Tag Archives: this one wild life

BlogPaws Episode 5: Blogging with the stars

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Previously… I ate some cheesecake and finished the educational portion of Day 1.

After learning about various bloggy things, the first day of sessions was over.  It was time to head back out into that big lobby and chat it up once again before our screening of Spooky Buddies.  Luckily, I quickly encountered Kim from This One Wild Life, who was kind enough to allow me to be her wingwoman (wingblogger?) for the evening.

We grabbed a glass of wine (farewell to my final drink ticket) and some popcorn (in my book, wine goes with anything) while we waited for the evening’s festivities to get underway.

After mingling for a bit, the doors opened and we headed inside.  We picked up some movie snacks and grabbed a seat a few rows from the front.  Little did we know that the rows in front of us would later be removed and we’d be in the very first row… not that I’m complaining, but it was somewhat unexpected.  Anyway, Kim and I chatted for a while about this and that – it was like hanging out with an old friend.  (Kim, feel free to correct me in the comments if you thought it was more like hanging out with an annoying person who won’t go away… I kid, I kid.)

Here’s the coolest part… not long before the movie began, Kim and I checked our Twitter feeds (hey, it’s a blogging conference) to find out the results of the Petties (it’s like the Oscars, but for pet blogs).  Be the Change for Animals (which Kim co-founded) won for Best Cause Blog!  It was a pretty amazing moment – and fortunately, the BlogPaws photographer happened to swing by at the perfect time and get it on camera.

(Check out her acceptance speech – Be the Change for Animals donated its $1,000 to Best Friends Animal Society.  Pretty great, huh?)

Not long after that, it was time for the movie premiere of Spooky Buddies – BlogPaws was the first press screening in the country.  I’ll admit, I’ve never seen any of the other movies in the franchise, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

The basic story – the five main characters (a.k.a the Buddies, a group of five adorable Golden Retriever puppies) encounter the legend of the Howl-oween Hound and must stop Warwick the Warlock’s evil plan before it’s too late.

The movie was cute… not necessarily one I would have sought out on my own, but I definitely think kids would like it.  I actually enjoyed it – there was something about the crowd (including dogs barking at the screen) that just made it a fun experience.  Here’s the trailer:

Obviously, I’m not the only blogger writing up her thoughts on her Spooky Buddies experience these days.  For a few more, go visit Bocci’s Beefs (and find out how many stand-ins each puppy had on set), My Tail Hurts from Wagging So Much (for an interview with the director), and The Chronicles of Cardigan (for a firsthand account of what it was like to watch the movie with your pups). 

After the movie, it was time for a Q&A session with the director.  I have to imagine that working with kids and puppies is quite the challenge, but he really seemed to enjoy it.

Once the Q&A ended, we had the opportunity to get our photo taken
with one of the stars – an adorable puppy dressed in a bunny costume. 
The photographer wasn’t very quick on the draw – which didn’t work so
well when a tired puppy was involved.

In the interest of getting these
photos done quickly so that the pup could get out of his duds and take a
nap, Kim and I did our photo as a duo.  Once I have a copy, I’ll
definitely share it here.

Once that was all done, Kim invited me to crash a Greenies happy hour that she was invited to attend at the hotel bar.  I was a bit hesitant, but I’m glad I let her talk me into it.  I had a fantastic time chatting with Doreen from Doggies and Stuff, Jess from Indy Dog Blog (a party crasher like me), and others.

Eventually, it was time for me to say goodnight and head home.  After I got home, I snuggled with Bella and caught up on Project Runway.

One day down, one more to go.  I was able to attend the second day, but I did end up ducking out a bit early due to the hurricane. Never fear, I still have lots to tell you.

Up next?  More sessions, some great speakers, a photo shoot or two, and meeting up with some more of my favorite bloggers.

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If you’re confused, just tilt your head

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It’s a three-day weekend!  I could not be happier to have an extra day off.  That being said… it’s time for some Friday linkage!

  1. This week’s punny goodness is inspired by a fantastic book I just finished.   In honor of the entertainment she provided during my brief hurricane-induced power outage, I give you… Catty Griffin.
  2. I would like to request that all sheet music do this from now on… not too much to ask, right?
  3. The face on this Corgi reminded me of Bella.
  4. Remember Edward Peanutbutterhead? Well, it appears that he has some competition.
  5. Eating peanut butter is one thing, but I wouldn’t recommend stealing it from the trash.  You might end up like this guy.
  6. You know I’ve had BlogPaws on the brain lately.  You may enjoy seeing these cute pets who were in attendance.
  7. Speaking of… there have been some pretty fun BlogPaws post over at Something Wagging This Way Comes this week.  Check them out!
  8. If you just can’t get enough BlogPaws (and can’t wait for my posts… they’re coming, I promise), then I have the link for you. Might I suggest you start with this great post from This One Wild Life about the ACES Pet Rescue Workshop?

Finally, just because it’s Friday… have some head tilts, or as we like to call it at my house: “making the puppy face.”



(via Cute Overload)

Happy Friday!

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BlogPaws Episode 1: The Adventure Begins

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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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Now casting: Bella’s made-for-TV movie

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Hmmm… perhaps it would be a direct-to-DVD movie instead?  Bella doesn’t have a large ego, so I’m sure she wouldn’t expect her first flick to go straight to the big screen… anyway, you may be wondering what I’m rambling about right now.

