Mathilde DeCagny was the trainer for the beloved dog Eddie on the long running hit TV sitcom, Frasier.  Although her credits are too numerous to list here, some of her better movie jobs have included: Marley & Me, Hotel for Dogs, My Dog Skip, Homeward Bound and As Good as it Gets, just to name a few.  Mathilde spent an afternoon with us and shared some wonderful stories and insights into the world of the movie star dogs (and the dog trainers who make them shine.)
She also gave us some insight as to how some lucky dogs (and other animals) go from ”pound puppy”  to “famous face” (and tail) when Hollywood (or at least Mathilde) goes looking for the next promising new animal actor.  She also talked about the dogs she worked with for the upcoming movie, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2.”
We’ve posted both of these recordings together so you can listen to the entire interview if you would like.  We hope you enjoy listening to Mathilde as much as we did.

Huh?  Yep, that’s what happened.  According to MSN Eric Favetta was working the night shift and didn’t want to leave his Begian Malinois home alone all night.  Can you blame him?  So he took his dog to work with him.  He was the only person working the night shift to prepare the store for some big inspection.  He placed his dog in the dog daycare area of the store and checked on him every 15 minutes.  When his manager found out about it he was fired for theft of services.  Again, HUH?  As there was no one actually working in the daycare area how is putting the dog in that area any different than putting him in the grooming area (where he wouldn’t get groomed) or some other empty room?

Is PetSmart saying that during the day when dogs are actually in the daycare area they aren’t being supervised?  Because that’s what it says to me.  The actual service of a dog daycare is not the room they are staying in, it is the “care” part of the word “daycare”, which leads one to believe the dogs are supervised and cared for.  So where does the “theft of services” come into play?

Eric Favetta and his Begian Malinois Gizmo

The Golden Retriever Club of  Greater Los Angeles has a new campaign to help raise funds for all the Golden Retrievers left homeless in this poor economy.  Now more than ever before, donations are needed for this and every other rescue out there.  Many people are losing their homes so the dogs end up in the shelters.  If they are lucky a rescue will pick them up and foster them until they are adopted.  However, the rescue organizations are also receiving fewer donations because so few people have extra money to give.

If you have even the tiniest extra bit at the end of the month please consider donating to a worthy rescue organization.  Even $5 helps, because $5 from many people can add up to a great deal.

In addition, if you are considering getting a dog please, please, please consider getting one from the shelter or a rescue.  The animals in need did not ask to be in the postion they are in.

This was Joey, our dog from GRCGLA

Joey was a great dog who we miss very, very much.

“Saturday, September 19 has been set aside as Puppy Mill Awareness Day, and events are planned in England, Ireland and across the United States to draw attention to the plight of animals who are victims of puppy mill abuses.”