Tiny Videos

People wear clothes for many reasons. We wear them for modesty - it’s illegal in most places to go around without any clothing. We wear clothes to protect us from the weather. Raincoats and hats make us much more comfortable in the rain while fleece lined coats and boots are greatly appreciated in cold weather, and when there is snow on the ground. We also wear clothes to make ourselves feel and look good, to impress other people with our excellent taste, and to show that we have the money for expensive designer clothes.

Dogs wear clothes for one reason only - their owners want them to wear the clothes. Dog owners put clothes on their dogs for most of the same reasons they put clothes on themselves and their children. In fact many dog owners regard their dogs as their children and they buy them clothes and dress them up to show how much they care for them. The exception to this, of course, is modesty. Dogs don’t require clothing for that purpose and, in fact for obvious reasons, dog clothes rarely cover that particular area.

Protective clothing for small and toy dogs such as Boston Terriers, Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Maltese, Pugs and any of the miniature or teacup dog breeds is a good idea. These dogs generally feel the cold much more than larger dogs - that’s why they do not enjoy going outside for walks with their owners in rainy, snowy or cold weather. They even resist going outside to the bathroom in inclement weather which makes it very difficult to house train toy dog breeds in cold or wet weather.

Raincoats and hats made of vinyl or waterproof nylon are available for wet weather, as are rain boots. These boots are usually fastened with Velcro and/or zippers. Fleece lined, shearling and wool coats are available to keep your dog warm in cold weather. Boots are useful to protect your dog’s paws from the effects of ice and salt. For hot summer days, sensitive paws should wear sandals to protect them from hot asphalt or sand. You can also buy sunglasses for your dog but perhaps you could discuss this with your veterinarian to see if they provide any benefit to your dog’s eyes. Protective clothing is also beneficial to short-haired and older dogs of all sizes as well as the small dog breeds. Even some of the larger short-haired dog breeds like the Bulldog, Boxer and Greyhound appreciate protection in the cold weather. See the Directory of Breed of Dogs to see which dog breeds are particularly sensitive to cold weather. Owners of most large dog breeds are probably not as interested in dog clothes but might consider obtaining reflective vests for their dogs. These vests make the dogs easier to see when walking at night and also make the dog easier to find if you are camping and hunting - especially good for black or dark-colored dogs.

Reflective vests have a practical purpose. So do some much more frivolous-looking clothes. Toy dogs and even some small dogs should wear harnesses rather than collars for reasons of health - they can easily injure their trachea with a collar. Some very sensible people have designed coats and other outfits with a ‘D’ ring on them which make extremely attractive harnesses for small dogs. Practical, attractive, and sometimes quite lavish clothes are available for toy and small dogs. Pajamas, bathrobes, dresses, sweaters, formal outfits for weddings, and costumes (you can dress your dog as a lamb, a lion, a vampire or even buy him an Elvis jumpsuit) can be found in stores and at discount prices on the Internet. Creative entrepreneurs advertise on-line that they will custom design and make outfits for your dog. Of course, if you like to sew, you can buy sewing patterns to make a blanket, cushion, dog coat, dog coat, leg warmers and boots for your dog and a matching scarf and hat for you to wear.

Dog clothes come in an amazing range of styles and prices. We hope you have fun choosing the right clothes for your dog.

Mike Mathews is a contributing writer and editor for the popular dog breed site: http://www.dog-breed-facts.com. He provides informative, real-world advice and tips on dog breeds, dog health, dog grooming and more. As well be sure to check out his free report on Dog Training.

SEO, search engine optimization

In many martial art schools, you’ll see a sign that says “leave your ego at the door with your shoes”. What this really means is that if you want to be successful in the martial arts, you have to get out of your own way.

Most martial arts instructors have experienced those students who enter the dojo bent on self-destruction. They’re all excited about training, but their behavior is an obstacle to achieving their goals. In other words, they become their own worst enemy.

These students only focus on the physical aspect of the martial arts. They jump into training and are all about the “results”. Success in the martial arts is really about the journey. There are mental and spiritual aspects of training that unfold in the course of the physical work. Patience, balance, perseverance, humility, and focus are just some. It’s also about conquering fear and insecurity and achieving your personal best. It’s about calming down the mind and trusting an instructor who has hard years of experience to take you to the next level.

