Fifteen posts to beat the Monday blues: No Dogs Allowed edition

It’s always hard to go back to work after a long weekend. Why not ease in with a few fantastic posts? For June’s monthly roundup, I thought I’d try a different theme…

No Dogs Allowed: I Still Want More Puppies

Cue the Snoopy Come Home music…

Just kidding. Today, I’m sharing fifteen posts that made me smile last month. Get to clicking and find some post-holiday cheer!  Continue reading

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Dog math: When three is not the magic number

Yesterday, I found myself in a position I never expected. I was standing at an animal shelter surrendering a dog. How many times had I wondered how someone could do something like that? Countless. Yet… there I was.

As you may have guessed from the title of this post, our tiny herd is no longer a trio. Instead, it’s now a dynamic duo. (I will, however, still be referring to them as a tiny herd. Old habits – you know, all of two and a half weeks old – die hard.)

How did we end up here? Read on, my friend… though be warned, it’s a long one. Continue reading

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Greatest hits from May

I’m almost a month  behind with this monthly roundup… oops! Life has been getting the better of me lately, as you can probably tell. I’ve not been able to get around to as many blogs as I’d like, so here’s hoping I can catch up soon and get the June monthly roundup to you before September.

Anyway, on to the posts! Continue reading

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Updated: The red carpet? It’s covered in dog hair.

This brave confession over at Something Wagging has inspired me to come clean as well – I’m an awards slacker.  When it comes to blogging awards, I’m deeply appreciative but supremely lazy.  That ends today.

I have two awards (from three four sources) to pass along today.  I decided to give myself a bit of a challenge, and imposed a rule of my own on the proceedings.  If I’ve ever given you an award in the past (this includes instances in which I cheated and just turned the spotlight on those fantastic bloggers who gave me an award), I decided to deem you ineligible for this particular round of awards. I thought it would be fun to shine the spotlight on some new faces and spaces.

Ready?  Here we go…

First up, the Kreativ Blogger award, which I received from my pals at Kol’s NotesBringing Up Bella and A Filly’s Best Friend.  A huge thank you to allof them for passing this award along to me – they’re all absolutely fantastic and I encourage you to pay them a visit and say so.  (Go.  Don’t make me “encourage” you with a baseball bat to the virtual kneecap.  Seriously. Don’t get on my bad side.)

Anyway, the rules of this award require me to share a few things about myself.  According to Kol’s Notes, I should share 7 things, and according to Bringing Up Bella and A Filly’s Best Friend, I should share 10.  (I long ago accepted that the evolution of blog awards is akin to a game of telephone.)  I’m splitting the difference and will share 8.5 things about myself:

  1. I cringed multiple times when typing Kreativ.  I can’t help it.  I’m a nerd and misspelled words bug me even when they’re misspelled on purpose.
  2. When I was a kid, I desperately wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up.  That did not pan out.
  3. I own a blanket with a photo of Bella on it.  She’s gigantic.  I could imagine it scaring small children, but I love it.  (It was a gift from the in-laws, who indulge my love of puppies.)
  4. My favorite food is grilled cheese, and I often dream of a world where this restaurant has a location near my house.  (That place is delicious.)
  5. I love puzzles and am currently addicted to the latest Professor Layton game for Nintendo DS.  (If you are a puzzle-holic like me, you should definitely check this series out.)
  6. According to my iPod, the most played song is “Bloodstream” by Stateless.
  7. That song is the most played because I listened to it way too much after it appeared on The Vampire Diaries in 2010.  (The fact that it remains in the top spot on my iPod almost two years later should give you an idea of just how much I played it back then.)
  8. Contrary to what numbers 4 through 7 may suggest, I am not a teenager, nor was I one in 2010.  I haven’t been a teenager in a long time.  (Bonus half fact: I’m officially old enough to star in Thirtysomething, a show that I have never actually watched.)
Now, the fun part –  I get to pass the award along to other bloggers.  I’m passing it along to 8 creative bloggers that I truly enjoy. They’re all creative in different ways.  I hope you’ll pay them a visit and discover how.  You won’t regret it.

