Dog Halloween Costume

Who doesn't love a dog dressed up like a shark?





find this shark costume HERE

find this shark costume HERE

How about an elephant costume? Ha, seriously!


find this elephant costume HERE

 
See more funny costumes HERE

Or if Charlie wants to sing YMCA he could be a sailor.

Dog Halloween Pumpkins

Last year I posted about these great dog pumpkins for Halloween and I wanted to make sure everyone saw them again this year. What kind of dog do you have and how would you make his/her face on the pumpkin?  . 

Dog Leads Police to Family Home Which Is on Fire

Have you heard about this????  This is one smart dog.

Buddy the German Shepherd proved to be a real-life Lassie as he led police straight to his family home which was on fire.
The frantic pet dog can be seen on police dashcam footage looking back repeatedly to make sure the car was still following as he took them round narrow, unlit bends to the inferno.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1268324/How-frantic-pet-dog-led-police-familys-burning-home-owner-told-Buddy-help.html#ixzz1bHi1Zx00

Stainless Steel Dog Bowls---Did you Know?

While at the vet a couple of weeks ago, the vet looked at Jack's chin and said that he had an infection on it and asked "what kind of bowls does he eat and drink out of?" I told her we use porcelain bowls and she told me that we needed to switch to stainless steel. I guess bacteria can grow on the dog bowls and so when they are drinking water they make scrape the side with their chin and can get an infection, or if they already had an infection it will keep getting bacteria inside and wont heal.

So all you dog lovers out there, switch your dog water dish to stainless steel and if you want it to match maybe switch the food dish over too.

Stainless steel surface will not absorb smells, does not stain, and is easy to clean and disinfect. Most dogs won't pick up or try to chew on stainless steel so the bowls stay shiny, clean, and new. They're also heavier so they're less likely to tip over and they are dishwasher safe.

I want this one...too bad Jack and Charlie are boys. Maybe I can find one with red polka dots.

Wool Cardigan Dog Coat

• • 

   
  From the infamous Martha Stewart site shared by Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir, authors of "Pet Projects: Animal Knits Bible," for sharing this lovely craft. Check out more of their designs in the adorable dog fashion 
   
  Click HERE for a tutorial video 
   
  Transform a wool cardigan into a charming dog coat 
  -- your furry friend will enjoy the extra warmth.
  Tools and MaterialsFelted cardigan (For instructions on felting a sweater, take a look at this felted hat craft.)
  Scissors
  Tailor's chalk
  Sewing pins
  Sewing machine
  Thread
  Blunt-ended tapestry needle
  Black wool yarn
  Optional: pearl or crystal beads
  
  Wool Cardigan Dog Coat How-To1. Before making the coat, measure your dog to make sure the felted cardigan is big enough to be cut down to fit. Turn cardigan inside out.
  
  2. Mark sweater with tailor's chalk in two places: 1) In a straight line from the underarm, and perpendicular to the sleeve seam, so that the sleeve forms a cap. 2) Right above the ribs of the cuff (save cuffs). Cut where marked.
  3. Put cardigan on dog, inside out.
  
  4. Pin a dart from the neck down the shoulder and onto the cap sleeve. (This reduces the width of the armhole.) You may need to remove 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches of knitted fabric. Pin along dog's chest and stomach, taking up most of the excess knitted fabric.
  5. Carefully remove cardigan from the dog. On a sewing machine, stitch down where pinned (along shoulder and back of cardigan), and then trim the excess.
  
  6. Slip the cuff inside the end of the sleeve and sew the cuff on, using a tapestry needle with a blunt end, black wool yarn, and decorative running stitches.
  
  7. For added decorative detail, sew pearls or crystals to the neck along the base of the neck ribbing, starting at the button band. For decorative effect, make one running stitch in between each pearl.

Little Girl's Seizure Alert Dog, Jack

 

This is such a cute video about the loving bond between dog and little girl. Jack was found in a dumpster by the humane society and later adopted by this family in the video. Click on the link to watch the video and see how Jack has changed the life of one little girl. It made me cry.

http://www.godvine.com/Thrown-Away-Dog-Saves-a-Little-Girl-from-Death-671.html

Back To School

 

I hope everyone has a great week going back to school. You should all think about getting your back to school pictures taken by this lady

 

 Read more about these pictures HERE

and I think while we are at it we should get the pups a pic or two as well.  I am thinking Charlie would look cute in one of these

Have Your Dog Show Some College Pride

How fun is this? Doggie Divas website has a whole collection of college clothes for your dog.  Check it out HERE and choose your school colors or at least the teams you cheer for.  Go Utes and Buffs!

University of Utah HERE

University of Colorado Boulder HERE

Handicap Dog's Wheelchair Stolen

Found this sad article with at least a happy ending on the For the Love of Dog Blog.

