Tag Archives: tales and tails

Fourteen furry reasons to smile

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As usual, my monthly roundup is just a little bit late. (You also may have noticed that No Frown Friday was missing yesterday – I’ve been having some technical difficulties, so you’ll get that soon as well. I promise.)

Anyway, I hope you don’t mind too much. Enjoy this roundup of posts from November that put a big smile on my face:

  1. Dear Fourteen Year Old Me from Rescued Insanity – A beautiful post.
  2. Like Herding Cats from Tales and Tails – Behind the scenes of a canine photo shoot,  humor awaits.
  3. Felix, I Swear the Camera Won’t Steal Your Soul from Kol’s Notes – Speaking of amusing photo shoots…
  4. Brooks Says, Adopt a Senior Dog from Peggy’s Pet Place – Can’t argue with that. (In case you’re not yet convinced, read this post from Something Wagging.)
  5. A Couple of Blondes Take a Thanksgiving Walk from Yikes! Loy Turns 60 – I know that sounds like the opening line to the joke, but this story had me smiling from ear to ear.
  6. Why I’ll Never Own a Dog Again from Something Wagging This Way Comes – You know I love thinking about words. How do you describe your relationship with your dog? (This post in response from Rescued Insanity is pretty interesting too.)
  7. 295/365: Babushka? from Life with LuLu & Wally Too! – Honestly, this one just cracked me up.
  8. Monday Mischief: Christmas List Mischief from My Brown Newfies – Being a reindeer for a day is a totally reasonable request, right?
  9. Live: Turkeys on Ice! More Fun Than in Your Freezer from This One Wild Life – I would like to request a TV channel devoted to the happenings in Kim’s yard.
  10. Six Tips for Photographing Dogs With Any Camera from kate with a camera – Several great tips here… check ’em out!
  11. Dogton Abbey Blog, Things Are Getting Crabby Down At The Abbey Episode 4! from  Molly the Wally – Pamela from Something Wagging turned me on to this one. Go read the whole series!
  12. A Wienerholic Family Christmas from My Life with Wieners – This post makes traveling with Bella sound tame.
  13. Friday Funny! Video: Dog loves automatic ball throwing machine from Dakota’s Den – Tavish totally needs one of these.
  14. If You Give a Nutty Pet Blogger Some Cheap Holiday-Themed Accessories from Target from Chronicles of Cardigan – Hilarious as always.

That’s all, folks! Stay tuned for December – I’ll try to get that one to you before February. No promises, though.

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Seventeen reasons to smile

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Today’s mischief is all mine, not the dog’s… I confess that I’m far behind in sharing my monthly post roundups. Today, I’m bringing you the best from September… these posts are guaranteed to put a smile on your face: Continue reading →

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Revisiting the dog days of summer

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Well, it’s November, so I’m only three months behind with August’s monthly roundup. Here are sixteen sensational posts I enjoyed during the dog days of summer…

  1. Peas in a Pod from Poochie Project – I love seeing two pups snuggled up together. (One of these days, Bella and Tavish!)
  2. Guarding the Toys from Peggy’s Pet Place – Kelly and Bella have a lot in common.
  3. 3 Ways I’d Really Change Dog Adoptions from Something Wagging This Way Comes – Yet another thought-provoking post from this fantastic blog. It really had me pondering the role of good communication in improving the process.
  4. Why I’ve decided it’s nice to have a sister from Roxy the Traveling Dog – I hope that one day Bella will pen a similar post about having a brother.
  5. Favorite Video Friday – Lost Pet Reunions from No Dog About It – Not going to lie, it’s totally raining on my face right now.
  6. Keeping a New Year’s Resolution: Volunteer Leslie Forte from City Dogs Rescue – Can’t go wrong with the tale of an inspiring volunteer.
  7. Happy Birthday, Ty! from Take Paws – I love Ty’s life lessons.
  8. I am Genetically Altered – Given that the title of this blog was inspired because of my response to the “when are you having kids” question, I absolutely adored this post. I’m much more likely to turn into mush at the sight of a puppy than a baby. How about you?
  9. If Dogs Spoke English from Something Wagging This Way Comes – It’s a good question. What do you wish you could tell your dog?
  10. How did YOU Name Your Dog? from Dakota’s Den – You guys were full of good questions that month, huh?
  11. What Would Your Name Be If Your Dog Had Chosen It? from My Brown Newfies – See what I mean? So many good questions!
  12. I wish I could be more like my dog from The Daily Dog Blog – Me too, my friend.
  13. I Kept Him Because His Breath Burns My Nostrils, and a Few Other Counterintuitive Reasons from Chronicles of Cardigan – Foster failure!
  14. Pancake Catching Fail from Pooch Smooches – The title says it all.
  15. Cat Immersion Project Eases Teen’s Loneliness from Bunny’s Blog – It’ll rain on your face again, but it’s worth it.
  16. If Dogs Talked About Us from Something Wagging This Way Comes – I do wonder sometimes…

