Tag Archives: non-puppy content

Hello… is it a doggie you’re looking for?

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I’ve got lots of linky goodness for you today.  Before we get silly, however, I have some cool information to share with you in honor of Pit Bull Awareness Day, which just so happens to be tomorrow.

Our pals over at love and a six-foot leash have put together a special adoption event with the Montgomery County Humane Society.  For a select group of lovable wonderbulls known as Little Zee’s Fabulous Four, all adoption fees will be sponsored.  Once a dog in the Fabulous Four is adopted, a new one will take his or her place on the list.

If you’re in the DC area, check out the details on how you can bring one of these adorable pups home.  (Even if you’re not looking for another dog right now or aren’t in DC, you can still help by spreading the word!)  For bonus points, head over to Peaceful dog, where a donation will be made to the Washington Humane Society for each comment.  Pretty cool, huh?

Now, back to your regularly scheduled puns…

  1. Your punny pet name: Lionel Itchy.
  2. Remember how much I loved that Lionel Richie teapot?  Well, here’s an awesome flyer to go with it. I don’t know why he fascinates me so… perhaps I’ve been wooed by his grammar skills.
  3. On a related note, I saw the sign below one day, and it was the highlight of my week.  I’m sure the people who saw me taking this photo thought I was nuts – however, anyone who gets the reference below scores instant awesome points.  (I’m beginning to think I need to join Lionel Richie Fans Anonymous.  Their motto?  “Hello… is it therapy you’re looking for?”)
    4. Lionel Richie crossing
  4. Um… moving on… looking for a treat to make for Halloween? Check out these creepy eyeball cake pops from Bakerella.  (Continuing on that theme… there photos of animals’ eyes up close are pretty cool.)
  5. If that didn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, try these awesome cakes inspired by Tim Burton.  (There might even be some new eye candy on my baking blog… head on over and check it out.)
  6. Last week, I highlighted some dogs in Halloween costumes.  This week, cats get their due.  (Speaking of cats, this diagram should clear up what all the fuss is about.)
  7. Also… I think this might be the best costume ever (although I doubt it’d translate into a pet costume).
  8. Want to see more cute pet costumes (and vote for your favorite)?  Go to All Things Dog Blog to vote for the Most Original Costume, and swing by DogTipper to vote for the Cutest Costume.
  9. I wish I’d read this article about pumpkin carving tips before I tried to carve mine last weekend.  Nonetheless, maybe it’ll help you in your carving endeavors.  (Are you a pumpkin carving savant?  Then you might want to enter this contest.)
  10. This photo looks like it came from some sort of horror movie.

The video below, however, looks like it came from the best movie ever.

It’s like a remake of 8 Seconds only much more fun and without Dylan McKay.

Oh, and I know it’s No Frown Friday, but I want to keep you posted on what’s up with us today.  Bella had to go in for surgery to have a lump removed this morning, and I’ll be picking her up this evening if all goes well.  That being said, we’d appreciate any healing vibes you could send her way.

I’m hoping that it’ll turn out to be nothing, and that the worst part of the whole ordeal will be her displeasure regarding the cone of shame.  (At least we don’t have a doggie door, I suppose…)

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High five!

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Time to high five our way into the weekend…

  1. I recommend you use this week’s punny pet name for a fish: Barney Finson.
  2. It’s like the animals from the Los Angeles Zoo are trying to outdo that puppy from Tuesday.  (Bonus – baby elephant!)
  3. Feel good story of the day: cat and family reunited after 6 years.  (And it’s even another reason it’s good to adopt, not shop.)
  4. Breaking news: Carmen Sandiego has been found.  Waldo remains at large.
  5. When a squirrel interrupts a televised baseball game, do dogs everywhere freak out?  (Bella and I weren’t watching… the wounds from the Braves epic collapse are still too fresh.)
  6. You know, it’s possible that our dogs know more about us than the rest of the world.  They’re great listeners, after all.
  7. Another genius installment from the Bloggess… enough said.
  8. Speaking of genius – Whippet wordplay!

