Jerry Van Amerongen, creator of Ballard Street (which you can find at gocomics.com), has clearly had some experience with dogs.

With slo-mo video. And music:

for adorable puppies demolishing packages.

This one just aims at them. (Birthday card from Dogstuff)

USA Today has a video about a little dog with a big talent:

BuzzFeed brings us pictorial proof …

that dogs …

and leaves …

were pretty much made for each other.

Your moment of dog-leaf Zen:

Lots more photos at the link. Enjoy.

New York City has the largest Halloween dog parade in the US. This year marked the 21st annual display of done-up doggies.

Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

The Guardian has more photos for your inspiration or horrification, depending on how you feel about dressing dogs in costumes.

Are you or your dog dressing up for Halloween?

Boxer Hanzo Felland (Lucy Nicholson, Reuters)

The Guardian posts some photos by Robyn Beck from AFP/Getty Images, and Lucy Nicholson from Reuters, of the Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, California.

Meet Buddy the Surf Dog.

Buddy is pretty much the king of the Surf Dogs at the annual Surf-a-Thon at Del Mar, California, having won five times now. But his person, Bruce Hooker, says the king may lay aside his crown now and retire. After all, the 14-year-old JRT has just become the first-ever inductee into the Surf Dog Hall of Fame.

Buddy also scored a year’s worth of dog food, presumably from Eukanuba, who organizes the event to raise money for the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe. This year’s surfy goodness drew over 4,000 spectators and raised over $100,000 for the center.

For those of us who love our furry companions, it’s good to know an increasing number of places welcome them when we travel. TripAdvisor surveyed over 1,100 pet owners and used their rankings and comments to determine the 10 most pet-friendly hotels in the United States. Each of these places rolls out the red carpet for pets and the people who love them:

10. Cypress Inn, Carmel, California
9. LaQuinta Inn & Suites, Valdosta, Georgia
8. Hotel Marlowe, Cambridge, Massachusetts
7. Carmel Country Inn, Carmel, California
6. The Paw House Inn, West Rutland, Vermont
5. A Laughing Horse Lodge, Port Aransas, Texas
4. Palomar Washington DC
3. Ocean Park Resort, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
2. Hotel Monaco Portland, Portland, Oregon
1. Affinia Dumont, New York City, New York

You can see all the details at PetVR, including links to each hotel’s site. I couldn’t find this article at TripAdvisor itself, so I’m not sure how recent the information is, and I saw reviews for numerous other pet-friendly places while I was there; these were just the top-rated overall. Be sure to check around for accommodations in other states, with different amenities, etc. The options for pet owners on vacation seem to be better than ever.

Petey definitely plays better than me! How about you?

Chester the Shih Tzu conquers three whole stairs in this video:

One goes over, and the other, well:

Gus the bulldog likes his pool. He likes it a lot. He likes it so much, in fact, that he decided to bring it indoors with him.