Adopt a Pet, Don't Buy!

Puppies are so adorable, cute, and cuddly. But lets face it, sooner or later all puppies grow up and turn into full-sized dogs. By adopting a grown, homeless dog, we'll surely miss out on a few months of soft puppy fur but we'll also skip the first year or two of razor-sharp teeth, shredded shoes, and pee-soaked floors. Hmm. Sounds like a pretty good trade off to me.

The Wag’s boys, Redd, Lincoln, and Claude are all rescues with different stories:

Redd was given up twice to the MCSPCA and we found each other when he was a wild two-year old who never learned how to walk on a leash. He stuck his nose through the chain-link cage and I broke the rules and stuck my fingers right back in to scratch his fuzzy cheek. He grumbled and fell asleep. Redd came to live with me the next day and has since become a huge people-lover, squirrel chaser, and perfect gentleman on his leash.

Lincoln is a bit of a different story. He was bred by an amateur just to make some cash. Stuck in a crate all day and night with his brother, he only ate what was leftover since he was the little guy. They pooped and peed where they slept and ate. When his breeder was evicted from his apartment, they had nowhere to live. We intervened and took him in, then found his brother a home the week before his bed would be ready at the shelter. Lincoln was scrawny fella with a monstrous head, protruding ribs, and skin issues from malnourishment. He’s a lovable beast of a dog who hates leashes, ate his own poop for the first six months, snores like an old sailor, and we wouldn’t want him any other way!

Claude, Link and Redd’s adopted cousin, is apparently the world's most perfect dog who knows all commands, never misbehaves, and has been a pleasure to his family since his adoption at two years old. He aims to please. A real brown-noser. A perfect foil to Link. Everything Link is, well, Claude is quite the opposite. From what I hear, Claude is so good that if has a bit of a queasy stomach, he holds it and waits at the door patiently to be let out onto the grass. Whatever, Claude. Butt-kisser. Link prefers just open his mouth to spew and get it all over with the moment it hits him. Good for you Claude, you really are a good boy!

Who knows where these dogs would have ended up and I sleep well at night knowing they’re safe and snoring with full chubby bellies after a day of chasing tennis balls and barking their heads off at the neighbors. These guys are the happiest they can be.

The point is, have a little patience. The perfect adoptable dog is out there -- there's even quite a few puppies. Take the time to visit a few shelters to find your best friend. You never know who you might find!

Weekly Wag Announces 1st Ever "Headlining Hound" Winner

The results are in!

Congratulations Sammy! You are crowned Weekly Wag's 1st Ever Headlining Hound!

After a long night of bickering, barking, and ballot recounting -- and no Milkbone breaks -- the Wag's staff finally came to a unanimous decision to crown our hound.

From homeless to Headlining Hound, Sammy the wire-haired terrier proved that with perserverance, anything is possible. His family dumped him alone in the country to fend for himself. He lived on stolen birdseed and grass until his new forever family found him and gave him a home.

Now our champion is full-bellied and famous. He spends his days napping, digging in the mud and goofing around with his two doggie siblings. What a life, Sammy!

We're anxiously waiting to hear a few words from Sammy himself about how he's dealing with his new fame and celebrity status. Hopefully he'll comment to the Weekly Wag soon!

The Weekly Wag staff wants to thank Bella, Sarge, Henley, Lola, Riley, Clyde, Zuzu, Bo, Hunter, and all the other contestants (and their people!) for submitting fabulous photos. We wish we didn't have to pick just one!

Super-Tough Dog Toys that Last

Toys in our house used to last years... when Redd was an only dog, that is. He had (please notice the past tense there) heirloom toys handed down from his Uncle Homer the black lab, who passed at the ripe old age of 17. Redd cuddled with soft little piggies, squeaky bunnies, fluffy monkeys, and everything else spongy and cute with never more than a tiny tear or maybe a missing eye.

Then came Lincoln. Ahh... Lincoln. The bulldog with jaws that fit around a regulation-sized soccer ball and rows of teeth something like a Great White Shark. Lincoln spends his afternoons sharpening his razors on wood, rocks, and metal fences so he can shred those puny little piggies in one quick bite.

