PetSugar

I Need Your Help . . . Introducing a New Puppy to Existing Dog!

PetSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:30:24 -0800

You may recognize the pooch on the left as the sometimes mischievous B-Bop. Well, this lucky dog just got a new lil sister, the equally adoro Rocksy (short for Rocksteady) – what a musical family!However, Renees3 is worried about what kind of not-so-lovely tunes these two will create when left to their own devices alone. She writes:

Do you have any tips for helping to introduce Rocksy to our current two-year-old dog? I want to make it as easy and calm as possible for him. He has full run of the house while we're gone, but I can't trust a puppy to not get into things. Is it OK to crate (or contain) one and not the other?

I definitely think it's a great idea to give the new pup her own crate/exercise pen where she can escape and adjust to her new lifestyle and family – it's not a good idea to leave strange pups alone together regardless. Other than that I've never experienced this problem firsthand so that's where all of you come in: Anyone with multiple pet households, please share stories or suggestions to help this process go smoothly in your comments below.

Christina Ricci and Ramon Are Preppy Twinsies!

PetSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:45:00 -0800

OMG. North is giving me sidelong stares as I squeal over this cutie pie! Can you believe this is the same fella we saw from behind with Christina Ricci at LAX yesterday? I'd never have guessed her new pup was a lil smooshy . . . and I love him even more now!

Since arriving in NYC last night, Ramon now sports this adoro sweater to hold off that East Coast chill. In fact, between the plaid and this argyle, they're definitely putting on the prep. I know you can't wait to see the frenchie up close so I've got a bunch of piccys of the duo when you read more!

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Found: Christina Ricci and Cute Puppy (Bag)!

PetSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:45:01 -0800

More puppy cuteness! Christina Ricci (with no piggy nose) arrived at LAX today with what looks like a new doggie! This is definitely not little Sheriff that I recall from back in the day - is it a new addition or is she toting for a pal? Even though I don't know the pup's name, do you see that pet carrier in the foreground? I've found it when you read more.

The Legacy Ultimate Pet Carrier ($100) by Sherpa seems to be an ever-popular brand with celebs! My fave features of this version is a faux lambskin removable tray on the bottom that doubles as a travel bed and front and top entry for pets to be lifted in or walk in on their own.

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Interview With the Referee of Puppy Bowl V (Part II)

PetSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:15:01 -0800

We already learned a bit of background on the pups and the referee in Part I, now let's hear more about the action, including this year's "streaker" (!) on the field, in the interview below.
PetSugar: What do you say to yourself when you get up that morning?
Ref: I look myself in the mirror for a long time, in the eye, and I say: 'This is your calling, this is what you're meant to do.' It's what I'm born into, my destiny.

PetSugar: Do you have any secret weapons on hand in case things get a little hairy?
Ref: Just experience and I consult the Puppy Bowl referee guidebook. I like to keep a little peanut butter behind the ears sometimes, but otherwise it's just my strong bond with the dogs and they know who's boss when I'm out there.

PetSugar: How many pups play at a time?
Ref: There are 10 to 12 dogs out there but we do have substitutions. You'll see that on the field, if a puppy's acting up and has too many penalties or is being a dirty dog, I have to eject him from the game. We give everyone a fair shot and I tell you, the puppies we have this year are some of the cutest but also you'll see there's so much action, touchdowns being scored, tackles, it's an exciting year for Puppy Bowl.

PetSugar: Which penalty do you see most and how do you keep order?
Ref: There's two: The first is unnecessary ruffness (r-u-f-f, of course) and then the other one is a personal foul. As you can imagine, there are a lot of foul things on that field with puppies. But I throw my yellow flag on it – it's a dirty job but someone's got to do it.

Learn about the special guest performer before Puppy Bowl V, kitty halftime, and this year's "streaker" (!) when you read more.

PetSugar: Is there anything surprising lined up?
Ref: We're bringing out all the stops this year. But, even though we try to keep the show G-rated (and, as the ref, I try to obviously keep control of the game), one of the puppies got extra frisky. He went down into its birthday suit and we have a streaker, a Chinese Crested. I don't know what he was trying to prove but once I saw it on the field, I chased it around, covered it up and I made sure we retained order on the field.

PetSugar: You've convinced me, but can you sum up why our readers should tune in?
Ref: Well, we clear out the puppies to set up the halftime show. We bring in the kittens and it's 15 minutes of adorableness so, if you're not a puppy person (which I can't imagine you not being), then you have a chance to see these cute little kittens doing their thing. And if you're not a dog person or a cat person, you have Pepper the parrot singing the most beautiful rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" that you'll ever hear – it'll bring a tear to your eye, you'll see. Also this year, if you've missed Puppy Bowls I-IV, if you're living under a rock, this one is celebrating the fifth anniversary with Hall of Fame moments from the first four. So that's even more reason to watch because you can see the best, cutest, friskiest moments form the first four all in one amazing sitting at Feb.1 at 3 p.m..

