Tag Archives: grouchy puppy

It’s almost New Year’s Barkin’ Eve…

Posted on by
19

It’s the last No Frown Friday of 2011… let’s jump right in, shall we?

  1. Your final punny pet names of 2011 are a nod to a rockin’ New Year’s Eve… Dick Bark and Ryan Fleacreast.
  2. I want this Gizmo cake. A lot.  
  3. Since we’re strolling down Memory Lane yet again, enjoy this collection of ’90s heartthrobs. (I was a Jonathan Brandis girl myself… I wept salty SeaQuest tears when I heard he passed away a few years ago.  On a related note, now I want to write a parody called FleaQuest DSV.)
  4. You know I’m all about all-dog productions, including The Wizard of Oz. Thus, I want to get the pawtograph of these two munchkins.
  5. I bet that most pet lovers can relate to this graph.
  6. It’s no Ham Skillet, but I enjoyed this story about a dog named L.L. Bean.
  7. Speaking of adorable adoptables, did you read yesterday’s interview with my favorite shelter pet photographer?
  8. At this time of year, thoughts naturally turn to New Year’s resolutions. I don’t generally make any, but part of me wants to resolve to enjoy life as much as this cat does.
  9. Maybe you’re just resolving to work out more?  I think this cat would make a good trainer.
  10. This year, I want to do some more decorating around the house. Perhaps I can take some inspiration from these adorable pets in designer rooms.
  11. Ever wonder if dogs make New Year’s resolutions?  Cleo from Grouchy Puppy makes a pretty convincing case against them.
Whatever challenges you may face in the new year, I have four words of advice… 
Be like this puppy.


(via Life With Dogs)

Slay those challenges like a puppy slays a stuffed dragon.  You can do it.

Share

The Grouchy Puppy Principle: Dogs get more beautiful with age

Posted on by
8

I’ve been focusing on senior dogs this month, in honor of Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month.  Today, I have a special treat for you – a guest post from one of my favorite bloggers about the joys of having a senior pet!  

 Editor-at-Large for LIFE+DOG Magazine and Founder of Grouchy Puppy,
Sharon Castellanos writes to educate and inspire people to focus on the
beauty and joy of having a dog in their life.  She shares stories
and interviews that strive to illustrate how we all have it in us to
give fearlessly and influence positively.  She’s contributed to this blog before, and I’m thrilled to have her back again! I was lucky enough to finally
meet her in person during BlogPaws in spite of that whole hurricane thing – take it from me, she’s awesome.

Aged to perfection, this is how I would describe a senior dog. My dog
Cleo is like fine wine, an Opus One. Rather than inside glass, she gets
decanted by having belly rubs, cuddles and brushing. Cleo is a rare dog,
a hard to find vintage. It wouldn’t be fair to keep so much delight on a
shelf getting dusty, or bottled up.

When you decant wine, the process opens up the wine giving you its full
flavor. If Cleo gets enough cuddles her true perky nature comes out. You
get the sense that she is half her age. Often on our walks in the
neighborhood, after strangers stop us to pet her, they ask Cleo’s age
and then react in disbelief. But as an older dog, she a professional at
managing her aches and pains.

In addition to her sparkling personality, Cleo’s ability to put forward
her mission to collect admirers is something to behold.  She sees
someone she likes, or another dog she wants to meet, and watch out. With
laser like focus, Cleo heads straight to her target, either winning
them over immediately, or getting a straight arm or leash, rejection.
Like some wines, you know pretty quickly, once you get a sniff, you’re
happy or your nose becomes wrinkled in distaste.

Fortunately for Cleo, she has mad skills which have only gotten more
refined with age. She wins hearts and virtual ribbons. Her age and
aging, only seems to add to her fan base. Cleo shows others that a
senior dog is a treasure, a rare experience that one shouldn’t pass up
when given the opportunity. With November being Adopt a Senior Pet
Month, consider going “wine tasting”, and check out the vintage dogs at
your local shelter or rescue. You might discover a rare dog of your own.

Share

Take a cue from the dog and treat yo self

Posted on by
20

First of all, some good news: Bella’s long national nightmare is over.  Her staples have been removed and she’s gotten clearance to say goodbye to her cone.  (Just in time, too… I think Bella has had enough of my attempts at cone humor.)

