The News Just Keeps Getting More Disgusting Every Day @9:00 AM
"Happily, the bugs need to eat only once a month or less, he said. 'It’s not so bad. You can hardly feel it.' A few days later at his home, Mr. Ecker demonstrated, tipping a vial of bugs onto his forearm, which the critters latched on to like hungry newborns, their bodies quickly swelling with blood." It gets grosser—so you may stop reading here or come and soldier bravely on with us. READ MORE 9
British Man Walks Dog From Car @3:00 PM
Knifecrime Island Follies: "As any dog lover knows walkies is a must – even if it is raining, snowing or blowing a gale. But when Paul Railton, 23, looked out of his window on a bitterly cold day last December he had other ideas. He would give his beloved brown lurcher a walk – only this time he was going to do it from the comfort and warmth of his car."
And that's how the story starts. It only gets weirder from there. 7
Graydon Carter's Handwriting Analyzed @1:40 PM
Graydon Carter had brunch at Little Owl in the West Village the other day, and he left a big doodle and a note with his check. I decided to ask my dog Lee what she thought. READ MORE 6
Man Masticates Dog @3:15 PM
Roger Cohen's IHT column about eating dog in China is raising hackles in the dog-loving precincts of the Internets. Let's establish first that Cohen definitely did eat dog.
The menu was predictably dog-dominated: dog paws, dog tail, dog brain, dog intestine, even dog penis. We went for a dog broth, simmered for four hours, with Sichuan pepper and ginger. It was warming, with a pepper-tingle. The meat was tender, unctuous, blander than pork, but stronger than chicken. Later, the owner, Chen Zemin, explained how the best dogs for eating had yellow coats, weighed 30 pounds, and did miracles for arthritis.
A Letter To The New York Times @2:20 PM
To the Editor:
Re: "Heel. Sit. Whisper. Good Dog." (February 3), an article about "debarking," that barbaric procedure in which a dog's vocal cords are cut so that its owners are no longer troubled by noise complaints from their neighbors: READ MORE 33
Adorable Doggie Rescued From Ice Floe @2:10 PM
Good news! "A dog which drifted for four freezing days on river ice has been rescued nearly 20 miles out to sea by scientists who initially mistook him for a seal. The plight of the mongrel dubbed ‘Baltic’ gripped the Polish media who logged various doomed rescue attempts on his chilly 125-mile journey." The dog is as yet unclaimed, but may very well be adopted by his rescuers. Do click through: there is a picture of a safe and dry Baltic that will touch the heart of even the coldest dog-haters out there. 5
Aww, James Spader has a dog named Mr. Meagles? Maybe I've spent my entire life misjudging him. (The entire part of my life that I spent thinking about him, I mean—brief incidences of which occurred in 1989 and 1994 and 2002.) I hope it's a beagle! @9:22 AM 2
"Homing pigeons can famously find their way home over long distances, and there have been many reported instances of lost cats turning up at their owners' houses. But one dachshund in Bredstedt, a small town in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, showed herself to be even smarter than those animal navigators. She turned herself in at the local lost-and-found office." 21
From the inbox: "Media Advisory: Top 125 Dogs in Pop Culture Unveiled. INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN EMBARGOED UNTIL DEC. 22 AT 11AM. The American Kennel Club (AKC) and AOL PawNation.com will announce the results of the nationwide poll that determined the 125 most iconic dogs in American pop culture on Tuesday, December 22nd from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. PHOTO OP: Beagles representing Snoopy – with one dressed as the Red Barron – and Underdog; a Collie representing Lassie and Texas A&M mascot Reveille (wearing a doggie jersey); Bulldogs representing University of Georgia's UGA and Georgetown's Jack the Bulldog (also wearing doggie jerseys) will take center stage and show off their iconic status." Um, "rowr"? 24
Please enjoy the story of Faith, the two-legged dog who walks upright and inspires those who need courage. @1:40 PM 33
Last-Minute Racist Pet Costumes! @3:30 PM
We knew there were plenty of racist human costumes for Halloween but we did not know about the animals. BUT, BUT, BUT—THESE DOGS ARE EPISCOPALIAN!
