A Super Sunday Dog Event: The Bill Foundation's Rescue Bowl

The organization plans to live-stream an adoption event that pits Shelter Dogs vs. Street Dogs.

How many of you tuned into the Bill Foundation's live stream adoption event?

Always searching for new ways to help dogs in need, the rescue organization did something never done before: The Bill Foundation live-streamed its weekend adoption event in Los Angeles. Viewers were treated to streaming footage of wiggly, waggily dogs in need of forever homes as volunteers narrated their individual stories. Thanks to contributions from Ustream and Logitech, the event was a tremendous success, drawing more than 30,000 viewers as well as a deluge of adoption applications. Adoptions haven't been finalized yet (it's a long, thorough process), but it looks like 9 or 10 of the pups will be going to their forever homes.

Check out the recorded video below.

Now the foundation plans its first Rescue Bowl. Twenty to 25 adoptable dogs will get to play in a game of Shelter Dogs vs. Street Dogs. The dogs will be dressed in jerseys, and there will even be cheerleaders to rally their spirits. It's scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. If you're interested in watching the Super Bowl, you can still do that -- it starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

You can watch the Rescue Bowl here for free, but you can also donate $5 to vote for you favorite team. All donations go to the Bill Foundation's continued rescue efforts.

The group plans to announce the starting lineup Saturday on its Facebook page; it'll also announce the "winning" team there Monday. There's even talk of a trophy and perhaps an exciting halftime show. 

Photo: Golden Retriever with star sunglasses on football by Shutterstock

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Super Bowl Ads: What the Hell Is Audi Up to with Sarah McLachlan and the Doberhuahua?

The automaker goes for "bizarre troubled fake plastic dog" in its Super Bowl commercial.

We understand that companies like to make an impact with their Super Bowl ads. Dogs, of course, are featured quite often. Cute dogs, mischievous dogs, silly dogs, loyal dogs, Budweiser dogs -- but above all real dogs. 

Audi doesn't play that. Audi is going with a fake, unsettling thing called a Doberhuahua. Odd, giant, and plasticky head and tiny, tiny body. It looks too much like Triumph the Wonder dog for my taste. Probably for everyone's taste. Take a look: 

Audi hasn't released the full ad, of course, because, well, SUPER BOWL, but it had better be pretty amazing to get past using a dog that doesn't exist. Audi makes cars. It shouldn't be making dogs. Couldn't the company have used a Puggle? Here is more:

How did we get all these images? From a YouTube video starring Sarah McLachlan (Grammy winner, queen of the anti-animal-cruelty videos, the one and only, yes, that Sarah McLachlan.) who recorded "a very special new song to raise awareness around a compromised creature -- the Doberhuahua."

Before she did that, Audi must have placed a suitcase full of cash on a table in front of her and slowly opened it. 

Here's the video:

Strange, huh? So: Audi invented a breed and made it look really plasticky or something, enlisted Sarah McLachlan to sing about it, and is planning on showing some ad based on it to the world during this year's Super Bowl, all to sell a car. Presumably. It might be selling snack chips now or something. That would make more sense. Does Audi make Slim Jims?

Also, don't think we haven't noticed this campaign is a parody of real troubled dogs and the videos people make of them to raise awareness. That is one of the least funny parts about this, primarily because the the other least funny part about this is the fact that it is not actually funny. Parody done well can be enlightening. This parody still has a ways to go. Maybe the final ad will elevate it, or maybe well just be left with this silly idea.

We love the song, though. Nobody can say Sarah McLachlan doesn't bring her A-game to goofy crap. 

Via Jalopnik

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Finally! Super Hip, Affordable Prescription Eyeglasses for Dogs!

Warby Parker is a fabulous place to go for hip eyewear. The selections are chic, unique, and not insanely expensive. But its dog-loving founders wanted something more. Something that would help dogs not only see better for a reasonable price, but look fantastic while doing so.

So they developed a new line: Warby Barker - affordable eyewear for your dog's eyes only. All we can say is that it's about time. Before Warby Barker's stylish, super affordable dog eyewear, dogs who couldn't see the TV or their guardians' faces were relegated to two fates: Continue living life in a blur, or face the ugly, oft-pricey eyeglass designs other companies offered the four-legged set.

Warby Barker's new line of canine glasses shows that style doesn't have to be tied to a high price tag.

"It just doesn't make any sense to spend several hundred dollars on something your dog is just going to eat," says Warby Barker co-founder Dave Gilboa.