Recently, an overzealous student who lacked flexibility decided to practice some hard roundhouse kicks on the bag. He did this against our recommendation. He needed to work on his stretching and we advised him to practice his kicks slowly, until he could develop better self-control. He didn’t want to be perceived as a “wimp” in the eyes of his classmates and told us that he was going to kick “real hard” or not at all. Obviously, he had his own agenda in mind. We were more concerned with preventing a serious injury!

All this attitude does is sabotage a martial arts education. Students like this one are too competitive and try to do too much all at once. They have their own preconceived notions on what should be taught and how. They want instant results. In the long run, they either get hurt or burned out. Unfortunately, they drop out and blame the school for not achieving their goals.

Many adults don’t like to be told what to do. As instructors, we can make suggestions, corrections and teach what we know, but in the long run, adults have their own agenda. We have to realize that there is only so much we can do. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to step back and let the student’s own behavior be the “teacher”.

So if you want to achieve in the martial arts, be humble and let the style you have chosen and your instructor lead you down the path. Many great martial artists have walked the path successfully and so can you if you just get out of your own way.

Calasanz is the creator of his own martial arts system. To learn martial arts online please visit: Martial Arts Instructional Videos

When my wife and I got into the WWW. E-commerce world, we had visions of easy money and an auto pilot type of business. You know the kind that runs itself and the money just rolls in. Oh yeah, low start-up cost, little time, and low commitment. Just read the commercials and Internet ads.

The Internet can be your friend or it can bite you like a scared dog. Try researching, starting an Internet business. You will find every easy money method in the world. Here is a list of things to consider and these things are just the surface. This is not meant to scare you but to inform you of the reality, before you fall into the money pit. Just remember you have to give before you receive and sometimes we learn from the pain.

Websites necessities or basics:

Host/Server - to store all your files and images. E-mail and other perks. $8 to $12 month

Purchase your domain - www.mysite.com $8 to $???

Merchant/Credit Card service -Credit Card processing. This is a low price. $25Month, $15 service charge, and 30 cents per transaction and 2.5% of sales. (OUCH!)

Paypal - You can use Paypal for your payment option. It’s free. I don’t use it. Nothing is free.

Rent a ready-made store - Now you can go with a company who will host your site and provide a storefront for you. They will even give you products to sell. These are usually database type and provide no SEO. In other words, the only people who purchase from your site are your friends and family. No one can find your site in the Internet desert. You’re on page 200 (if lucky). They run from $40 to $200 month.

Find a wholesaler? No problem, everyone is a wholesaler. What do you want to sell? Leather, Home Décor, Knives and Swords, Collectibles or maybe Kitchen cookware?

Where are the real wholesalers? The ones they buy from. There are many scams and scam tools for sale out there. Now try ordering from them. Late? Back Ordered? Packing? Drop ship costs? Shipping & Handling Costs? Drop ship or Inventory? Taxes???

Build your site - There are many templates out there that look good but if you don’t know how to program HTML forget it. You will probably buy a book or software that shows us dummies that we can create HTML websites without having to know HTML. On the outside it looks good, but on the inside they stink. How are you going to find the time and keep up with the latest in this “part time business”? Search Engine robots don’t like bad programming among other things.

Gather Information - Now that you have a wholesaler, download all the prices and images. Create your spreadsheets to upload all the product information (change them to CSV or some delimited format. Or you may have to do this one at a time… Ahhh!

Fix the images - Adjust the resolution, size, etc. to fit your WebPages. Get the right software to do this…It will save you days of work and cost. I hope you get this done before the prices change or the item is discontinued. Remember that if you have more than one wholesaler, you have more than one tax and drop ship charge. You also have different information and images. They could be in other formats.

My wife and I thought an Internet Shopping Mall would be so cool. We could have different stores, oh boy…That’s where the name MallAboutTown.com came from. Oh yeah. Now you have to have a logo and a theme and all the right colors and, and, and.

It’s kinda like building a house.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - You should have been thinking about this from the start. Buy links, buy PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising, buy search engine submissions, buy content, submit articles and link to directories and other Websites, read, read, read and determine who is telling the truth.

