Today, we remember

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Pup Fan

It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years. It’s a day fixed in my mind – I remember exactly where I was that morning. I had an early class and returned to my on-campus apartment to find my roommates watching the news, horrified by what they were seeing. While trying to process what was happening, some made panicked phone calls to loved ones who worked at the Pentagon (less than 20 miles from our campus). Others checked on the status of friends and family in New York and DC, hoping they were okay.

I don’t even know what else to say about the tragedy that unfolded that day. Words don’t seem to be enough.

However, I want to share this video from the archives – it’s from The Dog Files, and although I posted it last year, I think it’s just as powerful today.

Bless all the heroes – both human and canine – who were there that day, as well as those who continue to work tirelessly on our behalf. We are forever in your debt.

You give cats… a bad name

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Pup Fan

Time for some Friday linkage! Sadly, I cannot herald the beginning of another three-day weekend. If only…

We begin, as always, with punny pet names: Bryan Waggams, Jon Bone Jovi, Richard Barx, and Madogga.
On a related note, have you ever wondered what your favorite ’80s band says about you? (I kind of hope that one of you is a huge fan of Richard Marx or The Smiths. Mine wasn’t quite as funny – I’m a big REM fan.)
Speaking of music, artist James Walker does some pretty cool stuff about subjects ranging from border collies to punk rock.
Up next, a rockstar dog: Harbor the Coonhound was just awarded the Guiness World Record for having the longest ears.
Maybe having a cone of shame is cool now… at least that’s what I have to conclude Dexter thought when creating his own, MacGyver-style.
Apparently Bella’s sock addiction is in no way unique.
Puppies in sweaters. I die.
In slightly creepy/unconventional news… would your lap dog like a substitute lap when you’re not available?
I think a palette cleanser is needed after that last link… sometimes, you just have to share the pretty.

Finally, this week’s video. If you went to middle school with this cat, he would totally take your lunch money. And then stuff you in a locker.

(via Jezebel)

Looking for something to do this weekend? If you’re in the DC metro area, consider checking out the Third Annual Doggie Day Swim tomorrow afternoon or swinging by a happy hour to support the Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART) tomorrow night.

BlogPaws Episode 4: I’m off to meet the widgets

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Pup Fan

Now, where was I? Oh, yes… cheesecake. Good stuff, right? Anyway, after thoroughly enjoying that cheesecake and chatting with a few others during the break, it was time for afternoon sessions. During each time slot, there were four breakout sessions to choose from. Sometimes, it was a tough choice. At other times, I didn’t have to think twice. You will probably not be surprised to learn that the title of this next session called to me like a siren to a sailor.

A punny title? Pop culture references? How could I say no?

This session was presented by Lauren Spencer from Fetching Communications. We learned about various widgets (stand-alone applications that you can embed on your blog to create a more dynamic and interactive experience for your readers – check out Something Wagging This Way Comes for list of the links we got from Lauren that day). It seems like there are widgets for everything – including Facebook (so readers can like your page… hint, hint), Twitter, and YouTube. You can even create polls and surveys for your site.

Just make sure not to engage in widget overload – too many widgets and your page begins to look like Times Square. Your reader won’t even know where to start.

Anyway, there was one widget in particular that piqued my interest: embedding a slideshow from Flickr. Lauren showed us how to do this using Flickr’s own app, as well as third-party applications from Flickr’s App Garden. I made the one below using pictobrowser:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The Chronicles of Cardigan meets Something Wagging

Cool, right? I have a feeling I’ll be using this tool a lot in the future – I was wondering how to create slideshows on the blog, but was a bit too lazy to figure it out myself. So thank goodness for punny sessions. The session even came with an unexpected bonus: I finally got to meet Elizabeth, Jon Farleigh and Dewi from The Chronicles of Cardigan!

Now that my brain was playing songs from The Wizard of Oz on a permanent loop, it was time to head to yet another session – the last one of the day, in fact. For this final session, I chose to attend “StumbleUpon: How to Create, Share and Discover Great Content.” I’d heard about StumbleUpon but wasn’t really familiar with how it works.

