Dog News – Singing Dogs

Rumble(.)com are Thieves (Uploaded a Video without our Permission)

I often check around the internet to see if there are any duplicate videos that have been uploaded of the Singing Dogs. It's nothing strange to find some duplicates out there online. What's odd is I found that Rumble, a new hopeful Youtube competitor/video licensing company apparently has had one of our videos of Sierra singing the classic New Year's song “Auld Lang Syne” up on their DailyMotion channel for a few years now. Here is the video I'm talking about in case anybody needs a refresher.

This video had been up for about one year before it was re-uploaded to DailyMotion without our knowledge or consent. Here is the description;

Looks like this dog was getting right into the New Year's spirit! He sings along to the classic tune, ‘Auld Lang Syne'. Best wishes in 2013!

This is is very annoying but not what I find most confusing about Rumble doing this though.

A representative from Rumble contacted us a few months ago about our original Auld Lang Syne video that features both Cody and Sierra singing along to “Auld Lang Syne.” Again here is the video just so people know.

This is the video which got us invited on Anderson with Anderson Cooper awhile ago. We still get a lot of requests about this “Auld Lang Syne” video and various companies and people being interested in using it or wanted us to sign the rights over to them so they can license it out.

Rumble wanted us to sign an exclusive contract with them for only this Auld Lang Syne video featuring both dogs. Basically Rumble's main goal is to be a Youtube competitor by paying content creators more money for their videos and by accepting only quality videos. Unlike some of what you see on Youtube which is not “high quality” or “viral worthy” I guess. The other part of their business is video distribution and licensing to TV shows or outlets that want to use this videos. At least this is their business model to my understanding.

What's odd is I specifically asked whether Rumble was interested in other videos of Cody and Sierra, particularly the solo Auld Lang Syne video that is currently uploaded on their Rumble Virals DailyMotion channel with the title “Classy Dog Sings Auld Lang Syne.” This video has been on the site since January, 2013. The video is not on their Youtube channel from what we can tell. I have no idea why.

I should make it clear that at this point in time we have no agreement with Rumble for licensing or distribution of any of our videos. In an exchange I actually asked about the Auld Lang Syne video of Sierra and the reply was they were not even interested in it. The Rumble representative said that they were only interested in the Auld Lang Syne video featuring both dogs, which I think is really pretty whack considering they've had the video of just Sierra up for a few years on the DailyMotion channel. I did notice the video is also on Yahoo, Jokeroo, and a few other places probably because of Rumble.

Checking around the internet I always see duplicate uploads of our videos and content but I've never seen one of these video licensing companies upload and use one of our videos without knowledge or consent. They've probably been distributing the video and getting paid without sending us any checks for awhile. I wonder where it's appeared that I do not know about and who has used it and on what platforms, TV shows, or networks it's currently in?

Kind of an odd and weird experience with Rumble. When I asked about the second video and they said they were they not interested…. why was that? They've already made money from us and were just looking to secure the video licensing rights after the fact? Of course why were they not interested in the other video? Did Rumble assume we wouldn't notice this?

I'll be contacting Rumble to get to the bottom of this and get some answers. In the meantime the Singing Dogs and myself are not to pleased with this situation but there is not much we can do.

UPDATE – I never got a reply from Rumble so I guess my thoughts about them are accurate, they are thieves. If you are contacted by them about licensing do not work with them.

Do you have any other weird experiences with Rumble or another video licensing company or Youtube marketing firm you want to share? If you are a video creator how do you deal with other people re-uploading your content and videos?

Sierra’s Enjoys Chews on her Back

While this isn't a video of Sierra singing along to any songs I thought I would share it anyway, as I'm glad I caught her with the camcorder. (Usually when I've tried to videotape her doing this I'm too late when I return ready to shoot.) You see, Sierra is quite dexterous with her paws and always enjoys chews. Combine these qualities together and you have a dog her back that carefully holds a chews in her mouth and makes sure it doesn't go anywhere with her paws.

Dog Chewing Upside Down

Does your dog do something funny with chews too? Please let us know with a comment below.

