DogShirtStore

OK Go White Knuckles Video

2010-09-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

OK Go is a talented band. Even more, they are brilliant at making videos ... viral videos that get absolutely millions of hits. The first one we saw was the treadmill dance http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA. They've done dancing wallpaper and Rube Goldberg themed videos among others. But for dog fans, they've outdone themselves this time.

I was one of the early viewers ... when I saw the official video it had only 25,000 views. By the next day it was 1.7 million. As I write this it is 2.8 million. OK Go themselves are shocked by how quickly the numbers are growing, according to this article http://www.nme.com/news/ok-go/53092. We're not. People love their dogs, especially agility dogs and rescue dogs, which most of these are.

The coolest thing about the video is that it is not edited. There were 124 "takes", and the final one chosen was take 72. Many of these were disastrous, I'm sure. None were entirely perfect, but take 72 is as close as it gets. OK Go insisted they did not want any editing, and they got their way.

The blog http://talentedanimals.com/blog/?p=426 tells the whole story ... a video three years in the planning, a month in the setup and practicing, and three full days of filming before they finally decided they were satisfied that it was what they set out to do.

Kudos to you, OK Go, and even more so, kudos to those talented animals ... 12 dogs and a goat. This video warms our hearts every time we see it.

DogShirtStore.com Donates!

2010-07-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

Quite a few years back, I had three feline furbabies. Unfortunately, one was a bully. Well, really, he had mental problems and was on medication which kept him sane until his kidneys failed and I had to take him off the meds. So, once he was off his medication, he started picking on the oldest and more gentle cat. It wasn't pretty - I had to break up a particularly bad fight once, and I wound up in worse shape than either cat.

Since then, I'm on a new generation of felines and I've added a few canine kids along with a husband, and we have worked very hard to build a harmonious household with the cats and dogs. So, although we would love to be able to foster and adopt hundreds of homeless dogs and cats, the nightmares of those years of cat fights still haunt me and I just can't bring myself to open our home up to any outside influences.

Instead, I've tried to help animals in other ways, including joining the board of an animal welfare group, only to find a few of the other directors seemed to have less than altruistic motives for being there. I couldn't handle the politics. After all, we were SUPPOSED to be there to support the animals, not our individual agendas! Still wanting to help our four-legged friends in need, years ago I decided the best way I could do that would be to fundraise. I wanted to bring awareness, and hopefully some cash, to several active and effective animal welfare organizations. Although I can't Rescue, Adopt, or physically Love animals in need, I am grateful that I can Care for them through fundraising (and love them in my heart, of course).

One of our newest ways of helping is through our Pet Awareness Ribbon. It's one of our original designs, and it has quickly become our favorite! There are two different shirt designs and we also have a sticker and a vehicle magnet. We are donating a portion of the proceeds of these products to animal welfare. Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, Utah (home of the TV show Dog Town on National Geographic) (www.bestfriends.org) will be the main beneficiary, although if a supporter of one of the other organizations we work with, such as Greyhound Rescue & Adoptions of Tampa Bay (www.great-greyhound.org), places an order, that organization will receive the donation.

We are also pleased to offer a smaller version of the ribbon as a $2.00 addition to the back or sleeve of any shirt, 100% of which will be donated. It looks great with any design, even our non-pet related ones!

DACOF 2010 Under Our Belt

2010-07-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, another DACOF (Dog Agility Competition of Florida) is over. It was a fun weekend, with lots of exciting runs! Our youngest Miniature Schnauzer, Trooper, was the only one of our three kids who ran this time, and he did really well. His only disadvantage was his handlers, my husband and me. :-)

Trooper ran with me for the first two runs on Saturday, but I wasn't feel well, so Del took over. He hasn't been training as much with Troopie, but I think he did great, all things considered (including taking an embarrassing spill). So, of course, we just have to show our runs! Enjoy (especially 3:25 into the video)!

Yes, You CAN Do It!

2010-07-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

My husband, Del, and I love words. We debate them, argue about them, research them, and enjoy reading them. We are also adult literacy volunteers, helping adults to read so they may get better paying jobs, manage their households, and broaden their imaginations through reading a good book. And maybe, just maybe, eventually venture into the world of writing.

A few months ago, we found out about a short story contest called "First Line Fiction", which is a monthly writing contest designed to help you expand your horizons if you are a "wannabe writer". Del, always having words in his head, decided to give it a try.

First Line Fiction is a "peer review" contest, meaning that the contest entrants are assigned six stories to read from their competitors, and they must rank them from most to least favorite. Anyone who fails to rank their six stories is disqualified from winning. Only the first three placing stories receive cash prizes. It's not big money, the main thing is the exercise of writing.

The first story Del wrote was in May 2010, and it did not make the top three, but if you'd like to read it, you can find it here:
http://firstlinefiction.com/contests/contest-9/the-mischievous-factor/

In June, he entered another story, but of course with no real expectation of winning. To our surprise and delight, it won third place! http://firstlinefiction.com/contests/contest-10/the-little-big-day/

Sometimes we wonder about stepping outside of our "comfort zone", and although we often fear it, you never know what might happen when you do.

If you're an aspiring writer, you may want to give First Line Fiction a try. If you have other aspirations, we encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and give them your best shot, too. You just never know what will happen!

If it Seems too Good to be True . . .

2010-05-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

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I opened my mail yesterday afternoon, and was stunned to have received a cashiers check in the amount of $2,990.00 from Collin Bank of Texas! The check was enclosed in a letter from the Grants Processing Center of Financial Solutions, New York, NY. The letter stated that I had won a grant in the amount of $35,000.00 total, which should not be considered a loan. It was for me to use to "start a small business, pay tuition fees, make a down payment on a home, and do housing repairs or to pay medical expenses." Wow! Who couldn't use $35,000.00! Jackpot! Oh, wait, it said the $2,990.00 check is to help pay for the administrative, processing, and applicable fees. Then a commission fee of 10% will be deducted from the total amount, and then I would receive $31,500.00.
The cashiers check looked very genuine, and even had the newest security features. However, a closer look at the check showed a single flaw - the bank logo was a bit pixelated in comparison to the crisp print of the rest of the check. On further examination we also noted that there was no bank number under the check number.

We re-examined the envelope, and noticed that 1) it did not bear a return address, and 2) it was mailed from Canada. That would make no sense at all if it was truly a U.S. "Government Stimulus Grant", as it purported to be. A further indication that this was a scam were a couple of grammatical and spelling errors in the letter. The U.S. government, we would hope, would not send out a letter that contained errors. In fact, if such a letter containing a check was real, it would almost certainly be sent by registered mail.

