#K9Kamp: What’s your dog’s walking style?

As I mentioned, we’ve been doing a lot of walking for this year’s K9 Kamp. Tavish and I have been supplementing these walks with some fetch and games of tug (with an occasional assist from Bella).

someecards.com - The best part of owning a dog is getting to leave places to go walk it.

Truth. (via sommeecards.com)

There are a lot of benefits to walking the dog, but I’ve come to realize that whether these walks are actually a good workout depends on which dog I’m walking.

Tavish is a speed walker. He’ll stop to sniff something occasionally, but he prefers to walk with all deliberate speed. Bella, on the other hand, prefers a leisurely stroll.

When the two of them are together, things proceed fine for the first few minutes.

Then, Bella starts to slow down, both to sniff things and because she gets tired more easily. She also tends to walk in a zigzag pattern rather than a straight line. If she ends up in front of Tavish, he acts like an impatient driver in traffic, trying to get around the slow-moving vehicle that’s inexplicably hanging out in the fast lane.

Running: I Still Want More Puppies

via giphy.com

Needless to say, walks with Tavish are much more of a workout than ones involving the Bellaface.

So, tell me – what’s your dog’s walking style?

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Tail Spin: Adorable pups spin the wheel for animal rescue

Obligatory legal disclosure: BumperPet provided me with two free t-shirts to give away to you, dear readers. The thoughts below, however, are my own. Promise.

Today’s post contains a few key items. Among them? Puppies, a spinning wheel,  adorable adoptables, prizes, and a t-shirt giveaway (at the end of this post). Who could ask for anything more? If you’re still not convinced, I submit the following photo for your consideration:

Dog Lotto

Like a wheel in the sky…

Intrigued?

Continue reading

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Bloggers are kind of like cicadas

We’ve talked about cicadas on the blog before. However, while reflecting upon my recent BlogPaws experience, it hit me. While I can’t speak for bloggers in general, I think I’ve stumbled upon an interesting discovery: pet bloggers are kind of like cicadas.

via giphy.com

Now, before you get bent out of shape, obviously there are some differences. None of the pet bloggers that I have met are freaky bugs with orange eyes. (If you are an actual cicada who maintains a pet blog, please give me a call. Or an email. I’m not sure which technology you prefer. However, I have so many questions for you. First, what kind of pet does a cicada have? A fruit fly? How do you type? Do you just hop from key to key? How do you want me to pronounce your name? Did you start life as a cicada or was it some sort of Kafka thing? Oh, and sorry for that “freaky” comment. No hard feelings?)

Continue reading

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Will I meet you at BlogPaws 2013?

In less than a week, BlogPaws 2013 will be here. It just so happens that this year’s conference is (like the 2011 event) in my metaphorical backyard. So, how could I pass up another opportunity to hang out with some of my favorite pet bloggers? Truth be told, I signed up as soon as the location for 2013 was announced last year!

I can’t wait to see some of my blogging buddies again… and to meet some of you in person for the very first time! Will you be there?

I had a wonderful time in 2011, even though I’ll admit that I was a little nervous. (If this year’s conference will be your first, have no fear. As I’m sure you can imagine, this is one fun and welcoming group! If you’d like to read about the 2011 conference through the eyes of a newbie, check out my series of posts about the experience – you might want to scroll down and start with the oldest posts first.)

Keeping an eye on the lawn...

Keeping an eye on the lawn…

(Full disclosure: Bella and Tavish will probably not be attending the conference with me. Although it’s nearby, I’m worried that they might find it a little overwhelming. So, maybe I’ll manage to work something out with Tavish, but Bella will probably have to live vicariously through me. She’s in kind of a “get off my lawn” phase with any other dog she happens to encounter these days.)

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So you want a puppy that makes puppies?

Last week, I wrote about some of the more interesting search terms that had brought people to this humble blog. I happened to glance at the search terms again yesterday, and saw a new one: “I want a puppy that makes puppies.”

Well, dear searcher… what exactly do you mean by that? I kind of hope you’re looking for some sort of child’s toy that I haven’t heard of yet. Or… do you want a real puppy that makes other puppies? Technically, most puppies – female and male – can play some role in the creation of other puppies. That being said, just because they can do something doesn’t always mean that they should.

Your search was actually pretty timely. Let me take a minute to tell you about World Spay Day, which just so happens to be today. (February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, my friend.) Did you ever watch The Price is Right? Remember when Bob Barker would tell you to help control the pet population?

That’s what we’re talking about today. I struggled with what to say in this post – spay and neuter is occasionally controversial, but I am in support of it. I’m not looking to court controversy today, however – I believe in encouraging people to do their homework and really consider their options.

I’ve shared this video (and others in the same campaign) before, but I think today is a good time to share it yet again:

It’s something to think about, right?

Be the Change for Animals is hosting a blog hop for World Spay Day. I encourage you to swing by BtC4A and then check out the posts below to learn more about spay and neuter. Before you follow through on that goal to let your puppy make other puppies, you might want to consider all of your options and the impact your choices can have on other cute pups out there.

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Imitation is the sincerest form of insanity

Today’s post is inspired by my pal Kristine from Rescued Insanity. She recently shared some common search terms that led people to her blog. The results were pretty entertaining. (Go check them out… I’ll wait. Funny, right?)

They (?) say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So, I’ve decided to flatter the heck out of Kristine today and steal borrow get inspired by her idea.

Anyway… to the search terms!

In not-shocking news, a lot of people end up here by searching for “punny dog names” or “punny cat names” (and occasionally, for “punny animal names”). One day, I truly hope to become the preeminent website for ridiculously punny names. A gal can dream, after all.

“it’s funny how people twist words” – I hope so, as that’s my bread and butter.

