Ok, I watched another vid which is the owner talking about him, which puts a much nicer slant on the negative perceptions some are feeling regarding the owners motives

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULagF...elated&search=

On the personal appearance vid she was asked about the wobbling and does say he has luxating patella. Its clear there is more than that not quite right which may or may not be indirectly connected to patella problems, he wobbles at the shoulders, however its only really apparent when he`s standing still, [ as he leans then corrects himself ], or when walking slowly. He looks to have much better foreleg control when going faster.
I can say that my tripod, when he moves slowly, ie when just having a mooch to sniff around a couple of steps at a time, his lack of leg is apparent but when he`s running you would`nt know from his general movement that the leg is missing if that side were facing away from you, [ apart from the obvious number of legs visible of course, I mean from a gait point of view ]. His movement is so good that one time he walking in front of the tv when I was watching a program but was dozing off and I leapt up thinking he had hurt himself because he was limping - the remembered [ when I was shocked fully awake lol ], he is missing a leg

So no, things might not always be as they seem when watching vids out of context or not knowing much about the dog and the circustances.
I still did`nt think much of the Patient vid, however thats not because of him having a minor disability / balance issue [ which certainly does`nt seem a problem to him so should`nt be to anyone else really ], its because I`m not in to dogs being dressed up like that anyway unless for good reason ie feeling a chill, recouperating and having to be kept warm, t-shirt protecting stitches and the other legitimate reasons a dog may benefit from being covered up from time to time.
His pictures are used for calendars and books. I dont know if proceeds in part or whole also go to animal charities, however he does apparently attend fundraisers as a bit of a `celebrity` and in fairness, so do a heck of a lot of dogs and other animals but that does`nt mean he does`nt have a lovely life, and is obviously well loved and cared for.

I did like that the owner on the personal appearance vid made a point of saying she doesn`t want people tying to breed lookalikes as he`s a rescue of undetermined parentage anyway, so I did appreciate her being respnsible in making that point.

So, my opinion based on limited information and a few vids : He`s a very sweet dog who seems to have landed well on his wobbly little legs and so long as he is`nt phased by being photographed and going out and about, [ and lets be realistic, its a lot less time spent doing appearances than a Show dog which also gets put in certain positions but has a judge prodding them around as well, not just the owner positioning them ], then I have no problem with what she`s doing and I like that the profile created, [ around a dog who could so easily have had a dreadful end had he not been found under his circumstances ], benefits animal charities as well.

On the surface at least, I dont really see a lot of difference between his lifestyle, [ except the clothes maybe ], and any other `celebrity` dog like a Crufts winner doing photoshoots for magazines, calendars, personal appearances etc.

Edited to add :

Merchandise proceeds go to charity, not just Appearances.
From : The Pet Press
http://thepetpress-la.com/articles/winkle.htm

"Lara plans to donate proceeds from the merchandising to animal causes, and may soon establish a Winkle Foundation for that purpose".

From the same article, more re her being vocal in not wanting people to breed lookalikes :

"I wish I knew exactly how old he is,” Lara admits, “but part of the ‘what is Mr. Winkle mystique’ is keeping certain things vague.”

That includes trying to figure out what kind of dog Mr. Winkle is. “He’s just some kind of a wild, one of a kind mix. But if people hear that he might be a Pomeranian, or a Chihuahua, they might think they can go out and make a “winkle.” Next thing you know, they’ll start breeding animals, and none of them, of course, will turn out like Mr. Winkle… which will result in a lot of unwanted dogs. So since we don’t know for sure what he is, and what the mixes are, for the benefit of all animals it’s best to keep it unspecific.”

This little dog is not owned by some daffy person treating a dog like a toy and posting vids on You-tube for a `laugh` as may have appeared to be the case at first glance, the more I am reading the more I can see she is a very switched on and very articulate lady who, while maybe expressing things a little eccentrically at times, knows exactly what she`s doing for, and with, this little dog.

Thank you for that Patch!

I must admit I wondered how he could be paralysed whilst watching the video of him running around.

Hopefully what you've posted might make people here think a bit more before jumping to conclusions of animal cruelty.

I think the little lad is probably just glad of the attention!

Can I add, that Takara had a 'photo shoot' the other day at a show and there were a few too many people stood around for my liking, she was panting (and salivating because I was holding liver treats ) but she was absolutely loving the attention!!