Doing the math, if they are taking a 10% fee from $35,000, and are only providing $2,990, that would leave us paying $510 out of our own pocket. That doesn't sound too bad, to receive $35,000, right? Except that the $2,990 check is bogus, so if our bank actually cashed the check, we would end up having to pay that back when the check bounces.

We've heard of scams of this nature, so I called the Texas Department of Banking, who confirmed there was such a thing as the Collin Bank in Texas. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about verifying if this is a scam or legitimate. My next call was directly to the Collin Bank, and they confirmed that this is, in fact, a scam of which they are aware and told me not to cash the check. I wanted to be sure that this was reported to the authorities so that others in financial crisis who received a similar letter and check may not be harmed. Collin Bank assured me that they have taken all of the steps necessary for the authorities to find the criminals who perpetrated this fraud. It greatly angers and saddens us to think that there are people who profit from preying on other people, especially those who may already be in financial straits.

If you receive a check in the mail that you weren't expecting, please investigate it before you cash that check, and remember what your mom probably told you time after time, as mine did: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is!

Following is the entire text of the letter (including its errors, which we believe indicates it was not written by someone with English as his first language), in case you're curious:

Grants Processing Center
Financial Solutions
PO Box 212 New York,
New York, 10021

Customer Service Dept.
Tel: 1-888-324-1090, Ext. 104
Fax: 1-949-544-5209
Email: financiallaw@consultant.com

HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday to Friday :9:00 am to 4:00 pm EST.
Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm EST.

Government Stimulus Grant Organization
Eligibility: 18years old leaving in USA
Awarded Grant ID NO: GGA-1003

Date: May 19, 2010

Dear, XXXX

CONGRATULATIONS. On behalf of the Stimulus Grants Association, we are pleased to inform you that your grant in the amount of US$35,000.00 (Thirty Five Thousand, 00.Cents. Dollars) has been approved.

Your approved file was sent to our company by the Stimulus Grant Board of Commission. Your file was evaluated by our legal department and that leaves you the sole beneficiary of this grant.

The enclosed check of US$2,990.00 issued to you is from one of our financial sponsors to assist you pay your administrative, process as well as applicable fees. However, this check is "for deposit only". As soon as these fees have been paid, Commission fee of 10% will be deducted from the awarded total amount to the sponsors; a certified check in the amount of US$31,500.00 will be delivered to you at your residence within 1 to 2 business days by Federal Express mail or UPS upon receiving your PAYMENT CONFIRMATION by fax number: 1-949-544-5209.

This Grant is not a loan and you are not expected to pay it back. It can be used to start a small business, pay tuition fees, make a down payment on a home, and do housing repairs or to pay medical expenses. Your claim number is GGA-1003. We ask that you keep your Claim number confidentially secured until your claim has been properly processed and funds remitted to you as this is a part of our security protocol to avoid any DOUBLE CLAIMS.

Please call your Assigned processing Agent SUSAN HALL at 1-888-327-1970, ext 404 to further assist you with your claim. "ALL APPROVED STIMULUS GRANT SHOULD BE CLAIMED WITHIN FIVE DAYS FROM THE DAY YOU RECEIVE YOUR NOTICE." IF YOU HAVE ANY VERIFICATION, INQUIRY OR WERE NOT ABLE TO REACH YOUR ASSIGNED PROCESSING AGENT, PLEASE CALL THE SUPERVISOR, LARRY MITCHELL AT 1-914-920-6524 OR 1-888-327-1970, EXT 600.
Thank you and congratulations from all of us at the Stimulus Grant Board of Commissioners and Government

Sincerely,

Dean Douglas
Finance Director, PHD

FINANCIAL SPONSORS: Grants or Draws are sponsored by various corporate companies: COLLIN BANK AND LIME ROCK RESOURCES.

A Healthy Alternative for Flea Control

2010-05-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

We've always felt a bit uneasy about putting insecticide on (or in) our pets as a means to control fleas and ticks. However, living in Florida, the fleas are just terrible all year long, and we hate the thought of bugs residing on our four-legged babies. Well, we FINALLY found a product that keeps the fleas and ticks off of our pets while also improving their health, especially their skin and coats - and it will save us hundreds of dollars a year!! FLEA TREATS are a healthy, safe way to keep fleas and ticks off pets.

Imagine that you're going on a camping trip, and you have three choices to avoid bug bites:

1. You can take a hormone pill once a month. Every female bug that bites you will be sterile AFTER it bites.

2. You can apply insecticide drops to the back of your neck, allowing the insecticide to spread all over your body or your skin to absorb it into your system, and then, when the bugs land on you, hope the insecticide will kill them before they bite you.

3. You can take a safe, tasty vitamin daily, and the bugs won't even land on you at all.

Which method would you choose? Which method do you think your pets would choose for themselves if they could??

Each "treat" is a human grade, B-complex vitamin, with real liver added for taste. It's safe for puppies, kittens, pregnant, and nursing pets. We've taste-tested them in our home, and our Mini Schnauzers and cats all love them, but if you have finicky eaters, Flea Treats can be easily crushed and sprinkled into their food. Flea Treats work so well, it's guaranteed or your money back!!

To learn more about Flea Treats or to place an order, please visit our webstore at http://www.dogshirtstore.com/

Oil Spills - Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2010-05-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

An oil spill. A catasrophe. It affects our environment, our economy, and most importantly, the lives of countless animals. So, what is our individual responsibility when it comes to something like this? How far would you go to help clean it up? How about getting a haircut or having your dog groomed? Yep - that's it. Pretty simple and fairly inexpensive, but very powerful.

With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico hitting home for many Americans, there is understandably a lot of concern about oil and the environment. With the world's need for oil, offshore drilling will continue to be a solution for many years to come, in spite of the risks.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and that old adage has never been truer than right now, while we're in the middle of an oil spill crisis. At "A Matter of Trust", they've been collecting human hair and animal fur for the past 10 years to use in making mats to absorb excess oil from oil spills.

Although individuals can send in clean hair or fur, a more effective way is to tell your hairdresser or groomer about it. They have lots of good hair and fur that just ends up in the trash, and it really can help with the control of oil spills, which can save marine life and coastal areas worldwide.

