim uses logic and science mixed with a few mugs of Dwarven Stout to look deep into the hunter class. Got hunter questions? Feel free to email Frostheim.

Throughout the years of WoW, hunter pets have grown better and better with each expansion. In the beginning they were a pain to train and level, and we were rewarded for that pain with a pet that died in every boss fight. But over time, our pets have grown steadily stronger, easier and more customizable. While we still have some pet issues, those issues are no longer that our pets are too weak.

Of course while we know how awesome and vital our pets have become, healers are still a few expansions behind on the learning curve. They continue to prioritize the tanks or themselves over our pets. But what are you gonna do? The healer's mind is an unfathomable thing — after all, they rolled healers in the first place, which already establishes them as somewhat unstable. What I don't understand is why that nurturing impulse doesn't translate to adorably fluffy and cuddly minions of death.

So our pets are certified mini-killing machines now, but with that improvement new problems have cropped up. While we still don't know exactly what Cataclysm has in store for our pets, the recent hunter class preview gave us a peek at the direction that Blizzard may have in mind. So join me after the cut as we take a look at the current problem with hunter pets and the possible solution that Cataclysm may present.

The current hunter pet problem

Hunter pets are now more awesome than they have ever been in the history of WoW. Our pets have gone through various phases of normalization (it used to be that individual pets had different damage and attack speeds) and various phases of individualization, including the excellent pet talent trees we have now.

For a pleasant historical change, hunters are no longer complaining that their pets are useless, or die too easily, or contribute too little. But … we're still complaining.

The problem now is this: everyone in PvE has the same pet. From heroics to raids, from SV to BM, all you see is the wolf. With 32 different pet families available to hunters in the game, most of us all use the same one. The reason is simply that the wolf's special gives us more DPS than other pets, and we all want to do as much DPS as we can.

Sure, if we want to solo or do pet tanking we'll grab something from the tenacity tree. If we want to PvP, odds are good that we'll pick up a cunning pet. But if we want to hit dungeons and raids, that means the ferocity tree, and while we might occasionally want a different pet, the obvious choice 90% of the time is going to be the wolf.

How we got here

First of all, we have to realize that this problem has always existed. Even back in vanilla, with our wee pets that were adorable and not much else, everyone still chose the pet that boosted their damage the most. But as the game has advanced, the player base and the resources available to us have advanced as well. The urge to min/max our DPS has always, always been there for raiders, but once upon a time most raiders didn't actually know which pet was the best and why.

I definitely think that players now have a better overall understanding of the game mechanics and their primary class than they used to. So it's not that more people are min/maxing than ever, it's that more people have access to the knowledge to do it successfully than ever.

Now take our three pet trees. Tenacity for soloing or tanking — good variety of pets used there. Cunning for PvP — again we see a good variety of pets used based on team strategies. Then we have ferocity, our DPS tree, from which raiders and dungeon runners will pull their pets.

Ghostcrawler has brought up the design team's frustrations here before. He pointed out, very accurately, that when players are min/maxing, they're all going to take the same pet, even if the pet is only a fraction of a percent better than the next best choice. After all, more damage is more damage, and we want to do more damage — the most damage we possibly can, in fact. So as long as the pets' special attacks are different, theorycrafters will figure out which is best — by no matter how small of a margin — and that is the pet that everyone will use. It's virtually impossible to make very different abilities that will do exactly the same damage.

So the problem is either a.) pets all have unique special abilities, and 90% of the PvE population only uses the absolute best, or b.) you make all pets exactly the same, and the only difference between a cat and a wolf and a raptor is that they look different.

Frankly, neither of these sound great, do they?

The Cataclysm solution

First of all, let me stress again, we don't know exactly what Cataclysm will bring. However, the hunter class preview did give us a strong indication of a potential solution that Blizzard found — neither option A or option B, but instead, a third direction. Here's the relevant tidbit:

Since Paris Hilton started toting around her chihuahua, Tinkerbell, the market for “It” pets — those expensive and purse-portable creatures featured in the tabloids along with their well-accessorized owners — has grown into a competition for the cutest and most exotic animal of them all. After chihuahuas came Shih Tzus, followed by ferrets, after which came the raccoonlike Kinkajous, and, most recently, mini-pigs. But, let's face it, teacup pigs are so 2009. So for those Hilton acolytes looking for the next hip animal accessory, last night's episode of Life, “Hunters and Hunted,” provided two viable options.

The Ethiopian Wolf Puppy: So cute! These reddish, foxlike animals are descendants of the gray wolf and hunt small rodents in order to collectively feed the pack's puppies. Pros: Small size (until they become adults, after which they won't be popular anymore, anyway); beautiful coat; will catch all the rats in and around your property for free. Cons: Might bite you; probably won't play fetch; require a diet of rats.

