FlexPetz

People confuse me. I was reading about people spending $7000 on cats this morning. These cats are supposed to have some kind of genetic mutation and be hypo allergenic. However the founder of the company selling these cats will not release any of the scientific data. Additionally he has a criminal conviction, fraud allegations and a $285,000 federal tax lien against his home. So I would find it hard to trust this guy.

$7000 is a lot of pay for a cat for a cat especially since you can’t be sure if it really is hypoallergenic. Personally I would not pay $2 for a cat but I am a dog so we don’t need to get into that. Would you have to buy two of these cats? It seems everyone who has a cat has at least two. Why is this?

Does one cat not provide enough joy? You don’t see as many people with two dogs. We dogs provide endless amounts of joy some might argue too much at times.

I am always hearing the argument “ I got a second cat so the 1st one would not be lonely.” Hmm I don’t buy it the job of a pet is to amuse its people not other pets.

Don’t get me wrong I have nothing personal against cats. (Other than being a dog) I just don’t understand why people have multiple cats. I guess two cats is ok. Three cats is kind of pushing it and 4 is over the top. If the cats in your home outnumber the people more than 3 to 1 then you are crazy. Sorry but I have done a lot of research on this and 97% of people with a 3 to 1 or higher cat ratio are insane.


Enough about cats. Have you heard about Flexpetz This is a new service where you can be a partial pet owner.

The financials are really weird
You pay 49.95/month to be a member
Then you pay $24.95 per day or $39.95 if it is a weekend day
You can pay $17.50 to have the dog dropped off and another $17.50 to have it picked back up so $35 round trip.

Let Assume I was a Flex Pet and I stayed with my A for the Month of July
22 week days at $24.95 = 548.90
9 weekend days at $39.95 = $359.55
Plus the $49.95 membership fee

I would cost my A $958.40 just for July. Wow that is crazy. If anyone wants to rent me out for that price please send me an email. I am can probably even cut you a deal.

Aside from this being really expensive has anyone thought of the dogs. It sounds a lot like joint custody to me and you people are always saying how joint custody of children is bad and potentially damaging. Imagine being rented out for $30 a day. How would that make you feel? Imagine not knowing where you are going to sleep or what time you are going to go to bed. Imagine not knowing when you are going to be able to go out. We dogs like routines and this screams chaos. I know that when I come in at night and my A opens my treat jar I need to go to bed. Imagine if you stayed somewhere without a treat jar how would you know when to go to bed.

It is nice that FlexPets is trying to use shelter dogs but I still would feel kind of weird about being a rental dog.

I am sure there are some good situations, ala Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman but is has got to be weird for the dogs involved most of the time.

Overall I think it is crazy. Instead of renting a dog go make friends with someone who owns a dog. I am sure they would let you hang out with their dog or even borrow him for a few days. There are days my A gets on my nerves and I would like to get away from him.

If you have a treat jar and a nice dog bed I am available for the low rate of $30/day. No membership fee required.

Dear Michael

Dear Michael Vick,

I have been holing out hope that you were not involved in the dog fighting underworld, however as this week has progressed I am finding it hard to believe that you were not involved. This deeply saddens me.

You are a great athlete and have been given a number of opportunities that most people are not. You get to play a game for a living. I would play fetch if it paid better at over $8 million a year and a $22million signing bonus I think I could play some fetch.

Michael we dogs do not like to fight in fact we hate it. We want to be loved, sit in peoples laps have out ears scratched etc. We don’t want to fight each other. So much of your society is based on conflict. Dog society is different we want peace. It disgusts me to read of some of the things you are accused of doing. I can only hope they are not true.

You have been given a gift which allows you to do almost anything in life. Breeding and training dogs to fight is just wrong. If you want to work with dogs try something challenging, train guide dogs or if that is not tough enough for you try training police dogs or even bomb sniffing dogs. Any idiot can train a dog to fight but try getting on to lead a person across the street without getting run over. That is a challenge.

