Entire Dog Blog

Hallmark wants a picture of your dog and a slice of your birthday card writing wit for their "Your Greeting Card" contest.

Here's the deal: You send us your cute, silly, strange, funny pet photos paired with some of your very own birthday-themed writing. Be clever, be funny, be creative... be you. We'll pick the best and print them.

Then you all vote for your favorite to select the Grand Prize Winner.

Hallmark will choose 67 finalists for the contest. Those 67 finalists will each receive $250, and their cards will be sold in Hallmark's Stores between June and September.

Online voters will choose the Grand Prize Winner. That winner receives $1,000 and their card will be sold at Hallmark stores for at least a year (maybe longer). They'll also win a trip for themselves, a friend and their dog to the Hallmark studio in Kansas City for a photo shoot.

Truck driver Alan Nelson's best friend Sato slipped out of his collar and ran away while the pair were stopped at an unfamiliar rest stop about an hour North of New York City on January 2^nd during one of the many long hauls the two had shared over their two years together.

Nelson reported to his dispatcher that he had to pause his route to search for his dog, but the dispatcher threatened his job. Nelson had no choice but to leave the rest stop - and Sato - behind.

The heartbreaking situation made news, a $500 reward was offered, and volunteers searched the surrounding area for the 2-year old Shiba Inu.

Last week, volunteer Michele Dugan received a call that Sato was at the same rest stop from where he disappeared. Dugan, other volunteers and the area's Animal Control officer (on her own time) kept Sato occupied with treats for hours while another man managed to get a leash around the dog's neck.

Nelson and Sato were reunited on Friday.

"Where have you been?" Nelson said to his dog. "I've been looking for you."

With that the trucker scooped up his damp pet in a hug. Sato, a reddish-brown dog, responded with some high-pitched, throaty whimpers. That, in turn, produced tears of joy and relief from volunteers who spent days searching for him.

"This is all we wanted, just to get him back to you," volunteer Michele Dugan of Southeast told the trucker.

The parents of slain hiker Meredith Emerson plan to adopt her black Labrador retriever mix Ella. Ella will live in Colorado with Dave and Susan Emerson.

Ella was with Emerson, 24, when she went missing from a hike at Vogel State Park in Georgia on January 1. 61-year-old drifter Gary Michael Hilton has been charged with murdering the hiker. Police say he led them to her body on January 7.

As of this writing, donations to a memorial fund set up in Meredith Emerson's name at the Longmont (Colorado) Humane Society total nearly $8.700. Donations can be made directly through the society's web site via FirstGiving.com. The telephone number for the Society is (303) 772-1232.

A memorial service for Meredeth Emerson will be held at 2 p.m. Friday (January 11) in Athens (Georgia), at Central Presbyterian Church.

It is not known whether Ella was with Emerson when she was killed.

Ella did not immediately reunite with Emerson's family after she was found Jan. 4 — three days after Emerson went missing while hiking with Ella in Vogel State Park — wandering around a Cumming-area Kroger parking lot. She spent a few days being checked out by a veterinarian... the dog is healthy and "her tail is wagging," [family spokesperson Peggy] Bailey said.

The fate of accused murderer Gary Michael Hilton's male Irish Setter Dandy is less clear. Because he is considered evidence in the case (he was seen by witnesses running with Ella directly before Emerson's disappearance and was with Hilton when Hilton was apprehended at a gas station), Dandy is being housed away from the general population at the DeKalb County animal shelter and is unavailable for adoption. The shelter reports numerous inquiries about adopting Dandy.

A Dog's Life, a new musical that tracks the ups and downs of the relationship between a dog and his human companion, has earned a rave review from the Kansas City Star.

The musical, which I told you about on Tuesday, premiered on March 2 at Kansas City Missouri's American Heartland Theater and earned a standing ovation during the press performance.

Writer Sean Grennan and composer Leah Okimoto have crafted a musical that seems custom-made for dog lovers — or animal lovers of any kind. This is a love story about a man named Joel who reluctantly accepts a shelter dog into his life and discovers the bond he shares with Jack (the dog) is more profound that any of his relationships with people.

The narrative traces their friendship from day one, when Joel comes to an animal shelter ostensibly to find a dog for his ex-girlfriend, to the inevitable end. In the process we watch Joel change from a driven go-getter to one who has grown mellow and reflective.

The Heartland production, directed by Paul Hough, is elevated by fine performances. The actors commit themselves to the material 100 percent and their collective effort pays big dividends.

The musical runs through April 15 at the Kansas City theater, but the reviewer predicts that it could find it's way to regional theaters. From there, a nationwide tour is always possible.

PuppyDogPost.com has announced their first annual Top 10 Books About Dogs list, compiled by combining a poll of their website's readers with surveys of social networking sites, other blogs and friends. The top 10 are:

1. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan
2. Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier
3. Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor
4. A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me by Jon Katz
5. The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training by Paul Owens and Norma Eckroate
6. How to be Your Dogs Best Friend by Monks of New Skete
7. The Art of Raising a Puppy by New Skete Monks
8. For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend by Patricia B. McConnell
9. Good Owners, Great Dogs by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson
10. Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

The site promises to follow-up with lists of the Top 10 Fiction Books About Dogs and Top Ten Books On Training and Caring for Your Dog.