Tag Archives: bloggy business

Do you hear what I hear?

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I know it’s supposed to be wordless, but if you’ve been reading this blog for a while… well, then you know that’s a very difficult rule for me to follow!  Anyway, I just wanted to take this moment to say a quick thank you to Park Avenue Chihuahua and SewDoggyStyle for giving this blog the Stylish Blogger Award!

Instead of passing along this award, I’m going to continue the rule-breaking theme of this post and encourage you to check out all of the blogs listed under “Puppy Love” in the sidebar.  I’d especially like to encourage you to visit Park Avenue Chihuahua and SewDoggyStyle and say hi – they’re awesome!

(Don’t forget to join the Wordless Wednesday blog hop from BlogPaws!)

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Blog the Change: Pets of the Homeless

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Blog the ChangeToday’s post is part of Blog the Change for Animals, an event in which bloggers blog (that noun-verb combo gave me pause for a moment – it’s awkward but accurate) about animal causes. At the end of this post, find out how you can participate in Blog the Change (sponsored by our friends at Be the Change for Animals).
You will also find links to all of the other blogs participating in
Blog the Change.  I encourage you to check out these blogs – many great
causes out there.  Finally, if you’re interested in reading my entries from past Blog the Change events, check them out here: Protecting People & Their Pets and Share the Love & Rescue a Pup.

I spent a great deal of time agonizing over what to write about for today’s Blog the Change event.  Should I revisit an earlier topic, like the Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS) Program, pet adoption, or the importance of buckling up your pup? Or should I focus on something new?  Lucky for you, dear reader, I recently read a post by CindyLu’s Muse that made my decision for me. As soon as I read that post, I knew that I had to write about this cause for Blog the Change.  It’s a natural sequel to my post on the PAWS program.

That cause? Pets of the Homeless, a nonprofit organization that provides pet food and veterinary care to the homeless and less fortunate in local communities across the United States and Canada. I imagine that you, like me, may have felt your heart break a little when you pass a homeless person with a pet.  Sometimes the love between the two can take your breath away.  Given that winter is a particularly dangerous time to have no shelter, I thought that Pets of the Homeless was the perfect cause to feature during the frigid month of January.

Learn more about this organization and how you can help, after the jump.

Before I go on, I want to quickly address an argument I encountered while doing research for this post.  Some argue that homeless people should not have pets – and that the best solution is to take these pets away.  I’m not going to engage in that debate here.  However, I do want to share the following quote I found on the Pets of the Homeless blog:

“There are those who will say that homeless people should not have
pets. But they will have pets. There are those who will say that people
should not be homeless. But there will be homeless people. This is the
real world.  And as someone who works in that real world, I have
seen abuse and neglect of the pets of wealthy and impoverished alike,
just as I’ve seen wonderfully loving and supportive relationships
between animals and people on every rung of the economic ladder. One
issue, of course, is that economics can and often do contribute to an
inability to provide what can be costly services.”

– Ken White (President, Peninsula Humane Society)

Pets of the Homeless cites a sobering statistic from the National Coalition for the Homeless. NCH estimates that 3.5 million people are homeless. Between 5-10% of these homeless people have pets. (In some areas of the country, this number may be as high as 24%.) For a variety of reasons, many are forced to choose between keeping their pets or having a roof over their heads.  (Many shelters are not equipped to house pets.  For a list of those that do and groups that will provide temporary foster care for pets of the homeless, please click here.)  As a result, the majority choose to stay on the streets with their pets rather than abandoning them.

Pets of the Homeless aims to help this population in a variety of ways.  It has established collection sites to accept donated pet food and distributes this food through partnerships with homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other entities.  The organization also makes two types of grants: one to veterinarians that go to where the homeless congregate and provide veterinary care such as vaccines, spay/neuter and other needed treatments; the other to homeless shelters looking for ways to allow pets sanctuary with their owners.

If you have tissues handy, I urge you to read some of the success stories and view the touching photos on the Pets of the Homeless website.

Want to know how you can help? If there is a collection site near you, donate pet food and supplies.  (If there’s no collection site near you, find out how to become one.)  Pets of the Homeless also provides a list of other ways that you can donate your time or money to this worthy cause.

I hope you’ll take the time to check out this organization and learn more.


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Take a look at me now

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Pet Blogger Challenge(Yes, that’s a Phil Collins reference. You’re welcome.)

Thanks to Edie at Will My Dog Hate Me and Amy at GoPetFriendly.com, I’ll be engaging in some introspection today.  Edie and Amy have posed a series of questions – those of us participating in the challenge will be posting our answers to those questions today.

