Kellan Lutz and his best friend, Kola

The male stars of The Twilight Saga: New Moon are positively balmy for dogs. Yesterday we reported on Robert Pattinson’s desire to become a dog. And today, on the eve of the movie’s release, we find out that co-star Kellan Lutz’ dog is the world to him. “My dog is my life,” he said in an interview with  Doggie Aficionado Magazine. He and his dog, Kola, are the cover stars of the winter edition.

Yesterday, on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Kellan melted the audience when he told of how he came to get Kola (who apparently scores more fan mail than most actors could ever hope for). He’d been through a painful breakup, was pretty new to Los Angeles, and wanted a friend.

The refreshing news is that he didn’t go hunting for a purebred. He wanted to adopt. He visited 12 shelters in pursuit of his soulmate dog. When found her, she was cowering in the back of the cage. “Dude, she’s polar,” he said the attendant warned. But there was something about her. The audience particularly liked the part when she buried her head between his legs (the dog, not Ellen). You can watch the interview below and see for yourself.

And if you just can’t get enough Kellan Lutz, below the Ellen segment we bring you a taped interview from the Doggie Aficianado photo shoot. Ironically it’s less about dogs than the Ellen interview. We’d like to know what he is doing with his right arm for the first half of the interview. It’s a little disconcerting.

Look at that scruff. We'd say he's well on his way toward his dream!

Robert Pattinson would very much like to be a dog.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon actor feels a “deep connection” with dogs, reports Monsters and Critics. When asked what he’d become if he could truly transform from being human, he did not say a vampire. No, he said what any brilliant, wonderful person would say: “I think I’d be a dog…There’s a deep connection between me and dogs.” Since we are an all-dog staff, Robert has just shot up to be our number-one big-screen idol.

“The lifestyle of a dog has always fascinated me: You sleep, sit around, get stroked, eat and get walked from time to time. That’s great!” he said.

I hate to remind him, but the “eat” part of the equation often involves kibble. But far be it for me to discourage him, and we’re pretty sure he gets plenty of strokes as it is. What’s important is that this man, who is the reason many tween and teen girls get out of bed every morning, wants to be one of us. He wants four legs and a tail, and all the good stuff that comes with it.

A little sentence in a 12-page Vanity Fair spread about the star this month confirms his love of dogs: “All that he really wants is a home, so he can get a dog, since the West Highland white terrier he had since the age of five and ‘who was like my sister’ died last Christmas.”

And here’s further proof that he’s at one with dogs. The below video is apparently of him singing Stray Dog. It’s not really a video. It’s a picture, with him singing the song. Try as we might to find a video of him actually moving his lips and singing, we could not. Since we couldn’t understand most of the lyrics, we assume he truly was moving his lips. But maybe he sang this with his vampire teeth in. That’s always difficult. If it sounds more like he’s saying “Stray Door” than “Stray Dog,” you’re not alone.

We're sure Ashley Greene's Twilight co-star Kelian Lutz is checking out her pup, Marlow...

On the eve of New Moon, which opens later this month, star Ashley Greene says she is shocked by her Twilight fame — and even more surprised by the accompanying fame of her dog, Marlow.

“It’s crazy, right?” she says in the December issue of Maxim. “I think my dog is more famous than a lot of stars out there. I bet some people in Hollywood are like, ‘I can’t get my picture in a mag, but Ashley’s pooch does?’ It’s mind-boggling.”

Now that has got to make a lot of wannabe stars feel good! You are so scoring points with up-and-coming actors, Ash!

But we wonder: Could Marlow’s fame come from the fact that she (Marlow is a girl) has fangs and a bit of fur, as do the vampires in Twilight? That would add to the dog’s fledgling cult status. Or could it simply be that in almost every picture, Ashley is hugging her tight to her chest?

This is what Ashley Greene looks like when she's not holding Marlow

One last deep thought: Marlow is a toy Fox Terrier. We think Fox Terriers are small enough as it is. Full-grown female Fox Terriers weigh about 15 pounds — the same as I do. Why this big need to make them smaller yet? It seems like humans are making mini versions of every dog these days. Is it so we can fit on the bosoms of starlets? Is it so we can be sneaked into malls and movies and planes? I ask this from the perspective of life as a small Jack Russell. What’s in store for future generations of my ilk? Little 5-pound Jack-ette Russells who get stepped on accidentally and obliterated? This Frankensteinian madness has to stop!

