Many companies now produce and sell kits that include stencils, scoops and specialized knives to create fancy carved pumpkins, and Better Homes & Gardens has thrown their hat in the ring with a very specific theme for your Halloween pumpkin — dog breeds!

The free, download-able templates feature 13 dog breeds including beagles, boxers, bulldogs, chihuahuas, dachshunds, German shepherds, golden retrievers, Jack Russel terriers, Labrador retrievers, poodles, pugs, Scottish terriers, and Yorkshire terriers.

Simply print out the stencil, center and attach it over a clean, dry, hollowed-out pumpkin, and mark out the lines by making pin pricks through the paper into the pumpkin. Remove the paper and carve out through the solid lines, and just peel at the areas marked by dotted lines.

The finished product is a cute, non-scary Howl-oween decoration that even your four-legged family members can be proud of!

[image: better homes & gardens]

Post from: Blisstree

Free Dog Breed Pumpkin Stencils

The one-question survey is part of the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA) website, Meet the Breeds. And CFA wants to encourage all cat lovers to go vote!

After you vote, you can also email any additional comments you have about why cats or dogs are your preference. Here’s a fun quote sent to Meet the Breeds by a cat owner who took the poll:

Actually, I love dogs, too, but cats are so darn smart — and so totally self-contained, self-sufficient and in control of their lives. They march to their own drummers, each is a unique individual, and they are intuitive as can be. In fact, I think if people were more cat-like, we’d all do better. We’d be able to separate pretenders from the real thing, take better care of ourselves, do what pleases us instead of what pleases everybody else, and enjoy life more. Here’s to cats and the people they choose to grace with their presence.

Meet the Breeds, presented by PetPartners, is the world’s largest showcase of dogs and cats, taking place on October 17-18, 2009, at the Javits Center in New York City.

At Meet the Breeds, you’ll have the opportunity to interact with 60 dog breeds and 41 cat breeds. All breeds will have their own special spaces, reflecting their special heritage and characteristics as a pet. Not only will you be able to pet the puppies, dogs, cats and kittens, but you can also learn about them from breed experts. For more information on all the activities and breeds highlighted or to buy tickets, visit Meet the Breeds.

(Image via stock.xchng)

Post from: Blisstree

Pet Preference Poll & Meet the Breeds

The Early Show on CBS did a segment last week on the smartest and dumbest dog breeds. I’ve heard of some breeds not being as bright as others, I’m not sure what their criteria was.

Anyway, they say the dumbest breeds are:

1. Afghan Hound
2. Basenji
3. Bulldog
4. Chow Chow
5. Borzois
6. Bloodhound
7. Pekingese
8. Mastiff
9. Beagle
10. Basset hound

and the smartest are:

1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pinscher
6. Shetland Sheepdog
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog

Like I said, I’m not sure what they’re basing their rankings on exactly. I’ve known a pretty smart beagle and a dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks poodle so it’s a safe bet that it’s all relative anyway!

What do you think of the lists?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Smartest and Dumbest Dog Breeds