They Made Me Wear This!

This has got to be one of my favorite Halloween pet costumes EVER -- Frankenpug.

We need some cutlines in the comments on this one. Post away. Prize to the funniest one.

Would You Want Vick's Help to Fight Dogfighting?

If you ran an animal organization, would you want Michael Vick -- NFL star quarterback, dogfighter, felon -- to make a public-service announcement for your group about what a bad thing dogfighting is?

That's the question I asked Jane Pierantozzi, the executive director of Faithful Friends, when she called she me Tuesday. Would his celebrity, and now, infamy, and his ability to reach people outweigh his obvious drawbacks?

Jane says PR, no. Getting out in the community, yes.

"I don't think they're going to respond to Vick on TV" in a public-service commercial, Jane says. If she thought he was sincere about getting involved in community outreach, in contributing money to the cause, in talking with people about why dogfighting is wrong or starting a tipline, she would take his help.

Jane was struck by something Vick said after pleading guilty Monday. He said he needed to grow up. "It's more than just growing up," she says. What he did involved violence and criminal activity, and he lied about it, she says. You shouldn't have to grow up to understand any of that.

Would you accept Michael Vick's help, his money, his community service if he offered it?

Coming Up: Lots of Smiling Dogs

In the September issue of Delaware Pets, writer Claire Bushey gets some answers to the question: Do dogs smile? Look for the issue in pet-related businesses, starting Sept. 13, and look for a photo gallery featuring lots of the photos we received in the next few days. To whet your appetite, here are two:

TOP PHOTO: That's Abby, the 6-year-old German shepherd of David and Melissa Hopkins of Newark, finding a great spot to relax.

BOTTOM PHOTO: That's Massimo -- love the name -- sent in by Lindsay Ballas of Wilmington. What breed of dog do you think Massimo is?

This is What They Call a Moveable Feast

Nancy Stephens sent four years worth of Halloween costumes for her "pups." The one above is pure creativity. The dogs went as an Italian dinner -- (from left) -- Side Salad, Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Bread Basket.

Totally yum.

Send Us Pics of Your Halloween-Costumed Pets

Dan Long e-mailed us a photo of Bruzer, the Pug Pimp. I never thought I'd write these words, but ... That pimp is precious in purple.

E-mail photos of your pets in their Halloween costumes to pets@delawareonline.com. We'll assemble them into a photo gallery to give you plenty of costume ideas.

Plus, we'll pick one submitter at random to get a $25 Concord Pet gift certificate!

Dogs Can Make a Statement With Their Paws

You know those yellow LiveStrong bands that adorn everybody's wrists? Now, dogs get the chance to wear a message of their own.

Aria's Banter Bands, elasticized to fit easily over a paw, carry the funniest directives:

"Bite hard"

"Bark loud"

"Run fast"

"Fetch it"

And my favorite, "Beg smart." As if they need further encouragement to do that!

Banter Bands (99 cents each) can be found on the counter at Pet Kare II, 250 Pencader Plaza, near Newark.

Arrrrgghh, Turn Your Pooch into a Pirate

Let the pet costume season officially begin.

I was in Concord Pet in Middletown this weekend, but didn't see any Halloween costumes. But leave it to Disney to get a jump start.

Love this pirate getup ($9.50) -- even if the pooch doesn't looked that thrilled -- from "Pirates of the Carribean." The Disney Store online also has Minnie and Mickey costumes, Tinker Bell (so adorable), "Incredibles" and a generic princess (oh so pink). All for $9.50.

Do you have a favorite photo of your pet in a costume -- Halloween or otherwise? E-mail it to pets@delawareonline.com. We'll share some photos on this blog and also in a photo gallery on this site.

Michael Vick Should Make a Plea Deal

Michael Vick's co-defendants in his dogfighting indictment are caving, making and taking their own legal deals. When Vick hired Billy Martin -- who famously represented Monica Lewinsky -- many took that as a sign that he would make a deal as well.

ESPN reports that lawyers for the Atlanta Falcons star quarterback are working on a deal, and they want their multimillionaire client to spend less than a year in prison. Vick is scheduled to go on trial Nov. 26.

According to a statement signed by one of those co-defendants, Tony Taylor, Vick was the money behind "Bad News Kennels'" dogfighting activities at Vick's Virginia property. That's pretty damning, and I'm sure the other two co-defendants will have much the same story to tell the court.

Vick needs to make a deal. Do it now and prosecutors will agree to less than the five years of prison he could face. Will they agree to less than a year?

It might depend on what else Vick is willing to do. He needs to volunteer to join forces with the national SPCA or Humane Society organizations to speak out against the cruelty that is dogfighting. Let him confess his sins publicly on "60 Minutes" or "Dateline NBC," and offer to cooperate with federal authorities to help break up more dogfighting rings.

Americans love someone who admits his faults, asks for forgiveness and works hard to change his behavior. A plea deal now would be the first step for Michael Vick on this path.

With This Paw, I Thee Wed

Switzer is getting married.

All 100 pounds of his loving Rottweiler dog self (right) to his longtime girlfriend who he met at the park -- the bark park at Carousel Park. His fiancee is Nana (left), a petite -- 50 pounds, OK not that petite -- Huskie/chow mix from the SPCA.

"He loves her," says Switzer's owner, Sharon Naylor, describing how the two love birds like to play and especially wrestle with each other.

And when the two exchange vows, I mean paws, at 4 p.m. Sept. 30 at the bark park, the local animal community will benefit. Naylor is working with all sorts of pet shops and shelters to make this into a real event. In lieu of gifts, the happy couple ask that donations be made to Faithful Friends, through which Switzer is a therapy dog, and the SPCA.

