*Warning:  this post includes  references to pee and a certain ex-congressman.  Read at your own risk.

Meet Izzy.

Hi! My name is Izzy and I am a 7 month old cocker spaniel. I pee. I pee a lot. I can’t help it. I get excited and I pee. I get scared and I pee. If I were to meet you I would pee. My mom follows me around with disinfectant and paper towels. Even my best friend, Ronan avoids me when I pee and he is a Labrador. And you know Labradors and tennis balls-well I have peed on those too and he won’t play with them anymore.

You’d probably pee too if you looked like the long lost cousin of ex-congressman James Traficant. I included a picture of him in case you are not familiar with his stylish hair piece.  I’ll probably pee if we win this contest. Heck, I can guarantee it!

Tagline:  Tinkle Monster

Grrmmmppphhh.  My name is Bailey and I was was born at the at the local shelter in August 2001, after my pregnant mother “ran afoul of the law”.  Along with my mom and littermates, I was sent to stay with this nice human family until I was big enough to find a forever home.  However, when that time came, my human mom did something called “Failing Fostering 101″.

My human mom says that I was born a “grumpy old man”, but would like to think that I was just born with an old soul.  When she fosters new dogs, it is my job to make sure order is kept.  I don’t allow any shenanigans on my watch.  I mean really, the kids these days don’t know how good they have it.  Back in my day, we had to walk five miles, up-hill, both ways just to get a chewy bone…

So vote for age and experience.

Vote for Bailey.

Now, get of my lawn!

Last week we requested photos of your dogs wearing their boring or useless current tags for a Fetching Tags giveaway.  We promised a great tag for a winning pet in each size category.

And the winners are. . .

Medium:  Bianca

Bianca is shown sporting a hand me down blue bone from a golden retriever named Ginger.

Tiny:  Roxy

Roxy is modeling the latest in plastic microchip tags.

Small:  Nick

Microchip tag?  Nick ate one of those.  He’s currently making fashion waves with his rubber banded bone tag.

Large:  Dozer

This could be the worst yet.  This Post-It is not even a good color for Dozer – the pale yellow really washes him out.

With all of the wonderful submissions, we had a hard time stopping there.  So we didn’t.

These dogs will each receive one of our new Fat Brass tags (soon to be available in our online store).

Large:  Moo

Moo is a plastic tag eater – he ate his sister, Gray Sea’s, tag as well as his own.  Wait, maybe Gray Sea should get the tag instead. . .

Medium:  Tazz

This rescue boy looks completely weird in a blue bone, and it should be replaced immediately.*

Nugget:  Anuhea

This adventurer needs a tag that can stand up to her rock climbing, hiking, & sandy-wet beach time.

*This is not an example of Breed Specific Tag Giveaway Bias – somebody else picked the winners.  He is handsome though, isn’t he?

My name is Stella and I love to go fast!

I’m wearing the pink jersey in the picture and my brother Leroy is in the blue, we always go fast together and sometimes I go faster than he does, even though I’m smaller.  Lure coursing is my favorite and my people tell me I win a lot.  Mostly I just like to chase the bunnies but winning is cool too because I get lots of extra attention after.  My people came up with a great line for my new tag to help me go faster.  They say it’s just like how you make the lawn mower go fast, Give it more Rabbit!  If you vote for me I’ll do the best I can at the next trial and get the 2 points I need to be a Field Champion!

(looks up from kissing Daddy)

oh hi.  My name is Finn, and I was rescued, along with my brother Munch, by a nice man.  We knew he would be a good Daddy since he has a fuzzy face like us.  But honestly, he needs more grooming than we do.  So far his training is going well.  When we scratch on the back door, he lets us out.  When we scratch at our dishes, he feeds us…and when I roll over he knows that it’s time for HIM to scratch.

If you vote for me, I promise…..um….hang on.  (kisses Daddy).  (looks up) Oh yeah.  If you vote for me, I promise to kiss everyone equally, regardless of breed, fur color and length or choice in collars.  I also vow that no living creature with opposable thumbs shall be stopped from providing belly scratches to those they hold dear.  In closing…I would like to….HEY!  MUNCH!  GIMME BACK MY SOCK!  (runs off)

of our newest pack/herd member:

that this is a picture of my dog.

and not the Sunday afternoon before the Monday that is the first day of First Grade. . .

Once upon a time, there was a dog named Ella.  She spent her days bouncy bounding after balls & basking in the love of her family.  With her sudden illness & loss, her people found that Ella had  stretched their hearts so wide that she’d made room for not just one new pup that needed a home, but two. . .

After Ella passed, we came home to a dogless house. It was suggested that we borrow a neighbor’s Shiba Inu, and the visit sealed the deal that we needed another dog in the house to fill that physical void.  Not to replace Ella, but to snuggle me at nap time, and to fill this house with a dog again.

Ophie is our adopted pit bull puppy.  She is 4 months old & she is missing a toe on her left front paw.

We found our Ophelia through a rescue in a Chicago that gave her the nickname “Ophi-Wan Kenophi”.  And it stuck.  And the name stuck, as “Ophelia” means “Help”, & she sure has proven that she is a huge help with allowing our hearts to grieve Ella in a less painful way.

Luke loves peanut butter, belly rubs, and the human touch.  But he doesn’t have the jedi mind tricks down for those quite yet.  He will just plop himself at you and on you.  He is very generous with an abundance of soft bully kisses, and he is a total people slut.

He’s learning how to catch flying objects with his mouth (flying objects=bugs, but don’t tell him. . .)

And did I mention that he simply LOVES kids?  Yes.  Kids are undoubtedly his most favorite type of human.

Ophelia’s tagline:  Ophi-wan Kenophi

Luke’s tagline:  Ophi-wan’s Padawan

Meet Clark , January 2010 Tagline of the Month Winner.

Tagline:  Hall Monitor

Meet Buckley.

Buckley is brought to you by the American Animal Rescue Society.

A pug in the Victorian style, blind and roughly the size and shape of a breadbox and a half, he’s a suburbs dog-turned-city dog since he moved on up from a former life that was . . . well, kinda crappy.

In his new home he’s learned “up steps” and “down steps” commands, stands up very straight and proper on the “wait” command at intersections, is smart enough to swerve when somebody yells “careful!” and sticks like a snail to Mommy’s leg.   Hail, hail the Eyeball Kid!

Buckley’s other activities involve impersonating a gargoyle, promoting animal rescue organizations, lounging on the couch with his elbow out, tilting his head nearly 180 degrees at the mention of “going to Grandmommy and Grandpapi’s house,” and occasionally smacking headlong into the cat. We all have a good laugh about it. Buckley is super proud and just really happy in general. See the face? You can’t deny the happy in that face.

Tagline:  Eyeball Kid