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Happy Father's Day

June 17, 2011

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful dog dads out there… enjoy your day!

We've made up a bunch of super-cute Father's Day e-cards using the winning photos from our recent Star Search contest so if there’s a special dog dad in your life and you'd like to let him know you’re thinking of him, click here and send him one!


Woofstock Happens This Weekend!!

June 9, 2011

Each year in June, my friend Marlene Cook throws an amazing party. It's not just any party, it's a huge gathering of dogs and their people and is so popular it's become known as North America's Largest Festival For Dogs. Once again it will be held over two days (this year it will be on June 11th and 12th ), in Toronto's St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. This free admission venue now draws over 300,000 dog lovers and their furry friends who come to check out the latest and greatest dog products and services that are showcased by over 200 exhibitors (this is the place to get amazing deals!) and participate in the contests and events galore including everyone's favourite, "Stupid Dog Trick" contest, Best Costume contest, Mr. and Mrs. Canine Canada pageant and the Woofstock fashion show, to name a few. Come to see and be seen, just don't miss this amazing two-day event. While there, don't forget to stop by the Modern Dog booth to say hi, and check out our amazing subscription special that includes a free full size bag of Darford dog biscuits.

For more information, check out Woofstock.ca.

 

Penny Takes Flight!

May 31, 2011

Every spring I help my mom get her patio ready for summer which entails either a 5-hour drive to get to Kelowna where she lives, or else a short flight. With time at a premium, I usually opt for the flight so that I have maximum time to indulge myself in a number of my favourite activities. Here are just a few of them:

1.       Visiting with family including some concentrated mother/daughter girl-time (a pleasure that my busy schedule doesn't allow me often enough). 

2.       Sharing a 5pm (sharp!)  happy hour with my mom, consisting of Manhattans served in stemmed glasses (complete with a cherry-on-a-stick),  accompanied by an assortment of yummy snacks  (with my typical schedule involving long work-days and dinner rarely before 8:30 or 9pm, sitting down for an early and leisurely happy hour followed by dinner at 6:30 is a rare treat!).

3.       Puttering around Dogwood Nursery (my mom's favourite nursery) where we choose vibrant coloured geraniums, verbena, and other heat-tolerant plants in striking colour combos to complement Mom's patio décor.

With Mom's condominium rules allowing only small dogs, my previous dog Kaya who weighed in at 60 pounds was never a contender for such a trip, but Penny, my little wire-haired Dachshund with her 12-pound sausage-shaped frame, certainly is! I therefore decided I'd surprise my mom with not one, but two house guests. I was flying West Jet so I gave them a call to find out the rules regarding flying with a pet in-cabin. Apparently, there's a limit as to how many dogs can be in-cabin on a flight (I believe it's two), so luckily Penny was granted boarding and we paid an additional $50 (each way) for the privilege. BTW, dogs need to be able to fit in an appropriately sized pet-travelling case that allows them the ability to turn around. The case also needs to be able to fit under the seat in front of you where the dog must be stowed until you're ready to disembark, with all openings entirely zipped up. Going through security was a little nerve-wracking as I had to juggle Penny in her case along with all my carry-on stuff until I was ready to place my handbag, computer, Penny's travel-bag and other carry-ons through the x-ray scanner.  I could then take Penny out of her bag whereupon I held Penny and walked through the metal detecting device. Once through we made our way down to our boarding gate where we received loads of smiles and "cute dog" compliments from fellow travelers.

Stopping at the Budget counter to get our vehicle, presents another photo opp...

The short flight took just 30 minutes or so and then there we were there! The fruit orchards were in full and fragrant bloom while the vivid blue sky contrasting with the green grass and pinkish white apple blossoms were a feast for the eyes. Mom was delighted I had brought Penny (saying multiple times that she was such a well-behaved, calm dog which of course pleased me beyond reason) and Penny enjoyed the numerous country walks we took together. I'm sure the highlight of the trip for her (next to seeing my mom and be allowed to snuggle with her on her bed), was a walk we took that passed by a hillside populated by at least a hundred marmots. They'd run to their burrows when they saw us coming, making funny squeaking sounds as they'd plunge down into their tunnels, but would then cautiously poke their heads out again to see where we were at. Penny was running from one burrow to the next, but always just missed an encounter. It was hilarious to watch, but if allowed, I'm sure she would have drawn upon her instinctual hunting skills to root one out; it is after all what these types of dogs were bred for.

