The Hero Dog Awards Honors America's Best Friends

The American Humane Association honored eight dogs at its awards gala hosted by Kristin Chenoweth.

Last night (Nov. 8), the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards finally aired on the Hallmark Channel. (The event took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Oct. 6.) It was a star-studded affair -- or so we imagine. Our cable plan is apparently one that does not offer the Hallmark Channel, a fact we realized far too late to do us any good.

Anyway.

We know it was a great night, because Kristin Chenoweth was the host, and she brought her Maltese, Madeline Kahn Chenoweth, along for the ride. Imagine them up there on the stage -- we had to, Time Warner.

Here's a bit of what went down on the red carpet, via YouTube:

The Hero Dog Awards is a national competition that recognizes "ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things," according to the organization's site, "whether it’s saving lives on the battlefield, lending sight or hearing to a human companion, or simply the tail-wagging welcome a pet owner relishes at the end of a hard day."

Winners in eight categories were selected by the public from a pool of more than 350 contestants. Those winners were flown to the show to be feted by celebrities, serenaded by Jewel, nuzzled by Chenoweth, doted over by Betty White, and subsequently watched by America (at least, those of you who get the Hallmark Channel). Out of those eight winners, one dog was picked to reign supreme for the night as the 2012 American Dog Hero.

Here are those eight winners:

Daniel, a Beagle who survived a gas chamber in Alabama.Tatiana, a hearing dog who suddenly transformed into an asthma dog one night when her owner had a severe attack.Tabitha, a guide dog who helped her person regain confidence and go back to college.Stella, a therapy dog who volunteered at Richmond Community Services and comforted people with developmental disabilities and critical health problems.Soot, an "air scent, scent discriminating, certified search and rescue dog" who found a lost, 78-year-old hunter in the woods.Jynx, a K-9 police dog who saved the lives of his fellow officers in the field. Holly, a seizure alert and response service dog who raises money for charity with her owner.Gabe, a military dog with "210 combat missions with 26 finds of explosives and weapons" while deployed in Iraq.

Who was the night's big winner, landing the 2012 American Dog Hero award? The military dog Gabe, who appeared with his handler, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Shuck. Here's his story:

"Him going out there, searching for the explosives and finding them," Shuck said, according to Zap2it, "he does not know that he potentially can die. He goes out and smells for this bad stuff, and if he finds it, he gets his ball, his reward."

Shuck added, "I want the world to know what military working dogs are. They are so valuable on the battlefield, and they need the support of the American people."

Congratulations to all the winners, and to the 2012 American Dog Hero Gabe!

Photo via the Hallmark Channel's Facebook

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Celebrity Dogs Will Take Home Sophisticated Pup Swag at the MTV Movie Awards

These days, the dogs of celebrities are getting more and more time in the spotlight, so it's only natural that this year's MTV Music Awards' swag bags are going to include fashionable flower collars from high-end dog boutique Sophisticated Pup. The collars were designed specifically for the event by Sophisticated Pup owner Michelle Cleek O’Hollaren.

The Pink Tangerine Tutu Dress and matching collar and leash were created for Tori Spelling and her pooch, Mitzi.

Hosted by comic Russell Brand, the MTV Movie Awards will be broadcast Sunday, June 3, from the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles. With celebrities such as Emma Watson, Emma Stone, and Kristen Stewart slated to be in attendance, it promises to be a star-studded evening of movies, music, and even mishaps, as Ashton Kutcher returns for a special Movie Awards' edition of Punk'd. Winners of the different categories -- which include Best Kiss and Best On-Screen Dirtbag -- are voted for by viewers, making it the movie awards of the people.

Pugs in paisley!

They make canine coats too!

In addition to the exclusive flower collars, Sophisticated Pup will be displaying a Damask Tutu Dress (pictured below) with matching collar and leash in the celebrity guest lounge. Imbued with practicality and pizzaz, the brand provides fashion-forward dog owners with clothing and accessories to make any dog look like a star! 

The Damask Tutu Dress that will be on display at the MTV Movie Awards.

Photos via the Sophisticated Pup Facebook page

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Uggie Is Top Dog at Golden Collar Awards — The Dog World’s Version of the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmys

Uggie looking downright heavenly on the "red" carpet at last night's Golden Collar Awards (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

The inaugural Golden Collar Awards, held last night in Los Angeles, paid homage to Tinseltown’s four-legged set, with six talented dogs trotting away with dazzling trophies and lots of stories to tell their pooch pals about the A-list human celebs they shook paws with on the red carpet.

