Oh look, a puppy!!!!

We all love puppies, don't we. The one in this picture, however, will never be in a pet shop window. These are African Wild Dogs, one of the endangered species on Rubi J's Animal Tails organic t-shirts.

I've been reading about them and, boy, have they ever been given a bum rap.  Sure, they're carnivores; but so are most of us. Not as magnificent looking as the lion or other big cats; they don't get equal press on the nature shows.

Here's what the hang tag that comes with each tee reads:

"Your domestic dogs are related to me. We're found only in Africa, especially in scrub savanna and other lightly wooded areas. Our coats are bespoke design as no two individuals have the same markings.

We hunt in packs and give a mean chase, catching 85% of our prey, poor deers! We look vicious so you would have thought that we howl like wolves, but in fact we chirp like birds when communicating. After a succussful hunt we go home and regurgitate meat for those who stayed behind.

The current estimate for remaining Wild Dogs is approximately 3000. Of these the majority live in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania.

Part of the profits of the T-shirt go towards AfriCat, who campaign for our protection."

Encourage your children to learn more about the African Wild Dog and why they are important to the eco-system. The African Wildlife Foundation has a great website: http://www.awf.org/. Also, read more about the Africat Foundation at http://www.africat.org/.

You can see why grandson Cole thinks they're "awesome".

Rubi J's current special is 40% off the African Wild Dog tee. Have a look: http://www.rubij.com/.

What would Alex and Cole look like with an 'Animal Tail'?

Since Mom was busy fighting with some screen printing issues today, of which I am no help, I offered to be her substitute blogger for the day.

As many of you know, we've added 'Animal Tails' to the Rubi J line. Finally my kids will get to do a little modeling on this blog. (C'mon Mom, Lucy and Cliff made their debuts before Alex and Cole?) Anyway, these t-shirts are sublime! Not only are they soft, adorable, ethically-made, but they also teach our children about endangered species. Each t-shirt comes with a message from the animal. Cole received a note from a gentle (yes, gentle) Siamese Crocodile and Alex heard from a wonderfully 'memorable' Asian Elephant.

I'm so excited about this business venture. While it will take some time to build an inventory of products that Mom and I believe in, we are enjoying the mission. Never did we realize how much reward there would be in finding products that increase the social consciousness of our consumers, especially the children. How many of you sit down with your children after a day of shopping to discuss the global impact of your purchases? Well, when I sat down with Alex and Cole to read our 'Animal Tails' cards, I explained how a portion of the proceeds will go to the Africat Foundation. Their wondrous reactions sent a warmth through my spine and reminded me how important little lessons can be to the development of our posterity.