The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me.  It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy!

THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.

TODAY:  Wake up to freezing temps. Considerable cloudiness. Chance of afternoon showers around 3:00. Chance of rain…60%. A high of 50. “D” in the morning and early afternoon, “F” after 3:00.

SUNDAY:  Partly cloudy. High of 57.  “C”

Now, here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog.

Hard to believe, but there was a time I wasn’t married and enjoyed “looking.”  I always had a “type,” too.  Dark hair over blonde…  Brown eyes over blue…  No beards…  Generally speaking hair needed to be short unless it was uh-maze-ing and perfectly kept.  Also couldn’t be longer than mine, and natural in color.  Remember that Adonis who hawked a margarine-like substance?

Nope.  No thank you.  Not even buying the yellow tub that you couldn’t believe in.  Never.  Sorry.

There was one time I made an exception to my own rules and fell hard for a long-haired rocker-type in my young-and-stupid days.  Looking back I’m so glad I came to my senses.

Was he a two-timing, unemployed creep?  Nope.  Worse.

Was he a progressive?

Could’ve been.  At that point in time I wasn’t interested in his politics.

Well then, what WAS it?

He owned cats.

Yep…  probably would’ve endeared himself a lot more to me if he had traded that litter box for some rawhide treats.  Truly not meant to be.

Would I really make a final decision on whether or not I was going to date someone based on his pet ownership?  Hard to say.  In all honesty though, if I saw two similarly attractive guys on the street and one was holding a grocery bag/coffee cup/cell phone/what have you, while the other was holding a leash attached to a yellow lab?  I can guarantee you I’d make a bee line for the dude with the dog.

Apparently I’m not alone.  According to some research women are definitely attracted to a dog-owning guy.
—-Jennifer Fischer

Thanks Jennifer!

No dog. I won Jennifer over anyway. I still got it.

Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.

Chinese cafe paints dogs to look like giant pandas.

Heartbreak for stray dog after she gets on West Yorkshire bus on her own. And now, an update.

Best friend to the end.

6,000 pounds of dog poop a day. Where?

This could be dangerous for your dog…and you.

What to do if your dog ingests weed.

Your dog knows when you’re sick…how?

Forget the Cookie. I Want a Dog at Check In.

California Pizzeria Creates ‘Doggy Style Pizza’ for Man’s Best Friend.

THAT’S IT FOR DOGS IN THE NEWS.

HERE’S OUR DOG PHOTO(s) OF THE WEEK.


The San Francisco 49ers have Zoë, their official emotional support dog. In welcoming the year-old French Bulldog, the 49ers have become the first team in the NFL to have an emotional support dog. Zoe is being held by the team’s starting QB, Jimmy Garoppolo.

We close as we always do with our closing video. And we have a few.

First, we head to San Diego.

Also in San Diego…

In Colorado…

Happiest dog in the world?

FINALLY, as Veteran’s Day approaches, certified therapy dog, a Barking Lot favorite, the amazing Surf Dog Ricochet, Army Veteran Jose Martinez and Marine staff sergeant Persons B. Griffith IV (Ret) AKA Griff have joined forces to share their experiences in an effort to heal, change and save the lives of wounded warriors, veterans with PTSD, kids with special needs and others who face physical, emotional or cognitive challenges.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.

We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!

See ya, BARK, next Saturday!