Rebel Blog

It's no secret that we love dogs, really we just can't get enough. So any chance we get to set up shop and hang out with tons of cool pups and their people all day, we are down. Every October our local animal shelter Animal Friends of the Valleys hosts Paws on the Promenade, a fundraising/ Halloween celebrating/ costume contest spectacular event and this year we got to join in on the fun. The event raised funds for the shelter to aid in the rescue of many more lives. 

Our favorite part of the day was seeing all the super creative canine costumes, and of course outfitting tons of dogs in glow-in-the-dark skeleton hoodies and Halloween bandanas. There's still time to score Halloween gear at up to 50%  off, just head over here for bandana collars and here for hoodies.

vvv This awesome Mastiff was rescued from Animal Friends as a skinny, sad dog. He now clearly lives the good life and looks happy and healthy. He showed up decked out in furry lion style and took home best in show! vvv

vvv What a grrreat costume! vvv

On Sunday our Dakoda was invited to show off her tricks (for treats of course) at the Dog Days Sunday Brunch fundraiser for ARF. As part of a training demonstration put on by Baily’s Winery and facilitated by Cool Dog Training she exhibited her skills by obeying cues in a crowd of distractions and other dogs. Although she’s our dog so we are slightly biased to begin with, she rocked the show with her friend Stella proving that positive reinforcement* training is an A+ method in her book. 

Baily Winery hosts a dog-friendly brunch every Sunday during the warmer months, and encourages well-mannered dogs to join in the fun. The purpose of the training demonstration was to let people know that any dog can be a cool dog with proper guidance, even big dogs!  Big bad Dobermans, Dakoda and Stella, politely enjoyed a nap on the patio while everyone else enjoyed a relaxing lunch. We love dog-friendly establishments!

Do you take your dogs to dine with you?

*Positive Reinforcement: There are many schools of thought on training methods, with positive reinforcement being one of them. In this type of training we as humans are taught to praise desired behaviors with love, affection, and treats and to ignore bad behavior rather than punish for it. Raising a puppy in this type of environment has proven very successful as it creates a trusted bond between human and canine.

Dakoda and Stella are wearing Glow-in-the-Dark Skeleton hoodies, get yours here!

Upon first glance Hooch appears to be a normal, happy dog. Which no doubt he most definitely is, but what makes him different than any other dog is that when he opens his mouth to smile you will notice he has absolutely no tongue.  He didn’t start out that way; his missing tongue is a horrendous act of animal cruelty.

 Hooch’s story begins at a high-kill shelter in central California where he waited out his impending death sentence in a medical kennel. Exhibiting an upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, severe lacerations to his face and ears, and what the shelter staff assumed was a broken jaw he was discovered by Zach Skow. Having gone through his own near death experience, founder of Marley’s Mutts Rescue and avid dog lover, Zach knows a thing or two about second chances. 

What became clear was how absolutely horrific Hooch’s life almost was, with his ears and tongue cut off he was intended to be used as a bait dog. Lucky for him a hero arrived just in time. Despite being severely underweight and in dismal condition, this giant hearted Dogue de Bordeaux was still somehow happy. 

Over the past few months under the patient and loving care of Zach Hooch has made incredible progress. He has began to eat and drink on his own, and despite any prior abuse he is incredibly loving and gentle with people and dogs alike. He has already attended many rescue events and is a spokes dog of sorts spreading hope and awareness wherever he goes. 

 How Marley’s Mutts Came to Be

Today, Zach and his Marley’s Mutts team of heroes save dogs on a regular basis, but in the beginning it was really a dog named Marley that saved Zach. At the age of only 28 Zach found himself battling liver disease, in desperate need of a liver transplant and fighting for his life. With little will to live his biggest fan was his dog, Marley. No matter how sick he got, Marley stayed right by his side and became a source of strength. And then somehow, through a miraculous act of fate, Zach's health began to improve and the rest is history.

 Marley’s Mutts Rescue has committed their efforts to saving shelter dogs in Kern County because these dogs essentially have no one and are closest to death. 

Hooch’s story is one of survival and a true testament to the resilience of dogs and their innate ability to love unconditionally. Marley’s Mutts came to be through healing companionship and in turn will continue to heal and find companionship for down-on-their-luck canines. Visit their Facebook page to see the awesome dogs they are helping.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. And while breast cancer doesn't necessary have anything directly to do with dogs, cancer in general affects or has affected just about everyone you will every meet. This year has been wonderful, but also really personally painful for our family. We have lost both people and pets very close to our hearts, just as we have known many people who have also lost loved ones in 2013.

Crazy Rebels is a dog company with a deeply caring and compassionate foundation of real people behind it. If we have learned anything from dogs it is that a little love can go a long way. So this month we honor and recognize those fighting, remembering, celebrating, laughing, loving, crying, and just being. Together we want to celebrate life, and mourn loss. 

The all new Strength Collar was crafted as just that, a symbol of strength. This collar is your dog's quiet badge of courage to wear with pride for whatever you, or they, may be going through. Check out the Strength Collar and the Strength Sticker!

The beautiful woman (in the picture below) is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a grandmother, a first grade school teacher, a friend, and a fighter. And because of some pretty amazing specialists, she is also a survivor. She fought and beat breast cancer, and is all the more stronger because of it. She is a hero to many, and loved by everyone who knows her. She is our mom.  And we are merely thankful, for her life. Here's to Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Announcing the 2013 limited edition Pitbull Awareness print and sticker: Misunderstood by Crazy Rebels.

From ignorance hate grows. People fear what they do not know or do not understand, and by this same reasoning we as humans have failed the beloved Pitbull breed. 

October is Pitbull Awareness Month, so we are doing our part to help spread knowledge to rebrand the Pitbull. Pitbull refers to the outward appearance and the physical characteristics of a specific breed, not the personality or overall demeanor of the dog. Yet Breed Specific Legislation states that these dogs can be banned, persecuted, confiscated, and even put-down simply because of their breed. This month in specific we seek to inform people that Pitbulls are misunderstood, not misbehaving. 

Together we can share the message and help to End BSL. The only way to create change, is to do something to cause it. So let's come together and educate that Pitbulls are dogs with big hearts just like every other furry four-legged friend. Support the cause, spread the word.