Spring fever

Posted on by
17

I had a taste of spring this week.  It’s kind of chilly again now, but at least I know it’s around the corner! 

  1. First up, your punny animal name: Moose Springsteen. (Or Goose Springsteen, if you prefer.)
  2. It’s almost spring – time to spruce up the outside of your home with some new flowers. (Whatever you choose, do your homework to make sure it’s safe for your pets!)  Park Avenue Chihuahua recently posted about an interesting option – a Chihuahua topiary!  Apparently if you’d like to decorate your yard with botanical canines, there are a lot of options out there.  Check out these Bowzai shrubs, for example.
  3. After a little more digging (wordplay!), I found some other puppy plants out there.  At least one site, GI Designs, seems to offer a variety of pet topiaries.  (You can find the selection here.) These things look a bit like Chia pets on steroids.  Honestly though, I do think this little terrier topiary is a bit charming.  Okay, okay… I’m rethinking my stance here, and may now really want one.
  4. In any event, these topiaries pale in comparison to the giant Puppy created by artist Jeff Koons.  For more information on Puppy and his world travels, check out this slideshow.
  5. You’ve probably already guessed that I have springtime on the brain.  Accordingly, I really enjoyed this list of the best places to see millions of spring flowers.
  6. On an unrelated note, you know how much I love the cone of shame.  So I have to advise you to enjoy these photos of 20 dogs wearing the cone of shame.  (Maybe we could say that the cones remind me of flowers?  Sure, let’s go with that.)

Finally, today’s video offering showcases a puppy discovering the wonders of spring:

Oops… wrong kind of spring.

Anyway, before I go, I’d also like to send a big thank you to All Things Dog Blog for honoring us with the Stylish Blogger Award.  Go visit and say hi!

Share

Best post ever?

Posted on by
14

I have so much for you today that I won’t waste your time with an intro… on to the cute!

  1. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, this week’s punny pet names:  Peter O’Drool and Conan O’ Grrrrr-ien.
  2. So how did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day yesterday?  Was it as cute as this celebration at the zoo?
  3. I love March Madness. (Go George Mason!)  What better way to celebrate its arrival than by combining basketball and adorable animals? 
  4. Not into basketball?  That’s okay – Jezebel is running a Cats vs. Dogs bracket!  Yesterday, the Cheshire Cat triumphed over the Cat in the Hat, while the Pit Bull pulled off an upset over the Chihuahua.  Go check it out, and then keep an eye out for the next voting period!
  5. I don’t want to overplay my hand here, but I seriously think that this collection of 50 photos of Basset Hounds running might be one of the best things ever.  (Bonus installment: Basset Hounds having a Chariots of Fire moment on the beach.  Bonus bonus installment:  After I wrote that sentence, I searched and discovered that someone made a video of a Basset Hound running with a Chariots of Fire soundtrack.  It’s a good day.)

In conclusion, I want to croon the lyrics to Eternal Flame to the following video so that it knows how much I love it. Video, you complete me.

(via Jezebel)

This post is filled with so many best things ever that I don’t even know how to process it all.  So I’m going to go look at puppies and puppy products instead.  Happy Friday!

Share

Paws for Japan: How to Help

Posted on by
8
Paws for JapanAs 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.

Share

Adopt a pet… and the Internet!

Posted on by
14
Petfinder Adopt-the-Internet Day

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?

  • Add a badge to your site.
  • Take the Petfinder pledge to tell at least one person about pet adoption.
  • Donate your Facebook status and photo to an adoptable Petfinder pet.  Simply replace your photo with one from the Adopt-the-Internet All-Stars gallery and post one of these messages:
    •  More than 320,000 pets are waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. Help
      Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as
      possible!
    • I adopted my pet from Petfinder and now I want to help get this pet
      adopted! If you want to help pets in need of forever homes, please
      repost this!
  • Share an adoptable Petfinder pet on Twitter with the hashtag #adopttheinternet.
  • Add a link to your blog, Facebook or Twitter post to Petfinder’s Adopt the Internet page.

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!

Share

A long overdue thank you…

Posted on by
16

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.

  1. Bella doesn’t know how to catch.  If you throw a toy her way, she’ll close her eyes and wave her paws in the air.
  2. She also doesn’t know the most efficient way to chew.  She never holds a bone with her paws, but props the bone against a toy in hopes of holding it still.  I suspect Bella missed a lot of days in Being a Dog 101.
  3. Bella also can’t play fetch.  When you throw a toy, she immediately returns it to Toy Corner.  The only way to come close to a game of fetch is to sit in front of Toy Corner and take the toy from her when she returns.
  4. Bella is a creature of habit.  When I turn off the TV, she thinks it’s time to go to bed (even in the middle of the day).  When I close the laptop, she thinks it’s time to go outside.
  5. She would happily spend all day out in the backyard, if I’d let her.
  6. She once did a stint in rehab (aka spent a month with my in-laws).  When we were still living in an apartment, we ended up with some terrible upstairs neighbors.  They managed to shake the ceiling so much that Bella developed noise anxiety and had to go to rehab until we moved.
  7. Before Bella came to live with us, the rescue group called her Sally.

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!

The dog behind this blog is Hawk (or Hawkeye – I love a good MASH reference), a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  There’s always great content on the blog – and he’s great at keeping up with his readers.  Hawk spends time in many of his posts answering questions from them.
Dee, the human who maintains this blog, has a menagerie of both children and animals.  She posts wonderful photos and great stories.  I love reading about this big happy family!
Kirby is an adorable little mutt – a terrier mix, in fact.  You know how much I love my terriers!  I always enjoy reading about his adventures as a rescue pup who found his forever home.  He just started rally class, and I can’t wait to hear all about it!
A bit of an odd couple: Banjo is 10 and works as in a prison as a therapy dog, while Millie is 12 weeks old and, as her human puts it, “likes to poop and then play in it.”  Their blog is endlessly entertaining, and there’s even a Millie Cam where you can get your puppy fix!
I love reading about the antics of LuLu and her little brother Wally.  In addition to general cuteness (which they have in spades), they also are dedicated students.  LuLu is a Canine Good Citzen, and Wally has been taking obedience classes.  It’s fun to see them learn and watch videos of their newest tricks and accomplishments.

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.

I received this award from Park Avenue Chihuahua and SewDoggyStyle back in January too – I thanked them then, but I’d like to say a few quick words about them now too, since I’m all about sharing the bloggy love today…

Awesome name, right?  This blog makes me laugh, it makes me smile… blogger Chihuahua Girl is a dog lover after my own heart.  I guarantee a smile if you visit this blog.
Creativity doesn’t even begin to describe what you’ll find on this blog.  So many unique and awesome projects featured here – complete with handy do-it-yourself instructions.  I mean, where else can you learn to make a Doggy Gaga costume?

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.  

Share