Hark, Hark, The Dogs Do Bark!

Today I received my free January/February 2012 issue of The Bark magazine. Why did I get a free copy? 'Cause a photo I took happens to be in it! The Bark magazine's website has a feature called Smiling Dogs where you can submit photos of your dog wearing a big ol' doggy grin. Forty of the editors' favorites appear in each print issue; the rest are posted online weekly. About a year and a half ago I submitted a picture of my friend's dog (also named Abbey) that I snapped while dog-sitting. I watched the Weekly Smilers online for a couple of months, but Abbey and her very silly smile never appeared. Eventually, I forgot about it. Imagine my delight when I received an email in December from a Bark magazine editor saying that Abbey's photo was appearing in the January/February issue! By my estimate, they receive at least 1,250 photos of grinning mutts a year, so it's an honor to be chosen.

So there she is, Miss January/February 2012 herself, somewhat obscured by her position right next to the crease. When I emailed Abbey's owner, asking for permission to submit the photo, she (jokingly) replied, "I believe that Abbey was destined for a life of fame and fortune, but she had to settle for being rescued and not put to sleep. The choices one must make in life..." Well, Abbey, now you're famous!

The photo that rocked the dog world!

I am, of course, passionately in love with my own dog, Abbey, but something about the jolliness of the Other Abbey's very goofy grin pleases me to no end, so much so that I made her the logo for the pet-sitting business I've had to put on hold since the concussion. In that way, long after everyone else's copies of the January/February 2012 issue have been tossed or recycled or drifted to the back of the magazine rack, Abbey's beaming mug may still be making the rounds. My issue, of course, will be saved and Abbey's owner has promised to get her one for her baby book, and while it's not nearly as momentous as getting a piece of writing published or being paid for a photo, it's still pretty fun to have a picture you took appear in a magazine! I also have a year's subscription of Bark magazine to enjoy, so thanks, Abbey, for enthusiastically smiling in a rather dopey manner when I pointed the camera at you, and for the editors of Bark for agreeing that it's one very charming grin!

Say cheese, everybody!