But I digress…

This guy looks more like an engorged tick than a dog!

Do you know a portly pooch? A fat Fido? A corpulent canine?

Tell him not to hang his heavy head. Sure, it’s better for him if he sheds some pounds, but he may soon have his time in the spotlight (the ultra-wide spotlight). The E! show, Chelsea Lately, is asking anyone who knows a very fat dog to submit a picture of their larger than life friend to their show at the above link.

The prize? Not much: The rotund Rover’s photo may have a chance to be seen on Chelsea’s show one of these nights. We’re not talking a $1 million modeling contract. But at least full-figured dogs will be able to flaunt their paunch instead of trying to suck it in to seem more svelte.

We’re not sure why Chelsea is asking for photos of fat dogs. We can only hope it has nothing to do with all this talk lately about how eating dogs isn’t such a bad idea. Could Chelsea be looking for her Thanksgiving dinner? We shudder. We shudder… (And now we actually are happy and relieved for our friend, Fat Bob, who has dropped dozens of kilos from his frame recently. He will escape her beast feast.)

Our wide-screen TV is warmed up and tuned in…

There IS a certain similarity...

Word is out all over Hollywood media and blogs today that Owen Wilson will play the voice of Marmaduke in the upcoming Fox CGI/live-action movie adaptation of the comic.

Oh boy, Owen Wilson in another dog movie! We Dog Daily News staffers are fainting from joy! (This is not sarcasm, by the way. It is sophisticated facetiousness and illuminated irony.)

Nothing against Owen, but the guy bugged us in the movie, Marley & Me. He was just so cutesy-wootsy-boysy-woysy. Ick. And he looked nothing like the “Me” of the title. That “Me” guy, John Grogan, worked with a human friend of ours at a Florida newspaper in the 1980s. She reports that their only physical similarities are they they both have two eyes, two ears, and a nose.

Yeah, Owen Wilson looks JUST like the Marley & Me guy! Not! That's Marley, being held by John Grogan, decades before blondie boy would play the role. (The role of John Grogan, although in truth, Owen looks more like Marley.)

John Grogan truly couldn’t be more different looking than Owen. He had more fur on his face than Marley had on his whole body. And those 1980s glasses! Gotta love ‘em! Why didn’t Owen sport those in the film? Probably because he didn’t want to look like a complete dork.

Well, we’re getting off the subject. We think it’s very amusing that Owen will be playing the voice of Marmaduke. Why? Because at least in the comic, Marmaduke never talks!

So actually, maybe these stories appearing in the Hollywood Reporter and countless star-o-rama blogs are good news. Owen Wilson will play the voice of a dog who doesn’t speak. He will not be seen on camera, of course. So it appears we can take a break from Owen for the next few months. But watch out for the next dog movie that starts with the letter M. He will surely be first in line for one of the starring roles.

We've all heard of chow hounds, but chow yorkies? Yuk! Too hairy! (Photo illustration: Darrell Eager, Wall Street Journal)

The book, “Eating Animals,” hits the shelves today. It has already received tremendous accolades from critics of all stripes and spots. Natalie Portman writes in the Huffington Post that she read the book — a preview copy, we assume, which we did not have the privilege of receiving at Dog Daily News — and turned from a 20-year vegetarian to a vegan. Now how’s that for an endorsement?

The book is about what it really means to eat animals these days. Factory farms are clearly in its sites. But it’s not just your standard “this is so sad, and look at what it’s doing to the environment” tome. The book, by novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, is described in a Huffington Post review as “a triple marvel: the research is serious and far reaching, the writing clear, clever, accessible and in a few instances graphically ingenious, and the cause is genuinely important.”

We look forward to getting our paws on a copy. Too bad Jonny boy didn’t send us a comp copy like he sent to Natalie. Maybe we’re not cute enough. Or maybe it’s because we’re dogs? Could he have a thing against dogs? He sure loves them chickens and cows, but what about us dogs?

