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Coat of gold, heart of gold

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Angel’s Gate Down-on-theirluck dogs find peace, love, and a place to call home

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FEATURES 31

Have Your Dog Dogbook Mine With the addition of a new dog-focused application, Facebook just got sooo much more addictive. BY MARY-JO DIONNE

Running Naked An agility primer. BY PATRICIA KOMAR

What Lies Beneath When good dogs go bad. BY COREY VAN’T HAAFF

Cool Finds Under $20 Get your budget back on track with this round-up of products as easy on the eyes as they are on the pocket book.

Ellen!

PHOTO ANDREW ECCLES

Ellen DeGeneres on rescuing coyotes, blazing trails, and mouth-to-mouth on a sparrow. BY MARY-JO DIONNE

The Modern Dog’s Guide to Montréal Where to shop, eat, stay, and play. BY LAURA POTTER

Angel’s Gate Down-on-their-luck dogs—the homeless elderly, injured, special needs—find peace, love, and a place to call home. BY SHAINA FISHMAN

Astromutts Dogs in space. BY STANLEY COREN

STYLE 39 Dress Your Dog Solving fashion crises one dog at a time.

52 Spring Semester PHOTOGRAPHED BY EYDIS EINARSDOTTIR

81 Doggie Styles

PHOTO EYDIS EINARSD OTTIR

Fun stuff for feisty pups.

93 Chien Chic The coolest finds for your canine cutie.

142 Last Lick PHOTOGRAPHED BY EYDIS EINARSDOTTIR

WE think their meals should be made with the same care as your meals. We’re funny that way. For twenty years, we’ve cooked complete

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LIVING 12 Stuff We Love Modern Dog staffer’s picks of the litter.

16 Dog Trick! Teach your dog to clean house (seriously). BY ANDREA ARDEN

22 Pup Profiles 25 Calendar Your date book for spring’s most happening events.

29 Smile! The modern dog photo contest.

BY MARNI WEDIN

103 D.I.Y. Make a braided hemp collar and leash. BY ELIZABETH KEMP

105 Connie’s Book Club Modern Dog Editor-in-Chief’s book selections for just-can’t-put-it-down reading.

109 Ask Dog Lady Dog Lady delves into your most dogged dilemmas. BY MONICA COLLINS

115 The Party Herbs + happy brownies = far out afternoon for your hippie hound.

116 Pup Your Ride

BREED PROFILE

34 The German Shorthaired Pointer The “everyuse dog.” BY MARIAN BUECHERT

BODY AND SOUL 58 Dog Myths and Maybes

123 The Fab Five Get answers, now! Top trainers answer your questions.

REGULAR FEATURES 6 8 10 14 128 138 140

Editor’s Letter Contributors Our Readers Write The Scoop Marketplace Giveaways Horoscopes

Dispelling dogged myths.

62 Back to Basics Make your own natural flea spray, chemical-free carpet deodorizer, and nutrient boosting, good-for-you-andyour-dog sprouts.

65 Ask an Animal Psychic BY JOY TURNER

67 Dr. Dog’s Dinner-time Dictionary

COVER LOOK Ellen DeGeneres and Wolf, photographed by Andrew Eccles. Makeup, Agostina for Cloutieragency.com; hair, Robert Lopez; and styling, Kellen Richards.

BY ELIZABETH KEMP

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In USA: MODERN DOG (ISSN 1703-812X) Volume 7, Issue 1. Published quarterly by Modern Dog Inc. at 357 Martin St., Suite C, PO Box 1419, Blaine, WA 98231-1419. Periodicals postage paid at Blaine, WA and additional offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, PO Box 310402, Newington, CT 06131-0402

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PHO TO LI N DS E Y DO N O VA N

