As Enrico Genosse had hinted and downright promised, the VKC Dachshunds arrived during Puppy Love, the VKC Red Hot Blues Valentine Party.

"Wow!"

"She's adorable! I've been waiting forever for a dachshund!"

"I hope I win one because I am going to get the other one anyway. lool"

Drop by any of the VKC Dog Parks to meet the Dachshunds. They love visitors and they promised not to be irresistibly adorable. At least they'll try not to be so adorable. You'll find the Red dachshund pictured at left as well as the Black and Tan. Read more about the Dachshunds on their breed page.

 

Take a quick look and you will find blog posts about why a dog is preferable to a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

Reason for preferring a dog over a boyfriend have included:

• My dog is always ecstatic to see me.
• My dog loves to snuggle with me.
• My dog never comes home drunk.
• My dog never cheats on me.
• My dog doesn't care (or even notice) if I put on a little weight.

Reasons for preferring a dog over a girlfriend have included:

• My dog is always happy to see me.
• My dog is never so jealous if I played with another dog that he refused to speak to me for a week.
• My dog always likes my cooking.
• My dog never once complained when I laid around the house all day wearing just a bath robe.
• A hamburger was all it took to keep my dog quiet during a football game.

Maybe you are one of those people who simply prefers dogs to humans. A Web site in Britain, features testimonials from pet owners who claim, seriously or not, that their relationships with their dogs or cats are primary.

Of course, you may be one of a substantial group of people who prefer being in the company of both humans and dogs.

Whatever your preference, visit the VKC Photo Booth on Turing Isle to capture some Valentine moments. Bring your dog. Bring your best friend. Or, better yet, bring them both!

The VKC Valentine Photo Booth is available any time of the day or night.

 

Sometimes the best company you can have is your number one friend and sometimes it is your favorite dog. Why not bring them both to Puppy Love, the Red Hot Blues Valentine Party?

We are very excited to have Tone Uriza starting us off at noon for the first hour. His smooth, soulful blues guitar tunes consistently are a hit with the audience. Drawing from traditional and contemporary blues styles, he has a developed an eclectic style of blues that always pleases.

Then keyboardist Bluemonk Rau takes over the stage at about 1 o'clock. He plays a variety of music ranging from a touch of country to jazz, but Bluemonk mostly stays true to his blues roots. Time after time, he pleases with his combination of original tunes and covers of favorite bluesmen.

After that, it's a hour of DJ Irish Evermore spinning the tunes for us beginning at about 2 o'clock. Irish has selected a list of tunes especially selected for this party!

During the party, the grand prizer winners of the Earth Dog Hunt will be announced. Those winners in attendance will receive their prize right away! Other winners will be contacted to make arrangements to receive their prize.

Mark your calendar!

No longer do your penguins have to stand by watching as you pet and caress your VKC Dogs and Polar Bears. You asked for it and now it's here. Pet your penguin. Carry your penguin. Give toys to your penguin. Try out your penguins now poses and instincts. The updated VKC Penguin is here!

See the Release Notes for details.

We are all excited by the prospect of a new arrival next month! As part of the celebrations we have organised an interesting and challenging Token hunt across the 9 VKC Dog Parks. There are 48 Tokens and your job is to find them ALL.

As you find them, you accumulate points which can be exchanged for gifts. If you can find all 48 by the time of the Valentine's Party on 11 February 2012 (details here), your name will be entered into a Prize Draw for the new VKC Dog at the party.

Who: Everybody and their friends!

What: VKC Earth Dog Hunt — Search all the VKC Dog Parks to win great prizes and to be entered in the drawing for the Grand Prize!

When: Begins on Sunday, 15 January and goes until 11 February, 2012

Where: Start at VKC Hunt Central and follow the clues to locate tokens hidden in each of the VKC Dog Parks.

Why: For the sheer joy of it!

Date for qualifying for Grand Prize Draw: Find all 48 tokens by noon on 11 February and you will be entered in the drawing. Meanwhile, you can still use your tokens to get prizes. The available prizes may change over the hunt, assuring you of finding the prize of your choice.

Search for these tokens

How to Begin

Start at VKC Hunt Central.

Touch the Hunt Starter which registers you with the Hunt and gives you your first Clue.

Solve the Clue. This will lead you to a location, where you search for the Token. When you locate the Token, touch it. Provided it is the correct Token, it will congratulate you, add to your score, and give you a new Clue. If it is not the correct Token, it will tell you and repeat your current Clue to you.

You may cash in your Tokens for prizes at any time. To claim a prize, return to VKC Hunt Central and click on the Prize Giver for the prize that you wish to receive. The Prize Giver validates that you have sufficient Tokens and delivers the prize, decrementing your Token balance accordingly. If you do not have sufficient Tokens, the Prize Giver informs you and confirms your current balance.

