Ron Reason, he of Garcia Media (and Poynter, and the St. Pete Times, yadda, yadda), is back online and blowing three years worth of dust off his site. Huzzah! Reason has heard all the wailing about declining newspaper readership and he has the answer. Schnauzers! Or something like that. (And possibly, more uses of the word "huzzah.")

A month or so ago, I trekked out to the family homestead in LaPorte, Ind., and encountered most of the family snorting like madwomen over the newspaper. Yes, the Michigan City News-Dispatch had elicited a violently positive reaction, and no doubt, several subscription renewals. (I was just glad none of these generations of happy readers had just drunk any milk!)

The paper had published not one but TWO broadsheet sections that day, featuring readers' submissions of their pets' photos. Captions told the name of the pet (predominantly dogs), named the owner, and occasionally, gave a bit more detail about a special talent (of the pet, not the owner). And the sections had ads! (I do not have PDFs of these pages but maybe the inevitable web-based frenzy over this column will inspire someone at the N-D to see this and send them to me to share with the world.

Tell me what you think newspapers need to do to elicit more uproarious snorting from giddy readers. All entries must be emailed to me PRONTO with a JPG photo (no more than 200k please) of your dog, and the more amusing or interesting the better. Tell me your name, your position and title, your newspaper, and the dog's name, and special talent (of the dog, not you) if applicable. (Bonus points if the photo or the talent involves a newspaper.) And do not forget your brief suggestion for the salvation of the industry! I will pick the finalists, post the suggestions and the photos, and then we'll have a vote!

The winner will get his or her choice of a FREE copy of Pegie Stark Adam's "Color, Contrast and Dimension in News Design," Mario Garcia's "Pure Design," or my very own forthcoming "White Space: The Ultimate Guide." (This is actually a blank Mead notebook, but it has its own special appeal.) If the winner is a miniature schnauzer, you get all three! (Sara and Mario, you are not eligible to enter.) Come on, email me here so the industry can get a new leash on life!

>Roll over, play dead? [Design With Reason]