The Interlopers Speak Up

We cooked up the "Dog Days of Summer: Works by Jamie Wyeth" catalog contest and we excluded people from distant states or countries. Seems fair to me that the the signed catalog should go to someone nearby -- a perk for living here.

I called the faraway people "interlopers," and a couple of them had cute responses that I thought I'd share:


Nathan: "Being an interloper from Illinois, I am not able to enter the contest, but would like to tell you my story anyway. On the day Jamie Wyeth was signing books at Brandywine River Museum, I had flown into Philadelphia to surprise my granddaughter, who was turning 12 years old that day. She lives in Wilmington, DE. and loves the Blue Rocks baseball team, so I had bought tickets to the game. I read the Delawareonline news most everyday. And saw that Jamie was going to be signing books, but problem was, he was signing same time as the ballgame. So I will buy a book, because I am an animal lover (have Pomeranian named Snickers) but won't have signed copy. But just wanted to let you know how things worked out for me. Thanks, and keep up the good stories. I am not the chosen one, but am one of the chosen few."

I told Nathan it was a pleasure to read about someone with his priorities so much in order.

Gary and Dr. Kathleen: "What? No interlopers? Those of us who still read delawareonline everyday are pretty upset. Since we are unable to get to Jamie's exhibit because we are out of state, is there another way to purchase a "signed" copy. We are dog lovers, Wyeth fans and former colleagues of Jamie. If possible, please forward this e-mail directly to him. We thought this might be our chance to get the signed catalog but since you have excluded us, we'll have to search for other means to obtain one."

I've shipped this e-mail off to a couple of people who might be able to help. Good luck, kind interlopers!

STAY TUNED: Winner will be announced Wednesday!

Win a Free Jamie Wyeth Signed 'Dog Days' Catalog

Jamie Wyeth loves his dogs, he loves his work and he totally embraced the idea of pairing the two when someone suggested he assemble an exhibit featuring his paintings and drawings of dogs. That's how "Dog Days of Summer: Works by Jamie Wyeth" came to be at Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa.

Wyeth was kind enough to sign an exhibit catalog for us to give away through Delaware Pets with these words, "To another dog lover! Jamie Wyeth."

If you go to see the exhibit, make sure you see his regal painting "Newfoundland," (above) featuring one of his favorite dogs Boom Boom, with the ocean full behind him and a threatening sky. In the catalog, Wyeth remembers Boom Boom, "He would shake his head and the saliva would end up on the ceiling and he had a sort of majesty about him. The tragedy of big dogs is they die so young. That is what I hate - and the death of a dog wrecks me infinitely more than the death of a person. So after Boom Boom, I said no more big dogs."

Wyeth was featured on the cover of the July issue of Delaware Pets with his Jack Russell terriers -- true to his word about smaller dogs -- at his Chester County farm.

Now, to be eligible for a random drawing for the "Dog Days" catalog, you must:

* E-mail us in 50 words or less what you like best about dogs. Include your name, mailing address, and a daytime contact number to pets@delawareonline.com
* Be from Delaware or nearby surrounding counties. You interlopers from Texas, California and South Africa are out.
* Send that e-mail by midnight Tuesday, July 31.
* Not be a News Journal employee or a member of his or her immediate family.
* Be a dog lover. OK, we'll fudge that part to include art lovers, Wyeth fans and cat people, too.

Ah, to Love a Dog ...

We've received a flood of entries for our contest to win a free, signed catalog of Jamie Wyeth's "Dog Days of Summer" exhibit at the Brandywine River Museum. (If you're planning to enter, send that e-mail to pets@delawareonline.com by midnight Tuesday.

In the meantime, enjoy this soliloquy from John Waldorf of Chadds Ford, Pa., on why he loves dogs. (This doesn't mean he's going to win. The winner will be chosen at random from all entries.)

"Dogs are great. They are always happy to see you and love even your worst cooking. Sure, they pee on your floor and eat all the food you don't secure, but I'm sure you've had human friends (who weren't nearly as sorry) do that too."

Have truer, more heartfelt words ever been written?

A Football Field Is No Place for Michael Vick

Take care of your legal problems, Michael Vick. Your football career can wait.

Someone in Vick's inner circle should tell him the best thing for him to do is to take a leave from his team -- the Atlanta Falcons -- and from the NFL. Already, the NFL has made it clear it does not want him in training camp, and the Falcons have done likewise by naming a new starting quarterback.