Up next, I’m going to pass on the Pawsome Blog Award, courtesy of Roxy the Traveling Dog.  A huge thank you for sharing this award with me!

(Also, that earlier virtual kneecap threat applies… get on over there, buddy.)

The one seems to be light on the rules, other than to give it to blogs you love.  With that in mind, I’m passing it on to these eight blogs:

There’s truly something special about each and every one of those blogs – I hope you’ll take the time to visit and discover the awesomeness.

Whew. I’m all out of awards, so I shall take my leave of you now.  (Anyone else start singing “I’m all out of love… I’m so lost without you” after reading the first clause of that sentence?  No? Um, neither did I.)  Until tomorrow, my friends…

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22 things that made me smile in 2011

‘Tis the time for reminiscing about 2011…

Last year, I shared some of my favorite posts from this blog.  This year, I’ve decided to stop the navel gazing (until the Pet Blogger Challenge later this month, of course) and highlight some of my favorite posts from other bloggers.  (Thanks to Mel from the No Dog About It blog for the inspiration.)

It’s a tough task, actually. There is a ton of great content out there in the pet blogging community.

The posts below all have one thing in common – they make me laugh or smile (one of those really big smiles).  There are many beautifultouching, and thought-provoking posts that touched my heart this year. However, today I felt like aiming for tears of laughter or joy rather than the other kind.  Hope you don’t mind.

It was a long year. I’m sure there are some others I adored that slipped my mind when writing this post.  (Perhaps one of my 2012 resolutions should be to do a better job of keeping track of my favorite posts. You may notice that this list skews toward the more recent entries.)  In no particular order, here are 22 posts I loved this year…

  1. My Most Embarrassing Dog Moment from My Brown Newfies – I have no words. Just go read it.
  2. The Puppiness Project – Everything’s Better with Puppies from Something Wagging This Way Comes – With a title like that, how could this post not make my list?
  3. 10 Pictures of Dogs Reading Books from Doggie Stylish- I love dogs. I love books. I love this post.
  4. Favorite Video Friday – Stella’s Shasta Adventure from No Dog About It – I don’t know how Mel finds so many great videos.  However, I still watch this one when I just need a moment of Zen.
  5. (Viewing this may cause extreme joy) More Happy Pets! Part I from The Chronicles of Cardigan – It really did cause extreme joy. Extreme.
  6. Adopting Beelzebub: A Beast of a Bird? from This One Wild Life – An adoption story that warmed the cockles of my heart.
  7. 17 Things Bella Has Stolen from Bringing up Bella – I’m kind of glad my Bella only hoards socks.
  8. Spam Saturday: Amazing Products, Thrilling Occasions, Thanks-a-Mundo! from Will My Dog Hate Me – This post is masterwork. Go put the lime in the coconut and drink it up, okay?
  9. 32 Simple Things You Do That Matter To Dogs from Peggy’s Pet Place- More warming for those cockles.
  10. Dog a Day Project – Why I Don’t Have Kids from Doggie Stylish – I’m just going to start replying to everyone who asks me when I’m going to have children by emailing them a link to this post. (Don’t get me wrong – I don’t know what the future holds. However, I tend to think people should mind their own beeswax and stop asking.)
  11. 5 Reasons Puppies are Easier Than Kids from Smart Dog – A perfect companion to the Doggie Stylish post. 
  12. She Who Cannot Be Trusted from Postpartum Paradise – A toddler, a dog, and adventures in unconventional (and unsanctioned) grooming.  See? I can appreciate posts involving kids!
  13. Senior Dogs: Appreciate, Don’t Discriminate from Grouchy Puppy – This one is actually a guest post that Sharon from Grouchy Puppy contributed to this blog. I just love the message.
  14. The Mystery of Burt’s Bees from Tales and Tails – Or, as I like to think of it, “how to collect puppy kisses in one easy step.”
  15. Dogs in International Costumes: Bone Voyage! from Will My Dog Hate Me – Just because.
  16. Drunken Master IV:  Canine Fu from Rescued Insanity – A funny tale of DWWI (Dog Walking While Intoxicated).
  17. For Woofing Out Loud from Kol’s Notes – In case you’ve ever wondered if your dog thinks you’re as funny as you think you are… the answer is apparently no.
  18. 15 Ways to Tell if You’re Dog Crazy from Something Wagging This Way Comes – Just a genius post, and, well… it’s funny ’cause it’s true. This post inspired me to start that whole dog song parody series of posts. 
  19. Pinterest Tuesday – Dogs Making Messes from Two Little Cavaliers – The cutest kind of mess is the kind that I don’t have to clean up.
  20. Chinese Takeout = Bad Dog Parenting from Life With Desmond – Speaking of messes… wondering if something is trash or treasure? Just ask the dog.
  21. Dressing Up Dogs at Holidays from Grouchy Puppy – I just love this creative take on the antler photo.
  22. From the DDY Digs Desk from Daley’s Dog Years – I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m including this post partly because of the Ryan Gosling photo.

