Caturday Supplement: Notes from Al-cat-traz

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Adam Lang

I got to visit these kitties in their PRISON in the back room of Macy’s. Won’t someone free them from this terrible, terrible bondage?

Incidentally, I just did a little research trying to figure out why the black kitty with the half-tortoiseshell face looks so striking, and it appears that it is due to a phenomenon called ‘X-inactivation‘, where the chromosomes they receive from one parent are deactivated, but which parent’s is deactivated is more or less random… and, on cats like this, it’s random depending on where on the body it is! So she looks like her dad some places and her mom some places. Neat! (WARNING: Huge oversimplification.)

Q: Which half is cuter, the tan half or the black half? A: BOTH HALVES ARE CUTER!

Q: Which half is cuter, the tan half or the black half? A: BOTH HALVES ARE CUTER!

Cream Tabby

My god, that coloration makes me think of the word ‘decadent’.

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Dog of the Day: Jinxster the Corgi/German Shepherd Puppy

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Adam Lang

Here’s Jinxster! I thought I was posting pictures of him once before, but that turns out to have been bad note-taking on my part. This is him, in all his six-month-old adorable cuddly glory.

I’m trying out something new: apparently my version of wordpress now supports ‘galleries’. I have no idea what they look like, so you get to find out at the same time as I do. Voila!

Edit: Well, I’m going to call that experiment a failure. Probably would be fine if I didn’t like long captions though.

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Double Dog Day: Toby the Spaniel Mix and Piper the Havanese

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Adam Lang

Huh! My third blog-o-versary passed me right by without my knowing it. So belated celebration: I’ve been blogging daily for three years and two weeks now! That’s well over 1000 posts, and over 3000 photos. Pretty good, if I do say so myself. What’s three in blog years equal, I wonder?

So, in celebration, here is a cute pair. Toby is a spaniel mix of some sort. (Maybe cocker spaniel/lab? Some of the google images for cocker spaniel/lab mixes look a fair bit like Toby.) And he’s fifteen years old! He doesn’t look or act anywhere near that old. Imagine: in some states he could get his learner’s permit! His friend, Piper, is a 4-year-old Havanese.

Black Shaggy Long-Haired Cocker Spaniel Labrador Retriever Mix

Poofly tail!

Black Shaggy Long-Haired Cocker Spaniel Labrador Retriever Mix

Gorgeous eyes, soft ears, good smile… he even still has good teeth. Those’re some good genes right there!

Black Shaggy Long-Haired Cocker Spaniel Labrador Retriever Mix and Small White-And-Cream Havanese

What’s black and white and cute all over?

White and Cream Havanese Dog

Don’t know much about Havanese dogs. Only met a couple. They seemed a little less hyper than most smallfluffywhite dogs though.

 

 

 

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Dog of the Day: Porter the Goldendoodle

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Adam Lang

Don’t have any notes for this guy. He could also be a labradoodle but there’s just something about him that makes me think ‘golden retriever’.

Large Brown Goldendoodle

Look at that giant teddy bear.

Large Brown Labradoodle

Bear nose!

Big Brown Labradoodle

I got a sniff, and then he turned his head so fast that his ear flopped up. Floppy dog ears are goofy.

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Dog of the Day: Blu the Samoyed

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Adam Lang

Ran into this gal back in April, on the exact same day that I ran into ‘Ella the Teacup Great Pyrenees‘. It was a poofly white dog day!

Large White Samoyed

It took me a bit of work to get Blu’s attention. She had more important things on her mind.

Large White Samoyed

We have more than our fair share of arctic dogs in San Francisco, since it rarely gets hot here. I gotta say, I LOVE that.

Large White Samoyed

All the arctic breeds have an independent streak, but they also all seem to love life a lot.

Large White Samoyed

I know someone who insists that ‘dogs don’t smile.’ According to him, that’s not a happy expression, right there. (There’s something wrong with that guy.)

Large White Samoyed

Look at that fluffy butt. There is almost nothing that could possibly be fluffier than that butt.

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Dog of the Day: Pit Bull/Husky Mix

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Adam Lang

Dogs waiting outside of stores is a theme on here, but this one was waiting just inside Safeway. Very, very patiently.

White Siberian Husky/American Pit Bull Terrier Mix With Floppy Ears and Blue Eyes and a Pink Bandana

Those eyes. Wow.

White Siberian Husky/American Pit Bull Terrier Mix With Floppy Ears and Blue Eyes and a Pink Bandana

I’m not 100% sure she’s not half polar bear.

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Dog of the Day: Border Collie

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Adam Lang

I took these pictures aaaages ago, but I had so many pictures of him that posting them seemed like a major undertaking, and I never got around to it. This happens to me a surprising amount, actually.

Black and White Border Collie

You really need to be dedicated to own a border collie, or they can end up getting really bored and unhappy. She apparently worked with him for a couple hours every day.

Black and White Border Collie

This is the ‘figure-eights through the legs’ trick. I always thought that would be a bit dangerous, at least if your dog is the type to do tricks that you DIDN’T ask for…

Black and White Border Collie

The patented border collie ‘focused’ expression.

Black and White Border Collie

This pup knew a lot of variations on ‘fetch’. Like ‘don’t go get it until I say’ and ‘stop where you are with the ball until I say’ and such. He seemed to like them all.

Black and White Border Collie

A quick rest, with the ball. I’m sure he would have given it to mom if she’d asked, but he was delighted to hang onto it until then.

Black and White Border Collie

They really are a gorgeous breed.

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Caturday Supplement: Non-Macy’s Window Cat

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Adam Lang

Autumn and I were wandering down Pacific Avenue through Chinatown last week, and we walked by the former home of Eppi, AKA Lawkitty. And who should we see in the window but another super-friendly marmalade tabby? Awesome!

Marmalade Tabby Cat in a Barred Window

I have no idea what ‘Tantara’ is. It’s been there for a couple years now, but it doesn’t seem to exist online at all.

Marmalade Tabby Cat in a Barred Window

There are two lamps like that in the window. Pretty much the ultimate cat toys, really.

Marmalade Tabby Cat in a Barred Window

Cats can have such disgruntled expressions, even when they’re enjoying themselves.

Marmalade Tabby Cat in a Barred Window

Kitty toes!

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Dog of the Day: Ollie the Pomeranian/Poodle Mix

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Adam Lang

Ollie was about four and a half when I ran into him this summer. And boy, does he look like a handful! But… a happy handful, which is the best kind.

Black Pomeranian/Poodle Mix With a Big Grin

Funny, Pomeranian/poodle isn’t a mix I run into very often, even though I run into both breeds quite a lot.

Black Pomeranian/Poodle Mix

A face that’s just aching for a noseboop.

Black Pomeranian/Poodle Mix With a Big Grin

That’s a mighty big grin for such a mighty small dog.

 

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Dog of the Day: Cain the Labrador Retriever Puppy

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Adam Lang

Cain was 12 weeks old when I ran into him. Sadly, I was unable to steal him away, and had to be content with some pictures.

PS: Just a reminder to visit the newly revamped and lower-priced DogBlogStore, which will very shortly be getting a new item. Tee shirts, hoodies, and especially tote bags make great Christmas presents!

12-week-old Black Labrador Retriever Puppy

There are the puppydog eyes.

12-week-old Black Labrador Retriever Puppy

I like the idea of these harnesses, they seem a lot kinder than strapping something around a dog’s neck. Fluorescent green is usually not great, but black does go with everything.

12-week-old Black Labrador Retriever Puppy

Nose shot! Yay.

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