Cody’s 7th Birthday

Thought I'd just give people a quick heads-up that it is Cody's 7th Birthday today. Amazing to think our sweet guy has been around for that long. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Cody's 6th birthday. I also feel like not too long ago he was a little fluff ball, puppy, biting at our pant legs. Here are some videos of Cody as a puppy.

Cody with a Chew as a Puppy

Cody eats his First Apple

He was such a CUTE puppy. He looked like stuffed animal and was really soft.

Cody has grown up to be a smart, sweet, and great dog in all the years we have had him. Sometimes he is a bit brazen but he has always been a loyal dog. (Unless someone else has a chuck it at the park.) In addition he is quite a proud dog and shows it.

I'm unsure what we are planning to do today for Cody's 7th birthday. Likely we will take him to the park and possibly go get Frozen Yogurt with him and Sierra. Both singing dogs love getting frozen yogurt. If people have a suggestions for good dog birthday activities we'd be happy to hear them.

Happy Birthday Cody!

Bella Notte from Lady and the Tramp

It's been awhile since we've had time to record another video, edit it, and upload it to Youtube. We have a special song with the Singing Dogs for all of our fans today though, Bella Notte.

If you don't know Bella Notte you probably know what the song is even if it doesn't sound familiar. Have seen the Disney animated movie Lady and the Tramp? Remember the seen when they are having dinner with spaghetti and meatballs and they are playing music? Well that song is Bella Notte and we thought it would be an ideal song for two Singing Dogs to perform. Since you know, Lady and The Tramp is about dogs. Of course they don't sing in the movie.

While we didn't give Cody and Sierra spaghetti I believe their version of the song is pretty good. Check out our rendition of Bella Notte below.

Bella Notte – Lady and the Tramp

Not sure if Cody would describe himself as a “Tramp.” Of course right now he and Sierra could really use a bath. If anyone would like to volunteer for this and is in the area please let me know. 🙂

Sierra would definitely think of herself as a “Lady.” Actually she probably thinks of herself as the “Queen” and should be treated as such.

This isn't the first time we've done movie songs by the way. Cody and Sierra have also done versions of the Mission Impossible Theme Song and My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music. A famous song from an action series, a much loved song from a great musical, and a nice Italian song from a Disney movie.

Just as a fun side note in Italian “Bella Notte” means “Beautiful Night.” It's in the lyrics to Bella Notte but most people don't know that so I thought I'd mentioned it here.

Lately I've had other commitments and things to do but I'd really like to start posting more videos of the Singing Dogs. Over the Summer we are going to try to do a lot more songs. I realized out last video we posted on here was Sierra Rubber her Scent on a Ball. Probably now what some people want see from the Singing Dogs. We already have some other videos uploaded we just need to do minor editing before they go live on Youtube. Remember to subscribe to our Youtube channel to get future updates when we post new videos.

If you liked our version of Bella Notte please let us know below. Have any other movie or Disney songs you'd like to see us play? Let us know below. We hope everyone has a beautiful night.

Clearing Up our Thoughts on BlogPaws

My article the other day about the fact the we are not attending BlogPaws this year has some people confused about what we think about the pet conference. I just want to make it clear that I do think BlogPaws is worth attending and I do believe it will benefit a lot of attendees that go this year.

I have recommended BlogPaws to some people that have asked and honestly it is an extremely reasonably priced conference if you check pricing for other blog conferences. I believe tickets this year for a pet blogger paying their own way is $169 which includes breakfast and lunch on 2 days. (At least this was the case for BlogPaws when we attended last year.) Some conferences have different pricing structures and only allow you to sit in on a few talks. Often meals are not included and you will have to buy them all yourself. Most blog conferences base price usually starts around $500 and goes up from there. Conferences can get pricey quickly.

Still like any web conference when you add in airfare (well that's probably pretty cheap since it's Las Vegas) and hotel costs it still is a good amount of money for most people to go. Currently I'm working on figuring out other conferences and conventions related to children's literature and publishing to attend as well as looking into ways to get a pet agent for the Singing Dogs. (This might sound kind of ridiculous, but hey, you got to shoot for the moon.)