I’d like to give the person who came up with that Whippet pun a high five.  Fun fact: giving a high five is one of the few tricks Bella has successfully mastered.  This cat approves:

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Snappy wordplay and a K9 Kamp giveaway!

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It’s Friday… thank goodness!  (Now I know why it’s always said the other way. IF…TG is not really as catchy as TGIF.)

As always, it’s time for some fun links to send you into the weekend.  As a bonus, today’s post includes information about a K9 Kamp giveaway!  Read on, friend…

  1. This week’s punny net name: William Snakespeare. (Bonus puns: Mount Ruffmore and “Is it tea you’re looking for?”  That second link will show you my new favorite thing. I want one. Seriously.  It’s possible I wrote a few verses of that song this week… you know I can’t fight the music.)
  2. It’s been a big week for punny songs over here.  Newly added to my catalog?  “Hakuna Manatee” (it means no worries, in the inlets and bays) and “Hakuna Fritatta” (I was at a work brunch and couldn’t stop humming it to myself).  
  3. Also, here’s a special one for you Days of Our Lives fans – “Hakuna Marlena.”  (It does, in fact, involve references to that time she was possessed.  Now she has a “Satan-free… philosophy… Hakuna Marlena.”)
  4. Moving on… here’s Hero, the dog-shaped hot dog steamer.  There are no words.
  5. There are, however, words for these cake pops that look like my favorite cartoon character. Those words? Awesome and adorable. 
  6. Speaking of cake, I finally posted a new recipe on my long-neglected cupcake blog.
  7. I have a friend who has a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Snoop Dogg.  I have a feeling she would appreciate this next link.
  8. Looking for a pet-friendly hotel?  How about a hotel that has dogs on staff and helps pets get adopted?  As you wish.
  9. If you got the Princess Bride reference in that last item, then you’ll love this (fictional) version of Monopoly.  (If it were real, it would be currently fighting that Lionel Richie teapot for the title of my favorite thing.)
  10. This photo just made me smile.  However, this one led to a fit of giggles that I still haven’t quite gotten over. Wordplay!

Photobucket As you know, I’ve been participating in K9 Kamp for the last few weeks.  Today, I’m the featured blogger at Peggy’s Pet Place – swing by to check it out.  In addition, K9 Kamp is giving away a set of hand-crafted, eco-friendly Fetching Sticks from Molly Products. You can enter by heading over to Peggy’s Pet Place or on this blog after the jump…



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Another trip down Memory Lane for #My7Links

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Last month, I was notified by Katie from Tripbase that I had been nominated to take part in My 7 Links.  (A huge and belated thanks to Kim from This One Wild Life for the nomination – sadly, it took me this long to write the post.  Oops…)

The goal of My 7 Links?  “To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share
lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts
that deserve to see the light of day again.”  Sounds like fun, right?  Here we go…

1.  My most beautiful post

This was kind of a tough call – I think that a lot of the photos I’ve shared of Bella are quite beautiful. (I’m biased, I know.)  However, I decided to go with something a bit wordier: “Lend me your eyes and I’ll write you a blog.” 

2.  My most popular post

According to my stats, my most popular post (based on page views) was one from my recent series recapping the BlogPaws pet blogger conference.  Specifically, the post entitled “BlogPaws Episode 2: Say hello to my not so little friends,” in which I discussed listening to the guys from Rescue Ink give the keynote on the first day of the conference.

(My photo post “Leave(s) it to Bella” was a very close second in the page views category, while I received the most comments on “Take a look at me now,” a post I did as part of the Pet Blogger challenge reflecting on my blogging experience.)

3.  My most controversial post

I’m not the most controversial of bloggers. (I love puppies and cupcakes and spend way too much time talking about pop culture, after all.)  However, I think that the post that qualifies as most controversial is probably “Dogs in hot cars: when will it stop?”  The story I shared in that post was horrifying on so many levels and did inspire some debate.