ED ITO R ’S LE T T E R

n the past several years, there’s been much discussion of the growing popularity of dogs. Almost every major paper’s weekend edition seems to have some canine coverage, much of it devoted to how and why people are pampering their pets, with most, by way of explanation, settling on a fact we can all readily attest to—dogs are cherished members of the family. It wasn’t until recently, though, that I consciously recognized an even deeper reason we hold our dogs dear: our dogs are assisting us in our spiritual evolution. Though this may, on the surface, cause some to scoff, it is rather easily explained thus: dogs help us see and feel life through our hearts and souls rather than through our “thinking” minds. In so doing, we feel connected with all life, a spiritual awakening begins, and the pathway of enlightenment starts to unfold before us. If you pause for a moment to reflect upon this, I’m sure you’ll see the truth to these words. As New York Times bestselling Power of Now author Eckhart Tolle said in an interview with MD (Fall 07), “They show us what we have lost and, once we realize that, they can help us in our shift into a deeper state of consciousness.” What we have lost is the ability to just Be, without judging, which, according to Tolle, is “beyond mind” and is “the innermost core.” We all have a basic need to relate deeply to another being, but many of us in modern society feel alienated from others. Our dogs step in, filling that role. They don’t judge us, so we can openly show them our love and that love is always reciprocated. If you follow Fido’s example and practice acceptance of the moment, you’ll find yourself celebrating life and experiencing the joy of being centered in the “Now.” Who knows? As this celebration of life spreads, perhaps we’ll be responsible for creating a new and kinder world. [To read the Eckhart Tolle interview, go to moderndogmagazine.com/tolle.]

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So how fitting that we should have Ellen DeGeneres, the queen of “nice” comedy, on the cover, embodying the spirit of this issue. To quote our cover girl: animals “are the closest thing to God.” Not only is Ellen a devoted animal guardian and committed to rescue, she is also a brilliant comedian, trail blazer, and good sport—although she was so ill she cancelled shows, she still opened her home to us and trooped through the MD photo shoot, smiling. And, in case you’re wondering, the sincere, kind, quirky, and funny Ellen you see on screen is just as genuine off-screen. I feel truly honoured to have met her, along with partner, Portia, mom, Betty, and their three dogs and three cats, at home in Ellen and Portia’s beautiful and serene hideaway in Beverly Hills. Just like the season, you’ll find our spring issue bursting with life. With a focus on getting healthy, you can learn how to make an all-natural flea spray and a chemical-free carpet deodorizer and grow nutrient-rich sprouts (p 68); learn to read the labeling on the dog food you purchase; and find out how to reduce your dog’s eco footprint. If you and your dog are itching (not literally, I hope) to find a sport you can participate in together, turn to “Running Naked” (p 40) for the low-down on agility. Planning a vacation get-away? Our city guides continue, this time stopping in historic Montréal. We bet it will have both you and Fifi practicing your Français while dreaming of romantic sidewalk cafés and warm croissants (p 82). The pooches in the colourful pictorial “Spring Semester” will no doubt bring back memories of “characters” from your own school days (p 58). Unleash your inner flower child by flipping to page 115 and start planning a party inspired by the sixties (complete with Happy Brownies), then make your own hemp dog collar (p 103), before jolting yourself back into the 21st century by logging some time on Dogbook—the Facebook for dogs (p 31). From the coolest and trendiest dog products out there to the sound advice of our Fab 5 trainers, we hope you’ll find this spring issue an entertaining and indispensable guide to all things Dog. Peace and Love,

Connie Wilson, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief “I believe that dogs fill a vital function in the collective consciousness of humanity. I would call them: the Guardians of Being.”—Eckhart Tolle, Modern Dog, Fall 07

CO N T R IB UT OR S SPRING 2008 Publisher

Shaina Fishman is a freelance photographer based in New York City. When not in the studio photographing dogs and cats or donating her time and talents to various animal shelters and organizations, she can be found with her Papillion, Cosmo. Always ready for adventure, Shaina frequently travels nationally and internationally in search of beautiful locales and animals to photograph. From small towns in Spain to villages in Kenya, she has yet to visit a place where dogs are not present. Shaina’s latest travels brought her to Delhi, New York, to photograph the animals at Angel’s Gate animal hospice for a photo editorial feature for Modern Dog (page 91). For more of Shaina’s work visit shainafishman.com.

