Weiner Dogs Rule!

The 2008 Chicago City Sticker Art Contest finalists were just revealed. The theme this year was "Dog Friendly Chicago".

Lookman Muhammed's design incorporated a sleek and sexy Daschund and the city skyline. Take a few minutes to check out the finalists and cast your vote for your favorite.

Vote Daschund! (Lookman, participant #7)

A String of Responsibility

Pet ownership has so many responsibilities.

There are the everyday items:

• Food
• Water
• Walking
• Poop removal
• Play time
• Lots of love

Then the every-so-often list:

• Vet visits
• Boarding (someone has to fill in while we sneak away)

I would never have thought my responsibilities were going to extend much beyond the basics and the every-so-often items, till tonight. Any type of rain brings with it a list of animal challenges ranging from muddy paw prints to wet dog smell.

LongJohn and Buster dislike the rain and will do their best to remain under cover of the porch. After some gentle persuasion, Buster followed me to the lawn for his bedtime constitution. He sniffed a bit, found the perfect spot and struck a pose. I shifted my attention to LongJohn; everyone deserves a bit of privacy while squatting.

After a few moments, I turned to find Buster still squatting. I wondered if he found some good reading material and was just relaxing.

Then I realized he was in the middle of a poop crises; things were hanging on. His poop seemed to be stuck in, well, mid-poop. "Bloody hell", I mumbled, realizing Buster needed some type of assistance.

I grabbed a nearby leaf and gave a gentle tug. I won't string you along ... let's just say it wasn't pretty.

I am currently pondering the benefits of rope tug toys while thanking the "Poop Gods" Buster's situation did not require an emergency visit to the vet.