After all the smoke clears, you will be in the hole a few bucks. When that first sale comes in you will feel like that golfer getting a hole in one. Then you’re back at it, harder than ever. It’s an addiction. I guess it could be described as the spouse that won’t leave an abused relationship. Like any business, Internet business is not for the short-term commitment. There is so much I had to leave out because many things depend on what direction you take on this journey. Good Luck, remember if it’s too good to be true…..

Our advice is to personally talk to someone that is successfully operating E-commerce site, (not on E-bay) and get the facts. This is what made E-bay so popular. But even E-bay can be tough.

Good Luck,

Marc and Kemella Allyn

Marc and Kem own http://www.mallabouttown.com and bring their personal experience for your use. Thank You for supporting our ministry http://www.allaboutthecross.com

High Pagerank - SEO

This is not rocket science. To market more of what we have to offer we must get in front of the right people. We must connect with those people who are looking for the solutions we provide, who are ready to buy those services, have the money - and are willing to buy them from us.

If you are already doing that and want to be more successful the next step is simplicity itself. You just have to see more people. The most effective way to do that (the only way in fact) is through group events of one kind or another.

When you get in front of more people, assuming that most of them are the right people and you do so more often, you will make more money. And the most efficient way to do group events was over the phone via traditional conference calls, Teleseminars, teleclasses, etc.

Recently, now that most people has high speed Internet access, Internet conference calls have taken hold and are literally changing the way people do business and communicate with each other around the world. They are used for sales and marketing of course. And as every successful business owner knows, keeping the business you’ve already got is always more profitable than making new sales - so Internet conference calls are being used for customer service, warranty explanations etc .

They have made communications of all kinds, internal, external, and with the media, easier and cheaper than ever. In fact, today most successful business owners can’t imagine running their company at the peak of effectiveness without using Internet conference calls. Let’s take a look at the advantages of teleconference services.

The Internet has shrunk the world and has made it a global village. People from different corners of the world are able to get in touch with each other and do business successfully.

Today it’s common for companies of all sizes to have affiliate business partners and outsourcing setups in different countries around the world. In case of a meeting or a conference, previously one of the most wasteful expenses a business has, you can’t be flying from one country to another to meet everyone. It is expensive in both time and money, not to mention that going to meetings keeps you from doing what need to be done on a daily basis.

Instead, you can use Internet conference calls to communicate effectively with a number of people at the same time. You can have a presence in several cities, or countries for that matter, and still get to your son’s ball game.

Internet conference calls can be easily done with the help of your computer. What you need is very simple - a relatively fast and reliable Internet connection and conference call software or service. Once you install the software in your system, it is very easy to use it, since everything is self explanatory.

There are a number of companies that offer Internet teleconference services. The costs do not vary to a large extent - they are more or less the same with all companies, as the competition is really intense.

In general, the more people involved in a conference, the more they charge. It can cost you anywhere from $25 to thousands of dollars, depending on the rental service you choose. A onetime conference call will cost you very little while a long term rental could cost you a lot.

Even then, it is incredibly cheap when compared to the costs of flying to different countries around the world and meeting each other in person for conferences.

Some services offer a more user friendly interface than others, one that is push-button friendly. Some Internet conference call services provide step-by-step tutorials making the set up easy and simple so you will have more of them - it’s in their interest as well as yours.

There are two types of web conferencing - audio and video.

Audio web conferencing, as the name suggests, allows you to talk to each other without seeing each other. If the number of people is less, you can do it directly. If there are a large number of people involved in the conference, you can seek the help of an operator.

With video web conferencing, you get to see each other while talking. Using this service, you can network with any number of people you want. In large companies, it is very common to see video conferences with hundreds of people interacting with each other.

And recently services have come along that offer the best of both by adding Power Point to the more traditional looking conference call, will all the Internet related bells and whistles

Internet conference calls are the best way to interact with people for your business needs.

They are simple, inexpensive, and very effective. What more can you ask for?

Internet conference calls are a key element in a successful marketing equation. They are simple, inexpensive, and infinitively measurable. You get the greatest bang for your online marketing and promotion budget. Successful business owners understand the importance of leveraging their traditional advertising and marketing strategies - using Internet conference calls for cost effectively marketing to their customers and prospects, across town or around the globe.

