Grab a dog. Sit. Stay. Have a listen of Devo's Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro. Fetch more dog song videos at Talking Dogs and be sure to scroll down to explore some barking good blogs in today's Pet Blogger Hop.
The 2011 Westminster Dog of The Year competition took place in Victoria Tower Gardens on October 13, 2011 in London, England. The annual competition was won by Conservative MP for Tiiverton and Honiton Neil Parish with his Labrador 'Wilberforce,' who was among the 15 Conservative MPs to enter versus only two Labour MP entrants. Politics may be a dog-eat-dog world, but for one day at least, the dogs were cute and cuddly. Above, Harriett Baldwin MP stands in sight of Parliament with her English Cream Dachshund 'Poppy' during the competition. Source.
Congrats to our favorite gal on Capitol Hill, 'Cali' for winning the Humane Society of the United States 'Barker of the House' Award. HSUS recently held a Congressional Pet Photo Contest, with over 200 entries. Excerpt from The Press Enterprise:
Rep. Ken Calvert , R-Corona, took to Twitter last week to announce his office's latest triumph. No, it wasn't passage of one of his bills or news of a deal struck with Democrats in the debt ceiling debate. "Cali my office dog won Humane Society's 'Barker of the House' Award!" he declared to his nearly 900 followers. "We are very proud!" Cali, a rambunctious Dachshund often seen tearing through Calvert's Washington office, took home the award as part of the Humane Society of the Unites States' Congressional Pet Photo Contest. The award was one of a handful given out in the "bipawtisan" contest, which drew 233 entries, according to the Humane Society.
Mr. Calvert said of his 'Cali': Why My Pet Should Win by a Landslide: Cali is widely-known by the Capitol Hill community; whether it is for her prowess at chasing the ball down the hallway or for her fearless jumping into the Rayburn fountain! She comes to work every day and loves greeting constituents, taking meetings with the Congressman or sleeping on a staffer's lap. She is the quintessential Capitol Hill Dog!
There were several other Dachshunds in the running including 'Brody,' seen here, whose human is Greg Schmidt, Education and the Workforce (Committee Staffer).
Why My Pet Should Win by a Landslide: Brody took Washington by storm four short years ago, and is tireless in his campaign to conquer the hearts of all Washingtonians. A friend to all (except maybe squirrels), Brody loves to take long walks and is never far from his favorite squeaky tennis ball. Weighing in at 15 pounds, he may be small, but what he lacks in stature, he makes up for with his extra large personality.
The Huffington Post suggests, among Hot Dog Salesman, Social Media Consultant, and Viagra Spokesperson, that he should consider taking up Dachshund Photography. Works for us.
And on the news that embattled Democratic New York Rep. Anthony Weiner will resign his seat in the House of Representatives - thanks to a good friend for sending this in. As he noted: "It had to happen."
If you'd like this on a t-shirt, contact sheri@wienertales.com with your color/style/size selection. Paypal payments accepted. Pre-orders are now being taken for our limited edition "Tweet Your Weiner Right" T-Shirt. Available in ladies or mens 100% heavyweight cotton shirts. You choose the color! $20 including shipping! All pre-orders will be shipped Tuesday the 21st of June and orders must be placed no later than Monday the 20th.
If you have five seconds to spare, head on over to BuzzFeed and read the entirety of Anthony Weiner's apology speech as presented by guilty looking Dachshunds. As they note: This is the most adorable way to read it.
There's no mistaking our bleeding-heart liberal ways, but our pal Representative Anthony D. Weiner (D - NY) could sure take some notes from our pal Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA) on how to post photos of your wiener on the net. There was no drama... - just smiles and contentment when Mr. Calvert recently posted the above photo on his facebook page of his beloved 'Cali,'' wearing her Lakers' pride for all to see.
Minutes after US President Barack Obama announced Osama Bin Laden’s death in a live TV broadcast, people from around the globe congregated on social networks like Twitter and Facebook to discuss and share the news. But people using social network Twitter had already heard of Bin Laden’s death. Keith Urbahn, a Twitter user who describes himself as "Chief of Staff, Office of Donald Rumsfeld, Navy Reserve intel officer and owner of two miniature dachshunds" in his Twitter bio, was reportedly the first to break the news using social networking site Twitter. "So I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn" read the now lionized tweet sent by@keithurbahn.
It's Wirehair Wednesday, and boy have we got a special treat today. It's not too common for a Dachshund to take Best in Show, and it's even less common for a President of the United States to present the trophy. But it happened 35 years ago, when President Gerald R. Ford presented the BIS trophy to Ch Spartan's Sloe Gin Fizz MW. Via the American Dachshund magazine, May, 1976:
A historical moment for the Dachshund fancy. At Northeastern Indiana Kennel Club's 52nd All-breed Dog Show, May 2, 1976 out of a total entry of 1533 dogs in Fort Wayne, Indiana. President Gerald Ford presented the Best in Show Trophy to Ch Spartan's Sloe Gin Fizz MW, Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund. Shown by Jerry Rigden for Christy Ann Gordon-Creed, Oldland Kennels in Camden, South Carolina. Left to right - Judge Edward W. Bracy; President Gerald Ford, Handler Jerry Rigden and Ch Spartan's Sloe Gin Fizz MW; Mr. George Bruning, President of Northeastern Indiana Kennel Club; Mr. C.J. Boudreaux, Show Chairman; and Mr. Leland W. Nitzsche.
Hopefully we're the last place on your list to find any sort of political news - are you tired of those ads yet? - but according to the Washington Examiner, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his wife Joyce attended the Jack Russell Terrier Races & Dachshund Dash in St. Michaels, Maryland yesterday:
On Sunday morning, Yeas & Nays spotted former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his wife Joyce at the Jack Russell Terrier Races & Dachshund Dash in St. Michaels, Md. Rumsfeld, who has two dogs of his own, told us he's lived in St. Michaels for three years and loves it there.
As of 2007, Mr. and Mrs. Rumsfeld's Wiener Dogs were 'Reggie' and 'Chester.' Hope they had a great time.
A couple of years ago -- pre-Cali -- Calvert decided that his schedule was too hectic for him to own a dog. His communications director, Rebecca Rudman, offered to take care of the dog if she could bring the dog to work every day. Rudman and Calvert picked out Cali on a Sunday, and she came to work Monday morning. Visitors can see faint outlines of Cali's messes on the carpet before she was housebroken -- or, House broken, in this case.
Cali has made herself at home on the Hill, swimming in the fountain outside the Rayburn House Office Building, snagging a treat from the Capitol Police every morning on her way in and playing with her best friend, the Chihuahua in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform office.
Make sure to check out The Washington Post to read the whole article, and see some really great photos of Cali diving in that fountain. Thanks so much to our good pal 'Molly' for sending in the link for this story!
We don't know about you, but if we had a dog named Cali we'd be singing our favorite LL Cool J song to her all the time. We doubt it's a big hit in Ken Calvert's home, but you never know.
Thanks so much to the ever-so-handsome Sheridan Avenue Boys for keeping us in stitches. Maybe they'll have a guest spot on an upcoming Private Practice.