Uggie, the talented and adorable 10-year-old Jack Russell co-star of The Artist, was the paws-down winner for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film. He is retiring from the film business soon after the upcoming Oscars, so this was his penultimate swansong.

“He is a great family member as well as a great performer, and he will be enjoying a lot more couch time now,” Uggie’s owner-trainer, Omar Von Muller, told me after the ceremony, with Uggie trembling lightly in his arms. (Uggie has a mystery neurological syndrome vets haven’t yet been able to diagnose.) “He has helped pave the way for other dogs and trainers to get the recognition they deserve for their hard work in the future.”

Uggie is expected to take his final bow-wow at the Oscars, where he will reportedly open the show beside host Billy Crystal. I don’t normally glue myself to the Oscars, but I’ll definitely be watching this year’s from the start.

The evening's stand-ins for Blackie, of "Hugo" fame, did not mind sharing the spotlight with each other or the more physically diminutive Uggie, who won in their category. (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

Acceptance speeches at the Golden Canine Awards were blissfully short, with no sentimental gushing. The award-winning dogs didn’t go on and on about their gratitude to their mothers, directors, and spouses, and their people had just a few well-chosen words for the audience, who braved an ice-cold banquet hall for the awards portion of the event.

The dogs who didn’t win anything didn’t seem to care. There was no dismay, no dashing of self-worth, no back-stabbing. When Wendy Malick from Hot in Cleveland announced Uggie as the winner of the night’s big award (pronouncing his name “You-gie” — oops), the two Dobies who were the evening’s stand-ins for Blackie, of Hugo fame, slept right through it. They only roused when they heard the name “Blackie” in the nominee list, but they went right back to sleep a few feet away from me when Blackie didn’t win. I am pretty sure I even heard one of them snoring.

What all the dogs — winners and otherwise (there are no losers in the dog world) really wanted was to know what goodies were inside the Natural Balance swag bags that seemed to smell insanely appealing to them. It was not uncommon at the end of the ceremony to witness a famous dog’s head buried in a blue bag, snortling around the sample packets of treats and kibbles. This is not something we generally see human celebs do at the end of the Oscars or Emmys. They wait until they’re in the car on the way home.

It was a quirky event, with its share of little gaffes (eg, no envelope for the very first winner, announced by actress Pauley Perrette, who handled the problem with aplomb), but that’s part of what made it a refreshing break from a typical Hollywood awards ceremony.

Even veterans of awards events were smitten by the Golden Collars.

Elizabeth Snead, one of last night's judges and a 15-year veteran of Hollywood awards shows, says the Golden Canines were the most fun. She atteneded the event with Posy, one of her six little Malteses. (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

“This is more fun than I’ve had the whole time I’ve been covering the Oscars and Golden Globes,” said Elizabeth Snead, contributing editor at The Hollywood Reporter, who helped judge the Golden Collars. “Dogs make the awards season much more human.”

She’s right. There’s something about dogs that humanizes so many situations — even war. With a dog at your side, barriers break down, and people can see everything from a different perspective — a kinder, less judgmental one with admiration for the silent loyalty and love dogs bring with them. It’s hard to explain, but I think my regular readers know exactly what I’m talking about.

Uggie, who brought a strong dose of humanity to The Artist and to the evening’s festivities, was more than happy to share the spotlight with his “brother,” Dash, who will be taking over the family’s acting legacy. Uggie was often content to be in his handler’s arms while Dash did way-cute tricks on the red carpet. Move over, Barrymores!

There were plenty of other winners as well last night.

• The Best Dog in a Foreign Film category was won by Koko from the Australian film Red Dog, which is definitely on my list of must-see dog films. In Australia, Koko is just as famous as Uggie. A tongue-in-cheek video by Koko’s people said Koko wasn’t at the Golden Collars because the people of Australia refuse to let the dog leave the country.

• The Best Dog in a Television Series category went to the uber cute French bulldog Brigitte from the ever-popular TV series, Modern Family.

Shorty Rossi and Hercules, of Pit Boss fame. Shorty was happy Hercules won an award, because he's all about bringing awareness to pit bulls being great dogs. (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

• There was a tie in the Best Dog in a Reality Television Series category, with Hercules from Pit Boss and Giggy from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills sharing the award. After the ceremony, Pit Boss star Shorty Rossi told me he hoped that his loveable, mellow pit bull’s win would help the public see pit bulls as “the fantastic dogs they are.” A side note: Hercules has the world’s softest fur on his forehead, and it’s hard to stop petting it, especially when he looks at you with those soulful eyes.