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Andrew Abdulmateen

caz…are you serious??? he owns a pitbull and thats the reason why sandra has taken off? oh yeah, it has nothing to do with the fact that he has been cheating on her for years and having sex with other people and severely, and publicly humiliated her. omg, some people on here (and other message boards) are so stupid it literally scares me for the future of this country and the world we live in. i swear to god.

i own a pure bred pitbull, we adopted her from someone when she was 8months old and she is the sweetest, most loving, adorable, smiliest, lickiest, tail waggingest dog i have EVER had. i have several close family friends who also have pitbulls and have had them for years, and not a single one of them has EVER had an issue of aggression towards people or other dogs. yes, it is something that they were bred to do when trained to fight. um, HELLO, most people out there are not training their dog to fight. now considering that i own a pitbull and am educated about the breed, i would not bring another dog into my house to live. one is enough to begin with and not only that i wouldnt want to take the chance of them getting into a fight if i wasn’t there because of the damage that could be done.

i live in an building with about 10 other condos in it and there are 5 other dogs that live in the building…we have the only pitbull…. of the 5 dogs, one of them (a COLLIE) lunged at my daughter while it was on a leash with it’s owner simply because we were walkign down the sidewalk that it was on-and trust me, i will never forget that Collie doing that. the other big dog, a Black Lab, barks his head off aggressively any time my children and i come with about 25ft of it if it happens to be outside. another neighbor upstairs has some kind of littler furry dog that i jokingly refer to as “The Guard Dog” because i can’t even get out of my car in the parking lot without hearing it bark at me from its patio and don’t even think about trying to walk down the sidewalk to your house if it’s outside using the bathroom. i joke because i like it’s owner as my neighbor,but there hasn’t been a single dog in our building that my children or I for that matter have once been able to walk up to and pet..however MY DOG, you know, the crazed insane “predator” as you called it, is happy and friendly and likes to walk up to and lick and be friendly with everyone. every child at our park can come over and play with my dog (while i have her securely on a leash!) and so far every child loves her and she loves them. My best friend had an Australian Cattle Dog who literally went beserk one day and pinned her daugher to the bed and grazed her cheek with her teeth… i have another friend who was attacked by a German Shepard and is SCARRED FOR LIFE on her arms and legs from the brutal attack. the only reason she is alive is because her mother ran out and hit the dog with a baseball bat. I was bitten by a Toy Poodle when i was a kid because my bus stop was in front of my neighbors house andthe neighbor had it chained up out there for some reason and she bit me while i tried to pet her. I had a Black Lab that used to try to attack every African American male she saw, literally chased them up on top of cars…it was crazy and there was noreason for it whatsoever, but he did it! My cousin has 2 little tiny dogs (i don’t know what kind) that are so mean and nasty that she has to lock them in the laundry room any time ANYONE ELSE comes over and she has to keep up and gate inthe house to keep them away from her 2yr old daughter so her daughter doesn’t get attacked and bitten. Now, i have this big sweet sill dog and she has not ever shown one second of aggression towards people OR one second of dog on dog aggression, she lived with 2 Chihuahuah’s before i got her and they would nip her ears and get all crazy, and she let them and continued to play. Long story short, she really is the sweetest most loveable dog i have ever known and is great with other people..children especially, and other animals. I love her to death and will defend the breed til the end of time, but i am also a responsible pet owner…i keep her on a leash at all times in public places, we do not take her to dog parks but have more intimate and controlled “doggie dates” which are basically the same as play dates that i arrange for my kids. i never leave her alone and unattended with anyone, because any kind of pet can hurt, bite, or attack a child or person… ANY kind of animal can do it.

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Big Ben Acted Like A Dog And Vice Versa

A police dog donated by Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended for an unwanted assault on an underage girl while kicking back after work. But where would the dog learn such behavior?

The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation does great work, donating money to police departments to purchase, train and maintain K-9 units. That's a great cause, and Ben does good work. So let's get that out of the way.

But the fact that one of his donated dogs got fired for inappropriate behavior? When it rains, Ben, it pours.

Alleghany Township's Supervisors voted unanimously to retire Cezar, the German Shepherd, after he bit a 9-year-old at a “non-police event.” You're off the force, kid! You're a loose cannon!

Cezar's not without his supporters. In a display of semantics reminiscent of the debate over the meaning of the word “rape,”

Residents who spoke in favor of keeping the dog on duty included Mabel Mazza, who questioned if the action should be considered a bite, since the youngster's skin wasn't penetrated.

This whole thing sounds like a very special episode of Poochinski.

Snappy police dog voted off Allegheny Township force [Valley News Dispatch]

Send an email to Barry Petchesky, the author of this post, at barryp@deadspin.com.

best dog training collar

Tyson Wiss

Last night the remaining nine contestants on American Idol stumbled through the catalogue of Elvis Presley, failing for the most part to make any of the King’s tunes their own. Season-eight runner-up Adam Lambert blessedly livened things up as a guest mentor, and he was actually a great tie-in to the week's theme since Elvis also wore mascara offstage and the networks won’t show Lambert doing certain things below the hips. Glambert kept the episode afloat by actually giving some honest feedback, saying this season has great singers but a lot of them need to “wake up … let’s put on a show.” (And after weeks of the judges wondering what the problem is with Andrew, it was a relief to have someone flat out tell him his singing was boring.)