Apparently part of the concept is based on “unexpected relevance,” which I thought was interesting. According to our presenter (from StumbleUpon, of course), it’s the second biggest social media referrer online in North America. So you know… kind of a big deal, I suppose. This was yet another technical session – there are a variety of free tools and widgets (as well as paid ones) available. If you’re interested, you can check them out here. Any of you use it? What do you think?

That closes the book on the sessions from Day 1. However, the day wasn’t over yet… up next, I’ll tell you all about my evening. It included popcorn, candy, a movie, puppies, and new friends. After that, I’ll give you a recap of Day 2, and finally some closing thoughts. The end is in sight!

BlogPaws Episode 3: Dynasty, cheesecake & slap bracelets

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Pup Fan

I’ve told you about my initial impressions of BlogPaws, and about some of the tough guys I encountered along the way. I wasn’t quite sure what to tackle next. When all else fails, I tend to default to chronological order. So, for argument’s sake, let’s just say that all else failed…

After listening to the Rescue Ink guys, it was time to attend my first actual session. You know, where I’d go to learn stuff. I had a hard time deciding what to attend – I ended up choosing one called “Demystifying Search Engine Optimization.” I didn’t have the foggiest idea what that was, so I figured I could use the demystification.

I’m not going to lie… at the time, I thought I had a basic grasp of SEO. Looking back at my notes a week later, I’m not so sure. I scribbled something about keywords, improving my search engine ranking – and a bunch of technical things that I need to revisit in more detail. I’m not really qualified to advise any of you on this one! Luckily, the folks over at BlogPaws recently had a great post about SEO for paw bloggers, so I’ll let them do the heavy lifting.

Paris & John from DogTipper.com

During the break between sessions, I met a few more fun bloggers, including Carrie from All Things Dog Blog; Paris & John from DogTipper.com; and Missy from Dogs for the Paws.

Missy wins the prize for best business card – a slap bracelet! That thing was awesome – I wore it for the rest of the day, and it’s currently still decorating my camera bag.

Up next, I headed to a session called “Reach. Relevance. Design. Presentation.” I was excited to hear the presenter, Dino Dogan (the creator of Triberr). This one was more up my alley (and it was also the session where Tango decided his nose was cold). I really enjoyed this session. Some of the choice quotes/concepts I jotted down:

On reach: “Attention is the commodity and we only have so much of it.” Dino described reach as “fishing with dynamite.”
On relevance: “There’s no motion without emotion.” Relevance is like shooting with a laser. Seventy-five percent of writing time should be spent on the headline. In general, short is better than long, and emotional is better than non-emotional. Think about the person you’re trying to attract and their state of mind. One method is to create a customer avatar – an image of your ideal customer.
On design: The consensus here seems to be that Blogger kind of sucks. (If I took one lesson away from the weekend – this was it. It came up in several sessions.) Many seem to prefer having a self-hosted WordPress site. Dino also talked about logo design and colors. Have you ever noticed that many of the major sites – like Facebook and Twitter – use blue? I’ve definitely been paying more attention to the colors used on various blogs since this session and thinking about what kind of mood they evoke.
On presentation: You should aim to become a content presenter instead of focusing on being a content creator. (Cesar Milan is – unfortunately – a good example here. I think his methods suck, but I can’t argue that he’s managed to draw people in with his presentation.) Be a better writer than the next guy – make your reader feel that if he doesn’t click on your headline, he’s going to miss something. My favorite quote: to improve your writing, “read like a madman, write like a mental institution escapee.” Think about visitors who will view your site on their smartphones – do you have mobile browsing enabled?
Finally, model yourself on Dynasty… create some cliffhangers!

I could write a lot more about this session – I think it was the kick I needed to start thinking about my own blog in a more analytical way. I’ll be doing some self-evaluation in the coming months and you may see some changes as a result. However, first I need to find the time for all of that virtual navel gazing…

Anyway, after that session, it was time for lunch. I was in for a pleasant surprise – the speakers during lunch were from the rescue group where I adopted Bella! The group is called Homeless Animals Rescue Team (aka HART), and they operate in the Northern Virginia area.

