I didn’t have a chance to put up the usual Friday post thanks to Blogger’s issues yesterday. I realize it was back up and running at some point yesterday, but thanks to work and an outdoor showing of When Harry Met Sally (baby fish mouth!), the timing just didn’t work out. I’ll save my planned post for another time. Today, I leave you with this dramatic interpretation of how I felt when I could see my blog but not edit it…
(via Serious Eats)
As I mentioned last year, Mother’s Day is somewhat bittersweet for me. However, I wanted to take a moment to wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful moms out there and send a big hug to all of those who are missing their moms today. My gift to you? A Bella photo, of course!
First, have you read yesterday’s Blog the Change post about Make Mine Chocolate? As you may know, I’m spreading the word about that cause to advocate giving chocolate bunnies instead of real bunnies for Easter this year. However, there are lots of wonderful bunnies looking for a home – so if you have done your homework and think you’re really ready to become a bunny parent, then today is your lucky day. All Things Dog Blog has gone to the bunnies, and is hosting an Easter Rabbit Adoptathon.
Allow me to introduce you to a few beautiful bunnies (click on their names for more info):
Meet Stella and Natasha in Virginia. Both of these cutie pies may have been handled a bit too much in their previous homes, and can be a little wary or shy around humans. However, they have been making a lot of progress while living with their foster mom. Stella is 4 years old, and is looking for a home with a patient person who will work to earn her trust. Natasha is 2 years old, and is looking for a “loving, patient, permanent home with someone who will let her run and explore and shred some papers and boxes.” (Loved the description, so couldn’t pass up using it.)
Next up, meet Felt in Washington, DC. She’s a 4 year old mini Rex rabbit who loves to be petted. Due to a sinus infection, Felt does have some special needs, but if you have lots of love to give she may be the one for you.
To participate, visit All Things Dog Blog for instructions. To visit other blogs participating in the Adoptathon and see a whole bunch of adorable bunnies, check out the blog hop after the jump…
Easter is right around the corner. So, for this round of Blog the Change, Bella wanted to highlight a bunny-related cause. After all, she did have a bunny cousin – who she tried to lick during their first encounter. In any event…
Today, I (and Bella) want to talk about the Make Mine Chocolate campaign (organized by the Columbus House Rabbit Society). This cause was recently featured on Be the Change for Animals, and it’s a great one. Just as movies like 101 Dalmatians result in lots of children asking their parents for a Dalmatian, Easter has the tendency to result in requests for bunnies. While I’m all for adoption, I’m not in favor of families acquiring the pet of the moment and realizing that perhaps pet ownership was not really for them. If a family is prepared and knows what they are getting into – more power to them. However, the sad reality is that many of these bunnies end up in animal shelters or worse.
The key here is education – before adopting a rabbit, it’s important to know if a rabbit really is the right pet for you. (Sound advice before adopting any animal. Check out the cool Interactive Bun feature at Make Mine Chocolate to see if you’re bunny material. For those who get the Interactive Bun seal of approval, I recommend visiting All Things Dog Blog tomorrow to meet some wonderful bunnies from Petfinder – it’s an Easter Rabbit Adoptathon! Go here for details on how to participate.)
So, this Easter season, spread the word about Make Mine Chocolate. Commit to giving only chocolate (or cute plush) bunnies as gifts. Visit MMC’s website or the Facebook page to learn more. (After using that abbreviation, I momentarily drifted off to think about the Mickey Mouse Club. Anyone else remember The Party? Okay, back to the serious stuff… focus.)
Also, I realize it’s not technically part of the Make Mine Chocolate campaign, but I’d also like to take a moment to discourage giving children chicks and ducklings as well. First, they grow up. Chicks become chickens, and ducklings become ducks. Second, unless you’re Chandler and Joey, it’s just not a good idea.
Interested in participating in Blog the Change? Learn more here. You can find the list of other participating bloggers (and join the blog hop yourself) after the jump.
Today is the first anniversary of I Still Want More Puppies! First, I just want to say a big thank you for reading this blog, commenting on posts, and generally being worthy of the title Galactic President Superstar McAwesomeville. Second, I hope you enjoyed the flashback posts this week – if you haven’t read them yet, I hope you’ll take a moment to relive some of the bloggy highlights from the last year. Normal posting will resume tomorrow. Finally, I leave you with the first photo of Bella ever posted on this blog:
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At the time, I said that her future was so bright she’d need to buy some shades specially engineered for dogs. Neither she or I could have predicted how awesome this first year of blogging would be. (Keeping it short & sweet today, but visit my Pet Blogger Challenge post from January if you’re just in the mood for navel gazing today.) Most of all, I just want to thank you for being a friend!
In closing… puppies.
As you know, the images and stories from Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami are haunting and heartbreaking. The tragedy has had a devastating effect on both people and animals. For that reason, I ask you to take a moment today and learn how you can help with animal relief efforts in Japan. Today has been dubbed Paws for Japan Day.
What can you do? Please visit Pawcurious and BlogPaws Be the Change for Pets for information how you can donate to World Vets to support its animal relief efforts in Japan. Huffington Post also highlighted World Vets in this list of ways to help animals in Japan – there are 5 other organizations mentioned as well if you’d like to learn more.
