Big Wag Energy!

By contrast with my own start to the new year - quiet, cocooned by, many, many sweaters against the icy temperatures - the dogs in my life launched into 2025 with what can only be described as Big Wag Energy. It’s impossible to know why this is the case - I mean sure, they don’t have work to do, commutes to navigate, gym memberships to honor by actually showing up, but that’s true all the time - but it’s also not the least bit important: the dogs are living out loud and we can’t think of anything better. Say more? With absolute pleasure!

Dogs are putting Netflix on notice!

We are the last people to question anyone’s desire to order a pizza, take up residence on the couch, grab the remote, and settle down for a marathon of Love is Blind / The Crown / Squid Game / Black Doves (delete as applicable, or do as we do and watch them all and more!), but we had never considered that dogs might be as TV-motivated as we are. Well it turns out that we very much should have considered it! Happily, while we were watching the tube, Dr Freya Mowat, a veterinary ophthalmologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was watching dogs watch TV. Together with Tavish, her Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, Dr Mowat had been researching canine eyesight and “needed to design a test that was interesting to dogs.” It occurred to her that TV might be a good way to engage dogs and trick them into having an eye exam, so she decided to conduct a survey of more than 1,200 dog owners around the world to find out if their dogs liked watching TV, and if so, what they enjoyed the most. Fast forward through the commercial break and the results are in! 

- Dogs love to watch dogs, and in fact most animals. Wildlife shows were wildly popular with horses, zebras and elephants proving extra compelling. 

- Dogs love to give feedback! 78% of dogs approached the TV when interested, while 76% vocalized in response to things they saw. Some dogs even went to look behind the screen or out a nearby window, to check if what they were watching was really there. 

- Some dogs like action movies, some like cooking shows, but all of them seem to like sci-fi. We are not sure what to make of this except to wonder if they saw something where dogs took over the world and it was great. If so, we agree! 

At the behest of the many dogs in our lives, and those we have yet to meet, we’ve written to Netflix, Hulu, Prime and Disney to ask about adding more dog content and giving us all the option to create dog profiles to household accounts and will let you know what they say. Until then, we’ve rebranded TV time as Relationship Building, added treats to our TV snack stash, and cued Lassie, The Littlest Hobo and Paw Patrol in “our up next”. 

Canine Culture is Calling!

Lest you should worry that we’ve gotten a little too comfy on the couch, no need; for every episode of All Creatures Great and Small we watch, there shall be culture too. We’re a little embarrassed to admit that we only recently learnt that there is an entire museum dedicated to dogs right here in our hometown of New York City. Since 1982, the clever hounds at the American Kennel Club have been gathering the vast amounts of joy and cultural capital that canines contribute as well as artworks (by humans) from all over the world. The museum’s permanent collection is one of the finest and largest collections of dog-related fine art and artifacts in the world, with paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, ceramics and bronzes. Additionally, objects such as trophies, collars and other dog-related works are included, especially apt with the Westminster Dog Show coming up in early February - what can we say, NYC is truly a dog-lovers paradise - and it’s our plan to check out both. 

Should you be elsewhere in our great nation, or indeed the world, canine culture is all around! Grand Junction, Tennessee, is home to The National Bird Dog Museum which is, as they rather poetically explain, “dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of bird dog, field trial, and hunting traditions.” The museum showcases pointer and retrieving breeds, as well as hunting sports and field trial activities and no less than a Retriever Hall of Fame. 

It’s hard to imagine a better place to spend time until you hear about the Iditarod Museum in Wasilla, Alaska! Housed in a log cabin at the Iditarod Headquarters, the museum teaches history of the Iditarod, a sled dog race covering 1,000 miles of rough terrain, along with photos, videos, and trophies. Plus, you may even get a chance to meet some sled dogs - WHERE DO I SIGN? In The Knik Museum you’ll find the Sled Dog Mushers Hall of Fame and we are now thinking that dog halls of fame are going to be a big part of 2025 and we could not be happier. 

Last but not least, dachshund lovers (🥰) might plan a trip to the world's first and only Dachshund Museum in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Regensburg in Germany. Deckels, as they are known in their native land, are celebrated with thousands of exhibits from the world's largest collection of over 30,000 dachshund objects. Never before have the inevitable phrase “exit through the gift shop” filled us with such boundless joy, and our advice is to bring an empty suitcase for all that doxie moxie.

Dogs are grabbing the mike!

Fans of off again, on again time tyrant TikTok may have noticed that alongside slo-cooker cobbler, wildly impressive dance routines, and #GRWM, buttons are kind of a big deal. Waaaay back in 2021, Bunny, a sheep-a-doodle who became known as the talking dog of Tik Tok, brought attention to a new area of study within animal cognition: the use of assistive technology for language acquisition. Fancy!

Now it’s 2025, dogs are well into their talking era. As well as a proliferation of “buttons” sold as sets or individuals, which dogs can use to issue edicts (dachshunds), or express their love (all other breeds), or perhaps demand food (dachshunds), a cottage industry dedicated to dog communication has sprung up offering a range of services up to and including courses in teaching your dog to talk. 

As with most things, the response has been mixed. For every dog we, er, talked to who expressed joy at being able to communicate with more specificity than previously possible, another mourned the loss of the enigmatic quality she had used to her advantage. And yet another reported that she mostly used her new found vocal skills for singing along to the TV shows she was watching, which brings us full circle! Our position on this is that the wonder - and joy - of pets is that complete understanding between human and pet exists without the need for words. Unique and uniquely special, why mess with perfection? 

Whether you and your dog are planning cozy TV nights, going full culture vulture, or learning a new language, the simple truth is this: dog time is the best time regardless of the pastime! Until next month, friends!

🐾♥️💫🐩