Jack's wheelchair was a godsend to him and his owner. (Photo credit: NBC 10 - Providence/New Bedford)

One month ago today I wrote about a handicapped dog whose wheelchair was stolen from his normally safe front lawn in a leafy Boston neighborhood, leaving him unable to move. Today I bring you news about a Rhode Island dog who had the rotten fate.
Jack, a lab-shepherd mix, lost the use of his back legs because of two herniated discs. The introduction of a doggy wheelchair three months ago changed his life. His owner, Marilyn Proulx, told NBC News 10 that the wheelchair was a godsend that gave Jack mobility. She said he was even able to run with it because he had strong front legs. He loved taking long walks. She said the chair made him whole.
But all that changed when someone stole the wheelchair from the side of Proulx’s house. Now walks involve Proulx hoisting his back end up with a sling. It’s taxing for woman and dog.
“I think mentally, emotionally, physically, it’s awful.  He can’t take walks anymore.  I have to help him in and out of the house with a sling,” Proulx said. “I just can’t imagine his living the rest of his life without being able to walk anymore.”
The good news is that Jack has an angel in the form of a dog wheelchair company watching out for him. I read under the NBC News 10 story a comment from Handicapped Pets, offering to donate a brand-new customized wheelchair to Jack. This is one great company. It did the same with the Boston dog whose wheelchair was stolen. (See update below.)

Jack was so happy when he had wheels. Here he is at a beach in Maine. (Photo credit: NBC 10 - Providence/New Bedford)

Here’s what Handicapped Pets wrote: “HandicappedPets.com would be happy to provide a replacement dog wheelchair for Jack at no charge…The Walkin Wheels is fully adjustable, so we can send it right out to Jack today – he can be back to his walking routine tomorrow.” I don’t see any indication about whether Proulx had gotten this amazing message yet, but I’m sure by the time you see this, word will have reached her.
A happy ending to a sad story. As I asked in the post about the Boston dog: Who would steal a dog’s wheelchair?!
Update 7/8/11: We just got word that a company called Eddie’s Wheels was hoping to donate one of their custom wheelchairs to Jack. (They said Jack had been using one of their custom-built wheelchairs already.) According to Eddie’s Wheels, before the company could contact Jack’s owner, someone donated their deceased dog’s wheelchair to Jack. “Serendipitously, it was just the right size and also neutral balanced,” reads an update on their website. So looks like there are plenty of generous and caring companies and individuals out there!

Free Giveaway

 

So you want to learn how to sing like your most favorite pop, indie, rock, folk, broadway, r&b star ,well here is your chance to actually learn something that will improve your singing voice. Win a FREE thirty minute voice lesson, a $60 value, with Leah Stone and you will be amazed at what you can learn in one lesson.  Lessons are done via Skype so you can live anywhere and win this contest.

Here is how you enter to win:

1. Like Charlie Pants Music on Facebook by clicking HERE and liking the page.  www.facebook.com/charliepantsmusic

2. Copy and paste this paragraph including link below on your Facebook wall...

I want to win a FREE voice lesson with Leah Stone at Charlie Pants Music. Charlie Pants Music is a Speech Level Singing Studio owned and operated by Leah Stone. Sign up for lessons in singing, guitar, songwriting, and stage performance. Lessons are done via Skype. How cool is that? http://charliepantsmusiclessons.blogspot.com/2011/07/win-free-voice-lesson.html


3. If you blog about the studio & the contest, and make sure to link to the studio www.charliepantsmusic.com and facebook www.facebook.com/charliepantsmusic you will be entered in the contest twice.

4. Write on Charlie Pants Music's facebook page saying why you want to win and (a link to your blog post if you posted) and a winner will be chosen at random on Friday, July 8, 2011.

Good Luck and happy singing!

7/8/11 update: Congrats to Sophie Thomas for winning the free lesson. Thanks for playing.

Posted by:

Leah Stone 

Certified Speech Level Singing Instructor

Charlie Pants Music

801 809 1258
www.charliepantsmusic.com

Skype Name: leahstone17

charliepantsmusic@gmail.com 
facebook.com/charliepantsmusic

Dog Portraits

So a couple of years ago I did an oil painting of Charlie.  I really like it and am happy with how it turned out.  Is it weird that I have a big picture of my dog hanging in my house?  Does anyone else have a painting of their dog?  If not, maybe you can commission me to do one if you are interested :)

Happy Monday!

Dog Potty for Patio: Build Your Own

Well as mentioned in the previous post Jack had emergency surgery.  He can't do stairs for the next 2 weeks while he recovers.  We live in a 3 floor townhouse so this poses quite a problem.  We went to the hardware store and bought supplies to make our own potty spot on our back deck. I had blogged about other patio potties I had seen online, but ours was much cheaper to make and uses real grass.

This is what you need

 1 4'x4' peg board  (about $13)                       

2   2"x4"x96" ($2.12 a piece)
plastic sheeting (we used durable plastic leaf bags)
2 bags of potting soil ($2 a bag)
2 rolls of sod ($5 a roll)


Here is what you do.  

Lay the peg board down on the deck and cover it with the plastic sheeting or bags. Staple gun it or secure it under the peg board so the sheeting doesn't slip.  Create a trim around the board using the 2x4's and secure in place.  Empty the two bags of potting soil on top of the plastic cover peg board.

Roll the 2 strips of sod down. You will have a little extra that you will need to cut off.

Since Jack is a boy dog we bought a little plant for him to aim at to ensure he will pee on the grass.  We also bought a hose attachment for our sink so we can spray off the grass and water it daily to make sure it doesn't die.