Connie's Blog

SKYBARK Party at NYC's Hotel Penn

Skybark's party next Friday evening (Feb 12^th from 8pm - midnight) at the Hotel Penn (across the street from Madison Square Garden) will, for me, mark the commencement of the fun and festivities surrounding the world renowned Westminster Dog Show in NYC.  Modern Dog is a sponsor of this exciting Skybark shindig which its creator has coined to be "the ultimate chic hotspot and the only night club of its kind offering a place for both humans and their four legged friends to live it up in a social environment where cocktails and food are offered along with a lively atmosphere". If it's anything like last year's party, it will be a blast!

We'd like you to join in the fun, too, so we're giving away 10 pairs of tickets to the Skybark party. If you live in New York or are planning to be in New York on Feb 12^th, email us at SkybarkTix@moderndogmagazine.com with a sentence or two about why you should win.  The lucky winners will be notified by return email.

If you're not one of our lucky ticket winners, but would like to purchase tickets to the event (or would like more info), please email info@petapotty.com.

Click here to read about Westminster, the Hotel Penn and the exhibition area.

Help For Haiti

As the world continues to respond to the disaster in Haiti we are seeing people coming together to help in any way they can. Many are assisting via financial support through donations to organizations such as the American Red Cross or Canadian Red Cross, as we at Modern Dog have chosen to do.  As in any disaster of this scope, animals are also in need. Whether they be lost or neglected pets or livestock, the animal victims of this disaster need help too and animal welfare groups are joining forces to come to their aid and Modern Dog aims to assist them as well.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) will be working on the ground to help the animals in Haiti. They have developed the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) to assist in the response efforts. When you subscribe to Modern Dog through the link below, half the price of your subscription will go directly to aid in their efforts to help animal victims. Help us help the animals of Haiti, and the thousands of other animals that will be affected by disasters to come. Click here to subscribe now. Half of the subscription price will go to helping these animals in need.

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Photo Credit: Getty Images (courtesy of WSPA)

Do You Know of an Extraordinary Pet or Person?

 

Modern Dogs will be interested to know that the ASPCA is seeking nominations for their annual Humane Awards that honours people or pets who have engaged in acts of heroism over the past year in the United States. Last year's winners included a piano-playing shelter cat; a Labrador retriever who served as an assistance dog to an injured veteran; an 11-year-old girl who launched a Web site to purchase pet masks for fire departments; firefighters who rescued a pooch that fell into a frozen lake; and officials of the Humane Society of Missouri and undercover agents who worked tirelessly in the largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history.

This year, categories open for nomination are:

• ASPCA Dog of the Year: for a dog who has performed a heroic act in the past year;
• ASPCA Cat of the Year: for a cat who has performed a heroic act in the past year;
• ASPCA "Tommy P. Monahan" Kid of the Year: for a child under 14 who has helped make the world a better place for animals;
• ASPCA Public Service Award: for a member of the municipal police force, a firefighter, or other public service officer who has made a heroic effort to save an animal in the past year; and
• Other Nominations: any other nomination that does not fit into any of the above categories.

The ASPCA will begin accepting nominations via its Web site on January 12at www.aspca.org/nominate. 

Winners will be invited to attend the Humane Awards Luncheon, sponsored by the Hartville Group, on Thursday, November 11, at the Pierre Hotel in New York City, where the awards will be presented.

All submissions must include the following: the nominee's name, street address, email address; telephone number; the category for which he/she is being nominated; and a short statement (400 words or less) of why this person or pet deserves the award. 

The deadline for entries is Wednesday, June 30. Winners will be chosen by a committee selected by the ASPCA and announced to the public in October. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org/nominate.

Here's one of last year's winners: Nora, the piano playing cat!

Clean Up With This Contest!!!

Bissell's 3^rd Annual MVP (Most Valuable Pet) Contest

Bissell's running a really cool contest with some fantastic prizes. If you think your dog has got what it takes, you'll probably want to enter as you never know, Roscoe could just be the 2010 grand prize winner.  Here's what's up for grabs:

• Your pet's picture on a BISSELL box
• A BISSELL Vacuum or Deep Cleaner designed for pets
• A $10,000 donation to the charity of your choice
• A $500 "Perfect For You and Your Pet' shopping spree

Great prizes, right?! If this has got you pulling at the leash, then click here to enter and/or find out more.