Tomorrow’s a big day… in honor of its 15th birthday, Petfinder is asking all of us to adopt the Internet and spread the word about pet adoption. How can you help?
There are also many other cool ways to celebrate Petfinder’s birthday – check them out! Our good friends at Grouchy Puppy, Will My Dog Hate Me, and FIDO Friendly will be holding blogathons, highlighting several adoptable pets throughout the day. Feeling silly? You can even caption Petfinder photos at I Can Has Cheezburger.
I found Ms. Bella on Petfinder, and you know she’s awesome. There are many animals out there that need a home, so if you have love to give… adopt!
Spread the word… happy birthday to Petfinder!
I’ve been slacking a bit… several wonderful bloggers awarded me the Stylish Blogger award recently, and I’ve yet to thank them on this blog. That changes today!
However, because I’ve been such a slacker, I’ve now received this award from 10 (!) other bloggers. I’m incredibly humbled and honored that these wonderful bloggers chose to share this honor with me. So, I’m going to bend the rules juuuuust a little. The rules of the award require you to: (1) thank the person that gave it to you; (2) share 7 things about yourself; and (3) pass the award on to other bloggers (the number seems to vary from blog to blog).
It’s that third rule I’m going to… modify. Rather than select new recipients, I’m going to take a cue from Doggie Stylish and tell you a little bit about the bloggers that gave me this award and encourage you to go visit their wonderful blogs. All this and more, after the jump…
So first, a big thank you to browndogcbr, Pawprints on My Heart, Welcome to Kirby’s World, Banjo & Millie, Life with LuLu, Something Wagging This Way Comes, Grouchy Puppy, Chunyo’s Corner, Kol’s Notes, and under the blanket! As discussed above, I’ll be telling you more about them at the end of this post.
Second, I have to share 7 things about me. However, I decided to share 7 things about Bella instead – honestly, she’s probably more interesting anyway.
Wow… if you add up the identity change, the fact that she must have been skipping classes (hence the lack of dog skills), and the stint in rehab, Bella sounds like a shady character! Just kidding…
Finally, I’d like to tell you a little about the wonderful bloggers that gave us this award. Go visit them and say hi!
Something Wagging This Way Comes
Pamela the human writes about a lot of things, including the adventures of her Golden Retriever, Honey. I especially like what she calls her “Puppiness Project.” Inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project (which I loved), Pamela writes about lessons in happiness she’s learned from Honey. In addition, Honey has been taking classes on K-9 Nose Work, which I’ve enjoyed reading about.
Grouchy Puppy Dog Days
First and foremost, you can’t beat the motto: “don’t judge a book, blog or dog by its cover.” Genius! Although the blog is based in San Francisco, my East Coast heart still adores Cleo and her human. Cute photos and informative posts – this blog has it all! The Influence Positively interview series highlights amazing animal advocates – I love learning about these inspiring people.
Chunyo’s Corner
I recently discovered this blog, and I’m so glad I did! Chunyo is an adorable Boston Terrier, and there are plenty of cute photos on the blog. In addition, there is a wealth of information on there. I look forward to visiting Chunyo and learning even more.
Kol’s Notes
The dog behind this blog is Kolchak Puggle. (Bella used to have a Puggle nemesis in our old neighborhood, but she doesn’t hold that against Kolchak.) His human is studying canine nutrition – cool, right? As you can imagine, I’ve learned a great deal about nutrition from this blog. However, all of the posts are great – so much personality packed into each one!
under the blanket
I look forward to every post from Cate, the blogger behind this blog. She finds the cutest and coolest products – items that are unique and (no pun intended) drool-worthy. If you and your pup want to be the coolest kids on the block, I’d recommend starting here.
So… that’s a wrap! I’d like to say thanks again to the fabulous bloggers above – I’m honored to be in such fine company.
Apparently Bella and I are on a hot streak. First, she won a collar from Doggie Stylish. Then, I won a really cool book called For the Love of Dogs: an A-to-Z Primer for Dog Lovers of All Ages
The book, written by Allison Weiss Entrekin, is full of whimsical illustrations by Mark Anderson. It uses all 26 letters of the alphabet (even X) to present fun facts and wonderful info about our beloved pups. To give you a little taste, I selected a few letters at random. (As you’ll see, it wasn’t really that random.)
B is for Beagles
E is for English Foxhounds
L is for Labradors
L is still for Labradors
A is for Adoption
C is for Cavaliers
O is for Obedience
S is for Shih Tzus
M is for Mascots
O is still for Obedience
Here are some photos of Bella enjoying her new reading material.
Thanks again to Diane and Cosmo from To Dog With Love!
As you know, Bella has been rocking her Christmas collar for far too long. She was wearing it on this blog as recently as last week, in fact. Well, no more. Thanks to Doggie Stylish, Bella has finally accepted that the holiday season is over. During the Magical Mystery Mutt Tour, Karen from Doggie Stylish gave away a collar on her blog. Somehow, I won!
I chose this sassy little number:
Isn’t her new collar the cutest? Thanks again to Doggie Stylish!