This baby obviously read Jonathan Safran Foer's writings

We investigated. And what we found out made our stomachs turn: This alleged vegetarian has just written an article for the Wall Street Journal entitled, “Let them eat dog: A modest proposal for tossing Fido in the oven.” It could be an excerpt from the book, but as you may recall, he didn’t send us a copy, so we wouldn’t know. Here are some excerpts. (Do not read beyond this if you are a dog. Especially if you are eating breakfast.)

• Despite the fact that it’s perfectly legal in 44 states, eating “man’s best friend” is as taboo as a man eating his best friend.

• Dog meat has been described as “gamey” “complex,” “buttery” and “floral.” And there is a proud pedigree of eating it…Hippocrates praised dog meat as a source of strength. Dakota Indians enjoyed dog liver, and not so long ago Hawaiians ate dog brains and blood. Captain Cook ate dog…And dogs are still eaten to overcome bad luck in the Philippines; as medicine in China and Korea; to enhance libido in Nigeria and in numerous places, on every continent, because they taste good.

• Of course, something having been done just about everywhere is no kind of justification for doing it now. But unlike all farmed meat, which requires the creation and maintenance of animals, dogs are practically begging to be eaten. Three to four million dogs and cats are euthanized annually. The simple disposal of these euthanized dogs is an enormous ecological and economic problem. But eating those strays, those runaways, those not-quite-cute-enough-to-take and not-quite-well-behaved-enough-to-keep dogs would be killing a flock of birds with one stone and eating it, too.

This "modest proposal" gives new meaning to the words, "dog food."

• Few people sufficiently appreciate the colossal task of feeding a world of billions of omnivores who demand meat with their potatoes. The inefficient use of dogs—conveniently already in areas of high human population (take note, local-food advocates)—should make any good ecologist blush. One could argue that various “humane” groups are the worst hypocrites, spending enormous amounts of money and energy in a futile attempt to reduce the number of unwanted dogs while at the very same time propagating the irresponsible no-dog-for-dinner taboo. If we let dogs be dogs, and breed without interference, we would create a sustainable, local meat supply with low energy inputs that would put even the most efficient grass-based farming to shame. For the ecologically-minded it’s time to admit that dog is realistic food for realistic environmentalists.

Jonny even gives a real Filipino recipe for Stewed Dog, Wedding Style.

We assume that the author (who didn’t send us a book, in case you were wondering) is writing most of this tongue-in-cheek (and not dog cheek, we pray). At least we hope so. But you never can tell with a cow and chicken hugger. And it’s true that a lot of people around the world like to eat dogs.

Click on book fan Natalie Portman and she'll show you where to vote

My canine cousins are often crammed en masse into tiny cages and live utterly abysmal lives. We Dog Daily News staffers can’t believe this still happens. It does. And if people take Jonny’s “modest proposal” seriously, dogs in these 44 states he mentions (do tell, Jonny, is California among them?) might want to think twice before taking the offer of someone who says they want to have them over for dinner…

So we ask you to cast your vote. The Wall Street Journal is conducting a poll asking people to say yes or no the question, “Would you eat dog?” So far the No votes are outnumbering the Yes votes, but only by a ratio of about 2 to 1. Come on people, we can do better than this! Do that many of you really think it’s OK to eat dogs? We’re not talking hot dogs here, we’re talking Chihuahuas and poodles and German shepherds. And even Jack Russells!

Stop the madness! Cast your vote! My life may depend on it!

Jen treats beloved dog Norman like her child, friends say (Photo: Elle)

Poor Jennifer Aniston. It looks like she may be losing her dear Corgi-Terrier, Norman. The boy is 14, and apparently suffering from severe health problems related to digestion, according to an article in Screen India.

Jen is said to be terrified she could be losing him soon. She has another dog, a 3-year-old white German Shepherd named Dolly. But Norman has been with her through many of her relationship difficulties. (She got him after her breakup with Brad Pitt.) Last year he was rumored to “hate” then Jen-Man John Mayer. Apparently Jen listened to Norman’s counsel.

Here are some choice nuggets about Norman, gleaned from an article on Examiner.com.

Jen and Norman have been almost inseparable for years (Photo: Examiner.com)

• He is not a typical fluffy, foofy, puffy-wuffy celeb dog. He is as down to earth as she appears to be.