I just don't feel I am going to accomplish much by going this year. Whether someone else gets benefit and value out of the pet conference is entirely up to them and their personal goals with their website. For our current goals I don't believe it makes sense to go. I've already done quite a lot of networking within the pet community and at other pet conferences, like BarkWorld, and we are no further along with our goals.

Is Children’s Publishing Racist? Yes!

I'd like to take a break from writing about Cody and Sierra to discuss something that's annoyed us for awhile. You see for the last few years I've been working my a$# off trying to get a children's book deal with the Singing Dogs. I've written the story, done some basic graphic work, written and rewritten a query letter many times, and sent a nicely written proposal to countless children's book agents and children's publishers. I have yet to get a serious response or even an email reply. (Well… at least not from anyone that seemed legitimate.)

While I understand children's publishing is hard and probably the most competitive niche in book publishing, I seriously don't think it should be this difficult considering all of the positive Press and appearances the Singing Dogs and their videos have had. We were on Anderson Cooper, The Today Show, Good Morning America, HuffPo, MSN, etc. Doesn't the book publishing industry appreciate when people have already had some free publicity? I'd assume this makes marketing books easier.

Also take into account I'm an accredited auto journalist with the International Motor Press Association (IMPA) and the Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA). I'm not bragging these are just the facts. I co-founded and run a successful car news website that posts stories daily. I'm used to writing a lot and I'm an auto writer that knows how to deal with public relations professionals. (This is not always pleasant in case you are wondering.) While automotive journalism isn't a field that necessarily goes hand-in-hand with a children's book about two singing dogs, it shows I like to write and love it. I've made it clear that I'm open and can write many more children's books regarding dogs and Cody and Sierra if there was a demand. This is something book agents definitely want to know before they get into business with you.

Honestly… we can't imagine who wouldn't want to read a book about two singing dogs? Since they are real dogs it's a great for a book tour for promotion. I know Sierra and Cody would be game for it even if traveling with them can be a challenge.

What's the deal? I'm going to ask a simple question, “Is children's publishing racist?” I've come to the conclusion that children's publishing is very racist and the numbers are pretty startling when it comes to minorities.

According to a study by a major university out of 5,000 children's books that came from traditional publishers last year apparently only 257 were by people of color. (This means Asians/Pacific Islanders, Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans.) See the chart below which goes back to 2002.

My math is is not that good, ok I'm terrible since I am a writer, but that is a pretty small percentage considering the demographics of today are quickly changing. Especially in the United States where most publishing houses are based.

From what I can tell and from what I've read it seems the publishing industry largely favors white women authors that are 30+ years old. I actually sort of understand this as they want to target people they know will buy and can relate to. They also probably want to use author's that have kids in the demographic they want to market books to. I don't have kids (at least any I know about), I'm obviously not a women, and I'm not white. These are apparently three strikes against me that doesn't work for children's publishing since children's book agents and children's book publishers are racist.

I know this is the same situation countless authors that are trying to break into traditional publishing are facing, whatever their ethnic or racial background. I just can't help the feeling that a little bit of racism is at play with children's publishing. It just seems publishers and agents don't believe we are worth the time to even respond to because Sierra and Cody's owner doesn't fit into their traditional author image. Since I am an minority and my skin color doesn't work with what a book agent or publisher feels they can sell, we get rejected and don't' receive any reply's.

I can't imagine any other explanation why we wouldn't have gotten serious responses at this point, considering all the work we have done and publicity we've had. Children's publishing is racist and is not going to change anytime soon from what I can tell.

If you have an opinion about racism and children's publishing with regard to minorities, we'd love to hear it.

I always encourage people to leave comments and share thoughts and opinions and don't always mind anonymity but will not allow it for this post. For the comments here if you claim you are from a children's publishing house, a book agent, or author and want to defend your racist mentality, that's fine with me. You MUST leave you real name though and not hide behind a handle or some other fake email account.