Everyone wants to stay as far away from the dogfighting charges that Vick faces because they're afraid of the backlash from fans, sponsors, advertisers. But the NFL and the Falcons have to walk a fine line -- Vick has a right to due process, and the presumption in our legal system is that he is innocent. The prosecution has to prove his guilt.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, said the NFL did the right thing in ordering Vick not to attend training camp.

"Officials from the NFL rightly recognized that it just cannot be business as usual for Vick and the Falcons with this chilling set of facts laid out in the federal indictment," Pacelle said in a statement. "It is our sincerest hope that Michael Vick not suit up for play prior to the resolution of these serious charges in federal court."

Vick has done one smart thing so far: He's reportedly hired a pretty good lawyer -- Billy Martin who represented Monica Lewinsky -- to help him answer the charges. His first date in court is Thursday.

Now, it's time for the legal system to work. For the charges to be presented against Vick and three others. For Vick and the others to defend themselves. And if needed, for a jury to decide his guilt or innocence.

Above everything else, Michael Vick needs to learn quickly that this not the time even to think about his place on a football field.

Win a Signed Jamie Wyeth 'Dog Days' Catalog

This is your chance to win a signed Jamie Wyeth catalog for his ongoing exhibit, "Dog Days of Summer: Works by Jamie Wyeth" at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa.

Wyeth was kind enough to sign one of the 411 catalogs the museum sold last Tuesday with these words, "To another dog lover! Jamie Wyeth."

The artist was featured on the cover of the July issue of Delaware Pets with his Jack Russell terriers at his Chester County farm. His exhibit, featuring more than 60 paintings and drawings of dogs (and at least one presidential cat), continues at the museum through Sept. 3.

Now, to be eligible for a random drawing for the catalog, you must:

* E-mail us in 50 words or less what you like best about dogs. Include your name, mailing address, and a daytime contact number to pets@delawareonline.com

* Be from Delaware or nearby surrounding counties. You interlopers from Texas, California and South Africa are out.

* Send that e-mail by midnight Tuesday, July 31.

* Not be a News Journal employee or a member of their immediate family.

* Be a dog lover. OK, we'll fudge that part to include art lovers, Wyeth fans and cat people.

What a Wonderful Photo of the Day

Tell me this photo doesn't make you smile.

This is Dewey Douglas (the Delaware Dog), the golden retriever of Geoffrey J. Backus and his family. Geoffrey sent me this photo in response to our call for photos of "smiling" dogs. Here's what he reveals about Dewey Douglas:

"He was born on September 11, 2004. He enjoys chasing and retrieving lacrosse balls around Bellevue State Park. He is the third golden our family has had and the most affectionate. He is a very happy dog."

And very, very photogenic.

Photo of the Day

Sue Campbell from Sunset Stables sent in this this adorable photo of Justin with a pony at the stable. Sorry for the size. That's as big as it will go, but the cuteness shines through regardless.

A Crowd for Jamie Wyeth Signing

Bring together Jamie Wyeth, a love for dogs and a lazy summer afternoon and you have a recipe for a crowd. A big crowd.

Hundreds of fellow dog lovers snaked around the second floor of the Brandywine River Museum this afternoon, waiting patiently as Wyeth signed copies of his exhibition catalog ($24.95 plus tax) for "Dog Days of Summer: Works by Jamie Wyeth" from 1-3 p.m. The line was so long that museum officials weren't guaranteeing those who arrived after 2 p.m. that they would reach the signing table before 3. (If you didn't get a signed copy, stay tuned to this blog. There might be one available.)

Wyeth, with tussled curly hair and high spirits, sat at a table near the window signing, signing, signing.

If you haven't seen the exhibit, you need to -- it continues through Sept. 3. It's a delight to see how big of a role dogs have played in Wyeth's life, to see how he created the White House Christmas card for the current president and first lady based on sketches of the Bush pets, and to see the imagination of a talented artist at work.

My favorites included:

"Newfoundland," a gorgeous oil painting of Wyeth's big black regal-looking Newfoundland named Boom Boom.

"Ziggy on Ice," a poignant winter scene with evergreen trees flocked with snow in the background, and Ziggy sitting on the ice, looking off in the distance.

"Homer," the image used to promote the exhibit, which features one of his Jack Russells sitting prominently in the foreground with the richest royal blues of the ocean behind him.

"Christmas Morning, Year of the Shoulder," an intimate painting of a young boy asleep with a Jack Russell sitting at attention at the corner of his bed. It reminds me of how my dog Petey used to "guard" me.

If you've seen the exhibit, let me know your favorites.

