DOGSIDE

Mutts on a train

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Sticking to the dogs on public transport theme it seems the crafty mutts in Moscow are quite savvy when it comes to navigating their way around the city. The stray dogs travel the subway from the suburbs to the city centre every morning in search of food, then return to their canine homes at night.

Biology professor Andrew Poyarkov says he has watched several of the unaccompanied dogs travelling on Moscow's underground rail system. "They do not just go to the subway station, they actually board the trains and have seemed to learn how long they need to stay on the train to leave at the right station". The professor adds he has also seen the same dogs waiting at a green light to cross the road. Safety first!

Obviously they've already figured out how to dodge the fare.

Chow for now...

CANINE EXPRESS

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Experts suggest dogs have the mental capacity of your average two-year-old human. But do you know any two-year-olds who can take the train by themselves and get off at the right stop?

Diesel, a Staffordshire terrier had been left at home when his owner went on holiday. Diesel decided to set off in the middle of the night in search of his owner - by catching the train 31 miles to Stanstead Airport. The intrepid pet had to board two trains and walk a mile between stations.

Thankfully Diesel's adventure ended happily for all concerned, and underlines the importance of micro-chipping pets.

Those Flash Pooches in Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Work can be hard, right? but why should your pooch have to suffer loneliness and isolation whilst you beaver away at work? Well, while you're out of sight and slaving away, your pooch could be living the life of Riley.

Busy dog lovers in Berlin can now have their four legged friends carted around town in a glamorous bus especially designed for dogs at a mere cost of 15 Euros! The dogs are taken to a special day centre situated just west of Berlin, and on the 31 mile ride to the Pfoetchenhotel (Paw Hotel) they are seated in personalised cabins fitted with air conditioning, central heating, blankets, food, and of course, music! Once at the hotel they can then play, eat, and relax before embarking (...yea, sorry...) on their trip home. The bus can seat up to 20 dogs, and runs 5 days a week.

Now these are urban dogs with style! and quite possibly owners with seriously guilty consciences and threadbare pockets (but who's thinking about them?)

Chow for now!

Train your kid like you would your... erm, dog?!

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:21:00 +0000

A senior trainer at Battersea Dogs Home has said that young children should be taught how to behave by treating them like dogs. "Possitive reinforcement" along with the offer of treats and small gifts can apparently help to train not only your pooch but also your toddler. According to the experts at the charity, using simplified language, distinctive body language, and a strong tone of voice as well as unique facial expressions, can offer much needed clear and consistant guidance. Allison Russell from Battersea Dogs Home said " child psychology and dog behaviour are of course complex and very individual subjects, but there are some startling similarities between them which can be tackled with simple behavioural techniques." So there you have it, treat your child like your dog and perhaps both will end up perfectly behaved!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Poodle

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:38:00 +0000

19 August

This photo, taken from a pet grooming competition in the States, proves that grooming your pooch doesn't have to be limited to just trimming the hair out of their eyes or removing the odd clump of mud! Why stop there when you can create a masterpiece like this? (see supergroom.net for more slightly disturbing ideas) hmmmm, we at Dogside are not altogether sure your pooch is the best choice of canvas... we don't want any urban dog bullying, now do we!

Oscar knows it's right

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Meet Oscar. He's the talk of West Hampstead (estate agent speak for extreme South Cricklewood). His owner tells me that cute pooch Oscar demands his Dogside scarf for every walk and whines when it's removed back at the ranch. Oh and the Dogside tennis ball fits perfectly in his strong jaws. The Dogside tennis ball is not for sale, by the way, intrepid hounds must locate them hidden in parks and deliver them to their owner. x

Get your own ideas (dutifully resisting obvious 'paws off'' cheesy pun there folks)

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:25:00 +0000

Left: Dogside 2007

Right: Dogster 2008

Those crazy guys at Dogster have come up with a genius idea -- get this, right, you'll love it seriously -- why not create round stickers for dog-friendly businesses to put in their window saying that they are mentioned on the website? RING ANY BELLS PEOPLE?! We at Dogside had this idea way back, in fact we started distributing our [orginal] round stickers SIX months ago. You can flag your fave dog-friendly business with our interactive Google map application and they get a sticker for their window like a restaurant guide would.

But listen... ok, deeep breath. It's cool, we don't mind really. Y'know we're all in this dog-loving lark together yeah? It's all for the greater good of encouraging places to welcome dogs right? And lo, there was harmony online again... P.S: Rest safe in the knowledge, however, that Dogside will NOT stoop to using hackneyed doggy plays-on-words, it's pretty naff (we bitches would be barking mad to do that etc.) Sniff.