4.  My most helpful post

I’m not sure I’m that helpful either.  However, I was a bit torn on which post to list here – some of my recent BlogPaws posts have contained some useful information, but I wanted to go with something a bit older.  I do think that “Bella: the Great Houndini” was a pretty useful post – I shared some of our methods of Bella containment and I think that the ideas there would be helpful for others dealing with their own crafty canines.

5.  A post whose success surprised me

As you may know, I have a regular feature that I call No Frown Friday.  These posts are kind of a hodgepodge of things depending on what I have on the brain that week.  I never really know which ones will strike a chord and which ones will fly under the radar.  I find it interesting that the most popular of these posts has such an unassuming title: “That’s one way to stay cool.”

(Also interesting – the most commented on Friday post was “Appreciate a squirrel today.”  Guess it’s not always puppies around here.)

6.  A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

This one was kind of a tough call.  There are many posts from the early days of the blog that never really saw much traffic.  If I had to pick one, I’d probably choose “She’s cute, but…”  This post is a perfect introduction to Bella.

7.  The post that I am the most proud of

I knew that the post I selected for this category would be one where I was blogging the change for animals or sharing an important cause.  I think I’ve settled on this one: “Blog the Change: Pets of the Homeless” (the first time I mentioned that particular cause on the blog).  I think that this is a really important organization, and I’m dedicated to spreading the word about it.  (I discussed it again as part of the recent Pay it Forward blog hop.)

So, those are my links.  Now, for the fun part – nominating five others to participate!  After checking the list of bloggers nominated so far, I think I’m not duplicating… if so, my apologies.  Anyway, I’m nominating these great bloggers:

Happy Monday!

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BlogPaws Episode 7: This is the end

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When last we saw our intrepid heroine, she had just finished lunch on the last day of BlogPaws.  What adventures await her in this installment?

After lunch, it was time to head to my final session.  I chose one entitled “Copyright Basics for Bloggers & Staying Out of Trouble with the FTC.”  Obviously, I’m not here to give you legal advice, but I am happy to share some resources so you can learn about copyright, product reviews and contests.  These sites will provide you with some handy information:

  • To learn more about copyright law, visit the U.S. Copyright Office.  There are a few angles to consider here, including learning the basics about when your work is copyrighted and protecting your own work.  There’s also a handy page intended to help you unravel the mysteries of copyright law, whether you’re the creator of the content or wondering how and when you can use someone else’s content on your site.  (On a related note, I love a government agency with a sense of humor – this FAQ was my favorite.)
  • Speaking of using content you didn’t create, you may want to check out the Creative Commons website.  You can search this site for creative works that you may be able to use on your blog – visit here to learn about how content is licensed and how you can use it.  You can also find some Creative Commons work on Flickr.
  • Before you do any product reviews on your site, it’s important to know the rules of the road, especially if you’re receiving free products to review on your site.  Visit the FTC website to find out more.
  • If you want to run a sweepstakes or contest on your blog, there may be legal issues related to running a promotion.  For an overview of the issues, take a look at this article.
  • Finally, for a wealth of info, you can also check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Legal Guide for Bloggers.

After this session, I finally managed to meet Sharon from Grouchy Puppy, thanks to some help from my pal Kim over at This One Wild  Life.  Sharon was on my must-meet list, but we hadn’t managed to make it happen yet.  While I chatted with a few bloggers, including Sharon and Diane from To Dog With Love, we were treated to a special presentation:

No offense to anyone else, but I’m pretty sure that Cosmo was the cutest speaker at the conference.

After this adorable presentation, Sharon, Diane and I did what many bloggers do with downtime – we had a photo shoot!  Sharon (and Cleo’s proxy) posed for a few shots with Cosmo.  This shot was my favorite:

Sadly, the end of our photo shoot also meant the end of my BlogPaws adventure.  Irene was fast approaching, so I headed home to spend the evening hanging out with Bella and hoping my power wouldn’t go out.  (Spoiler alert: my power did go out.  However, it went out at 2:30 A.M. and was back before 10 A.M., so I won’t complain.  I don’t think Bella even noticed.)

