An acquaintence of mine (a Republican!) was grousing about the 'Obama dog' the other day, ranting about how the Obamas have 'used' the dog to get publicity. "But most Presidents have had dog," I protested. And that got me thinking...have they?
I did a limited google search and found a blog about Lincoln that had a really interesting story about his dog Fido. It seems Lincoln was very bonded to Fido but didn't feel he would be happy at the White House, so he found him another home, stipulating that he be an indoor dog and treated like a member of the family. The Lincolns even gave the new family their old couch that Fido liked to sleep on!
When Lincoln was assassinated, Fido was taken to the memorial and, following the days of mourning, postcards with Fido's photo on them were very popular items. If you ever run across one today, grab it as they are valuable collector's items!
We tend to think that our love for our pets is a recent development in our society, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Now I'm wondering if George Washington had a pet? (photo from the Abraham Lincoln Research site)
--Laurel
Bob Barker, of Price is Right fame, has always been an advocate for pets. He always closed his shows with "Have your pet spayed or neutered". Recently, he donated $1 million to Drury University, his alma mater, to establish a professorship on animal rights. He hopes it will lead to a full undergraduate degree program in animal rights.
Barker graduated from Drury in 1947. He supported the professorship in hopes that the school can "eventually offer a program of studies that would train them to be animal right activists and to respect animals."
Barker said, "I think some students would become full-fledged animal rights activists. Some will become lawyers and doctors who will always be interested in animal rights. And some will have more respect for animals."
Last year, Barker gave the school another $1 million to establish the Drury University Forum on Animal Rights. That donation led to a course on animal ethics. Barker has donated money to other schools for animal rights law courses including Harvard Law School.
Obviously Bob Barker puts his money where his mouth is and supports the causes that mean the most to him. And have for many years. He named the new professorship at Drury in honor of his late wife, Dorothy Jo.
What do you think of Barker's commitment to animal rights? I think it's really great that he has made these donations over the years and continues to do so. His legacy will continue even after he has passed away!
--Tammy
My husband was talking about The Little Rascals the other night. I grew up without a TV, so I missed out on seeing many of the iconic shows that most people know well. I don't recall ever seeing the Little Rascals, so Mike pulled up some old videos online and we had fun watching them.
One thing that I didn't know was that Petey, the canine member of the gang, was a "pit bull" - an American Pit Bull Terrier. Pete the Pup was just as much a member of the gang as any of the kids. (He was played by a number of different dogs over the years.) We happened upon a video clip of the story of Petey which I found so fun and interesting (see below!). I learned that Petey helped the kids in many situations - flying kites, saving them from drowning, and merely providing comfort.
I loved watching the clips of the kids with Petey. The dog obviously loved those kids (all of the dogs I should say!) They interacted with him as if he was their buddy, their friend, and not "just a dog".
I really enjoyed learning that Pete was a Pit Bull - the dog of so much controversy today. He was much loved - not only by the actual actors working with him, but by everyone watching the show on TV. I'm sorry to see that this breed has taken such a bad rap. I know there are cases where bad things HAVE happened, but overall, this breed does not deserve to have such a bad name in my opinion.
Next up - I'll have to watch some episodes of Lassie I guess! (Another show I have never seen!) Enjoy watching the clips of Petey in the video below!
--Tammy
Last week, the world's fastest man, Olympic and world champion sprinter, Usain Bolt, adopted a cheetah cub in Kenya's Nairobi National Park. (Now, if Bolt isn't the perfect name for a sprinter, I don't know what is!)
Bolt and another champion, Welsh hurdler Colin Jackson, visited Nairobi National Park last week to help remind Kenyans that it is their "civic duty" to help preserve the country's wildlife. The park's director said "it was the first time in history where the fastest animal and the fastest man will meet." The baby cheetah that Bolt adopted doesn't look like it could beat him in a foot race right now, but I'm guessing, give the baby a couple years, and he could probably outrun Bolt!
I really liked hearing about Bolt and Jackson doing this! Hopefully their participation will help in a country that faces huge challenges. The baby cheetah will not live with Bolt - the adoption is a formality and Bolt will provide funds to care for the cub each year. (Full story here.)
--Tammy
Well, who knew? American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, has a heart afterall! Cowell is the "mean" judge on the show. He lets the contestants know how he really feels about them without mincing words. He can sometimes (often) come across as quite cruel (if right!)
