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Like to spend a lazy afternoon cuddled with your favorite canine? Do you and your pup ever do a little doggy dance together? Your pooch pucker up and plant a wet one right on your face?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, get your cameras ready, photograph a special moment between you and your dog, and you could win big bucks for you and the title of Milk-Bone 100th Anniversary Spokesdog for your pup.

Milk-Bone is looking for photos of memorable "Milk-Bone Moments" between dogs and their pet parents to celebrate 100 years of baking tasty dog snacks. You can enter your photo online at www.milk-bone.com, where 100 finalists will be chosen and America will vote for their favorite.

The press release describes ideal entries as candid shots of those warm fuzzy moments we share every day with our dogs. I think they want the kind of photos that make you go "awwwwww." They also want a short essay describing your special moment and, of course, your special relationship with your pooch.

The grand prize is a $100,000 contract to serve as the first ever Milk-Bone 100th Anniversary Spokesdog, plus a digital camera. I have no idea what that entails, but it sounds very cool. The other 99 finalists will also be awarded a digital camera.

The contest opened today and the deadline to enter is Sept. 18, so you have plenty of time to snap an award-winning photo of you and your pooch. And if any of you loyal Happy Wag readers becomes a national finalist, let us know and we may cast our votes your way.

Stonewall Kennel Club of Rockbridge County will host a free educational forum on new canine vaccine protocols presented by Dr. Laura Keating. This is timely information since there has been recent discussion about vaccines.

The forum will be held at the Redwood Family Restaurant, 898 N. Lee Hwy. in Lexington on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7p.m. For more information call 540-464-3335.

Browsing for something beautiful in the middle of winter? What's more beautiful than art centered around animals, besides, you know, the actual animals? Not much, I would say.

Throughout the month of February, animal-themed works by local artists will be on display at the Market Gallery, Salem and Market Streets, in downtown Roanoke. The event is a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

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There was a little confusion between me and the author and publisher of the book about Schutzhund I gave away earlier this week, and I'd like to clear it up.

The book, titled "The Sport of Schutzhund: A Photographic Essay" can be ordered by clicking right here. The price is $25 plus $10 for shipping.

The author and publisher, B.J. Spanos, contacted me and was disappointed that I did not include that information in the original blog posting. I agree; I should have. I spent a lot of time looking over the beautiful photographs and must have hurried through the blog entry. I usually do add links and I just dropped the ball on this one.

Spanos said all profits will be donated back to the sport. If you are a fan of this sport, it's a lovely book with plenty of action shots and even some pictures of adorable little future Schutzhunds.

I always give away promotional and review items, which I did with this book, as a way of sharing with readers. I will personally pay for this copy since it is a service project.

Click here to read a Newsday story featured in today's Extra section of The Roanoke Times. In case you ever wondered about your dog's heritage, there are labs that will test your doggie's DNA and confirm what's in the mix.

Why spend a couple of hundred bucks to find out what a sweet dog like Wylie here is really made of? For the same reason a doctor looks at your family medical history when treating you; it's helps to know what’s filtering through the gene pool. However, you may want to factor in the reliability of such tests before you have your vet send off that blood sample.

Wylie, a Lab/pit bull mix, is available for adoption at the RVSPCA.

My heart sank when my husband told me my daughter’s cat was missing.

I had just come home from a 13-hour workday. It was 10:30 on a brutally cold Friday night, and when he said India was gone, all I wanted to do was look for her.

My husband, Phil, and my 21-year-old daughter Laura had already done that, he said, for several hours. Laura had noticed India was missing just after sundown. She combed the entire house. India usually comes when Laura whistles or calls. She never came.

When Laura was certain India was not inside, she enlisted the help of neighbors for an outdoor search.

We are remodeling our master bathroom. Phil figured while the contractor propped the door open to bring in supplies, India slipped out. Barking dogs in the adjacent yards may have scared her into running away.

It was too dark to see a tiny, 6-pound, tortoise shell cat now. We would have to wait until morning.

All I could think is how scared the little kitty must be. She’s a former stray who has been a house cat since she was 2 weeks old. She never goes outside and has no coping skills.
The temperature was hovering just above freezing.

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For the first time since suspended NFL quarterback and former Hokie football star Michael Vick was sent to prison for funding and operating a dog fighting organization, the media will get a look at 22 of the dogs who were rescued from Bad Newz Kennels.

According to the press release, the dogs, mostly pit bulls and pit bull mixes, are learning that a dog’s life should consist of playing, eating, sleeping and belly rubs.

The dogs are being cared for at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary near Kanab, Utah. Best Friends is the nation’s largest no-kill animal rescue facility and the setting for the National Geographic Channel's documentary "Dogtown."

I wish I could be there but travel funds for a pet blogger are extremely limited. Mileage to the cat show this weekend may have, in fact, blown my budget for the year.

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Blog reader John commented that he has a German Shepherd Dog and would very much like to have the Schutzhund photo book, so as soon as I get John's address, the book will be on its way to him. If anyone else has interesting facts about this sport, please continue to post comments. I would love to know more about it. Thanks!

Lesson 5: Some of the folks who chauffeur these divas from place to place elaborately decorate the kitties' dressing rooms, for no particular reason other than it creates a nice environment for the kitty and it's fun for the kitty's staff.

Lesson 6. There are some very cute little kitties at the cat show. You see exotic breeds as well as more familiar-looking felines. If you like cats, this annual show is a hoot, and a bargain at $5. Keep an eye on this site for updates on future shows.

Lesson 4. Despite the playful nature of the show ring, judging is serious business, Flash photography can be distracting to the kitty and the judge, so I learned as I bothered Peyton, one of Diane Boettcher's prized Persians. Peyton, just like his namesake, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, rallied and exceled, but it is polite to be quiet and demure while the kitty is showing off for the ribbon-givers.