But the truth is, the designs are good enough to eat! Check out the names of some of the mouthwatering color names in the canine collection: Spiced Liver, Lobster Bisque, Gravy Burst, Dusty Bacon, Mutton Royale, and Grey-bone Fade.

If your pooch decides the glasses are edible, no worries. All canine eyewear is environmentally friendly. We're told there are no nasty toxins to interfere with a doggy's digestive tract.

But how do you know what's going to look good on your dog? No worries! Warby Barker offers in-home try-on sessions. Once you have your dog's prescription in hand, you can call 888-492-7297 or email help@warbybarker.com to set up an appointment. If you opt for the mail-order specs, you'll be happy to know that shipping is free and you get a gluten-free treat to boot. They think of everything at Warby Barker.

Even if your dog's vision is 20-20, there's still something for him at Warby Barker. The company offers a glorious selection of sunglasses for dogs who want to protect their eyes from bright light. Some dogs use the shades for anonymity on dog walks, too. "It used to be that whenever we'd take Reginald for a walk, all his dog friends would come up to him and it would take forever to do our rounds," says Reggie's person, Bruce Kelly. "Now, they don't even notice he's there, and walks are so much faster! Thank you, Warby Barker"

Warby Barker even offers a canine version of one of the most sizzling styles of the season. As you probably already know, monocles are back. Once a symbol of financial and social status in the late 19th century, monocles are taking the world by storm. They're a symbol of a prosperous bygone era, and bring a look of class and stature to anyone who wears one. Goodness knows we need that in this economy.

And why should a dog miss out on the trend? With Warby Barker's new dog monocle designs, your pooch can look every bit the rich and cultured gent you know he is inside. (Well, at least when he's not sniffing dog rear ends or rolling in dead things.)

I know that for some of you, the idea that some dogs need glasses, much less wear glasses, is a little odd. I understand that, since most of us haven't ever seen a dog in glasses. That's because the price has been prohibitive, and the styles rather 1980s old aunt-like. But check this out. Jake, my yellow Lab, is soon going to be wearing these sweet specs.

He looks absolutely divine in them. Once they're fitted with his prescription, he'll also be able to see me better at the park. That means when I call him, he'll not only hear me, but he'll see me, and he'll come running over to me, rather than looking lost, and dawdling over some shrubs or grass blades he finds fascinatig. At least that's the idea. And if it doesn't work, I'm out only $50.

Oh and one more thing. Yesterday was April 1, and we don't publish on the weekend. So happy belated April Fool's Day!

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Greyhound Supporters Demanding Skechers Pull Super Bowl Commercial

Dog lovers around the U.S. are demanding that a Skechers Super Bowl commercial shot at a greyhound race track be pulled because it promotes the sport, which most of you know is a sport rife with the mistreatment of dogs.

They’re telling the shoe company and NBC to pull the ad before it runs, or prepare for a major boycott of their company and stores. Nearly 50,000 have signed a petition against the commercial that is slated to run on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5.

“That the ad is running during the most heavily watched sporting event of the year suggests that greyhound racing is a sport. It is not. It is greyhound cruelty,” says Christine Dorchak, president of Grey2K USA, which is organizing the protest.

The ad features a supercute French bulldog wearing Skechers and running against greyhounds at Tucson Greyhound Park. The small dog wins. I’m sure that in the marketing and advertising meetings, it seemed appealing, but clearly no one who knew about the plight of racing greyhounds — or at least no one who had an idea of the controversy could engender — was in attendance. But it looks like the shoe company really stepped in something with this.

Apparently the Tucson Greyhound Park is notorious for ill treatment of its dogs. Here are a couple of paragraphs from the petition:

This cute French bulldog stars in the upcoming Skechers Super Bowl ad. Maybe they should have just had him racing against some superfast human athlete. (Photo: Skechers, via USA Today)

“While racing, greyhounds face the risk of serious injury. According to the Arizona Department of Racing, nearly 1,000 greyhound injuries occurred between January 2007 and November 2009, the last year such records were made available to the public. To read more about injuries and Arizona greyhound racing in general, please see our 128-page report [over here.]

At the moment I am writing this, there are 49, 449 signatures on the petition. Click here to ad your name to make it a nice round 50k ASAP. The Grey2K USA website also has e-mail addresses for key Skechers and NBC people to whom you can send letters. In addition the site has information about boycotts, including staging your own.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It’s a Davy and Goliath situation, with a shoestring-budget greyhound group versus the $2 billion company.

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Pet name system has purrfect record predicting Super Bowl

Friends, has the secret of predicting the outcome of the Super Bowl each year finally been discovered? Could it have more to do with furry four-legged friends than football prowess?