Some have asked what happens to all the contaminated hair when they're done with it. We're not sure what's been done in the past, but there is research being performed with the idea that mushrooms can eat the oily hair and detoxify the waste to create landscape-grade compost.

If you're a groomer or hairstylist, you may want to visit matteroftrust.org to see how you can sign up. If you're not, tell your hairstylist or groomer about it. It can only help!
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Mother's Day Sale

2010-04-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

In honor of mothers of four-legged kids, DogShirtStore.com is having a Mother's Day sale!! All "Proud Mom" products are $3 off through May 9, 2010. You can find them as featured products right on our home page.

New Poop Removal Innovation

2010-03-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Do you want to be a responsible dog parent, but have back trouble and just can't bend down to pick up the poop? Just don't like the feel of poop squishing in your fingers through a plastic bag? Well, www.DogShirtStore.com has the solution for you!! This product was developed by Dan Shalhoub, Tony (Monk) Shalhoub's brother. (No, it's not your run-of-the-mill pooper-scooper). We think it takes poop removal to the next level!
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A Story with Heart

2010-03-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

A friend's Facebook post about finding a pile of pine needles near her barn that were blown into the shape of a heart, reminded me of something that happened about six years ago.

I've had dogs for most of my life, but when I was 28, I decided to get a kitten. Her name was Baby. When Baby turned 17, she developed mammary cancer, although she lived pretty much unaffected for over a year. One day she was having a health issue (unrelated to the cancer) and I decided to bring her to the vet for him to take a look at her. While we were there, Baby started having respiratory problems - she was really laboring to breathe. As most of us do, I have a very difficult time in making life and death decisions, and trusted my long-time vet to tell me when "it was time". Well, it was time.

There I sat in a private room, holding Baby after they gave her the first shot, which is supposed to wooze her out before the last, final shot. She was all cuddled up in my arms with me crying over her, when she suddenly turned her head and bit down, HARD, onto my upper arm. She wouldn't let go! The vet tech had to actually wrench her off of my arm. I was devastated thinking she was "telling" me how mad she was that I made the decision to end her life!

I went home a dejected, tormented soul. I was truly inconsolable. All I could think about was how my baby bit me as her last form of communication to me. I couldn't sleep; I tossed and turned all night. I got up in the morning feeling just miserable. I could barely see through tear-swollen eyes.

While dressing, I checked out my arm in the reflection of my mirror. The spot where Baby had bitten me was all colors of the rainbow bruised. It was a miracle that she didn't actually break my skin. But wait - could it be?? Upon closer inspection, her bite was totally and completely in the shape of a heart!!! It seems that Baby's last communication to me was actually one of love - a real-life LOVE BITE!
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Fix Blue or Green Eye in Pets with Pet Eye Pilot

2010-03-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

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Take lots of pictures of your four-legged loved ones? Do they come out looking like aliens? Then this product is for you!

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It's easy to fix red-eye in pictures of people these days ... almost every software out there has a "red eye button". But those of use who take more pictures of our pets than people know that blue or green eye is not so easy to fix!

Pet Eye Pilot now makes it incredibly easy to get the blue or green out! Only $29.95, it works as a stand-alone, or as a plug-in to most photo editing software, including Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photopaint. Free Trial available. Click here to visit Two Pilot's website for more information.

Teacup pigs are so cute - where can I get one?

2010-03-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

If you cross your eyes, they'll stay that way!
Swallowed gum takes seven years to digest.
Dropped food will stay clean if you pick it up within five seconds.
Touching a toad will give you warts.

All of the statements above are old-wives tales or urban legends - look them up - they just aren't true! Well, similarly, the teacup pig just doesn't exist.

We have been loyal fans of the TV show "How I Met Your Mother" ever since it debuted, but found ourselves greatly disappointed at last evening's (March 1, 2010) episode. It portrayed a cute "little" Teacup Pig. Well, don't be fooled - it was just a BABY PIG!!! Admittedly, the tiny pig shown on the episode was adorable.

*** Update - on July 20th, 2010, Jay Leno gave a piglet to Joey King on "The Tonight Show" ... although they didn't call it a "Teacup Pig", they did say "Tiny Pig". It was also a very cute little pig, and Joey seemed truly thrilled to have it. The sad part is, however, that now millions of little girls (and boys) will also want one. ***

So where can you get a tiny pig or a teacup pig? The simple answer is ... you can't. Just like many urban legends, they don't exist!

Unsavory breeders and charlatans have been perpetrating the lie of "miniature" or "teacup" pigs for many years now, but the fact is that what they are selling are baby pigs. Pigs, sort of like humans, stay small for a LONG time, but not forever. In about five years, that teacup pig will be fully grown at 150 pounds, if you're lucky. Many of these pigs are not 100% pot bellied; they are mixed with wild or farm pigs. If your "teacup" pig has some farm pig in it, watch out!! Full grown farm pigs can be 1,000 pounds!!! Can your apartment or house handle a pig that size??

Piggy Paradise, part of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah (the home of the National Geographic show "Dogtown") is heavily involved with pig rescue. We know, because our frend Brandi works there, and we are privileged to design and supply apparel and other products to them for this worthwhile rescue. To the left is the "True and False" that goes on the back of their shirts (click on the image to enlarge).

Yvonne McIntosh, manager of Piggy Paradise, the Pot Bellied Pig Department, recently interviewed with Animal Tales, a Tampa Bay Florida based radio show, which may be heard here: Animal Tales Radio Show. Yvonne explains much better than we can the lies and untruth of the "teacup pig" industry.

Every time a breed of dog is shown in the media (like Dalmations or Chihuahuas) sheeple (people acting like sheep following the flock) run out and get puppies without doing their homework, only to realize those breeds are not a good fit for their family. Shelters get inundated with the castoffs. Many are rescued, but unfortunately, many are still euthanized.

Although the perpetration of the teacup pig lie has been a small wave, it seems that now, thanks to last night's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" and celebrities like Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham, it is turning into a full tidal wave! Especially if the hundreds of tweets on Twitter just today is any indication.

Don't fall for the hype - teacup pigs just don't exist! Let's root out pignorance, one human at a time!

FURTHER READING:

Best Friends Animal Society website

TeacupPigInfo.com - Teacup Pig Facts

PR Web - Teacup Pigs, All the Rage

PigHarmony.com - Teacup Pigs, Right for you?

Agility, Flyball, and . . . Cake?