What's the point of all this? Link needs super-tough toys. Kong bones barely last minutes after the frozen peanut butter is sucked out, and rope toys, well, rope toys require human assistance in backyard extraction the next morning -- something I'd like to eliminate from our morning routine altogether.

The best I've found? Fat Cat Inc. toys to the rescue! They make a bunch of tough toys, but two are superior over the rest -- the alligator and the snake. Link goes to town on them! It takes him a while, but he rips out the stuffingthen keeps the pelt like its a whole new toy. We have molted snake and alligator skin all over the house and he's never bored!

Thanks Fat Cat!

Best Summer Vacation Ever!

Hey Mom! What are we doin' today? Mom?
Mom, what are we doin'? Mom? Mooommmmm?
MomMomMomMomMom. Mom?
But Claude wont answer his phone, its rainy, and
Redd's old. Come on Mom! This is the worst summer ever.

Whaddya want from me, kid?!

Lemme alone. Git outta here.

I'm sleepin'.

Whoa... wait a minute. What's this?

Oh my god. A stick.

Holy smokes!

Give it to me!

Oooooooo maple.

Oh man, Mom! This is the best summer ever,

but you need a better camera!

First Ever "Headlining Hound" Photo Contest

Weekly Wag has been showing off their best friends, now its time for you to show off yours!

On Monday, July 6, 2009, the Weekly Wag will announce its first ever Headlining Hound.

If you think your furry friend has what it takes to win this prestigious award, send us a photo – or two, or three – capturing the essence of a winner. Silly, goofy, serious, morning hair, red-eyed and sleepy -- it doesn’t matter. We want a pooch with personality!

Our esteemed panel of judges will review each photo carefully and fairly. To meet the judges, click on the “meet the staff” link above and to the right.

Send all submissions to weeklywag@yahoo.com with “Headlining Hound” as the subject line.
Multiple submissions accepted. Deadline for entries is midnight Eastern Time (USA) Sunday, July 5, 2009.

Include your dog’s name, age, and a little bio about your dog – favorite toys or activities, how you met, where he or she lives, favorite snack...

By entering, you agree to allow your pet’s photo to be published on the Weekly Wag. You must be the copyright holder of each submitted photo. If you paid a professional to take the photos, they cannot be submitted. We don't want any legal mumbo jumbo here, so snap the photos yourself!

There is no fee to submit a photo.
No pets can be harmed in the production of these photos.
Must be 18 to submit a photo.

Good luck!

Bad, Bad Dogs

Hey Redd, what's goin' on?

Not much. Just soakin' up the sun.

Yeah, me too. What a day, huh? Can’t beat a

day like this. Sunshine, a bowl a cool water,

thick tasty grass… couldn’t ask for anything more.

You said it Link, you said it. Say, kinda

reminds of that day Mom and Dad went to the

beach without us. Remember that day?

How can I forget?! Left us in that stuffy old

house all alone while they ran around in the

sun n’ sand throwin’ the Frisbee. Oh man,

we got ‘em good though didn’t we?

Did we ever! How’d that start anyway? I think I

got the garbage down first, right? Yeah, that’s

it. They had pork roll and eggs for breakfast

and hardly ate any of it. She said it was

‘bikini season’ or somethin’. Whatever that

means. What a loser.

Yeah, you knocked it over and I carried most of

it into the living room. Oh man, if they only saw us

lounged out on that new couch lickin' a tub of

Ben and Jerry's ! We had to empty out the coffee

grinds first to get to the good stuff though.

The best was when you went back to the kitchen for

more and peed the whole way without stoppin'!

That was great! Wish I though of that!

Thanks. I don't know how I though of that move. Like it

just hit me when I threw that tuna can under

the recliner. Just came to me. I didn't even

plan it.

But you had some good ones too. Like

the poop behind the downstairs TV. They

didn't find it 'till the next day. Now that, Redd

was genius! Pure genius!

Good times, Lincoln. Good times.

Hey, think they're goin' out today?

