Cowdog <cowdog@creativecow.net> CreativeCow.net, forums netiquette director Cambria, California USA

Cowdog is one of the new breed of web-savvy hounds that frequent the Net. Armed with his trusty Radio Shack TRS-80 and 1,200 baud modem, he is quick to log in and take a bite out of a problem or chase down an answer for one of his fellow bovines seeking help. He is also quick to fetch sticks and all he asks is a bowl -- well, a BIG bowl, actually -- of his favorite drink ... Lindeboom Bier Oud Bruin, Dutch dark beer direct from the Lindeboom Brewery in Holland. (Yes, it really exists, visit www.lindeboom.nl or click the bottle at right for a trip to the brewery's Neer, Holland website.)

Cowdog's doghouse is filled with the latest digital wonder toys and he's becoming proficient in integrating Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro and the new tools Audition and Encore DVD. "I really like Audition because I'm really into audio -- you do know that dogs have incredible hearing, don't you? Humans have their backward-masking and other audio tricks but us canines can cut in things that humans can't even hear. Very cool for relaying messages around the planet to other dogs."

Lately, Cowdog has been doing sidework for Animal Planet -- mostly voiceover and walk-on parts -- to earn extra money to get a new laptop. "I've got my eyes on a new Athlon laptop because Kathlyn won't let me use her 'Baby White iBook' anymore. She says that she's tired of wiping off the keys and the trackpad after I nose around on it for a while. I've been working on my first documentary series for 'Animal Planet' called Great Canines of History and the first episode is an exposé called 'Uncovering the Truth about Lassie.' It's been a labor of love and contrary to popular fable ... Lassie is 100% Scottish lass, not laddie. And she likes my hat. She's such a babe!"

During a recent major dog show held in Europe at the world famous Matterhorn, Cowdog won "Best of Show" in the "Canines that Edit Digitally" category. "It was a big victory and I was up against some pretty rough competition. There was a Chihuahua that worked for Mexican television that had a remote field editing system and a high-speed access that allowed him to cut hot news stories in the field and upload them direct to the studios without delay. Really impressive. But I think that I edged him out when I showed the judges that I could integrate the entire Adobe product line in an integrated project that ended up on DVD and the web, as well as burning the broadcast master for Swiss television that night. It really impressed them -- and a certain Saint Bernard that I've been dating since."

Speaking of that "certain" Saint Bernard, rumors of wedding bells in Cowdog's future abound. "He came home smelling of stale beer -- he still has trouble holding the tooth brush between his little canine fingers -- but he was floating around like he was on a cloud," says Creative Cow director, Kathlyn Lindeboom, "he's definitely in love." Kathlyn is someone who should know, as she raised him from the time he was a pup. Still, Cowdog insists that "...like George Clooney, I have too much going on to want to settle down right now. Besides, Curtis, Jason and Eric need me to show them the ropes -- [note: Curtis Thompson, Cow technical director; Jason Howard, Cow Sys Admin; Eric Bliss, Cow systems development] -- and so we've been hitting the singles scene together. The guys have really taken some pointers as to wooing the fairer sex and Curtis seems to have fallen under the spell of a certain someone whose identity he guards like a junkyard dog. Some insist that I'll find myself shortly under Struedel's spell because she had that special 'something extra' that intoxicated me from the moment I met her. Who knows? She may get a ring around my finger but I've got a keg around her neck, so who's really the one coming out ahead in that arrangement, eh???"

• Favorite drink: See above, first paragraph
• Favorite band: (tie) Keef Hartley's Dog Soldier, Temple of the Dog
• Favorite food: Kibble and beer ("...in my own make-shift take-off on 'Gravy Train'")
• Favorite song: "Me and you and a dog named 'Boo'" (Lobo)
• Favorite movie: A Boy and His Dog ("I like Don Johnson, he likes beer too.")
• Favorite TV series: The Super Bowl ("for the beer commercials and wardrobe malfunctions.")
• Favorite book: Garfield books ("I love to rip out the pages -- it's good for dental hygiene.")
• Favorite Cow forum: Audio Professionals ("I hear alot of things in there that you guys miss.")

This is Cowdog's favorite YouTube video. Why? "These dudes know how to party," says a somewhat innebriated canine. "They also dress better than most humans -- surely better than either Tim Wilson or Ron Lindeboom. Both of these guys have admitted to me that they are jealous of these guys. It's clear as to why. These guys make water, hops and barley malt glad to be turned into beer. And they have the kind of moves on the dancefloor that must make The Bee Gees look back with regret that they had to go with John Travolta for that 'Saturday Night Fever' thingie."

You can find Cowdog interacting in various forums here in Creative Cow and as a part of the host team in the Cowmunications forum.

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