Share your music with friends (or your pets) by plugging your MP3 player into this tiny wooden dog-shaped speaker. Your jack goes right into the dog butt!

Boo is just your average dog who loves chicken, running outside, following his big brother around, and squeaky toys. He also happens to have 1.7 million Facebook fans, enjoys sitting on the laps of celebrities, currently holds the title of “the world’s cutest dog,” and just released his own book with Chronicle Books. Okay, so maybe he’s not your average dog. But he is a total doggy sweetheart and we were beyond thrilled here at Dog Milk to get an interview with Boo, the most adorable internet-phenom ever!

You currently have over 1.7 million Facebook fans, which is completely ludicrous, even for the world’s cutest dog. How on earth did you manage to amass such a huge following? Is it just enough to be cute or do you have some other special powers we’re not aware of?

I’m just a normal dog with no special powers. Many of my Facebook friends say my smile makes them smile, which makes me happy. I think people visit my Facebook page when they need a break.

I think your short, teddy bear haircut is just plain adorable. But it is a little unusual for a Pomeranian. Looking at your brother Buddy, it looks like he prefers to keep his long. When and why did you decide to go short? Do you have any plans to grow it out and give us a whole new Boo look?

It started out as a fluke, but has since become my signature look! Buddy and I have different hair textures. Mine is coarse and thick, whereas Buddy’s is long and silky. No plans to grow it out because I can wear more fun outfits with this haircut.

Here at Dog Milk, we’re always on the hunt for the coolest dog products out there. We’re dying to know, from treats to toys to apparel, what are some of your favorite products?

My favorite treats are Dogswell Jerky Treats, which are all natural and taste like people food. I love all sorts of toys and clothes. My favorite toys are squeaky toys. Squeak! Squeak! My favorite shirt is a casual t-shirt with brown and orange stripes. Orange is my favorite color!

You’ve been on Good Morning America, sat on the lap of celebrities, and are now an accomplished author. You must get recognized in public all of the time. How are you and your human handling the fame? Are you still able to lead a relatively normal doggy-life?

Having lots of fans on Facebook and having my own book is fun, but my everyday life has stayed the same. I hang around the house, sleep in, eat my favorite food, play with Buddy and cuddle with my Mom. That’s all I really need. Although I think after meeting them in person, I have crushes on Lara Spencer and Robin Roberts from GMA.

Boo, you’ve truly done it all! What advice do you have for other dogs wanting to follow in your paw prints?

I am most happy just being myself. Don’t be afraid of taking chances. If you want to wear fun clothes, have a unique hairstyle or play in the mud, go for it!

Boo: The Life of the World’s Cutest Dog is currently on sale right here through Chronicle Books. Chronicle has been generous enough to offer all of you 25% off + free US ground shipping when you enter the code BOO at checkout. I hope all of you pick up a copy! I haven’t been able to stop smiling at my copy since it arrived. And while you’re over at Chronicle, be sure to check out Boo’s oh-so cute page full of Boo downloads, videos, special offers, and more! Boo will be making an appearance over at Oh Joy tomorrow for the second stop on his blog tour. Be sure to check him out there too!

My day job requires me to go to the post office a lot, and on a recent trip I was stoked to see that the US Postal Service has issued a new stamp in commemoration of Owney the Postal Dog. Owney, a terrier mix, used to ride the mail trains back in the late 1800s.

Apparently work on ye olde postal railway was pretty dangerous back in the day, and the postal workers saw Owney as kind of a guardian angel and mascot. As Owney traveled from post to post, people would attach souvenir tags to his collar (as seen in the stamp’s illustration). Owney eventually collected so many tags that the then Postmaster gifted him a harness to display his treasures.

I like how Owney’s stamp is a “Forever” stamp. For me it speaks to the enduring loyalty and friendship of dogs.

