Pin-up Pooches

Dear Dog Lady,

For the third year in a row, I submitted my dog Hummer’s picture for inclusion in a dog-a-day calendar published by Workman Press. For the third year in a row, the dog-a-day snob editors dissed Hummer by not including him in the lineup for 2006.

Dog Lady, I wish you ran pictures with your column because you and your readers could see how adorable my Hummer is. He’s a shaggy terrier mix adopted from a shelter. He’s a perfect photo op. The picture I submitted was taken by my boyfriend and shows Hummer standing in a field of wildflowers in Maine. What could be more perfect?

The dog-a-day people chose a picture of a female Aussie in a field of daffodils as this year’s winner. A digitally enhanced pug scaling the Grand Canyon got second prize. As I flipped through all the pages in the desk calendar, I saw many other dogs but none as cute as my Hummer.

Do you need to be politically connected to get your dog’s picture included?

Marcy, Des Moines, IA

Marcy, get over the Hummer bummer. The best you can do to register your disapproval is to draw moustaches on all the winner dogs with Magic Marker. Why does it matter to you that your dog is not a calendar boy? After all, he graces your pages 365 days a year. What’s in it for you? Vanity, thy name is Marcy.

Dog Lady advises you not to be one of those pushy stage mamas whose own self-worth rises and falls on the pinup possibilities of your dog. In the grand scheme of things it matters only that Hummer is your playful pet of the month.

Posted by Dog Lady at January 18, 2006 09:34 AM