New Animal Planet Show Worth Watching

Next Month, Animal Planet will air a new show, Pit Bulls and Parolees. The reality program is based on the Villalobos Rescue Center, the largest pit bull rescue in the United States, where both rescued pit bulls and ex-cons get a second chance. Animal Planet is calling the show “a chance at redemption, rehabilitation, and rebirth for both man and man’s best friend.” (I don’t know about you guys, but I’m thinking this is bound to be amazing.)

Killian, an older blind pit bull, peers from his kennel at Villalobos Rescue Center. Richard Vogel/AP

The show follows Villalobos founder, Tia Maria Torres, and six parolees, 225 pit bulls, 204 volunteers, two French bulldogs, 19 cats, and Torres’ husband and four kids. Each episode will feature one dog, one rescue, one adoption, and of course, all the drama surrounding the facility.

Pit Bulls and Parolees—which will focus on the interaction of the dogs and the men—came about because Torres was trying to figure out a way to help cover the facility’s $20,000 in monthly bills and her fast-growing $25,000 vet tab. (She initially opened a brothel to pay the bills, but it burned down. No joke.)

The parolees work for food, shelter, gas, cigarettes, and the dogs. "We call them the baddest good guys in town,” Torres told the Associated Press. “They are polite, thankful. They are two-legged versions of the dogs we take in.”

Below is a news clips from My Fox LA:

What do you guys think of this idea for a show?

Women Rank the Family Pet Higher Than Sex

According to USA Today, a new book that surveyed thousands of women found that women rank having a family pet as the thing that makes them most happy. For the book, Women Want More, authors surveyed 12,000 women in 40 countries, and…

• 42 percent of women surveyed said pets are the number one thing that makes them extremely happy
• Comparatively, 27 percent ranked sex at the top
• Food and shopping were third and fourth, respectively

Image via Nature's Corner MagazineI’m not even sure how to comment on this. I mean, I don’t judge, but I was sort of shocked that “shopping” ranked towards the top of this list as one thing in life that makes women EXTREMELY happy. But then, my own list would probably be fairly bizarre. Yes, of course Riley’s up there (she is, after all, perfection), but I’d probably throw some other things on there…like egg and cheese sandwiches, 30 Rock, tubing, Baskin Robbins peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, Jake Ryan…

What about you guys? Do you agree with the survey?

(For more information on the survey (conducted by BCG), click here.)

Riley is on Vacation...

Hi all...We're on vacation this week, so apologies for the lack of posts. I'll update as often as possible. Hope you're all enjoying the summer!

Carrying Your Dog Gear

Were fanny packs ever cool? I’m pretty sure they weren’t. (The French exchange students who stayed with us in middle school mocked my mother’s, and the word “fanny” never fails to make Brits giggle like schoolchildren.) And those cheesy mini backpacks? They make me feel sad for people wearing them. So, I’m always plagued by what to use to carry my stuff when I take Riley on walks. You know, a place for my keys, Blackberry, extra dog poop bags, treats, balls, extra cash, a collapsible water bowl, etc.

A month or so ago, I found something that I thought worked well: The Kinetic II lumbar pack by Mountainsmith. It looks a little crunchy and sporty, but it has changed my life.

I keep hearing people rave about the “Doog,” but it looks suspiciously like a fanny pack…just one that’s rotated to your front. (The Doog—which stands for Dog Owners Outdoor Gear—retails for about $35.)

What do you guys use?

Dog Park Politics

I take Riley to Central Park during off-leash hours just about every morning, and we tend to hang out with the same group of dogs and their owners each day. But it wasn’t always that way. There was a time when we’d awkwardly stand at the outskirts of a group of dogs playing, their owners huddled in a semicircle. We’d hope that someone would notice us, give a nod, and offer an opening for conversation, and ultimately, acceptance.

Image via theweblicist.com

See, the thing is, Riley doesn’t really get the whole playing gently thing. She growls when she runs to act tough, and she body-checks. She stands protectively over water bowls, and she even steals other dogs’ sticks. Luckily, my “dog park friends” have grown to laugh at Riley’s idiosyncrasies because they know she’d never hurt a fly. She’s even affectionately been dubbed “The Fun Police” for her tendency to try to herd up other dogs who appear to be having a good time without her.

Still, I’ve realized that dog park politics are very real, and they simply come with being a dog owner during off-leash hours. Here are a few things (some rules, really) that I have learned and have saved me, and my at-times socially awkward dog, from being shunned:

• If your dog does something bad (eg, steals another dog’s ball, growls at someone he doesn’t like, etc.), play dumb and smile.
• Ask before feeding another dog a treat. Not doing so will incite rage in those dog owners who only feed their animals things like organic boneless chicken breasts ordered in from Swifty’s.
• If you have a pit bull or pit bull mix of any kind, you are sort of screwed. People will look you up and down and whisper behind your back, convinced your dog is only seconds away from eating their pet. It’s awful and unfair, really. You will have to work doubly hard for acceptance.
• If your (larger) dog is playing with a Maltese, Yorkie, or Havanese, you will be blamed for any drama that ensues, even if the little punk is the one who started something.
• Treat the dog park like a dinner party: Avoid topics like religion and politics. That conversation is not going to end up anywhere good.
• That hot guy throwing a ball to his German Shepherd? Yep, he’s got a girlfriend. Don’t waste your time.
• Even if you think a certain dog owner is beyond bizarre, tell him that his dog is beautiful and be diplomatic while your dogs play. Your dog shouldn’t have to give up friends just because the thought of talking to a certain dog’s owner makes you want to jump in front of a bus. Suck it up.
• If your dog is a humper, rein that sh*t in.
• Befriend park rangers and staff. Then they won’t out you to the 5-0 when you have your dog off the leash a few minutes after 9 am.
• Bring extra water to share. It will make people like you.

Think I’m missing anything?