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Michael Phelps Shares More Pictures of Smooshy Herman!

PetSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:45:12 -0700

Guess who's stateside?! Gazillion medal winner (OK, exaggerating . . . eight) in Beijing Michael Phelps, who posted a new album of Herman on his Facebook page yesterday. I know we're not the only fans of his smooshy pooch, so I'm hoping he'll add more bulldog piccys soon - dare I say, frolicking around their brand-new home? In the meantime, I'll consider it unanimous and give Herman the gold medal in cute!

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Do Tell: What Words Make You Think of Puppies and Kittens?

PetSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:30:27 -0700

Although I caught the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday, other than that I didn't watch much of the events on TV. The one sport I did see was the balance beam finals. You may be wondering what this has to do with PetSugar (other than the fact that both Nastia and Shawn are doggie owners), but just bear with me here.
While I was watching this competition, I was struck by how differently the two girls performed and behaved at the event.

The lithe Nastia was very elegant while performing, and seemed composed and reserved on the sidelines. Shawn the dynamo, however, just looked so friendly and was bouncing around and happily chatting with her coach as the scores were tallied. So here I went with my 24/7 animal-crazed mind, and realized there were some words that I unconsciously associated with cats, and others that made me think of puppies.

Now, by no means am I intending to insult either girl (or the sport of gymnastics), but those words I used when describing Nastia totally reminded me of all the stereotypes of a cat, while those for Shawn made me think of a cute, lil puppy - am I totally off-base here? Are there any adjectives that you associate with puppies, and others that you would reserve for cats? Feel free to say I'm silly in your comments below!

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Netherlands Takes Gold in Equestrian Dressage Freestyle

PetSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:00:51 -0700

If you haven't been keeping up with the Olympics, you can check out all of the goodies here. But one of my favorite events (naturally) is Equestrian Dressage Freestyle. Anky van Grunsven, and her beautiful 14-year-old horse Salinero took home the gold in the event that was completed on Tuesday.

What is Dressage? It's a form of performance that shows the horse's athletic ability, grace, and form. Often described as a "Horse Ballet" it truly is a joy to watch. Horse and rider must perform tasks like trot, canter, half pass, and canter pirouettes (a full 360 degree turn) with minimal directional aids, and do it all choreographed to music. Sorta like So You Think You Can Dance, but with horses! I was able to TiVo the broadcast, and was totally taken by the beauty of the winning team. Congrats to the winners!

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Pet Pic of the Day: Synchronized Napping

PetSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:00:10 -0700

There's a new Olympic sport in town, and it's called Kitty Synchronized Napping! Bailey and Gracie have been practicing non-stop for this event, and it looks like they just might win gold. Way to go you two – all that hard work will finally pay off!

Congrats to Bailey, Gracie, and lawchick for being chosen as our Pet Pic of the Day! Don't forget to submit your photos to our Pet Pics group for a chance to see your furry pals on PetSugar.

Bird Loving: Bird's Nest Chair

PetSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:30:31 -0700

As if you couldn't tell, I'm a big fan of birds! I have a bunch of feeders stashed away in my closet to treat my local birds to treats whenever I can. Now of course you know that putting out certain foods will bring you a whole variety of visitors, which will give you a good opportunity to study up on different species, but my love for winged creatures doesn't stop at my window – it's making its way into my furniture!

Similar to China's amazing Birds Nest Stadium (and totally reminiscent of the eCrate I featured awhile back), this bird's nest chair called the X Lounger caught my eye on Yanko Design, and I had to share with all you fellow birdie lovers. Although sadly, there is no info on where to buy (or more importantly, how much it will cost), I think I would jump at the chance to own this stylish and functional piece. What do you think about it?

Forget Phelps, His Bulldog Herman Wins the Gold From Me!

PetSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:30:04 -0700

On track to win all eight medals he's competing for, Michael Phelps is certainly a golden boy adding three thus far in '08 to his six from 2004. Even if you don't think he's hot, let's all agree that his snoring smooshy is adoro with a capital A?!

The Scoop: Fish Are Not Keychains!

PetSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:00:09 -0700

Hold on to your fins, 'cause this story may have you seeing red! Waterfront vendors in Qingdao, China, are selling sealed plastic keychains filled with goldfish as souvenirs! The keychains are being printed with a picture of Huanhuan, one of the five Olympic mascots for the 2008 games, and being pawned off as unofficial merchandise for this year's sailing events. Not surprisingly, a representative from the UK's RSPCA says the little goldies aren't expected to survive in their confined space for long:

“The fish would survive just a few hours, and would be lucky to make it from the manufacturers to the point of sale. This product shows a shocking lack of respect for a living thing and should be withdrawn from sale. We can’t understand why anyone would want to buy such a thing."

Poor fishies! I'm surprised that these were ever allowed to be made!

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Beijing Rescue Dogs Have a Big Job Ahead

PetSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:00:09 -0700

I know I mentioned Dogs With Jobs the other day when I introduced you to Ellie, the pup who has been caring for motherless bunnies, but these rescue dogs have a whole career ahead of them! Rescue dogs in Beijing animal shelters are getting a second chance at life, and plenty of new responsibilities now that they have been drafted into Chinese military forces as search and rescue trainees, and will also use their noses at this year's Beijing Olympics to sniff out drugs and bombs. Over 160 poochies have been sent to the capital from across the country, and from these pics, they've already made some real progress in their training! Check out this slideshow to see some of the pups in action. And let me just say – it's amazing what they can do! Source

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