Image: National Postal Museum

“Forever” kind of has another meaning when it comes to Owney, though. When Owney finally passed away, his human mail-carrier pals celebrated his life and service by, um, “preserving” him – stuffing him and bequeathing him to the Post Office Department’s headquarters. Owney is now on display at the National Postal Museum (which, I’m not going to lie, kind of wigs me out), along with his famous collar and harness.

You can learn more about Owney through the National Postal Museum, and his stamp is available at post offices and online.

Christopher R. Weingarten is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer whose work can currently be seen in The Village Voice, RollingStone.com, Spin, Revolver, and Nylon. He’s also the creator of my favorite internet-phenomenon-turned-book, Hipster Puppies. What began as a Tumblr blog joke on a lazy Saturday afternoon has recently made it’s way on to the printed page. Hipster Puppies, an outrageously funny photo collection of snarky, impeccably accessorized, and adorable dogs, is a must have book for every dog lover, hipster, dog-loving hipster or hipster-hating person out there

Being the huge fan that I am, I was over-joyed to have had the privilege of interviewing Christopher about his book. From his description of the inspiration behind Hipster Puppies to the reveal of his favorite Hipster Puppy ever, I was (to no surprise) in stitches over his laugh-out-loud responses.

The Hipster Puppies blog started in early 2010 and, to the delight of your fans, has been a monumental success! What was the initial inspiration for the site and what do you attribute to it’s success?

There was a time in the beginning of 2010 were people were really adamant about passing around a whole bunch of Tumblrs that made fun of hipsters. I was kind of aggravated that they were so popular, considering most of them had a tenuous-at-best grasp of what a “hipster” even was. I figured that it would be hilarious to a hipster Tumblr where the hipsters in question couldn’t even have the cognitive capacity to know what they were doing. The other idea I had was “Hipster Foods,” which would have been, like, a pair of Ray Bans floating in a bowl of soup. Kind of glad my natural love of tiny dogs won that round.

As to what I attribute to the site’s success, I think it’s definitely a natural out-cropping of the anxieties, self-doubt and narcissism that artistically and fashionably inclined people have about their place in the world, that has been going on for time immemorial. Or people just like to look at cute dogs.

The writing for Hipster Puppies is too funny! Like split-my-dress funny. Can you explain how you go about writing your captions? Do you take inspiration from the dogs themselves? Or do you write your captions beforehand and then just try and match it to your photo submissions afterward?

Aw, thanks so much! Most of the time I’ll just look at a dog’s picture and try to invent a story around the props in the room and look on his face. If this was a real person, what would he be like? What type of contradictions would his life entail? What questions would he ask about himself? Where can I buy that 7″?

Although, living in Greenpoint, a lot of captions naturally come from real life and my interactions with others. Just the other day, I had a friend tell me where I could get a delicious pho. And he made sure to pronounce pho so correctly that it was just hilarious. Like just that urge we have to show ourselves as culturally literate and worldly, even though just saying “FO” would have gotten the point across. That one became a caption within 24 hours.

Although one can perhaps discern your beliefs through the clever and uproariously funny captions, what is your definition of a Hipster and a Hipster dog? Must a dog possess something special to receive such a designation? Or does it just need to call a human-hipster mom or dad?

The word hipster has changed so much in the last 10 years. There used to be a real set of fashions and beliefs and bylaws, but now it basically means “Whoever blindly follows fashion and music trends to a more comical degree than myself.” Most alternatively inclined people are a hipster to SOMEBODY.

In hipster dogs, it really is something where I just know it when I see it. Sometimes its a well worn accoutrement, but there have been dogs who have made the cut just based on smugness alone.

In putting the Hipster Puppies book together, what breed/type of dog is most popular amongst Hipsters?

Boston terriers. I have no idea why. Like I had to cut photos from the book so it wouldn’t be all Boston Terriers. And they’re all named Lucy.

Do your submissions come mostly from Hipsters themselves, or ordinary folk living out their Hipster fantasies through their canine companions?

I haven’t met 95% of the people who submitted photos to the book, so I honestly have no idea!

