Yappy Hour Zine Reviews: Record Shopping in Mumbai, What's Wrong with Him? and more

Yappy Hour is a volunteer program at Pima Animal Care Center where people can read to dogs by their kennels for quality socialization time. This blog shares reviews of zines read during Yappy Hour, as well as information about the adoptable dogs being read to!

Did you know that in many dog shelters around the country, there are volunteer opportunities to read to dogs? This program, Yappy Hour, is beneficial for shelter dogs (especially shy, nervous or undersocialized pups) as it helps prevent shelter decline, improves quality of life, in addition to increasing their likelihood of getting adopted. 

For the Yappy Hour versions of our zine reviews, we share zines that we read to shelter dogs at Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) and share information on both the reads and the adoptable dogs!

I forgot to take pictures during yappy hour while kind of makes this whole blog feel a little disjointed to connect the zine stuff to the dog stuff, but here are some videos so you can see yappy hour in action:

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Guess That Shopping Center & Ginger
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This may be one of the first zines I ever bought, most likely before I even knew what zines were really all about and how much they'd end up meaning to me. And while zine reviews are usually for new issues or ones at least still in print, I think zines of the past are always worth highlighting because their inspiration is forever! Zines truly never go out of style. 

Guess That Shopping Center is a commentary and critique on the overwhelming monotony of strip malls in America presented in a clever and interactive way. After a few short pages of information about shopping architecture and its impact on American consumerism (did you know that 25% of out built environment is shopping space?), this zine is filled with photographs of various strip malls around Tucson, Arizona. There's a map in the center where you can guess which photograph corresponds to which number on the map, and even the zinester's email where you can see if you got your guesses right! It's like a super abysmal scavenger hunt of sorts. After flipping through this zine, you're left to wonder about the usefulness of shopping architecture. What could be improved? Does it need to follow this existing paradigm? Do we need to participate in it the way we currently do? Why are there so many of the same strip mall businesses in a moderately sized city?
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What I love about this zine, and a reason I'm glad this was one of my very first zines, is because it exemplifies what zines can do best. They can share pertinent information, thoughtful questions, pressing ideas, community resources, all while staying personal and lighthearted. And speaking of the timelessness of zines, this particular issue's themes have held up strong seeing how it's been 10 years since it's publication, and all these strip malls around town look exactly the same, except with more "Going Out of Business" and "For Rent" signs. The evolution of shopping has drastically changed in ten years and a majority of shopping is now done online, but these empty strip malls are still taking up a quarter of our landscape and look exactly the same. So then, what are our other options than strip malls? This zine doesn't give answers, instead it's presented with an assumption that we all know there's an alternative to the planned suburban hellscapes we've created. It's a call to question, which in a way is its own direct call-to-action.
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I also appreciate that the zine ends by describing the beautiful sunny day that he shot the photos, back in August 22, 2014, and that he "listened to Scott Simon on NPR (Yuck!), David Bowie (STATIONTOSTATION), Golden Boots (Winter of Our Discotheque) and Bob Dylan (Time of Mind)". Once again, some things in Tucson never change, like the fact thatlocal band Golden Boots still, in fact, rule.

Speaking of never going out of style, please meet Ginger (A513843)! Ginger is a senior gal who has bounced around far too much in her life, and is looking for her furever home to spend her retirement years. I picked this zine to read to her because she too has been around long enough to feel the monotony of architecture, although she's more concerned about shelter environments than strip malls (although honestly? probably very similar). She has been brought back to the shelter many times to no fault of her own (moving, grandkids leaving the door open, etc.), but despite all this, she is still optimistic. 

Some fun facts about her include that she is: housebroken, loves to ride in the car, extremely affectionate, knows many tricks, and gets along with other dogs (though she will need a meet-and-greet with resident dogs before going home to make sure it's a good match). She may be 10 years old, but you wouldn't guess it with how much playful puppy energy she has! Please consider meeting Ginger and giving her the home she's always deserved!

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​What's Wrong With Him? & Shane

This is one of my favorite zines I scored at Tucson Zine Fest this past April. What's Wrong With Him? by local Tucson artist John Konrad takes the shape of a mystery dating game with a twist. Our main character, Sadie, is going on a first date with six potential suitors. You're presented with the photo, and before you flip the page, you have to guess what in the hell is wrong with the guy. It's laugh-out-loud funny, but what really stands out about the zine is the fabulous artwork. It mirrors the '60s Match Game style of aesthetics, but with a modern lens. I'd recommend this zine to anyone, but I think any reader who is exhausted by the modern world of dating will especially love this one. The zine is available for purchase here.

A common problem at a shelter is people will look at a long-stay resident dog and think...what's wrong with him? Surely if a dog has been at the shelter for a long time, it must mean he/she is a bad dog. Well I'm here to tell ya that that's downright false! Shane (A832450), aka my favorite dog currently at the shelter, is a fabulous example of that. I took Shane home for a day trip and I found out that he is housebroken, well-mannered, loves to play with toys, gets along with other people, non-reactive to dogs, craves human companionship, and is all around a really, really good boy!