You can spend as many Tokens as you like on prizes and they will still count towards your entry into the Grand Prize Draw at the end of the hunt. (Provided of course that you have found ALL the Tokens.)

If you are stuck on a particular clue, you can go to the Hunt Helper (at Hunt Central) and request a Hint.

If you are is completely stuck on a clue, you can visit the Hunt Helper and choose to Skip that Clue. This will allow you to go to the next clue and continue to collect tokens that you can exchange for prizes.

** IMPORTANT NOTE **

If you skip a clue, you cannot go back and reactivate it later. This means that you won't be able to complete all the clues and therefore will not qualify for the Grand Prize Draw when the Hunt finishes.

Where to Hunt

In the smaller parks, such as Caledon or Steelhead, the Tokens should be within the park boundaries or maybe just on the boundary. 

At Turing Isle and Canis Beach, you should consider the Training Area, Agility Course, Memorial Garden, and so on as part of the park. The Tokens may be hidden in this extended area.

The Tokens are not hidden in any of the private residences at Turing Isle or in the stores surrounding any of the Dog Parks.

The Hunt Helper Can Help You

The Hunt Helper lives at Hunt Central and may be used to confirm your current Clue, request a Hint, check your Token balance, etc. Click on the Hunt Helper and choose an option from the menu.

Hunt Helper Options

CLUE - Confirms your current Clue.

HINT - Gives a hint (if available) to help solve your clue.

TOKENS - Confirms your current Token balance.

REGION - Gives you the Region Name for the clue that you are solving.

SKIP CLUE - Allows you to Skip your current clue and get another one.

IMPORTANT! If you skip a clue, you cannot go back and reactivate it later. This means that you won't be able to complete all the clues to find all the tokens. In this case,  you will not qualify for the Grand Prize Draw when the Hunt finishes.

Hints and Tips

The Token does not give anything to you except the clue in chat. You are encouraged to make a note of your clues.

Clues are assigned at random, so if you are hunting with a friend, it is very likely that you will both have different Clues to solve.

When you solve all the available Clues, you will be informed of this and told your current Token count.

Dog Park Locations

• Caledon
• Turing Isle
• Steelhead Port Harbor
• Canis Beach
• Endeavour Cove
• Gold Rush Ranch
• Hewes
• Caledon Brigadoon
• Canis Park

---

Update 11 February 2011

Congratulations to the Grand Prize Winners from the Earth Dog Hunt: Jana Crispien, Terpsichore Resident, and BamaLady Resident! "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" gushed Terpsichore as she picked up her puppy at the VKC Dog Clinic.

These three were chosen at random from among the 46 hunters who completed the Earth Dog Hunt. A total of 221 people entered the hunt, some hunting into the wee hours of the morning in an effort to locate the cleverly-hidden tokens.

"Pretty much fun! Wish I had known about it lots sooner! Two days just isn't enough time! Thank you though! Will keep trying! Hunt is very difficult and clues sure don't help much. Especially when the item has vanished! Thankful for friendly employees!" was one of the comments left in the suggestion puppy at Turing Isle.

Other comments ranged from "This hunt is really difficult!" to "This hunt is too easy!"

 

Let's ring in the New Year together. Bring your friends and your VKC Dogs to the New Year's Party.

The fun begins at noon, SLT on Saturday, December 31, 2011. Spinning the tunes will be DJs Irish Evermore and Zizi (Elora Eternal), the gals who kept us dancing long into the night at the VKC Christmas Formal.

The party will continue as long as people are coming!

Mark your calendar:

• VKC New Year's Party
• Saturday, 31 December 2011
• Starting at noon, SLT
• In the Courtyard at Turing Isle

 

We think every family holiday photograph should include matching sweaters and caps. This is why we created the VKC Holiday Photo Booth for you and your VKC Dogs.

Easy to Use

• Click to place each of your dogs on the pose balls and instantly they are dressed in fur-trimmed hats and snowflake sweaters. 
• Click the sweaters to choose among six colors. Mix and match the colors or go for togetherness with every one in the same color. 
• Click to change the backdrop to fully customize your pix. 
• Enjoy the photographs. Share them with family and friends.

See the VKC Holiday Photo Booth in action at Turing Isle. Bring your dogs and take your holiday pictures. Create your own Christmas & New Year photographs here to share with friends & family.

 

Amid accolades and acclaim, the newest members of the VKC appeared in Second Life today. Enrico Genosse released two VKC Great Danes and the long-awaited and much-requested VKC Polar Bear Cub.

In a short while, we will add all the details, but here are the exciting bits.