• He was to have some scenes in Marley & Me, but he ended up on the cutting room floor.

• To ease his older dog aches and pains, Jen takes him to get massages, acupuncture, and Reiki treatments.

• Earlier this year he ran away from their Malibu home and was rescued by none other than the omnipresent paparazzi.

A Monsters & Critics article this summer noted that Norman is a rather jealous dog. On the set of Marley & Me, he was allegedly kept away from most of the pooches Jen was shooting with because of his jealousy of them. (We’re not sure how he showed this jealousy. Did he turn green? Did he bark and growl? Did he write threatening letters?) It’s understandable that he’d be a bit protective of his person, especially since she’s known for going almost everywhere with him.

If Norman ends up in the promised land of slow cats and steak trees, it will be a hard transition for Jen. She’s gotten through many rough patches in her life. But Norman was at her side.

Norman and Jen, our thoughts are with you.

Now there's a happy looking dog. Buttercup is a West Highland terrier dressed as a queen bee. We think she should sting the lady behind her for making her wear this costume.

Once again, it’s time for that annual tradition of humiliating your dogs by dressing them up in outlandish costumes and parading them around like hapless  toddlers. Howl-o-mean is what we call it in the office. Last year my people dressed me as a butterfly. A pink butterfly. I will not include the five dozen photos they took. It’s a memory that even therapy can’t erase, try as I might.

The slideshow credit says this is Tuffy the Chihuahua dressed as a skeleton. But obviously the dog IS a skeleton, dressed as a punkster.

The Howl-o-mean season kicked off with the 5th Annual Times Square Dog Day Masquerade. This hallowed ground that rings in the New Year is now the very place that welcomes the season of humiliation.  Check out the poor embarrassed participants in this Huffington Post slide show.

Dogs, a word of advice if your person starts getting that “let’s go to the pet store to see what cute little costume will fit you, poochy-woochy!” look: Run, don’t walk, into the bathroom, lock the door, and don’t come out until Thanksgiving. (Be sure you stock up on provisions now. Hide nonperishable food items in the medicine cabinets and vanity. The toilet will provide all your water needs, so don’t worry about thirst.) Trust me. A month of life in a bathroom is worth it if it can prevent you from years of therapy and recurring nightmares.

Steve Martin wrote the song, you produce the video!

Steve Martin wrote a catchy little song for his dog, Wally, and he thinks it needs a music video. The thing is he says he’s just a bit busy to make one himself, and doesn’t really know how anyway, so he’s looking for your help. (It may just be a ploy to get a lot of people to download his new song for 99 cents, but we’ll play the game.)

The official contest website states that since “Wally on the Run” is about Steve’s dog,  your music video should have a dog (or many dogs) in it.  We kind of figured as much. First prize: $1,000! Second prize: 99 cents, to cover the cost of the music download.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Download the song “Wally on the Run” here

2. Make a music video for the song – remember, it has to feature dogs!

3. Join the Motionmaker program here

4. Upload your video to Dailymotion and add the video to this group

And that’s it! Official Terms & Conditions can be found here

The contest winner will be chosen by Steve! Contest ends December 1, so start filming soon!

We Dog Daily News staffers are going to try to get someone to film us, but frankly, we’re a rather unathletic bunch. Ida is a great runner, but Jarvis is far too proper to be caught running, Zulu expends all his energy being high strung, and I run a news blog, not a track.

Jessica Simpson adored her little dog (Photo: St. Clair/Goddard/Splash News Online)

People can be such twits. (We can safely say that, since we are an all-dog staff.) A month after Jessica Simpson’s beloved dog, Daisy, was snatched away by a coyote while Jessica watched in horror, she says friends and relatives are still hearing from imbeciles who say they’ve found her little maltipoo.

Jessica tweeted almost immediately after the coyote took Daisy, just in case the dog somehow escaped the coyote’s jaws. And she’s using Twitter once again to tell people to let Daisy rest in peace.

“People have been contacting my family and friends saying that Daisy has been found. Untrue. People are so cruel..please respect her memory,” she tweeted. We hope the chowderheads who have nothing better to do with their lives will listen.