Cabinets

Today I was thinking man I should have the kitchen redone. Currently it is kind of small and has these old wooden cabinets which are nice but hard to clean. There are some really cool aluminum cabinets for garages that look really nice. I think it would be really cool to use these in the kitchen.

They are aluminum so they will not rust and would be super easy to clean. Oh no I spilled KoolAid on my cabinet. Wait is metal hmm metal does not stain. I am definitely going to recommend aluminum cabinets to my A when he redoes the kitchen just for the clean up factor alone. I am a dog I make messes. I have a feeling my A will want to go with a black or something. Personally I would love to see the kitchen done in diamond plate. That would look super cool and tough.

Aluminum in the kitchen what an awesome idea! We already have aluminum foil in a draw why not have the draw made out of Aluminum.

I am not gonna win

Well it appears I am not going to win the stupid camera stick thing. That is ok I don’t really want one anyway and there are actually several products competing in this space. I did not even thing the market was big enough for one such product. However in a quick search I found at least 3.

I have noticed a lot of people are adding posts on their sites saying please vote for me. Or things like vote for me so I can win this contest. I am not going to do that, why because it is total crap. You enter a contest and you win or lose based on the merits of your entry not because you put up a post saying please vote for me or because you create a widget. These are not contests are supposed to be about the best entry not about who can drive the largest number of sheep to check a box.

During the contest I noticed you can vote everyday. What is up with that vote once if you vote your heart it should not change day to day. Who wants to have to vote every single day that sucks. I am not big on commitments which is why I don’t watch 24.

I also discovered that is it is possible to cheat. Yes that is right an Internet contest can be rigged. I have far to much integrity to cheat, nor will I mention how it can be done but, let’s just say the polling does not do a great job of identifying the voters.

Well I am not going to win and X-shot, am I sad. No not at all. I never really wanted one. I am a little disappointed by how these contests seem to work. I guess I allowed myself to believe. In the future I think the contest should have all the entries in one place force you to review them and select the best. The intent is as a voter you are supposed to review and select the best entry. Does that happen? I don’t think so, people go to a website follow a link and vote for whoever sent them there. Fine if that is the way it works so be it.

This is just another example of why the internet is a total waste of time. No really think about it for a min. I am sure you have a great reason as to why the internet is not a waste of time but I will just leave you with the one parting thought. YOU ARE READING A WEBSITE AUTHORED BY A DOG!!!

BP whiting

Recently you may have heard some news about the BP refinery in Whiting Indiana. Unfortunately the information given out may not have been entirely factual. As you know the media tends to write stories that sell newspapers and sometimes the truth gets buried. I am not saying that is necessarily the case here issues are complex and there are at least two sides to every one.

Only treated water is discharged into Lake Michigan. The discharge from the refinery is 99.9% water and contains no sludge. Yes that is not perfect but rain water run off from streets into the lake is just as bad if not worse. The refinery is closely regulated by the government and BP has on its own worked to provide continous improvement to the environmental conditions.

In the last 4 years BP has reduced the total suspended solids in its water discharge by 40%. BP is planning on investing about $150 Million to enhance the refinery’s wastewater treatment capabilities.

Obviously no one really wants an oil refinery. They are not pretty and they do pose the potential for some environmental impact. However we all like to drive cars, heat our homes etc. Our economy runs on oil and gas and the Whiting refinery produces the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel people in the Midwest need for their daily lives.

BP is planning on spending $3 billion to modernize the Whiting Refinery to allow the processing of additional heavy crude oil from Canada. As our energy needs continue to grow and the unrest in the Mid East continues to drive oil prices up Candian Oil remains a secure and reliable source.

In conclusion if you have read anything about the BP Whiting refinery please dig a little deeper and look at all the facts. Decisions should be made based on all the facts. Too often things are sensationalized and spun in a certain way to play to one side’s agenda.

I don’t know what is right or wrong. I am a dog and I don’t live in Indiana. The environment is an important issue. We need to protect the environment however the environment is an easy tool to sway public opinion. Don’t be a sheep come up with your own believe as to what is right or wrong. Hate BP if you want, feel free to be against the refinery in Whiting but do some research. Knowledge is power.

