ohmidog!

Is lions, sweet lions.

Or so it seems from the newfound popularity of this 38 year-old video.

In case you haven’t seen it, grab a hanky and take a minute.

This version is followed by a Meredith Viera  interview with the former owners of Christian the lion — the ones who bought him from a London department store, released him into the wild, then returned for a reunion visit.  Viera was in tears after NBC’s Today Show aired the popular video — various forms of which have gotten more than 12 million hits on the Internet.

For an excellent account of the whole story, check out this MSNBC report.

Pin-ups for Pit Bulls is back with a brand new calendar for 2009, orders for which are now being taken.

You’ll remember this group, perhaps, from last year, when they were featured on the old Sun Mutts blog, along with a photo of their leader, aka Miss October, aka Dierdre Franklin.

The new calendar — proceeds from which go to organizations involved in pit bull rescue — was shot with a new crew of photographers, new models and new dogs.

To order go to pinupsforpitbulls.com, click on boutique, then calendar, then pre-order. It costs $20 plus shipping and handling.

Last year, the organization donated more than $10,000 to rescues across the country. With the funds from calendar sales, fundraisers, and art auctions, the group helps hundreds of dogs throughout the year.

The Pinups for Pitbulls also have a couple of blogs. There’s this one and this one, and there’s a myspace page as well.

(Photo courtesy of Pinups for Pitbulls)