Give the dog a bone (or a Buddy Band)

Happy Friday!  Time to send you into the weekend with some lovely links…

  1. This week’s punny pet names are for our feathered friends: Emerbill Lagasse and Wolfgang Duck. 
  2. I so want to throw a Saved by the Bell party.  Invitations will be in the form of Buddy Bands.  (Bonus nostalgia: this Jem cake.)
  3. Speaking of sweets, I finally updated my oft-neglected cupcake blog.  Check it out!
  4. Apparently I’m all about the food today… let’s tie it all together. Meet the world’s most patient dog at the Food On My Dog blog.
  5. Another awesome tumblr site?  T-Rex Trying.  It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think this one might be mine.  (Thanks to Hey, Love for sharing this one!)  
  6. For another treat, check out all of the great posts submitted to Something Wagging’s Train Your Dog Challenge and get inspired.
  7. If I had to compare dogs to a state of matter (you know, because that comes up a lot), I’d say Bella is like a gas.  She expands to fill the available space.  (I wonder what Bella would say about me.)
  8. Dogs wearing crowns – it just feels right.
  9. You know I love Pinterest.  The collection of crazy pins from Pinterest, You Are Drunk is my new guilty pleasure.
Finally, I give you today’s video… I’m kind of in love with it. No joke.

Cute, right?  Have a fantastic weekend!

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8 posts I loved this month

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

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

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

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

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

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

This brave confession over at Something Wagging has inspired me to come clean as well – I’m an awards slacker.  When it comes to blogging awards, I’m deeply appreciative but supremely lazy.  That ends today.

I have two awards (from three four sources) to pass along today.  I decided to give myself a bit of a challenge, and imposed a rule of my own on the proceedings.  If I’ve ever given you an award in the past (this includes instances in which I cheated and just turned the spotlight on those fantastic bloggers who gave me an award), I decided to deem you ineligible for this particular round of awards. I thought it would be fun to shine the spotlight on some new faces and spaces.

Ready?  Here we go…

First up, the Kreativ Blogger award, which I received from my pals at Kol’s NotesBringing Up Bella and A Filly’s Best Friend.  A huge thank you to allof them for passing this award along to me – they’re all absolutely fantastic and I encourage you to pay them a visit and say so.  (Go.  Don’t make me “encourage” you with a baseball bat to the virtual kneecap.  Seriously. Don’t get on my bad side.)

Anyway, the rules of this award require me to share a few things about myself.  According to Kol’s Notes, I should share 7 things, and according to Bringing Up Bella and A Filly’s Best Friend, I should share 10.  (I long ago accepted that the evolution of blog awards is akin to a game of telephone.)  I’m splitting the difference and will share 8.5 things about myself:

  1. I cringed multiple times when typing Kreativ.  I can’t help it.  I’m a nerd and misspelled words bug me even when they’re misspelled on purpose.
  2. When I was a kid, I desperately wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up.  That did not pan out.
  3. I own a blanket with a photo of Bella on it.  She’s gigantic.  I could imagine it scaring small children, but I love it.  (It was a gift from the in-laws, who indulge my love of puppies.)
  4. My favorite food is grilled cheese, and I often dream of a world where this restaurant has a location near my house.  (That place is delicious.)
  5. I love puzzles and am currently addicted to the latest Professor Layton game for Nintendo DS.  (If you are a puzzle-holic like me, you should definitely check this series out.)
  6. According to my iPod, the most played song is “Bloodstream” by Stateless.
  7. That song is the most played because I listened to it way too much after it appeared on The Vampire Diaries in 2010.  (The fact that it remains in the top spot on my iPod almost two years later should give you an idea of just how much I played it back then.)
  8. Contrary to what numbers 4 through 7 may suggest, I am not a teenager, nor was I one in 2010.  I haven’t been a teenager in a long time.  (Bonus half fact: I’m officially old enough to star in Thirtysomething, a show that I have never actually watched.)
Now, the fun part –  I get to pass the award along to other bloggers.  I’m passing it along to 8 creative bloggers that I truly enjoy. They’re all creative in different ways.  I hope you’ll pay them a visit and discover how.  You won’t regret it.

Up next, I’m going to pass on the Pawsome Blog Award, courtesy of Roxy the Traveling Dog.  A huge thank you for sharing this award with me!

(Also, that earlier virtual kneecap threat applies… get on over there, buddy.)

The one seems to be light on the rules, other than to give it to blogs you love.  With that in mind, I’m passing it on to these eight blogs:

There’s truly something special about each and every one of those blogs – I hope you’ll take the time to visit and discover the awesomeness.

