Wordless Wednesday: D & G Doggie!

Feel free to add your own captions! 

OK Go's to the Dogs, and One Goat: New White Knuckles video

Ok, I had to watch this about 10 times to find the goat... but I finally did. It's worth repeated viewings, and these dogs are amazing! The video's already had more than 3 million viewings and it's been out less than a week. So if you are one of the few who haven't watched yet, what are you waiting for! 


Most of the dogs in the White Knuckles video are rescues, and OK Go band members hope inspired viewers will donate to animal shelters. The band's web site shows you how.


No more words, just music...

Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week: Are you Mavis' Angel?

I'm a sweet girl looking for my angel

Not all shelter pets are created equal. 

According to a recent survey by Petfinder, older pets and those who have special needs have the hardest time finding homes.

That's why we're introducing you to Mavis, a sweet 8+-year-old Corgi mix who currently lives at Mostly Mutts animal rescue near Atlanta, Ga.

Mavis, who looks to be a little "Puggish" as well, is a sweet little girl -- about 25 pounds -- who's looking for a quiet, loving home. She loves belly rubs and playing with her toys and is quite happy taking nice, long naps during the day.

While she is a healthy little dog, Mavis has  "dry eye" and will require drops twice a day. Mostly Mutts founder Paige O'Neill says, "she allows me to do it as long as she gets a treat and some play time after!"

Dry eye is easily treated -- I know because I had a Lhasa Apso who needed eye drops -- and it became an easy and important part of his day-to-day routine. With a little practice, it became a piece of cake for my Lhasa Thai, and he always looked forward to the ensuing treats! Thai lived a long and happy 16 years before Cosmo Havanese came along.

While Mavis may be considered less adoptable because of her eye condition and her mature age, anyone with an 8-year-old dog will tell you it's the best age ever! She's a perfect partner for someone looking for a loving companion!

This week also is Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week, the latest Be The Change For Pets challenge from the folks at BlogPaws. We're hoping that with a little extra awareness this week, Mavis and other pets like her in shelters across the country will find their forever homes. To check out more stories about less adoptable pets, scroll down to the blog roll below.

Wordless Wednesday: Agility fun!!

Piedmont Park Pool Goes to the Dogs: Splish Splash Doggie Bash Part 2!

The folks at Piedmont Park say last Saturday's event was "so nice, we had to do it twice!" So for Atlanta doggies who missed all the fun, you get a second chance this Saturday, September 25.


Once a year, or twice in this case, the Piedmont Park Aquatic Center goes to the dogs! Looks like the doggies had a blast last weekend!

Come join the fun again this Saturday! Event details:

Saturday, September 25

12:00 - 2:00pm

Piedmont Park’s Aquatic Center

$10 per pet in advance, $15 at the door*

$50 Premiere Pup Package

Limited to 2 dogs per person

*If space available

Enjoy music, dog-related vendors, receive a Wag Bag, raffle tickets, food/beverage vendors and more!

Dog Swim ONLY 

Event proceeds support the Piedmont Dog Park

For event information and to buy tickets visit the Piedmont Park Dog Park page.

Blog Hop Special Edition: Write a Post, Help a Dog! #Dogsrule

Looking for a way to help a homeless dog? If you have a blog of any kind, simply write a post to help a dog from now through September 19 and Pedigree will donate a 20-pound bag of food to an animal shelter.  


It's that simple. 


Just include the bullets listed here, and add the direct link to your blog post to our Blog Hop below so we can all see how big an impact we are making!

• Each year, more than 4 million dogs end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations. Pedigree created The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of these homeless dogs.

• This year the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is raising awareness for homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a "Fan" or "Likes" the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far more than 1 million bowls have been donated.

Cosmo and I were among the 10 Pedigree
bloggers who attended BlogPaws in
Denver, CO last weekend.



• Special for BlogPaws West: For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive through September 19, PEDIGREE will donate a bag of its new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It's simple: Write a post, help a dog.

• Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19, the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers will host a Blog Hop to help raise awareness for the "Write a post, help a dog" effort.

Tell as many of your blogger friends as you can, so we can help even more dogs. And if you don't have a blog, please tweet about this using the hashtag #dogsrule, re-tweet this post, or share on Facebook to help spread the word even further!


Let's see how many bags we can collect!


Dogs Rule!

  

Wordless Wednesday: Tired Traveler

Best of BlogPaws West

Cosmo and I spent last weekend in Denver at the pet bloggers conference BlogPaws West,  and we had a blast meeting fellow bloggers, hobnobbing with sponsors, listening to inspiring speakers and eating our way through the weekend (at least Cosmo did!) Here's a look at our favorite moments from BlogPaws.

