$16.47 [Chewed]

A few months ago, I learned about the book Chewed, which features 140 color photographs by Arne Svenson and "looks at the comically twisted results of our pets' desire to tear, shred, dismember, eviscerate -- to transform -- their favorite toys."  Excerpts from the book were shared to my delight on The Huffington Post.  See them here.

Like the dogs behind the photographed toys, Betelgeuse -- full of either love or hatred for them (we can't tell, maybe it's both) -- methodically destroys her plush toys.  She chews off any tags, removes the eyes and ears, dismembers the limbs, and, ideally, pulls out and eats the stuffing once the destruction is complete.  (I've already discussed her cloud-like all-stuffing BM before here.)  The end result is magnificent.

So, inspired by Chewed, I embarked on my own photography project while cleaning out the pups' toy box.  Unlike Chewed, however, I did not write stories from the perspectives of the toys -- you'll just have to buy the book for that.

It can be hard to appreciate how loved this rabbit has been without viewing the before photo. Despite Betelgeuse's infatuation with him over the last few years, he still squeaks and his stuffing is intact. What is left of his fur is super frizzy, but he somehow managed to keep his ears.

$92.48 [There are Kittens in the Office]

Okay, so yes there are kittens in the office, but I can explain.

$0.02 [omne trium perfectum]

Lola killed a three-legged mouse in the backyard by puncturing its throat with her teeth. She brought it inside through the broken screen door and batted its corpse around the kitchen playfully, spilling it's blood everywhere.

[Warning: Graphic image behind the jump.]

$54.47 [Happy Halloween!]

Happy Belated Día de Muertos from the Clan!  The 2011 Halloween Costume Watch has come to an end:  The dogs were flowers, and I was the sun.

We had a great time on Saturday at the 2011 District Dog Halloween Parade, Adoption Day, and Costume Contest in McGolrick Park.  We didn't win (winners here, as blogged by a local stuffed rabbit, no kidding), but it turns out that it didn't really matter.  It was the perfect Halloween celebration and just what I needed after an emotionally draining October.  We spent the day making the costumes and hanging out with like a hundred awesome dogs, most of them in impossibly cute costumes.  Of course, not as impossibly cute as our dogs in costumes.

$0.01 [Is my Dog's Halloween Costume Racist?]

Did you know that I wanted the dogs to be the Obamas for Halloween?  Betelgeuse as Barack, Lulu as Michelle, and Kyler and I as secret service agents.  But I eventually decided against it.

$0.00 [World Wide Litter Box]

One day last month, I thanked Kyler for so being so diligent in scooping the litter boxes.  I had not seen any cat pee or poop in the litter boxes in over a week.  Day in and day out, the litter boxes appeared virtually untouched.  What an awesome boyfriend.

"Oh," he responded.  "That's because Lola goes to the bathroom outside now."