The mentoring segments were filmed in Las Vegas, which added absolutely nothing to the episode but did allow Ryan to utter questionable lines like, “Let’s see what happened to Katie in Sin City … ” And to make up for all the gay jokes in his wheelhouse that he would have liked to have been making last season (there was mid-season speculation, but Lambert didn’t publicly come out until after the season wrapped), Ryan made sure to tell Adam, “My tongue is not nearly as talented as yours … you know what I mean, with singing! With singing!” Adam gracefully responded with one of those “please shut up” smiles you make when your mom tells your significant other about your potty-training travails.

The performances:

Crystal Bowersox continues to impress and show growth. For the first time this season, she actually made a left-field song choice, singing an obscure (in Elvis terms) gospel-blues tune called “Saved.” Naturally, she nailed the vocals and arrangement, and her stage persona was more energetic, sassy, and comfortable than ever before. She’s one of the few contestants this season truly using the show as training for a real career later on. Simon said good things about her, but it was incredibly distracting watching Glee’s Jane Lynch in the background and wondering what she would say if she were at the judges’ table.

Andrew Garcia’s lounge-lizard re-conception of “Hound Dog” was the kind of thing that should have fallen into the “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” category. Even more miserable than his languid singing was his lifeless performance, where he doddered around stage like an old man and dragged the mic with him like it was his IV stand. With two people going home tonight, it’s really time to bid him adieu. Ellen was the only judge who liked it, and explained to Ryan that she liked it because she liked it.

After weeks of excruciating Sanjaya-esque performances, Tim Urban surprisingly delivered one of the night’s most satisfying songs. Instead of sullying “Can’t Help Falling In Love” with his usual goofy bombast, he gently picked at his acoustic guitar and offered a restrained, understated take on the oft-covered tune that was actually a bit beautiful. Ellen likened him to tequila (because she regrets him the next morning?) but seemed to mean it as a compliment, and Simon indulged in an unforgivable cliché by saying Tim “went from zero to hero in two weeks.” Is Simon now writing eighties movie trailers on the side?

Lee DeWyze continued his bid to be named Bowersox's runner-up with a bluesy, growling version of “A Little Less Conversation.” He’s finally loosened up onstage to the point where he successfully inhabits each song. Kara still wanted him to smile more and hop around the stage on a pogo stick, but Simon reminded her that “it’s about nailing the song and that was on the money.” Watch it below.

Decked out in his Back to the Future Part II-version-of-the-future finest, Aaron Kelly took on “Blue Suede Shoes.” Lambert advised the 17-year-old to put some aggression into his performance, but Aaron just looked scared and hid under a nearby couch. His performance was solid but not memorable — the main problem was the hopelessly outdated backing blues music. Kara applauded him for moving out of his comfort zone, but Simon felt it was too old-fashioned. Jane Lynch sagely nodded along in the background.

Siobhan Magnus gave us the soft and screechy sides of her musical persona this week, and the resulting version of “Suspicious Minds” was enjoyable though not exactly relevant, much like her Billy Idol meets Bride of Frankenstein hairstyle. Lambert looked like he loved her performance more than the others, which makes sense: Her voice is lovely, powerful, and idiosyncratic in a way not unlike his own. Randy confusingly likened it to the Supremes, while Kara couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Siobhan is one girl with two different singing styles. Simon told her she’s lost sight of who she is, but Siobhan wasted no time putting them back in their places. “Even I can’t pinpoint who or what I am, but I’ve always taken pride in that … I don’t think it’s necessary to be labeled.” Shine on, you crazy diamond.

After his near-elimination last week, Michael Lynche sang “In the Ghetto” on Siobhan’s advice. Even though the arrangement was slow and bare-bones, it still came across as cheesy and a bit lame. Mike definitely should have taken Adam’s advice to ignore the judges and embrace his theatrical side — at least then he’d be entertaining instead of forgettable. The judges all give him terse praise, probably because they’re not quite ready to admit he may not have been worth the save.

Katie Stevens made an interesting song choice with “Baby What Do You Want Me to Do,” but she came nowhere near pouring her frustration with the judges into her singing, which was her stated aim. Adam correctly said “she needs to sell it more,” but all the non-Simon judges liked her grrr-face façade of anger. Simon told her it was boring and she shouted back at him, “What do you want me to do?” Get voted off the show soon, Katie. Is that so much to ask?

Casey James closed the night with an acceptably old-school blues take on “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” It was good MOR white blues, but that’s kind of like saying The Biggest Loser is good for immediately forgettable melodrama. Still, his vocals were fine and, as Ellen pointed out, he did look “comfortable surrounded by a sea of women.” But perhaps she just said that because she likes to watch the muscles in Kara's neck tense up.