Modern Dog Inc. Connie Wilson Jennifer Nosek Marian Buechert Jennifer Nosek

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Subscription inquiries call (800) 417-6289 Advertising inquiries call (866) 734-3131 In Canada: MODERN DOG (ISSN 1703-812X) Volume 7, Issue 1. Published quarterly by Modern Dog Inc. at Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 In USA: MODERN DOG (ISSN 1703-812X) Volume 7, Issue 1. Published quarterly by Modern Dog Inc. at 357 Martin St., Suite C, PO Box 1419, Blaine, WA 98231-1419. Periodicals postage paid at Blaine, WA and additional offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, PO Box 310402, Newington, CT 06131-0402 PHONE

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Writer Mary Jo Dionne has worked as an advertising copywriter on North America’s biggest brands, picking up her fair share of awards along the way. A finalist for Vancouver’s Funniest New Female Comedian and Vancouver’s Funniest Person with a Day Job, Mary-Jo has heard her writing described as “a masterpiece of urban satire that will have you laughing so hard you’ll glow.” On the not-so-funny side, her article “Puppy Hell: A puppy mill exposé” garnered her the 2007 Maxwell Award for Best Feature Article. She is the founder of TheFleasKneesTees.com, a sassy line of tees for human dog-moms, created in an effort to help fund no-kill animal rescue. In this issue, Mary-Jo speaks with her long-time comedic and animal-loving mentor, Ellen DeGeneres (page 70), and learns firsthand that it actually is possible to give mouth-to-mouth to a bird. (A sparrow, not a hummingbird.)

NO 1

Editor

Creative Director

based in the Vancouver, B.C. area. Originally from Colorado, she studied the arts in New York, psychology in Chicago, and has made her home on the Pacific coast of Canada, where she combines art and psychology as an expressive arts therapist. Her canine buddies keep her active in such things as flyball, agility, earthdogging, hiking, and swimming the lakes of Beautiful British Columbia. For the spring issue of Modern Dog, Patricia introduces us to the world of agility (page 40).

VOL 7

Editor-in-Chief

Contributing Editor

Patricia Komar is a freelance writer

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The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, images, photographs or other materials. By accepting and publishing advertising the publisher in no way recommends, guarantees or endorses the quality of services or products within those advertisements. Copyright 2008 by Modern Dog Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, electronic or mechanical, including the Internet or photocopying without the written permission of the Publisher. Modern Dog and its logotype are the trademarks of Modern Dog Inc. Oneyear subscription prices: Canada $18CAD, U.S.A. $15USD, foreign $45USD. Subscription orders and customer service inquiries should be sent to Modern Dog Subscription Services, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4

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Ellen DeGeneres on rescuing coyotes, blazing trails, and mouthto-mouth on a sparrow.

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Ellen BY MARY-JO DIONNE

Photographed by Andrew Eccles Makeup, Agostina for Cloutieragency.com. Hair, Robert Lopez. Styling, Kellen Richards.

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“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” —Helen Keller

HROUGH MUCH OF THE MID-

to late nineties, my friends knew not to call me on Wednesday evenings during a particular half hour. For 30 minutes, I had a date with Ellen Morgan, the fictional funny lady brought to life in comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ series Ellen. But my sacred Wednesdays were about more than just channel surfing for a laugh. Wednesdays with Ellen, for me, became something of a young writer’s church. I was learning my first invaluable professional lessons: Comedy can equal kindness. Hollywood can equal humanity. After multiple episodes of build-up—including innuendo that had Morgan stepping out of her hall closet—the world heard words never before uttered by a leading character on TV: “I’m gay.” While supporters cheered, not everyone was in favour of her landmark announcement, and ultimately, in 1998, Ellen Morgan took her final bow. If the late nineties were about coming out, the new millennium was about coming back. After surviving her own brand of both personal and professional hurdles, a stronger, wiser, more into-her-own Ellen emerged in true phoenix-from-the-ashes style. She shone as host of a post-9/11 Emmy Awards. Her ability to captivate a crowd with a mesmerizing blend of comedy and compassion was a sign of things to come: specifically, the September, 2003, launch of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which debuted on the heels of her uber-success as the voice of Dory in the Oscar-winning animated hit Finding Nemo. With more prestigious award-show wins to her credit than you can count on your fingers, toes, and elbows, not to mention accolades that include a stellar performance hosting the 79th Academy Awards, here is an Ellen who has found her groove. Both figuratively and literally.

