Puppy Bowl and UBER Team Up

This year Puppy Bowl XI did something incredibly special and awesome! Animal Planet teamed up with UBER to bring puppies to your office! That is right, you could order a car full of puppies to play with for 15 minutes!

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UBER is a company which allows you to use a cell phone app to order a taxi, private car, or rideshare. They are prominent in the news because the company employs any qualified driver and car for use as a taxi in the face of existing taxi medallion systems and companies, and has been rapidly expanding to new areas.

Unfortunately, The Human only heard about this after the time you could try to order this service which was Wednesday February 28 from 11am to 3pm. It was also very limited due to the demand for such a service and the difficulties of moving puppies around to many play dates. Maybe, just maybe if this works out this year they will offer the same type of service in the future. It was also extremely geographically limited, available in only 10 major cities so many were out of luck to begin with.

Where, How, Why, and How Much?

Where:  Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, DC, Denver, Indianapolis, LA, Phoenix, and Seattle.

How: You had to use the UBER app and request the PUPPIES option, which could only be viewed by those using the app in the above cities.

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(UBER)

This is what was displayed if all the puppies were busy:

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It was stated that puppies only be delivered to office buildings, and you had to make sure ahead of time that your office manager/building manger/boss was okay with this. You needed a room available for the puppies to go in and/or an enclosure to keep them safe and contained.

How does UBER even have puppies to drive around? They partnered with local shelters in each city. Many of the puppies that were involved were adoptable.

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Why: This event draws attention to puppies in need of a home. It also brings exposure to the shelters who participated. In most cities the puppies in the car were adoptable and the representative who traveled with the car of puppies could help. Plus, who wouldn’t want to play with a bunch of puppies while at their office?!

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Here are the participating shelters:
Phoenix – Arizona Humane Society
Atlanta – Atlanta Humane Society
Baltimore – BARCS Baltimore
Cleveland – Cleveland Animal Protective League
Dallas – Dallas Animal Services
Denver – Dumb Friends League
Indianapolis – Humane Society of Indianapolis
LA – Wags and Walks
Seattle – PAWS
DC – Washington Animal Rescue League

How Much: $30 for 15 minutes of puppy play time. All the money went to the shelter that participated in the event.

Puppies from the UBER promotion in Dallas:
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(Twitter/City of Dallas)

You can read the rules here and find out more.

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The puppies also went to schools and children’s hospitals to brighten their day!

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The Human is very sad to have missed this, but the opportunity was amazing!

– Fizz

 

Puppy Bowl 2015 is this Sunday

It is once again time for Puppy Bowl! YES!!!! This Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!!!!!

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Puppy Bowl is a show on Animal Planet which always airs on the Sunday of the Super Bowl. It is to show off cute puppies playing a fake game of football for your enjoyment. You can watch puppies both before, during, and after the big game. Puppy Bowl XI will air on February 1 2015 at 3 pm. It will start and end before the big game begins. However, PBXI will also replay a few more times so you can watch it instead of football or you can catch it after the game if you do not have time before.

As usual, the show features puppies from animal shelters playing with football (and other) dog toys on a miniature field inside a mini fake stadium. Puppies are switched out throughout the game and a touchdown is made any time a puppy makes it over the goal line with a toy. A ref calls penalties and makes sure that the puppies play nice. The halftime show features kittens playing. One puppy usually wins an MVP (most valuable puppy) award for playing the best. But I am not sure if that is true this year with the addition of an online fantasy draft. The point of the whole thing is to show off cute puppies to encourage people to go to their local shelters and adopt dogs in need of homes. All of the puppies featured have been adopted into new homes.

This year they are also featuring a fantasy draft, which might take the place of the mvp award.
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You go online here to sign into the site and pick three puppies for your dream team from the starting line up. The puppies are split into two teams: Team Ruff and Team Fluff. You can pick three puppies in any variation and across both teams.

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You also get to pick which team you think will win. Team Ruff is in the lead!