You must have so much fun going through submissions. I, for one, can look at hilarious dog photos all day! In all of the submissions to the site, I imagine there must be at least a few favorites and standouts for you. Could you share your favorite Hipster Puppy with us?

My favorite hipster puppy of all time is Rufio the chihuahua on page 78 of the Hipster Puppies book. Like, for someone who’s like 10 inches tall and pees on the lawn, he’s the smuggest asshole imaginable. I’ve never wanted to punch a chihuahua before, so he’s definitely got something really, really special.

Miles and I live in Oakland, second only to Brooklyn in sheer number of hipsters roaming the neighborhood. We consider ourselves “yipsters,” (a yuppy/hipster hybrid) and do our best to blend into our surroundings. In your most knowledgeable opinion, does Miles have what it takes to be a Hipster Puppy?

A tie and scarf combo is either the biggest fashion faux pas imaginable, or some next level hipsterdom that is going completely over my head. I’m gonna have to say the jury is still out on him.

Thank you Christopher! You can pick up your own copy of the Hipsters Puppy book right here. And, as Christopher says, buy one for someone you love or tolerate.

PooPrints, a new and innovative detective-poo agency recently featured in The New York Times, may actually have the answer to kicking unwanted doggy droppings to the curb. Simply put, this service uses powerful DNA technology to find inconsiderate owners who don’t pick up after their dogs when nature calls. According to The Times, approximately two dozen apartment complexes around the country utilize their services. Apartment tenants in these facilities are required to submit a sample of their dog’s saliva, which remains on file and can be used to identify the culprits responsible for those mysterious and offensive piles of poo. So next time you leave home ill-equipped to pick up after your pooch, beware, the poo-police just may be on duty watching you!

My husband and I have little voices we’ve developed for our dogs Mingus and Dottie. It’s how our dogs are able to “talk” to themselves, to each other, and to us. I know I can admit that here without judgment as I’m pretty sure around 94.7% of y’all do the exact same thing. Am I right?

Wilfred, a new comedy series premiering on FX tonight, explores what can happen when we allow our canine-inspired imaginings to run wild.

In the live-action comedy, Elijah Wood (ha cha cha!) plays Ryan, a struggling, suicidal young man who befriends Wilfred, his neighbor’s dog. The schtick? Where the rest of the world sees Wilfred as a dog, Ryan — and the viewer — sees a crude, brash Australian man (co-creator Jason Gunn) in a dog suit. RECIPE FOR COMEDY, people. Madcap adventures and hilarity ensue, and with Wilfred’s guidance, Ryan is able to conquer his fears and embrace life, blah blah blah. Whatever. It’s Elijah Wood. DVR is set.

Wilfred airs tonight at 10 PM. You can learn more about the show and check out exclusive videos here.

“Tulipan. Kids Later.”

A hilarious and cute ad for condoms. Had to share.

Advertising Agency: Young & Rubicam, Buenos Aires, Argentina
General Creative Director: Martín Mercado
Creative Directors: Diego Tuya, Dario Rial, Martín Goldberg
Art Director: Matias Varise
Photographer: Juan Mathe
Retoucher: Dani Romanos
Published: April 2011

[via Ads of the World]

Sycamore Street Press has been one of my favorite go-to web shops for quite some time. Dedicated to combining fresh designs, sustainable methods, and the vintage charm of letterpress printing, Sycamore Street Press is chock full of delightful cards, calendars, and prints. Naturally, my favorite pieces are the ones featuring their adorable hand-drawn french bulldogs and pugs.

If you’re in the search for the perfect card or print for the dog lover in your life, you can be certain you’ll find a uniquely charming and elegant gift or gift-addition here. Who can resist a bashful pug or a French bulldog that speaks French?!

Be sure to check out the rest of  the lovely goods available at Sycamore Street Press while you’re ooh’ing and aww’ing over their oh-so adorable dogs.