2010-02-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Most of us appreciate the unusual. And some of the things we come across make us smile, some make us think, and some are truly astounding. For example, this past weekend, Stacy, one of the competitors at our Flyball Tournament in Lakeland, Florida, and not a professional decorator, baked this very cute tennis ball cake to celebrate her team's debut, the Barkaholics from Sarasota/Manatee. (It was also pretty darn yummy)!

We were reminded of Sue, another local cake decorating hobbyist, who did this cake as a wedding surprise for two of the people on her flyball team (the Barkaneers of St. Petersburg, FL). Complete with Border Collie, jumps, flyball box, and a basket of tennis balls - this was a true work of art.

These are two excellent examples of a creative outlet that many share: cake decorating. We've probably all tried our hand at it at one time or another in our lives. You buy a tube and some icing and try to write "Happy Anniversary" or "Happy Birthday" on someone's cake, and you may have found that it's not as easy as it looks like it would be (at least for me it isn't!).

Well, if you haven't heard of the Ultimate Cake Off (aired on TLC), prepare to be amazed. This video was brought to our attention recently, dealing with a reality TV show / competition wherein three teams of professional bakers / cake decorators competed to create agility-themed cakes over a nine-hour period. All three of the cakes produced were mind-blowing, involving rotating motors, sculpted dogs, illuminated logos, and more. They were as tall as eight feet and weighed upwards of 500 pounds each. The winning cake was displayed at the 2009 AKC Invitational in Long Beach, California, as the centerpiece of the competition. The winner took home a $10,000 prize, but we'd bet if they were selling these cakes, they'd likely command even more than that.

Take a look! http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/ultimate-cake-off-top-dogs-full-episode.html

Three Dog Night??

2010-01-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

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No, not the rock band, although it is noted that they did take their name from the well-known phrase. Do you know the origins of the phrase "It's a three-dog night"? If you have pups at home, you probably already know, even if you don't think you do!!

Although there is a bit of controversy over where it originated, the more popular belief is that it started with the Aborigines in the Australian outback. The expression is used to connote a night so cold that one needs to sleep with three dogs to generate enough heat for comfort.

It must be an awfully cold night to need THREE dogs, as we know from experience that one small, not-very-hairy dog generates plenty of heat under the covers (thanks, Lili)!!

Greyhound Rescue

2010-01-18T14:46:00.001-08:00

DogShirtStore.com is so proud to announce we are the exclusive supplier of GREAT-Greyhound.org wear. Greyhound REscue & Adoptions of Tampa Bay is a wonderful organization that has placed over a thousand Greyhounds since 1990, and we're pleased to be able to donate a portion of sales of GREAT-wear to them! Please check out all of our new Greyhound designs and help support a GREAT organization! www.DogShirtStore.com

Keeping Your Home Safe When You're Not There

2010-01-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

For most dog-sport enthusiasts, travel is part of the game. Thanks to Reader's Digest, here are some things to consider when getting ready to leave our homes unattended (don't forget, for most of us, we take our "burglar alarm systems" with us: ruff - ruff!):

13 Things a Burglar Won't Tell You
From Reader’s Digest, September 2009
Interviews by Michelle Crouch

Should you spend your money on a home security system? A look inside a burglar's mind might help you decide:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom—and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door—understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

Here’s an Additional 8 Things a Burglar Won't Tell You

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.

4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.

8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

DACOF - Dog Agility Competition of Florida

2010-01-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

One of the most appealing aspects of running agility is the fact that it's an activity between just you and your dog, creating a wonderful bond. However, there is annual event in Florida where being a participant is very exciting. It is called DACOF (Dog Agility Competition of Florida), which embraces all Florida agility clubs.

If you run and/or train agility in Florida, whether you prefer NADAC (www.nadac.com), CPE (www.k9cpe.com), AKC (www.akc.org), or any other agility organization, this competition is open to you!

The teams consist of a minimum of six dogs/handlers to compete, and the scores from the dogs are added together to get a team total. There must be two novice, two open, and two excellent dogs on each team, and a club may have multiple teams. If you have three dogs per level on a team, you can drop the lowest score and keep only the best two.

We have attended as competitors since 2006, and as a vendor in 2008 and 2009. This year's event will be June 26 and 27, 2010, which is a departure from the traditional Independence Day weekend (July 4th). Once again we plan to attend as a competitor and a vendor ... if you're going to be there, please stop by our booth to say hi and enter our give-away drawing! DACOF will be at the Silver Springs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida. If you want more information, the best place to get it is to join the DACOF Yahoo group, at http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/DACOF/

Here's a video we shot of one of Trooper's DACOF runs in 2009, and a couple of pictures from the event; one a general shot of the arena, and the other is our vendor booth (while we were in the process of getting set up).

Extreme Agility and Obedience

2010-01-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

This is amazing! As agility competitors, safety of the dogs and their equipment is always a concern, but these people and dogs take it to a whole new level. We certainly have a new respect for police dogs and Belgian Malinois!

You Asked for It - You Got It!!

2010-01-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

We've had so many requests for blingy shirts, that we have finally acquiesced! We have two designs so far, made with Swarovski crystals, and more to come soon. One is a new design called 2010 MMX, and the other one is our most popular design - NKJD (No Kids Just Dogs). Come take a look - just click here .
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Happy Holidays!

2009-12-25T15:01:00.001-08:00

DogShirtStore.com and Plan-It Promotions, Inc. wishes all of our friends, customers, and Facebook fans Happy Holidays and all the best in the New Year!!
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DogShirtStore Creates New NADAC Designs

2009-12-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

We are so pleased to be able to offer products we have created especially for NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council)! Tees, polos, magnets, decals, and window vinyls are available so far. Check them out under "NADAC Stuff" at http://www.dogshirtstore.com/.

For more information about NADAC, go to: http://www.nadac.com/.

Finally Fundraising Again!!

2009-12-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

We're so excited! Plan-It Promotions, Inc., the company that owns www.DogShirtStore.com, was initially started with the intent on fundraising for animal rescue organizations.

Throughout past years, we have felt privileged to host fundraising events, as well as raise funds in other ways. Unfortunately, more recently, we have been so busy growing our business and trying to stay alive in this economy (especially with Ilene losing her job of 13 years this past May!), that we almost lost sight of our original mission.

Well, today we had a light-bulb moment! We decided to offer animal rescue groups the opportunity to hold a fundraiser through our webstore! Please feel free to contact us if you know of a non-profit animal advocacy organization that would like us to set up a fundraiser for them. It would be our pleasure!!

