Wow, some people have a lot of time on their hands. But I guess Paws ‘n Claws will give a shout out to Parker for winning Wozog.com’s Cat Idol competition.

Of course, I guess I have to admit here that I did once enter Joey into a Supermodel of the Month contest. And I coerced my friends and family to vote for him several times a day. And, um… he won.

But that’s totally different. I mean, like, not even close to the same thing. At all.  Yup.

Hot pink is so last week. Mr. Joseph is now sporting a green cast with a pawprint design, sure to be a hit on all the runways this spring.

After a consultation this weekend Joey is now believe to have ripped, but not completely severed, his tendon. So it’s a hard cast and crate rest until there’s some (keep your fingers crossed) healing. Any no-surgery-vibes would be appreciated.

And a huge thank you to Dr. Diane Tortorice and the Valley Cottage Animal Hospital for taking such good care of him.

Due to all the snow and ice, Animal Medical of New City has postponed its pet dental clinic, originally scheduled for tomorrow from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.,  until March 8.

The clinic, to be held at 22 New Hempstead Road in New City,  is aimed at educating pet owners about the importance of properly caring for their animals’ teeth and gums. The clinic will include demonstrations and complimentary dental exams.

For more information, call 845-638-3600. 

It’s never good when you return home from work to find your dog’s leg swollen to twice its normal size. Several hours later this is what I brought home from the emergency vet:

Oh yes folks—that’s a hot pink cast on my boy. Apparently, according to the vet’s receptionist, the doctor thinks it’s really funny to put boy dogs in pink casts. Joey says it’s not pink—it’s salmon.

 Anyway, $374 later, the diagnosis is still iffy, but it looks likely that Joe may have severed or severely damaged his tendon near the hock. Ouch. And I haven’t a clue as to how he did that.

Now the poor boy is not only grappling with the pain, he’s trying to figure out how to manage tasks like laying down, eating and going to the bathroom with a cast that’s the size of my forearm.

 So we’re already expected at my regular veterinary hospital tomorrow morning for another set of X-rays (cha-ching!) and if the diagnosis is confirmed, he’ll need surgery (Hello foreclosure!!)

Yes, this will be a very expensive weekend, but look at that face! And please—keep your fingers crossed for a cast color change.

A friend sent me this site depicting little dogs modeling outfits based on past Academy Award fashions. Yikes.

There’s a re-production of Nicole Kidman’s 2007 dress with the giant bow and Reese Witherspoon’s va-va-voom purple frock. There’s even a recreation of Leonardo DiCaprio’s suit!

I gotta tell you guys—one of my worst fears is a house fire. But I’m not setting one foot out the door of my house during a fire unless my two dogs are already out.

So I give a big kudos to the Memphis firefighters who saved the lives of  two unconscious dogs during a fire this week.

The end of the story mentioned that the fire department didn’t have specialized animal oxygen masks. It’s something that’s becoming more common, including in Yonkers which just got them.

It’s devastating enough for anyone’s home to burn down. But for me, losing my dogs in that fire would be almost unbearable.

Just a reminder to you pet owners out there: get stickers for your front and back windows and doors to let firefighters and emergency workers know you have pets. That way, they aren’t surprised when they enter your house and your animals have a better shot at making it out alive.

Today is National Love Your Pet Day. I’m known among most of my friend as “the crazy dog lady.” To my other friends who have dogs I’m simply “normal.”

So, how much do I love my dogs?

• They eat breakfast and dinner before I do

• They pee before I do in the morning

• When I hurt my elbow the other day, I didn’t go to the doctor because I wanted to use my money on Molly’s annual check-up vs. my co-pay.

• My dogs have more winter coats •han I do

• I bought a house 45 minutes away from work primarily for the backyard that I fenced in for the two little monsters

• I bought my new car with their comfort in mind

But there are other, more important ways to love your animals. A big thanks to the Rockland County Department of Health who put out a fabulous list of ways to love your pets.

Here goes (courtesy of those fine folks at the health department.)