Why 22?  I have no idea. I feel like this list could have gone on forever (for example, I wanted to include a post from BZ Training, but I just couldn’t pick a favorite photo shoot, so I’m cheating and linking to the whole blog here). Finally, I just held an intervention for myself, cut myself off, and sent myself to list-making rehab.  
What was your favorite pet blog post of 2011?
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Eat pumpkins, not brains (or… how to survive a zombie attack)

This week, I can really use some smiles… thank goodness No Frown Friday is here when I need it most!  I also have an important zombie survival tip to share with you.  But first, a few things to send you into the weekend with a giggle or two:

 

  1. Your punny pet name: Tyribone Lannister.  (Confused?  See #2 below.)
  2. This might be the best PSA about spay/neuter ever… especially if you’re a nerd and into Game of Thrones like I am. (I’ll be adding this to the long list of puns I wish I’d come up with.)
  3. Bet you can’t top this senior portrait.
  4. So, I’ve told you how this blog got its name.  With that in mind, I’m sure you will understand why I giggled – a lot – about these posts from Smart Dog and Doggie Stylish.
  5. New post on the cupcake blog!  You’re welcome.
  6. With Halloween just around the corner, it seems that cute costumes are everywhere.  I couldn’t stop laughing at this gallery of 50 dogs in Star Wars costumes.
  7. Speaking of awesome costumes… it’s Ch-Ch-Chia Dog!
  8. This one has no real connection to anything else on the list… but it’s my blog so I can take some liberties right?  It’s a cheese grater that looks like a hedgehog!

Apparently I’m all about the pugs this week.  I found this video somewhat hypnotic (though not quite as hypnotic as those running geese):

(via Paw Nation)

I don’t know what you saw, but I’m pretty sure I just learned how to survive a zombie attack – always sit on a kitchen rug so that the zombies can’t quite reach you.  If only someone had shared this info with the cast of The Walking Dead.

Anyway… what are you up to this weekend?  I’m going to a corn maze/pumpkin patch with friends, and then we’re heading back to my house for a pumpkin carving party.  For Bella, that means extra people to pet her and give her love.  I don’t think she’ll mind that at all.

As for the pumpkins?  She isn’t all that interested.  However, some animals love to eat pumpkins – how does your pet feel about them?

 

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Another trip down Memory Lane for #My7Links

Last month, I was notified by Katie from Tripbase that I had been nominated to take part in My 7 Links.  (A huge and belated thanks to Kim from This One Wild Life for the nomination – sadly, it took me this long to write the post.  Oops…)

The goal of My 7 Links?  “To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share
lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts
that deserve to see the light of day again.”  Sounds like fun, right?  Here we go…

1.  My most beautiful post

This was kind of a tough call – I think that a lot of the photos I’ve shared of Bella are quite beautiful. (I’m biased, I know.)  However, I decided to go with something a bit wordier: “Lend me your eyes and I’ll write you a blog.” 