Odds and sods moments:

Siobhan opined that Elvis is so compelling to her because he came from practically nothing and became one of the most successful performers ever. Never one to pass up an opportunity to make things trite, Ryan declared, “Yep, rags to riches.”

Katie Stevens explained anger to us: “It’s like UGH! Not aaahhhh.”

In the long-running Fox tradition of attempting to sabotage people by implying they’re terrorists, Seacrest introduced Tim Urban as “Turban.”

Seacrest joked that Brian Dunkleman would return next week for Idol Gives Back. No one in the audience seemed to recall who that was, which means his joke failed, but Seacrest still wins, since his former Idol co-host isn’t remembered well enough to function as a punchline.

Reminding us of the importance of voting, Ryan shouted, “You don’t want to lose your favorite, because that would suck!” at a frail old lady.

Tonight Adam Lambert returns to perform, and perhaps we will finally be rid of the oppressive mediocrity that is Andrew Garcia’s singing. And with the save gone, hopefully Siobhan or Casey won’t fall into the bottom two and be forced to shuffle off their Idol coil.

Last night the remaining nine contestants on American Idol stumbled through the catalogue of Elvis Presley, failing for the most part to make any of the King’s tunes their own. Season-eight runner-up Adam Lambert blessedly livened things up as a guest mentor, and he was actually a great tie-in to the week's theme since Elvis also wore mascara offstage and the networks won’t show Lambert doing certain things below the hips. Glambert kept the episode afloat by actually giving some honest feedback, saying this season has great singers but a lot of them need to “wake up … let’s put on a show.” (And after weeks of the judges wondering what the problem is with Andrew, it was a relief to have someone flat out tell him his singing was boring.)

The mentoring segments were filmed in Las Vegas, which added absolutely nothing to the episode but did allow Ryan to utter questionable lines like, “Let’s see what happened to Katie in Sin City … ” And to make up for all the gay jokes in his wheelhouse that he would have liked to have been making last season (there was mid-season speculation, but Lambert didn’t publicly come out until after the season wrapped), Ryan made sure to tell Adam, “My tongue is not nearly as talented as yours … you know what I mean, with singing! With singing!” Adam gracefully responded with one of those “please shut up” smiles you make when your mom tells your significant other about your potty-training travails.

The performances:

Crystal Bowersox continues to impress and show growth. For the first time this season, she actually made a left-field song choice, singing an obscure (in Elvis terms) gospel-blues tune called “Saved.” Naturally, she nailed the vocals and arrangement, and her stage persona was more energetic, sassy, and comfortable than ever before. She’s one of the few contestants this season truly using the show as training for a real career later on. Simon said good things about her, but it was incredibly distracting watching Glee’s Jane Lynch in the background and wondering what she would say if she were at the judges’ table.

Andrew Garcia’s lounge-lizard re-conception of “Hound Dog” was the kind of thing that should have fallen into the “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” category. Even more miserable than his languid singing was his lifeless performance, where he doddered around stage like an old man and dragged the mic with him like it was his IV stand. With two people going home tonight, it’s really time to bid him adieu. Ellen was the only judge who liked it, and explained to Ryan that she liked it because she liked it.

After weeks of excruciating Sanjaya-esque performances, Tim Urban surprisingly delivered one of the night’s most satisfying songs. Instead of sullying “Can’t Help Falling In Love” with his usual goofy bombast, he gently picked at his acoustic guitar and offered a restrained, understated take on the oft-covered tune that was actually a bit beautiful. Ellen likened him to tequila (because she regrets him the next morning?) but seemed to mean it as a compliment, and Simon indulged in an unforgivable cliché by saying Tim “went from zero to hero in two weeks.” Is Simon now writing eighties movie trailers on the side?

Lee DeWyze continued his bid to be named Bowersox's runner-up with a bluesy, growling version of “A Little Less Conversation.” He’s finally loosened up onstage to the point where he successfully inhabits each song. Kara still wanted him to smile more and hop around the stage on a pogo stick, but Simon reminded her that “it’s about nailing the song and that was on the money.” Watch it below.

Decked out in his Back to the Future Part II-version-of-the-future finest, Aaron Kelly took on “Blue Suede Shoes.” Lambert advised the 17-year-old to put some aggression into his performance, but Aaron just looked scared and hid under a nearby couch. His performance was solid but not memorable — the main problem was the hopelessly outdated backing blues music. Kara applauded him for moving out of his comfort zone, but Simon felt it was too old-fashioned. Jane Lynch sagely nodded along in the background.

Siobhan Magnus gave us the soft and screechy sides of her musical persona this week, and the resulting version of “Suspicious Minds” was enjoyable though not exactly relevant, much like her Billy Idol meets Bride of Frankenstein hairstyle. Lambert looked like he loved her performance more than the others, which makes sense: Her voice is lovely, powerful, and idiosyncratic in a way not unlike his own. Randy confusingly likened it to the Supremes, while Kara couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Siobhan is one girl with two different singing styles. Simon told her she’s lost sight of who she is, but Siobhan wasted no time putting them back in their places. “Even I can’t pinpoint who or what I am, but I’ve always taken pride in that … I don’t think it’s necessary to be labeled.” Shine on, you crazy diamond.