I hope you are thinking about the implications of Internet conference calls and how you can use them in your organization. If the message in this article resonates with you, please take a few seconds and post your comments below the article on our web site. By sharing your experiences and insights here you will be adding to the richness of the conversation.

Each of us is concerned about the continuous refinement of our strategies and tactics toward enhanced productivity and greater profitability. And yet for most of us there is a gap between where we are and where we want to be next year and the year after that.

If you had the tools to achieve greater success, as an emerging professional, would you use them? Why don’t you take a few minutes and see what others are doing and get involved with people who want to make 2009 their best, most profitable, and most productive year ever. You may be able to dramatically improve your profitability, identify the missing pieces in your business puzzle, and reduce unnecessary bottom line costs. Click here for access to the evolving content we are adding continuously to help you grow your business. http://www.EffectivenessStrategies.com

Writing your own ebooks is arguably the best and most powerful thing you can do to publicise your web site and bring traffic to it with little effort. An even better tactic is to make your ebook viral. That does not mean your readers will catch a disease. Or rather they will of sorts but one from which both you and your readers can profit.

Making your ebooks viral simply means that you give your customer a reason to pass your ebook around to their friends, family, web site visitors, newsletter subscribers and similar. That reason is two fold. One reason being that the ebook you have written contains useful information and the other reason being that you have seeded the ebook with your affiliate links to relevant products while allowing some of your affiliate links to be replaced by the affiliate links of your customer.

Why would you do that - well you would do it simply because it creates a “win-win” scenario from which both yourself and your customer can potentially benefit for a very long time. Because you have made your ebook viral in the manner described each person who reads it is a potential earner for both yourself and your initial customer.

You have created a situation where your customer wants to circulate your ebook widely because he knows that he has the potential to earn a commission should anyone he circulates it to makes a purchase from one of the links you have allowed him to rebrand. You have the same opportunity because the ebook still contains some of your own affiliate links.

For example if you have written an ebook on say dog care you can easily insert affiliate links to related products - say dog training and dog food. If you allow your customer to rebrand the dog training links with his own then anyone he circulates the ebook to and buys the dog training product will generate a commission for your customer and anyone who buys the dog food product via your ebook will generate an affiliate commission for you because that is your link.

Giving your customers the ability to rebrand and the extent to which they can do so is something you control yourself. All you have to do is write the ebook. And that is not as hard as you might think either. You just need your imagination and typing skills. Do you think you could write a dozen or so pages on a subject you have an interest is. Of course you could. Especially with the internet available to you as an almost unlimited research tool.

All you need to do is take action. And you can start that right now. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and start to write down a list of subjects you are interested enough in to write a short ebook about. Pick a subject you would like to start with then map out the topics or chapters you think your new ebook should include. The next step is to research and write and you are on your way to your first viral ebook. What is stopping you?

Download your free page rank ebook and see how I have gained and maintained number 1 search engine positions regardless of google page rank. Visit http://www.pagerankparanoia.com today for your free ebook.

The practise of keeping birds goes back throughout human history. People have long wanted to keep the beautiful creatures as pets, but since they can fly, cages were needed to keep the birds contained.

Bird cages are common in many households. They are traditionally a tall brass cage, made from several pieces of wire bound together with a solid base and a door. The way that the horizontal and vertical bars create a mesh gives the bird a surface to climb with it’s agile hook-like feet. The traditional cage has one perch in the centre, a simple crossbar that the bird can sit on, and the floor of the cage is lined with something like sandpaper that can be easily changed due to the fact that birds shed a lot of feathers and create mess.

There are a variety of modern bird cages, some very large in size. They usually have one or more perches and are easily portable. The larger cages can be several feet tall and wide, with platforms, ladders and ornate designs. They will sometimes come with a built in seed and water holder that can be easily refilled, but these can be bought separately.

You will probably want to furnish a cage with a variety of toys to keep your avian friend happy. There is a huge range available; ropes that come in various lengths and knots, acrylic shapes, mobiles, balls and bells. This is important for the more intelligent species of birds like parrots as they get bored easily.