Thank goodness for the Comfy Cone, however.  I don’t think Bella would have ever forgiven me had I made her wear that plastic one for two weeks.  They had a good run, Bella and her Comfy Cone.  In fact, Bella’s flashlight costume won her first prize in Comfy Cone’s Halloween contest!  This cone, at least, had a (reflective) silver lining.

Moving on… in honor of Bella’s good news and inspired by Parks and Recreation, I think you should treat yo self this weekend.  Life can really take its toll on you sometimes, so every now and then it’s important to take it easy.  Our dogs seem to know how to live in the moment and enjoy life, and I’m pretty sure Bella doesn’t feel the least bit bad when she decides to treat herself.  Talk about a good role model.  I’ll help get you started…

  1. Your punny pet name for the week: Tom Catterford As a bonus, here’s one for the neighborhood deer: Ron Fawnson.
  2. Start your morning off right.  Play this song when you wake up.  It’s better than coffee. (No joke, I want to wake up to this song every morning. I am confident that I could do anything after listening to it.)
  3. You might consider planning a day trip with your best friend.  Just get out and enjoy the world.  (Note: words cannot even describe how much I love the video linked to here.)
  4. If a trip’s not in the cards, perhaps you should treat yourself to some culture – spend some quality time gazing at these photos from the Water Droplet Zoo. It’ll make you feel like a real aristoquack.
  5. After lunch, take in a classic movie with a real cinema buff.
  6. Don’t worry, your day should include some silly moments too.  Enjoy some comic relief, such as these dogs in wigs.
  7. Why not broaden your horizons and make a new friend today?
  8. Whatever you do this weekend, remind yourself that there’s so much to be happy about if you just know where to look.

You might be wondering how to cap off a nice day of treating yourself.  Never fear, I have it all taken care of. First, find someone to drive you around so you can relax.  Then, if you’re into the arts, might I recommend tickets to the ballet?

Not your style?  That’s okay.  If you’re a sports fan, how about a hockey game?

However you choose to spend your weekend, I hope it’s a good one and that you find some time to treat yourself.  If all else fails, just forget about the world for a while and do your own happy dance.

Share

BlogPaws Episode 7: This is the end

Posted on by
12

When last we saw our intrepid heroine, she had just finished lunch on the last day of BlogPaws.  What adventures await her in this installment?

After lunch, it was time to head to my final session.  I chose one entitled “Copyright Basics for Bloggers & Staying Out of Trouble with the FTC.”  Obviously, I’m not here to give you legal advice, but I am happy to share some resources so you can learn about copyright, product reviews and contests.  These sites will provide you with some handy information:

  • To learn more about copyright law, visit the U.S. Copyright Office.  There are a few angles to consider here, including learning the basics about when your work is copyrighted and protecting your own work.  There’s also a handy page intended to help you unravel the mysteries of copyright law, whether you’re the creator of the content or wondering how and when you can use someone else’s content on your site.  (On a related note, I love a government agency with a sense of humor – this FAQ was my favorite.)
  • Speaking of using content you didn’t create, you may want to check out the Creative Commons website.  You can search this site for creative works that you may be able to use on your blog – visit here to learn about how content is licensed and how you can use it.  You can also find some Creative Commons work on Flickr.
  • Before you do any product reviews on your site, it’s important to know the rules of the road, especially if you’re receiving free products to review on your site.  Visit the FTC website to find out more.
  • If you want to run a sweepstakes or contest on your blog, there may be legal issues related to running a promotion.  For an overview of the issues, take a look at this article.
  • Finally, for a wealth of info, you can also check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Legal Guide for Bloggers.

After this session, I finally managed to meet Sharon from Grouchy Puppy, thanks to some help from my pal Kim over at This One Wild  Life.  Sharon was on my must-meet list, but we hadn’t managed to make it happen yet.  While I chatted with a few bloggers, including Sharon and Diane from To Dog With Love, we were treated to a special presentation:

No offense to anyone else, but I’m pretty sure that Cosmo was the cutest speaker at the conference.

After this adorable presentation, Sharon, Diane and I did what many bloggers do with downtime – we had a photo shoot!  Sharon (and Cleo’s proxy) posed for a few shots with Cosmo.  This shot was my favorite:

Sadly, the end of our photo shoot also meant the end of my BlogPaws adventure.  Irene was fast approaching, so I headed home to spend the evening hanging out with Bella and hoping my power wouldn’t go out.  (Spoiler alert: my power did go out.  However, it went out at 2:30 A.M. and was back before 10 A.M., so I won’t complain.  I don’t think Bella even noticed.)