Rather than sticking to the numbered Q&A format, I’m going to take a narrative approach.  Here we go…

Beginnings: I began this blog in April 2010.  As you can see from my first post, I originally started the blog as a private affair.  Many of my friends were starting blogs about their kids, and I thought it might be fun to join the blog-liferation, so to speak.  The name of the blog started as a joke – at my age, you’re always getting asked when you’re going to start having kids.  My stock answer?  “I just want more puppies.”  At that time, I wasn’t sure what I would blog about or how long my interest would last.  Foreshadowing alert – the first post contained very little content, but it did have this:

So perhaps it was destined to be a blog about dogs from the start.  I just didn’t know it at the time.  (My musings continue, after the jump…)


Initial Purpose:  I wanted to share things with my friends and family, and I wanted to do it in a space that gave me more freedom than Facebook or email.  I don’t think I had a purpose beyond that.  Although I wrote some posts about Bella (and other dog-related topics), the rest were all over the place.  I posted about TV shows, posted some recipes, and even attempted the occasional movie review.  While looking back at my earliest entries in preparation for this post, I found the ultimate example of how lost I was, topic-wise.  At one point, I offered this disclaimer (before sharing a sweet video about a shelter pup): “You guys, I promise this blog isn’t going to be entirely about puppies, despite the name and my own fondness for puppy pictures.”  I was really fighting the inevitable, huh?  Score one for irony. 

Changes:  As I discussed above, I thought I started a blog to share things with my friends and family in a private forum.  However, I wasn’t sharing things that were meant to be private, like family photos or a recap of my weekend. At some point along the way, I realized that the private thing wasn’t really working for me.  I also discovered that there were plenty of other pet bloggers out there, and I wanted to join the fun.  So, I made the blog public and began to indulge my desire to post more things about dogs. That’s not to say that other topics are off limits (non-puppy posts do happen), but my content is more focused now.

Current Purpose:  I’m still working on this one, I think.  To some extent, my purpose is to have a creative outlet (hence the punny pet names and other random musings).  I also want the blog to be a fun and entertaining space that others enjoy reading, a place to post photos of Bella, and a way to promote animal causes and awareness.  Like I said, I’m still working on it.

Mechanics:  I don’t blog on a strict schedule, although I do try to post at least three times per week.  (When possible, I like to post more often.)  To make sure I’m adding some new content each week, I post on Wednesdays (now that I’ve discovered Wordless Wednesdays) and Fridays (aka No Frown Friday).   I wanted to designate a day to post a variety of links, hence the Friday post – sometimes I try to tie all of the links together with a theme, but not always.  In order to make sure I at least post on these designated days, I try to write posts in advance and keep a running list of possible themes and links to include.  (Wordless Wednesday is easier – I’m never lacking in the Bella photo department!)  I don’t generate any income from my blog, and I haven’t really given it much thought at this point.

The Good, the Bad & the Furry:  The things I like most about blogging are the opportunity to be creative and the ability to interact with others who share my interests.  I’m always learning something new or smiling after reading the posts of other pet bloggers (it’s a great community), and I think the creative outlet has been good for me.  (I’m pretty proud of some of my posts, if I do say so myself.)  My least favorite thing about blogging, on the other hand, is the (probably self-created) pressure to post.  When I’m short on time, it actually stresses me out if I don’t have time to post.  I do try to counteract that tendency by planning ahead and having some posts ready to go in a pinch. 

To Infinity… and Beyond:  In 2011, I’d like to maintain a consistent posting level.  I’m also very excited about my new DSLR, which will likely affect the content here.  I’ve loved photography for a long time, so I may add some posts on that topic or even a regular series.  We’ll see.  (Seriously… I’d love to have some sort of small photography business on the side.  How much would I love to do pet photo shoots? But I digress…)  I also hope to become more involved with local rescue groups – so if that happens, there may be some posts about that too.  I’m not sure I have a well-articulated goal for this year – but I would like to maintain the blog as a fun and informative place that I hope you’ll continue to visit!

Want to read other entries in the Pet Blogger Challenge?  Check out the full list at Will My Dog Hate Me and GoPetFriendly.

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These are a few of my favorite posts…

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and doggies in spacesuits, rescuing puppies and cats that are so cute… the cone of shame and the amusement it brings… these are a few of my favorite things. (I adore The Sound of Music, and it just seemed like a perfect fit today.)  When I saw that Dr. V did a post highlighting her top 10 posts from 2010, I really liked the idea.  Even better, she’s hosting a blog hop for those who want to join the fun.  Time for a blast to the (fairly recent) past!

Dogs eating ice cream and punny pet names, attempting to test my pup’s IQ with a brain game, having a party for Bella to host… these are a few of my favorite posts (in no particular order):

She’s cute, but…
I administered an IQ test to dear Bella… the results were not promising.

Celebrating the cone of shame
The name says it all.  (It was one of my favorite No Frown Friday posts.)

