The Muttropolis Blog

An Inspiring Video From Pup Protector, One Of Our Newest Brands!

Check out this video to learn more about the Pup Protector brand and their innovative and fashionably safe collars and leashes. Pup Protector was created with a mission to protect pups and their owners from danger.

Top 10 Most Awesome Dogs of 2011

The year 2011 was absolutely brimming with historic, hilarious and downright heart-warming moments of doggie awesomeness! Stories of heroic hounds, comedic canines and doggie Dilbert's certifiably made life so much richer this year and we've selected some of our favorite four-legged stand-outs of 2011.

It was not easy, sifting through the incredible, insane, inane and sometimes hair-brained dog stories of 2011, but for you, dear readers, we will stop at nothing to keep you on the cusp of mutt's hot and mutt's not.

Our Top 10 Most Awesome Dogs of 2011

1) Loyal Dog, Hawkeye, Lays at the Casket of Fallen Navy Seal: A beautiful tribute and demonstration of a dogs loyal and unconditional love. Reportedly this story alone is responsible for a 32.36% increase in Kleenex's stock price in 2011. : )  Full story here >

 

2) The Amazing Commando Dog That Helped Snare Osama Bin Laden: This special four-legged soldier was a heavily-armored, explosive-sniffing pooch who was strapped to an assault team member and lowered into Bin Laden's hideout from a Black Hawk helicopter! To ensure their safety, these special four-legged forces are given oxygen masks for helicopter jumps as well as helmets with videocameras for remote monitoring. Read story here>

 

3) Eco-minded French Bulldog Saves Water with Inventive Pup Pre-wash Cycle. Read story here >

 

4) Dog Saves New Family Only Six Hours After Being Adopted: Gentle giant Hercules proved his worth as a loyal canine companion only six hours after being rescued from an animal shelter by chasing after an intruder who was attempting to break into his new adoptive family's house. Read the whole story here >

 

5) Static Cling Dog Channels a White Porcupine: Combine super dry air, a fluffy white dog, a synthetic fiber blanket and a monotone voice-over narrator and you've got a nugget of YouTube gold. See for yourself in the video below and read the full story here >

 

6) Uber Happy Dog Plays Hide-n-Seek with Bouncy Sheep: The most adoro interspecies love affair between a bouncing, fluffy sheep and one scrappy happy dog. Dingleberries and all, watch what a good ole time this sheep is having clomp-a-clomping around the barnyard with a dog that seems to have decided "...to hell with the whole herding thing."  Read the full story here >

 

 

7) Greece's Riot Dog: Allegedly present at nearly every importantGrecian riot since in 2008, and even braving police with teargas, it is unknown what this tenacious yellow dog, Loukanikos, was protesing, but he is deserving of a nod for getting up out of his tent and getting into the action. Read the full story here>

8) I Lean: Seeing-Eye Goose Befriends Blind Dog. This heart-warming animal odd couple shows that love really is blind! A blind boxer named Baks got a whole new lease on life this year thanks to a good samaritan goose named Buttons who leads  vision-impaired Baks around everywhere either by hanging onto him with her neck, or by honking to tell him which way to go. Read the full story here >

 

9) Tenacity Defined - Brave Terrier With Knife Stuck Squarely in Head Chases Robbers. Bella, a brave terrier mix,  happily chased robbers down her street earlier this year despite the ginormous Ginzu protruding from her forehead ! She survived the ordeal with flying colors and gets extra kick-ass doggy awesomeness points for her selfless heroicism! Read the full story here>

10) Determined Pit Pup Harper, Rescued from Trash Bag, Learns to Walk. Severely deformed, yet darling pitbull pup Harper was abandoned to die in a trash bag, but angelic shelter workers rescued her and provided her with proper therapy and now she has a new leash on life! Today, Harper is a frisky, happy pup who is gaining more and more mobility each day, to the astonishment of onlookers and medical professionals. Read the full story here >

 

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What Is Your Pet Thankful For This Thanksgiving?

by Janet McCulley, Muttropolis Co-founder 

With Thanksgiving just hours away, it's important to step away from the stove, put down the gravy ladle and remember that the Thanksgiving holiday is really about expressing gratitude for the blessings and goodness in our lives  … in addition to consuming mass amounts of food and slipping into a food coma by 5pm.

In addition to reflecting upon the goodness in our own lives that we are thankful for, we thought that it might be fun to think about what our pets might be thankful for this Thanksgiving season!

