Sam & Susie's Blog

ANIMAL PLANET UGLY DOG SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE do not miss Animal Planet, Friday, Sept. 29th, for full coverage of this year's Ugly Dog Contest (featuring SAM's widow, TatorTot, as well as a tribute to our irreplacable SAM!  Check local listings for "Ugly Dog" Special.  Thank you so much for still loving dear, sweet.....?. SAM!

Also, check this Animal Planet website for Tator's Puzzle, wallpaper and photos of all the wonderful entrants! http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/ugly_dog/wallpaper/wallpaper.html

SAM goes out with a bang!

We have just returned from this year's Ugliest Dog Contest..the grandaddy of them all..at the Sonoma-Marin FAir in Petaluma, Ca. It was bigger and more exciting than ever!  I think the most media ever seen there before was a local NBC affiliate from San Fran and a local newspaper man. ....WELL...all that has changed after SAM's miraculous climb to fame via the internet.  There were doggies from as far as Wash. D.C., Florida, New Jersey. Arizona and Philadelphia's "Fishtown".  The media frenzy was overwhelming!  We started the day of the contest with a 9 a.m.glamour portrait sitting for Tator and me put on by Animal Planet.  Mark got to be in one also.  Then to the Animal Planet personal T.V. interviews.  Breakfast and doggie water and treats were readily available in the V.I.P (very important pooch) room.  Then onto the next venue at the historic and charming old adobe Petaluma Visitor's Center.  Here, we got to mingle with other contestants and it was so fun to finally meet the other dogs and owners that we have seen on the voting site.  Everyone took turns in a sort of round-robin getting photos and interviews taken for German T.V., a very famous London Tabloid (The Daily Mirror), Japanese news, Geraldo Rivera at Large, and the piece-de-resistance...People MAgazine...not only People Magazine BUT with world reknown photographer, Mary Ellen Mark.  Her presence caused quite a stir and she was so great to work with.  She kept saying "beautiful, beautiful", as she snapped away.  She requested I hold TatorTot like the "Madonna and the child".."now kiss her".  It was fun to feel like a model!  The temperature that day was more tolerable but still in the 90's.  We arrived the afternoon before and the gauge read 109 degrees...horrible..although it was one of the first times I have ever seen Tator stop quivering with cold!  A few hours for Tator to rest and then off to the fairgrounds.  It was completely taken over by media and excitement.  Animal Planet had a wonderful set-up with red carpets for the dogs to pass down and more individual interviews just as you were going up to the judges.  I am a REAL fan of PeeWee's but I also fell in love with PeeWee's "mini-me", Elwood.  I knew Tator was too cute so I was rooting for one of them for ugliest mixed and knew it would be between Lucille Bald, Victoria or Archie for the first prize in pedigree.  I hadn't thought Archie had much of a chance from just his online voting pic BUT when I saw him in person, I thought WOW!!  He's got a chance!  I was thrilled to see PeeWee take top honors for the mixed breed and then knew it would be between Archie and him for Ugliest Dog of 2006.  Archie won.  NOW is the tough part...to be crowned WORLD"S Ugliest Dog, Archie would have to face off all surviving champions of former years.  (You can only win a year once and then return in the "ring of champions".  This gives a new dog a chance to move up each year.)  SAM, of course, wiped out all competition in sight all three years that he attended the contest and I am sure he would have taken down Archie as well had he been present.  Many there agreed with me on this one.  So, please watch People this week and check out Animal Planet's special in October.  They will even do a tribute to our SAMMIE, the Ambassador Extraordinaire of ugly dogs everywhere!!!

UGLY DOG VOTE STARTS ALL OVER!!