The diligent researchers at VPI Pet Insurance (one of our sponsors here) turned their fine minds from actuarial tables to a pet name database for the third year in a row, and came up with a prediction: Green Bay Packers for the win.

And just as in previous years, they were right.

I called Darren Shannon at the pet insurance company and grilled him. How did they do it? Is there some science here? And did he place a bet on the outcome?

“Definitely no to the betting,” Shannon assured me. He then shared with me the in-depth mathematical analysis that allows them to obtain their incredible 100 percent accuracy rate, using words like “Excel database” and “word search” that probably make sense only to other statistical analysts.

In short, however, the “secret ingredient” is love. “People love their pets, and they love sports, and it makes perfect sense they’d name their pets after the teams and players they love,” Shannon said.

But, I pressed him, could there be more? Could America’s pet lovers be tapping into some big group consciousness, sensing a magic “something” one team possessed, and thus increasing the ratio of pet names shared with the ultimate Super Bowl champs?

“Uh, sure,” he said. “Look, it boils down to this: We had a lot of Packers fans in our database, and the Packers won yesterday. I don’t know. You do the math.”

I asked for his prediction for next year. “Four for four,” he said confidently.

It just goes to prove what I’ve always said: There’s nothing more powerful than the bond between people and pets. Not even math.

Photos: The “Packer Kits” featured in this post are looking for a home! You can find them on the Facebook page of our friends at The Shelter Pet Project!

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Just in Time for the Super Bowl: Exclusive Doggy Beer Offer!

If your dog feels left out of this weekend’s Super Bowl activities because he can’t drink beer, this will put a smile on his snout: Dogster is teaming up with Barking Deals to give you a great deal on Bowser Beer — a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated, hops-free treat for dogs.  Just buy the $5 Bowser Beer voucher from Barking Deals, and go to Bowser Beer website to buy $10 worth of the brew. For the math-challenged among us, that’s half off! (Jake had to tell me.)

But wait! There’s more! If you use this special Dogster code,  exclusive to Dogster readers, you can get 20 percent more off your order! (Jake says that makes a $10 order only $4. He may not know how to fetch, but he’s great with figures.) $10 worth of doggy brew for $4 is so good you’ll want to drink a toast with your dog. There’s no shipping fee, either, so drink another one! Click here to learn more about the benefits of joining Barking Deals.

In case you don’t already know the joys of Bowser Beer, here’s a little dog beer 101, straight from the source:

Available in either chicken or beef flavor, this savory treat is lovingly brewed with malt barley (for shiny coats) and glucosamine (for smooth-moving joints). Fido can drink Bowser Beer as a thirst quenching beverage or it can be poured over dry kibble as a tasty sauce. It’s low in calories and delivers all of the flavor and fun of an actual beer without the pesky side effects (e.g. dehydration, poor decision making, impaired impulse control).

(Gotta love the part about poor decision making. Yeah, I hate it when Jake has a few beers and decides to drive, or get argumentative with the groomer. )

The voucher expires Feb. 8, so hurry and order your dog’s brewskis today!

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GSI Super Quality Ultra-Safe 2-Pack Electronic Adjustable Training Dog Collars with LCD Display - 100 Levels of Vibration and Static - 1000 Ft. Range - Train 2 Dogs at Once!

No description available for this title.
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 05/23/06
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve

Price:

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Viatek BC16G Super Bark Stop

Bark Stop Super has an innovative High Output Directional Cone Speaker maximizes effectiveness of bark stop control through its Sound Focusing Technology, by targeting the Ultrsonic Bark Stop training sound directly to the dog's ears.

Bark Stop Super is a barking deterrent system that uses an Ultrasonic tone to teach your dog or your neighbor's dog not to bark incessantly. When the Bark Stop Super senses your dog's bark, it emits an irritating sound that your dog will hear up to 50 feet away. Your pet will quickly learn that his barks trigger this noise and will stop barking without provocation. Stop that nuisance barking today!

Bark Stop Super Features:

? Superior High Power Speaker. Highest in the industry, up to 130dB
? Audible and Ultrasonic frequency settings
? Integrated microphone is sensitive up to 50. Microphone will hear the dogs bark and activate the high powered speaker.
? Built in audible test button / Volume Slide Switch / Sensitity Slide Level
? Battery Operated, 4 "D" batteries required. Battery Life 10,000 bursts (barking should be fixed by then) Optional adapter is DC 6 V 500mA

Price: $79.99

Click here to buy from Amazon