Some feel that bird cages are inhumane, trapping a creature in a small confine, effectively jailing it. This is the root of metaphors that compare bird cages to prisons. An option that gives the birds far more freedom is a aviary, essentially a very large cage the size of a shed or even as large as a house. Aviaries are usually used by zoos and can contain several species of bird, plants, trees and insects, creating a kind of natural environment and plenty of room for the birds to fly.

John Gibb is the owner of bird-cage-sources3k.info, for more information on Bird Cages please check out http://www.bird-cage-sources3k.info

Pagerank

Obesity is on the rise for canines. The reasons for this influx are similar to those that humans experience, too much food and too little exercise. The results of obesity are similar for your canine friends too. Studies reveal that 25% of overweight dogs experience severe joint problems. This effects there daily activities such as walking, standing and sitting. It also increases pain and makes jumping up or down off the bed difficult. If a dog is overweight its lungs cannot function properly- the extra fat pushes against the lungs and diaphragm and makes breathing more difficult. Carrying extra weight decrease ability to preform daily activities. It takes more work to do everything. Body systems have to do more than they were designed for because extra weight places strain on the heart, muscles and respiratory system. Because being overweight causes daily tasks to be more difficult and causes more pain, dogs can become more irritable. Dogs who are overweight have a shorter life span and a lower quality of life. However, there are several things that a pet owner can do to help their animals shed the pounds and live a longer, happier life.

Assessing Your Dog

One way to get an idea if your dog is overweight is by checking their ribs. The ribs should not be visible as they stand, but still detectable when you touch them or when they move (such as jumping in the air to catch a Frisbee). If you cannot feel your dogs ribs, they are probably overweight. The first and for most important measure though, is to take your dog to their veterinarian. Your dog should be seen on a yearly basis for a routine check up. One reason why visiting your veterinarian is so important is that some dogs do not look overweight. Large dogs can especially hide weight well. Your veterinarian will be able to decide if your dog is overweight and why. To help your veterinarian keep a record of what you are doing with your dog before you go. Record your dogs patterns such as sleeping, eating and exercise. In some cases weight issues might be due to medical conditions, such a thyroid problems, verses overeating and under exercising.

Feeding

Dog’s have a strong need for affection. One reason dogs overeat is that pet owners use food as an easy way to show their affection. It is not recommended to do this. Using food as a means of reward trains your dog to seek food for affection. This adds to their weight gain and all the other associated problems. Instead, fill their need for attention with games, petting and playing or get a new toy or go for a walk. Habits are hard to break, so here are few tips to help you. Do not leave food out all day. Set a schedule and a location to eat. One meal per day (or two small ones) is all that a dog needs. Also, one day each week with no food will help burn excess fat which they have stored in their bodies. Dogs are trained in behavior. If they beg at the table and someone gives them food, they learn that begging results in getting what they want. To help change this pattern feed your dog before you eat and keep them in another room while you have dinner. After, take them out for a walk or to play a game so they feel loved and get the attention they need. Once new patterns have been decided upon make sure everyone in the family is on board. Otherwise someone might feel “sorry” for the begging dog and give them “just a little something” and this will slow down or prevent your dog’s weight loss, especially if that “little something” is every day. Meet as a family to discuss the need for changes in your dog’s diet and how your animal will be effected if you don’t. This will help everyone understand why and help them keep the new rules.

Excercise

The enthusiasm for new changes might cause over doing exercise at first, but it is important not to do this. Start slowly, for just a few minutes a couple times a day. This will be sufficient at first and then you can slowly increase their activity. Encourage your dog to move around the house with you. Movement frequently and throughout the day is essential. If you take your dog out for a hard run to get him “in shape” it might do more harm than good. Especially when no exercise has been implemented in his routine before. A nice, leisurely walk is sufficient each day and then a couple of times a day as directed by your veterinarian. Another way to get movement is by playing games with your dog. As your dog increases in strength and endurance playing fetch is fun for the dog and helps them get in more activity. Follow your veterinarian’s plan and keep appointments. This is especially important if the weight loss is significant.

Loving your pet is doing what is best for them. Increasing their activity and reducing their treats and table scraps will help them become their ideal weight. Your dog will move easier and breath lighter and you can sleep better knowing their health is on the right track.

Emma Snow an animal lover works in marketing for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net and Horse Stall http://www.horse-stall.net leading portals for pet management.