Man it is Hot

Man it is hot. Really, Really hot outside and inside too. My house used to have central AC and it was so nice. Unfortunately my A decided that as he was redoing the basement he would disconnect the AC to power the new sub-panel. This was a great idea in March however in August I would have to strongly disagree.

My A did try to reconnect the AC but it appears that the thermostat cable has been possibly chewed through. What is up with that.? I used to defend the mice that live in my attic saying “Oh they are cool and don’t hurt anyone and they are way less stuck up than those darn squirrels” This is the last straw however. A get out the traps! Really I let those guys live up there for free and how do they thank me. They disable my AC. Never once did I ask they to pay rent. Man that would have been a smart idea. Anyone want to rent out an attic? Any cats perhaps?

Do mice like really hot weather? I would think they would want it cool, they heave fur coats just like I do and believe me I am hot today and a little bit cranky. (thanks for asking). Maybe the noise bothered them it was a little loud but I would rather have it loud and cold than silent and sweltering. It is pretty quiet here maybe my ears melted off? Can someone please check if my ears melted off. Oh my god ! I am deaf! not good! not good! How am I going to know when to bark at people walking by. Hey maybe if I bark I will hear it and know my ears have not melted off. “Bark” ok I heard it but wait did I really hear it or do I just know what to expect.

Hmm I better call 911, wait how do I use the phone if I can’t hear? This is terrible. Ok the refrigerator compressor just turned on and I heard it whew. It’s a miracle, Hold for a second I need to give the refrigerator a hug.

I hope my A gets home soon and fixes that AC that was really scary. Darnn mice. They are done, no more Mr. Nice Stephen. I will catch them myself if I have to, now how to I get up into the Attic?

Fitness Dates

Have you ever wondered about the #1 fitness dating site on the internet? Well the site is http://www.fitnessdates.com

"fitness dating" is a really cool site. There is absolutely no charge to sign up and create a profile. Once you create a profile thousands of other fitness singles will be able to find you. That is right thousands of like minded individuals will be knocking at your door.

I took a quick look yesterday and I quickly found a bunch of interesting people I might like to meet. The search feature on the site is really cool. You can enter a lot of specifics and really narrow down what you are looking for.
Being able to really refine your search definitely makes things easier. The key to these sites is the search engine. Not only are you already narrowing it down to fitness individuals but the advanced search lets you really narrow down what you are looking for.

So if you are looking for muscular women then this is the site for you.

XShot contest

I am trying to win a Contest Drew set up.
Win an XShot from BenSpark
That is right Stephen the Dog is entering another contest. This one is for an XShot. I want to thank all of you who voted for me to get the Soda maker last time. I lost but that is ok I will get over it.

Anyway this xshot contest thing, I don’t really care if I win or not. I am not going to let myself get excited about, it if I win cool if not what ever.

So I guess I should tell you what an XShot is. It is this goofy little telescoping pole that is 9” long when collapsed or 37” long when extended. For those of you who like infomercials think pocket fisherman.

What does the XShot do? It is a pole that extended and retracts. Woo retracting pole I need one of those. Just kidding it is designed to let you take pictures of yourself. You put your camera on the pole, hold it out and take a picture. This allows you get to more people or background in your pictures. Notice the blurry picture of me above. This is really a picture I tried to take of Joey, Fenway, Clyde, Bailey and myself in front of the world’s largest ball of twine. ( What a stupid trip that was, 12 hour drive to get to middle of nowhere and the twine kind of smells because it is outside all the time) It did not work my arms are only 12” long and I had to tape the camera to my paw because I don’t have thumbs.

I guess if I got an xshot I would have to tape that to my paw to. Not having thumbs stinks. With the XShot taped to my paw I would be like inspector gadget. Go Go Gadjet retractable camera pole thing. Nah that does not work Go Go Gadjet XShot that is a little better. Now that was a stupid cartoon, although realistic. The dog Brain solved all the crimes. It is too bad that in Columbo they don’t show you Columobo’s dog somebody was definitely helping that guy.