After his near-elimination last week, Michael Lynche sang “In the Ghetto” on Siobhan’s advice. Even though the arrangement was slow and bare-bones, it still came across as cheesy and a bit lame. Mike definitely should have taken Adam’s advice to ignore the judges and embrace his theatrical side — at least then he’d be entertaining instead of forgettable. The judges all give him terse praise, probably because they’re not quite ready to admit he may not have been worth the save.

Katie Stevens made an interesting song choice with “Baby What Do You Want Me to Do,” but she came nowhere near pouring her frustration with the judges into her singing, which was her stated aim. Adam correctly said “she needs to sell it more,” but all the non-Simon judges liked her grrr-face façade of anger. Simon told her it was boring and she shouted back at him, “What do you want me to do?” Get voted off the show soon, Katie. Is that so much to ask?

Casey James closed the night with an acceptably old-school blues take on “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” It was good MOR white blues, but that’s kind of like saying The Biggest Loser is good for immediately forgettable melodrama. Still, his vocals were fine and, as Ellen pointed out, he did look “comfortable surrounded by a sea of women.” But perhaps she just said that because she likes to watch the muscles in Kara's neck tense up.

Odds and sods moments:

Siobhan opined that Elvis is so compelling to her because he came from practically nothing and became one of the most successful performers ever. Never one to pass up an opportunity to make things trite, Ryan declared, “Yep, rags to riches.”

Katie Stevens explained anger to us: “It’s like UGH! Not aaahhhh.”

In the long-running Fox tradition of attempting to sabotage people by implying they’re terrorists, Seacrest introduced Tim Urban as “Turban.”

Seacrest joked that Brian Dunkleman would return next week for Idol Gives Back. No one in the audience seemed to recall who that was, which means his joke failed, but Seacrest still wins, since his former Idol co-host isn’t remembered well enough to function as a punchline.

Reminding us of the importance of voting, Ryan shouted, “You don’t want to lose your favorite, because that would suck!” at a frail old lady.

Tonight Adam Lambert returns to perform, and perhaps we will finally be rid of the oppressive mediocrity that is Andrew Garcia’s singing. And with the save gone, hopefully Siobhan or Casey won’t fall into the bottom two and be forced to shuffle off their Idol coil.

barking dog training collar

Jules Akles

profile

Last night the remaining nine contestants on American Idol stumbled through the catalogue of Elvis Presley, failing for the most part to make any of the King’s tunes their own. Season-eight runner-up Adam Lambert blessedly livened things up as a guest mentor, and he was actually a great tie-in to the week's theme since Elvis also wore mascara offstage and the networks won’t show Lambert doing certain things below the hips. Glambert kept the episode afloat by actually giving some honest feedback, saying this season has great singers but a lot of them need to “wake up … let’s put on a show.” (And after weeks of the judges wondering what the problem is with Andrew, it was a relief to have someone flat out tell him his singing was boring.)

The mentoring segments were filmed in Las Vegas, which added absolutely nothing to the episode but did allow Ryan to utter questionable lines like, “Let’s see what happened to Katie in Sin City … ” And to make up for all the gay jokes in his wheelhouse that he would have liked to have been making last season (there was mid-season speculation, but Lambert didn’t publicly come out until after the season wrapped), Ryan made sure to tell Adam, “My tongue is not nearly as talented as yours … you know what I mean, with singing! With singing!” Adam gracefully responded with one of those “please shut up” smiles you make when your mom tells your significant other about your potty-training travails.

The performances:

Crystal Bowersox continues to impress and show growth. For the first time this season, she actually made a left-field song choice, singing an obscure (in Elvis terms) gospel-blues tune called “Saved.” Naturally, she nailed the vocals and arrangement, and her stage persona was more energetic, sassy, and comfortable than ever before. She’s one of the few contestants this season truly using the show as training for a real career later on. Simon said good things about her, but it was incredibly distracting watching Glee’s Jane Lynch in the background and wondering what she would say if she were at the judges’ table.

Andrew Garcia’s lounge-lizard re-conception of “Hound Dog” was the kind of thing that should have fallen into the “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” category. Even more miserable than his languid singing was his lifeless performance, where he doddered around stage like an old man and dragged the mic with him like it was his IV stand. With two people going home tonight, it’s really time to bid him adieu. Ellen was the only judge who liked it, and explained to Ryan that she liked it because she liked it.

After weeks of excruciating Sanjaya-esque performances, Tim Urban surprisingly delivered one of the night’s most satisfying songs. Instead of sullying “Can’t Help Falling In Love” with his usual goofy bombast, he gently picked at his acoustic guitar and offered a restrained, understated take on the oft-covered tune that was actually a bit beautiful. Ellen likened him to tequila (because she regrets him the next morning?) but seemed to mean it as a compliment, and Simon indulged in an unforgivable cliché by saying Tim “went from zero to hero in two weeks.” Is Simon now writing eighties movie trailers on the side?