April Fools Dog

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:32:00 +0000

Simple April Fools gags should involve a realistic pile of fake dog shit strategically placed to disgust a loved one, however it seems other people think dogs are good comedy vehicles for this day of hilarity:

The New York Times printed a rather romantic story about a lady who bent down to pick up her boyfriend's dog's poo while out walking in it the park (ok so that's not the nice part, be patient) and noticed something attached to his collar. The boyfriend had looped an engagement ring through the collar with a note saying 'Will you make me the luckiest dog in the world and marry my owner?' It turned out to be a fake announcement for April fools day. Getting our hopes up that romance exists-- so very cruel.

Daily Candy put a fake post about a LA dog dating service up as a joke, but to be honest this didn't seem that unimaginable to me... how many times have you seen two singles strike up a conversation via their dogs in the park? Maybe it's just London, but since romance is becoming scarce in other pick-up hotspots (the subtlety of jamming a trolley into the leg of someone buying ready-meals-for-one at Waitrose, or hoping not to get pepper-sprayed sidling up to someone in a bar, for example) approaching a dog-owner with the innocent gesture of complimenting their puppy is a sure fire way to test the water. You can tell a lot about a person from their dog, after all.

The Times ran a story about the gramophone dog from the HMV logo, Nipper, being replaced by a lump of PlayDoh. "HMV is to use the Gromit [of "Wallace &..." fame] image in the windows of its 220 stores and in advertisements in the press and on the London Underground as part of a collaboration with Oscar-winning Aardman Animations." How often marketing ploys sound like April Fools but I suspect this one may actually be real...Sacrelige! (Nice scarf though Gromit)

Dogs wrapped up

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:01:00 +0000

It's here at long last -- Dogside presents the doggy scarf. Oooh so soft, and so warm! It really turns heads when one is out in the park that's for sure: "Wait is that dog wearing a.... scarf?" (usually followed by "AWESOME!" of course). It's the logical thing. Cold + windy = human wear scarf. So why not kit out your pet for mad March weather as well. Cruel not to some might say...
Jessie here (pictured) is pretty much the streetwisest dog in London and took to the scarf right away, showing how to wear it with style. Get one on the 'Products' page of Dogside.com for a mere tenner and then you can send me your pics too.
georgia@dogside.com

Dog's View of Love

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:06:00 +0000

Well happy valentine's day one and all, but don't forget that dog's fall in love as well! It's just...different. Dog-love can be for another dog but often it's an inanimate object-- a toy or nice-smelling item left lying around-- that really gets the juices flowing. And let's face it, humping is a natural part of this! hang on maybe it's not so different after all...

Enjoy on Dogside.com or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4he9h9kkwdw

PS: the amazing light-up lead, scarf, coat and bowl as seen in the film are all available on the site, dogside.com, under 'Products'!

Holiday hounds

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:07:00 +0000

Puggles are all the rage in Manhattan right now, let me tell you. This trendy cross-breed was Greenwich village's most favoured according to my amateur survey this weekend, replete with santa-style coats of course. On the Lower East Side, odd pointy dogs -- Akita meets Mighty Boosh crack fox-- were in abundance. Williamsburg dogs were evidenced by the amount of poop lining the streets, I guess those Brooklyn dawgs are far too street for scooping...

In terms of american dog apparel, cutesy Christmas sweaters appeared popular at the dog park in Alphabet City, although wool didn't seem the ideal fabric for an animal in the rain (sheep excepted). What with the temperature falling to minus three several thoughtful owners saw fit to put a hoodie under their dogs's puffa jacket, as you would!

For the ultimate winter accessory check back to the site for our new product launch in the New Year....mysterious eh? Excited huh?!

Riches and Bitches

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:25:00 +0000

Harrods...that tasteful, understated emporium. Now what might a dog event be like if they put one on? Yes! You've got it-- Russians and Knightsbridge princesses; stilettoes and hair extensions; Chihuahuas and preened pedigrees. The 'dogwalk' (not a pun was spared, believe me) was trod by a sequence of flamboyantly-attired dogs and some longer legged human clothes horses.

A dozy pug with Kate Moss-esque nipple length (does anyone else remember those freaky pics? I digress...) and a Dalmatian who kept trying to make a bolt for it kept the audience well entertained. Vivienne Westwood's bejewelled couture garment stole the show on Coco the Kerry Blue Terrier, whilst bulldog Ritchie got the biggest laugh in his 'knight's' costume. Sir Bouncelot jogged down the catwalk, raising a wry smile from Mohammed Al Fayed in the front row as his balls jiggled remarkably at eye level (the dog's, I mean, of course).

The doggy elite and hangers-on grappled with teeny 'Doggy Do truffles', 'Yorkshire Terrier Puddings' and other hilariously witty canapes whilst browsing the shelves of offensive pink and sparkly accessories. Feeling almost diabetic with all this saccharine fluff, the luxury washroom was a welcome oasis of calm. Some thrilling cubicle eavesdropping revealed that everyone here was either an acquaintance of one of the dog models, friend of the organiser, or painted dog portraits with Swarvrowski crystals. Now, I suggest you keep it real and check out the Dogside products this Christmas. Mwaaah!