From Site: ( Mr.Winkle & Owner try to help out other animals/kids )

YES! MR. WINKLE IS REAL!

A real what?

Most experts agree he is a member of the canine clan... mixed with something mysterious, like a teddy bear or Japanese cartoon character. Still think Mr. Winkle is made of stuffing and phony fur? Check out his short film (CLICK HERE) and watch him prance, dance and socialize.

He's a puppy, isn't he?

NO! Mr. Winkle is a full-grown male - though it's obvious he's retained buckets of boyish charm.

What's with his tongue?

It's either too big for his mouth, or perhaps his mouth is too small for his tongue. Whatever the case, Mr. Winkle considers it his most glamorous feature.

Where did he come from?

Many fans and followers believe he was beamed here from another planet to study humanity, and that Mr. Winkle is actually a mini alien in a cheap doggie disguise! Although this theory has not been disproved, Mr. Winkle's official mission on earth is to help animals and children in need through a portion of proceeds from ALL THINGS WINKLE LLC.

What do YOU think Mr. Winkle is?

Just when we think we've heard everything, someone comes up with a new one. "child of a cloud" is our latest favorite. What is your interpretation? Mr. Winkle loves hearing from his fans about his work.

And the most Frequently Asked Question:

What breed is Mr. Winkle?

Since Mr. Winkle is a rescued stray, his exact genetic makeup remains a mystery. Because his official mission is to help animals, Mr. Winkle doesn't want to create more stray little doggies, so encourages you to NOT try breeding him at home.



There is ways to contact people about mr.winkles on the site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM1mPyKNFb0 - another dog with same toung problem, I hear they get it from a stroke or a health problem along them lines and it swells and stays like that or something. I seen a video of this dog eating so dogs with these toungs can eat just fine just differenetly.


www.yogithepug.com


No one really knows why Yogi's tongue sticks out, but some speculate that he may have suffered a mild stroke as a puppy. Prob the same or from being a mix of toy dogs he has a toung problem too. I think without the toung like that the dog might not be so famous because the toung thing is rare.


Need to finish reading everyones posts.

This is one of those times I have to admit to a total canine prejudice on my part. Firstly I'm not fond of toy breeds - in my view if it's smaller than a cat, it's not a dog.

But the issue which really makes me foam at the mouth is designer doggie clothes - a waterproof jacket for an old dog or a cold whippet, yes, but pink fluffy jumpers, designer carry-bags and...God forbid...bloody booties....they really get me in me full-on rant mode.

So to me, Mr Winkles or Yogi just aren't cute, they're the Paris Hilton equivalent of the canine world - only interesting in an 'Oh God what's THAT?' kind of way.

In the Yogi item it says...

''YOGI STUFF is on sale NOW!''

so I see, this just about says it all for me .

I don't like the Yogi video and no one has changed my view on Mr Winkles either.
If I had a dog or child with a problem I would not think it appropriate to dress it up and parade it around then to sell 'look alikes',it seems like exploitation to me, but that is just me, each to his own I guess...

Edited to add..
Perhaps when we view things it is coloured by our own experiences.......
Many years ago our cat Thomas (the orphan kitten brought up by a Schnauzer) got run over. The x ray showed the bones of the spine intact, however he had nerve damage, paralysed back legs and his tongue hung out all the time. After two weeks of sitting up at night with him and no improvement we sadly called it a day.

I guess we could have dressed him up and paraded him around and had Thomas dolls made to sell, with his history they may have sold well..
Would that have been a good idea, mmmmm... I don't think so

I'm in full agreement, Mini

Both dogs are selling stuff for money, although I think its just winkles that give some money away to needy. I am clueless on the yogi thing but I have seen him around on youtube with the toung thing. I do agree its not nice to dress them up because its mainly the toung I feel that makes the dog so different then others. Which makes them stand out and being different in people's eyes. I love all dogs, so me being who I am, will find them cute but not agree really with what the owners are doing. Although if winkles is helping kids and animals then thats a good thing but still. I am unsure if you share the money you make with shelters would that be a good thing or just not a good idea overall? I am just curious on your views. I like to hear people's views.

totally inappropriate comment which forces to me bite my tongue

Got to agree here.
Not an appropriate comment for a 'dog lover's forum.
We all have our fav breeds, but to say some of our dogs aren't dog because they're small?!