Lee DeWyze continued his bid to be named Bowersox's runner-up with a bluesy, growling version of “A Little Less Conversation.” He’s finally loosened up onstage to the point where he successfully inhabits each song. Kara still wanted him to smile more and hop around the stage on a pogo stick, but Simon reminded her that “it’s about nailing the song and that was on the money.” Watch it below.

Decked out in his Back to the Future Part II-version-of-the-future finest, Aaron Kelly took on “Blue Suede Shoes.” Lambert advised the 17-year-old to put some aggression into his performance, but Aaron just looked scared and hid under a nearby couch. His performance was solid but not memorable — the main problem was the hopelessly outdated backing blues music. Kara applauded him for moving out of his comfort zone, but Simon felt it was too old-fashioned. Jane Lynch sagely nodded along in the background.

Siobhan Magnus gave us the soft and screechy sides of her musical persona this week, and the resulting version of “Suspicious Minds” was enjoyable though not exactly relevant, much like her Billy Idol meets Bride of Frankenstein hairstyle. Lambert looked like he loved her performance more than the others, which makes sense: Her voice is lovely, powerful, and idiosyncratic in a way not unlike his own. Randy confusingly likened it to the Supremes, while Kara couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Siobhan is one girl with two different singing styles. Simon told her she’s lost sight of who she is, but Siobhan wasted no time putting them back in their places. “Even I can’t pinpoint who or what I am, but I’ve always taken pride in that … I don’t think it’s necessary to be labeled.” Shine on, you crazy diamond.

After his near-elimination last week, Michael Lynche sang “In the Ghetto” on Siobhan’s advice. Even though the arrangement was slow and bare-bones, it still came across as cheesy and a bit lame. Mike definitely should have taken Adam’s advice to ignore the judges and embrace his theatrical side — at least then he’d be entertaining instead of forgettable. The judges all give him terse praise, probably because they’re not quite ready to admit he may not have been worth the save.

Katie Stevens made an interesting song choice with “Baby What Do You Want Me to Do,” but she came nowhere near pouring her frustration with the judges into her singing, which was her stated aim. Adam correctly said “she needs to sell it more,” but all the non-Simon judges liked her grrr-face façade of anger. Simon told her it was boring and she shouted back at him, “What do you want me to do?” Get voted off the show soon, Katie. Is that so much to ask?

Casey James closed the night with an acceptably old-school blues take on “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” It was good MOR white blues, but that’s kind of like saying The Biggest Loser is good for immediately forgettable melodrama. Still, his vocals were fine and, as Ellen pointed out, he did look “comfortable surrounded by a sea of women.” But perhaps she just said that because she likes to watch the muscles in Kara's neck tense up.

Odds and sods moments:

Siobhan opined that Elvis is so compelling to her because he came from practically nothing and became one of the most successful performers ever. Never one to pass up an opportunity to make things trite, Ryan declared, “Yep, rags to riches.”

Katie Stevens explained anger to us: “It’s like UGH! Not aaahhhh.”

In the long-running Fox tradition of attempting to sabotage people by implying they’re terrorists, Seacrest introduced Tim Urban as “Turban.”

Seacrest joked that Brian Dunkleman would return next week for Idol Gives Back. No one in the audience seemed to recall who that was, which means his joke failed, but Seacrest still wins, since his former Idol co-host isn’t remembered well enough to function as a punchline.

Reminding us of the importance of voting, Ryan shouted, “You don’t want to lose your favorite, because that would suck!” at a frail old lady.

Tonight Adam Lambert returns to perform, and perhaps we will finally be rid of the oppressive mediocrity that is Andrew Garcia’s singing. And with the save gone, hopefully Siobhan or Casey won’t fall into the bottom two and be forced to shuffle off their Idol coil.

Are you trying to find a landlord who will not only welcome Fido with open paws, but understand the pooch's need to use the backyard as a potty? Are you someone whose home-buying priority isn't good schools but rather proximity to a dog park or 24-hour vet clinic? If you had your druthers, would you forgo a home with built-in bookshelves in favor of one with a built-in cat platform-climbing tree?

Moving, whether it be down the street or from coast-to-coast, is stressful. So call it a clever marketing tool or the answer to a pet-owner's prayers, but the Pet Realty Network is here to help. The brainchild of British-born Rhona Sutter, the Pet Realty Network charges real estate agents $30 a year to showcase an unlimited number of pet-friendly properties. They can also upload their bios and photos. The fee for developers is $50 a year. The site, free to visitors, provides a wealth of pet moving tips. Sutter is also a Realtor.

Karen Numme, an agent with Keller-Williams in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, joined the network earlier this year. Numme is a doggie stage mom whose five-pound Yorkshire Terrier named Shumi just completed a national campaign for Target. Numme, who shares space on her business card with Shumi, says the Pet Realty Network has been a tremendous resource for her thus far.

