We’ve been announcing for a few weeks an upcoming ‘Mystery Guest’ for Fuzzybutts and Friends and there are two things that preoccupy Yer Big Dog’s mind the most – dogs and the future. For some time now, I’ve been thinking about what that future might look like and this episode is a glimpse of just that.
The emergence of Electric Vehicles brings significant lifestyle changes that affect how we interact with our canine companions. And if you’re like me, that raises some questions. My past two transports have been one size short of a cargo van which means plenty of room for YBD to travel with fuzzybutts plus gear.
But engineering and design challenges necessary for electrifying vehicles have changed up their shapes and sizes a bit, perhaps the most interesting of which is the trunk - now called a ‘Frunk’ from its newly found front end location. I suppose it was only a function of need and time that pet parents would discover novel uses for the Frunk and build a community around it. One of the first of which is Earl Banning. He’s the father of Norman and Wilson and founder of Frunk Puppy, a wonderful lot of EV owners and dog moms and dads round the world.
I’ve been following Earl for a while now and he’s a legend for good reason. Not only is he helping EV adoption along the S curve with pet parents but he’s also the host of Frunk Puppy Friday. Every week, the top 4 dogs (or cats) pictured in a Frunk are selected and voted on and the winner gets rich with 1 MILLION $Floki!
But that’s a big job for any one person and perhaps the reason I refer to him affectionately as ‘Old Earl’ even though I think he’s 2/3rds my age. I also respect his sense of adventure in testing the limits of electric vehicles with his fuzzybutts. Their family unit has traveled far in Teslas and Earl assures me EVs can accommodate big fuzzybutts!
And then we turn our talk to Dogecoin. Most people know it as a cryptocurrency but it’s more than that. It’s DOGE. Or what I understand it as - the ‘Way of Dog’ or the ‘People of Dogs’.
Doge is a community mostly found on Twitter it seems & tho I’m not yet a holder of the coin (I will be in time for our upcoming episode exclusively on Doge), I’ve spent many months following the their top people.
Their motto and the coin’s acronym is ‘Do Only Good Everyday’, & whether you’re an early adopter of cryptocurrencies or not, it’s just a good life philosophy to uphold. The people of Puppy Up know that! And, the people of Doge act on that principle as well with ‘Tipping’ as a central way of expressing gratitude and recognizing value.
I’ve become a true believer in Doge not only as a way of life but as an exchange of respect and value and for those reasons, the Puppy Up Foundation will be accepting Dogecoin as part of the $100,000 for Hudson’s Hope Fund for canine cancer treatment. Learn more about that here - https://hudsonriverwalk.org/hudsons-hope/
Buckle up for this new episode about dogs and the future but before you do, follow the Frunk Puppies if at least for their Friday photo competition. Ginger tried to game the system by submitting a pic of her Kelly in a Miata trunk, but Old Earl figured it out and banned her from the group (j/k).
Also, follow Earl on Twitter @28delayslater. Disclaimer: he’s probably going to upsell you on a Super Follow. That was the cost of getting him on the show (also kidding) but I’m enjoying every second of it and the folks with Frunk Puppies are some of the funniest, furriest on Twitter.
We’re excited about the potential of fundraisers with Dogecoin and Floki and definitely look forward to following the adventures of Norman, Wilson and Old Earl on future episodes of Fuzzybutts and Friends!
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www.FrunkPuppy.com