More details on the blessed event: Whiskazz and Pawzz in Hockessin is making the bridal gown. Happy Dog Healthy Dog in Trolley Square is making the wedding cake. Invitations are going out to the couple's favorite human friends and family. Someone will officiate, someone will sing, the couple will have a groomsman and a flower girl, and the happy pair will exchange matching collars and leads.

And, yes, Naylor says, there's even a prenup. Since Nana can't have children, she has agreed that Switzer could father pups with -- horrors! -- another female partner. Oh, that's what they call an open marriage.

Are Polar Bears the New Penguins?

As always, I notice animals and other creatures and the attention they get. I think polar bears are usurping the pop culture stage from penguins. Here's my evidence:

* "Arctic Tale," a new documentary in theaters Aug. 17, featuring two narratives that show how difficult life is in the Arctic: the life cycle of a polar bear and her cubs, and the same thing with a walrus and her calf. Rated G. Starbucks, which is helping to market the movie, is selling stuffed polar bears and walruses.

* The Philadelphia Zoo is having Bear Awareness Days from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Satuday and Sunday (Aug. 11-12). Zoo staff and representatives from the National Wildlife Federation and Defenders of Wildlife will talk about conservation efforts, and teach little ones about polar bears and all other bears.

* Knut is the most thing in Germany since bratwurst. This little polar bear cub - who's not so little anymore - was rejected by his mother at a Berlin zoo. A few animal rights activists advocated that he should be killed; the zoo and the German public said no way, and he is being raised by zookeepers. Now, there are Knut T-shirts, mugs, keychains, stuffed animals, Web sites, videos, and a huge adoring worldwide public.

* A polar bear pops up in the middle of "The Simpsons" movie, and anything the Simpsons touch must be pop culture gold.

The Shame of Dogfighting

I hope you read Cris Barrish's story Sunday on dogfighting in Delaware. It's here, and if we close our eyes and ears to it and say it's someone else's problem, it will continue to slink around the shadows of our cities and towns and rural areas.

It is, in a word, unconscionable.

I don't want to hear about cultural differences or geographic differences or whether people grew up in the city or the country. Those are excuses. Plain old, run-of-the-mill excuses.

No one who has been around animals for any length of time can justify one animal fighting with another. We used to separate the cows that got unruly with each other on the farm, and the same thing with the neighborhood dogs who felt compelled to show who was the biggest, baddest alpha dog of them all.

For those who thought the photos that went with Sunday's story were too graphic, I say we need to show the effects of dogfighting to the general public. They need to see what these abusers consider to be "sport." Words alone won't get people to call the SPCA or the police when they hear dogs yelping in a park, or growling and barking on a nearby farm.

They need to see the consequences of doing nothing.

Believe It: A Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy

It's almost a given in America: Have a tragedy or a controversy, and someone surely will try their darndest to profit. Enter the Official Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy ($7.95, plus $2 shipping and handling).

The Web site says it was created "to help the Humane Society shed some light on this horrendous sport of dogfighting." A portion of the profits, it says, will go to the Jacksonville, Fla., Humane Society to help spread awareness.

Part of me cringes - we're going to line someone's pockets and give a dog the likeness of a human being to chew? And part of me yells "Absolutely!" - help the humane society, let your dog chew on this apparent villain and keep this issue in the spotlight anway you can.

But why couldn't someone sell buttons that say, "Dogfighting Stinks" instead? That, I would buy and wear.

That Loveable Lenox

Joseph sent me this video link of Lenox, a 4-year-old dog with his own MySpace page and kids who love to sing to him.

Also, check out the back yard at Grandma's "where he has a half-acre to run around and act like a cazy man."

Bulldogish on the Pet Business

If you get a chance, pick up last week's Business Week (Aug. 6) with a bulldog wearing a tiara and plenty of other bling. The cover headline, "The Pet Economy/Americans now spend $41 billion on their pets. And a lot of humans are getting rich."

My favorite facts from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association and this story:

* 42 percent of dogs now sleep in the same bed as their owners, up from 34 percent in 1998. (Petey, my old mutt, always slept with me and slept as long as I did. Her head right next to mine on the pillow.)

* 77 percent of dogs and 52 percent of cats have been medicated in the past year -- a 20 percentage-point increase since 1996.

* After consumer electronics, pet care is the fastest-growing category in retail, expanding about 6 percent a year. (Good to know, right, stock market players?)

* Americans spend $9.8 billion on vet services, which doesn't include the medications and other supplies.

* Half of all dog owners say they consider their pets when buying a new car.

* Almost a third of dog owners buy their pooches gifts for their birthdays (and I'm sure Christmas, too).

What do you think? Do people spend too much on their pets? Not enough, or just the right amount. Or is it all the owner's business and everyone else can just butt out?

Who Knew?

Who knew .. that bunny jumping was a competitive sport?

Winner Chosen in Wyeth 'Dog Days' Contest

We have a winner. Nah, not the Shar-Pei (above), but more on him later.

N. Larry Gladnick of Wilmington was chosen at random from the more than 140 entries for the signed copy of "Dog Days of Summer: Works by Jamie Wyeth" exhibit catalog. Wyeth signed it, "To another dog lover! Jamie Wyeth."

Larry sent along a photo of his dog, Dr. LiJie Fu, the very cute Chinese Shar-Pei named after a good friend of his. His son took the photo in 2006. For the contest, tied to an art exhibit at the Brandywine Art Museum in Chadds Ford that celebrates dogs, we asked contestants to tell us what they love so much about these creatures. Here is Larry's entry:

"I love dogs because they are unconditional. I like each dog I meet for different reasons. Dogs will always show their love, care, and concern, whether you do or not. Their natural poses are so comforting to all. You know there must be a God after loving a dog."

Hard to argue with any of that. Congratulations and enjoy the catalog, Larry.