Also a pleasant surprise? Cheesecake. I love cheesecake.

Anyway, after I inhaled that cheesecake, it was time for my next session. I chose it based on its delightfully punny name. I’ll tell you all about it my next installment…

(I told you that recapping BlogPaws would take me a while. I wasn’t kidding. When you’re as wordy as I am, these things take time. Hang in there.)

Pay it forward: Pets of the Homeless

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Pup Fan

Last weekend at BlogPaws, I attended a great session by Felissa from Two Little Cavaliers and Neil from Life with Dogs. I’ll be posting a bit more about the session in another post – I have a few more BlogPaws recaps in the queue, after all.

However, at that session we discussed the idea of community – what the word meant and how we as a community could help each other raise awareness and share each other’s causes. From that discussion came the inspiration for today’s Pay if Forward Blog Hop. Today, pet bloggers are sharing one (or more) of the causes that they are passionate about and adding it to the blog hop. Then, those participating in the blog hop or reading through the posts can offer to help out with causes they are interested in or even solicit some guest posts for their blogs. I will definitely be checking out the other causes, and I may approach a few bloggers about doing some guests posts to share their causes with you. I’ve included the list for the blog hop at the end of this post – so I hope you’ll also take a moment to see what everyone is talking about today.

Today, I’m sharing a cause I’ve written about before. I’d like to tell you about a group called Pets of the Homeless. This nonprofit organization provides pet food and veterinary care to the homeless and less fortunate in local communities across the United States and Canada. For my last birthday, I told all of my friends not to buy me gifts. If they absolutely felt the need to bring something, I asked that they bring a bag of dog food instead. I then donated this dog food to Pets of the Homeless. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift – the chance to make a difference for pets (and their people) in need.

Imagine, if you will, that due to circumstances beyond your control, you find yourself homeless. What do you do with your pet? Your pet gets sick. You can’t afford veterinary care. Where do you go? Or, let’s say you are currently homeless and encounter a stray dog who becomes your companion. The nearest homeless shelter doesn’t allow pets. Do you go to the shelter and leave your companion to fend for himself?

These are tough choices. Choices that I hope none of us ever have to make. However, many people do have to make these choices on a regular basis. Pets of the Homeless notes that the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that as many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless. Between 5 to10 percent of homeless people have dogs or cats – in some areas that number may be as high as 24 percent.

There are many reasons people end up homeless, including foreclosure, poverty, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and declining public assistance. The demographics of the homeless population show that anyone can be affected – young, old, and in between. The homeless population is not just one ethnicity, gender, or age. Their homes may have been destroyed by a hurricane or a tornado. They are veterans, victims of domestic violence, the unemployed, families with children… and so many others.

Pets of the Homeless aims to help this population in many ways. It has established collection sites to accept donated pet food. This food is distributed 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.

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 (like volunteering at a distribution site) or money to this worthy cause. You can also help by spreading the word about Pets of the Homeless to bring awareness to this cause.

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. I hope you’ll check out this great organization as well as some of the others being highlighted in today’s blog hop:

If you’re confused, just tilt your head

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Pup Fan

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!

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.
I would like to request that all sheet music do this from now on… not too much to ask, right?
The face on this Corgi reminded me of Bella.
Remember Edward Peanutbutterhead? Well, it appears that he has some competition.
Eating peanut butter is one thing, but I wouldn’t recommend stealing it from the trash. You might end up like this guy.
You know I’ve had BlogPaws on the brain lately. You may enjoy seeing these cute pets who were in attendance.
Speaking of… there have been some pretty fun BlogPaws post over at Something Wagging This Way Comes this week. Check them out!
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!