 

Here's one curious little fellow who couldn't stay hidden for long...

 

Penny enjoying the sun while I plant Mom's patio pots...

 

Penny and I each had a delightful weekend get-away filled with all our favourite things!!

 

Penny's Portrait

May 13, 2011

A Portrait of Penny

Last week I received an unexpected parcel which, upon opening, contained, much to my delight, a portrait of my wirehaired Dachshund, Penny.  The note accompanying it said that the artist happened upon an “adorable” photo of my new dog and since she was between commissions decided to do her portrait, knowing that I would appreciate it. Boy, did she get that right! In my opinion, there’s no better present, nor better way to memorialize your pet than a commissioned portrait. And for every taste, no matter how diverse the artistic style, there’s sure to be an artist out there who can paint, sketch, collage or photograph your pup according to your vision.  If, like me, you admire Eileen Zegar’s style of portraiture, be sure to check out her website. This particular portrait is done in pastel, but she also provides other mediums as well (the one of Penny is done in pastel). Pricing depends upon the size of the portrait, the medium you choose and whether you opt for framing. To view other portrait artists visit Modern Dog’s portraiture page.

Thanks to Eileen Zegar of DogARTLA.com for this beautiful portrait of Penny:

 

And here is the photo that Eileen used as her inspiration:

 

 

Nikon's Coolpix P300

May 10, 2011

My experience with photography began at eight years of age when I received my very first camera, a shiny black Kodak "Brownie Bulletin", as a birthday gift. That camera was my constant side-kick on a family camping trip where I used it to catalogue my summer fun with numerous poorly composed, and often times hilarious photographs of my parents and siblings. Sadly, the camera lasted only for that brief summer vacation as I mistakenly left it on the dashboard of the car where the magnified heat of the sun melted the plastic case making the camera inoperable. The tears that I shed over my ruined camera are long forgotten; however, the photos, and the memories they evoke, remain. I have them all pasted into a dog-eared album (even the blurry ones or those where the heads are cut off) and to this day I still enjoy flipping through them, reminiscing about childhood escapades and a simpler and slower paced time of my life.

Fast forward to present time and cameras (not to mention lifestyle), have changed considerably.  The technology enabling digital images gives even a fledgling photographer the opportunity to experiment with settings and lighting prior to printing them (thereby saving time and money), plus the fun of other features such as video.

Over the past ten years I've purchased numerous digital cameras with models from Kodak, Sony, Olympus and Nikon, all of them varying in price and features. My camera purchases were brought about not by the urge to have the latest technological camera gadgetry, but rather by necessity, as I seem to have the innate ability to either lose or break my cameras (perhaps my Brownie Bulletin debacle was foreshadowing this curse?). To add insult to injury, my latest camera acquisition, a Nikon S8100 , barely 6 months old, seems to sporadically malfunction, which is totally frustrating, especially when  trying to capture that elusive, over-the-top-cute dog shot, or wrap-party action shot. Rather than swear at it, I should simply bring it in for servicing, but you know what it's like, it's hard to find the time. 

So, when Nikon's PR people contacted me to see if I'd be interested in trying out Nikon's new Coolpix P300 camera, I thought it would be a great opportunity to compare it with my recently purchased Nikon.  In a nutshell, I wish I had waited on my previous camera purchase, opting instead for the Coolpix P300. I LOVE it! (only wish I could keep this tester). Besides being incredibly user friendly, it's hard not to take a good photo with this camera. Plus, for those who have mastered photography and enjoy the versatility of manual settings, this camera has that capability. It's light-weight (fits in a pocket... a very important feature if you want to have your camera action-ready at the dog beach), and you can take great low-light photos without using the flash. It's also got a wide-angle zoom lens. Trying out this camera has convinced me to stay with Nikon and also to finally get my current camera in for servicing.

For more info on the Nikon P300, click here.

