It was family night again last evening as the Hoefinger’s gathered in front of the television to watch episode #2 of Greatest American Dog (GAD).

The kids (Bo, Copper and Logan) all agreed that this week’s episode seemed to flow better. This may be because we knew what to expect…a reality show with dog owners and their precious pets.  Personally I think they’re following the reality TV formula a bit too closely (the dramatic music, the interviews driving conflict, the selection of who goes into the doghouse), but it’s still fun to watch.

The show started out with a scuffle and ended with an owner meltdown, with a bunch of doggie goodness in between.

We saw a little bit more of the human-canine bond. When Bill was sitting on his bed, missing his wife and family, Star came over to comfort him. You can tell, these two just have a great relationship. Also, Bill’s concern when Star got hurt, brought me back to the times waiting in the veterinarian’s office with my own dogs, hoping things will be ok.  We need to see more of this with the other owners.  They have the relationship, CBS just needs to show it to us.

Since this week was obedience week, the challenges were pretty easy. I think my dogs could have passed most of them. Well, except that back up command.

The line of the night came from Tillman’s father Ron as he prepared for the ‘dining event. “We’re going to try as hard as we can. If he does a backflip and talks Japanese, right on! If he runs off the stage to smell another dog’s butt, well that’s my dog”. I think a lot of us can relate to that!

I couldn’t stop laughing when Tillman was presented the steak, but not allowed to eat it. I can’t believe he held off.

I thought the judges did a good job in who they selected to take the last lap. It was obvious the entire night who should go, but looking to grasp defeat from the paws of victory, Beth Joy went off on the judges for criticizing her for dressing up Bella Starlet. I’m not saying the content of what she was saying was right or wrong, but there’s a time and place for everything. The judges could have let their egos get in the way and vote for Beth Joy’s and Bella Starlet’s exit, but they didn’t sending Elan and Kenji home instead

I was surprised the judges weren’t a little tougher on Elan for the way she handled Kenji. I thought it was great when guest judge, Wendy Diamond, kept interrupting Elan when she was trying to respond in the same way Elan interrupts Kenji.  I hope when Elan sees the episode she’ll be able to take a step back and see the error in her ways, especially in the grabbing of the snout.

I’ll be watching next week.

So what did you folks think?

It’s Thursday, you know what that means.  That’s right, we have episode number two of Greatest American Dog to watch tonight on CBS at 8ET/7CT. If you’re going to be out and about, make sure to set your TIVO, VCR or Betamax to record it.

I’m not sure if everyone knows, but each of the contestants has their own Dogster page. Go send a pup pal request to your favorite talented canine, and maybe they’ll even bark back with some juicy details for you!  Don’t forget to join the Greatest American Dog Fan Club to find out all the latest and greatest info.

Let’s see who gets chosen for their one “last walk” tonight.

Don’t miss the first episode of CBS’s Greatest American Dog tonight at 8ET/7CT.

I’ve got my TIVO set just in case some cat comes knocking on the door to interrupt me.

If you want to share the excitement with fellow Dogster.com members, then join the group Greatest American Dog Fan Club!

If you want to get a head start on tonight’s competition, you can get some of the doggie profiles in this forum post.

I know I can’t wait!

Here’s our tribute to Gus, who took home the 2008 World’s Ugliest Dog Contest honors at the Sonoma-Marin Fair this past weekend.

This Chinese Crested has been through a lot and bears the scars of it all: a missing leg due to a cancerous skin tumor as well as a missing eye from a cat fight he lost. None of this means a thing to his family. They still love him for his inner beauty and plan to use their cash prize to help pay for his cancer treatments.

Lucille Bald, a former contest winner, is a Dogster member. Check out her profile and see our list of the Top 10 Funny-Looking Dog Breeds.

Read more about the contest, see the finalists and watch the video.

We think all pups are lovely, but we admit there are some breeds who stand out from the crowd due to their atypical appearances. Here’s our list of the ones who make us say, “Bow-WOW!”

All the dogs pictured below are beloved members of Dogster. Click on the photos to see the doggies’ personal profiles.

1. Chinese Crested: This breed frequently gets top props in the World’s Ugliest Dog competition.

   

2. Puli: Nice dreads, mon!



3. Pharaoh Hound: Can you hear me now?



4. Neapolitan Mastiff: Got wrinkles?



5. Bedlington Terrier: Mary had a little lamb, little lamb…



6. Mexican Hairless (Xoloitzcuintli): Say it three times, fast.



7. Brussels Griffon: Monkey see, monkey do.



8. Whippet: Meet the official Weight Watchers spokesdog.

   

9. Briard: Peek-a-boo!

   

10. French Bulldog: Dog or bat?

    

Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I thought Sheba, my Neapolitan Mastiff (see #4), was the prettiest girl in the world, though plenty of people say Neos look like monsters. Rubbish!

Every now and then bad stories come out about dogs and children. That’s when I hear from young parents and new parents about how they fear having a dog in their home. For all those negative stories there must be a hundred or more stories like this where dogs make all the positive difference for kids.

Here’s big barks to all those wonderful dogs who make us and our world better!

Thanks to the Rocky Mountain News for this article.

At-risk children pair with rescued dogs in Pawsitive ways
By Julie Hutchinson, Special to the Rocky
Monday, May 26, 2008

Put any kid with any dog and you’ll see two happy faces.

And if that kid and that dog share histories of abuse and abandonment, you’ll see a bond develop that changes both of their lives.

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It constantly amazes me how dogs can help us in so many new ways! Take this article for example. Here is a dedicated group of humans trying to address a very serious problem. And who steps up to be their partners once again? Dogs, of course!

Okay, I know the dogs didn’t actually apply for the job but as our closest friends and symbiotes, dogs are helping theri humans meet these challenges. What would we do without them?

Thanks to Lindsey at Conservation International for barking over this article.

For These Dogs, Are Their New Tricks Saving Species?
May 13, 2008

Sniffing Dogs Help Monitor and Protect Threatened Animals in Brazil

It’s a tough job, but somebody – or at least some dogs – have to do it.

In the Cerrado region of Brazil, four dogs have been trained to detect animal feces by scent. These canines are helping researchers monitor rare and threatened wildlife such as jaguars, tapirs, giant anteaters, and maned wolves in and around Emas National Park, a protected area with the largest concentration of threatened species in Brazil.

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Dogsters are wonderful! I am constantly amazed at how much they care about and help each other. This is one of those many times when I am honored to be a Dogster.

Audrey, furmom to TrixieMae and Puppie Wingmaker, barked in this lovely experience with Dogsters. She wanted to make sure that everyone who participated in the Power of the Paw know how much they helped and how much it meant to her whole family.

DEAR PAWTASTIC FRIENDS AT DOGSTER:
My furless sister had a baby this past sat past,and well there was complications and we almost lost her and baby steven. All of dogster surrounded around us and loved us and held us thru paw mails and in all the threads a group rbab group grins and giggles group, poodleville unerversity group and So many others. For days we lit candles and prayed hundreds from all points of the world. You made that possible.

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Thanks to John for barking in this news from kare11.com.

Green puppy born in New Orleans

A puppy recently born in New Orleans, Louisiana is really standing out among his siblings, all because of his color.

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Thanks to China Daily for this article.

Parrot-like dog takes pleasure in owner’s pastimes
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-07

Wang, a woman from Dalian, Liaoning province, has a pet dog that is able to turn off the television and pretend to read a newspaper.

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