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Interview With the Referee of Puppy Bowl V (Part I)

PetSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:38:08 -0800

Ummm, of course, I jumped at the chance to interview the referee of Puppy Bowl because I can barely imagine a cooler job! Lucky for us, Ref. Andrew had tons to say about what he describes as "puppies pretending to play football in a miniature football stadium with 'Puppy Penalties,' 'Fido First Downs,' and 'Terrier Tackles' – it's the cutest two hours of television you could ever ask for."I agree and will absolutely tune into Animal Planet on Feb.1 at 3 p.m. to the action on the gridiron. Find out what it's like behind the scenes and start the first of my two-part interview below.

PetSugar: How did you get this job?
Ref: I'd say that it's very similar to American Idol where they fill arenas with potential hopefuls that want to be the ref . . . but, in reality, I was already working for Animal Planet. I like to think I was born into the position. Some people are teachers, some people are firemen, and I referee adorable little puppies pretending to play football – it was meant to be.

PetSugar: What's your practice like in the off-season?
Ref: It's a strict regimen. I mostly eat carbohydrates and sugars to stay fueled and I train in dog parks with big dogs so that I'm ready for the little ones. I've got a really strict exercise regimen as well – gotta be in tip-top shape for the puppies.

Learn more about the "athletes" themselves and read more.

PetSugar: How many players are there?
Ref: All together there are 38 dogs. This year they're all shelter puppies and they've actually all been adopted by the time you see the show on air. That's really the message behind Puppy Bowl and why we're so excited about it: Puppies need to be adopted as well as adults – big dogs, medium-sized dogs, there is a dog out there for everyone.

PetSugar: Do you spend time with the pups beforehand?
Ref: I get to meet all the athletes before the game and I give them a little pep talk. I tell them I want a clean game in advance: 'Listen, I'm glad you're here but we need a clean game and I need some order on the field.' And I think they appreciate that.

PetSugar: Where do they come from?
Ref:The show's filmed in Silver Spring, MD, (which is right outside Washington, DC) and we use regional shelters like the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, Furry Friends Network – there are so many animals out there that need to be adopted in local shelters, and Petfinder's always a big help in getting us dogs. These are all adopted, which is awesome, but go on Petfinder.com and see all the different ways you can adopt and see puppies and dogs available at shelters near you.

PetSugar: I'm excited for Puppy Bowl V – what was your most memorable moment from last year?
Ref: I don't remember the exact name of the dog, it might have been Abigail, a Jack Russell. So, of course, I have to throw my flag for penalties. What happened was I threw my flag and I looked down to retrieve my flag and it's gone – Abigail's running around the field with my flag. So here I am chasing after her, in front of the cameras, and I want to show who's in charge here. It was tough but I got my flag back but not without some excitement before then.

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New Puppies Alert! Dolly and Ninja

PetSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:00:03 -0700

That's right, there's double the trouble here! Two teensy pups packed away in a celeb-favorite, LV carrier and just who do these cuties belong to? Heidi and Spencer Pratt. Even though Dolly and Ninja were presented to the paparazzi yesterday, they were carried for most of the way - a good thing, since the little ones have surely not received all their puppy shots (like Parvo) and should not be exposed to other dogs or outside dangers just yet. Here's hoping we'll soon see the twosome (the dogs) on The Hills this season . . . if they slow down long enough for the cameras to catch them, that is. See more pics of the pups in the gallery of furriness below.

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Howl-o-ween Puppies Dressed as Cats (Literally)

PetSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:35:57 -0700

It's really cutting it close if you've yet to come up with a costume for your furry friend. When thinking about easy costumes for pets, I immediately thought of my go-to getup for years: cat ears. Simple enough for this Halloween grinch, but a tail . . . no, thanks.

Which brought back the memory of those cute pooches on Conan playing Puppies Dressed as Cats. If you're crafty, you can simply sew black felt bits on a existing black hoodie or to see some premade kitty costumes for the canines, read more.

Will Your Pets Watch Puppy Bowl V?

PetSugar — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 02:00:05 -0800

I'll definitely tune in to see my new BFF try to keep order with those cute puppies, but I plan to pay extra attention to North's reaction at home. Who knew there were so many of us with pets that like to watch this show?! Check out a clip from a pooch claiming to be "Puppy Bowl's No. 1 Fan":

Will you test if your pets behave like Haskell, and tune into Animal Planet later today? If the answer's yes – and you're feeling extra motivated – take a photo or video to share by posting it on your TeamSugar profile (or YouTube) and then either private message me, or leave the link in your comments below. I'll be doing a roundup of Puppy Bowl viewer reaction videos later this week!

The Results Are In: Celebrity Puppy of the Year

PetSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:00:36 -0800

I'd have to call Martha Stewart's new puppy alert this year's version of our current first dog watch! She picked the cutie Chow Chow two weeks ago, and he just squeezed into our top new pet of '08 poll with days to spare. Our pick for puppy of the year is named Genghis Khan – at about 9-weeks-old now, I'm betting we'll see much more of the lil guy when he joins his new sisters in 2009.

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Who's the Celebrity Puppy of the Year?

PetSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:00:43 -0800

From rescued dogs to new puppies, several celebs added pets to their families this year! I've compiled my top 10 list . . . and now it's up to you to crown one Puppy of this Year! Last year, it was cutie pie Charlie, but take a look at the furry faces and celebrity names (shown left to right) and make your selection for the Best of 2008!