Frank Lloyd Wright’s Doghouse

In 1952, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed one of the most charming buildings of his career: a Usonian-style doghouse. It’s on permanent display at the Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, California.

Eddie, the client’s Labrador retriever, preferred to sleep in the main house. Everyone’s a critic.

More:

“A Doghouse Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Is Now on Display,” Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian

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Emotional Support Reptile

Joseph Henney was able to register his pet allgator Wallie as an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). While he doesn’t plan to take his reptile on a passenger plane, other pet owners have done that, citing the Americans with Disabilities Act to move into pet-free rental apartments. ESAs are not trained like service animals — seeing eye dogs and the like. There are no uniform standards differentiating ESAs from other household pets, other than demanding pet owners and pliable ESA certification services.

While a new Department of Transportation rule bans ESAs from airline cabin travel, only allowing service critters, and state governments are starting to criminalize ESA fraud, determined pet owners can just switch their animal’s fake ESA certifications for fake service animal certifications. There’s no central service dog registry, state and local governments can’t legally require certification or registration of service dogs, and businesses can’t require written proof.

More:

“How an alligator became an emotional support animal: ‘They said it was a midlife crisis,’” Erum Salam, The Guardian

“New California Law Cracks Down On Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Fraud,” Phyllis M. Daugherty, CityWatch

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Royal Veterinary College: ‘Don’t Buy a Bulldog’

The English bulldog has become a four-footed symbol of British determination, and this intensified during WWII due to the canine breed’s resemblance to saggy-jowled wartime PM Winston Churchill. There must be shock in the Sceptered Isle over the UK’s Royal Veterinary College recommendation that animal lovers stop buying English bulldogs. The poor pups are plagued by health issues — breathing, skin, eye, and tooth problems — caused by breeding practices. The warning applies to other pups with punched-in faces, French bulldogs and pugs.

More:

“Dog health: Don’t buy a bulldog until breed is reshaped, vets plead,” Helen Briggs, BBC News

“English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections,” Dan G. O’Neill, Alison Skipper, Rowena M. A. Packer, et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics

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Top image: U.S. Marines Mascot Lance Cpl. Chesty XIV at the 2013 Barracks Row Fall Festival, Washington DC. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Sports: The Big Game

Sunday’s big game. The passion. The rivalry. The tail-wagging.

That’s right, it was the 2022 Puppy Bowl. If you didn’t hear, Team Fluff won. Coaches and commentators were Martha Stewart and (of course) Snoop Dogg.

It’s 2022 in America, so some very, very bad boys tried to offer online betting on the Puppy Bowl. No treats for them.

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Freeloading Feline

“Freeloading Feline,” a Walter Lantz “Cartune” from 1960, featuring Doc and Champ. Directed by Jack Hannah; music by Eugene Poddany. Voice actors: Dal McKennon, Paul Frees, and Grace Stafford.

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Sniffing Out COVID-19

Sniffer dogs trained using socks worn by people with COVID-19 may soon be used to to pick up the ‘corona odor’ of infected people entering airports and arenas.

More:

“On the Covid Front Lines, When Not Getting Belly Rubs,” Hannah Beech, New York Times

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Why People Treat Their Dogs Like Humans

“Why People Treat Their Dogs Like Humans,” from The New Yorker.  Some pet owners are supplying their pups with everything from “pawdicures,” five-star dog hotels and private chefs. Is that good for pooches?

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Man’s Best Friend

“Man’s Best Friend,” a 1952 Disney Studios theatrical cartoon featuring Goofy, directed by Jack Kinney. This is the film that sparked a major philosophical discussion: is Goofy a dog or what? Did he used to be a dog? Now he owns a dog? Whoa. Heavy, dude.

Written by Milt Banta and Al Bertino. Principal animation by George Nicholas, John Sibley, Charles A. Nichols, and Hugh Fraser. Narrator: Alan Reed. Voice actors: Pinto Colvig and Jimmy MacDonald.

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Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears

“Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears,” not an Aesop fable. More here.

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Making the Perfect Dog Toy Is No Walk In the Park

Bark & Co. works with BarkBox customer research, a former LEGO designer, and stand-up comedians in its quest to make the best chew toy for every dog. Fetch more here.

A Quartz video.

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