In the latest edition of the "My dog is the weirdest" saga, I've learned that Woody's favorite season must be fall. There is varying evidence to support my claims, but none other than this video below. Each time we've walked down a tree-lined street, Woody has made it his personal mission to collect and eat every leaf that has fallen. I still need to do research to see if any harm can result in this (I'm gonna go with no), but for now, the world can experience this odd behavior just as I do every evening.

Other, less odd behaviors that suggest fall is Woody's favorite season is how relieved he is when his end-of-summer allergies subside and the way he can go on endless walks without overheating.

What is your dog's favorite season?

Saturday morning, I had to head to Crocker Park in Westlake. If you've ever been to Crocker Park or any mall in America, you probably know these places are clutch for people-watching. But what I witnessed at Crocker Park on this Saturday was literally inhumane. Everyone that I passed who had a dog within the premises (it's an outdoor mall) had that dog in clothing. I'm not talking the necessary clothing like a jacket if the dog has short hair and gets cold easy or shoes if the dog has a problem with the paws. The outfits I saw ranged from head-to-toe Ohio State gear that matched the owner to an outfit that looked like it was purchased five minutes prior at Abercrombie Kids.

Woody has one piece of clothing and it is a fleece jacket he only wears when I take him outside in the dead of winter. This is what I call clothing with a purpose because if he didn't wear it, he probably would last in the cold about five minutes less than normal, resulting in a huge mess for my carpet later.

Unless I witness someone being abusive, I'm trying to do a better job at not judging other dog owners. Besides, who am I to talk when I have one of the most insane and inappropriate dogs known to man? Seriously, my friends can tell you, no one's arm or leg is safe upon entering my apartment. It's ALL Woody's territory. Anyway, I just have to ask. WHAT is the point of doggie outfits without a purpose? Besides Woody's winter wear, I can think of one instance where I've ever condoned putting clothing on a dog. I believe it was a random weeknight and my college roommates and I decided to put a silly slip and boa on our dopey house dalmation, Griffin (who I love to pieces) as a joke. This lasted five minutes and Griffin was visibly miserable. Other than that, I don't know anyone personally who puts clothes on their dog and takes them out in public with other humans and dogs. I'm probably the only one I know that even does so in the winter.

I guess like most material things, we can argue that clothes for dogs are a waste of money and just another meaningless product in pet retail stores. But according to the RSPCA (the UK version of the ASPCA), putting dogs in non-functional clothing can be harmful to the dog, and, in the UK, the most extreme cases of dog dress-up can call for prosecution. The main reason? The RSPCA argues that restrictive, human-like clothing does not allow the dog to exhibit normal dog behavior.

"A 'dressed up' dog may not be understood and another dog may be aggressive towards it, or the 'dressed' dog may get frustrated in the presence of other dogs and become aggressive itself."

After doing a bit more research on the Internet, I couldn't really find much about the psyche of those who dress up their dogs, but it seems pretty clear that the general consensus is that this is insane. Dogs are not humans and trying to turn them into one does more harm than good. One of the women I saw with dressed-up dogs on Saturday actually had her Yorkshire Terriers in a STROLLER! A STROLLER!!

I am all for spoiling the animals we love, but when we begin crossing the line and trying to turn them into humans I think we need to look at ourselves and figure out why, why do we really feel the need to have pseudo-human friends? And once outfits and strollers become commonplace, what's next? I'm afraid to find out and really feel sorry for the next generation of dog-kind.

Maybe this makes me a bad dog mom or maybe it just makes me human, but I sort of forgot Woody needed his shots updated until two days ago. I was going to buy tickets for tonight's Puppypalooza at Progressive Field, but realized his shots expired on the 6th and he's not getting new ones until the 12th. In case you lost track, today is smack dab in the middle. We missed the event in June because Woody was going through...something...I still haven't figured out what.

Anyway, while we will not be in attendance, anyone who owns a fur friend should definitely stop out and not only support The Tribe, who are still in contention for a wildcard spot, but also the Cleveland Animal Protective League. A portion of the proceeds from Puppypalooza will be donated to the APL. Enjoy a dog-friendly seating area and stop by vendor booths from The PetPeople, Banfield Pet Hospitals, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and the Cleveland APL. There will also be a parade, which I'm sure will be the happiest thing ever.

You can purchase your tickets here, as well as print out your liability waiver. I wish we could join, but instead we will be walking around looking in from the outside.

Woody enjoyed having the boy and myself around all day today. I think this picture says it all.

I hope everyone else's fur kids enjoyed a day off from staying home alone as well! Woody had an exceptionally nice weekend since he got to spend Friday through Sunday at Camp Bow Wow. Next time I take him, I'll be sure to post a video of how insane he gets when I say those three words. Stay tuned...