Well… that’s all, folks.  (I’m at a bit of a loss – what will I ramble about now that this series is done?)  I had a great time at the conference and met some absolutely wonderful people.  I hope you enjoyed these recaps – if you want to read or revisit any of my BlogPaws 2011 coverage, you can do so by clicking here. 

Share

Less adoptable? Super awesome is more like it

Posted on by
25

In honor of Petfinder’s Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, I’m dedicating this week’s No Frown Friday to the less adoptable pets out there. This week’s motto?  Appreciate, don’t discriminate!

  1. Punny pet name:  Mike-howl Ian Black.
  2. Did you see my guest post on Grouchy Puppy earlier this week?  If not, check out 10 great reasons to adopt an older dog.
  3. Even better, Sharon from Grouchy Puppy did a guest post here as well (check it out if you missed it).  Remember: when it comes to senior dogs, appreciate, don’t discriminate! (For a host of senior dog resources, I also recommend that you visit Daley’s Dog Years.)
  4. Also among the less adoptable? Pop over to Something Wagging to learn about tripod dogs (a.k.a. dogs with three legs).  Don’t get too cocky – I have a feeling that many of them could beat me (and probably you) in a race.  You can also read about more special needs pets at Bessie Mac, Bringing up Bella, and browndog cbr.
  5. I’ve talked about Black Dog Syndrome before and introduced you to some of the awesome black dogs from my past.  Check out this post at the Northern Virginia Dog Blog for more info.
  6. Do any of your pets (past or present) fit into the less adoptable (a.k.a. “awesome but people are too dumb to see it”) category?  Tell me about them!  (You can also stroll down memory lane with some other bloggers this week, like Kim from This One Wild Life and Dr. V from Pawcurious.)
  7. Dawn from Affurmation shares why she prefers adopting those so-called less adoptable pets.  It’s a great reason!
  8. Warning: this story from Amazon Cares about the special bond between a less adoptable pet and his human might bring tears to your eyes.  (I promised no frowns, but I said nothing about happy tears.)
  9. Kim from CindyLu’s Muse reminds us why different is beautiful.
  10. As Marg’s Pets will tell you, it’s not just dogs that have to deal with this label.  Learn the facts about FIV-positive cats at Brian’s Home and check out some black cats at House of Carnivores and The Chronicles of Cardigan.

We end today’s post with a video of one of those less adoptable pets…

Based on how cute this “less adoptable” black dog is, I can only conclude one thing… people are crazy.

Share

Senior dogs: Appreciate, don’t discriminate

Posted on by
14


Today, I have a special treat for you – a guest post from one of my favorite bloggers!  Editor-at-Large for LIFE+DOG Magazine and Founder of Grouchy Puppy, Sharon Castellanos writes to educate and inspire people to focus on the beauty and joy of having a dog in their life.  She shares stories and interviews that strive to illustrate how we all have it in us to give fearlessly and influence positively.  I was lucky enough to finally meet her in person during BlogPaws in spite of that whole hurricane thing.

I think pets, like a fine wine, get better with age.  Below, Sharon discusses ageism and appreciating older dogs.  It’s the perfect post to share with you during Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week.

Do dogs face ageism like people? When I read how people will
drop off their dog to Animal Care and Control because the dog is old, it makes
me a little crazy.
Why is it so hard for some people to be empathetic? A dog
lives an entire life being your companion and buddy. Who else is that excited
to see you, every time you open the front door, whether you’ve been gone five
minutes or five hours.
As we age, no one likes to feel aches and pains that come
with the advancing years. We all have to change our diet and take things a
little slower. It is the same with a dog. Why would you expect them to be any
different?
Cleo isn’t a puppy and that is a good thing. We love that
she was already an adult when we adopted her. When I think back, it almost was
like cheating because she came with bonus extras. I almost felt as if we should
have paid more. An older dog more often loves to hang out with you, rather than
dashing off to sniff every new and amazing thing. This is certainly true for
Cleo.
Sure puppies are cute but so are old dogs. Who doesn’t love
a sweet face with a little grey around the muzzle? How adorable is it when you
see a small old dog wearing a sweater. They look almost professorial. All they
need is a little pipe and a newspaper.
I can only imagine the regret these people must feel after
they get home. Their dreams filled with the consequences of what they have
done. It has to be tough thinking that you couldn’t give the same level of
commitment to a relationship as a dog can.
The upside to many of these stories in San Francisco is that
we have wonderful groups who step in and scoop up that senior dog for a new
life with people who can commit. Have you heard of Muttville? Our city has lots
of families who adore the senator or professor look in a dog.
Let me say that Cleo may be old, and now we’re dealing with
age-related issues for her but I wouldn’t trade her or these experiences for
anything. Being with her now helps me reflect on my own mortality and how I
view and treat old people. We all age and I for one appreciate having a dog in
my life who is willing to go through it all with a big happy face.

