An Art Museum Celebration in the Heart of Detroit

When Gretchen Valade and Kevin Steen first met in February 2011, she "thought it was love at first sight," she says, recalling the "great eye contact" they initially shared at a party in Chicago. Alas, she'd failed to notice the TV set behind her—which is what Kevin, a filmmaker, had fixed his gaze upon. By the end of the night, though, he had noticed her, and they were soon dating (for a while it was long distance: he in New York City, she in Detroit). By 2016, the Michigan natives both landed in Detroit. There, in December 2016, he proposed at a friend's gallery by installing pieces of art that commemorated their relationship, with the last piece reading "Will You Marry Me?" The grand gesture inspired the couple's next move: a wedding at the Detroit Institute of Arts. "We loved the idea of getting engaged in a gallery and married in a museum," says Gretchen, a retail merchandiser.

To avoid fighting against the museum's inherent beauty, the couple pulled design inspiration from the venue's artwork to coincide with their desired timeless and elegant vibe for their August 26, 2017 wedding. Their color palette came from the Diego Rivera Mural within the art institute, and they based their invitations off the museum's artist plaques. "We added where it was necessary, but we also left spaces alone, just adding greens and candles," says the bride. "It was important for us that it felt intimate, even in such a large space." The ultimate goal was to give guests what felt like a private tour of the museum, which Gretchen and Kevin effortlessly pulled off as the wedding migrated throughout the locale, starting with the ceremony in the colorful Rivera Court and ending the night with dancing outside the building.

Keep reading to see how this couple pulled off their beautiful art-infused Detroit wedding, captured by Sarah Falugo and planned by Mood Events.

Even the couple's invitation suite was inspired by their venue. "We pulled colors from the Diego Rivera Mural and even the museum's artist plaques inspired our invitation design," says the bride.

When it came to her wedding dress, Gretchen wanted a look that felt understated and elegant. She turned to a high-neck, sleeveless silk sheath gown with a low V-shaped back. "My favorite element of this dress was that I felt comfortable and like I could move and be 'me' on my wedding day," she says of the ensemble, designed by Charlie Brear.

Pet Subjects: Telegraph vet Pete Wedderburn answers your questions

My Staffie cross is a lovely dog, but whenever we are out, she eats anything and everything she can find. She doesn’t beg at the table but as soon as she is out, anything vaguely edible is swallowed. If I let her off the lead, she makes a beeline for any rubbish bags in sight. Help!

Dogs are natural scavengers, but you should still be able to train her not to do this. She could easily eat something harmful, and even if she doesn’t, this behaviour is a nuisance for you and for others. The answer is to teach her the “leave it” command: visit positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/leave-it to learn how. You should soon be able to stop her in her tracks by saying “leave it” in a firm voice.

My seven-year-old male Balinese cat, Moska, is very timid, going into hiding whenever we have visitors. We have a four-week trip planned to New Zealand. Would it be unfair to leave him at home for that length of time with a pet sitter coming in twice a day? Or should I try to get him into a cattery? He gets very stressed if we try to put him into a cat carrier.

Nervous cats like Moska love their own routine, in their own home. I am sure a good cattery will care for him well, and he’d be very safe and secure, but of course it would involve some stress, not least in travelling there and back. A sensitive, cat-loving pet sitter sounds like the option he’d prefer, if he could ask you. Sitters can be costly, but if you use trustedhousesitters.com, you can find experienced pet sitters with references who’ll mind Moska free of charge, in exchange for the opportunity to stay in your home for their own holiday.

Different Dogs, Different Breeds

Pets play a huge part of our lives. At different times of our lives my husband and I have experienced the joys of having a cat. Recently we have fallen in-love with our daughter and son-in-law’s Siberian Husky. Now, I guess you could say “move over cats, dogs are special too!” Here I have listed the different dog breeds and their characteristics.

The Toy dog is defined as being under 20 pounds. Besides being lap dogs, many are smart, stubborn, and rule the roost. They make excellent pets for apartment dwellers and seniors as they can get plenty of exercise indoors. Sporting dogs are the larger dogs that need lots of exercise but make great companions. These dogs are the ones you take hunting with you. Breeds include Labrador Retrievers, Irish Setters, Brittanys, American Water Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels, and German Shorthaired Pointers.

These dogs hunt by smell, not sight. The scent hounds, such as the Beagle and the Fox hounds, run with their nose to the ground to follow an animal’s scent. Their size ranges from medium to large. Breeds include Bloodhounds, Beagles, Coonhounds, Dachshunds, Foxhounds, Harriers, Petit Basset Griffons Vendeens, and the Otterhounds.