20 Things My Dogs are Thankful for This Thanksgiving

To find out what my dogs Lulu, Zazou & Kiki ( pictured below) might be thankful for this season, we *snuck a peek* in their gratitude journals this week and here’s what we discovered they are thankful for...any of this look familiar?

From the Gratitude Journal of Zazou, Lulu & Kiki - "Wot we r tankful four dis howliday seeson."

1) A warm cozy dog bed to curl up into every night

2) Morning cuddle time when everyone first gets up in the am

3) The joys found within the dirty clothes basket

4) Tasty, healthy dog food that doesn’t taste like cardboard

5) That the scary, loud purple machine that mom pushes around the carpet is kept in the closet most of the time

6) Petfinder – for bringing us together

7) Dirty dishes for us to prewash in the dishwasher

8) For the tall fence that separates us from the big scary dog next door

9) That we successfully scare away the hot air balloons that hover over our house by merely barking at them

10) For the many porcelain petting stations in the house.

11) Dogswell Vitality Treats - particularly Happy Hips Chicken

12) Houseguests that leave their purses on the floor, preferably unzipped

13) The Sirius 'Coffeehouse Music' channel for when mom and dad are not home

14) When the internet connection goes down …because then our people have to get up and play with us

15) Soiled dinner napkins accidentally left on the floor

16) When our people finally get off the phone or when their phone battery dies...which means they will pay more attention to us

17) Car rides (to anywhere but the vet)

18) The mysterious delicacy that is cat poop

19) Warm clothes straight out of the dryer

20) That dad inadvertently drops a lot of noms on the floor when preparing food in the kitchen

 

Do any of these sound familiar?  If your pet had a gratitude journal, what might it say? Share your comments below or on our Muttropolis Facebook Page!

Loyal Dog Mourns, Lays at Casket of Fallen Navy Seal

The dog of slain Petty Officer Jon Tumilson refused to leave his side during the Navy SEAL’s funeral earlier this week in Rockford, Iowa. The heartbreaking photo taken by his cousin, Lisa Pembleton, shows Tumilson’s dog Hawkeye lying by the casket.

Navy SEAL U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson was among the 30 American troops killed August 6 when Taliban insurgents downed their Chinook helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade. At his funeral in Iowa, his dog Hawkeye paid his last respects by walking up to the casket, laying down in front of it, and heaving a sigh.

[Canine Comrades: Read about a loyal dog who wouldn't leave his injured friend behind] 

Pembleton wrote on Facebook that Hawkeye was Tumilson’s loyal pet who wouldn't leave his master’s side during the funeral in Rockford, Iowa.

“I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members that couldn't make it or couldn't see what I could from the aisle,” Pembleton wrote.

[Read about another loyal dog who remains faithful to dead owner & waits by the road everyday for him to come home]

Tumilson's family and/or friends also posted this looping, time lapsed video of Hawkeye at the service...commencing application of kleenex tissues now......

Thanks to our friend Maria Goodavage at Dogster for sharing this with us.

Source: Janet McCulley, Muttropolis Co-founder & AnimalPlanet.com 

 

[VIDEO] Owl + Pussycat Are True BFF's

Hoot Love: Animal Odd Couple Fum & Gebra Really Do Dance By The Light of the Moon

Have you seen the amazing friendship between this animal odd couple? Hailing from Tarragona Spain, Fum (a black cat) and Gebra (a barn owl) have been together since they were one year old. According to their handler, they truly like each other and enjoy hanging out until they are bored of each other - just like normal couples.

Watch this amazing video where Fum (which means Smoke in Catalan) and Gebra (which means Frost) play together in a field and interact like old pals. I must say that I was a bit of a skeptic about the legitimacy of this video, but my research seems to indicate that they are legitimately buddies!

What do you think? Watch the video below and weigh in >

Click here for another Animal Odd Couple>: Lean on Me: Blind Boxer Befriends Seeing Eye Goose

-Janet McCulley

Lean on Me: Seeing-Eye-Goose Adopts Blind Dog

Take a gander at this animal odd couple!

A blind Boxer named Baks has gotten a whole new lease on life thanks to a good samaritan goose named Buttons. Yes, you read that right. This is not a joke. 