• Make sure your pet’s license is up to date.
• Microchip your dogs and cats or put identification tags on them so they can be returned to you if they are lost.
• Take your pets with you if you have to evacuate your home in an emergency. The County Animal Response Team of Rockland (CARToR) has prepared information cards to help you make plans for your pet in an emergency. These “Leave No Animal Behind� cards are available at pet stores and vet offices. You can also get the cards by calling 845-364-2594 or to join CARToR, call 845-364-2274.
• Keep your animal’s vaccinations up-to-date. The RCDOH offers free rabies vaccinations for healthy dogs, cats and ferrets older than three months. The next rabies vaccination clinic will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, April 13th, at the Fire Training Center in Pomona. For more information call 845-364-2656.
• If you smoke, quit. Numerous studies indicate that second-hand smoke is harmful to your pets and may contribute to heart and lung disease as well as cancer in dogs and cats. For help in quitting or for more information call the RCDOH at 845-364-2651.
• Spay or neuter your pets – millions of beautiful, loving animals are killed needlessly every year because there aren’t enough homes for them.
• Keep cats indoors at all times; it’s safer and healthier, and they will live longer.
• Never leave your dogs outside in the cold weather.
• Make sure your pet has fresh, clean water throughout the day.
• Love your pets every day and they will give the same to you.

(Photo: Joey gives me his best “come hither” look.) 

I found a couple of great articles on the online magazine Slate regarding poodle grooming and rare breeds, two subjects that often come up around the time of the Westminster show.

The poodle article is a few years old, but still relevant.

And the other, posted on Monday, explains how new breeds are admitted to Westminster.

I have the admit that I found the latter to be extremely interesting in terms of the club infighting that often takes place in the lead-up to a breed being recognized.

While my own breed of choice—the Italian Greyhound—has been recognized for years, its fanciers are very sensitive to any publicity. IGs are often found in pet stores, subsequently bought and dumped when their new owners realize how demanding they are. Consequently, there are hundreds of IGs in need of new homes every year, which is pretty sad when you consider most people I meet have never heard of the breed.

There was an Italian Greyhound featured in the movie “Good Boy!”  back in 2003 and there was quite a bit of uproar that the movie was do for IGs what “101 Dalmatians” did for that breed, which can also be difficult to handle.

Luckily, “Good Boy!” was about a dog who splashes down from outer space so it’s not like this appealed to the masses (though I do own a copy.)

A major congrats to Uno, the first beagle ever to win best in show at Westminster!

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

While I gnashed my teeth at the notion that TWO poodles (one toy, one standard) made it into the final judging, it was clear the judge made the best choice.

And Uno was obviously a fan and judge favorite from the beginning. Even before the hound group was judged, there were articles popping up in the national media about how he was a good representation of the very popular breed, but probably didn’t have a shot simply because no beagle had ever one the top title for the Westmister Kennel Club.

The best part of his win? All the roo-rooing he did to celebrate!

So the standard poddle won the non-sporting group last night at the Westminster Dog Show.. Yaaaawwnnn…

But the country’s most prestigous dog show did turn out some surprises including the naming of Uno, a 15-inch beagle, as best in group among the hounds. While I always root for sighthounds (which includes greyhounds, Afghan hounds and whippets) the beagle hasn’t won a best in group title since 1939.

Also making it to the finals last night was a Sealyham terrier and an Australian shephard.

There were a couple of other notable dogs in the ring yesterday, including the niece of Vivi, the champion whippet that disappeared from the JFK airport two years ago after competing at Westminster, and Diva, the French bulldog owned by publishing heiress and former revolutionary Patty Hearst.

And while the Ibizan hound Ch. Serandida’s Spirit Of Luxor wasn’t notable in a national headline kind of way, he was in our family. My mom’s beezer (insider slang for Ibizan hound) Blaze came from the same breeder.

Judges tonight will select winners in the sporting, working and toy groups before choosing the best in show.

Here’s hoping the Italian greyhounds finally get some love in the toy group and that we see something other than a toy poodle or a pekingese get named best of group.