No More CafePress Store!

2009-12-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

You may have stumbled upon this blog while looking for our CafePress store. Unfortunately, we closed our CafePress shop today. But, never fear - our own live webstore has all of our CafePress designs, plus many, many more!

DogShirtStore / Plan-It Promotions, Inc. had a CafePress store from 7/2/07 through today. Unfortunately, CafePress got very greedy, and greatly slashed shopkeepers' commissions - on the shopkeepers' own designs! Bad move, CafePress!

Please feel free to visit our real webstore at www.DogShirtStore.com!

The Schnauzer and the Servant Bell

2009-11-18T18:06:00.001-08:00

A few years ago, we bought an ingenious little product called a Pet Chime. The idea is that you put this oversized doorbell button on the floor by the door, and the dog presses the button to alert you that he needs to go out; you take the dog out, and save on carpet cleaning bills.

It was surprisingly easy to train two of the three Mini Schnauzers who let us live with them to use the bell. The third, our "human" dog, Lili, just didn't understand why she should take the time. Her needs are met in every way, so why bother?

We started with teaching the "touch" trick [see previous post - Teaching a Dog to Touch on Command]. This behavior was then fairly easily transferred to touch the bell - go outside. In a week or so, both Ivie and Trooper had this figured out (Lili did easily learn the touch trick, since she wouldn't pass up a chance to get a yummy treat, but she still can't be bothered to ring the bell to go out).

Fast forward a couple of years, and Trooper seems to have discovered a new use for the bell. Now after ringing the bell, instead of standing by the front door, when we come downstairs we'll find him standing by the food bowl (I'm hungry) or standing at the base of the stairs (please open the gate - I'm lonely and want to be upstairs with you), or even standing in the middle of the living room carpet with his favorite toy in his mouth (I'm bored and want you to play with me).

Lately, he's even started a new trick with the bell. We think he rings it when Lili needs to go out. There have been multiple occasions where he will ring the bell, get taken out, and then ring it again just a few minutes later. Yet, when we go downstairs to see what he wants, he runs from the door and curls up on the sofa, but Lili, the one who never bothers to ring the bell (unless there's a treat involved), is sitting patiently by the door waiting to go out. Our little canine companions never cease to amaze us!

"Jeeves, please have the car brought around."
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Teaching a Dog to Touch on Command

2009-11-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

From left to right:

Lili, Trooper, and Ivie

Teaching a pup how to "touch" on command is a fairly easy trick to teach. You can use just about any prop at first - we started with a mouse pad. For best results, train new tricks in short sessions (just a few minutes each session), but often. We teach new tricks in the evenings and on weekends, when we can devote about five minutes out of every hour to the pups, over a four to six hour period.

Here are the basic steps that worked well with our Mini Schnauzers:

1. Decide on your first prop; something like a mouse pad, piece of cardboard, book, etc.

2. Put your prop in front of your pup and when he touches it (with paw or nose), mark it with your clicker or training word (ours is "Yes!") and give him a treat.

3. Pick up your prop and put it back down and again treat him when he touches it. After awhile, start saying "touch" when you put the prop down so he starts associating the word with the action.

4. After your pup shows some touch consistency, switch things up a bit by using different props, and move it around so he doesn't associate "touch" with any particular prop or place.

5. Try putting your pup in a sit/stay, and then put your prop down a few feet away from him and point to the prop, telling him to touch. Our kids really liked this game - once we gave the command "touch", they would run and pounce on the prop! [As evidenced in the composite picture above]

6. Once your pup understands touch, put his paw print bell on the floor by the door you go out to walk him. Every time you take him out, tell him to "touch" the bell before opening the door.

It won't be long before he's ringing the bell to let you know he has to go out, and maybe, like our Trooper, to also tell you he's hungry, wants to play, or his sister has to go out!!

November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month

2009-11-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

Pet Cancer Early Warning Signs from the
American Veterinary Medical Association:

• Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow
• Sores that do not heal
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Bleeding or discharge from any body opening
• Offensive odor
• Difficulty eating or swallowing
• Hesitation to exercise or loss of stamina
• Persistent lameness or stiffness
• Difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating

Contact your veterinarian if you notice your dog or cat displaying any of these signs. Early detection is vital for successful treatment and recovery of pet cancer.

[Taken from a VPI pet insurance communication. ]
All of our pets are insured with VPI – check it out at http://www.petinsurance.com/
If you join, please let them know we referred you.
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Dog Poop

2009-11-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

We don't often think about dog poop. All right - if you have a dog, you know that's a lie. Our dog's poop can tell us a lot. It can let us know if Fido (pseudonym) isn't feeling well, if he ate something he shouldn't have, or if he's doing just fine.

Having three Mini Schnauzers, we pretty much took for granted the small size of their "output". That is, until we came across some poop that looked like it must have come from an elephant! (Okay, we know it actually came out of a canine, but we can't imagine how big it must have been to have created that biscuit).

So, that prompted us to do our newest design - No Poop Walk. Go to Other Stuff - T-Shirts on the left side of our home page to check it out. http://www.dogshirtstore.com/

Here's our PSA for the day:
If you walk your dog in public, please do your neighbors a favor and PICK UP YOUR POOP!!! Well, your dog's poop, anyway. Besides, it's the law! :-)

Just How Smart is Your Dog?

2009-11-03T07:43:00.001-08:00

We all think our dog is the smartest pup around, don't we? But, just how smart is your dog? How does he or she compare to the breed standard?

We have three Mini Schnauzers, and if we equate them to people, we have one who we think is "book smart" - she's analytical, one who is "street smart" - she's intuitive, and one who is just a clown (but yes, he is pretty sharp, too!) - he's extremely observant.

According to S. Coren, author of "The Intelligence of Dogs", there are three types of dog intelligence:

* Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability). This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.

* Instinctive Intelligence. This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.

* Working/Obedience Intelligence. This is breed dependent.

Based on a dog trainer's survey, the following is the ranking of dogs for obedience/working Intelligence by breed. [We're not sure what dog trainer or how accurate this really is, but it's interesting nonetheless].

Rank Characteristics
1-10 Brightest Dogs
11-26 Excellent Working Dogs
27-39 Above Average Working Dogs
40-54 Average Working/Obedience Intelligence
55-69 Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
70-79 Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranks 1 to 10
Brightest Dogs

Understanding of New Commands: Less than 5 repetitions.
Obey First Command: 95% of the time or better.

