Photo of the Day (10.18.10)

Street markets are a magical place. Various sights, smells and sounds assault your senses and you stuff your face with things you can neither pronounce nor identify. It’s easy to get lost in the excitement and energy of the market. That is, of course, until you see a tail. Americans aren’t used to seeing tails in their grocery stores or butchers. We see finished products. We buy trimmed steaks and boneless chicken breasts. We’re just not ready for the experience of seeing a boiled dog torso complete with tail.

That’s why this photo by Flickr user pirano caught my attention. At first glance, I thought that maybe it was an oddly-shaped pig. Would you believe that it’s boiled dog? After reading the blog post that went along with his photo, I learned the story about his conversation about dog meat in China. It’s worth a read if you want some background on this picture. No matter what you think about eating dog, you have to admit that seeing that tail is pretty mesmerizing.

Have a picture of some unexpected street meat? Or maybe just some great travel photos? Submit your images to Gadling’s Flickr group and we might use one for a future Photo of the Day.

Minka Kelly flips out on plane when separated from dog

I’ve never been the most affectionate person with dogs (they don’t like me, I swear) so it’s difficult for me to empathize with those who get separation anxiety from their pets. Especially with pocket dogs. On flights. In first class.

Comfort totems are comfort totems, however, and like many people need their Blackberries to get through a flight, maybe some people need their dogs. That’s what happened late last week with Minka Kelly, one of the stars of hit TV show Friday Night Lights. Apparently separated from her pet on a flight boarding to New York, the actress blew a fuse, becoming hysterical and tangling up the departure process when a flight attendant took her dog back to coach just for takeoff.

Depending on the account that you believe, Kelly then either called her boyfriend Derek Jeter or her lawyer to help calm her down and rationalize her whole dog separation issue, partially with the help of several of the crew members and the flight captain. And all while the confused and irritated passengers looked on.

If only we all had access to a lawyer and Derek Jeter for our travel woes.

[image credit, Getty Images]

SkyMall Monday: Pooch Power Shovel

You’d be hard-pressed to find a dog owner who truly enjoys picking up their pet’s poop (unless their into scat films, in which case you’d be wise to give them a wide berth). Scooping poop is demoralizing, tedious and, if done sloppily, unhygienic. One slip up and that poop goes from to the ground to your finger, to your bagel, to your lips, to your wife’s lips to the FedEx guy’s…well, you get the point. It’s a roll of the E. coli dice every time you go to fetch that feces. Plus, all that bending over and the condescending looks from your dog make you feel like a Grade A nimrod. Who wants to deal with that? As a dog owner, I know that picking up poop takes up to 45 seconds of my life everyday. Between bending down, picking it up, tying the bag and then placing the bag in the trash bin, I lose the opportunity to watch one-and-a-half television commercials. How will I know what to buy? That’s why here at SkyMall Monday headquarters, we’ve stopped bending over and dealing with crap. We’ve once again turned to SkyMall to make out lives less, well, crappy. Literally. That’s why we use the Pooch Power Shovel.As you can see from the video above, the Pooch Power Shovel does everything that your hand can do but louder and for more money. In that respect, it’s like a chatty hooker. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can learn a lot from a chatty hooker. No longer will you have to bend over like some, um, hooker while picking up your dog’s business. You can just suck it all up like a, er, hooker. Maybe we should just read the product description:

There’s no bending, scooping or even touching. In fact, with the push-button convenience of the Pooch Power Shovel, it’s the next best thing to having someone else do the picking up for you…It doesn’t matter if you own a single Chihuahua or multiple large breed canines, the robust motor and rechargeable battery can pick up a whole yard’s worth of waste in one go.

Now, if you could get someone to do the poop scooping for you, that would be a perfect storm. Is it worth mentioning that it’s really more of a vacuum (or reverse leaf blower) than a shovel? Probably not. What about how it’s creepy when you dress kids exactly like their parents? No, we’ll gloss over that, as well. Should we discuss that kids who wear those dress shirts with white collars look like miniature Gordon Gekkos (and that’s not a good thing). Let’s just robustly move on then.

If you want to continue to pick up your dog’s poop by hand, go for it. I, however, believe that the best things in life are worth paying for. That’s why politicians and athletes love, hm, hookers. You get my point. Now get the Pooch Power Vacuum Shovel.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Four tips for traveling with dogs – Road trip tips

Traveling with your beloved pooch often takes the same careful planning as hitting the road with young children. Utilize these tips to ensure a smooth ride:

  • Give your pup a thorough brushing before loading him into the car, greatly reducing the amount of flying fur.
  • Pack travel necessities for your road trip like water and a bowl, treats, paper towels, and cleanup bags.
  • Unless your dog requires specialty food, don’t try to squeeze a bag of food into your already packed car: stop and purchase a bag once you arrive.
  • Identify places to stop prior to leaving to assure your doggie can relieve himself and strech every few hours.

Bon voyage!

[Photo: Flickr | emdot]

Travel Trends: Pet travel

From doggy daycare to feline pampering to gourmet food and beyond, pet owners in the United States shower their furry companions with a healthy dose of attention. Although this affection is shown through lots of play time and generous ear scratching, it’s most easily recognizable by the billions of dollars spent every year in the pet industry.

Since 1994, the American Pet Products Association (APPA) has kept track of just how much Americans spend on their pets. The data verifies that with every new year, U.S. pet owners have spent increasingly more on their four-legged counterparts. In fact, within the 10 years between 1994 and 2004, the spending literally doubled from $17 billion to $34 billion. Fast forward to 2010, a mere 6 years later, and that number has skyrocketed to approximately $47.4 billion.

While money spent on pets includes vet fees, food and other typical expenses, a large chunk of that is devoted to leisure-related activities like pampering and lodging. This increased amount of spending is partially due to a growing trend in the pet industry that has owners toting their pets along with them on vacation.

The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) released data in January of 2009 that said the most popular animal that pet owners bring with them on vacations is a dog. This is likely due to the canine’s happy-go-lucky attitude and ability to adapt to new environments quickly. Coming in at second place are felines at 15 percent, followed by birds at 3 percent and “others” at 2 percent (other includes ferrets, fish, rabbits).

As for how pets travel, transportation via cars is by far the most common. And, according to a the same travel poll conducted by TIA, only 6 percent of animals travel with an airline and 10 percent travel in a recreational vehicle.

Once a pet and its owner have finally reached their destination, finding a place to stay is the next detail to figure out. As of 2009, 32 percent of travelers stay with someone who they already know, such as a friend or relative. Twenty nine percent stay in a hotel, 16 percent opt for a recreation vehicle or tent and the final 10 percent stay in a cabin or vacation home. This information is also based on data gathered by TIA.

This discussion “begs” the question: do you travel with your pet(s)? No? Then be sure to check out “Ask Gadling: How to prepare for not traveling without your dog.”

Data Sources:

See more Travel Trends.