2.  My most popular post

According to my stats, my most popular post (based on page views) was one from my recent series recapping the BlogPaws pet blogger conference.  Specifically, the post entitled “BlogPaws Episode 2: Say hello to my not so little friends,” in which I discussed listening to the guys from Rescue Ink give the keynote on the first day of the conference.

(My photo post “Leave(s) it to Bella” was a very close second in the page views category, while I received the most comments on “Take a look at me now,” a post I did as part of the Pet Blogger challenge reflecting on my blogging experience.)

3.  My most controversial post

I’m not the most controversial of bloggers. (I love puppies and cupcakes and spend way too much time talking about pop culture, after all.)  However, I think that the post that qualifies as most controversial is probably “Dogs in hot cars: when will it stop?”  The story I shared in that post was horrifying on so many levels and did inspire some debate.

4.  My most helpful post

I’m not sure I’m that helpful either.  However, I was a bit torn on which post to list here – some of my recent BlogPaws posts have contained some useful information, but I wanted to go with something a bit older.  I do think that “Bella: the Great Houndini” was a pretty useful post – I shared some of our methods of Bella containment and I think that the ideas there would be helpful for others dealing with their own crafty canines.

5.  A post whose success surprised me

As you may know, I have a regular feature that I call No Frown Friday.  These posts are kind of a hodgepodge of things depending on what I have on the brain that week.  I never really know which ones will strike a chord and which ones will fly under the radar.  I find it interesting that the most popular of these posts has such an unassuming title: “That’s one way to stay cool.”

(Also interesting – the most commented on Friday post was “Appreciate a squirrel today.”  Guess it’s not always puppies around here.)

6.  A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

This one was kind of a tough call.  There are many posts from the early days of the blog that never really saw much traffic.  If I had to pick one, I’d probably choose “She’s cute, but…”  This post is a perfect introduction to Bella.

7.  The post that I am the most proud of

I knew that the post I selected for this category would be one where I was blogging the change for animals or sharing an important cause.  I think I’ve settled on this one: “Blog the Change: Pets of the Homeless” (the first time I mentioned that particular cause on the blog).  I think that this is a really important organization, and I’m dedicated to spreading the word about it.  (I discussed it again as part of the recent Pay it Forward blog hop.)

So, those are my links.  Now, for the fun part – nominating five others to participate!  After checking the list of bloggers nominated so far, I think I’m not duplicating… if so, my apologies.  Anyway, I’m nominating these great bloggers:

Happy Monday!

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BlogPaws Episode 3: Dynasty, cheesecake & slap bracelets

I’ve told you about my initial impressions of BlogPaws, and about some of the tough guys I encountered along the way.  I wasn’t quite sure what to tackle next.  When all else fails, I tend to default to chronological order.  So, for argument’s sake, let’s just say that all else failed…

After listening to the Rescue Ink guys, it was time to attend my first actual session.  You know, where I’d go to learn stuff.  I had a hard time deciding what to attend – I ended up choosing one called “Demystifying Search Engine Optimization.”  I didn’t have the foggiest idea what that was, so I figured I could use the demystification.

I’m not going to lie… at the time, I thought I had a basic grasp of SEO.  Looking back at my notes a week later, I’m not so sure.  I scribbled something about keywords, improving my search engine ranking  – and a bunch of technical things that I need to revisit in more detail.  I’m not really qualified to advise any of you on this one!  Luckily, the folks over at BlogPaws recently had a great post about SEO for paw bloggers, so I’ll let them do the heavy lifting.

Paris & John from DogTipper.com

During the break between sessions, I met a few more fun bloggers, including Carrie from All Things Dog Blog; Paris & John from DogTipper.com; and Missy from Dogs for the Paws.

