We get lots of great feature photos from viewers. Some are of lovely sunrises and sunsets. Some show breath-taking looks at wonders of nature. Some take us around the world. Some take us into the backyard garden. All are greatly appreciated. There are many times that the only "pretty" part of the forecast is the Weather Picture. In addition to all those types of entries, we also get some cool pictures of peoples' furry friends. They may not make it into the annual Weather Calendar, but you can see many of them, in a slide show, right here at http://www.kmbc.com/. You'll notice that several dogs and cats...mostly the dogs...are decked out in fancy duds. I've never owned a cat, but I get the sense from most felines that they would simply not stand for such foolishness. It is a sign of my own insecurities that I like the "I Love You No Matter What" attention a dog gives versus the "May I Help You?" look I get from most cats. It's not the kitties. It's me.

Over the years, I must admit, I've dressed a dog or two. When I was a kid, we had a French Poodle named Mimi. Mimi didn't act or look like a French Poodle named Mimi. She was more like a mutt named Max. In the summers we would have her curls cut but, being Wisconsin, we still had our share of chilly mornings so we bought her a warm jacket. It was a blue and red plaid number and she looked pretty sharp. A little overcoat for a little pooch makes sense. (I like wearing a little overcoat to cover my little paunch, as a matter of fact.) But, I will confess, a later canine in my household suffered far greater indignities.

Jingles was a black and tan dachshund-chihuahua mix. I had him when I moved to Kansas City and used him in several feature stories over the years. (Later, when the kids started to come along, I shifted gears and exploited...ahem...I mean, offered them the chance to be on TV.) I did a story for PM Magazine once about a dog that played the piano. For the TV Guide ad promoting that story, we put a little tuxedo collar and bow-tie on Jingles and made him put his paw on a toy piano. He looked like half of Ferrante and Teicher...the hairier one...Furr-ante. Jingles felt that picture preserved his dignity.

Then, for a story about Halloween, I tried to make him look like a black cat. That case of cross-species experimentation sent him straight into therapy. He really needed Dr. Phil...or, at least, a rest on Marlin Perkin's couch. The next year, to demonstrate March coming in like a lion or a lamb, my wife conspired to create little lion and lamb disguises for him to wear. This was the last straw. He refused to ever appear in another TV piece. His attorney got a court order and I was only allowed to come within ten feet of Jingles during feeding time. Jingles then turned to the ACLU...The American Canine Liberties Union. As he got older and didn't like the cold, my wife would put him in a sweater. He looked like a chunky tube sock with legs. Eventually, all the shame and embarrassment was too much for him and I woke up to find myself dressed like Joan Crawford with Jingles smearing lipstick all over my face.

Checkers, the Animal Haven refugee, was very camera shy. She hid whenever there was talk of a story shoot. Frankly, I wouldn't have had the heart to dress her funny. She was too refined and reserved. It would have been like putting Grandma Moses in a purple leisure suit.

Our latest pooch, Casey, has let the kids put Green Bay Packer shirts on him and sunglasses. He has endured the occasional hat. He always looked at me with very sad eyes when this was occurring but, unlike Jingles, it hasn't made Casey bitter. For awhile, our daughter thought Casey should always wear one of those little bandanna deals but, when nobody was looking he'd take it off and eat it. Even at this late stage, he still indulges in his appetite for odd things. Just the other day we were treated to an early morning appearance of a long missing mini-lion Beanie Baby. I'm going to spare you the details of how this happened. Let's just say it was like watching The Human Cannonball at the circus. Fortunately for Casey, the kids have grown out of the "let's dress up the dog" phase and I don't do many feature stories anymore. He can enjoy his golden years without fear of fashion faux pas...or is that paws?