As I pull my car into the lot of NBC’s Studio 11 in Burbank for our noon-time chat about her love for all things animal-esque, the vibe that this is the scene of a heck of a lot of DeGeneres-spawned dancing is palpable. The irony is not lost on me when I am told that today’s taping is for Wednesday’s show. After all, Ellen and I—and Wednesdays—go back a long way. MD: I don’t want to get too personal, but what’s your favourite line in Salt-n-Pepa’s “Shoop”? Ellen: I’ll have to sing the whole song… MD: Feel free. Ellen: Here I go, here I go, here I go again. Girls, what’s my weakness? Men. Okay then, chillin’, chillin’, mindin’ my business… Yo, Salt, I took a look around and I couldn’t believe this, I swear, I stared, my niece, my witness... I think “My niece, my witness.” To rhyme with: “I couldn’t believe this.” The brother had it goin’ on with somethin’ kinda – uh – wicked, wicked… I’m not shy so I axed for the digits. And it’s I “axed” for the digits. She “axed” for them. MD: She took out a sharp object and axed for them. Ellen: Yeah. MD: You’ve achieved a lot of firsts. First woman comic to be invited to sit down with Johnny Carson. First openly gay leading role in a sitcom. First show to win the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show in its first three years. Do you feel comfortable calling yourself a trailblazer? Ellen: The thing I focus on is my path, and if it somehow impacts other people, good. I don’t do it to be a first. I do it for my challenges. So when I do something, I don’t ever think: Wow, nobody’s done this before! My life is my journey, and mine alone. I either feel good about something, or if I don’t, I know I made a mistake [and I] learn from it. MD: So the trail you are blazing is your own? Ellen: Yeah. Which I think we all should be doing. There are so many people that get to the end of their lives and have never fully done what they wanted to because they’re scared. And people get so comfortable with the uncomfortable. No matter how bad their life is, their job is, whatever the situa-

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tion, they do what it is they think they’re “supposed” to because they’re scared and [anything else] is the unknown. But the unknown is exciting. MD: Helen Keller said “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Ellen: Helen Keller was brilliant. Like, look at that. Look at who she was. MD: In your mom’s book Love, Ellen she talks about how you always had a houseful of rescues. Birds and a chipmunk and a dog called Happy. Ellen: Ironic in our family. Our family’s dog was named Happy. We had to label something. “No, no. We are happy!” MD: What is it about animals that always made you gravitate towards helping them? Ellen: I cannot imagine not going home to animals. They are the closest thing to God. They don’t harbour resentment. Somebody put it really well: If you hurt a dog, the dog may, years later, remember you hurt him if he sees you. But he’s not going to spend all those years planning how to hurt you the next time he sees you. The compassion I have for animals is from the earliest memories I have. I kept files and copied things out of encyclopedias for what was going to be my office, because I was going to be a veterinarian. MD: Right. The American Express ad. Your childhood ambition: To work with animals. Ellen: My entire childhood was spent copying things out of encyclopedias and rescuing. And doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on birds that flew into windows. MD: Did you attempt this? Ellen: I did. And it actually worked. My father was humiliated. It was at a car dealership. It was a bird that went into the window and everybody just looked at it. I’m a kid and everybody’s going on with just looking at cars and I ran out and grabbed it. MD: Not true! Ellen: Yeah. I have a million bird res-

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cue stories. I rescued a hummingbird that had drowned. A hummingbird! Which is the weirdest thing. It was not at all responding. Its eyes were closed. It was just laying in the palm of my hand, soaking wet, and I took it and put its beak from flower to flower, and all of a sudden I saw its tongue come out of its mouth. I couldn’t believe what was happening—to go from being a lump in my hand, to its eyes opening, to literally taking off.

