Movie Review: Golden Winter (pups, Christmas, loyalty, slapstick criminals)

Golden Winter: Homeless for the Holidays (Warner Bros., DVD, 2012, 89 minutes)

Gang of Five, Litter of Five

A gang of five ‘bad’ boys, a litter of five golden pups taking off on the popularity of the litter of golden pups in Snow Buddies, Treasure Buddies, Space Buddies, and the other Buddy movies.

This is another litter of lovely little golden retrievers: four males and one female named Snoozer, Jumper, Rory, Scarf and Tinkle, and their canine mom Lady plus a couple of cattle dog guard dogs and even a dog-riding guard Chihuahua.

But perhaps Golden Winter should be called Golden Christmas since it is all about the holiday. An abandoned house, an abandoned litter, a too wealthy family, a dog adoption, a busy mom and dad who learn to slow down and smell the flowers, thanks to their son, our hero. And Santa and elves, and a tree and presents, and soccer.

The holiday theme of learning about loyalty and what is really important, family, whether human or canine or human and canine. . . .

A Twist a Minute

Not eerie eyes but eerie teeth. Golden Winter fortunately had excellent dog trainers and the dogs’ words match their actions and even their mouth movements; however, when they talk, their teeth look like shark teeth or senior citizen teeth. (When not speaking, the canine teeth seem to be regular puppy teeth.) This may gross out some little girls but the boys will love it along with a few excellent characters, plot twists and ‘saves.’

However, . . . .

The best part is the trailer, unless you are a little boy or someone who simply loves golden pups!

Movie Review: The Dog who Saved the Holidays (yellow labs, pup, Christmas, family)

The Dog Who Saved the Holidays (Anchor Bay Studio, DVD, 2012, 87 minutes)

What could be better at Christmas than a family and a dog (or two) or, better yet, a movie about a family and a dog or two.

The Dog Who Saved the Holidays is a sequel* to The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2009) and The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (starring the voice of Paris Hilton as a poodle)(2010).

Home Alone for the Holidays

The original, The Dog Who Saved Christmas, is a take-off of Home Alone but with a delightfully smart and sometimes naughty yellow lab, Zeus, in place of the boy. The Dog Who Saved the Holidays again features the lovable Bannister family from Connecticut, this time visiting a wealthy aunt in California who gives the family an early Christmas present – a yellow lab puppy, Eve, who manages to steal the thunder from our hero Zeus who is blamed for everything the puppy does. Zeus decides to leave but the movie happens before he has the chance to.

Bumbling Burglars

Each movie also features Ted and Stewey, a bumbling pair of burglar wanna-be’s if ever there was. Slapstick humor abounds for boys watching the series who will also dissect the mistakes, puppy love satisfies the girls and women, and men will savor the fact that the whole family is together watching a movie. The Bannisters are delightfully inept, from father and mother to the two kids, a girl and a boy.

Lab lovers everywhere will be glued to the screen.

Quasi Spoiler Alert: For those viewers who don’t like talking dogs, this movie has them though it is their thoughts that are verbalized: their mouths do not move. And often, the dogs’ actions and words are less than synchronous. Nevertheless, it is a delightful family flick.

Over and Over Again

I’ve seen this movie twice and liked it better the second time. At that rate, I should give it five stars in 2016. And all my respect goes to the lab, a former rescue dog and female, who plays Zeus in all three movies. Michael Gross, Jack Scalia and Shelley Long also have roles in this canine flick.

*A sequel to The Dog Who Saved Christmas, The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation aired on ABCFamily in 2010. The Dog Who Saved Halloween was released directly to DVD in 2011; The Dog Who Saved the Holidays, in 2012; The Dog Who Saved Easter, in 2104; and The Dog Who Saved Summer, in 2015.

Book Review: Death in Show (dog walker, Manhattan, dog show, poison)

Death in Show: A Dog Walker Mystery, by Judi McCoy (New American Library/Penguin, 2010, 326 pages, $6.99)

A Short Review of a Long Book

Ah, mysteries. And about a dog walker to boot! How entrancing. Seemingly right up my alley.

An Enjoyable Read, If. . . .

If you like little dogs who are often carried. If you like designer dogs like a yorkiepoos. If you like Manhattan. If your little dog wears a coat in inclement weather. If you like walking a bunch of dogs together (only in New York or on TV!) – generally from the same high-rise apartment building. If you like dog names like Rudy and Lulu (dogs) and people names like Flora and Ellie. If you believe someone can make a good living walking dogs in New York City.

However, . . . .

I am a big dog person. I like pure-bred dogs as well as All-American dogs (mutts). I generally walk one dog at a time. I do adore mysteries, however, and Death in Show is about a huge dog show in New York City but one in which Best in Group is won by a new amateur handler in her first show. I also couldn’t imagine walking dogs starting at 8 am. What time do their people go to work – 4 am? Some, certainly, are the idle riche who employ housekeepers for their apartments or penthouses and pay others, including dog walkers, to take care of their dogs.

And, to boot, our dog walker, Ellie, talks to dogs and they talk back to her! She is called a dog psychic in one book. What the dogs say is in italics so you can differentiate human words from canine words, thank goodness. Even with that, I sometimes was lost in the translation.

Death in Show is number three in the dog walker mystery series. Other titles include Fashion Faux Paw, Begging for Trouble, Till Death Do Us Bark , Heir of the Dog, and Hounding the Pavement – cute and clever titles. Clever also is a frequent play on words in Death in Show, however, a bit contrived.