Here are some examples of different shots and lighting conditions that I captured with the Nikon P300:

Dog's are often difficult to photograph as they don't sit still for long. I really like this one... a photo of Faith the famous two-legged dog, taking a much-needed rest on the shoulders of her human.

Here's one I took while taking an evening stroll down to the Kitsilano dog beach to watch the sun set.

Penny's sweet face is bathed in the warmth of the setting sun. 

At Universal Studios in Orlando the Nikon P300 saw lots of action. Here I captured the magical mystery of Hogworts, at Harry Potter's World. 

Do you remember the talk about the Super Moon, March 19th? I stole outside around 11pm that night to snap this photo. Without the use of flash I was still able to capture the surreal glow of the moon on the evening sky without too much blur.

We even tested the camera by taking some of the style shots you'll see in our summer '11 issue.  

 

 

Ask Your Politician If Animals Matter To Them

April 21, 2011

On May 2nd, Canadians hit the polls to vote for their new leader. As local candidates pay homage to the voters in their ridings, feverishly stepping up their campaigns to garner support, now is the time we should be asking them where they stand on issues that are important to us. If you're a Canadian voter, and one of the 9 out of 10 Canadians (95%) who agree that animal pain and suffering should be reduced as much as possible, then you can help effect positive change in Canada's animal protection laws by letting your candidates know that animals matter to you. The Canadian chapter of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WPSA), has made it super-easy to send a letter to your candidates asking where they stand on animal issues. Click here to find out more.

 

Neo the Birthday Boy

April 15, 2011

Birthdays come but once a year, so they're important to commemorate, especially if there's cake (and dogs) involved! Omar, Neo's daddy, pictured below,  whipped up a delicious homemade cake ( from a Modern Dog cake recipe), and brought it into the office for all the dogs to enjoy. The dogs dressed up and we had candles and birthdays songs,  too! It was fun!

Here's Neo, King of the Cake!

Getting everyone ready for the Happy Birthday chorus presents some difficulties...

Penny, looking comical in her floral hat, doesn't wait for further invitation to do some sampling...

 

 

Global Pet Expo 2011

March 23, 2011

Last week I travelled to Orlando, Florida to attend Global Pet Expo. It was wonderful to trade the grey skies and cool temperatures of my hometown, Vancouver, for the 27 degree, balmy warmth of Florida (no wonder so many choose to winter in this tropical paradise!). Although the purpose of my trip was business (my colleague Sara, and I were there to scoop the latest and greatest the pet industry has to offer), we still found ourselves with enough time prior to the show to have some fun at Universal Studios Theme Park. Although we only had enough time to visit the worlds of Jurassic Park and Harry Potter, (Sara is a serious Jurassic Park fan), it was well worth the money to have four hours in these fantastically well-done escapes from reality (photos below).

Global Pet Expo (GPE) ran for three days. Many would think that one or two days would be more than enough time to see everything. Not so! Although we were there at opening time each day and didn't leave until closing, there was so much to see and with a show-floor seemingly football-fields long, we were hard pressed to get to all the booths we had planned to visit. Apparently, this year's show was the largest (most exhibitors ever) as well as the best attended. Many pet industry manufacturers wait for this show to unveil their latest creations, so it's always fun to be among the first to see what's new. Many of our "finds" will be showcased in our upcoming summer issue, so stay tuned! An added benefit of attending shows such as GPE is that is gives us an opportunity to connect with many of our affiliates and advertisers with whom we would otherwise  seldom get a chance to meet in person.

Of note: Victoria Stillwell, our Spring 2010 cover girl, was honoured with GPE's Excellence in Journalism Award at a press conference held Thursday night.  I was also delighted to meet Cesar Milan in the pressroom and had to smile when I caught him browsing through a copy of Modern Dog's new Spring issue!

Here are some photos of our trip that I thought you might enjoy...