Missy wins the prize for best business card – a slap bracelet!  That thing was awesome – I wore it for the rest of the day, and it’s currently still decorating my camera bag.

Up next, I headed to a session called “Reach. Relevance. Design. Presentation.”  I was excited to hear the presenter, Dino Dogan (the creator of Triberr).  This one was more up my alley (and it was also the session where Tango decided his nose was cold).  I really enjoyed this session.  Some of the choice quotes/concepts I jotted down:

  • On reach: “Attention is the commodity and we only have so much of it.”  Dino described reach as “fishing with dynamite.”
  • On relevance: “There’s no motion without emotion.”  Relevance is like shooting with a laser. Seventy-five percent of writing time should be spent on the headline. In general, short is better than long, and emotional is better than non-emotional.  Think about the person you’re trying to attract and their state of mind. One method is to create a customer avatar – an image of your ideal customer.
  • On design:  The consensus here seems to be that Blogger kind of sucks.  (If I took one lesson away from the weekend – this was it.  It came up in several sessions.)  Many seem to prefer having a self-hosted WordPress site.  Dino also talked about logo design and colors.  Have you ever noticed that many of the major sites – like Facebook and Twitter – use blue?  I’ve definitely been paying more attention to the colors used on various blogs since this session and thinking about what kind of mood they evoke.
  • On presentation: You should aim to become a content presenter instead of focusing on being a content creator.  (Cesar Milan is – unfortunately – a good example here.  I think his methods suck, but I can’t argue that he’s managed to draw people in with his presentation.)  Be a better writer than the next guy – make your reader feel that if he doesn’t click on your headline, he’s going to miss something.  My favorite quote:  to improve your writing, “read like a madman, write like a mental institution escapee.”  Think about visitors who will view your site on their smartphones – do you have mobile browsing enabled?
  • Finally, model yourself on Dynasty… create some cliffhangers!

I could write a lot more about this session – I think it was the kick I needed to start thinking about my own blog in a more analytical way.  I’ll be doing some self-evaluation in the coming months and you may see some changes as a result.  However, first I need to find the time for all of that virtual navel gazing…

Anyway, after that session, it was time for lunch.  I was in for a pleasant surprise – the speakers during lunch were from the rescue group where I adopted Bella!  The group is called Homeless Animals Rescue Team (aka HART), and they operate in the Northern Virginia area.

Also a pleasant surprise? Cheesecake. I love cheesecake.

Anyway, after I inhaled that cheesecake, it was time for my next session.  I chose it based on its delightfully punny name.  I’ll tell you all about it my next installment…

(I told you that recapping BlogPaws would take me a while.  I wasn’t kidding.  When you’re as wordy as I am, these things take time.  Hang in there.)

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It’s okay to sleep in class if you’re adorable

One of the (many) fun things about BlogPaws was the mix of human and animal attendees at the sessions.  Sometimes a well-timed bark would make everyone laugh.  Other times, it was just fun to look around and see a cute pup.  I’ve always said that school would be so much better with puppies.  I stand by it.

I love this photo of Tango (who attended BlogPaws with Laurie from Smart Dog).  This photo op occurred during one of our sessions.  Note the well-covered nose… it could get cold in the rooms, so I think Tango had the right idea.

Happy Wednesday!

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BlogPaws Episode 1: The Adventure Begins

Last week was a busy one.  However, I was on top of my game on Thursday.  I finished my work early so that I wouldn’t be stuck late.  Although I was a tad nervous about meeting new people, this sweet post by Pamela at Something Wagging This Way Comes made me smile and gave me a shot of courage.  By mid-afternoon, I was itching for the workday to end so that I could slide out the door Flintstones style and head over to BlogPaws.  There were no sessions on Thursday night, just an opening cocktail reception.  I’m not one to pass up cocktails and conversation…


However, as is so often the case… a work “crisis” occurred.  (Please let those quotation marks convey my extreme sarcasm.)  Fortunately, I managed to leave the office only slightly later than planned, but then I encountered massive traffic.  It’s the norm in the D.C. area, but Thursday was even worse than usual.