A Little Romance

Although not a romance novel, Death in Show stars a budding relationship between our Ellie DogWalker and her Sam, an NYPD detective, in an on-again, off-again relationship. He saves her in the nick of time and also tries to protect her by keeping her out of the thick of things but still, our Ellie solves the murder, of course.

McCoy has written six dog walker mysteries, but I think one is enough for me. Anyone want the copy I purchased?

EverythingDogBlog: Small Business Saturday is for the Dogs

Just Do It, For Your Dog - Support Small Business Saturday

By sometime Friday night you had probably recovered from all the hectic shopping deals. Perhaps you didn’t get all that you wanted due to the crowds or crowded Internet. Perhaps you skipped it all this year.

Whatever.

Now it’s time to “Think Saturday”! Small Business Saturday, that is.

And support your local small businesses, especially the independent pet supply stores like Dogs and Company in Columbia off Snowden River Parkway, The Big Bad Woof in Hyattsville and Takoma, Clipper’s Canine Café in Savage Mill, and My Pet Store and More on Route 40 in Ellicott City. Bark* now has eight stores!

Remember to “Shop Small” And not just for small dogs!

Why?

Why not? Also to keep jobs in our communities. Plus, you get better, more educated and personalized answers to your questions, and only quality products. In addition, the above stores all actively support local animal rescues and shelters.

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My Pet Store and More – 10% off food, 20% off everything else today, with email coupons

The Big Bad Woof – specials this weekend

Clipper’s Canine Café – supporting veterans’ dogs with a thankful holiday program in association with Treats 4 Our Troops. Read all about it here.

*Annapolis, Catonsville, Clarksville, Gaithersburg, Olney, Pikesville, Rockville, Silver Spring

EverythingDogBlog: Let's Go, Dog!

“Let’s Go, Dog!”

Have you read Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck or

Travels with Casey by Benoit Denizet-Lewis (to the right) or even DogTripping by David Rosenfelt (see below)?

Have you always dreamed of driving the US, alone, with your dog?

“Traveling Solo with Two Big Dogs”

The webpage, “Let’s Go Dog,” is reporting on just that: a woman with her two big black look-alike-at-first-sight dogs (Zoe and Zack, but which is which?), driving a too-big RV around the perimeter of our grand country (across the top from left to right, down the right-hand side, across the bottom from right to left, and on up the Left Coast to home).

I happened upon this blog quite by mistake (sometimes the best of happenings are not planned) and want to share it with you. “LetsGoDog” is entertaining as well as educational - but mostly entertaining!

“Postcards from the Perimeter”

Leah sends us ‘postcards from the perimeter,’ starting in the upper left-hand corner of the US, in Port Angeles, Washington.

The first postcard, First Days (how original!), was sent on August 27 from Soap Lake, Washington (to the left), and the most recent appeared November 3^rd from Mississippi – Vicksburg National Military Park, to be exact.

“Blogging Towards More Confident Road-Tripping”

Subscribe to the blog today and catch up on the doggone funniest dog road trip you have ever experienced vicariously. And learn from Leah’s mistakes as she strives for ‘peace of mind in dog travel’ – is it possible?

Is life all about the journey or is it about the destination – especially when one ends where one began? Just ask Casey - or maybe Zack and Zoe have the answer. But, the question is, will they tell?

EverythingDogBlog: Puppy Therapy?

Know anyone afraid of dogs? Know people who think they are?

Show them this video (https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedOz/videos/1720845121480510/?fref=nf) from Australia.

Watch them smile.
Watch them giggle.
Listen for the "Ah" and then,
Observe them changing their minds as they rush down to their local animal shelter for more love!

EverythingDogBlog: Help Give a Happy Canine Holiday

Now is Your Opportunity - To Thank a Veteran’s Canine Companion!

Join forces with Clipper’s Canine Café and Treats 4 Our Troops this holiday season to support our veterans’ service dogs (along with their warfighter companions).

Clipper's ready for the holidays

We all know several websites that thank a soldier, sailor, airman or marine but do you know how to thank a veteran’s canine companion?

Clipper’s Canine Café has arranged to help you do just this, thanks to Operation Enduing Warrior.

Clipper will ensure that veterans’ service dogs feel appreciated this holiday season and will make it easy for you to help.

Just come in to Clipper’s Canine Café in Historic Savage Mill, Maryland, right off Route 1 outside Laurel, to sponsor a Canine Thank-you Pack. (You can also call “Clipper” at 301-490-9068 to ring up the transaction over the phone.)

Each Thank-you Pack contains a 5-lb bag of VeRUS dog food, an XL KONG Extreme, a 14-oz box of Cloud Star treats, a 7.5-oz bag of Zuke’s treats [my Lab’s favorite],

plus a 12-inch bully stick. It’s the least you can do: facilitate a Happy Canine Holiday for only $25 (valued at $60)!

Clipper will pick out the perfect items from his inventory and make sure the sponsor’s name (yours!) is included on an individual card in a Thank-you Pack. Clipper will personally deliver the goody packs on November 29^th. Operation Enduring Warrior (OEW) will hand out all the Thank-you Packs to the dogs during an event on December 7^th at Walter Reed.

And stop by Clipper’s Canine Café on December 5^th with your best friend to meet Clipper and have a photo taken with Santa from 11-2, a great time to order a Canine Thank-you Pack. Join Marley who sponsored four Thank-you’s for four canine buddy-helpers.

Thanks, Operation Enduring Warrior - and Clipper!