Rank Breed
1 Border Collie
2 Poodle
3 German Shepherd
4 Golden Retriever
5 Doberman Pinscher
6 Shetland Sheepdog
7 Labrador Retriever
8 Papillon
9 Rottweiler
10 Australian Cattle Dog
[hmmmm - no Mini Schnauzers yet]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranks 11 to 26
Excellent Working Dogs

Understanding of New Commands: 5 to 15 repetitions.
Obey First Command: 85% of the time or better.

Rank Breed
11 Pembroke Welsh Corgi
12 Miniature Schnauzer
13 English Springer Spaniel
14 Belgian Tervuren
15 Schipperke
Belgian Sheepdog
16 Collie
Keeshond
17 German Shorthaired Pointer
18 Flat-Coated Retriever
English Cocker Spaniel
Standard Schnauzer
19 Brittany
20 Cocker Spaniel
21 Weimaraner
22 Belgian Malinois
Bernese Mountain Dog
23 Pomeranian
24 Irish Water Spaniel
25 Vizsla
26 Cardigan Welsh Corgi
[Ok - that's better - Mini Schnauzers #12!]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranks 27 to 39
Above Average Working Dogs

Understanding of New Commands: 15 to 25 repetitions.
Obey First Command: 70% of the time or better

Rank Breed
27 Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Puli
Yorkshire Terrier
28 Giant Schnauzer
29 Airedale Terrier
Bouvier Des Flandres
30 Border Terrier
Briard
31 Welsh Springer Spaniel
32 Manchester Terrier
33 Samoyed
34 Field Spaniel
Newfoundland
Australian Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Gordon Setter
Bearded Collie
35 Cairn Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
Irish Setter
36 Norwegian Elkhound
37 Affenpincher
Silky Terrier
Miniature Pinscher
English Setter
Pharaoh Hound
Clumber Spaniel
38 Norwich Terrier
39 Dalmatian
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranks 40 to 54
Average Working/Obedience Intelligence

Understanding of New Commands: 25 to 40 repetitions.
Obey First Command: 50% of the time or better.

Rank Breed
40 Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
Bedlington Terrier
Smooth Fox Terrier
41 Curly-Coated Retriever
Irish Wolfhound
42 Kuvasz
Australian Shepherd
43 Saluki
Finnish Spitz
Pointer
44 Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
German Wirehaired Pointer
Black & Tan Coonhound
American Water Spaniel
45 Siberian Husky
Bichon Frise
English Toy Spaniel
46 Tibetan Spaniel
English Foxhound
Otterhound
American Foxhound
Greyhound
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
47 West Highland White Terrier
Scottish Deerhound
48 Boxer
Great Dane
49 Dachshund
Stafforshire Bull Terrier
50 Alaskan Malamute
51 Whippet
Chinese Shar-pei
Wire Fox Terrier
52 Rhodesian Ridgeback
53 Ibizan Hound
Welsh Terrier
Irish Terrier
54 Boston Terrier
Akita
[I love and have trained with Aussies, and I have a hard time believing they came in at 42]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranks 55 to 69
Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence

Understanding of New Commands: 40 to 80 repetitions.
Obey First Command: 30% of the time or better.

Rank Breed
55 Skye Terrier
56 Norfolk Terrier
Sealyham Terrier
57 Pug
58 French Bulldog
59 Brussels Griffon
Maltese
60 Italian Greyhound
61 Chinese Crested
62 Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Tibetan Terrier
Japanese Chin
Lakeland Terrier
63 Old English Sheepdog
64 Great Pyrenees
65 Scottish Terrier
Saint Bernard
66 Bull Terrier
67 Chihuahua
68 Lhasa Apso
69 Bullmastiff
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranks 70 to 79
Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence

Understanding of New Commands: 80 to 100 repetitions or more.
Obey First Command: 25% of the time or worse.

Rank Breed
70 Shih Tzu
71 Basset Hound
72 Mastiff
Beagle
73 Pekingese
74 Bloodhound
75 Borzoi
76 Chow Chow
77 Bulldog
78 Basenji
79 Afghan Hound

Summer SAD - Maybe I'm NOT Going Crazy?

2009-11-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, according to most who know me, I probably already am crazy. But I think this may be different - really. I've made no secret of the fact that I'm going through the dreaded menopausal phase of life, and have pretty much blamed every ache, pain, and negative thought on my hormones. However, this summer things became so much worse. I remember it started during our June flyball tournament. All of a sudden, I couldn't stand to be outside in the heat and sun, even to walk our dogs. If I had to be outside longer than a few minutes, it could bring on a full-blown anxiety attack.

I started calling myself a vampire - I hibernated during the day and only went out in the evenings, after the sun went down. I would hate it when the dogs asked to go out when Del, my husband, wasn't home to walk them. Our air conditioning went out one day, and the panic attack wasn't pretty.

Besides our webstore, we also vendor at dog sport events. Although we rely on that income since I lost my full-time job in May (after 13 years of service), we had to cancel several trips because the thought of traveling in the hot sun was just to much to bear - what if we had car trouble and didn't have a/c?

We stopped going to our flyball practices - it was just too hot. I became reclusive. If I had to go out during the day, I would take a cooler of ice, a battery-powered fan, and lots of cold water with me - "just in case". I didn't communicate much with my friends. Hard to explain why I didn't want to meet them for lunch, or go shopping, etc. In my head, it just sounded silly to say I couldn't go out because it was too hot. I was depressed, I was sad, I was anxious, I was frustrated. I also cried a lot.

After getting my hormones tested, it was confirmed - I was in perimenopause. So, I tried researching menopause related anxiety. Not much helpful information, except to take hormones or go on antidepressants. I didn't like either option. Very small doses of Xanax only when things got very bad helped, but still, I really hate having to take anything.

Then, finally, a cool spell for a whole week - the temperatures went below 90 degrees. It was wonderful! I took the dogs out for walks, I practiced flyball with them in the back yard. I sat soaking in the sun and it felt great!

Then the temperatures went back up, and I am staying in the house once again. At this point, I'm watching the forecast and getting excited that this coming week the temperatures will once again be under 90.

That brings us to tonight. Del is a musician (born in Canada) and belongs to a Canadian classic rock email group. He really does glean a lot of useful (and not so useful) information from that group! Tonight, there was a posting about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) on the list.