To all the dogs (and cats) I’ve loved before
For my 100th post, I took a stroll down memory lane.

Corgi, P.I.
The very first breed spotlight.

Protecting people and their pets
A post about the Pets and Women’s Shelter Program (and my contribution to October’s Blog the Change).

My favorite flavor? Neopawlitan
The epic battle of Bella vs. ice cream.

Head of the class
Dogs… in… school!

When he jumps high he flies like a wild eagle
One word: Flashbeagle.

Horrible woman does terrible thing, and now I’m angry
In which I got very, very angry at people who leave their dogs in hot cars.

Case of the Mondays?
Try my guaranteed cure.

I tried not to pick any that were too recent… I figured it would be more fun to dig around in the archives.  Did I miss any of your favorites?

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Celebrate Shelter Pets!

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Today is Celebrate Shelter Pets Day!  (Check it out on Shelter Pet Project’s Facebook page.)  As you may already know, this blog is all about Bella, my own little rescue dog.  We love rescue stories around here, and hope you do too.

In lieu of another Bella story, I decided to share a clip from a recent episode of Community (“Cooperative Caligraphy“).  In that episode, the cast becomes desperate when they are kept from a puppy parade organized by the local shelter as part of an adoption event.  Here’s what you see over the closing credits:



(Intrigued? You can watch more Community here.)

All shows should end with a puppy parade.  Actually, all events in my life should end with a puppy parade.

Next time you’re looking for a furry friend, just remember: shelter pets rock!

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To all the dogs (and cats) I’ve loved before

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With this post, I reach a bit of a milestone – 100 posts!  For a while, I was stumped regarding what to blog about for number 100.  (I then went on vacation, which resulted in a total post hiatus… more to come on that later.)

While driving earlier, it hit me – the perfect way to commemorate my 100th post.  I’ve decided to dedicate this post to all the pets I’ve loved before.  (Yes, that’s a nod to the Red Headed Stranger – bonus points if you figure it out without clicking on either of the links.)

Anyway, you obviously know lots about Bella, my current fur child.  I’ve also introduced you to some of my past loves – Shadow, Sparkle, Bourbon & Pedro.  Today, I’d like you to meet the rest of the pups and cats I shared my house with growing up…

Each of these wonderful animals (as well as the ones above) really deserves their own post.  So many stories to share – definitely a topic for future discussion.  For now, I’ll just stick with the basics…

I should start at the beginning (a very good place to start).  My first pet was – believe it or not – a cat.  A white cat that I named Buttercup.  (Don’t ask me why… I’d love to ask my three-year-old self the same thing.)

She wasn’t the friendliest of cats to start with, but that’s a story for another day.  She was my first love.

Next, I’d like to introduce you to Kandi, a chihuahua that my dad adopted and brought home one day.  Note – when she got older, her tongue began to stick out all the time.  We used to say that her spring was broken.

Quite the character, that one.

We also had a Norwegian Elkhound named Lady – one of the many dogs that found us over the years.

I loved to cuddle with that gal.

My sister also had a cat – though Tiger joined us when I was much older.  She was once our neighbor’s cat, but decided to adopt my sister instead.  She even decided to have her kittens in my sister’s lap – I believe my sister was around three at the time.  Talk about a surprise!

Last, but by no means least, I must introduce you to the source of my terrier love.  When I was ten years old, I met the most wonderful dog.  My parents had promised me I could get a new dog that would be officially “my” dog.  I considered many breeds, and had my heart set on a Scottish Terrier.  However, when I met this girl, that plan went out the window.  I’d already settled on the most creative name (sarcasm intentional) for the Scottish Terrier I had convinced myself I was getting.  Thus, Scotti the Toy Fox Terrier joined our family.


Take note of the teddy bear in the photo to the right… this is one of the two teddy bears that Scotti adopted and carried everywhere.

Long story short, Scotti was by my side every minute from the time I was 10 until I left for college (as well as every moment I returned home during college and beyond).  Definitely a girl’s best friend.

I have tons of wonderful stories about each of these special animals (as well as several other animals who didn’t live in my house but were responsible for some great memories).  I’m sure I’ll be sharing them over many nostalgic nights in the future.

For now, I just want to say thanks for reading my blog – the first 100 posts have been fun, and I look forward to many more.

In closing, say hi to your puppy for me… and then give him or her a big hug.

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Thank a Veteran today

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I realize posting has slowed a bit this week… I promise I’ll return to normal form soon.  However, I did want to share a post from the archives in honor of those who have served our country.  On Memorial Day, I shared information about some inspiring heroes, both human and canine (including Military Working Dogs).