The Ridiculous Price of Pet Beds and How to Get Them Cheap

My big boys live a comfortable life. They eat delicious Eukanuba food twice daily and enjoy a few snacks between meals. They are constantly complimented on how handsome they are, no matter what they look like in the morning. They have the luxury of roaming their fenced-in backyard whenever they please. They have seven beds to choose from – not including two outside.

Wait a minute. Stop the record. That’s nine beds! Nine beds must have cost more than a $1000! Boys, I hope you saved receipts, because they’re going back.

Let’s be realistic. I can’t save money on all the beds, but I can tell you what I did to keep my boys comfy for cheap outside. Every morning it’s the same routine. While Lincoln and Redd do their business outside, I walk to the shed, pull out their beds, and arrange them in a sunny spot on the patio. And every night, I put them back.

But of course, the nights I forget, there’s always a downpour. The beds take days to dry in the sun and they end up stinky no matter what.

A day of rummaging through the shed turned out to be pretty lucrative. Behind the lawnmower, under a stack of scrap wood, and folded around a rake was a hidden treasure -- an outdoor lounge chair cushion. Check it out:

Lay it down on the patio and viola! Its a super-big weather-resistant dog bed. The boys sprawl out and soak up the sun without even touching each other’s air.

"Let's invite Claude over! There's plenty of room him too!"

If it gets wet, it dries in no time, doesn’t get stinky because they’re usually mildew resistant, and can be spot cleaned with a soapy sponge. I still try to bring it in each night, but drying time is nothing compared to one of those sherpa-topped, poly-fil beds.

"Wow Mom, thanks! This bed is huge!"

Best part: if you don’t have one already, buy one at an end-of-season sale. Real pet beds hardly ever go on sale, but summer patio furniture does. Just for the sake of this article, I Googled “cheap outdoor lounge chair cushions” and plenty of results came up, including Target and Walmart with quite a few for under $50. I bought this one a few seasons ago at Wegmans.

Meet the Staff

Weekly Wag’s Daily News team is a highly esteemed group of brilliant colleagues collaborating to bring you our spin on what matters today. Here they are!



Lincoln is a 21-month old American Bulldog who, despite recovering from two recent elbow surgeries, is still a menacing beast at the front the door. The homeless guy came to us temporarily a little over a year ago. And everyone who knows dog talk knows that ‘temporarily’ means forever. The malnourished bag o’ bones had a head the size of Texas balanced on a skinny little polka-dotted body. But he’s all fattened up now and trying to figure himself out.


Lincoln is still finding himself and will ask lots of questions. He’s struggling with growing up, holding up his big head, and not plowing over guests like a bowling ball at the front door.



Redd, the Doberman-Hound mix is an older gent with a long list of impressive credentials. The Monmouth County SPCA alumni had already been given up twice by the age of two, has only one hip -- with a mean scar to prove it, and can snatch a flying bird with his teeth right out of the air.


Redd is more of the Charles Bukowski of the staff. He’s sneaky and not always truthful, but frank at the same time. He tells it how you don’t want to hear it. He's cuddler and lover with a poet’s heart and a seasoned old man’s mind.



Claude is a bit of different breed. He is elegant. Sophisticated. He is handsome and young and lives a posh life with two older women – two cats from the Popcorn Park Zoo. Unlike Redd and Lincoln, he has manners and class and wouldn’t dare rip apart a garbage can, or pee on the new rug, or eat my computer wires while I was writing for a deadline. No, not well-mannered Claude.

Claude will appeal to the more refined readers. He’ll discuss literature, food, wine, and the good life.

Stay tuned!

Welcome to the Weekly Wag

Welcome to the Weekly Wag! This is a place to catch up on current events, health and nutrition, books, movies, and everything else worth writing, reading, and talking about.

And oh yeah… dogs. There will be lots of dog talk (all pet talk welcome!). Training tips, food, breeds, mutts, shelters… you name it and you’ll find it here. We like to talk about anything and everything -- and we will -- but our faithful buddies hold a special place in our lives that nothing else can match. So dog lovers, get ready to brag about your pups!

Each week, a new topic will be introduced (not all canine contrived) and explored by our staff at the Wag. We welcome all of your comments, emails, and suggestions. Like us? Hate us? Tell us! Pet photos welcome!