Del hadn't heard of it, so he proceeded to look it up. While reading about SAD, he found out there is actually such a thing as REVERSE SAD - an extremely small group of people are actually affected not by winter, but by summer. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information about it, except that it isn't known if it is caused by the sun or the heat, and there isn't really a treatment for it (winter SAD has a few different treatments, one of which is light therapy). Antidepressants have been found helpful in that they can lower your body temperature so that you don't feel as hot, but again, not crazy about taking meds here.

I don't know why this started affecting me this summer, but I guess I can still blame that on hormonal changes. I do feel validated, at least in a small way, just knowing that there may be an explanation other than I'm going crazy.

I would very much appreciate getting feedback from anyone else who has gone through this, especially if you have found anything that could help.

Ilene.

DogShirtStore on Facebook

2009-10-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

We're always trying to think of ways to show our appreciation for the people who support us. Become a fan of DogShirtStore on Facebook, and be the first to find out what's new and receive special sales and promotions, for fans only! You can find us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DogShirtStore/108541084788

Second Height Dog Contest Winning Design

2009-10-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

At least we didn't wait another two months to complete this one! The newest height dog design is now available - "Size Does Matter". Our thanks to Teresa Y. of Texas for the great idea! To check out the newest design, go to Flyball Stuff - T-Shirts at www.dogshirtstore.com.

Update - Ivie's Hearing Issue

2009-10-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

On 9/11/09, we posted about a sound sensitivity issue that our white Mini Schnauzer, Ivie had developed. (Please see previous blog).

We've had many, many suggestions from all over the world about a) what could cause this, and b) what to do about it . . . Suggestions far too numerous to mention in detail, but the top items were:
1) Have her thyroid checked.
2) Have her hearing checked.
3) Have her teeth checked for cracks, decay, etc.
4) Have her checked by a chiropractor / acupuncturist.
5) Work with her on a behavior level, desensitize her to the sound.

Actually, the behavior suggestion was the most commonly received one. Many people said that their dogs developed sensitivity to various sounds, from electronic camera flashes to thunder and they were able to work with them through behavior to help them. However, our concern was that if there was a physical cause, teaching her to not exhibit the pain wouldn't be a good thing.

So, we attempted to look for a physical cause before going the behavior route.

Our first step was to have her thyroid checked. As suggested by several readers, we wanted not just a simple screening, but a full thyroid panel. Blood was taken and sent to Michigan State. A week or so later, the results came back, and although most levels were in the normal range, her free T3 panel was very low. The specialist said that she would not consider Ivie to have hypothyroidism with her particular values, but our regular vet and we decided it was still a good thing to treat it as such since thyroid issues can be a bit "abnormal".

We started her on Thyrosin and were hopeful that we'd see improvement shortly. Unfortunately, after several weeks it seemed that this had no effect at all on her sound sensitivity. (We are still glad we had this done, because it revealed another issue that we would not have known about otherwise). She's due to get her blood retested on 11/11/09 just to be sure all the values are now in the normal range.

Our next step was to have her hearing checked. If, in fact, she was becoming deaf as several readers suggested, certain normal sounds could be very frightening, we supposed. We made an appointment with a veterinary hearing specialist who also happens to be a neurologist for a Baer test.

When we arrived for the Baer test and began speaking with the doctor, she told us that the Baer test only tells if the dog can hear or not; it's commonly used with puppies that are suspected of being deaf to determine if they are truly unable to hear. The test would not tell us if she was having sensitivity to a particular range of frequencies. Since we were already there, she proceeded to do a series of neurological tests on her - lying her on her back and looking in her eyes, poking and prodding her in various places, having me walk and jog with her to see if she had any gait issues. Aside from a general soreness in her shoulders, she detected nothing unusual. She recommended that we may want to try some acupuncture and/or Chinese medicine remedies, which we still may do, but haven't as of this writing.

Our third effort involved finding a vet who could take dental x-rays, as ours does not. At first we thought we would need to drive to Gainesville to the veterinary college, but a little more digging brought us to a clinic in Largo that specializes in canine dentistry. We met with Ashley B. Oakes, DVM, of Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists in Largo, Florida, and she did a full exam in preparation for the x-rays. Dr. Oakes did not particularly care for the position of Ivie's upper front tooth, which was slightly behind the teeth on either side of it. Although she did not think this tooth could be the cause of the problem, she felt that it could bother Ivie at some point since it was hitting the lower teeth awkwardly when she closed her mouth. So, since Ivie was going to be sedated for the x-rays anyway, we decided to have the tooth extracted and have her teeth cleaned at the same time. No cracks or injured teeth were found.

Surprisingly, after her visit to the dentist, Ivie did seem to be slightly more tolerant of sounds, at least for a little while. Unfortunately, it seems to be getting worse now, which makes us believe it may now be behavioral since she got used to having that reaction.

Our next step will be to work on the behavior itself, having done as much as we can to eliminate physical causes. We've bought a referee's whistle, and plan on practicing flyball in the backyard and lightly whistling and treating her (with baby food, one of her favorite treats) at the same time.

If anyone has any other ideas on how to change this behavior, please feel free to comment. Thanks!!

First Height Dog Contest Winning Design

2009-10-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it took us two months since the contest closed, but we finally finished our first HEIGHT DOG* contest winning design, and it's now available!! It's so good we had to make two! "Seven Inches is Better Than Nine" and "I Like Seven Inches . . ." Many thanks to Jennifer S. of Maryland. To check out the new designs, go to Flyball Stuff at http://www.dogshirtstore.com/.

*A height dog is the smallest dog on a flyball team of four dogs.

What the Heck is Flyball??

2009-10-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

All three of our Mini Schnauzers are flyball racers and are considered height dogs, since they are the smallest dogs on their team. They aren't the fastest racers, but they are very consistent (they jump over the jumps, get their ball, and come back over the jumps), and they sure look cute doing it!!

You can watch them practicing at www.youtube.com/dogshirtstore.

Taken directly from the NAFA (North American Flyball Association) website (www.flyball.org), the following is a good explanation of the sport of flyball:

Flyball races match two teams of four dogs each, racing side-by-side over a 51 foot long course. Each dog must run in relay fashion down the jumps, trigger a flyball box, releasing the ball, retrieve the ball, and return over the jumps. The next dog is released to run the course but can't cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned over all 4 jumps and reached the start/finish line. The first team to have all 4 dogs finish the course without error wins the heat.