SEO, search engine optimization

Alot of you may not want to hear this…so prepare yourself…

Your Success or Failure in Life is no ones fault but your own…Its not your parents fault, it’s not a past abusive relationships fault, its not your teachers fault, It’s not your parents fault who didn’t show you or ever tell you they loved you, It’s not not your employer’s fault who wont give you a raise….It’s nobodies fault but your own!

If you think the only people who ever succeed in life are the ones whose life has been free from pitfalls, and hurts, and angers, and trials you are sorely mistaken… It’s the people who despite these failures use them as a motivating factors to help others out of the mess they are in…..Without a test you don’t have a testimony!

I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT A MAN:

In 1832 he lost his job and was defeated for state legislature

In 1833 he failed in business

In 1835 his sweetheart died

In 1836 he had nervous breakdown

In 1838 he was defeated for Speaker of the House

In 1843 he was defeated for nomination for Congress

In 1846 he was elected in Congress and in 1848 he lost the renomination
In 1849 he was rejected for land officer

In 1854 he was defeated for U.S. Senate

In 1856 he was defeated for nomination for Vice President

In 1858 he was again defeated for U.S. Senate

And in 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States

You see the only thing Lincoln could control is his actions and his attitude! Nothing else…he couldn’t control his circumstances but he could control how he responded to those circumstances.

One of the biggest mistakes made in our culture is to think we are entitled to a great life - that someone, somewhere (definitely not us) is responsible for mapping out a life filled with great career opportunities with wonderful salaries, unlimited happiness a family life others can only dream of and personal relationships that are unsurpassed.

We have become almost conditioned to play the blame game….blame others for the things we don’t have…Blame our parents (it’s in my genes), Blame my family, friends, spouse, weather, star sign, cat, dog, lightpole……Anything but our own actions and our own attitude.

Bring an Attitude of Gratitude into your life and be thankful for all the blessings God has put in it already….I always find whenever I am having a pity-party….If I sit down and sart thinking about all the things I am thankful for my attitude turns right around…God has blessed us with soo many things yet we take them for granted so often…

And I will wrap up with this:

“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

ABOUT CHRIS:

Chris Mattingly is native to beautiful area of the Lower Potomac River and St. Mary’s County Maryland. Not too long after moving to NC Chris realised that his real calling was in the business world and being a model of how a businessman can run a successfull business while using the many success and economical principles outlined in the Bible.

Chris has been and currently is mentored by a group of Christian Businessmen became multi-millionaires many times over in the marketing industry.

Chris currently publishes many articles about business and marketing on various website throughout the internet as well as runs a very successful marketing company called Deuteronomy Enterprises.

Check out more information about how Deuteronomy Enterprises can help you create the income you need!

http://www.DeuteronomyEnterprises.Faithweb.com

Secrets To Dog Training

Many dog clubs and animal organizations sponsor activities throughout the year where you and your pooch can bond. This is especially true at Halloween, when you and your dog will have an opportunity to take part in costume contests, parades, and other events to show off your creativity. Our local Humane Society, for example, has a “Howling Party,” while our dog club has its annual “Fun Fair.” Other organizations put on dog parades. The best part about all of these events is that you are able to show your dog off in costume!

Even if you are staying home this year and waiting on trick or treaters to come by, consider having your costumed dog go with you to the door. Or, if you have trained him to open the door to greet guests - even better! If this is the case, your dog should also be trained not to jump on guests when they arrive. A well-costumed dog greeter might have neighborhood children running away before they get their candy should he jump upon them.

Before I became a dog owner, I thought it was silly, unfair, and perhaps a bit inhumane to dress dogs up for Halloween. Since those days, I have become a dog owner and now realize dogs love to participate in all activities (except a trip to the veterinarian). Participating together in Halloween festivities with your favorite furry friend is another opportunity for you to cherish your time together.

WORDS OF WISDOM ABOUT DOG COSTUMES:

Over the years, I have learned a few lessons about dressing dogs up for Halloween. Every year when Halloween approached, I would work feverishly trying to create the perfect dog costume. Spending hours sewing together parts of old-fashioned mops, I attempted to make my terrier into an instant Komondor (a.k.a. Hungarian Sheepdog). For a day, I wanted him to feel like one of those amazing dogs with a Rasta-style hairdo. When people spotted him, they would exclaim, “Hey it’s a dog in a dog costume!” But, I really thought, It’s a dog in a people costume!