Although I got sidetracked thinking about the format, I’m trying to decide what human celeb would play Bella in a movie.  Where did that random query come from?  The lovely Kahuna K9 (a new blog I discovered today through my blogging pals at Rescued Insanity, Kol’s Notes and Something Wagging This Way Comes) has invited bloggers to answer that question.  So, it’s time to cast Bella’s doppleganger…

After much consideration, I’ve decided to give the role to Kristen Schaal.  (Loved her in Flight of the Conchords and still love her when she pops up on The Daily Show or anywhere else.)  I think her performance as Mel on FOTC was the key to winning this role… there’s something about her slightly goofy, happy nature with an edge that just says Bella to me.  Do you agree?

Any thoughts on who should be Kristen’s understudy? (Bella’s movie just morphed into a play, I guess.)

 

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Too many awesome pet blogs, too little time…

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As I mentioned yesterday, the fabulous blogs Something Wagging This Way Comes and Kol’s Notes recently gave this blog the Versatile Blogger Award.  So, I’m doing my duty and passing it along…

First and foremost, thanks again to Something Wagging and Kol’s Notes for sharing this award with me.  I highly recommend you pay them a visit – both blogs are great!  Bella and I are humbled to be in such company…

The rules: I have to tell you seven things about myself and then choose fifteen other blogs that deserve the award. (One set of rules said newly-discovered, and the other set just said versatile, so I’m making up my own rule and just choosing fifteen blogs I always enjoy… though it’s hard to narrow it down to just fifteen.  As you can see from the blogroll at right, I enjoy a lot of blogs!)

The last time I did something like this, I shared some puppy-related items about myself and some things about Bella. So, this time I decided to use my seven things to tell you a little more about me (the non-dog related stuff). Here we go:

  1. My favorite food is grilled cheese.
  2. I’m a voracious reader… I go through books at a pretty fast pace.  In fact, I just started a new book last night (the fifth book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries), and finished it this evening.  Hours need to be subtracted for sleep, work, commuting, and dinner, during which reading was not an option.  Another recent example? I finished all three Hunger Games books in 3 days.  When I get into a book, it’ll be gone in no time.  Tina Fey’s Bossypants is next in my sights.
  3. I never thought I’d want an e-reader, but I love my Kindle.
  4. I love writing song parodies (as you may have guessed from my recent post about the Pupperazzi).  Although I can’t really sing, I can’t help myself!
  5. I love outdoor concerts.  And wine.  Especially outdoor concerts that allow you to bring wine.
  6. I enjoy movies… and musicals.  Thus, I was in geek heaven yesterday when I went with a friend to see Stephen Sondheim’s Company at the movie theater.  So far this summer, I’ve already seen a production of Follies (apparently I’m in a Sondheim kind of mood lately), and will be seeing Wicked  and Mamma Mia again soon.  I’m sure there will be other performances in my future as well…
  7. I can relate pretty much anything back to Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210.  It’s one of my… talents?

Whew… hope you made it through my rambling.  Now, to the fun part!  I’m passing this award onto the following blogs:

Don’t count… I may have cheated a little. Honestly, this was way too hard and there were so many others I wanted to mention, so if I didn’t list you above, please don’t be offended!  Perhaps I need some sort of regular feature where I heap all sorts of compliments upon all you wonderful pet bloggers out there, so that I’m not leaving anyone out.  Stay tuned, my lovely readers – the wheels are turning on this one!

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Father’s Day & some bloggy business

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Deep thoughts?

A few topics I want to hit today…

First, I’d like to wish a happy Father’s Day to all of the great dads out there, including my own!  (Bella the grandpuppy sends her love to my dad too.)  In your honor, here are some adorable animals celebrating Father’s Day and some amazing Father’s Day cakes.  Consider it a virtual celebration…

Second, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Kol’s Notes and Something Wagging This Way Comes for choosing to honor this blog
with the Versatile Blogger award!  I’ll do a longer post on this
subject later (and pass it on to some other blogs I love), but I wanted
to say thank you.

Finally, I’m sending happy birthday wishes to our buddy Kolchak Puggle (he shares it with Garfield, so he’s in good company)!

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Everything really is better with puppies

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The amazing and wonderful Pamela from Something Wagging This Way Comes (don’t you just love the name?) recently highlighted my humble blog as one of her favorites.  (Pamela had the brilliant idea to encourage her readers to visit some other fun dog blogs out there – including another of my faves, 24 Paws of Love – while she was on vacation… I just may have to “borrow” this idea one day.  In case you can’t tell, I want to be like Pamela when I grow up.)

Anyway, I’d like to take this moment to return the sentiment.  I highly recommend you swing by and check out Something Wagging This Way Comes to meet Pamela and her Golden Retriever, Honey, whose cuteness is off the charts.  Threre are so many fun and interesting things on Something Wagging – one of my favorite regular features is “The Puppiness Project.”  It’s a twist on Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project (which I also loved), in which Pamela attempts to learn how to be happy by studying Honey.  It’s an absolutely brilliant concept, and it will really get you thinking.  (A small sample: the merits of cuddling, learning to eat with gusto, and trying to expect the best from people.)  Maybe we’d all be better people if we followed our dogs’ examples!

However, my favorite post title has to be this one: “Everything’s Better with Puppies.”  If I didn’t already have a blog title, I’d be begging Pamela to let me borrow that one! 

So, in honor of Pamela and Honey, I suggest we all embrace our inner puppy and enjoy life without worrying about who is watching or if we look absolutely ridiculous, like this guy:


(via Best Week Ever)

The happiness is just radiating off that video in waves… it’s a nice a reminder to enjoy the simple things, try not to take everything too seriously, and have some fun.  Now get out there, tell Monday you’re going to have fun in spite of it, and enjoy your week! 

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A long overdue thank you…

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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.  

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