Chipmunks of the Day

booboo64 sent these absolutely adorable photos of Theodore (top photo) showing off his new Hawaiian shirt. And the bottom photo shows Simon, Ashley and Theodore -- yes, they are booboo64's own little chipmunks:

"We were expecting another little boy shitzu (Alvin), but as nature would have it, Alvin became Ashley when a tiny baby girl girl shitzu arrived."

Why Michael Vick's Indictment is a Big Deal

What NFL quarterback Michael Vick and three others are accused of doing to dogs is absolutely grisly. What it might mean for animal activists who fight such cruelty is immeasurable.

CRUELTY ALERT: If you don't want to read about the cruel things that humans are capable of doing to other living creates, please read no further.

Vick, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Richmond on felony charges related to a dog-fighting probe that began with an April 2007 raid of a house (top photo) and property he owns in Virginia. The legal language is that Vick and the others are charged with competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines.

What they are accused of doing will turn your stomach:

* Killing -- or more accurately, executing -- dogs that did not perform well either in "testing" sessions or in actual fights. The indictment says dogs were shot with a .22 caliber pistol, eletrocuted (after a losing dog was wetted down), hanged, drowned and slammed against the ground.

* Using something called a "rape stand," a device that holds female dogs who are too aggressive to breed naturally with males. The restraint keeps the dog's head in place while a male dog is brought in.

* Using something called a "break" or "parting" stick as a means to pry open the mouths of dogs during fights.

* Chaining dogs to buried car axles. The axles allow the chains to pivot, keeping the dogs from getting tangled in the chains.

If the accusations are true -- and the presumption is innocent until proven guilty -- these men viewed these creatures purely as a sporting venture. For years, dogfighting has been something that happened in the shadows and involved the most unsavory people. It was not the kind of place one would find an all-star quarterback who has had his face on the front of "Madden Football."

If Michael Vick's indictment brings this dirty, disgusting enterprise into the light, that's a benefit many could not have even hoped for. By Tuesday evening, the National Football League already had come out against the dispicable activities.

"We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick's guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts."

Yes, let the legal process go forward. But this is a perfect time for animal activists in Delaware and other states to speak out against dogfighting, to expose illegal activities in this state and to lobby law enforcement officers to bring their considerable weight against those who disguise such cruelty as sport.

A Bigger (and Better) Pet-Saving Goal

Take a good idea. Make it bigger and better.

That's the simple goal of Phyllis Roby, Cheryl Costello and lots of interested parties who want to raise enough money to put a set of pet oxygen masks on every firetruck and emergency responder vehicle in the state through a program called Adopt-a-Truck.

Costello shepherded the initial idea to put the specialized masks -- small, medium and large -- in every fire station in New Castle. The Wilmington Kennel Club donated the masks in 2006. (That's Sharon Naylor demonstrating how the mask works on her dog Switzer.)

Downstate, Roby got involved, with help from the Mispillion Kennel Club and the Cat Fanciers' Association, to do the same in Kent and Sussex counties. The masks were donated earlier this year.

In Chester County, the Delaware Valley Yorkshire Club, of which Roby is a member, met the Delaware challenge and soon the county's fire stations will receive 40 sets of masks.

That brings up to the bigger and better part.

With the help of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Delaware Volunteer Firemen's Association, Costello, Roby and others are taking on the challenge to put a set of $55 pet masks on every emergency vehicle. Roby, who is corresponding secretary with the Mispillion Kennel Club, takes the goal personally. She has 15 Yorkies at home.

"These guys are my children," the Millsboro resident says. "Before I would save my computer, or my marriage certificate, or my bank checks, I would save my dogs." It's also one of the reasons she keeps sets of the pet masks in her Nissan Altima and Honda Element. She never knows when there might be a pet's life she could help save.

If you'd like to save more pets' lives by donating money, holding a fundraiser or helping in any other way, contact Roby at 945-6634 or pjroby@mac.com.

Hey, You, Get Off of My Bed

Get Your Own Wyeth Exclusive

CORRECTION: I am such a lunkhead. I originally had the date of the signing wrong in this post -- the correct date is July 19. Sorry for any inconvenience. Now, onto the corrected post.

Who wouldn't want a signed Wyeth?

As in artist Jamie Wyeth, who will sign copies of the exhibition catalogue for his "Dog Days of Summer: Works by Jamie Wyeth," on display through Sept. 3 at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa.

Wyeth, the subject of a story in the current issue of Delaware Pets and a true dog lover, will sign the catalogues from 1-3 p.m. July 19. The book signing is free with museum admission ($8 for adults; $5 for seniors, students and ages 6-12; free for children 5 and younger and Brandywine Conservancy members).