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Here are a couple of the puppies from the starting line up:

Aria the Labrador Retriever mix, on Team Ruff:
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Keith Barraclough/DCL

Blue the Schnauzer Poodle mix, on Team Fluff:
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Keith Barraclough

Boomer the German Shepherd mix, on Team Ruff:
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Chicklet the Australian Shepherd Mix, on Team Fluff:
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Keith Barraclough

Falcor the Clumber Spanial, on Team Ruff:
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Keith Barraclough/DCL

Fritz the Mini Schnauzer, on Team Fluff:
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Keith Barraclough/DCL

Lee the Boxer mix,on Team Ruff:
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Keith Barraclough/DCL

Panda the Pomeranian, on Team Fluff:
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Keith Barraclough/DCL

You can see the entire starting line up here. There is a great mix of beautiful and adorable puppies this year, you won’t want to miss out!

Make sure you tune in and watch all the adorable puppies this Sunday at 3 pm on Animal Planet!

– Fizz

Photo Doggies for Anthony

Sometimes people on the internet can come together to make wonderful things happen. Photo Doggies for Anthony is a Facebook event on which people around the world can post pictures of their dogs to cheer up a teen named Anthony who has cancer and cannot be with his own pets while undergoing chemotherapy. The instagram link is here: photo.doggies.for.Anthony.  Pet pictures have been posted from all over the world, of all kinds of pets, along with words of encouragement. More than 500,000 photos have been shared!

If you have a photo of your dog, or can take one, please consider sharing it on the event or instagram to help Anthony smile!

Here are a couple photos shared:

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(facebook)

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(facebook)

But as wonderful as the internet can be, it is also a terrible place. The above links are to a new event because the original event had to be taken down. Someone was overly negative, I do not know if that means the boy’s mom took it down for the sake of sparing her child or if that person reported the event to facebook so the bots behind the scenes automatically took it down. People can be sick, and I hope that this event continues to help this boy or anyone else who needs a pick me up.

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(facebook)

Anthony is 16 and has lymphoblastic leukemia, he has to undergo chemotherapy once a month. He was first diagnosed in July, and the leukemia is treatable, but he will have to go through chemo for the next three years. During this time he cannot be around his three dogs. He deals with depression during his treatments, and his mom said the only time he really seems happy at the hospital is when he is visited by a therapy dog. Since the therapy dogs cannot be there everyday, Anthony’s mom created the Facebook event so he can look at dog pictures whenever he likes to bring him joy.

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(facebook)

Anthony and his family are truly surprised and amazed by the outpouring of pictures and well wishes. His mom has been trying to go through all the pictures and comment on them or like them, she is quoted: “I just want to thank everyone I haven’t gotten to yet, I hope I’m able to get to all of them,” she said. “Every single one has made us smile.”

Take a moment to post those photos! You can do so here or here.

– Fizz

Original story with more quotes and information found here.

Wednesday Woof! – Husky Puppies

Wednesday is here again, be that good or bad! Have some middle of the week cheer brought to you by these husky puppies:

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(source)

I love how these puppies have already found the way to get out of their pen! Huskies are really good at this to begin with, and the best way to get proficient at something is to start early! Hope they are not too much for their current owner to handle.

– Fizz

Alaskan Klee Kai

I want to bring light to a wonderful dog breed called the Alaskan Klee Kai. You may see pictures of this breed on Pinterest – at least I have.

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(dogbreedinfo.com)

Why you might ask? Well, I have not seen these little guys receive enough attention recently given the huge interest I have seen online for Pomskies. While there are distinct differences between these two breeds, I thought I would feature this established breed that might just fill that need in your life or be an even better option for your family.

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(source)

The Klee Kai is basically a smaller version of the Alaskan Husky, standing up to 17 inches high and weighing 10 to 25 pounds. It has an established breed standard, and is recognized by the American Rare Breed Association and the United Kennel Club. All coat colors are acceptable as long as the face mask is distinct with a lighter color on the throat, chest, and underside. The coat should be thick and silky, with feathering on the ears and feet. Ears should be erect. You can read the full breed standard here.