Well… that’s all, folks.  (I’m at a bit of a loss – what will I ramble about now that this series is done?)  I had a great time at the conference and met some absolutely wonderful people.  I hope you enjoyed these recaps – if you want to read or revisit any of my BlogPaws 2011 coverage, you can do so by clicking here. 

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Less adoptable? Super awesome is more like it

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In honor of Petfinder’s Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, I’m dedicating this week’s No Frown Friday to the less adoptable pets out there. This week’s motto?  Appreciate, don’t discriminate!

  1. Punny pet name:  Mike-howl Ian Black.
  2. Did you see my guest post on Grouchy Puppy earlier this week?  If not, check out 10 great reasons to adopt an older dog.
  3. Even better, Sharon from Grouchy Puppy did a guest post here as well (check it out if you missed it).  Remember: when it comes to senior dogs, appreciate, don’t discriminate! (For a host of senior dog resources, I also recommend that you visit Daley’s Dog Years.)
  4. Also among the less adoptable? Pop over to Something Wagging to learn about tripod dogs (a.k.a. dogs with three legs).  Don’t get too cocky – I have a feeling that many of them could beat me (and probably you) in a race.  You can also read about more special needs pets at Bessie Mac, Bringing up Bella, and browndog cbr.
  5. I’ve talked about Black Dog Syndrome before and introduced you to some of the awesome black dogs from my past.  Check out this post at the Northern Virginia Dog Blog for more info.
  6. Do any of your pets (past or present) fit into the less adoptable (a.k.a. “awesome but people are too dumb to see it”) category?  Tell me about them!  (You can also stroll down memory lane with some other bloggers this week, like Kim from This One Wild Life and Dr. V from Pawcurious.)
  7. Dawn from Affurmation shares why she prefers adopting those so-called less adoptable pets.  It’s a great reason!
  8. Warning: this story from Amazon Cares about the special bond between a less adoptable pet and his human might bring tears to your eyes.  (I promised no frowns, but I said nothing about happy tears.)
  9. Kim from CindyLu’s Muse reminds us why different is beautiful.
  10. As Marg’s Pets will tell you, it’s not just dogs that have to deal with this label.  Learn the facts about FIV-positive cats at Brian’s Home and check out some black cats at House of Carnivores and The Chronicles of Cardigan.

We end today’s post with a video of one of those less adoptable pets…

Based on how cute this “less adoptable” black dog is, I can only conclude one thing… people are crazy.

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Hey girl… bird is still the word

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Today’s post is inspired by that whole Ryan Gosling “Hey girl” thing (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should stop whatever you’re doing and check it out – I’ll wait).  It’s not the first time Mr. Gosling has made an appearance on this blog, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.  I mean, the man’s dog has an adorable mohawk, AND he shares his name with adorably tiny feathered creatures.

(Before we dive in, I also wanted to encourage you to visit Grouchy Puppy – I did a guest post that will be featured there today!)

  1. Your weekly pun: Goose Newton.
  2. Wondering why I’ve got “Hey girl” on the brain?  I blame this absolutely hilarious mash-up of Beauty and the Beast and that Honeybadger guy.  It’s possible I like this version better than the original.
  3. Apparently this goose would like to challenge the idea that dog is man’s best friend.
  4. This duck would like to help him in that quest.
  5. All goslings (except for Ryan) one day grow up to be geese.  This video beautifully captures that process.
  6. Speaking of birds, anyone familiar with Portlandia and that whole hilarious “Put a bird on it” thing?  Whatever your answer, I recommend you head over to The Bloggess.  You’ll be happy you did.
  7. Related: maybe Portlandia was wrong and you should put a cat on it instead?
  8. Now that we’re on the topic of cats, I just discovered this video that seems to be the perfect follow-up to Monday’s Office Space cat.  Apparently curiosity about the fax machine will land the cat a rocking office job.  (Bonus: cats wearing ties!)