Copies of the catalogue are $24.95 (soft cover), plus tax, at the museum shop or online. The exhibit includes more than 60 paintings and drawings of dogs -- some of which were owned by Wyeth -- over a three-decade period.

"I paint dogs not because they're cute and cuddly," Wyeth told writer Carol Kipp for Delaware Pets, "but because they're available models."

On the afternoon of July 19, Jamie Wyeth will be available to you.

A Simple Question: Do Dogs Smile?

We asked the fairly simple question: Do dogs smile? Unlike any other animal, except maybe monkeys and other members of the primate family, dogs do seem to smile.

In the top photo, could Bella, the 2 1/2-year-old sweet boxer of Theresa Yanick, be doing anything else but smiling? "She is a big love bug, who gives out tons of sloppy kisses," Theresa says.

In the bottom photo, have you seen two happier dogs at the beach? That's Chloe, a 9-month-old chocolate Lab, and Dugan, a 10-month-old Greater Swiss mountain dog. Both are owned by Brandon McGovern of Wilmington.

We have a writer working on the story for a fall issue of Delaware Pets, and in anticipation I asked readers to send in photos of their smiling dogs. I thought maybe I'd get a handful to help illustrate the story. I have almost 100 -- and counting. I'll turn all of those photos into three or four photo galleries, and you can look at the images and decide for yourself.

In the meantime and while our writer researches, I'd love to hear your opinions about whether dogs smile. Post your comments here, or e-mail me at pets@delawareonline.com. (Send photos to that e-mail address if you have more visual proof.)

I asked Jane Pierantozzi, executive director of Faithful Friends, and she says, "I think they're showing an emotion." She says there's something special about a dog's smile. "That's what's great about it. They make us smile."

Get This Frog at Your Peril

Trust me, this frog will drive your dog crazy, your significant other crazy, your kids crazy, and you on top of everyone else.

It's Premier's Squeeze Meeze frog ($5.99). It's green, it's mean and it sticks its red tongue out - plus, it has one of the loudest and longest built-in squeakers.

Your job is to be prepared to take it away from your dog when you can't take the noise anymore. Until then, enjoy. Found at Petco, 4365 Kirkwood Highway, Milltown

In Asheville, Visit Maggie the Wonder Dog

My husband and I were on a golf vacation in the South last week -- Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. One of our favorite stops was Asheville, N.C. -- home of the Biltmore Estate (think America's castle, thanks to the Vanderbilts), some wonderful down home cooking and Maggie the Wonder Dog.

Maggie does math. Real math. As in add, subtract, multiply and divide math by tapping her paw. The smooth-coated Jack Russell has been seen doing her thing on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," Animal Planet and lots of news channels.

The 6-year-old pooch also can be seen hobnobbing on the sidewalks of Asheville, a friendly town with great cafes, bakeries, shops, stores and restaurants, with owner Jesse Bell-Treff. This is how Maggie describes the town in the city's official visitor guide: "I love people watching, and Asheville's climate is just right. And it's a great walking town with surprises around every street corner."

Surprises like Maggie.

When in Asheville, you also might want to check out Three Dog Bakery, 21 Battery Park. It was closed the evening that we found it, but looked like a very inviting pet bakery and store, including a section for cats called "Pity the Poor Kitty." The store calls itself the world's first bakery for dogs.

Happy Birthday, America

Doesn't this photo by News Journal photographer Fred Comegys encapsulate what you think America stands for? It's all about freedom.

In this case, it's freedom to sit on The Green at the University of Delaware, studying for a class and playing with your beagle puppy. That's UD senior Marissa David playing with 9-week-old Jasper.

"I love him," Marissa says.

Kind of how we feel about America, isn't it?

Go, Bulldog, Go

That's Tyson, the skateboarding English bulldog from Huntington Beach, Calif., and star of the iPhone TV commercial.

He's got his own Web site at www.skateboardingbulldog.com, he's 5 years old and his owner says he skates every other day. The Web site promises merchandise soon.

And it also offers this quote from Tyson: "I am a skater, who just happens to be a dog. For me, skateboarding is not a trick, it's a lifestyle -- no treats necessary.

Sweet. Does your dog have any special talents? Does he or she do any stupid or smart pet tricks? Go to YouTube and and tag your video "delawareonline." Send me an e-mail to pets@delawareonline.com, I'll look for it and use it on my blog. Throw in your name, your dog's name and I'll give you both a shout-out.