“I cannot imagine not going home to animals. They are the closest thing to God.” It was at a horrible point in my life where I was so depressed and it saved me. I realized that you never know when a hand is going to scoop you up and put you from flower to flower. To me, animals are an amazing example of who we can be and what the connection is. Whether it’s a dog or a cat or….I rescue things I shouldn’t. I almost had a coyote in my car once that I thought was a dog. I almost had it. People were honking at me and it was in the middle of the street and I had the car door open and I was calling it. Everybody was screaming and honking, and I’m like: “You shut up! Why aren’t you saving this dog?!” And then as it got closer, I was like: “I think that’s a coyote.” MD: So what have you got at home now? Dogs, cats, cows…? Ellen: Portia and I have three cats and two dogs. Wolf is a Maltese-Poodle mix and Mabel is a Standard Poodle. MD: So you’re a Poodle gal? Ellen: Well, not necessarily. I’m an anything. If I could, I would have 15 cats

and 20 dogs. We have the space and we continue to try to rescue everything we can, which is why we had the whole [Iggy] situation. But I believe in a harmonious dynamic. You don’t force animals to get along. That’s like forcing a roommate to live with you and go “Oh, you’ll get along with that person!” MD: Have you recovered from the heartache of Iggy? Ellen: I think I felt like a victim. For me to have been on any kind of attack for an animal issue felt like “This is crazy.” I thought I was saving an animal. The way I read it was that if you cannot provide a good home for the animal, it comes back to the shelter. And so I provided a good home. I’ve learned a whole lot. I had no idea it really meant making a phone call and saying “Is this okay?” I’m the most honest person you will ever meet—to a fault. I will show you exactly how I feel. I happen to have a talk show. So, I talk about whatever is going on in my life. I had spent all night trying to save this family from losing their dog. It was a dog that I knew was in a good home and I couldn’t just do a show without talking about it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to completely contain it and I lost it. MD: I don’t think that’s unfortunate, Ellen. It was a genuine moment. Ellen: Well, it was a moment that people aren’t used to seeing on TV. MD: But this is an industry that needs to learn that seeing something real is lovely. Ellen: Well, thank you. I mean, believe me. It wasn’t pretty. I didn’t walk away going: “That made me look good.” MD: Crying usually does make people look good though. Bawling especially. I like to look bloated and puffy. Ellen: Yeah. I like to do that ugly cry, where people can play it over and over again. Anyway, I’ve gotten over it to the extent that I know it was an interesting

Antum, a Greyhound, wears a pearl necklace with rhinestone heart, Fancy Lulu (fancylulu. com); pearl and Swarovski necklace, Le Prissy Pets (leprissypetsjewelryinc.com); rhinestone crown charm, Chloe’s Canine (chloescanine.com); mesh necklace with crystals, Buddy G’s and double strand rhinestone necklace, Dorothy Bauer, both at barkingbabies. com, and “Doll Face” pink wig, Wiggles (wigglesdogwigs.com). Lucy, an Italian Greyhound, wears a steel dupioni silk ball gown, Studio PetLuxe (studiopetluxe.ca) and pearl and Swarovski crystal necklace, Le Prissy Pets (leprissypets.com)

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“I’m the most honest person you will ever meet—to a fault.” moment in time that I had to go through for whatever reason. For me, it raised a lot of issues. As long as an animal is protected and safe, that’s the most important thing. There are too many dogs that need homes. Our Standard Poodle was a show dog done with her career, and the guy wanted a better life for her because she was living in a kennel, [so] we got a seven-year-old dog that’s fantastic and loves the cats. Then we have Wolf, who is a rescue. We got [him] off the street from a guy

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who—this is a horrible situation—walks up and down Sunset Boulevard in front of expensive restaurants with puppies, knowing full well someone is going to say “How much?” He smuggles them in from Mexico. Most of them don’t make it. MD: So are Mabel and Wolf the inspiration behind your decision to buy into Halo, Purely for Pets pet food? Ellen: You know everybody does different things. A lot of celebrities do perfumes and clothing lines and certainly those things have been offered to me. And I do