Baks has been adopted and taken under the 'wing' of Buttons, a four-year-old goose who now leads her vision-impaired pal around everywhere either by hanging onto him with her neck, or by honking to tell him which way to go. How hilarious is that?!

Owner Renata Kursa of Lublin, Poland, was heartbroken when poor lil' Bak was left blind after an accident last year. But gradually Buttons got him up on his feet and starting walking him around. They're inseparable now - they even chase the postman together,' Kursa tells the Telegraph UK. 

Go Buttons! What's good for the goose is also apparently good for...the...boxer.

-Janet McCulley

 

I Lean: Seeing-Eye-Goose Befriends Blind Dog

Take a gander at this animal odd couple!

A blind Boxer named Baks has gotten a whole new lease on life thanks to a good samaritan goose named Buttons. Yes, you read that right. This is not a joke. 

Baks has been taken under the 'wing' of Buttons, a four-year-old goose who now leads her vision-impaired pal around everywhere either by hanging onto him with her neck, or by honking to tell him which way to go. How hilarious is that?!

Owner Renata Kursa of Lublin, Poland, was heartbroken when poor lil' Bak was left blind after an accident last year. But gradually Buttons got him up on his feet and starting walking him around. They're inseparable now - they even chase the postman together,' Kursa tells the Telegraph UK. 

Go Buttons! What's good for the goose is also apparently good for...the...boxer.

-Janet McCulley

 

Meet Chaser - The Smartest Dog in the World

Think your dog is the smartest pup on the block? Think again!

The new reigning smarty-pants pooch, Chaser, a border collie, possesses the largest human vocabulary of any dog! Chaser, who is a female dog - naturally -  can recognize the names of more than 1,022 objects. According to a report by the New Scientist, Chaser can categorize the various objects based on function and shape as well as understand the basic concepts behind nouns and verbs! Impressive!

The last record holder, another border collie named Rico, knew 200 human words - still impressive, but Chaser's vocabulary is off the charts, putting her on intellectual par with three-year-old human children (and..um... some adult males we know ;).

As part of a three year training course at Wofford College, taught by psychologists Alliston Reid and John Pilley. Chaser was introduced to the names of 1,022 toys. Over the three years, Reid and Pilley taught the collie the names of 1022 toys by introducing them to her one by one, getting her to fetch the toy and then repeating the name to reinforce the association. They say there's no limit to what the dog can learn! Watch the video below and watch the amazing Chaser in action! (via Discovery News).

 

 

 

Srsly?! Have You Seen This Crazy Cat Car?

Crazy Cat Car Freaks Out Drivers Across America

This redonkulous car was spotted around San Diego in the recent weeks - what on earth do you think this person is trying to communicate? 

1) Cats Across America?

2) Do not tailgate if you have allergies?

3) The window tinting shop was out of stock on the standard black window tint?

4) Cats are my co-pilot?

5) Fueled By Our Feline Founding Fathers?

Regardless of their intention, this driver is definitely freaking some people out with this floating cat head situation. What do you think this driver is trying to communicate?

Thanks to Matt Stopera for finding this gem!

Mark Zuckerberg's New Dog Resembles Ginormous Dust Mop

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed his softer side this week as he introduced his new pup, Beast, to the world. A redonkulously adorbs, (and quite rare) fluffy white Hungarian Puli, Beast already has his own Facebook Page, (shocker!) featuring pictures of the Facebook CEO and founder and his girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, holding and playing with the darling pup.

As of this writing, Beast is already up to  about 16,500 “likes," with Zuckerberg and Chan listed as the Page owners.

What is a Puli? 

Described as a mop on springs, the Puli is full of bouncing energy. Busy and curious, these super smart dogs are known to be also headstrong and tough and sometimes aggressive toward other dogs. Alert and watchful, it is also protective of its family, with a hankering for boisterous barking. Like many dogs, the Puli is an energetic breed on the lookout for a job, preferably something to herd.

A Puli: Great For Picking Up Dust Bunnies Around the House

According to Animal Planet's Dogs 101, the Puli's  nonshedding coat can be brushed or corded; if brushed, it needs brushing every one to two days. If corded, the cords must be regularly separated because the coat tends to hold dirt; bathing is time consuming and drying takes as much as one day. Pets can be clipped, but then part of the breed's unique appeal is lost....and he'll look more like a swiffer than a wet mop. Learn more about the Puli dog breed here>

Reprint courtesy of The Daily Treat at AnimalPlanet.com