Great Dane

"Magnificent," "awesome," "I love them!" are some of the comments lavished on the VKC Great Danes when they were released. Look at that regal appearance, dignity, and strength. Enjoy the friendly, energetic personality of the new dog and admire how it develops into something unique. The VKC Great Danes are available in two coat colors — Fawn and Harlequin.

Do you want your Dane's ears cropped or natural? It's your choice. This is no one-time choice. You can change your mind as often as you like with the commands "ears up" or "ears down." 

This is the first VKC Dog, indeed the first dog in all of SL, to have individual toes. Check out the feet. You'll see individual toes, not just the suggestion of toe nails and pads, on his feet. These are no ordinary toes, but carefully crafted feet prims with four toes, with hair between them, just like a real life Great Dane.

Of course, not everybody is interested in a dog's toes. Some people think more about whether the dog's collar matches their favorite color or their outfit. If so, the VKC Great Dane is for you. The collar has 41 textures built in. Plus, you can overlay RGB colors to create an infinite palate of options. Switching among them is as easy as can be. Simply speak in chat to go directly to your favorite texture or click the collar to cycle through all the possibilities. 

Polar Bear Cub

Are you listening? Are those bells you hear? Well, yes, they are. The VKC Polar Bear Cub wears a small bell around his neck and it jingles when he walks or runs. It's not very loud, but if it keeps you awake at night, you can turn it off. As with his big brother, the VKC Polar Bear, you can easily change the color of the bow around his neck.

This little cub will run up to you, hold up his arms, and ask you to pick him up and carry him. This is a must-see! As if the cub weren't adorable enough already. 

The familiar poses that you see in the other VKC Dogs take on a whole new dimension when the cub, with his stubby little legs and short neck and body, tries to imitate them. Additionally, the cub has a couple of poses that are unique — the hug and the crane. Ask a VKC Proven Trainer to demonstrate these for you. Soon you will be thinking of all manner of tricks that can incorporate these poses. One lady we know has already made a trick for her bear to slide down snowy hills on his little belly.

Just in time for a Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, or Winter Holiday gift for yourself or your best friend.

The VKC Great Danes and the VKC Polar Bear Cub are no copy/no mod/no transfer. If you wish to give one as a gift, please visit the VKC Marketplace shop.

 

Update 16 December

The news is out. The next VKC Dog will be the Great Dane. In fact there are two! There is a fawn and a harlequin Great Dane which will be released in the VKC Dog Parks on Saturday at noon.

Congratulations to the winners of the VKC Holiday Contest!

• Garlande Greene
• Marzipan Zanzibar
• Elmer Greene

Marzipan will receive the notice that she has won the contest when next she logs in. Garlande and Elmer have already chosen and received their Great Danes. Their family now includes Queeny, a fawn Great Dane, and King, a harlequin. They could hardly have been more pleased with the dogs. "They are adorable!!!" Garlande exclaimed. 

Original post

On Tuesday, the 347th day of the year and the anniversary of the day Sir Francis Drake set out from Plymouth, England on his famous round-the-world voyage, Enrico Genosse launched a new contest. For three successive days he sent out cryptic hints to the patrons of the Virtual Kennel Club.

Day 1

"There is something special happening this weekend at the Virtual Kennel Club. Attached is a clue for a competition we're having later this week. Keep it somewhere safe and stay tuned for more information," announced Enrico. The photograph on the left was attached as a hint.

Day 2

"A little more revealing than last night's clue, or is it still a VKC Cow," Enrico teased. "I'll be back with more tomorrow." The photograph at left was attached as the hint.

Day 3

"This is the final clue. Can you guess the next breed from the 3 clues and win a new dog?" You could imagine him smiling as he released the third clue, pictured at left.

 

How to Enter

When you think you have worked out the clues, make a notecard. Name the notecard with your avatar name — not your screen name, your login name. We want to be sure we know who you are so we can get your prize to you if you are a winner. 

Inside the notecard, write the name of the breed you think the next VKC Dog will be. To avoid any confusion, be sure to spell the name of the breed correctly with proper capitalization.

When the notecard is complete, drop it on the Suggestion Puppy (pictured at right) who sits patiently near the landing point at Turing Isle. Only one entry per person will be accepted. All entries must be received by 5 o'clock in the afternoon on 16 December 2011 (SLT).

• Notecard with your avatar login name as the title, not your screen name
• Name of breed written inside the notecard, spelled correctly
• Drop the notecard on the Suggestion Puppy at Turing Isle by 5:00 pm (17:00) on 16 December, 2011

If your notecard has a correct guess and the breed name is spelled correctly, your name will be entered into the drawing. Three winners will be chosen at random from among the entries and will receive the newest VKC Dog before it is released in the parks for adoption.

The drawing will take place and the winners announced soon after the VKC Christmas Formal, at about 6:30 pm (18:30) SLT on Friday 16 December, 2011.

