Janine Kahn is the Editor-in-Chief and founding editor of Dogster and Catster Magazines. In previous career incarnations, she held web editor positions at Village Voice alternative newsweeklies (including SF Weekly and OC Weekly), the Los Angeles Times, and USC’s Online Journalism Review. She has several pompous-sounding awards from her journalism days in a box in her storage unit, but thinks it’s way more impressive that she has her dog tattooed on her skin in three different locations (Editor’s note: Agreed! How bad ass is that?). I have a total crush on her dog, Moxie, and squee beyond control whenever she posts a photo of him. So, let’s meet this squee-inducing, tattoo-inspiring dog, shall we?
Name? Moxie, after his godfather R.S. Moxley, a dear friend and most excellent investigative reporter. Moxie’s fancy call name is “Sierravue’s Walk Like a Man” but he was too big to show and never made it into the ring. (For this I am grateful; he ended up with me instead!)
Nickname? He answers to Monkey, Mr. Socks, Mox, The Moxter, Monk, Pooch, Who’s the Little Dog, and the sound of the treat jar being cracked open.
Age? All of four years as of last Thanksgiving day! He’s acting like a little teenager these days, though, and is too cool to great his mom at the door like he used to on some nights — especially when he’s gnawing on a new chew of some sort.
Breed? Italian Greyhound. But Mox is always mistaken for a Whippet because he is twice as tall as your usual IG. I love telling people he’s “plus-sized” and seeing their faces when they take in his lean, lanky frame.
What’s “The Scoop”? On Dogster, the community is heavily pro-adoption and can be very prickly when they find out you got your dog from a breeder — but as much as I love adoption too, I am in the pro-responsible hobby breeder camp and Moxie is from one of these ladies who don’t breed for profit. I wrote about my experience over at Dogster and a really interesting debate ensued. I’d love to have Dog-Milkers weigh in.
Favorite Toy? Mox is obsessed with the Hide-a-Squirrel by Kyjen and its variants (Hide-a-Bee, Hide-a-Bird, etc.) I get all kinds of toys in the mail here at Dogster and he’s one of the lucky dogs who gets to give it a whirl. He’s also a fan of the Flirt Pole by Squishy Face Studio.
Favorite Food? Like any other spoiled pet pub. editor’s dog, he gets homemade food — we boil chicken, and garnish it with quinoa or brown rice. He’s free-fed high-quality dry kibble in between meals, and lives for treats. He goes completely crazy every time I sing my “treat song” for him.
Favorite place to sleep? Because of the nature of my work, we get a good number of sample dog beds in the mail — at least three of them have ended up in my apartment (including a lovely Eco Drop bed from Westpaw Design and another from P.L.A.Y.), and Moxie loves them all. But his favorite place to sleep is still our bed.
Lately, since it’s been so cold in San Francisco, he’s taken a liking to his heavily-padded crate, which sits right next to the heating vent.
Pet Peeves? He hates when I have to leave in the morning. He hates when I put a suitcase out because he knows it means I’m going on a trip without him. (Indeed, I think he’s still upset that I was in Southeast Asia for a month for vacation over the holidays.) He hates when he tries to spark an impromptu play session with my partner, Jeff, in the middle of the night and gets a half-hearted response. He hates when other dogs sit in his mom’s lap in an attempt to make him jealous! (Because he does get jealous, little stinker.)
Best Trick? Moxie only knows how to sit, and he only sits on carpeted floors or grass because he has zero fat on his ass, so it’s kind of embarrassing when people ask him to lie down or roll over. But he knows how to use a litter box — best trick EVER when you live in a high-rise — so it’s all good.
Gear? I write a column called “What We’re Obsessed With” over on Dogster, and am always raving about one thing or another. Currently, I am digging these collapsible clip-on dog food scoopers by Popware, anything by Earthbath and like any self-respecting dog lady, my go-to work bag is a massive, heavy, duty dog-centric item. Recently, I’ve been using this dog food-inspired tote by Rebecca Ray to death.
If your dog were another animal, what animal would that be? A small deer, hands down. Lori, our Community Manager, calls him a dik-dik.
You’re a big dog art collector, any plans for some commissioned Moxie portraits? If so, which artists are you dying to work with? I am, and it’s partially Dog-Milk’s fault! Just when I think I’ve picked up enough dog-centric prints, you guys will post something that will have me pulling out my credit card. If my boyfriend knew how much dog art I’ve stowed away, he’d probably flip … I tell myself it’s for the home we’ll get together someday and not our little SF apartment. If I can’t hoard dogs, I can at least hoard dog art, no?
Moxie’s got a silhouette portrait on display in my home by Carter Kustera, but I would love to work with artists Anja Zaharanski or Alina Kremer one day.
Janine hates that she had braces on when the video below was shot but thinks you should see it anyway, vanity be damned.
Thanks Janine and Moxie!
