ELVIS was sprayed by a skunk that was thrice his size, in the wee hours of the night! I am fond of skunks but “Holy Pepe Le Pee Yew Batman!” how do you get that smell out of chihuahua fur??? I bathed him with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap from Trader Joe’s, then sprayed him with powder puff dog perfume. Now I’m burning a mandarin orange scented candle and have the diffuser by the bed and it still stinks.  In the meantime, ELVIS is doing everything possible to try to remove himself from the smell not realizing that he himself is the culprit.

I would love to hear from any of you who have been in the same situation.

ELVIS cube (click on image to see in 3-D)

I’m obsessed with making ELVIS into a cube after stumbling across some sites that do just that. There is one site that I plan on uploading an ELVIS cube to called CubeCraft but this design is going to take a little time (time? what is that I ask?) The site that I made this cube on is Paper Critters.

This is circa 1978 and truly my kind of Superhero. Why can’t we learn how to make movies like the Japanese? We need more giant robot monsters, samurai swords and kung fu moves in our action films…and how’s ’bout that groovy theme song!

Are you into Spiderman AND crazy about your four-legged companion? Check out the MARVEL COMICS Pet Collection by Chi WOW WOW featuring Spidey!

I heart Spiderman!

"Hey...you look like me!"

I am absolutely in LOVE with this handmade gift made by a friend of one of my Japanese Buyers. This sweet iPhone holder is so beautifully made with little pearls, detailed chihuahua and cute buttons, it’s hard to put a price tag on the love that went into making it. My Buyer, Emi has a boutique in Osaka where she carries these knitted treasures, so click here to see more!

Beverly
Osaka, Japan

Chi WOW WOW Vintage "Sling-over" Carrier

On Monday, July 6th TODAY will be ambushing three lucky dogs on Rockefeller Plaza with a doggie makeover!   The Princess of Doggie Fashion Style, Dara Foster from Pupstyle and Celebrity Dog Groomer, Jorge Bendersky will be working their magic on 3 lucky pups and word on the street is that one of those SuperPups will be dressed to the canines in Chi WOW WOW’s MARVEL COMICS Collection! POW! Chi WOW WOW will be awarding the entire outfit to the chosen model that sports it on the show! Good luck and can’t wait to watch!

NBC TODAY SHOW
Ambush Doggy Makeovers
Monday, July 6

Big surprise…right?

“The tenor of the world now is when we’re at a point where we want to believe in heroes. Someone who can lead the way,” said Tom Breevort, Marvel Executive Editor. “It just feels like the right time.”

He forgot to add, “…to stuff some more money in our pockets.” Sure, milk the Captain for what it’s worth. The poor guy didn’t even have a chance to rest in peace. Now…I am really curious how a normal buff military guy (remember, Captain America didn’t have any super powers like other Superheroes) comes back to life after being blasted through the heart by a high powerd sniper’s rifle. AND, that didn’t land him in the hospital on life support. Nooo, he had a funeral…coffin and all…attended by all his Avenger friends. Read my previous post, CAPTAIN AMERICA…WHAT?!!!, to get up to speed.

So it will be interesting to see how this turns out. The comic book comes out on Monday and I will probably add it to my signed collection of one (the one where he is killed, signed by Ed Brubaker) if I can get to the Comics Factory.

If you are a Fan of Captain America and have a four-legged Superhero like I do, then check out the CAPTAIN AMERICA Collection by Chi WOW WOW.

I’m totally into the vinyl toy craze now and with the recession, it’s the only way for me to get my shopping fix on without breaking the bank. It only becomes slightly expensive when you become obsessed with having all in a series and you can’t stop buying blind boxes, just to complete the set. For those that don’t know how this works, most of the toys are sold in boxes that are sealed and you don’t know exactly which toy you are going to get. This opens the collecting craze to trading with other fanatics like yourself. I think it’s fun not knowing what I will get.

So, this past weekend I went to a very cool gallery and tea cafe named Royal/T to meet the Italian Artist, Simone Legno for Tokidoki and have a spot of tea. The gallery is a great space and the cafe is modeled after Japanese cosplay cafes where the waitresses dress up as maids.