I’ll try not to be so delinquent with future link roundups. Enjoy!

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Fifteen favorites from February

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Last month, I did a post cataloging a few of my favorite posts from January.  I shared eight posts.  I’m back with another installment, and as you can see, the numbers have increased.  I didn’t mean for it to happen – but before I knew it, I had eleven or twelve posts on my list.  At that point, the nerd in me decided to aim for some alliteration… so I thought I’d share fourteen.  Of course, somehow I ended up with fifteen instead.  I could have added more, but the next number that would have allowed for such alliteration would be fifty.  Consider yourself lucky.

Anyway, in no particular order, here are fifteen favorites from February…

  1. Dad’s take: A songwriter’s muse from Love and a Six-Foot Leash – You know I can’t resist anything involving song parodies.
  2. Influence Positively Interview: Faith Maloney from Grouchy Puppy – Fantastic interview with one of the founders of Best Friends Animal Society.
  3. The House of Special Needs Dogs from No Dog About It – This one is technically from January, but I didn’t read it until February, so it still counts.
  4. Turning Fear into Understanding from Rescued Insanity – A thought-provoking piece (and thoughtful comments) about fear and judgment.
  5. A Confession on Bias from Back Alley Soapbox – In that same vein, here are some fantastic meditations on jerks, dogs, and Jon Hamm.
  6. The Ugly and the Adorable from under the blanket – A wonderfully whimsical collection of photos.  I can’t get enough.
  7. A Valentine’s Message from Cali… from The Daily Dog Blog – Speaking of photos, I just loved this one!
  8. Harry PAWter from PupLove – Words cannot explain how much I want to recreate this photo shoot.
  9. Notes from Home from Bringing Up Bella – Putting things into perspective…
  10. Tennyson Obviously Didn’t Have a Dog from Something Wagging – Drowning in dog hair?  Never fear!
  11. Forgotten Language from Tales and Tails – I’m a big Shel Silverstein fan, so this one definitely had to make the list.
  12. I Want to Be One of My Dogs from Twenty-Six to Life – I’ll take “phrases often said by members of my family” for $200, Alex, along with “if I’m reincarnated, I hope I come back as a dog in this family.”
  13. 10 Simple ways to Show Kindness in the Dog World by Rescued Insanity – Simple ways to have a much more wonderful (dog) world.
  14. Dog a Day Project – Tastes Like Chicken by Doggie Stylish – This one reminded me of Bella and her goose.
  15. Verona: Shakespeare, History, and A Lot of Dogs from Bicontinental Dachshund – These are a few of my favorite things (and I’ve always wanted to go to Italy).
As you’re probably aware by now, my linkaholism knows no bounds.  You can find many other great posts I’ve enjoyed in my usual Friday linkathons.
Did I miss any of your favorites?  Share them in the comments!
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8 posts I loved this month

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I vowed to post every day in the month of January.  I’m pleasantly surprised to report that I did so (with the exception of one day for the SOPA blackout – and I’m pretty sure that one counts as an excused absence).

I don’t know if I’ll continue to post daily – it was a lot of pressure!  However, I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to take a look back at the month and share a few posts that I thought were really fantastic.