Share

BlogPaws Episode 6: Community & camera capers

Posted on by
14

My series of posts on BlogPaws has more episodes than some TV shows… apparently I had quite a bit to say!

Anyway, it’s time to recap Day 2.  I was running a tad behind, but I managed to grab some breakfast and slip in just as the keynote speaker was getting started.  The morning began with a talk by Heidi Ganahl, the Top Dog at Camp Bow-Wow, which sounds like a pretty fun place for a pup to spend a day or an evening.

Heidi is quite the impressive entrepreneur as well as a philanthropist.  Her speech was quite inspirational; she shared the experience of losing her husband at the age of 27 and the journey that eventually led to the creation of Camp Bow-Wow.

For more on Heidi, check out her website and then read this pre-BlogPaws interview that Grouchy Puppy did with Heidi.  If you’re interested in finding out if there’s a Camp Bow-Wow near you, check here.  You can also check out the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, a nonprofit arm that is involved in some great causes.

After listening to Heidi, I should have gone to a breakout session. I planned to – and from what I heard, the offerings in the first time slot were great.  However, I ended up hanging out with Diane and Cosmo from To Dog With Love and a few other bloggers, including Tamar from I Have Cat and Donna (and her pup Yaxley) from Raising a Super Dog.

Cosmo
Yaxley

I got so distracted by talking (and by cute puppies and that adorable kitten Tamar is holding in the photo above) that I completely missed the first session.  The dangers of being chatty, I suppose.

I got back on track in time for the second session of the day.  There were a few I was interested in, but I’m very happy with the one I chose, entitled “No Blog is an Island: Tools to Build Traffic & Community.”  The session was presented by Felissa Elfenbein from Two Little Cavaliers and Neil Brogan from Life with Dogs.  Neil was unable to make it in person.  However, thanks to the wonders of technology, he joined us via phone. While waiting for the session to start, I talked it up with Lisa the Pet Book Lady.  So glad I got to meet her!

The session began with an absolutely awesome video.  Seriously.  Go watch it.  I’ll still be here when you’re done.

Now that you’re back, a few notes about the session itself.  We had a great discussion of the concept of community, which led to last week’s Pay it Forward Blog Hop.  (I still plan to find some great guests posts from you from the hop… my to do list is just taking longer than I thought!  However, one of the lessons I took from the session was that guest posting is a great way for us to build on each others’ ideas within the greater community.) 

A few other highlights:

  • If you have the choice, go for threaded rather than flat comments.  (If you’re like me, “threaded comments” was a new phrase. However, you know how on some blogs you can reply to specific comments rather than just replying at the end of the discussion?  Those are threaded comments – discussions rather than just a linear list.  Blogger doesn’t offer this option.)
  • Follow the Golden Rule – deal with troublemakers quickly.  Consider posting rules for behavior so that your readers know your comment policy.  Don’t spend time arguing with your community members.
  • Don’t be the loudest voice in the conversation.
  • If you would consider it SPAM, don’t do it to your followers.

After that interesting session (complete with Felissa’s retelling of the Stone Soup folk story – a timeless classic in my book), I headed to lunch.  While eating, we were treated to a special presentation from BZTAT (a.k.a. Vicky Boatright).  She teamed up with Miah from Start the Change for a very moving performance.  Go visit BZTAT’s website to learn more about Okey’s Promise. I also recommend this great post about Okey’s Promise over at Bocci’s Beefs.

Oh, and did I mention that Saturday morning was when my fun photo shoot with Pamela and Honey from Something Wagging this Way Comes took place?  It was a good time!

Up next… one last session, finally meeting up with the fabulous lady behind Grouchy Puppy, and some closing thoughts.  We’re in the home stretch!

Share