It seems, however, that Cowell is an animal lover. I'd heard rumors that he had donated money to animal-related causes before, but this story is the first I'd heard to be true. Actress Linda Blair (of Exorcist fame) has a non-profit shelter called WorldHeart Foundation. They care for up to 50 pets at a time, and has been in danger of closing due to lack of funds.
Enter Simon Cowell. He heard about the plight of her shelter through a mutual friend, and he came to the rescue by donating $30,000 to keep it open. He reportedly said, "I think what Linda is doing is incredible. Seeing pictures of the dogs makes you realize what a fantastic job she's doing. When we spoke, I was really impressed by her passion and commitment, and offered to help her out financially."
We'll add this to the suggested "Good News" channel! I love hearing this kind of news. I like being able to share it here with you as well!
--Tammy
As you all may know by now, I love to read about celebrities. It's my vice! It has NO affect on my life, whatsoever, but I enjoy reading the outrageous things celebrities do and say.
I thought it might be fun to take a look at what some celebrities have named their pets. We hear about the crazy things they name their children (Apple, Zuma, Peanut, anyone?) but we don't often hear about their pet names. Do they go as crazy there as they do with children?! Here are a few to think about...
Jennifer Hudson has three pomeranians. They are called Oscar, Grammy, and Dreamgirl. I guess that's fairly appropriate. She won the Oscar for her role in Dreamgirls!
Mariah Carey has a Jack Russell called Jackson P. Muttley. Pretty cute name!
Adam Sandler has an English Bulldog named Matzoball. His last dog, who died in 2006, was Meatball.
Selma Blair has a one-eyed rescued Jack Russell, called Wink. (I love to hear about celebrities who have rescued dogs! And dogs with "issues"!)
Sandra Bullock also has rescue and special needs dogs. They have Poppy, a three legged dog and Ruby, a dog born with only two legs.
The list could go on and on! It seems that pet names aren't quite as weird as baby names in the world of celebrities though. Or maybe, it's just more acceptable to name your pet something "weird"!
Joss Stone has Dusty Springfield.
Kelly Osbourne has Piglet and Boris.
Minnie Driver has Bubba (a more common pet name!)
Sienna Miller has Porgy and Bess.
Tom Cruise has Joseph. (an odd choice for a pet name I think...)
Halle Berry has Bumper and Petey.
I LOVE names. I always have - when I was a girl, I'd play school, and my favorite part was making up the names of my make-believe students. (First, middle, and last names for all!) I've had quite a menagerie of pets too. Beau-Beau was a French poodle (I didn't name him though - he was my childhood pet!), Melvin was a stray tom cat who attached himself to me. I called him Melvin because he wouldn't let anyone touch him like Jack Nicholson's character in As Good As It Gets (Melvin.) Lissy - aptly named after a mischievious little girl in a book I'd read. And now we have Henry, Oscar, and Ben. All fitting somehow! (I think I pre-destined Oscar to be a grouch though!)
What's the craziest pet name you've heard? Or have you named your pet something weird? (photo of Sandra Bullock from People.com)
The police force in Muncie, Indiana is about to receive a new K-9 partner. They had to retire their last police dog, Rover, at 13 years old. They ran into problems with funding to get a new dog.
The Osbourne family are all dog lovers. Ozzy agreed immediately to help Jack's police force friends out. They have purchased a new K-9 for the force and he is being trained in Denver, CO currently. They plan to name the dog, drum-roll... Ozzy. The donation not only covers the purchase and training of the new dog, but will cover food, vet expenses, and other things so that the Muncie tax-payers won't have to take on the burden.
I really love hearing about celebrities doing great things like this. I was never an Ozzy fan until lately. I think I'm becoming one! Have you heard of other things celebrities have done to help animal-related causes? (photo from telegraph.co.uk)
--Tammy
On Monday, Laurel wrote about Michael Jackson and his animals. Well, I wondered what had become of the famous Bubbles, the chimp.
Apparently, a lot of people have wondered that since the passing of Michael Jackson. I got an email in my inbox today from PeoplePets.com. They gave us an update about Bubbles!
He is living the life of luxury in a primate sanctuary in Florida. He is now 26 years old and makes his home at the Center for Great Apes. He has lived there since 2005. Jackson intended to visit Bubbles in his home there, but unfortunately, he never made it.
The director of Bubbles' home says that he is a very nice animal. He hangs out with about six other chimps and has one special friend named Sam (a 40 year old chimp).
Chimps can live to be about 60 years old, so Bubbles conceivably has a long life ahead of him. The cost of his care is coming from donations at this point. If interested, you can donate and "adopt" Bubbles!