In no particular order, here are eight posts that I really enjoyed this month.  I hope you’ll swing by and read them.

  1. Homeland Security Systems from Tales & Tails – If you’re troubled by trespassers, Tales & Tails has a solution for you.
  2. A is for Adoption (yay!) from Peggy’s Pet Place – A great post about adoption (yay!) that just made me smile.
  3. 5 Ways Dogs Save the World – From the Sublime to the Ridiculous from Something Wagging This Way Comes – “So give your pooch a smooch. And thank her for protecting us from a postapocalyptic hell the likes of which have never been seen on earth.”  With a line like that, it had to make the list!
  4. When we don’t see eye to eye from Love and a Six-Foot Leash – Before you judge, read this post.  Seriously.
  5. Positive Advertising with a Dash of Newf from Rescued Insanity – This video is guaranteed to make you smile.
  6. If You Could Ask One Thing from Rescued Insanity – If you could ask your dog one question, what would it be?  (I couldn’t decide between this one and #5, so they both made the list.)
  7. Porcupines, Fawns and Turkeys – A Winter Woodland Celebration from This One Wild Life – The conclusion to a trio of posts that celebrate nature in all its glory, read this post when you need that moment of Zen.
  8. Saturday’s Dog: Celebrating the Wins by Bringing Up Bella – Need a reason to smile?  Check out these dogs that found their forever homes.
Obviously, I’m a linkaholic.  I also wanted to note that I enjoyed way more than eight posts this month, and you can find links to many of those in my regular Friday posts. 

What posts did you love this month?  Share them in the comments!

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

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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 Notes, Bringing 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

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‘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 beautiful, touching, 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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I saw puppies kissing Santa Claws

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More caroldies from the requests file… credit goes to houndstooth from Tales and Tails for today’s inspiration.

I Saw Puppies Kissing Santa Claws

I saw puppies kissing Santa Claws,
over by the scratching post last night.
They didn’t see me sneak
with my camera to have a peek,
they thought that cat would let them play
while he was trying to sleep.
Then I saw puppies start licking Santa Claws,
underneath his chin furry and white.
Oh, how embarrassed he would have been,
if the cat had known I’d seen
all the puppies kissing Santa Claws last night.

 

On a related note, Santa Claws looks kind of grouchy…

I hope that Santa Claws visits your house tonight!
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A paw in the hand is worth two in the grass

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Please excuse the tortured saying in today’s post title. I wanted to share a few photos I shot as part of the Daily Dog Challenge group on Flickr (created by our pals at Tales and Tails and BZ Training), and my brain apparently decided to stop working properly.

Anyway, the Daily Dog Challenge is pretty fun… there are daily prompts that encourage you to take photos of your furry friend.  It’s a great way to get your creative juices flowing while working on your photography skills.  (After all, practice makes perfect).

For example, I took the photo below in response to this prompt: “Take a photo today that shows a paw in a hand.”

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Bella doesn’t really like when people mess with her paws… so I took a rather liberal interpretation of the “hand” part of things. Want to see what other photographers did with this prompt?  Check it out!

Another recent prompt was: “How does your dog react to his reflection? Show us today with a photo!”  I submitted the shot below:

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There were a lot of great photos submitted for this one.

As you can tell, I’ve been experimenting with the mood of my photos lately – these photos were taken with customized settings to create an amber glow.  (Camera settings – and great Nikon D7000 user’s guide – courtesy of Ken Rockwell.  If you want to learn more about photography, check out Mr. Rockwell’s site – you’ll find user’s guides for a variety of cameras as well as some fantastic tips.)

For good measure, here’s one shot outside with a different feel, shot in response to the prompt: “Around the world, the seasons are different. Take a picture today that shows us what it’s like in your corner of the world!”

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You can see the other photos submitted in response to this prompt here.

Feel free to check out my other submissions here, or visit the group pool to see what others have submitted.  I don’t manage to keep up with every challenge, but I really enjoy it! 

Sounds like fun right?  If you’re interested in joining the Daily Dog Challenge, go here to learn more.

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