Jump height is determined by the smallest dog on the team – this dog, called the "height dog", is measured at the withers, then that number is rounded down to the nearest inch and another 5" is subtracted to get the jump height (with the minimum jump height being 7"). So a 13 1/4" dog would round down to 13", minus 5", would jump 8". Maximum jump height is 14".

In the early days of flyball, there were no start lights and no passing lights. All of the starts and passes were called by the line judges, who also used hand-held stopwatches to time the races. The race was started by the head judge; the judge would do a basic "ready, set, go" and blow the whistle on the "go". Minimum jump heights were 10", and were determined by measuring the smallest dog on the team at the withers and rounding up or down to the nearest inch (so a 13 1/2" dog would jump 13", while a 13 3/4" dog would jump 14").

With the onset of the Electronic Judging System (EJS), which uses lights and infrared timing sensors [it reminds us of car racing lights], competitors were suddenly able to track their starts, passes, finishes, and individual dogs' times to the thousandth of a second. It's hard to imagine racing without an EJS in this day and age. Many teams run all 4 dogs through the course in less than 20 seconds. The NAFA World Record is now 15.22.

New at DogShirtStore - JEWELRY!

2009-09-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

We are always trying to find and offer new products, especially for our fellow flyball competitors, since they see us so often and support us so well (which is truly appreciated!). So, we now have JEWELRY!! 100% Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystal paw print earrings and bookmark hooks with dog breed charms. They can be found on our Jewelry Stuff page at http://www.dogshirtstore.com/servlet/the-JEWELRY-STUFF/Categories.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Day!

2009-09-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to have T-shirts, magnets, and decals available for sale to bring awareness to childhood cancer. A portion of each sale will be donated to CureSearch (http://www.curesearch.org/), in honor of our friend Paula, who is working to bring awareness of childhood cancer to the forefront. To read Paula's blog, please go to: The Prodigal Presbyterian. You can find these products at http://www.dogshirtstore.com/ under "Other Stuff".

White Mini Schnauzer - New Hearing Issue

2009-09-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

[Previously posted on our website - 9/2/09]

This is a strange problem that no one we've spoken to has ever heard of, including our trainers and our vet, so I'm throwing it "to the winds" of cyberspace in case someone somewhere has heard of a case like this.

Our white Miniature Schnauzer Ivie, who is 6 years old, has recently developed a sensitivity to higher-pitched sounds that is making it so she will have to stop competing in flyball if we can't find a solution.
It first happened in June at a flyball tournament ... her first race was the fifth race of the day. She was very slow in her first runback warm-up, which was unusual. Then, when it was her turn to run in the race, she wouldn't go. Instead, she looked distressed and like she had to relieve herself. We took her outside, and she had diarrhea (keep in mind that she heard the judge's whistle blowing during the previous four races, although we didn't know at the time that it bothered her. We just naturally thought she was sick, and we didn't even think it could be related to sound. We kept her out of racing for the weekend.

A few weeks later we were at an agility event. Agility competitions are pretty quiet, and she was fine all weekend ... until the awards at the end of the weekend. While we were breaking down our vendor booth at the end of Sunday, the awards were going on, and when our friends were getting awards I was clapping and doing a really loud whistle (the kind where you use your fingers) . . . after awhile, Ivie was scratching at her crate, and shiver-shaking and in total distress. All night long she kept "asking" to go out, so we wound up taking her to the emergency vet, who said although her urine didn't look too bad, maybe she had a slight infection, and put her on antibiotics "just in case".

Over the next few days, different things happened to set Ivie off - a spring on our heat press squeaked, the kitchen faucet squeaked, a tennis shoe squeaked on the tile floor . . . in every case she reacted exactly the same - running around, shiver-shaking, clinging to momma, panting, chest heaving, ringing the doorbell, scratching at the door. At this point, we finally figured out that Ivie's distress seemed to be related to the high-pitched sounds happening around her. So, back to the vet we went to have her ears checked. He did a VERY thorough examination: no wax buildup, no broken ear drum, nothing that he could see. Just in the very small chance it could help, the vet suggested we change her food in case the food she was on was somehow responsible for the new hearing sensitivity (we've only given our dogs premium food, from a raw diet, to cooking them a special "Schnauzer" diet, to finally Orijens, which is a very high protein food). So, finding a different food with very similar ingredients as the Orijens, but with much less protein, we gradually switched her food over the next few weeks.

We decided to "test" and see if she was still having issues, so while watching TV in the living room my wife let out a high-pitched "whoo-hoo", although not very loud (certainly not as loud as a judge's whistle) . . . just to see what would happen. Ivie immediately jumped up, ran around, shivered, and ran to the door to get out. She had just been walked 30 minutes previously, so she should not have needed to relieve herself. We calmed her down and put some soft foam earplugs in her ears to see if they would help. After making sure she was calm and resting, my wife again let out a softer "whoo-hoo". Again, off to the door, and this time she would not be denied. She would have clawed down the door if I did not take her out.

We hate the thought of pulling our most experienced pup from competing in flyball, since she really loves it, so I'm throwing this out there to the collective dog sport world in the hopes we can come up with a solution. Please note that Ivie does NOT react to other types of sounds. She doesn't care about thunder, gunshots on TV, fireworks, vacuum cleaners, or anything else. We've even walked her in the middle of a thunder storm when she insisted, with no bad reaction. Only higher-pitched squeaky sounds and whistles now set her off, and it usually takes her at least a day or two to get over it.

Any ideas would be gratefully considered.

Hello and Welcome to the DogShirtStore.com Blog!

2009-09-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

DogShirtStore.com is an online store featuring all-original designs on T-shirts, magnets, window vinyls, and stickers. We sell Easy-Walk harnesses, tugs, Sterling Silver jewelry, and other pet-related items such as treats, interactive toys, pet swabs, and more. We also sell flyball jumps and the Miller Elite Flyball Box.

In addition to dog sport items, we are also expanding our line: already we have added some cat designs and some yoga-related designs, with more categories to come.

The original designs we sell are all of our own creation, or the suggestions of friends and fellow competitors. My wife and I do all of the design and manufacturing ourselves (for now).

We are owned by three Miniature Schnauzers who are active in flyball and agility, and also two cats who aren't particularly active at all.

Located in Land O Lakes, FL, we also sell our products at various dog-related shows and tournaments throughout Florida and beyond, and a select group of resellers also carry our designs.