Whew. I’m all out of awards, so I shall take my leave of you now.  (Anyone else start singing “I’m all out of love… I’m so lost without you” after reading the first clause of that sentence?  No? Um, neither did I.)  Until tomorrow, my friends…

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Hello, is it parody you’re looking for?

My Lionel Richie obsession is well-documented.  It should come as no surprise that when the video below landed in my inbox (courtesy of Pamela from Something Wagging), I was very excited.

Well, first I laughed so hard that I missed half the video, paused it, finished laughing, started it again from the beginning, and then was very excited.


(Hello from ant1mat3rie on Vimeo)

Maybe I really do need to join Lionel Richie Fans Anonymous.  It’s an addiction. (Pamela, that may make you my Lionel Richie dealer or just an enabler… either way, thanks for sending this my way!)

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Dear Congress: Don’t break the Internet

I know I said I was planning to post every day for a month.  However, I’m making an exception tomorrow for a very important reason.  I’m going on strike, along with many other sites, to protest two proposed bills with some very scary implications.

These bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) have flashy titles that sound good on the surface.  Piracy’s bad, right?  Not so fast – these deceptively simple titles hide some truly scary provisions that could cripple online security and chill freedom of expression.

Don’t get me wrong – protecting intellectual property rights is important. However, the measures taken to protect these rights need to be balanced with the need for freedom of expression.  A process needs to be in place to ensure due process for those accused of infringing upon someone else’s intellectual property rights.  These laws take innocent until proven guilty and turn it on its head – under a regime like that, freedom of expression won’t just be chilled. It will be frozen.

Want to learn more?  First, watch the video below for a quick primer.  Then, head to Stop American Censorship to learn more and to find out how you can join the strike tomorrow.  Check out this infographic.  Learn more in this great (yet terrifying) article.  Write your Senator and Representative.  Whatever you do, don’t let Congress break the Internet.


(Via Fight for the Future on Vimeo)

Thanks to my friends at Something Wagging This Way Comes and Will My Dog Hate Me for alerting me to tomorrow’s protest.

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Attack of the tiny tomatoes

It’s the first No Frown Friday of 2012… let’s jump right in!

  1. Your punny pet name: Meowrio Lopez.  (On a related Saved by the Bell note, can we all agree that Lark Voorhies would be the perfect name for a pet bird? No punnification needed.)
  2. Speaking of puns, these classic book covers updated with cats are fantastic.  I think Litterbox Five is my favorite.
  3. Apparently even those who profess to be anti-pun fall victim to them every now and then. I was honored to learn that one of my punny posts made Rescued Insanity’s list of eleven must-reads for 2011.
  4. This cat is way better than I am at Fruit Ninja.  I’m beginning to think all cats have secret video game skills
  5. I’m craving all of these pieces from Have you met Miss Jones.
  6. You know what you need? An awesome video. Lucky for you, this one over at No Dog About It is extra awesome.
  7. Is this the best dog-related picture of 2011? You be the judge.
  8. You know I love any excuse to break out my best nature show narrator voice (see, e.g., the Cave Dog). So I had to share this post from Something Wagging about the migratory patterns of the Fuzzy-Bellied Honey.  Don’t be ashamed to read it out loud, Discovery Channel style – I did.
  9. Enjoy some pretty and get a few photography tips courtesy of Alfie’s Blog.
  10. I adore animal odd couples.  This fawn and kitten just made my hall of fame.
Finally, I saw this video and just knew I had to share it.  My love of turtles and tortoises is well-documented.  The baby tortoise in today’s video reminds me of my own childhood turtles, George and George.  They loved tomatoes too.
(via Cute Overload)

I want to give this video a high five, in the style of these two awesome sea turtles.

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22 things that made me smile in 2011

‘Tis the time for reminiscing about 2011…

Last year, I shared some of my favorite posts from this blog.  This year, I’ve decided to stop the navel gazing (until the Pet Blogger Challenge later this month, of course) and highlight some of my favorite posts from other bloggers.  (Thanks to Mel from the No Dog About It blog for the inspiration.)

It’s a tough task, actually. There is a ton of great content out there in the pet blogging community.

The posts below all have one thing in common – they make me laugh or smile (one of those really big smiles).  There are many beautifultouching, and thought-provoking posts that touched my heart this year. However, today I felt like aiming for tears of laughter or joy rather than the other kind.  Hope you don’t mind.