Stephen Huneck, dog-loving folk artist/author dies

 

Dog Chapel

I was shocked and saddened to hear that celebrated Vermont folk artist and author Stephen Huneck died yesterday morning of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  A few years back Modern Dog spoke with Huneck for an article that ran in Modern Dog (click here to read the article).  I learned how, in 1994, after his awakening from a near-death experience, he had a vision to build Dog Chapel, a traditionally styled New England chapel he built on Dog Mountain to celebrate the spiritual bond between dogs and humans. Every element of the chapel speaks of the profound connection he felt towards our canine friends.  CBC reports that his wife Gwen said that because of the economic downturn, the couple feared losing their St. Johnsbury, Vt., home and mountain-top farm (dubbed Dog Mountain). On Tuesday of this week they were forced to lay off most of the employees of their art studio and the chapel Huneck unveiled in 1999. "This hurt Stephen deeply. He cared about them and felt responsible for their welfare," she said. And Thursday, just two days later, Huneck shot himself in the head while sitting in his parked car outside the office of his psychiatrist, she revealed.

I, personally, felt a connection to this unique and talented individual who preferred running his own galleries to having his work represented by others so that he could make sure his staff and the ambience remained true to his values. He explained, "There's an elitism and snobbishness in the art world that discourages people from participating in art and enjoying it. To prevent that, I tell my staff right off that the most important thing is that I want people to feel welcome and happy, and not under any pressure to buy anything. I want them to enjoy the gallery as an experience. It's great to see everyone-young kids, old people- all walking around, smiling and happy." And of course, dogs are always welcome and are sure to locate a treat or two at any Huneck gallery.

Huneck spoke of the freedom children feel to create art and wished that more people could retain that kind of creative openness. "If we could all be five again, we could make some great art,", and explains further, "It's our rigidity and fear of failure that prevent us from doing it later." And now, ironically, it was his own fear of failure that took him from us.

Huneck's passing is a tragic loss to his family, friends, the art community and to all of us who love dogs (and the inspiration they kindle in us). On behalf of Modern Dog I extend our sincere condolences to his wife and family.

 

Stephen Huneck with Golden Retriever

Happy New Year!

As 2009 comes to a close and the New Year ready to dawn, it's customary to reflect on the year's experiences- both the good and the bad - and then make some resolutions for the upcoming year. Having recently read a book on applying the practices of Feng Shui  (pronounced Fung-shway), to increase abundance in one's life, I decided that my first resolution would be putting some of the principles outlined in that book into practice (if you'd like to read Wikipedia's definition of Feng Shui click here). As many a busy person can testify it's very easy to accumulate stuff that you intend to deal with later and after a while, you don't even see it. Upon standing back and looking at the stacks of papers, boxes and "stuff" piled up in my office I realized that my build-up of clutter was breaking  one of the most basic laws of Feng Shui (clutter blocks the flow of auspicious energy and in basic terms, if energy gets stuck, nothing new can come in). Soooo, I've been very busy today, getting rid of junk, sorting through piles of paper, recycling and generally clearing and beautifying my work space. As a result, I feel more organized and ready to dig into some new projects next week.  I'm also going to de-clutter my house... it's actually quite fun once you get started.

Have fun deciding on your own resolutions for 2010 and on behalf of all of us at Modern Dog I wish you good health, happiness,  love and the fulfillment of all your goals.

Modern Dog's First-Ever Writing Contest

Time and again I hear how dogs have impacted and positively changed peoples' lives. I therefore thought it time we give our readers an opportunity to tell their "tails" via a writing contest. The best entries will be published in our Summer 2010 issue!! The contest details are outlined on page 76 of the Winter issue of Modern Dog or online at moderndogmagazine.com/bestshortstory.  I can't wait to hear from you and read your stories.  

Countdown to Christmas

If your stress level has just skyrocketed because you've suddenly realized that Christmas is just a few days away and not only are those Christmas cards you were planning to send still sitting in the box, but your holiday shopping isn't nearly finished - don't worry, be happy -- Modern Dog is here to save the day! Start to de-stress by clicking here to send out sweet and FREE e-cards to your friends and family (you can even add your own personalized message!).  And if you really want to make their Christmas bright (and shopping ridiculously easy), send them a gift subscription to Modern Dog.  It's a gift that keeps giving all year round and every time the recipient receives a new issue, they'll remember you! You can even send an e-card to let them know about the gift you've bought them.  Better yet, by clicking here you'll get our special holiday offer where gift subscriptions are just $5 when you, yourself subscribe (or renew your subscription).  Happy Holidays from Modern Dog!!