The breed was created around 1970 in the US, but is still rare. The name Klee Kai derives from the Eskimo words for little dog. This breed is meant to be a companion rather than a working dog like the larger dog it resembles, and is therefore intelligent and energetic. They can be kept in small spaces like apartments, but they do need regular exercise. Klee Kais are cleanly dogs, requiring regular brushing but only really needing bathing every so often. They are loving with their family, but can be cautious of strangers, which makes them a good watchdog. They require a firm owner willing to train them.

Here a photo for size comparison of full grown Klee Kai dogs with humans:
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(United Alaskan Klee Kai Association)

Much smaller and more manageable for owners looking for a dog with that husky appeal but cannot have, or do not want, a large animal.

How much do these puppies cost? Well, they are a rare breed and costs do vary by breeder but they can go for around $2000 – $3000. Fair warning before getting too attached to wanting one of these beauties!

Here are images of Klee Kai dogs and puppies:
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(Top two puppy pictures and third adult picture all from Kika’s Klee Kai, Huskies in Miniature)

I just love the bright blue eyes that seem to be fairly common among this breed.

Kisa
(toyhusky.com)

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(southpack kennels)

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(Kika’s Kennel)

So think carefully if you are interested in one of these puppies. They are still rare and do cost a lot. This can lead to backyard breeders or puppy mill kinds of situations offering you less costly puppies that come from questionable practices. So be careful, do your research, and if you still want one of these guys look into the resources below:

If you are interested in buying a puppy, here are places to start your search:
United Alaskan Klee Kai Association – for breed information and links to breeders: uakka.org
Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America – breed info and more links: akkaoa.com
Breeder – Rocky Mountain Klee Kai – toyhusky.com
Breeder – Kika’s Kennel: Alaskan Miniature Huskies – kikaskleekai.com or on facebook at Kika’s Klee Kai Huskies in Miniture
Breeder – Southpack Kennel – southpackkennels.com

Have a video of a Klee Kai puppy enjoying a lime:

Another of one learning to go down stairs:

–Cola and Fizz

Sources:
DogChannel.com
United Alaskan Klee Kai Association – uakka.org
Wikipedia – Alaskan Klee Kai
Buying an Alaskan Klee Kai – alaskankleekaiscam.com

Puppy Bowl X this Sunday!

Don’t forget that this Sunday before the big game is the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet!

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The “game” is two hours of watching adorable puppies play on a fake football field. They relay that same game 6 more times Sunday so you can catch it after the real football game if you don’t get a chance before.

If you would like to read some more interesting facts about Puppy Bowl check out CNN’s article 66 Adorable Reasons to Watch Puppy Bowl.

Puppy Bowl X Starting Line Up

Puppy Bowl X is coming on “big game” Sunday (Feb 2) on Animal Planet!

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If you have not heard of or watched one of the previous 9 Puppy Bowls it features adorable puppies, 66 of them this year, all playing together with toys on a fake puppy sized football field. Getting a toy to the end zones results in a touch down, rough play results in penalties. It is not so much about the “game” but rather about watching adorable puppies! The puppies all come from local rescues to help raise awareness for these pups and all rescued animals in need of homes.

Viewers get to vote for the MVP – Most Valuable Puppy – during the live event. There is also a half time show featuring kittens and keyboard cat, and cheerleaders.

Puppy Bowl X has penguin cheerleaders for the first time!
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(source: LA Times)

The best part is that this plays before the big game so you can watch both! It also replays after so you can watch puppies instead of football if that is your thing.

Here are just a few of the adorable puppies in this year’s starting line up:

1. Alvin – Male Poodle
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2. August – Female Boxer
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3. Aurora – Female Dalmation
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4. Cody – Male Spaniel
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5. Ginger – Female Old English Sheepdog Mix
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6. Jillian – Female Shih Tzu and Pekingese Mix
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7. Lily – Female Bassett Hound
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8. Mila – Female Pit Bull
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9. Opie – Male Schnauzer and Terrier Mix
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10. Roxy – Female Shih Tzu and Chihuahua Mix
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11. Suri – Female Siberian Husky
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12. Wyatt – Terrier Mix
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All of these pictures come from Animal Planet’s website, where you can see all the rest of the starting line up along with pictures of other years of the Puppy Bowl.

I encourage you to check out more pictures!

-Fizz