Cesar Millan in GPE's press room, relaxing while enjoying a copy of Modern Dog's new spring issue:

Here's the GPE gang with guests Victoria Stilwell and spokeman from Purina (thanks to Purina whom sponsored the press event)

Here's Jude Stringfellow with Faith, her two-legged wonder-dog: 

Robin Meyer NYC's booth

Unleashed Life's booth:

Booster Bath's booth:

The Pet Lifestyle And You (P.L.A.Y) booth:

 

Every business trip needs to be balanced with a little bit of fun.  Sara and I head off to Universal's theme parks:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter:


Modern Dog magazine sponsors Genesis Awards

March 6, 2011

Each year the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) holds its annual Genesis Awards so that it can shine a spotlight on those in the news and entertainment media whose works and actions have increased public awareness of animal protection issues. It is with great pleasure that I can say that Modern Dog is a proud sponsor of this important event. March 19th, 2011, marks the 25th Anniversary of the Genesis Awards and the  gala ceremony will be held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, CA, to celebrate the progress that has been made on behalf of all animals. For more information, or to get your tickets for the event, please visit: www.humanesociety.org/genesis.

Following are the categories that have been nominated for an award, the winner of each category will be named at the gala:

25th Anniversary Genesis Awards Nominations


FEATURE FILM
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON - DreamWorks Animation

"How To Train Your Dragon" is nominated in the Feature Film category. Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC™ & © 2011 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved. THE SWITCH - Miramax Films

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM - NightFly Entertainment
OCEANS - Disneynature / Pathe Films

SID CAESAR COMEDY AWARD
THE COLBERT REPORT zoos, bullfighting - Comedy Central
THE DAILY SHOW  Big Red Dogs - Comedy Central
THE SIMPSONS  The Squirt and the Whale - FOX
"The Simpsons" is nominated in the Sid Caesar Comedy Award category. The Simpsons ™ and © TCFFC. All rights reserved.


DRAMATIC SERIES
LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT Inhumane Society - USA Network
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT Beef  - NBC
TRUE BLOOD Hitting the Ground  - HBO

"True Blood" is nominated in the Dramatic Series category. HBO

TV NEWSMAGAZINE
ANDERSON COOPER 360 How Safe is Your Food? - CNN
INSIDE EDITION  Horse Slaughter  - Syndicated  
ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHEL multiple issues - HLN
NIGHTLINE Got Milk?  - ABC

NEWS FEATURE
CNN NEWS Rescuing the Pelicans
KABC 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS (Los Angeles) Bunny Cruelty
KHOU-TV (Houston) The Dog Factory: Dying to Breed; The Gulf Oil Spill: BP's Voiceless Victims
KTLA NEWS AT 10 (Los Angeles) Puppy Mills Exclusive Investigation; Dogfighting Investigation; Hatchery Hell - Investigative Report

NEWS SERIES
KHOU-TV (Houston) Cal-Maine Eggs: The Incredible Inedible Lie
KTNV (Channel 13, Las Vegas) Look Puppies!
WOIO TV 19 ACTION NEWS (Cleveland) Ohio Dairy Farm Animal Abuse

MORNING NEWS SHOW
CBS NEWS SUNDAY MORNING Going, Going, Gone / All Aflutter
THE EARLY SHOW Saving the Sharks - CBS
TODAY Abused Thoroughbreds - NBC

TALK SHOW
DR. PHIL Confronting Animal Abuse - Syndicated
LARRY KING LIVE SeaWorld Trainer Death - CNN
THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW all-animal show - Syndicated

TV DOCUMENTARY
FATAL ATTRACTIONS Big Cats - Animal Planet   
MY CHILD IS A MONKEY  - National Geographic Channel

REALITY SERIES
BLOOD DOLPHINS - Animal Planet
IT'S ME OR THE DOG Bully Breeds - Animal Planet
LAST CHANCE HIGHWAY The Great Escape - Animal Planet

BRIGITTE BARDOT INTERNATIONAL
60 MINUTES AUSTRALIA Natural Born Killers - Nine Network Australia
CARTE BLANCHE Monkey Town - M-Net South Africa

OUTSTANDING WRITTEN WORD
MAGAZINE
CONDE NAST TRAVELER On The Firing Line  by Susan Hack
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE The Kingpin by Bryan Christy
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome by Charles Siebert
TIME Inside the Minds of Animals by Jeffrey Kluger