BlogPaws Episode 2: Say hello to my not-so-little friends

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Pup Fan

After the welcome reception on Thursday evening, I was feeling pretty good about returning to BlogPaws on Friday. I wasn’t disappointed. The day started out with a pretty great keynote speaker. Or, more accurately, a duo of speakers:

Meet the men of Rescue Ink. These are some pretty tough customers from Queens. If you’re looking for peaceful conflict resolution, they may not be your guys. (Although I have a feeling they’re the type that can solve problems without knocking heads together if the situation allows it.)

In any event, they’re tough customers who care about animal welfare, as the dedication on their website makes clear. They’re extremely committed to stopping animal abuse – you could really feel the emotion behind their words and their passion for this cause was evident. That commitment was inspiring.

Rescue Ink is an international animal welfare organization dedicated to defending the defenseless. (They joked that their lawyers wouldn’t let them go into too much detail about how they actually do that.) Our two speakers are actually two of the founding members of the group.

Joe Panz (bio)

Big Ant (bio)

Rather than give you an exhaustive recap of their speech, I just wanted to share a few of the quotes I jotted down during the keynote:

“A rescue isn’t a rescue until you take it out of a bad situation and find it a better home.”
“You don’t send Boy Scouts to get rid of bad guys. You’re gonna run out of Boy Scouts real quick.”
“They say that animals don’t have a voice. We don’t mind speaking for them.”
“It takes 5 puppy mill puppies for one to survive long enough to make it to the pet store.”
“Money shouldn’t get between you and your animal. Your animal is family.”
“We defend those that can’t defend themselves.”

You can learn more about the guys from Rescue Ink at their website, including some of their success stories. I also recommend checking out this post at Kahuna’s K9s – Eryka did a great interview with them after their speech. This recap at the Pet Health Care Gazette is also fantastic and perfectly describes how I felt listening to these two. Finally, here’s a video of the interview that Miah from Start the Change did with Joe and Big Ant.

A shot of their logo on the big screen at BlogPaws

Up next: the sessions begin, I learn some stuff, more friends are made, and a puppy movie is screened. In short… good times.

BlogPaws Episode 1: The Adventure Begins

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Pup Fan

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…

Prepare for a stampede of cuteness!

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Pup Fan

This time next week, I’ll be at BlogPaws. So exciting! Must… focus… on… present….

Weekly punny goodness: Pablo Picatso and Salvador Doggie.
To follow up on last week’s post, I implore you to enjoy more cats in hats.
Dear Internet: You are awesome. The Adventures of Milo & Otis totally needed a remix involving Jay-Z. I humbly request you come up with a similarly entertaining remix for Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, The Fox and the Hound and/or Oliver & Company. Thanks!
Speaking of dogs named Otis… check out this skydiving dog!
Have you ever wondered why your dog sometimes wants to snuggle, but other times would prefer to be alone? This handy chart breaks it down for you.
You know Bella’s an art lover (sometimes to a fault). You know we love The Bloggess. So I’m sure you’ll understand why this ad over there cracked me up.
Maybe this little guy could be an artist. Is there a market for mud paintings?
This next link reminded me of the brilliant series “Pet Adoption Videos that Don’t Make Me Want to Kill Myself” over at Will My Dog Hate Me. It’s an adorable video promoting pet adoption… accompanied by a catchy tune and a bonus pup in PJs! Fantastic.

My favorite part of today’s video might be the guy in the background
saying “puppy puppy puppy puppy.” Seriously. It reminds me of that
addictive Puppy Woof Woof video for some reason. Good times.

(via Jezebel)

That’s all for today, folks. Have a fantastic weekend, and don’t forget to swing by and Like our new Facebook page! Bella approves.

Lend me your eyes, and I’ll write you a blog…

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Pup Fan

Earlier this week, I advised you to stay tuned (I kill me) for a post that was somehow related to that overly cute kitten playing an invisible piano in his sleep. This is that post. Be prepared for some serious rambling ahead… both serious in nature, and seriously rambling. After all, you know I love Memory Lane like I grew up there.