The Grand Hyatt Denver made us feel right at home and they treated Cosmo like the king he thinks he is, with an abundance of belly rubs and  a new treat or toy every time we returned to our comfy room! Thank you Grand Hyatt!

We got to see our old pal Neil Brogan, who generously let Cosmo root around in his bag 'o swag, filled with irresistible treats and toys.

Neil, who pens the wildly popular Life With Dogs blog, was one of 10 bloggers sponsored by Pedigree at BlogPaws West. We were honored to be one of the Pedigree bloggers too and participated in the Write a Post, Help a Dog campaign, which continues through Sept. 19.

Cosmo got lots of playtime with his pal Laura Zickus, mom to his BFF @Perrythebirman! Chica Boom! The swag provided hours of tugging and playing fun including the giant plush gator from Kyjen.

Cosmo and his new pal Dexter, dog to Carol Bryant at Fido Friendly posed solemnly in front of the interactive piece of art -- "Hand to Hand, Paw to Paw" -- created by BZTAT live at BlogPaws!  During the conference, each BlogPaws attendee penned their own thoughts and ideas that were incorporated into the artwork.

Cosmo might not enjoy the party hat he so graciously tolerated, but the doggie birthday cake presented to him by BlogPaws co-founder Caroline Golon, right, more than made up for the humiliation. Thanks to Brett Chisholm of Houston Dog Blog for sending us this photo and for the camera tips!

Cosmo thoroughly enjoyed eating his way through his eighth birthday at BlogPaws. I was a bit worried he'd be over the weight limit for the plane ride home, but it all worked out! Thanks to Boris Kitty for sending us this photo, and thanks to everyone for spoiling this little doggie more than he already is!

Inspiring sessions included this panel discussion from the Be the Change Panel of Jane Harrell, Dorian Wagner, Lynn Haigh and Jessica Vogelsang. Twelve-year-old Miah Thornton, standing, wowed the audience with her new blog, Start the Change.

In another session that inspired, Randi Price told the story about her partnership with CCI service dog Lucky.  Here, Ashley Niels and Nikki Jeske of Pettie Award winning blog I Love Rescue Animals had the chance to chat with Randi and Lucky.

We met the most amazing group of people and pets at BlogPaws! See you next year!!

Blog Hop, BlogPaws and Birthday

It's Blog Hop Saturday, and this time we're reporting live from BlogPaws where Cosmo enjoyed a special birthday celebration, complete with doggie birthday cake and a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday sung by all his BlogPaws pals. What more could a doggie ask for?

This is some nommy cake mai BlogPaws pals surprised me with.

In addition to birthday noms, all day long, the day was packed with inspiration speakers, including a another fabulous session from the Be The Change panel, with its next challenge: Petfinder's Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week, September 19-25. Read more about how you can get involved here.

We also want to remind bloggers of all kinds to Write a Post, Help a Dog from now until September 19. For every blog that posts about the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive, PEDIGREE will donate a bag of its new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. More details here.

And check back Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19 when the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers host a special edition of the Blog Hop to help raise awareness for Write a Post, Help a Dog.

We'll have lots more great photos and news from BlogPaws later, but now it's time to get to the Saturday Blog Hop!

Be The Change: Write a Post, Help a Dog! #Dogsrule

 This sweet little fella represents the more than 4 million dogs
who end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations each year

As part of the Be The Change movement created by the BlogPaws community earlier this year, we learned that just one act, one tweet, one person can make a difference for the anipals who need it most.


And now, as we get ready today to head to BlogPaws West in Denver, CO,  Pedigree is announcing a special program, where just one blog post will make a difference. For each blogger who posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive, through September 19th, Pedigree will donate a 20-pound bag of its new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. 


It's simple. Write a post, help a dog. And you don't have to be a BlogPaws attendee to participate.


Here's all you need to do to help:

• Write a post between now and September 19 about the PEDIGREE Adoption drive, created to help shine a spotlight on the plight of the 4 million dogs who end up in shelters each year. 

• Mention that this year, the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is helping homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who "Likes" the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far, more than 1 million bowls have been donated, and Pedigree's goal is to reach 4 million this year -- a bowl for every shelter dog. (So if you haven't already done so, "Like" Pedigree now!)  And, through September 19, Pedigree will up the anty by donating an ENTIRE BAG of food for each blogger who posts about the program.

• For extra credit, encourage other bloggers to write a post too, so that even more dogs will benefit. And, join us and other bloggers at our Blog Hop, Sept 16 - 19, details below. (Blog Hops are online, so no excuses why you can't come!)