SERIES OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
ISTHMUS (Wisconsin) animal research by Bill Lueders
LOS ANGELES TIMES rhino poaching by Robyn Dixon

COLUMNIST
THE ATLANTIC Consider the Turkey by James McWilliams
LOS ANGELES TIMES Where Captives Put on a Show by Steve Lopez

BRIGITTE BARDOT INTERNATIONAL PRINT
DAILY EXPRESS (UK) multiple articles by Bonnie Estridge
DAILY MAIL (UK) multiple articles by Danny Penman
THE SUNDAY TIMES (UK) investigative series by Jonathan Calvert, Claire Newell, Solvej Krause and Cecile Schoon
THE SUNDAY TIMES (UK) multiple articles by Daniel Foggo

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE AWARD
ADVENTIST REVIEW   What are we Really Doing to God's Creatures? by Sandra Blackmer
CHRISTIANITY TODAY  A Feast Fit for the King by Leslie Leyland Fields

THE WYLER AWARD RECIPIENT
KRISTIN DAVIS

"Sex and the City" star Kristin Davis will be honored on March 19, 2011. Robert Carr-Hartley

The 25th Anniversary Genesis Awards is sponsored in part by Market Development Group, Inc., Prai Beauty Group, Tenet, One Car One Difference, Euro RSCG Edge, Honda, Imax, Warner Bros and Modern Dog magazine.

 

Kaya in the Daisies

March 9, 2011

My dog Kaya lived to the ripe old age of 16 years. As many of you may already know, she was the muse and mascot of Modern Dog magazine. Throughout our life together, she provided me with countless examples of (crazy) situations we dog parents face and was an almost limitless supply of anecdotes. Kaya's barking, separation anxiety, and stubborn streak almost got the best of me at times, trying my patience to the utmost. To say she was a difficult dog would be an understatement, but perhaps the extra effort I needed to put into our relationship bonded me to that dog in such a way that it nearly tore me apart to say my final farewell. She was an odd dog in so many ways. The craziest things would make her anxious, like getting her picture taken; harmless, you would think, but, nevertheless, it freaked her out. Even though I didn't use the camera's flash when photographing her, I'm guessing she associated picture-taking with lightening, of which she was so terrified that she'd literally tear apart a doorframe trying to get down into the basement in search of a dark, den-like space away from the storm. Needless to say, with such a camera-shy dog, I don't have many well-composed photos of Kaya. (I do, however, have many iin which she's standing at a distance barking at me, or else others where she's got her ears back, all wild-eyed with teeth chattering.) However, about four months prior to her passing while we were out for a walk together, she willingly allowed me to photograph her. It was a magnificent late summer day, the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was warm and shining when we came upon an amazing patch of green, lush grass with hundreds of small, white daisies blooming throughout it. It was magical and I could visualize how beautiful Kaya would look lying on the grass amidst the daisies. Unbelievably, she let me stage the photograph by first of all letting me lie her down (keep in mind that she didn't like to be forced to do anything... not sitting, staying or being confined in any way), so when she agreed to lay down and have her photograph taken, I couldn't believe my good luck. I thought the sound of the Velcro cover of the camera case pulling open would ruin it all, but my luck stayed with me: Kaya remained calm and relaxed and I got a prize photo of my beautiful, old dog in an incredibly idyllic setting.  Now, a year and half later, as I was going through some of my photos I happened upon that one of Kaya. I decided to contact my friend, the talented artist Lisa Graziotto. Lisa thought the composition would work well for a painting and agreed to do the commission. Backlogged with other commissions at the time, it took a while for her to get to it, so when the package with the painting finally arrived, I couldn't get the wrappings off fast enough. Before pulling away the final covering I stopped for a second, overwhelmed with emotion. After a moment's pause, off came the final wrapping and there before me was a breath-taking commemoration of my dog  and that lovely summer afternoon we spent together. I will treasure this painting forever. Thank you, Lisa, for providing me with such an amazing  keepsake of my Kaya.

Above is the painting of Kaya done by Lisa Graziotto and below is photo I took that the painting was based on. 

For those of you thinking of commissioning a portrait of your dog, do it. You can't image how much pleasure it will bring you. 

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