Simone doodles a Bastardino on a
Chi WOW WOW Vintage Carrier for ELVIS

MARCH 2

People born on this day:

Me
Dr. Seuss
Desi Arnaz
Jon Bon Jovi
Tom Wolf
Lou Reed
Emily Carr

Florida Couple Clones Beloved Dog

This article stopped me dead (no pun intended) in my tracks because I often wonder what it would be like to clone the love of my life, ELVIS. After realizing what a great dog ELVIS is, I was bummed that he was neutered; one of the requirements when taking on a rescue. Lost was the opportunity to sew his seeds and make little ELVIS replicas. Then came the thought of cloning, quite natural of a thought coming from someone who worked in biotechnology for many years. So now I see that it is actually happening and where else but in California. The company BioArts International has the “Best Friends Again” program that begs the question, “What if you could be best friends…again?”

Looking at the site, I can’t help but think of Stephen King’s, “Pet Sematary” where the family cat named Church is brought back and all appears good but only for awhile. I guess my luck would be that ELVIS’s clone turns out to be like Church from the book, taking pleasure in only things that annoy a person and void of emotion….oh yeah, and smelling like roadkill.

So I guess I will finish off with a quote from the Humane Society as the disclaimer to all this sci fi, new age-y pet experimentation…

“For those looking to replace a lost pet, cloning will not create an animal identical to the one who is gone; cloning cannot replicate an animal’s uniqueness. Cloning can only replicate the pet’s genetics, which influence but do not determine his physical attributes or personality.”
- The Humane Society of the United States

Just in case…I’m going to save some of ELVIS’ DNA, it couldn’t hurt?

My dog Jessie

I heard a little puppy crying
in a garbage bin
My daddy picked her out cause she was
scared and very thin.
we took her home and bathed her
then to our surprise she wasn’t
black but golden brown with big brown
puppy eyes. We took her to the doctor
and he said she’s doing fine
how can people be so cruel
Why can’t they just be kind?

- Calli  Vanderaa (9 years old)

Click on Calli’s picture to read the full story in Modern Dog Magazine’s Rescue Blog.

These cute pictures of Brussels Griffon, Gigitte were sent in to us by Buyer and professional Photographer, Lisa Brewer, Owner of the pet boutique, Too Cute Dogs in Henderson, N.C.

Too Cute Dogs
Pet Boutique & Photography Studio
420 Warrenton Road
Henderson, NC  27536
(252) 432-2189

Places like Randy’s Donuts and Tail ‘o the Pup are great pop icons in Los Angeles. I think I remember in “Mars Attacks”, the donut is zapped off the building and then rolls down the street?

The HOLLYWOOD sign

On a hot summer night, with little constructive to do, some friends and I decided that we wanted to get up close and personal with the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in Hollywood Hills. We were prepared to climb, hike, do whatever it took to touch one of the letters. Let me just say, winding up the narrow streets to get close was a feat in itself. We never made it even close because it is so protected, you practically have to be air-lifted in to the area. Better that it’s off limits and safe from the L.A. crazies.

This guy and more in Venice Beach

Whether it’s the roller blading, guitar playing sihk, the tattoo’d muscle men lifting weights at Muscle Beach or the disco dancing roller skaters in the central park area; Venice Beach is a fun place to hang out to get a taste of the really wacko side of L.A.

Dogtown & Z Boys
Surf & Skateboard Culture

Sunshine

IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!

I’m willing to pay a little more if I have to….what about you?

We just rescued our third chihuahua and I blame my own father for this one! Last week my Dad who lives in Houston, Texas mentioned that he was fostering a young chihuahua that was listed on Petfinder.

So what did I do?

I went online and started looking at chihuahuas…then saved some profiles…then sent some emails and made some phone calls. Next thing I know, I’m setting up an appointment to pick up Twinkie, a 4 month old male apple head and cute as a button! He now sleeps soundly, snuggled up by my side with ELVIS and Izzy close by.

ELVIS, Izzy and now Twinkie are all rescues and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Twinkie was being fostered by Pups and Pals, a rescue covering L.A. and Orange Counties. They get high marks from me for their professionalism, compassion and efficiency in placing animals in good homes quickly.

Yup, they’re at it again…

The lawyers for Target are barking up the wrong tree again. Read the previous posts from the last round of letters:

Chi WOW WOW vs. Target

WTF Target?…leave us alone.

