Barking All the Way to the Bank

If DogSmarts Released After Mrs. Helmsey's Death

I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but it would have been nice had Leona Helmsey passed just a few months earlier - it would have been great fodder for a DogSmarts question. You gotta love the "Queen of Mean" - she causes juicy controversy all the way to the grave. Had she passed before we went to press, we would have had a question along the lines of:

How much money did Leona Helmsey leave to her beloved dog?

A ... $1 million
B ... $6 million
C ... $12 million
D ... $36 million

Answer: C ... $12 million

I'm not exactly sure what Mrs. Helmsey's Maltese named Trouble is going to do with the $12 million trust fund - I think even the most exclusive dog spas in the world are around $100 / day. Of course he could get some nice diamond collars and lots of kibble. And when Trouble goes to that great dog park in the sky, his remains will be buried next to Mrs. Helmsey in the family Mausoleum. Lucky pooch! Her human family did not fare as well: two of her grandchildren were cut out entirely and the other two received a mere $5 million with the stipulation that they visit their father's grave at least once a year.

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Get Your Pooch in Print
You can look for that question in the future printing of DogSmarts, but for now we have lots of other fun ones. Speaking of the next print run, we're already thinking of going back to press early next year and need more photos for the cards. In the first edition we held a Get Your Pooch in Print competition in which we were looking for several dogs who were representative of their breed to be featured on the back of the cards. We had lots of great submissions and added a few other photos.

This time we want a photo on the back of each card, so we need more submissions. If you have an especially cute pooch, please send us a photo and release form. There are still a few more breeds that we're looking which are outlined on the release form so they'll get first dibs, but we'll consider other especially attractive pups.

A few tips when taking photos of your dog:

• get down to their level - taking a picture from above won't work
• try to get a side shot of their full body
• don't dress them up in costumes
• don't have other people or animals in the picture
• ensure there's plenty of light and a good contrast background

Another option is to hire a professional. Lori Chung www.thepetphotographer.com takes some fantastic photos of dogs. Her very cute Chihuahua-Dachshund Mix (Chiweenie) "Flash" is featured in our DogSmarts Companion Guide.

DogSmarts Debuts at CCI Fundraiser

Our latest game gets conversation started

Last weekend I was able to combine two of my favorite pleasures – dogs and wine – at the debut of DogSmarts at the annual Celebrity Chef fundraiser for Canine Companions for Independence. We spent a delightful evening up in Sonoma County, enjoying tasty food and wine surrounded by very cute dogs while we raised money for a great cause.

We raffled off copies of DogSmarts, WineParty , and WineSmarts with a fun quiz and placed DogSmarts cards at each place setting, which was a great way to get the conversation started at the table. I had always though our games can be used as great ice breakers at big dinners such as this, and it was great to see my theory proved correct at this dinner with people sharing cards and showing off who knew more.

I first got connected with CCI through my friends Tara & Dane (at right), who have raised several puppies for CCI. They were always so cute, and when we decided to do a DogSmarts game and start our charitable giving branch of SmartsCo, CCI was the natural choice. It was especially nice to have them be a local organization with lots of wine lovers (and WineSmarts fans) in house.

My first visit to the CCI campus included a graduation ceremony which was so amazing. These dogs are specifically bred to be service dogs and have the most amazing demeanors. They also go through a ton of training, about a year or so with a volunteer puppy raiser and then intensive training with the CCI staff for about six months to nine months. Finally, the dogs are introduced to their potential partner, and the two go through two weeks of training together. At the graduation, the new partners get to meet the puppy raisers over lunch and then everyone goes to a graduation ceremony.

It’s amazing to watch how these dogs can change people’s lives, be they hearing dogs, service dogs for people with physical disabilities, skilled companion dogs for children with developmental or emotional disabilities, or facilities dogs for rehabilitation professionals, caregivers or educators and utilize a dog to improve the mental, physical or emotional health of those in their care. Pretty neat stuff.

Once you’ve experienced CCI, it becomes an addictive organization to support through volunteer activities or through financial support. My friend Tara and Dane were such successful puppy raisers, that they now have a breeder dog—Mondo—he’s such a stud (and so sweet—I would want one of his progeny).