Sight hounds are dogs who hunt on instinct when they see prey moving; then, by using their speed they overtake their prey. They have a wide size range; from toy to giant. Sight hounds are very fast runners. As for grooming goes the Greyhound is a wash-in-wear dog.

Grooming in the dog

The regular grooming of the dog not only serves the body care alone, but also helps the owner in the early detection of diseases. In addition, the combing is perceived by the dog as a care, which positively influences the trust and the bond to humans.
 
Not every dog ​​needs to be brushed, depending on coat length and texture. The coat care in dogs should also be adapted to the seasons, because especially in spring and autumn, thorough brushing is particularly important to remove dead hair by changing the coat. Otherwise, they can hinder the free air circulation of the underlying skin.

Neglecting fur care in the dog can quickly matt the hair, which not only leads to an unkempt appearance, but also a risk factor for ectoparasites and other skin problems , such as bacterial dermatitis.

The brushing is particularly important in the context of grooming the dog. Longhaired dogs should first be combed out with a comb or harrow loose hair from the top coat and especially the undercoat. Then the entire coat is brushed with a hard brush in long strokes - it should always be worked with the stroke. The powerful brushing not only removes loose hair, it also stimulates blood circulation in the skin. On the one hand, this promotes better hair follicle supply and, on the other hand, secretion of sebum, so that the skin is better protected against adverse conditions. Which brush is best suited for this depends on the condition of the dog fur. Offered are both plastic materials,

The thorough grooming of the dog must be carried out at least once a week, depending on the type of coat. For long-haired dogs such as the Tibetan Terrier or Longhair Collie , however, it should be done on a daily basis. The equipment for grooming the dog is quite manageable in races with smooth fur and little undercoat. Here, a brush is usually sufficient to remove the loose hair. For the care of rough and wire-haired breeds such as Airedale Terrierand Schnauzer, however, a trimmer is needed, which removes the strong undercoat and the dead cover hair. Long-haired representatives require the most intensive care and should be treated daily with a comb and a brush. Some breeds also need a regular shearing. However, this should be left to a specialist, since the risk of skin injuries is relatively high here.

His dog wakes him up in the middle of the night, when he understands why he is calling for help

A few days ago, Jacques Salaun - a baker in Roche-Maurice - was woken in the middle of the night by his dog Loustic, a German Shepherd usually very wise. It is then 2:30 in the morning. The dog jumps on his master's bed to wake him up. Immediately, Jacques Salaun understands that something is wrong because this behavior is not usual for his dog.

A rescue of accuracy
It is there that he notices smoke in his room and feels a slight burning smell . In fact, a fire had started in the bakery under the bedroom. It was therefore necessary not to lose a second. Jacques Salaun immediately contacts the firemen and catches a fire extinguisher in an attempt to extinguish the fire, in vain because it is already too important.

Once outside, the firefighters quickly took over the fire and got through it. Unfortunately, the trade was still well damaged and work will be needed. Jacques Salaun and his dog are totally unscathed , thanks to the quick intervention of Loustic without whom all this could have ended much worse.


And the firefighters confirm that if they had been warned 15 minutes later, everything would have burned. So we can say that Loustic is the hero of the day!

Corals eat plastic because they like the taste

For years, scientists thought corals accidentally ate the plastic debris that washed into their waters because they mistakenly took them for prey. But a new study from Duke University shows this is not the case: the plastic just tastes good.

Just like humans, corals are drawn to food that is bad for them, it would seem. The researchers tested corals they had collected off the North Carolina coast, by giving them a variety of options to eat, including bits of sand and plastic.

The plastic can’t be mistaken for prey because coral don’t have eyes, so they have no way of seeing what they are about to eat. The researchers think some of the chemicals found on the plastic might be making it taste nice to the coral.

While corals might like the taste of plastic, it does not mean it is good for them to consume it. Plastic is almost completely indigestible, so it causes blockages, create a false sense of being full, or reduce the energy reserves in animals that eat it. “About 8% of the plastic that coral polyps in our study ingested was still stuck in their guts after 24 hours,” says Allen.


“Ultimately, the hope is that if we can manufacture plastic so it unintentionally tastes good to these animals, we might also be able to manufacture it so it intentionally tastes bad,” Seymour says. “That could significantly help reduce the threat these microplastics pose.”