 

Rules

1. No purchase necessary to enter or win
2. Eligibility The contest is open to any avatar in good standing with Linden Labs and the Virtual Kennel Club. Only one entry per avatar will be accepted. Multiple entries from the same avatar will results in the disqualification of all the entries from this avatar.
3. Contest Timing/Description The contest runs from Tuesday 13 December 2011 to Friday, 16 December 2011 at 5:00 pm (17:00) SLT. There will be three prizes awarded in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received.
4. How to Enter You may enter the contest through a notecard that you place in the Suggestion Puppy located near the landing Point at Turing Isle in Second Life. Place your login name as the title of a notecard with the name of the breed you think the next VKC Dog will be. You must use your Second Life login name, not your screen name to be considered eligible. Correct spelling is important. Incorrect spelling or capitalization of your name or the breed will result in the disqualification of the entry.
   Limit one entry per avatar. Multiple entries submitted by the same avatar will be void.
   The Virtual Kennel Club, as the sole sponsor of this event, reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to remove any entry that the sponsor believes is inappropriate, objectionable, and/or inconsistent with the positive image or good will it wishes to promote in this contest.
   All eligible participants acknowledge and agree that all entries submitted in connection with this contest are submitted on a non-confidential and non-proprietary basis and may be used by the sponsor and its agents for any and all advertising and promotional purposes including (but not limited to) in connection with the contest, in perpetuity, worldwide, in any media now known or hereafter developed.
5. Determination of Winners Three (3) potential winners will be selected in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received by the deadline on 16 December 2011 at 5:00 pm (17:00) Second Life Time (Pacific Standard Time). The random drawing will be conducted using an Linden Scripting Language (LSL) script created by VKC Assistant Parks Director Sandry Logan.
   Potential winners will be notified by Instant Message (IM) in Second Life on or about 6:30 pm (18:30) Second Life Time (Pacific Standard Time) on 16 December 2011.
   
6. Odds The odds of winning one of the three (3) prizes depend on the total number of eligible entries received for the contest.
7. Prizes The winners will receive their choice of the VKC Dog that will be released for adoption in the VKC Dog Parks on Saturday, 17 December 2011. The value of this prize is L$4800.
   No substitutions, cash equivalents (Linden currency or any other currency), or transfer of prizes are permitted, except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor who may allow transfer of the prize if the winner requests such. Limit one (1) prize per avatar during the contest period.
   Winners will be announced in world via the Virtual Kennel Club group as well as in any or all VKC media outlets, including but not limited to this website, Facebook, Twitter, and various SL-related discussion boards and blogs.

The beautiful setting and great music create just the right setting for you to wear your holiday best and dance the night away, along with your friends and your VKC Dogs.

Get out your dancing shoes. Put on your finery. Invite a friend or two. Bring your favorite VKC Dog. The social committee of the Virtual Kennel Club is hosting the first VKC Christmas Formal in the Courtyard at Turing Isle!

The fun begins at 3 o'clock in the SL afternoon (15:00 SLT) on Friday, December 16, 2011. Leading the festivities will be Colt Arun, a fine entertainer who pleased the VKC crowds at the VKC Halloween Party. Colt specializes in songs that range from country to old rock to Southern rock. Spinning the tunes will be DJs Irish Evermore and Zizi (Elora Eternal). 

The VKC Christmas Formal promises to be a wonderful event in the true VKC style! Join us for fun, live music, and the appearance of a special guest!

Mark your calendar:
VKC Christmas Formal Dance
Friday, 16 December 2011
Starting at 3 o'clock in the SL afternoon (15:00 SLT)
In the Courtyard at Turing Isle

Update 16 December

The VKC Christmas Formal was a huge success! People came early and stayed late. The gowns on the ladies were gorgeous and the gents were decked out in their holiday finery. Couples whirled and glided about the dance floor so fluidly it was as though on ice. Everyone danced and had a great time.

Keiichi Ichtama and Blu Sparkle, well mostly Keiichi, decorated the Courtyard in a grand style befitting a holiday formal. It was elegant and festive without upstaging the dancers. The eggnog was spiked, but not too much. The hors d'oeuvres were exquisite. All-in-all, it was a night that will be remembered, for all the right reasons.

About midway through the evening, the special guest, or I should say guests, arrived. Four young polar bear cubs came tumbling down the steps as they emerged from the LogSpark Store. The exclamations of delight echoed across the courtyard. Indeed, they echoed all across SL as people called their friends to come see the little cuties and exchanged comments in the VKC group.

On Saturday at noon, SLT, the Polar Bear Cubs will be released in all the VKC Dog Parks along with the latest VKC Dog, the Great Danes. That's right, I said "Danes." There are two — a fawn and a harlequin.