Do you ever get the feeling that the universe is conspiring to make you slow down and indulge your nostalgic side? Recently, I found myself commenting on two different blog posts that reminded me of a very special show from my childhood. Does anyone else remember Garfield’s Nine Lives? (If you do, you may be my pop culture soul mate.)

If you haven’t heard of it, Garfield’s Nine Lives began as a 1984 book containing a group of short stories illustrating the various “lives” of Garfield the cat. (I own this book. Fun fact about me: as a child, I was obsessed with Garfield and began collecting Garfield books – including the daily strips, the Sunday Treasuries, and the specials. I couldn’t get enough. I’ll always have a soft spot for that cat.)

The book was adapted into a TV special in 1988. My mom taped it for me when it aired. (Ah, the days of VHS.) I watched that special countless times – I could probably still quote most of it on request (such is the case with many Garfield specials, actually, but this one was by far my favorite). The book is a bit darker than the TV special, and some of the lives differ between the two formats.

Anyway, you may be wondering what this has to do with… anything. While reading this post from Brian’s Home, I made a comment about Cave Cats (you know, a distant relative of the elusive Cave Dog). This reminded me of Garfield’s first life, in which he was… a Cave Cat. In addition, while reading this post from The Chronicles of Cardigan I was reminded of another life from the TV special – my favorite one, in fact. It’s called Diana’s Piano.

Garfield describes this life as the one where he fell in love with music and when he “fell in love with a girl who played the piano just for me.” As a child who took years of piano lessons and had a white cat (like Diana, the feline incarnation of Garfield in Life No. 6), this cartoon was catnip.

It’s a touching story. I just watched it again before writing this post, and needed several tissues. Several. Gets me every time. I highly recommend it, but if you don’t find yourself sobbing or at least getting a little weepy… well, I just don’t know what to think about you.

My cat Buttercup wasn’t as much of a music fan as Diana (she was downright antisocial at times), but I loved her dearly. She was my first pet, joining our family when I was only three years old. In my young mind, this cartoon was us. (In fact, when Diana decides to scratch a visitor and has a look of smug satisfaction on her face, it was like they’d based the character on Buttercup. Seriously.)

When I watched Diana’s Piano again as an adult, I realized that it also touched upon my relationship with another significant animal in my life – my dog Scotti. She entered my life when I was ten years old

Scotti used to hang out by the piano while I’d play (she was much more of a music fan than Buttercup). We were inseparable… and just like the woman in the cartoon, one day I had to leave for college. (As she narrates: “That was a sad day.”) When I called home, I’d ask to talk to Scotti on the phone, and I would ask my mom if Scotti seemed to recognize my voice. I was always elated when my mom said yes. I missed Scotti terribly, and I couldn’t wait to see her again.

Time passed. I graduated and finally moved into an apartment off campus. (One that allowed pets, of course. That was an essential requirement.) However, by the time I graduated college, Scotti was twelve years old – really too old to leave the comfort of my parents’ house. It just wouldn’t have been fair to her to uproot her, move her to an apartment hundreds of miles away, and expect her to adjust to my hectic schedule. I felt guilty that we wouldn’t be together, but I think it was the right decision. Luckily, she didn’t hold it against me – every time I saw her it was like we had never been apart. (She did – slightly – hold it against me when I adopted Bella and would bring her home with me for visits. Although they only met a few times, I am sure Scotti was wondering who this interloper was and why I kept bringing her home.)

Scotti is gone now. It’s been several years since I lost her, but I find myself thinking of her often. She was truly my dog in a way that I’d never imagined could happen. We had other pets when I was a kid, but the two of us were like peas and carrots. A true team. I can’t imagine my childhood without her by my side – she features prominently in the majority of my memories.

I realize that I’ve come to define the different phases of my life based on the cats and/or dogs that were with me during each time. (Does anyone else do that?) Each “era” is different, but they’re all special. Just like the wonderful creatures I’ve been lucky to know – to paraphrase the song that inspired this blog title, I always got by with a little help from my (furry) friends.

Thanks for indulging my sentimental side… it’s funny what will inspire a trip down Memory Lane, isn’t it?

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