“I'm a pet person and know quite a bit, but they have information on the site that has helped me to help my clients. It's great!,” she said. There are links to local pet sitters, pet boarding facilities, dog walkers, and other pet-friendly businesses.

Sutter, who started the site almost three years ago, said it has more than 200 members now. Based in Naples, Florida, she said she plans on launching a sister site in the next few weeks that focuses exclusively on pet-friendly rental units. She also runs pethealthalert.com, created after a series of hurricanes underscored the need for emergency pet information.

The Pet Realty Network also runs an online store with pet gifts suitable as closing presents from agents to home buyers — things like a “this belongs to me” blanket personalized with a pet's name, that sells for about $30 or a Mutt Pack Traveler, a see-through traveling case that retails for about $40. Other items include leash holders and T-shirts with horse, dog and cat themes.

So, clever marketing or a real service? Probably a little of both, but I'd give the lady high marks for an easy-to-use and cleverly written web site, dedicated to Kash, the Golden Retriever who is listed as the former Director of Barketing.

Estimates are that more than 10 million families moved with pets last year, Sutter said, and focusing on buyers with pets just helps agents distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack, so to speak. I'll raise a paw to that one.

biobag biodegradable dog waste bags

Electronic Dog Collars

Bark Buckle UP Has Tails Wagging for Top Dog: Ford Edge Named Pet Safe Vehicle of the Year

NEW YORK, April 1 /PRNewswire/ – Bark Buckle UP the recognized leader and experts for pet travel safety – awarded the Pet Safe Choice Vehicle Awards “TOP DOG” today at the 2010 New York International Auto Show. This year, Bark Buckle UP's founder Pet Safety Lady Christina Selter and her furry friends awarded “TOP DOG” Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice and announced the Pet Safe Hotel, Retailer, and Airline of choice. During the presentation, Greg Kleva, host of Martha Stewart radio show “It's a Dogs Life,” the Pet Safety Lady, and furry friends wearing the Doggie Seat Belt hopped in and out of cars and stole the show with their animal antics and demonstrations of dog and car travel safety.

This year's Pet Safe winners included the Ford Edge (Vehicle of the Year), BassPro Shops (Retailer of the Year), Sheraton Hotels (Hotel of the Year) and Southwest Airlines (Airline of the Year).

“Most people don't think about it, but in only a 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet it becomes a 2,700-pound projectile. This will injure the pet, passengers, driver or the pet may escape the vehicle and cause a second accident or become agitated and bite the first responder that is on scene doing their job,” stated Selter.

The registered vehicles are evaluated on a variety of pet-related aspects, including how easily the vehicle accommodates animals and kennels of various sizes, ease of access to pet from within the vehicle, ease of pet entry and exit, ventilation for animals in the rear, as well as whether the vehicle has pet-friendly surfaces, adaptability for third party pet travel or safety gear. Ford received four out of the top ten honors for 2010 Pet Safe Vehicles of Choice List, including the Ford Transit Connect, Edge and Flex and the Lincoln MKT.

“With more than 340,000 vehicles sold since it was originally launched in late 2006, the Ford Edge has been meeting the needs of customers who demand style, technology, performance and capability in a compelling package,” said Brett Burin, Ford Edge Marketing Manager. “We look ahead with excitement this summer to the arrival of the new 2011 Edge, which adds even more revolutionary technology and class-leading performance. And with a suite of safety features, flexible seating and nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo space, the Ford Edge is perfect for those traveling with pets.”

Doggie Seat Belt is the newest As Seen On TV product to offer real solutions to problems without breaking the bank. “When the weather is nice, you see dog heads hanging out the window all of the time,” said Anand “Andy” Khubani, President and CEO of Ideavillage Products Corp. and distributor of the Doggie Seat Belt. “Since we all love our pets and enjoy taking them with us, Doggie Seat Belt was designed to be as easy and convenient as possible to buckle up our pets when they are in the car. This should help to decrease the chance of injury to a dog or passenger in the event of an accident.”

The 2010 Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice TOP DOG Ford Edge award was accepted by Burin.

2010 Pet Safe Retailer, Hotel and Airline
– BassPro Shops
– Sheraton Hotels
– Southwest Airlines

Statistics
– 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet unrestrained becomes a 2,700-pound
projectile
– 98% of dogs do not travel properly restrained in a moving vehicle
– Driver distraction causes more accidents than any other issue
– 82% of pets travel on vacation with their owners
– Pet friendly lodging has increased 300% since 2005
– Over 70 million homes in America have a pet