Can you think of other iconic animals you would like to know what happened to? Chimps have a much longer life-span than other animals. I'm sure we've lost many animal stars without even hearing about it. It was good to hear an update about Bubbles. In the early 80s, I remember being enthralled by the fact that Michael Jackson had a chimp as a pet! (Full story at PeoplePets.com. Photo from Center for Great Apes. You can read more about Bubbles there as well.)
--Tammy
Martha Stewart has lost another pet. Her cat, Mozart, passed away yesterday at the age of 19.
Stewart is well-known for having dogs such as Chows, and French bulldogs, but her cat remained out of the spotlight it seems. He was a lynx Himalayan, a rare breed from what I read.
Stewart wrote on Twitter this morning that Mozart has been laid to rest next to her chow Paw Paw, who passed away in April 2008. Stewart also lost her new chow pup Ghengis Khan on March 6 in an explosion at the kennel.
Our thoughts are with you Ms. Stewart!
Rest Well Mozart!
(Full story at PeoplePets. Photo from The Martha Blog)
--Tammy
Yesterday it was reported that Oprah Winfrey has adopted a new puppy!! As she promised last year after doing a show on puppy mills, the dog she chose came from a shelter in Chicago. (PAWS in Chicago)
The dog, an 8-week old cocker spaniel, was called Amanda by the shelter workers, but they didn't know if Oprah would keep that name or change it. (I'll keep you posted! Hopefully there will be photos of the new puppy soon!)
I think we all know that Oprah is a dog lover. She lost her beloved Sophie just last year (pictured left with Oprah). She also tragically lost a dog who choked on a rubber ball in 2007.
The story of her new puppy has made BIG headlines with stories on the US Magazine, UPI, MSNBC, and even the Huffington Post.
Which celebrities do you enjoy seeing out and about with their dogs? I particularly like shots of Julia Roberts out with her big, black dogs (instead of the small, purse-size pups we so often see with celebrities!)
--Tammy
Just yesterday, I read a story on People.com about Mickey Rourke. He has had a comeback of sorts this year with his movie The Wrestler. He won a Golden Globe award last month for his acting. In his acceptance speech, he thanked his dogs, saying, "I'd like to thank all my dogs, the ones who are here and the ones who aren't here anymore."
In this article, he states that his dogs saved his life during some dark days. He said, "I sort of self- destructed and everything came out about fourteen years or so ago... the wife had left, the career was over... The dogs were there when no one else was there."
Sadly, this morning, I read that his 18 year-old chihuahua, Loki had passed away. Loki accompanied Rourke to many red carpet events and has been famously photographed with Rourke many times. I know that Loki will be missed. Rest well, Loki. And take good care Mr. Rourke!
You can see more photos of Mr. Rourke and his dogs at PeoplePets.com.
(Photo from jezebel.com)
--Tammy
One of my vices in life is celebrity watching! I love reading celebrity gossip, checking out the latest photos, and news stories about celebrities. It has absolutely no bearing on my life, but I enjoy it!
One of the most fun things is seeing celebrities with their pets! And People.comhas apparently noticed that people do enjoy that! There is a brand new site up called PeoplePets.com. Their cute tagline is Sit. Stay. Play. Not only are there celebrity pets featured, but you can join the site and have your own pets featured! So far, it appears that it will be a fun, cute site to check out regularly!
The photo I found recently of a celebrity with her pets that I liked best was this one of Julia Roberts and her dogs! This was taken on Friday. I like the "normalness" of the picture. She isn't carrying her little purse sized dogs - she has big, black dogs! Love it! (And as you may remember - big, black dogs don't always find good home! Way to go Julia!!)
(Photo from Jezebel.com)
OK - you may have guessed this by now, but one of my "vices" is celebrity gossip. It has absolutely no 
affect on my life, but I enjoy it.
I found a couple of animal-related stories this week that I thought I would share with you. Both of them pertain to Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz (again!)
People.com posted a story quoting Pete Wentz as saying "Kinda weird to eat your dog. But I got past it." Huh?! Well, turns out that Pete had a birthday recently, and he had a life size replica of his dog 
Hemingway made into a cake! It is a really amazing looking cake. But wouldn't that be too weird for you?!
In other Simpson/Wentz news: they adopted a 10 week old puppy earlier this week, named Rigby. She joins their family including Hemingway. I hope their new baby-to-be does OK with their pets! They seem to be good pet-parents at least!
No word as to where they got this puppy. I hope they did some responsible research, but who knows? She is a cutey for sure!
(Pictures from People.com and Friendsorenemies.com)