Lap-top-dog

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:23:00 +0000

An Austrian University has pioneered a computer that dogs can use. A touch-screen computer that displays in ways a dog responds to was written about for intriguing publication 'Animal Cognition' this week. The lab dogs received a treat when they nosed the screen that showed a photo of a dog. This led the intrepid scientists to drew the profound conclusion that dogs are able to form a concept of 'dog'. Wanna see how dogs see? Check out dog-cam films and pics in the 'Media' section of dogside.com

Home Alone Home Wreckers?

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:46:00 +0000

Dogs don’t chew and scratch your furniture when you’re out as an act of revenge for being left home alone—this is a stress reaction and they won’t appreciate it as ‘bad’ behaviour until they’re taught this. If you get home from work or the pub hours later and lose your rag at your dog cos he’s made a mess, this won’t change his routine. It’s mainly the first half an hour after you leave that anxiety peaks and reprimanding later on will be confusing to the dog. If anyone has managed to train their dog to do the washing-up and ironing while they’re out please please tell me, but until that day comes, comfort and reassure your dog, leave them stuff to chew and somewhere comfy to sle

Watch out Banksy...

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:45:00 +0000

Pissing high up a wall competitively is a male trait in dogs as well as humans: it’s easier to smell another dog’s territory marking if it’s at dog-nose level so when that leg is cocked in the air, stand clear! Dogs want their territory marking to be as fresh and full-bodied a scent as possible and will revisit old grafitti-pee.

Dog days...

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:44:00 +0000

Depression and mental illness such as schizophrenia is more likely in urban areas, and studies shown that owning a dog can help relieve depression because of the increased activity and responsibility. That wagging tail is enough to lift your spirit after a hard day at work, also dogs can actually help prevent depression as well as treat it. Chin up eh?

Hind (leg) sight

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:44:00 +0000

So REM (not the band alright) is the deep kind of sleep where humans display Rapid Eye Movement, twitching around in bed and dreaming deeply. Did you know dogs experience this too? They are organising their memories, fantasising, working out puppyhood issues or whatever, through those dreams where you see legs jerking, whining and panting. City dogs have a lot of friends and enemies, and lead hectic lives so most likely have a lot on their minds as they settle down to sleep.

Tug of Love

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:44:00 +0000

A lot of dogs, especially collies and terriers for example, love tugging on toys, seemingly testing your strength. This isn’t always a good thing or a just a fun game, however, as you are sending out a bad signal in terms of letting them win this contest and ‘overpowering’ their owner. They might not be able to boast about it down at the park but dominant behaviour can ensue so it’s not a good idea for dogs that need a bit of anger-management.

Open wide

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:43:00 +0000

Dogs do many actions that appear to replicate human behaviour but actually make physiological sense as well. The thing is that yawning can be a mechanism to help a dog relax but also to pump themselves up in stressful situations. It can be embarrassing when your dogs yawns condescendingly whilst you’re talking and it can look like false bravado when they yawn in the face of danger, but it gives a boost to the heart rate and increases oxygen flow to the brain. Check out dogs yawning at the vet’s or at dog shows and it’s not boredom but preparation for action. After a particularly hairy Hackney walk or Southwark stroll, you can help your dog chill out or focus by opening wide at them, and just like with us, the yawn is catching.

Signed, sealed, delivered

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:42:00 +0000

The nicest of dog walks is quickly marred by the dog faffing around, sniffing and analysing each and every available plop before they make their own drop. Smelling other dogs’ excrement is a really important way for dogs to communicate, and poo is simply a clearer flag than urine that a dog has claimed that territory. Dogs think strategically about where they land a turd as it sends out so many signals. Plus, usually once the event is done, their owner often heads home so it’s likely that dogs learn to deliberate in order to prolong the walkies experience also. Un-neutered males feel the greatest urge to mark territory and like to revisit their own stains to keep the scent fresh. Respect your dog’s instincts by regularly walking the same route but also don’t let them obsessively stop for each potential marker and bore you to tears…

Dog n bone

noreply@blogger.com (http://dogside.com) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:41:00 +0000

There’s something about the first ring of a phone that sets the dog off, as if the radio waves trigger maniacal barking, right? To make them shut up you probably pet them, give them a treat or basically give them some form of attention. If this scenario sounds familiar then you have actually taught your dog to associate their phone response with reward. Bad owner! You should actually ignore your dog if your ringtone makes them go wild. If your ringtone is Crazy Frog…well, no wonder they’re mad…get off our site please…