It’s the end of 2008 which means it’s time for a look back on the last year!
Below I’ve listed a few of the most popular posts for the Food Bowl – did I include yours?

Can dogs read our emotions?
PediPaws nail trimmer review
Pets in the White House
Uno the beagle makes history
Rachael Ray feeds your pets (and then launches Nutrish, her own line of dog food)
Toxic and Non-Toxic plants for pets
Make your own Frosty Paws ice cream
Pets and vacation preparation
Cat crackers
Princess Chunk, one fat cat
Toy ball causes severe damage to Chai the dog
Smartest and dumbest dog breeds
Ratchet gets to come to the …read more

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 …read more

MSN Encarta recently did a series of the top ten dads in the animal kingdom (did anyone else just remember Father’s Day is only five days away??).
Some of them are surprising and some aren’t (we’ve all seen ‘March of the Penguins’), but it’s neat to find out that caring about offspring isn’t limited to just human dads!
1. Sea Horse
2. Emperor Penguin
3. Giant African Bullfrog
4. Jacana
5. Stickleback
6. Rhea
7. Giant Water Bug
8. Golden Jackal
9. Antechinus
10. Lion
[image: sxc]

Image details: Thinkstock Single Image Set served by picapp.com
This has been around the internet for many years but it’s still as funny now as it’s always been!
How To Give A Cat A Pill:
1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat …read more

These haikus “written by” cats have been floating around online for years and I finally came across them again last night:
The food in my bowl
Is old, and more to the point
Contains no tuna.
So you want to play.
Will I claw at dancing string?
Your ankle’s closer.

I’ll admit it: I’ve dressed my dogs. Not fru-fru dresses or shirts and ties, but little knitted sweaters or wearable fleece blankets I’ve whipped together from scraps. They’re both short hairs and while we don’t get snow it does get cold here, so they seem to appreciate the extra warmth. If they go out front or walk with me to pick the kids up from school, though, they go bare!
Over the years I’ve kept a folder of bookmarks with patterns and ideas. Making such small things are a good shot of instant gratification and (I like to tell myself) …read more

2007 was a big year for pets and pet news!
Arguably the biggest and most popular issue was the pet food recalls that started in March and still seems to be ongoing (although on a much smaller scale) and affected thousands of pets and their families. Were you affected by the pet food recalls?
…
Celebrities had their fair share of pet drama:
~ Michael Vick was tried for and convicted of funding illegal dog fighting and participating in the killing of some of the dogs, and sentenced to 23 months in prison.
~ Iggygate and Ellen Degeneres. Ugh.
~ Leona Helmsley leaves $12M to …read more

Do you dress your dog(s) up for Halloween? Do they tolerate it for longer than it takes to snap a picture? We bought a little hat type costume for Chip several years ago and couldn’t even get him to hold still long enough for that, but he looked cute for the 2.2 seconds he had it on.

Tails By the Lake costumes
Glamour Dog
Costume Craze
Buy Costumes
Extreme Halloween
Halloween Street
Brandonsale
Petco
Petsmart

What’s your dog dressing up as?

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Home & Dining channel has put together some lists to help you show your support. And of course, we can’t leave the pets out!
~ Pink Pet Accessories:

Pink hoody
Pink Flowers fancy pet collar
Pink camouflage dog jacket
Pink Aluminum Pet Tag
Pink dog bandanna
Hooded tweed dog jacket
Chocolate and Pink collars
Chocolate and Pink bed
Pink metallic collar and leash
Pink pretty dog polo shirt

~ Pink Pet Homes:

Super Pet CritterTrail
Pink chalkboard aquarium stand
(and pink aquarium rocks and gemstones)
Pink dollhouse style aquarium stand
Pink bird cage
Pink …read more

To celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day, here are a few links for pirates and their pets:

An entire set of pirate pets at flickr!
Did pirates really have pet parrots?
Get your own pirate dog costumes
Happy Pirate Skull Pet Carrier
“My Cat is a Pirate” gear