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How Not To Kill A Dog @2:10 PM
What seems like common sense to so many people may not have ever occurred to others, so just in case you haven't given any consideration to the matter, we're going to pass along this valuable lesson from South Carolina's Post and Courier: "'There are humane ways to euthanize an injured dog,' said Dr. Sarah Boyd, a veterinarian at Charleston Animal Society. Using a hammer and machete is not among them, she said." On second thought, you should probably read the whole thing. 29
Dog Bites Frenchman @3:05 PM
Sad news: Sumo, the Maltese terrier belonging to former French president Jacques Chirac, has been sent away to a farm in northern France after he attacked his owner for the third time. Why is Sumo so angry? Apparently, it is because of the traumatic move from the French presidential palace. READ MORE 7
Fit To Print @9:00 AM
Good morning! "An article on Tuesday about the sale of a house next door to President Obama's home in Chicago misstated the name of a dog that lives there and misidentified her owners. She is Rosie, not Roxy, and she belongs to the tenants of the property's carriage house – not to the owners of the property for sale, Bill and Jacky Grimshaw." 2
Jessica Simpson's Lost Dog @10:20 AM
In a certifiably tragic event, Jessica Simpson's dog was abducted by a prairie jackal. "My heart is broken because a coyote took my precious Daisy right in front of our eyes," she writes. "HORROR! We are searching. Hoping. Please help!" So the comment below this picture which reads "I have spotted the dog in a box marked 'ACME' being chased by a Roadrunner," is at best unhelpful and at worst inaccurate: The roadrunner never chased the coyote, it was the other way around. For shame, people. 28
Surprised To Find It Done At All @9:07 AM
Good morning! Here is a video of a dog playing pool! Because it feels like it's going to be a dog playing pool kind of day. Speaking of unlikely participants in activities for which they seem completely unsuited, our own Choire Sicha is guest-hosting at Deadspin today, which, I mean, can you IMAGINE? Why not head over and show a little support; I understand that those folks can get a little rough with the help. Oh, right, happy 9/11 or whatever. Onward! 19
Of Dogs And Laughter @4:40 PM
"The stuff that happens in early childhood, before you're three years old, you know, that's who you're dealing with when you're dealing with petulant adults, is somebody wasn't smart enough with their three-year-old. And who really knows how to get everything right with a three-year-old? So, you know, that's the history of violence and insanity in the world at large: mothers who can't really comprehend what they're doing to a three-year-old. And why would they be able to? Probably people not getting more sane anytime soon."
—Comedy legend Merrill Markoe talks to Doree Shafrir about movies, dogs, and, uh, comedy. It's very good! 1
New York Times Preps Itself For Friday Catblogging @10:30 AM
Times are of course tough all over, and the newspaper industry has it harder than most, so I suppose one should simply acknowledge that trusted brands will be forced to engage in previously inconceivable practices out of sheer hope for survival. Still, this New York Times gallery of Reader's Dog Photos is a tough one to take. It really is. Cute puppy though! 2
Taco Bell Dog Victim Of Her Own Success @3:31 PM
The tragedy of playing one part too well: "She was immortalized in toys and was credited with making Chihuahua sales soar, and some of her other Taco Bell lines became famous, such as 'Drop the chalupa!' and 'Viva gorditas!' She would later appear in a Geico ad in 2002 and the film 'Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde' in 2003. But she didn't get much work in her later years because she was typecast, her trainer said recently." Alas, poor Gidget. Popularity really can be a double-edged sword. 10
Domestic Animals Now Competing With Birds And Swine @4:15 PM
An increasing number of cats and dogs are infected with MRSA—the antibiotic resistant "superbug" created by English people's aversion to washing themselves. However, it seems that the animals are catching the infection from their human owners, rather than other animals, so I guess that's good. Or is it? As someone who spent the day with a vomiting cat I'm not sure how to feel about all of this. I'm gonna settle on "concerned." 0
Science: Cats Dumber Than Dogs @2:55 PM
Psychology lecturer Britta Osthaus, of England's Canterbury Christ Church University, revealed results of a study in which "the thought processes of 15 cats were tested by attaching food to the end of lengths of string and observing whether they could figure out that pulling the line brought the treats closer. The cats had no problem with tackling single pieces of string. However, when faced with two options, experts discovered that unlike their canine counterparts, cats were unable to consistently pick a baited string over a dummy." Obviously, this proves once and for all that dogs are smarter than cats. We asked Cat, The Awl's office cat, if he had any comment on the study and the interpretation of its results. Here is his response. READ MORE 21
Domestic Cats: 10,000 Years Old And Totally Mesopotamian @9:43 AM
House mice come from India; tame cats come from Iraq—about 10,000 years ago. And in case you were wondering why cats weren't as overbred as dogs? Actual scientists claim it's because cats "lack any inclination for performing most tasks that would be useful to humans." Stupid scientists. 7