If you’d like to read it:

I think it’s a pretty appropriate post for today as well.  Thank you to those who have served our country – we are blessed that you chose to make such a sacrifice to protect our freedom.
(Also, a quick housekeeping note – No Frown Friday will be on hiatus this week.  So if you just can’t wait for more, be sure to check out the archives.  Normal posting will resume soon – in the meantime, say hi to your puppy for me!)
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Blog the Change: Protecting people and their pets

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Blog the Change

The post below originally appeared on this blog on August 4, 2010.  While trying to choose a topic for today’s Blog the Change, I kept coming back to this issue.  Victims of domestic violence may delay leaving a dangerous situation for fear of leaving their pets behind.  The Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS) Program is an effort to create opportunities for victims of domestic violence and their pets to be safe and stay together.  I think it’s a really important cause, and it seemed worthy of posting again.  In addition, National PAWS Day was October 5, so it seemed like the perfect time to resurrect this post.

At the end of this post, find out how you can participate in Blog the Change (sponsored by our friends at Be the Change for Animals). You will also find links to all of the other blogs participating in Blog the Change.  I encourage you to check out these blogs – many great causes out there.  Finally, if you’re interested in reading my July entry for Blog the Change, check it out here: Share the Love & Rescue a Pup.

Your regularly scheduled No Frown Friday will return next week.

Update (1/16/11):  The PAWS Program is no longer at American Humane.  However, you can read up on its current status here.

Bella’s serious face

Every now and then, I get serious for a moment.  Today is one of those days.

When you give your heart to a dog, you get so much in return.  In addition to unconditional love, a furry friend (like my Bella) provides companionship, comic relief and so much more.  Seeing my pup after a long day always makes me smile, and snuggling with her while sharing my troubles helps melt away the stress of the day. 

We always talk about rescuing animals, but sometimes an animal rescues its person.  I read a moving story yesterday courtesy of the lovely folks over at FIDO Friendly Blog called “The Dog Who Saved Me From Abuse.”  The author tells the story of how adopting Baby (a Chiweenie – great breed name, right?) changed her life.   She was stuck in an abusive relationship with no way out – at first, Baby gave her an excuse to get out of the house, and then Baby’s unconditional love helped the author survive and find the strength to leave.  It’s an inspirational tale, and I hope you will take a moment to read it.  Grab some tissues.  In fact, you may want to have your pup handy – I know I needed a Bella hug when I finished reading.

The post also contains information about a great program that I want to share with you.  It’s called the Pets and Women’s Shelters Program (aka the PAWS Program).  American Humane developed this program to encourage domestic and family violence emergency housing shelters to allow residents to bring their pets with them.  (This post is getting a bit long, so you can find the remainder after the jump.  I have lots of info to share with you today.)

Allowing residents to bring their pets with them to these shelters recognizes both the comfort that pets provide and the importance of the human-animal bond.  Further, it removes one more obstacle that might discourage people from getting out of abusive relationships – if they can bring their pets to the shelter with them, then they don’t have to worry about leaving their furry friend behind.  (There is often a link between domestic violence and pet abuse – both human and furry family members may be in danger.)  Keeping domestic violence victims and their pets together is an important mission – I encourage you to learn more about the PAWS Program and what you can do to help.  

The United States Humane Society also has a program to help victims of domestic violence and their pets – it’s called Safe Havens for Animals.  This program aims to provide temporary housing for victims’ pets when a shelter cannot accommodate them.  The goal is the same – to give people and their pets a way out of abusive situations.  As noted above, animal cruelty and human violence often go hand in hand.  The more options out there, the better.

If you want to read more about this issue, I’ve rounded up a few other links:

This concludes today’s serious interlude.

To find out how you can participate in Blog the Change, go here.  You can also add your BtC post using the list below.  While you’re at it, visit some of the other blogs participating in Blog the Change:

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Puppy Woof Woof

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I don’t have words… I found the video below oddly addictive:



(via Best Week Ever)

It took me forever to figure out why the song sounded so familiar.  Did you figure it out?

I also wanted to say a quick thank you for some recent awards we received.  Big thanks to:

and

Instead of passing these awards along, I would like to encourage you to visit the wonderful blogs who gave this award to us, and then check out our other friends listed in the blogroll at right. Lots of awesome reads!

His name is Puppy, he goes woof woof, woof woof woof…

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Be like Bella

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Time for a brief PSA (Pup Service Announcement)…

Humans aren’t the only ones who should buckle up in the car.  Dogs should too!  You know your dog wants to be cool like Bella – pictured below in her “flight suit.”  (Travel drugs optional.  Not optional for Bella though.)

Bella models the Travelin’ Dog Harness from the Good Pet Stuff Company

For more info, check out Be Smart Ride Safe, this week’s cause at Be the Change for Animals.  If you have any traveling recommendations or tips, feel free to share them in the comments!

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