In any event, I finally made it to the hotel.  I parked next to a sign informing me that walking of dogs on the property was prohibited.  For a moment, I wondered if I was in the right place.  However, I did see some dogs (and their people) walking towards the entrance, so I headed towards the lobby.  All doubts were erased when I saw these:

I’m guessing the hotel wasn’t enforcing that whole no dog walking thing this weekend.  Assured of my location, I wandered through the crowd of people to the registration table.  Once there, I signed in and received the largest swag bag I’d ever seen.  Seriously – that thing was epic.

In addition to the swag bag, I received a raffle ticket (spoiler alert: per usual, I did not win anything all weekend) and two drink tickets.  Feeling a little overwhelmed by the crowd (and the fact that I didn’t know anyone in real life, just from their blogs), I headed to the bar and redeemed my first ticket for a glass of wine.  Armed with my glass of liquid courage, I headed into the main room to explore.

I won’t lie – to start with, I felt very overwhelmed and I wasn’t sure what to do.  There were tons of exhibitors, so I browsed and made small talk for a while.  However, I still felt a bit out of sorts – rudderless, if you will.  It felt sort of like the first day at a new school.

Fortunately, my feeling of isolation didn’t last long.  I met some fantastic people – Laurie from Smart Dog and Eryka from Kahuna’s K9s.  These two are locals like me, and we hit it off immediately.  I knew instantly I’d found some new friends – they were fun, clever, and each had an adorable dog with them.  Even cooler, they are both dog trainers who use positive reinforcement.  I can only hope I soaked up some of their knowledge throughout the weekend.

After making these first two connections, I loosened up a bit and the chatter seemed to come more easily.  I met a few other people, including Caren from Cat Chat and Kim from This One Wild Life.  I encountered the lovely Pamela from Something Wagging This Way Comes (and got to meet her husband and Honey the pup).  As a bonus, I saw some absolutely adorable ferrets.  However, the presence of these two confirmed my decision to leave Bella at home – I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have been able to control her prey drive:

Laurie and Eryka eventually had to head home with their pups.  I considered hitting the road as well after losing my two awesome wingwomen (wingbloggers?), but I decided to head back in for a little while longer (after dropping off that giant swag bag in my car, of course).  I’m glad I did – one of the things I learned this weekend is that I need to embrace my extroverted side at this sort of thing.  (Perhaps I can apply this lesson to work conferences as well, but there are never any cute animals at those.)

Anyway, I headed back inside and ended up meeting a ton of people in the lobby area.  In addition to Caren, I met up with several other bloggers.  Many of them were cat bloggers.  (Among them? The bloggers from The Conscious Cat; The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey; Coffee, Cats ‘n Yarn; Catladyland; and Mr. R.W. Emerson.  I’m sure I’m missing a few people – it was quite the gathering.  Introductions and business cards were flying like Bella after a squirrel.)  Some were new to me, but others were familiar, such as the lovely Teri from Curlz and Swirlz (pictured at right).

In any event, I have to thank those cat bloggers for letting a dog blogger into their midst for a while.  (Perhaps they sensed that I have a soft spot for the felines.)  What a fun group!

I capped my night off with some quality chat time with Caren (who better?) and Felissa from Two Little Cavaliers.  I had a fantastic time talking to these two.  Honestly, it felt like we’d known each other for ages.

When it was finally time to go, I reluctantly said good night and headed home.  After just a few short hours, I knew I’d made the right decision to attend BlogPaws.  I had met some amazing people and couldn’t wait to come back on Friday! 

Stay tuned for more BlogPaws updates… I have lots to share, so I’m not sure how many posts will be in this series.  If you’re not really interested in hearing about BlogPaws (which seems odd, but to each his own), never fear.  I’ll be mixing some other posts in there too.  I’m such a people pleaser…

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