First of all the dog’s name caught my attention and second, I wish there had been a canine mathematician to help me understand calculus while in college. I might have paid attention, instead of zoning out, eyes glazed over.

Hope College Professor, Dr. Tim Pennings found it more than coincidental that his Corgi, Elvis was taking a certain path to retrieving a ball from the water. He recorded how far Elvis would run along the shore before deciding to swim for the ball and he concluded that Elvis had the innate ability to find the optimal path to fetching the ball, every time.

For those who are reading this and rolling their eyes, a couple of years ago, a team of French mathematicians tried to prove Elvis wasn’t really thinking things through as he chased after his ball. It turned out they were wrong, and so Hope College, where Dr. Penning teaches, awarded Elvis an honorary degree.

Maybe what we need now is a dog to solve the financial crisis…

Don’t you think Chi WOW WOW should be on the red carpet for this movie premier? I would say that if we don’t receive an invite, then the Disney creators of this movie are clearly out of touch. We live in Los Angeles…less than 5 miles from Disney studios…no doubt, someone during the making of the movie googled the word chihuahua and came across Chi WOW WOW?

Where’s my PR Agent when I need them!!!

What? you ask, is so special about a hotdog from Colombia?

No….it’s not laced with contraband, although I will say that if you like junk food, one bite could lead to a serious addiction.

Some may cringe, others are already salivating but here is the combination. Take a Hebrew National hot dog and tuck ham and mozzarella cheese into a bun with raw onion, spackle with crushed pineapple, sprinkle with crushed potato chips and finish with a three-squeeze-bottle lattice of catsup, mustard and mayonnaise. The sweet flavor of the pineapple and the salty potato chips made it, plus the texture of the crunch added an extra dimension. Top it off with some Colombian cheesy puffs and a malta soda and you have met your cholesterol quota for the month.

If you are adventurous and need a fix, you can get one of these masterpieces at Tutti Frutti in Pasadena, CA.

NEXT BEST HOTDOGS…

# 2
The “Garment District” Dog
Wrapped in bacon and grilled on a cookie sheet with onions and jalapenos, this dog is tasty and cheap and sold at street stands in the Garment District in downtown L.A. where I spend most of my working days.

# 3
Chili, Cheese & Onion Hotdog
Pink’s Hotdogs
Open 24 hours and always a long line.

# 4
Dodger Dogs
Dodger Stadium

# 5
Tail O’ the Pup
L.A. kitschy icon that has been moved around quite a bit. It currently is being moved again to Westwood from what I have read. This goes on my list because we need to preserve these historic icons or else the world will become a very boring place. The hotdogs are good too!

Chihuahuas eveywhere I look…the movies, Milkbone boxes and the Los Angeles Times. Eli, chihuahua belonging to Karen Biehl of NYC won the Milkbone small biscuit contest and will be on the front of the box for the next year. ELVIS entered that contest too but didn’t really have the Milkbone look. Little did they know that he is missing half his teeth and has trouble eating the biscuits…we had to submit a picture with his mouth closed! A couple of weeks ago the L.A. Times published this article, “Chihuahuas reign as Los Angeles County’s most popular dog breed”. “L.A.’s Top Dogs,” a new database compiled by the Los Angeles Times and launched this week on its website provides facts and figures on more than half a million registered dogs in Los Angeles County.

The flip side of all this attention is the sad fact that the popularity leads to large numbers of the breed in rescues and shelters, needing homes. Top this with the Disney film, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” coming out October 3, and we are looking at a chihuahua population explosion.

“We get an awful lot of Chihuahuas,” said Ed Boks, general manager of the city’s Department of Animal Services. “The big concern is that Disney is coming out with a movie called ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ . . . . It will just encourage the breeding of Chihuahuas when we’ve already got too many out there.”

What I do see that is very positive, is that people tend to own multiple chis because of their size and many are from rescues like my ELVIS and Izzy. I can only ask this of anyone wanting a chihuahua, to check out their local shelters and rescues first before buying a chihuahua from a breeder or store. You just might be surprised at what you fall in love with. After all, I now have a full fledged, internationally known brand because of my 5 lb. rescued chihuahua and celebri-dog, ELVIS!

Viva Chi WOW WOW’s!!!