Sometimes dogs become long term residents simply because they don't show well in their kennel, don't have distinguishing features, or in the case of Shane...are honestly just kinda goofy looking! He's not the most typically handsome guy, but that's also what makes me think he's the cutest dog ever!! He's got bulging cross eyes with a gremlin smile. I would say he's an exact cross between Marty Feldman and Mogwai. How many other trendy look-a-like doodley dogs can claim that as their celebrity doppelgangers?!

​Stay Cool Madonna & Lohi

This is another one of my favorite I got at Tucson Zine Fest. As stated on the author's website:

A rare and otherwise unmatched collection of fan art pertaining to one enduring megastar, assembled at the height of her celebrity from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. To have access to such an archive, one must either BE a megastar or represent such a megastar. Almost no one falls into these categories; these works are more closely guarded than FBI files or Pentagon papers. Accumulated by Madonna's management company and intended for disposal, an enterprising, anonymous employee rescued this bounty (leaving behind dozens of bags full of similar materials to be incinerated.) They remained in storeage for over twenty years before emerging again. 

The first time I did a lap around the zine fest, I just overheard that it was a book about Madonna fan mail and I passed, as I'm not a huge Madonna fan. But I'm SO glad I did another pass and got this book (a testament to the importance of doing laps at any event!) because it's so much more than a book about Madonna. In fact, it's not really about Madonna at all. It's a book about fan culture, a book about idol worship, a book about loneliness and connection all at once, and entirely explored visually with scanned fan mail images. These letters and freaky art images show every facet of fandom, in all its genuine glory and in all its disgusting depravity. The curation of this book is a work of art in and of itself. It's arranged so craftfully, like a museum display, that moves through subtle themes that narrate a story. I was so impressed by this book and couldn't recommend it enough. You will laugh, cringe, and maybe, just maybe, consider writing your favorite artist a fan letter by the end of it.

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Who's a dog at PACC that could also fill a full book full of fanmail?! Well that's Lohi, of course! MeetLohi (A821448), a long term resident who has a massive fan base amongst volunteers and staff. He first came to PACC in 2023 after being confiscated from poor living conditions, and since then he's come such a long way in becoming the best boy. He has spent time in foster and was found to be housebroken, very quiet, incredibly intelligent, rides well in cars, loves toys, very obedient and well behaved around people. And as you can tell from his photo, he is the CUTEST polka-dotted cattle pittie boy! Can you even with that smile?! 
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​ClockTower9 #17: Record Shopping In Mumbai & Remy
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In a preface to this issue, writer Danny Noonan talks about trying to remember a song he's had stuck in his head but can't seem to track down. It's not uploaded onto YouTube and the algorithms are of no help. Then, he does "the thing [he] should have done first", which is go to the local record store and find the single for $1. The moral of the story, as he puts it, is "to keep things tangible and it will have a long life". And that is the exact reason why I love this zine. It's a perzine about vinyl, but it's not about shopping for the sake of rareness, value or collecting for collection's sake, rather it gets to the heart of what vinyl community is all about - the thrill of discovering new music, and the unique connection that sharing music brings. We get to travel along with Noonan as he tracks down a shop in Mumbai with used vinyl and all of the sights and sounds along the way. He brings home all these records he's never heard before and DJs them at a local bar, to much appreciation of listeners who know they might have never heard these songs otherwise. For a moment, I was hoping to have a QR code that would lead me to some of these tracks, but then I remembered that's not what this zine is about. It's about the process of discovery, taking the time to seek out cool spaces and enjoy the conversations you have along the way.

Following this story are a some other fun submissions, like a piece reviewing an 8-track mixtape found in a thrift store (I so freaking love this concept for a review article), the best and worst pizza in Cleveland, and Noonan's favorite hardcore records from 1980-1999. All in all, a great read for any music zine fanatic! Find the zine here 
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I read this zine toRemy (A775523), a sweet, lovable dog who originally came to the shelter with a severe case of glaucoma and had to get both of his eyes removed. He didn't let that slow him down though, and he got the hang of being a blind pup quite easily! His fosters noted that it only took him a few days to learn the layout of the house. He's also house trained, crate trained, quiet in the home, and a really big lap dog. He does love to play with other dogs, but would need to meet any resident dogs before heading home since he is a bit more vulnerable. I felt that reading the above zine to Remy made sense because that zine is made with a lot of heart, and this dog has the biggest heart of all. Since I last did yappy hour, Remy has now gone into a foster home but is still looking for an adoptive family! Please reach out to Pima Animal Care Center to set up a meet-and-greet!
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​If you'd like your zine to be reviewed for Yappy Hour, please send it to:
Trial and Error Collective
c/o Wooden Tooth Records
426 E. 7th Street
Tucson, AZ 85705

For more Yappy Hour volunteer information, check out @yappyhourstorytime on IG