I found today’s video strangely hypnotic:

Is it the music?  I don’t know, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t watch it several times.  Bird is the word, after all.

You know what else I’ll be watching several times?  The return of Pop-Up Video.  There should really just be a channel constantly playing Pop-Up Video. Are you listening, Vh1?

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BlogPaws Episode 6: Community & camera capers

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My series of posts on BlogPaws has more episodes than some TV shows… apparently I had quite a bit to say!

Anyway, it’s time to recap Day 2.  I was running a tad behind, but I managed to grab some breakfast and slip in just as the keynote speaker was getting started.  The morning began with a talk by Heidi Ganahl, the Top Dog at Camp Bow-Wow, which sounds like a pretty fun place for a pup to spend a day or an evening.

Heidi is quite the impressive entrepreneur as well as a philanthropist.  Her speech was quite inspirational; she shared the experience of losing her husband at the age of 27 and the journey that eventually led to the creation of Camp Bow-Wow.

For more on Heidi, check out her website and then read this pre-BlogPaws interview that Grouchy Puppy did with Heidi.  If you’re interested in finding out if there’s a Camp Bow-Wow near you, check here.  You can also check out the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, a nonprofit arm that is involved in some great causes.

After listening to Heidi, I should have gone to a breakout session. I planned to – and from what I heard, the offerings in the first time slot were great.  However, I ended up hanging out with Diane and Cosmo from To Dog With Love and a few other bloggers, including Tamar from I Have Cat and Donna (and her pup Yaxley) from Raising a Super Dog.

Cosmo
Yaxley

I got so distracted by talking (and by cute puppies and that adorable kitten Tamar is holding in the photo above) that I completely missed the first session.  The dangers of being chatty, I suppose.

I got back on track in time for the second session of the day.  There were a few I was interested in, but I’m very happy with the one I chose, entitled “No Blog is an Island: Tools to Build Traffic & Community.”  The session was presented by Felissa Elfenbein from Two Little Cavaliers and Neil Brogan from Life with Dogs.  Neil was unable to make it in person.  However, thanks to the wonders of technology, he joined us via phone. While waiting for the session to start, I talked it up with Lisa the Pet Book Lady.  So glad I got to meet her!

The session began with an absolutely awesome video.  Seriously.  Go watch it.  I’ll still be here when you’re done.

Now that you’re back, a few notes about the session itself.  We had a great discussion of the concept of community, which led to last week’s Pay it Forward Blog Hop.  (I still plan to find some great guests posts from you from the hop… my to do list is just taking longer than I thought!  However, one of the lessons I took from the session was that guest posting is a great way for us to build on each others’ ideas within the greater community.) 

A few other highlights:

  • If you have the choice, go for threaded rather than flat comments.  (If you’re like me, “threaded comments” was a new phrase. However, you know how on some blogs you can reply to specific comments rather than just replying at the end of the discussion?  Those are threaded comments – discussions rather than just a linear list.  Blogger doesn’t offer this option.)
  • Follow the Golden Rule – deal with troublemakers quickly.  Consider posting rules for behavior so that your readers know your comment policy.  Don’t spend time arguing with your community members.
  • Don’t be the loudest voice in the conversation.
  • If you would consider it SPAM, don’t do it to your followers.

After that interesting session (complete with Felissa’s retelling of the Stone Soup folk story – a timeless classic in my book), I headed to lunch.  While eating, we were treated to a special presentation from BZTAT (a.k.a. Vicky Boatright).  She teamed up with Miah from Start the Change for a very moving performance.  Go visit BZTAT’s website to learn more about Okey’s Promise. I also recommend this great post about Okey’s Promise over at Bocci’s Beefs.

Oh, and did I mention that Saturday morning was when my fun photo shoot with Pamela and Honey from Something Wagging this Way Comes took place?  It was a good time!

Up next… one last session, finally meeting up with the fabulous lady behind Grouchy Puppy, and some closing thoughts.  We’re in the home stretch!

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