By Lisa Peterson

Emmy-winning journalist Lisa Mendoza wants a cute photo of your dog.

It’s all part of the Search for the Cutest Canine in Connecticut Dog Photo Contest, sponsored by Borders Books (nearest outlet is in Danbury) to celebrate Mendoza’s book Hi! It’s Me, Your Dog ($15.95, Quill Driver Books).

Submit your favorite dog photo before July 31.

Mendoza, a California television journalist, came up with the contest idea as a way to promote her book after people at her book signings would bring photos of their dogs.

“The average dog lover loves pictures of dogs,” Mendoza said in a recent telephone interview from California. “At the book signings they couldn’t bring their dogs so they brought photos. We would start to have informal contests for the cutest dog. This contest with Borders grew out of all the fun we had at the signings.”

Of all the animals in the history of the world, the dog is the only one to choose to form an alliance with man, Mendoza loves to point out. However, she wasn’t always such a canine connoisseur.

“I never had any pets,” she said. “When a woman started bringing dogs into the TV newsroom every Friday for adoption, I became friends with the woman and she called me up one day and said she had a dog for me. Actually it was a brother and sister that needed to be adopted together. Not even knowing what I was getting into – it changed my life forever.”

The two border collies she adopted were named Little Boy and Little Girl and both added a “bundle of fun” to her life like she had never imagined.

“It shocked me the mental capacity they had,” Mendoza said. “They had personalities. So I set out to read as much as I could to learn what they were thinking. I didn’t want to put this information away, so I wrote this book for pure fun for myself. I wanted to give dogs a voice.”

Mendoza chose to write the book in the voice of Little Girl, who takes you on a walk around your dog’s world. As guide and narrator, she explains dog needs, concerns, habits and characteristics – and then provides a little canine knowledge test.

“You see me every day, but do you really know what’s going on in my furry little head? Take this test to find out how it feels to take a walk in my world, don’t worry, you don’t have to wear a leash.”

 

Q: Which is smarter: a cat, a cow, a horse, a pig or me?

A: Me. Most researchers say I’m as smart as a three-year-old child and understand 40 to 60 human words.

Q: Is my sense of smell one hundred, five hundred, or one million times sharper than yours?

A: One million. I can be trained to detect a drop of blood diluted by almost a gallon and a half of water. I can even smell certain cancers in the human body.

Q: Am I colored blind?

A: No, I see the world in black and white, with patches of blue and green. Just like a lot of hippies did in the 1960’s.

Q: Do I wag my tail when I’m alone?

A: No, only when I encounter another living creature.

Q: Why do I lift my leg as high as I can when peeing?

A: I’m trying to give the next dog that comes along the impression that I’m taller and bigger than I really am.

Q: Why do I sometimes drag my rear-end on the ground?

A: Scent glands in my anal area are sore or clogged and I’m just trying to get some relief.

Q: I’m digitigrade. Should I be embarrassed?

A: This means I walk on my toes. Nothing to blush about here, it’s part of why I can run so fast.

Q: What are my withers?

A: The highest point of my shoulders, behind my neck. This is the spot where my height is measured.

Q: Do I sweat, oops, I mean perspire like you do?

A: No, I keep cool by panting. My only efficient sweat glands are on the bottom of my paws and they don’t do the trick.

Q: Do I dream?

A: Yes, but my dreams aren’t always pleasant ones; I have nightmares too!

Q: What were terriers originally bred for?

A: These small hunting dogs were bred to dig rats and other small vermin out of their dens in the earth. Terra means “earth” in Latin and that’s how terriers got their name.

Mendoza wraps up her (I mean Little Girl’s) test with an interesting did you know fact: A poll by the American Animal Hospital Association found that 57 percent of pet owners surveyed would rather be shipwrecked on desert islands with their pets rather than with people!

So get those cutest dog photos down to Borders Books at 110 Federal Road, Danbury, CT, 06811. Mendoza will judge the photos and winners will be notified by mail by August 20.

First prize is a trophy. Second and third prizes are ribbons.

Lisa Peterson is the Public Education Coordinator for the Newtown Kennel Club and the AKC Delegate for the Norwegian Elkhound Association of America. She is the owner of Peterson Pet Sitting, LLC and can be reached at 270-1732 or elvemel@aol.com