wear perfume and I do wear clothes…. MD: Oh, you do wear clothes? I wasn’t sure what I was going to find when I came in here. Ellen: Yes, I do wear clothes. Describe that I am wearing clothes right now. MD: A bikini and high-cut sneakers. Ellen: And a tube top. Yup, that’s what I’m being interviewed in. We were approached and this was the dog food I was already using, coincidentally enough. MD: You were using it or your dogs were? Ellen: The dogs were using it. We weren’t. But you can eat it if you want to. It’s delicious. We used this dog food and loved it and it was just a beautiful meeting. I’m really excited about it all. It’s just a great quality of food. MD: Okay, quick gear-shift. Why do so many comedians abandon kindness when they step onto stage? Ellen: Number one, most comedians, I would say, are angry inside—angry or sad or not dealing with things, and that’s their way of coping. Number two, is just conditioning. Which is why to me it’s so important to show people there is another way to make people laugh. That you don’t have to get a laugh at someone else’s expense. Because it happened to me for a while after I came out, I was more sensitive to it. And it doesn’t feel good. I think it’s a lot smarter and harder to be funny without being mean. It makes you think in a different way. MD: Recently you did your dance to Kanye West’s “Stronger”. (Th-th-that won’t kill me, can only make me stronger.) Do you think that’s a philosophy for you, personally or professionally? Ellen: I don’t think you have to take that approach to it. I think that everything you attempt makes you stronger. It’s up to us to look at every single thing as a learning experience. It goes back to animals. They wake up in the morning and the first thing they do is stretch. They eat and they exercise and

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“My life is my journey, and mine alone.” they sleep and they want love and they give love unconditionally and they don’t judge you. They are just pure love. They require all that we require. But we try to push it. We act like if we don’t have this and don’t have that. They don’t look at another dog and go: Look at the ass on that dog, I should have an ass like that. MD: They just sniff it. Ellen: Exactly, they just sniff it. Which is what we should do. That’s my point. Finally, we’re getting to the point of this interview. If we would just sniff one another’s butts.... MD: Next elevator ride, just lean in to whoever is there for a quick sniff. Ellen: Yup, and then pee right against the corner of the wall. A life to me with animals, watching them and being with them, is all I need. I don’t care about getting any stronger. I

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just care about being a good person and a kind person and trying to help animals have a voice. One thing I want to do at some point in my life is try to make the laws a lot harsher for people who abuse animals. I just want to love animals and be around them all the time. MD: And if that means rescuing a coyote and giving a hummingbird mouthto-mouth, all the better. Ellen: No, it wasn’t the hummingbird I gave mouth-to-mouth to. Don’t mix your birds. Someone is going to read this and try to give a hummingbird mouthto-mouth and scrape the roof of their mouth. I never said give a hummingbird mouth-to-mouth. Don’t make me look crazy. It’s a sparrow that you give mouth-to-mouth to. ■

Komfort Pets was awarded the SPCA 2008 Best of the Best Pet Carrier Award

■ Dr Paul Irwin, Former CEO and President of the Humane Society of America, states: “I have seen many pet products through the years, but nothing as useful and innovative as the Komfort Pets Carrier II.”

The Komfort Pets Carrier II (U.S. and foreign patents pending) is the revolutionary pet carrier designed to automatically keep pets cool when it's too hot and keep them warm when it's too cold. Our temperature control system is designed to complement the natural methods by which a pet regulates its own body temperature by using both conduction and convection simultaneously. The Komfort Pets Carrier II can be used anywhere that a standard pet carrier can be used, and can be powered by home or vehicle power outlets or by our three hour rechargeable backup battery accessory (with carry bag). The Komfort Pets Carrier II is the most stunning and distinctive pet carrier in the marketplace today, and incorporates new and improved state-of-the-art technology and features that are unavailable on any other pet carrier in the world. Please visit our website (www.komfortpets.com) to view the next generation of technology and design by the leaders in pet technology, Komfort Pets. We are pleased to announce that Komfort Pets has been awarded the prestigious SPCA 2008 Best of the Best Blue Ribbon Seal of Approval award in the pet carrier category. This most prestigious award confirms that the Komfort Pets Carrier II is truly the best pet carrier available for purchase today.

Now Available Stackable Adapter Accessory

Comfort For Your Pet Is Priceless, Yet Affordable MSRP $149.00

Designer Series Small Contour Top (19” x 13“ x 16”)

Designer Series Medium Contour Top (28” x 19 1/2” x 22 1/2”) MSRP $199.00

1-888-929-0077 www.komfortpets.com

Modern Dog Spring 2008