Ugly dog contest rocked by voting scandal May 20, 2006: Things are getting ugly in the ugly dog world. The competition at the Sonoma-Marin Fair, which had been dominated in recent years by Santa Barbara's infamous Sam, has been hit by a voting scandal. Someone hacked into the online voting site and stole thousands of votes from a crooked-faced greyhound named Victoria. Organizers reinstated those votes, but two days later, the meddler targeted Pee Wee, possessor of a bent nose and a tongue that hangs out the side of his mouth "24/7. This is part of an article that appeared in the Santa Barbara News-Press this weekend.  The voting has started all over and there are many exciting and hilarious new entries.  PLEASE take the time to peruse, laugh and vote for your favorite!  You won't be sorry.  PLEASE send to all on your email list so we can get the votes up again.  The website to paste and send on is   http://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/uglydogcontest.shtml THANK you all, SUSIE and the Spirit of SAM Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

SCANDAL!!!!!

Have you been following the vote results at .sonoma-marinfair.org/uglydogcontest.shtml
  It seems that someone has hired an expert (or done it themself) to hack in and erase THOUSANDS of votes for PeeWee "Son-of-SAM" and Victoria...  HOW UNSPORTING!!!  Please read this 
article at http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/05/17/n/HeadlineNews/UGLY/resources_bcn_html  for details.  The voting will begin all over with new safety protection on May 22.  PLEASE spread the word to once again VOTE VOTE VOTE.  SAM was such an innocent and true winner: no hacking necessary!  I am SO proud to have been his Mommie.

Prepare to weep...

Some WONDERFUL SAM fans have put together a "rememberance" in honor of SAM.  Please visit and break out your hankie.... http://youtube.com/watch?v=VbhPUVRQykc

Nice interview

A wonderful doggie site has interviewed me regarding SAM, Tator and even a few comments on PeeWee "son-of-SAM".  I hope you can take a moment to visit and read.  AND please don't forget to VOTE!!!!

VoteVoteVotevoteVoteVote!!!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go to this website and vote for your choice from entrants for this year's World's Ugliest Dog Contest!  They will make you laugh and smile, I promise!!  Tator is not a contender...she is just too darn cute.  I think there is some spectacular new talent as SAM has made the contest more well known.  There are a few that would even give SAM a run for his $...  It is still up to the judges who see the warts, moles and snarls  up close but the popular opinion will hold some weight, I am sure.
PLEASE tell everyone to send this link around so lots of people can cast their vote and have a fun moment doing so.  THANKS!!!!! Leave a comment if you like on what you think of these newcomers!

Tator's excellent adventure!

Tator in Times Square!  It really did happen and soo spur of the moment.  We were driving from a contest in San Diego and just passing through L.A. when the cell rang with a producer from the "Today" show inviting Tator on for the next morning.  Within a few hours, Tator was taking in the lights of Times Square...amazing!  We had six hours after the show and Tator, Mark and I rode the double decker tour bus and saw so much in a short time.  She is a strong little trooper and was fantastic on the airplane...mostly hidden under a blanket on my lap!

Today on "Today"!!!!!

TatorTot just won second place in a smaller Ugly Dog Contest and in a whirlwind, we are in New York to appear on "Today" with Katie Couric..about 9:30 ish.  Please tell all SAM fans that his girl, Tator will be on !!!!!

I miss my SAM Valentine!

I managed to get through Valentine's Day without my little sweetheart, SAM, but he was on my mind a lot.  Mark and I had a nice evening in front of the fire with Tator, PixieNoodle, TinkerBelle and yes...GOLIATH!  Mark has nver had indoor dogs so my four made it in two years ago because they are hairless but the gentle giant, Gloiath had to worm his way in gently.  Because Mark is allergic to hairy dogs, as am I, Goliath stays on his special blanket.  This blanket has become the "sumo wrestling:" mat for him and Tator!  Remeber, out of all my dogs, she is the oldest, (14), and the tiniest (4.6 lbs.)!  It is the CUTEST thing to watch as she does sort of a Mexican hatdance around him, tantalizing him and then he gently pounces.  It reminds me of king Kong playing with his blonde "toy".
  Don't forget!!  The Ugly Dog contest  is coming in a few months at the Sonoma-Marin Fair!  Mark and I plan to be there with Tator and to represent the memory of our irreplacable, undefeated much beloved SAM.  We will also be attending a smaller but similar contest this March in San Diego with Tator.
  I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day with your sweeties and your pets!