It was a long year. I’m sure there are some others I adored that slipped my mind when writing this post.  (Perhaps one of my 2012 resolutions should be to do a better job of keeping track of my favorite posts. You may notice that this list skews toward the more recent entries.)  In no particular order, here are 22 posts I loved this year…

  1. My Most Embarrassing Dog Moment from My Brown Newfies – I have no words. Just go read it.
  2. The Puppiness Project – Everything’s Better with Puppies from Something Wagging This Way Comes – With a title like that, how could this post not make my list?
  3. 10 Pictures of Dogs Reading Books from Doggie Stylish- I love dogs. I love books. I love this post.
  4. Favorite Video Friday – Stella’s Shasta Adventure from No Dog About It – I don’t know how Mel finds so many great videos.  However, I still watch this one when I just need a moment of Zen.
  5. (Viewing this may cause extreme joy) More Happy Pets! Part I from The Chronicles of Cardigan – It really did cause extreme joy. Extreme.
  6. Adopting Beelzebub: A Beast of a Bird? from This One Wild Life – An adoption story that warmed the cockles of my heart.
  7. 17 Things Bella Has Stolen from Bringing up Bella – I’m kind of glad my Bella only hoards socks.
  8. Spam Saturday: Amazing Products, Thrilling Occasions, Thanks-a-Mundo! from Will My Dog Hate Me – This post is masterwork. Go put the lime in the coconut and drink it up, okay?
  9. 32 Simple Things You Do That Matter To Dogs from Peggy’s Pet Place- More warming for those cockles.
  10. Dog a Day Project – Why I Don’t Have Kids from Doggie Stylish – I’m just going to start replying to everyone who asks me when I’m going to have children by emailing them a link to this post. (Don’t get me wrong – I don’t know what the future holds. However, I tend to think people should mind their own beeswax and stop asking.)
  11. 5 Reasons Puppies are Easier Than Kids from Smart Dog – A perfect companion to the Doggie Stylish post. 
  12. She Who Cannot Be Trusted from Postpartum Paradise – A toddler, a dog, and adventures in unconventional (and unsanctioned) grooming.  See? I can appreciate posts involving kids!
  13. Senior Dogs: Appreciate, Don’t Discriminate from Grouchy Puppy – This one is actually a guest post that Sharon from Grouchy Puppy contributed to this blog. I just love the message.
  14. The Mystery of Burt’s Bees from Tales and Tails – Or, as I like to think of it, “how to collect puppy kisses in one easy step.”
  15. Dogs in International Costumes: Bone Voyage! from Will My Dog Hate Me – Just because.
  16. Drunken Master IV:  Canine Fu from Rescued Insanity – A funny tale of DWWI (Dog Walking While Intoxicated).
  17. For Woofing Out Loud from Kol’s Notes – In case you’ve ever wondered if your dog thinks you’re as funny as you think you are… the answer is apparently no.
  18. 15 Ways to Tell if You’re Dog Crazy from Something Wagging This Way Comes – Just a genius post, and, well… it’s funny ’cause it’s true. This post inspired me to start that whole dog song parody series of posts. 
  19. Pinterest Tuesday – Dogs Making Messes from Two Little Cavaliers – The cutest kind of mess is the kind that I don’t have to clean up.
  20. Chinese Takeout = Bad Dog Parenting from Life With Desmond – Speaking of messes… wondering if something is trash or treasure? Just ask the dog.
  21. Dressing Up Dogs at Holidays from Grouchy Puppy – I just love this creative take on the antler photo.
  22. From the DDY Digs Desk from Daley’s Dog Years – I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m including this post partly because of the Ryan Gosling photo.

Why 22?  I have no idea. I feel like this list could have gone on forever (for example, I wanted to include a post from BZ Training, but I just couldn’t pick a favorite photo shoot, so I’m cheating and linking to the whole blog here). Finally, I just held an intervention for myself, cut myself off, and sent myself to list-making rehab.  
What was your favorite pet blog post of 2011?
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Bella the Snowdog

I told you I take requests… so, today I present with “Bella the Snowdog.”  (Hat tip to Pamela from Something Wagging for the suggestion.)

But first… a bonus video from 2010.  (We don’t have snow yet this year, and that’s fine by me!)

Bella the Snowdog

Bella the Snowdog, is a silly, happy pup.
With gigantic ears and a big black nose,
and a tail that’s always up.
Bella the Snowdog is a lazy dog they say,
Sometimes she runs around, but it’s pretty clear
that she likes to snooze all day.
There must be cozy blankets in that doggie bed she found.
For when she goes to take a nap, she doesn’t move around.
O, Bella the Snowdog,
dreams of chasing squirrels up trees.
When she dreams, she runs and barks and plays,
Happy to snooze the day away.


Before I go, I wanted to let you know that there’s still time to enter the Social Media for Social Good giveaway… today, the chance to earn entries through Google+ goes live.  I’ve included the Rafflecopter after the jump if you’re interested.  
(If you haven’t entered via Twitter or Facebook yet, you can still do so.  For Facebook, click here.  For Twitter, click here.)  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Christmas carols for dogs & dog lovers



The title of this post was almost “Christmas carols, doggie style,” but then I thought better of it.