About Christina Selter

“Pet Safety Lady” has been featured on more than 250 TV stations nationwide including National networks, as well as radio, print, and online venues. Recently featured in her first national TV commercial, produced several PSA's and the Pet Safety seminar that will be attended by the public FREE at more than 4000 locations in the U.S. and Canada summer 2010. Selter's first children's book, “Be Smart Ride Safe®,” will be published in 2010. Pet Safety Lady founder of Bark Buckle UP and the Bark Buckle UP Charity, works closely with first responders, auto manufacturers, airline, marine and other pet experts to help educate, inform, and protect America's pets. Pet Safety Lady travels the country teaching pet safety to the public and works with Police, Fire, National Guard, Coast Guard EMT, K9 units, FEMA dogs, animal services, pet rescues, and volunteers her time to help save pets lives. Her Bark 10-4 program has delivered more than 8,000 pet oxygen masks to Fire Chiefs in the U.S. and Canada. She has been featured with many Fire and Police Chiefs in the media educating the public on pet safety and has frequently been the host of first responder press conferences nationwide.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) , a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 198,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.ford.com/www.ford.com.

About Ideavillage Products Corporation

Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, Ideavillage Products Corporation has been bringing innovative products to market under the As Seen On TV banner since 1999. Dedicated to providing affordable quality products offering solutions to life's everyday problems, the As Seen On TV category has become one of today's most popular lines of consumer goods and includes Doggie Seat Belt, Smooth Away, HD Vision WrapArounds, MicroTouch Magic, and more. All products are available directly while select products are available at food, drug, and mass retail outlets nationwide. Ideavillage actively supports charitable organizations such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Cherish the Children Foundation, and more. For more information on the Doggie Seat Belt visit http://www.doggieseatbelt.com/http://www.doggieseatbelt.com.

Source: Bark Buckle UP

I've been involved driving sled dogs since the eighties and bought and built many gadgets over the years that I've found useful despite not being a big “gadget guy”.

A life long nordic skiier, I learned about skijoring from a Swedish musher and thought it sounded like a great idea. The only thing was that in the late eighties there were no suppliers of gear. My first skijor belt was a chain wrapped around my waist but soon found and adapted a climbing harness. As the climbing harness had leg loops it was superior to early models later available in the US until they started adapting this idea. Nowadays, there are many excellent suppliers of skijor gear.

One of the coolest things I've made was working with a retired aircraft engineer who had a grant from a dog food maker to study dog output. At the time, trees made GPS units rather unreliable so we used a bicycle wheel with a speedometer to measure speed / distance. But for measuring how much the dogs pulled, we built a system using a tensometer jury rigged to a Sinclair computer housed in a rubbermaid box to collect data. The research discovered that an efficient team actually put very little tug on the line to keep forward momentum. Less efficient dogs pull more with less consistency which results in more injuries as dogs pull best by relying on the harness to catch them as they throw themselves forward rather than landing only on their paws.

A modified four wheeler ATV has been a great gadget. Got it from the kid down the road for a great price as I had him remove the motor as part of the sale conditions. It's a nice way to get the dogs out when there's no snow. And without the motor there's no hassle for using the local multi-use trail that bans motors.

An avid cyclist, I also pioneered a sport called “bike-joring” which seems to now be an accepted term. Springer and others have been selling for sometime a way to connect your dog to the side of your bike, but it doesn't allow them to really work.

So I built a way to attach the dogs to the handlebars. It sounds counter intuitive, but it is the most stable spot to attach them. It's the same spot 6-day riders hold their bars when doing handslings on the track. And if you attach to the headtube, the line too easily gets tangled on the front wheel or fender and there is less control/stability.

A loop of bungie and rope over the bars, one on each side of the stem, gives great control and flexibility as it's easy to pull the loops off the stem if you need to untangle them or get better control off bike.

Then there's little things like better dishes, food scoopers and poop scoopers that make daily chores easier. Mine are home made for the most part, but I use hog pans as dishes.

I've always wanted a poop scooping robot and have thought of modifying one of those solar power mowers… but they are expensive and the dogs would probably eat it.

Auto axles are a great way to put a stake in the ground that will make it easy to chain up a dog. Much better than those little twisty stakes they sell in pet shops that never work reliably.

Good dog houses are also helpful. I use a 50 gallon plastic barrels supported on an A-Frame of pallets. This provides shade underneath the house and puts the door high enough that males don't pee in it. Over the years, been replacing the plastic with wood houses which look a bit nicer and give the dogs a flat spot on the roof to hang out. They like that. Never give a dog a peaked roof, unless it's a 2-D dog like Snoopy who can perch on that.

And maybe the coolest gadget I've seen and always wanted, was a truck load of old communication cable spools to give the dog yard a hacker/phreaker look by converting them into dog houses. Someday.

Dog mushing is fun in part due to the many innovations that come out over the years. Mushers tend to be quite resourceful hackers who combine high tech with an ancient art whose motto is, “you can fix anything with an axe” that reflex a legacy of self reliance in the wilderness. And despite the cool things I can brag about, am humbled by the true master dog drivers who could go out with one tool, an axe, and build an outstandingly engineered perfectly balanced sled out of a birch tree in short order that would outperform one made in a fully supplied shop of powertools and laser rulers and allignment devices.

small dog bark collars

Leon Gemaehlich