52 Fridays - Year of the Dog

Today is Chinese New Year and 2018's Chinese zodiac symbol happens to be the Earth Dog. Here are some fun facts about the Year of the Dog.

Dog is the symbol of loyalty and honesty. Some of the best traits of human nature are used to describe our furry companions and these traits are supposedly passed on to people born in the Year of the Dog. They are honest, friendly, faithful, smart, straightforward, and often have a strong sense of responsibility. (Sound familiar?)

If you were born between Feb 4th and Feb 3rd (of the following year) during 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 or 2018, then you were born under the sign of the Dog. You also have something in common with these famous people: Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Bill Clinton, Herbert Hoover, Golda Meir, Voltaire, Marcel Proust, George Gershwin, Jane Goodall, Socrates, Prince William, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Ellen DeGeneres, Jessica Biel, Kelly Clarkson, Kirsten Dunst, LeAnn Rimes, Queen Latifah, Shirley McLaine, Susan Sarandon, Uma Thurman, Andre Agassi and Confuscius. (Not a bad crown to run with if you ask me.)

If one of your kids brings home a stray, you might want to think before you say no to keeping it. A dog will bring good fortune to those who bring them into their home this year.
​
The Chinese word for the barking sound – 旺旺 wàng wàng – actually means “prosperous prosperous" and barking dogs are considered to bring prosperity and wealth to one's house. (I honestly don't know if Dash's bark is worth the possibility of early retirement or not.)

And, in case you plan to buy a lottery ticket you might like to know that the numbers 3, 4, and 9, as well as other numbers that contain these, are lucky numbers for people born in the year of the Dog.

---

I went to a four-day power packed photographer's conference in Cedar Rapids this past week and had a great time making new friends and learning from some of the top photographers in the nation. Since it left me with very little time to come up with a unique picture of the dogs for this post, I've made you a little Chinese New Year's gift instead. It's printable on standard 8.5x11 paper or card stock. Simply click on the image. Hope you like it. :O)

If you'd like, please continue around the blog circle by starting with Tim Evans of Tim Evans Photography - photographing people and pets throughout south Mississippi. Have a great week!