Anyway, I’ve been promising you some caroldies (a.k.a. carol parodies) for a few days now. It’s finally time to deliver.

There are already some great “12 Dogs of Christmas” songs out there, so I’m not tackling that one today.  I do have a few others for you, however.

Grab a cup of cheer and prepare to learn a few new songs…


Barkin’ Around the Christmas Tree

Barkin’ around the Christmas tree,
because the cat has climbed on top.
She is dropping ornaments on me,
if I bark, perhaps she’ll stop.
Barkin’ around the Christmas tree,
I wish I had some springs.
If I did, I’d jump so high
that the cat would have to flee.
You will learn a fundamental lesson, when you hear
Doggies barking at your folly, as the cat climbs up the holly.
Barkin’ around the Christmas tree,
it’s an eventful holiday.
As the tree comes crashing down,
you’ll wish you had kept the cat away.

Sleigh Ride Revisited

Just hear those dog tags jingling, ring ting tingling too,
Come on it’s lovely weather for a long walk together with you.
Outside the smells are calling and dogs are sniffing them too,
Come on it’s lovely weather for a long walk together with you.
Bark and yap, bark and yap, bark and yap, let’s go,
I want to play in the snow.
Why won’t you just grab the leash so we can go?
Bark and yap, bark and yap, bark and yap, it’s grand,
When the leash is in hand.
I’m ready to bark at the park,
it’s a puppy dog fairyland.
Other dogs may get quite nosy, but comfy cozy are we.
We’re playing fetch together, keep throwing that stick for me.
Let’s take the path before us, and howl a chorus or two.
Come on it’s lovely weather for a long walk together with you.
There’s a dog park near the home of Mr. Gray,
It’ll be the perfect ending to a perfect day.
We’ll be playing the games we love to play, without a single stop,
At the dog park while we watch the puppies hop… hop, hop hop!
There’s a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy,
when your favorite puppy looks you right in the eye.
It’ll really be such a perfect day, of wags and jumps and dives,

This wonderful day will be one we’ll remember all through our lives!

If that’s not enough for you today, I suggest you swing by Something Wagging and start humming along with “Walking in a Neutered Wonderland.” (Update 12/24/14: full version available here.)  However, you might want to use caution when singing that around your husband or other male friends.

Anyway, more caroldies to come later this week… stay tuned.

P.S.  I take requests.

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All I want is what I have coming to me…

‘Tis the season for wish lists.  I  haven’t really created a wish list this year (other than a few items I added on Pinterest).  I’ve been a bit of a proCATinator lately, in fact.  (Apparently I need to take a cue from Sally and demand my fair share.)

However, today’s post is inspired by the almighty wish list.  For each link I share today, I’m going to tell you what it makes me want.  (Not all of my themes are gems, folks, but I’m giving it the old college try.)

  1. Before we get started, your punny pet name for the week would be perfect for a feathered friend: Wing Crosby.
  2. Up next, enjoy this bonus unrelated punnage: Wu Tang Flan.  This makes me want to cook lots of punny food and share it on my other, oft-neglected blog.  It also makes me want to sit around thinking up other punny foods.  I think I’ll settle in with a Donna Martini and a PBJT (Peanut Butter & Jelly Taylor) sandwich.
  3. Um… anyway… this story makes me want to move to New Zealand.
  4. Apparently I’m all about the big life changes today, because this video makes me want a baby… psych!  It actually just makes me want more puppies, as most things do.
  5. Up next, this video makes me want to adopt a cat to help me practice yoga.  Bella doesn’t do yoga with me – she just thinks I’m hanging out on the floor so I can pet her more easily.
  6. I played the piano as a child and want to get one for my house.  Although, Bella hasn’t shown any musical talent, this clip makes me want that piano even more.
  7. This post from Something Wagging made me want to make up a silly song about puppy balls. (I can check this one off the list.)  If also makes me want to post some more dog song parodies, this time with Christmas carols.  So… check back soon if that sort of thing interests you.
  8. In other news, this tutorial shared by Doggie Stylish makes me wish I was a better knitter. However, I’m still working on my first project – a scarf.  Someday…
  9. These cookie cutters make me want to go on a baking spree.  I’m due for a good baking spree. (See #2 above.)

Finally, this week’s video makes me want to pen a Christmas story involving a giant cat.  It’d be sort of a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies kind of thing…



(via Life with Cats)

So, what’s on your wish list this year?  I think Bella is just hoping she never has to see those antlers again…

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