What a great way to be greeted when you come home!
Still Life With Animated Dogs
I’ve watched Still Life With Animated Dogs several times on Independent Lens and I still love it. It’s autobiographical and starts in Stalinist 1950’s Czechoslovakia with Paul Fierlinger and his first dog, Roosevelt. You can read more about the film and the filmmakers on the PBS site.
Fierlinger does the animation and narration. I find his voice & story mesmerizing and I love his observations about himself & dogs. At turns, heart breaking, funny, and joyful, the film is a fascinating study of the different roles different dogs played in Fierlinger’s life and of how important they can be to our growth and our very survival.
We Like: Plush Leo With Stuffies
The Plush Leo from Canine Genius is a great toy. It’s a plush puzzle toy shaped kind of like a bowling pen and comes with 4 small plush toys(each with a squeaker) that you stuff inside it. It has three openings for the smaller toys to come out. Give to your dog and let him have fun figuring out how to get the toys out.
Once Saffron got the hang of it, we started stuffing as many of her small toys as we could fit in it. Sometimes she investigates it carefully from the outside finding every squeaker in the toys inside. Other times she pulls them out one at a time. And when she’s being beasty, she shakes it for all she’s worth and sends the toys inside flying.
It’s held up well. It should be noted, Saffron is pretty easy on her toys. And I’ve washed it with no problems.
Check out this previous post on the Brain Twister also from Canine Genius. It’s another favorite in our house.
Friday Fun: Herding Dog
Really interesting video of a herding dog doing real work—not just trial work.
DIY: Oil Cloth Dog Raincoat
It’s still raining here in the Pacific Northwest. So this post is trying to look on the bright side, find the silver lining, ya-da-ya-da-ya-da. If the weather still stinks where you are, check out this fun Oil Cloth Dog Raincoat.
It’s pretty simple. You’ll need to make your own pattern according to your dog’s measurements or you could use this pattern with a collar or this pattern. You don’t have to do the rickrack and I don’t think I’d put a treat pouch on it, lest it drive your dog nuts to have treats follow her around yet be out of reach. It would be like having a cupcake stuck to the middle of your back, you know?
You can also make your own travel bowl using oil cloth.