There are hundreds of dog-related video clips you can watch online. Some are informational, while most are just for fun.Two of the more popular video search sites are Google Video and You Tube.

You can find everything from a 30 second clip of a puppy playing in the sprinkler, to a 58 minute video of the 1996 FCI World Dog Show in Budapest. Have fun browsing, but beware. An hour later you could still be glued to your chair! I found myself watching a Border Collie and his human doing a Gladiator canine freestyle routine, a Sheltie in an obedience trial in Poland, dogs doing Rally in the Netherlands, and Kimo, an elite Frisbee Dog. Try browsing the categories; dog obedience, dog frisbee, flyball, agility trial, and dog show.

How to Find Videos:

• On both Google Video and YouTube (which currently has a larger database of videos), if you’re searching for a phrase, like dog park, you’ll get more accurate results if you type “dog park” in parentheses.

Fine Points of Watching Videos:

• Video quality varies from excellent to why-did-they-bother? A smaller playback size (often called “original”) is sharper. On Google, playback size is selected by the little down arrow at the bottom right of the video. On YouTube, the second button from the right at the bottom toggles between the original size and the slightly larger full preview screen.

Caveat:

As always, be careful about what you download to your computer, and which links you open. I wouldn’t select any of the sensational “most downloaded” videos; they are more likely to contain malicious code than videos of dog agility trials. Use your antivirus software and only dowload from a site you trust!

Frozen water bottles are one way to help cool a dog crate. I’ve been using them this summer to further cool my dog’s crate in my (air-conditioned) car. Select heavy plastic drink bottles; one liter bottles are a good size. Fill the bottle nearly to the top and freeze solid. Tie these bottles securely to the back or sides of the crate, especially if the crate will be in your car. Left loose, they could seriously injure your dog if you stopped suddenly or had an accident.

I would stay away from the rectangular plastic “ice substitutes” that are meant to be frozen and then placed in a cooler to keep food cold. If your dog is a chewer, the shape and texture of these packs would probably be appealing. While they often say “non-toxic” on the label, I wouldn’t want my dog ingesting that undisclosed liquid.

As always, please consider your dog and the situation. Is your dog a dedicated chewer? Is he addicted to empty soda bottles? You may want to find another way to keep him cool, or use the frozen water bottles with close supervision.

I was browsing the news online, when I read about the Poo Festival in Crested Butte, Colorado.

Huh?

Crested Butte, a self-proclaimed town of dog lovers, stages a “Spring Poo Festival”. When the snow melts, a winter’s worth of dog poop is left behind. Someone had the bright idea of holding an organized dog waste cleanup, and calling it a festival. Amazingly, 100 or so people showed up for this bizarre easter egg-like hunt.

The participants were given bags, and they set out, eyes on the ground, looking for dog poop. When they’d collected all they could find, the bags were weighed, and those with the heaviest bags won prizes.

Brilliant. Now if only we could figure out a way to inspire people to pick it up in the first place!

Love them or hate them, Crocs may be the perfect dog shoe. When I head out the door to play with Dash or take him for a walk, I grab my Crocs. They’re cushiony on those cement floors at training class, and I never slip on the mats. They’re ideal for bathing and swimming dogs, and of course walking in the rain.

Throw them in the washing machine, or use the hose and a soft scrub brush, and they’re clean and ready to go. If you’ve been around a dog with a communicable disease, or if you have puppies at home, Crocs can be sterilized in 1 part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water.

Okay, so I would dig out my forgotten tennis shoes if I was running a dog in agility, but for Rally-O I have my eye on a relatively sedate pair of navy Crocs!

The best thing about Crocs may be that they bring out the playful side of people. Life is so busy and serious, and it seems we’ve forgotten how to have fun. You can’t help but smile when you’re wearing shoes that look like lime green Swiss cheese.