As I walked proudly down the street with him in his Komondor costume, he decided to shake until his costume des mops dragged along between us. From a distance, I thought he might get by looking like a street cleaner. But to my despair, he didn’t. As crowds watched, he simply looked like a dog dragging a huge mop down the street - how embarrassing!

This is when I learned the first two essential rules for dog costumes:

1) Keep the costume light.

2) Keep the costume simple.

The next year, I had a puppy to dress up. Constructing an adorable lightweight costume was my only goal. Since the puppy loved carrying objects in her mouth, I covered a stick in leather for her to bite and carry. Then, I attempted to put a pair of panties on her. She frantically yelped, bounced, and wiggled them off, and consequently refused to let me near her with the undergarments in hand.

This is when I learned the third essential rule of dog costumes:

3) Always give your dog a trial run before assuming she will wear any costume you muster. Or, better yet, have your dog wear the costume around the house before Halloween so that she will get used to it. Don’t learn the hard way.

The following year, I made plans to take my older dog to the Halloween dog parade again. Since I had learned from experience, I chose to fashion a costume that was simple, easy to make, and lightweight. My dog was going to be “a walking billboard!” I glued two rectangular pieces of foam core together with material in the center and was going to lay it over the top of my dog. This time, however, I was determined to be smart about it by letting him get used to it beforehand - following my own third rule.

It worked out great as he paced around the house and the billboard costume got some great laughs from friends and family members. I was happy that things would turn out better than the two years previous. As the parade began, we marched along together and he suddenly did the unexpected, as if he were planning it all along. He crouched down and the billboard became a non-flexible tent. He was able to walk right out of it, which got additional laughs from the crowd, but meant an immediate disqualification from the contest.

This is when I learned the fourth essential rule of dog costumes:

4) Expect the unexpected, even when you think you’ve thought of everything!

The following year, I tied a large helium balloon around the dog’s mid-section and put a small lightweight blanket over him. The blanket had a little box sitting on it with two tiny stuffed animals. I had ribbons around the bottom of the balloon that I attached to the box. The costume was adorable, or so I believed. It was a balloon-ride costume. The bobbing balloon must have been more exciting to the other dogs because as soon as the other dogs got sight of him, they started pulling away from their owners in hot pursuit of the shiny red balloon. Fortunately, I had a pair of scissors and cut the string. Up, up, up it went. Bailey and I were free, but so was our balloon. And once again, we were disqualified from the parade, as had become a tradition.

This is when I learned the fifth and sixth essential rules of dog costumes:

5) Be prepared. Before you go to any gathering, think about what you should bring along In case something needs a quick fixing or if something goes wrong.

6) Bring your camera and have plenty of film. I wished I had gotten a picture of my dog in his balloon costume before I snipped the string. Check your camera batteries too. And, have a friend take some photos of you and your dog together - you’ll enjoy them later.

Last year, however, I took the easy way out. I purchased a Superman costume from a costume shop. Most costume shops now carry such paraphernalia. The costume was lightweight, which was a plus. I decided I would just use the cape and keep the other parts of the costume as back up. So, once again, we were off to our annual dog club “Fun Fair,” and one of the featured activities was a Halloween dog parade with an award for “Best Costume”.

My dog was dressed upon arrival. I tied the cape under his chin and that was it. Kids shouted, “It’s Super Dog!” Adults responded by shouting “Not original!” Someone walked up to me and asked, “What happened? We expected you, at least, to be original.” Feeling guilty, I sat there not taking home any awards. But, it was the first time my “Super Dog” participated in his very first Halloween parade. To me, he looked great and I was so proud of him. Then towards the end of the night, we were called over, along with several other “Super Dogs” with the same attire, for a photo shoot.

Submitted 10/26/2006

Copyright (c) 2006 Melanie Light

Melanie Light is an artist and art educator. She is site owner of Wheaten Works at http://www.wheatenworks.com, ArtZpet at http://www.artzpet.com and Petz Classic Dog Art at http://www.cafepress.com/petz . Her portfolio site can be found here: http://mlightart.com . You will find more artwork, gifts, and information on these sites.

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