“pet names for hairy men” – I wonder if one of my punny pet names was of use. I’m not sure if I’m flattered or frightened that this searcher ended up here.

“What kind of dog is in the Travelers commercial?” - Apparently, this question has haunted many an Internet searcher. I noticed a ton of variations on this question. Chopper the dog is spreading the word about the awesomeness of the mixed breed. Mutts unite!

“sunshine on my puppy” – Makes me happy…

Vintage Bella

“bella freud and husband” – I’m just going to help you out by leaving this link here.

“frowning quokka” – I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a quokka, but I’m not sure they are capable of frowning.

“same love gay dog” and “gay dog love.blogspot” - Well, I know why these two led you here, although the structure of your search terms puzzles me a bit. (Someone also found this site by searching “gay jude collin the pirata” – I have no idea what that means.)

“Why do you tilt your head when you are confused” and “why do we tilt our heads when confused to the right” - Because it seems to work for the dogs, so I thought I’d give it a try.

“power stones fan” - In fact, I’m tilting my head right now.

“my mom signs to my dog” - Pics or it didn’t happen.

“dog chewed letters on name tag. can’t read” and “dog walker didn’t show” - I am sorry to hear both of those things, but I’m not sure how I can help you… although I might suggest you get both a new name tag and a new dog walker.

“panties in a bunch better words” – I’m glad to see I’m not the only nerdy person who thinks about this stuff.

“self carrying dog blanket” – I smell a million-dollar idea. Any leads on a self-carrying poop bag? I’m placing my order right now.

“hello is it” – this blog you’re looking for? (I think this search term delighted me the most. I wonder how many confused Lionel Richie fans end up here.)

“buy goose northern Virginia” – All those goose puns are finally catching up with me, I guess. I do not actually run an underground goose market, however.

“northern Virginia bunnies for photographers” – I assume there’s some photographer out there looking for a few good bunny models? Unfortunately, if I do have a bunny modeling agency, it is only imaginary (much like the second season of Models, Inc.).

“massage on Thanksgiving” – You’re barking up the wrong tree, bud.

“professor Garfield” – Given that I only talk about the cat, I have a feeling that this blog was not the professor you were looking for. (I do enjoy the search terms containing some variation on the Garfield “down doobie doo down down” comic.)

list of puns furrever eggcelent” – Now this one makes sense to me.

“why does every kid want a puppy?” – Um, because they’re awesome. Why don’t you just ask me why every kid wants ice cream?

“tell me more about puppies” – Happy to be of service. Pull up a chair and start surfing the archives. You might be here a while.

“no you love puppies and cupcakes” – Why, yes. Yes I do. I never claimed otherwise.

“I still highly want to” – I got nothin’. Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals.

Swing by Rescued Insanity (if you didn’t do so already, even though I told you I’d wait) to see what terms Kristine shared and to check out some funny terms in the comments. Then share your funny search terms below!

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Puppy Bowl… Monday?

Okay, so I know I’ve been a bit MIA (and left you hanging without a No Frown Friday post last week). I hope you can forgive me. It’s all due to a lack of poor planning on m part.

You see, each year we throw a Super Bowl party at our house. We had some work done on our basement recently, so I got behind on party prep. I spent the weekend cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. I meant to take a photo to post for Super Dog Sunday, and didn’t even get around to that. (I’m usually ready with a sporty photo in advance, as past years would indicate.) I even forgot to take photos of the spread for my baking blog (and actually forgot to bust out the camera at all this weekend). So, to apologize for being a bad blogger, I figured I’d atone with some adorableness…

Not impressed by the Super Bowl...

Not impressed by the Super Bowl…

Not impressed by the Super Bowl...

Ditto.

As you can see, the dogs were unimpressed by all of that party prep. Though they did enjoy getting attention from all of our guests (and they did join me to watch the Puppy Bowl before bed).

Anyway, back to regular posting soon… I should finally be able to start catching up on life this week.

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FOHA: Forty years of helping animals

Blog the ChangeFor this round of Blog the Change for Animals, I wanted to highlight an organization that has been helping animals since before I was a twinkle in my parents’ eyes.

Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) in northern Virginia has been serving the DC area since 1973. Last year, FOHA gave me a wonderful place to volunteer and a new pup in the form of Tavish. This year, FOHA celebrates its 40th anniversary. Continue reading

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Super Dog Sunday: Show us your pets!

Your pet is cute. You know it. I know it. So, show ‘em off!

Have you heard of Super Dog Sunday? Now in its third year, Super Dog Sunday is a fun photo contest that challenges pet lovers to enter football-themed photos of their pets and/or adoptable Petfinder pets. (If you use Photoshop or some other editing tool to create the perfect photo, I’ll never tell.) I’m honored to be part of the new Cheer Team that will be helping to promote Super Dog Sunday this year!

The event is 100 percent charitable and benefits the Petfinder Foundation. (Sponsors pay a fee to participate in the event, and that fee goes to the Petfinder Foundation to support its mission to help shelters and rescues so that more animals can find their forever homes. Cool, huh?)

Last year, several pets featured during the photo contest found forever homes and the event sponsors made over $1,000 in donations to Petfinder Foundation and supplied prizes for lucky entrants. Not too shabby.

Ready to play?

Have any questions? Please email
eventbarkers@gmail.comeditors@dogtipper.com, or letsadoptadogpark@gmail.com.

In addition to the photo contest, you can also get into the cheering spirit by participating in the #SuperDogPics Twitter party! The Twitter party is happening on January 20 from 4-5:30pm Eastern Time (I’ll let you do the math for your time zone) – you can RSVP here to find out more about that event.

Will you join in? Can’t wait to see your photos!

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