Ok so now you have a retractable stick with you camera on it. I bet you are thinking wow this is pretty cool. What else does it do? Well aside from having a tripod camera screw to attach to your camera absolutely nothing. This is right the product is a fancy stick with a screw on the end. You could make one with four nine inch dowels and some duct tape.

I admit it I was not overly impressed with the product at first even though Drew was offering $5.50 off if you used the promo code SparkRocks before July 15. Woo $5.50 off a stick that is awesome. I love to chew sticks. Sometimes I chase them and on a rare occasion I fetch them but that it really just to keep my A thinking someday I may actually play fetch. You have to keep him interested. (I am never going to play fetch it is a stupid game. Look at it from my perspective someone throws something I have to run and get it, then I bring it back. Guess what happens next shocker of all shocker the object gets thrown again and I have to repeat my earlier feat. Talk about futility. Hmm does this remind you of anything Sisyphus.)

Don’t kid yourself the XShot does not push any camera buttons or help you focus or even let you see through the view finder. Basically you are letting the timer on your camera take a picture while you are holding it out on a stick.

I probably should not work in marketing.

Why do I want an XShot and why might I actually buy one if I don’t win this contest.
Well 1st there is the price it is only about $25 and you can get $5.50 off so that brings it down to under $20. That is still a little more expensive than dowels and duct tape but it is not too bad. It also looks nicer. You could even pain the dowel and the XShot will still look better you also won’t need a pocket knife to retract the XShot

Digital cameras now allow us to take hundreds of photos and we can erase the crappy one. The XShot is going to take some good and some crappy photos. Say for example you are at the Great Pyramid of Giza and you want to get a picture of yourself in front of the pyramid. Hmm what do you do. Well 1st you think wow I am in front of the great pyramid this is really cool. I hope I don’t end up with a Mummy’s curse on me. Then Take some time to marvel at what man was able to create so long ago. Think of how small you place in the world is and allow yourself to be humbled by it. Now you either ask someone to take you picture risking having the brand new camera you bought for the trip stolen. ( recommend the Cannon Digital rebel SLR for Pyramid pictures) or you pull out your XShot. Is it worth losing your camera and all your pictures or would you rather spend the $20 and get the camera stick. I say camera stick. Would I pay a lot for this think absolutely not I don’t see the need but if I get my pyramid picture that would be worth $20 since It probably cost me over $2000 to actually get to Egypt. I am sure once I get an XShot I will easily find $20 worth of value in it. Really a tank of gas is over $40 now so with the XShot being $5.50 off that is practically free.

Check out the XShot it is a good deal for the money and if your remote control ever breaks you can use it to change the channels also. Remember it is just a retractable stick with a screw on it. Imagine all the things you can do with a retractable stick. Just don’t try to play fetch with your dog with it.

Goth

Well you know me I like to meet new people. Recently I checked out this cool new site for gothic singles. I was very interesting. I do like the color black you know as I am black and all. I do have to admit I am not really into the Goth Scene though.

However this site is very well laid out and has a lot of great features to help Goths connect with other Goths. If you are into goth dating this is the site for you. You can sign up for fee and have access to the profiles of thousands of local Goths just waiting to connect with you.

If you are Goth and are looking to make some new friends definitely check out this site. I imagine it is often difficult to find other Goths so this site should be a real boon to the Gothic community.

Good luck to you all and defintely check out this site. I give www.gothscene.com a Stephen rating of 7

Been Busy

Well it has been a while since I have written anything. I have been really busy lately and the recent hot weather is kind of rough. I wear a full fur coat all year so let me tell you I am not a fan of the heat.

My house has central AC but my A disconnected it to do some work in the basement and has not hooked it back up yet. Doh!

I did get to go swimming yesterday with Norman it was really fun except for when my R pushed me into the pool. I went way far under the water and it got up my nose. I don't know why she pushed me in. I did get her back though by trying to swim into her. I got a couple good scratches in. She thinks it was an accident but nah it was not.

Well I have to get back to my nap.