• For Best Dog in a Direct-to-DVD Film category, the two nominees from Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, which was the predicted winner, probably split up the votes for that DVD, which gave the win to Rody, the cuddly yellow Lab pup Rody, from Marley & Me: The Puppy Years.

I have a feeling that with the recognition brought to canine thespians by this show and by Uggie himself, we’ll be seeing more dogs in future productions. I have a feeling I’m going to have plenty of excuses to go to the movies in upcoming years. (“Honey, it’s for work! We have to go see (fill in the blank future movie title starring dog) tonight.”)

Dogster will shortly be featuring a fun photo post of the evening’s festivities, with images by our photographer-for-the-evening, Nanette Gonzales. Keep your eyes peeled for more celebrity canines.

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Photos: Celebrity Pups and People Hit the Red Carpet for Last Night’s Golden Collar Awards

Last night, Dogster News Editor Maria Goodavage and photographer Nanette Gonzales attended the first ever Golden Collar Awards in Los Angeles. Maria’s already got a great post up with the highlights, but we thought Nanette’s fabulous event photos deserved a post of their own.

Uggie of The Artist fame and his brother, Dash, made their way down the not-quite-red carpet.

Uggie, Dash, and family.

Fans of Blackie the Doberman were out in full force.

Giggy and Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame were in attendance.

Fourteen-week-old Golden Retriever B. Dawg represented the Air Buddies movie alongside director Robert Vince.

Golden Collar trophy designer Simon Tavassoli with his creation.

Rowdy from Marley and Me, The Puppy Years won Best Dog in a Direct-to-DVD film.

Dobies waiting for some grub.

Elizabeth Snead, one of last night’s judges and a 15-year veteran of Hollywood awards shows, and Posy.

More Uggie!

Actress Laura Nativo and Preston Cassanova from CBS’ Greatest American Dog.

Uggie claiming his trophy for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film.

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Vote for Dogster in Bay Woof’s Beast of the Bay Awards!

Great news, Dogsters! Our site has been nominated for a Beast of the Bay Award by the readers of Bay Woof, the San Francisco Bay Area’s monthly newspaper for people and their dogs. We’re nominated in two categories, Best Dog Social Networking Site and Best Overall Website for Dog Lovers.

We’d love it if you’d consider voting for us in the fourth annual Beast of the Bay Awards. Don’t worry, you don’t have to vote in every category or even live in the Bay Area — after the first page, you may skip to the sections in which you want to vote. The Dogster categories are numbers 45 and 49.

The final ballot is available online until midnight on Friday, February 10. Help us be a winner — like Dogster member Razzle, pictured at right.

Thank you, Dogsters!

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Michael Vick Wins Subway Sportsman of the Year at BET Awards

(Photo via BET Awards)

Among the awards given at the BET Awards on Sunday night was one for Subway Sportsman of the Year. The five finalists were Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, and Michael Vick.

And with nearly 8 million viewers watching, the award went to Vick.

The star quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles may be phenomenal on the field. but with his recent dogfighting past, it probably wasn’t the wisest PR move Subway could have made. Yes, the award likely focuses on the sports side of a player, and not the personal life. But those tortured and maimed dogs are still fresh in many minds, and those minds may not take kindly to the association of Subway and Vick.

There’s already fallout from the decision. A Facebook page is urging dog lovers to “Just Say No Way to Subway.” It’s linked to a Care2 petition site that’s collecting signatures and giving a phone number for customer service at Subway (800.888.4848). The petition site asks people to call the number or email Subway saying they’ll boycott the sandwich stores until Michael Vick gives back his award. So far the petition has about 2,500 names, and the Facebook page has nearly 7,000 Likes.

Dogsters, what do you think of the award going to Vick? Is it well deserved because of what a good player he is? Or should he not have even been considered for the award? Will this affect how you feel about Subway?

For those of you who don’t mind a bit of swearing, check out the snippet of this YouTube video that goes from :58 to 2:08. It’s from a man who watched the BET awards and couldn’t believe Vick won. He calls it “WTF!!! MICHAEL VICK WINS SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR!!!!” (There’s one F-bomb in this segment, but they rain down in the rest of the video, and the rest isn’t about Vick, so no need to watch it unless you’re curious and can handle a cuss storm.)

(Update 8:30 a.m. June 28: It turns out it’s apparently BET that decides who wins. Subway is the sponsor and has no role in decisionmaking, we’ve been told. One of our readers commented below that she spoke with a Subway customer service representative who said “they will most likely not sponsor this award again because there have been so many calls about people’s outrage about Michael Vick’s being associated with Subway.”)

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