It's that easy.


Team Pedigree at BlogPaws... and a Blog Hop


I mentioned a few days ago that Cosmo and I are thrilled to be one of the 10 bloggers sponsored by Pedigree to attend BlogPaws West, this Thursday through Sunday in Denver, CO. Additionally, from Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19, our team of  Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers is hosting a Blog Hop to raise awareness for the "Write a Post, Help a Dog" effort.  Just check back here next Thursday to add your blog to our list.  We participate in a pet bloggers Blog Hop every Saturday, so you'll see some action this weekend as well. If you want to get a taste of what this all looks like check out recent Blog Hops on Two Little Cavaliers, Life With Dogs and Confessions of the Plume.


And finally, to follow the fun at BlogPaws, check out @CosmoHavanese on Twitter! He'll be tweeting using the #BlogPaws hashtag, and when we're chatting about Pedigree at BlogPaws, we'll add the #dogsrule (sp) hashtag. The (sp) denotes that we are sponsored by Pedigree at BlogPaws.


See ya at BlogPaws!!

Wordless Wednesday: Play ball?...

Cruise Ship #PawPawty Playlist

Cosmo's been a Twitter #PawPawty DJ since the very first pawty, so we thought it was cool to find this new option available on Grooveshark. Now you can make your own personalized playlist, AND upload it in this dandy little widget! The anipals play tunes in keeping with the PawPawty theme of the month... this weekend's pawty featured a Cruise Ship theme.  So crank up some tunes and Pawty ON pals!

Never been to a #PawPawty on Twitter? Learn more about it here and how we've raised almost $40,000 to help the anipals who need it most, all over the world!

Hop on over to the Cruise Ship PawPawty!

This 3-hour tour sure has turned into a long pawty!! Here
 I am with mai pals The Skipper, Ginger and Gilligan!
We'll all be coming over to PawPawty starting at
2 p.m. ET today on Twitter!

If it's Saturday, it must be Blog Hop Day! Plus, one Saturday a month we get to PawPawty for our favorite anipal charities! 


So when you're done reading your favorite bloggies, hop on over  and Pawty ON! This month's theme is Cruise Ship PawPawty, because the anipals are keen on keeping an eye on the Fail Whale to make sure nothing disrupts the pawty fun. The Whale's origins might surprise you; learn more about the whale and artist here.


Meantime, Cosmo encountered a Fail Whale of a different kind when he happened upon the crew of the S.S. Minnow.  He'll be bringing them over to the PawPawty where we'll be sure to answer the age-old question: Mary Ann or Ginger? Who would you rather be/date?


Now to the important stuff. This month's pawty will benefit The Oldies Club, a UK-based rescue specializing in rescuing and rehoming older dogs. If you have spare pawket change, you can help the anipals by donating here. Each month, we help the anipals who need it most all over the world!


Then, RSVP here or just come on over and join the fun!


And now, get limbered up for the PawPawty at the Hop! 

BlogPaws or Bust! One of these things is not like the other...

That's me, Cosmo, giving smoochies
to Your Daily Cute,  Dorian Wagner,
at the first BlogPaws in April

As we're preparing for BlogPaws West in Denver (in just one week!!!), we started thinking about what's the same and what's different from the first BlogPaws we attended earlier this year. So here you have it... our list of three things are different and one that's the same!


First, what's different.


1. We have a blog! We were so inspired from the first conference, we started a blog, participated in the Be The Change movement by organizing a neighborhood pet food drive, and we're ready to learn so much more from the fabulous speakers at BlogPaws West! 


2. Cosmo's birthday! Cosmo Havanese's big day is on September 10. I'm thinking pawty on Friday night at one of those pet-friendly dining establishments near the hotel.  Anyone who wants to pawticipate, just let me know. I'll make reservations!

3. Sponsored by Pedigree!! Yes, perhaps I did bury the lead... but there still is more exciting news to come! We are already thrilled about Pedigree's Become a Fan, Help a Dog adoption drive.  If you haven't done so already, simply "Like" the Pedigree Adoption Drive Facebook page and Pedigree will donate a bowl of food to a shelter dog. As of this writing, 1,110,074 bowls of food have been donated, so spread the word and help more dogs! And, there will be even MORE ways we can help MORE anipals who need it most! So stay tuned!! Did I forget to say... we are SO excited to be part of the Pedigree team at BlogPaws. Happy dance... *High Paw*!!!


As part of the Pedigree team, we'll be in pawsome company at BlogPaws! Please meet the rest of the Pedigree bloggers here: Felissa Elfenbeing from Two Little Cavaliers, Sharon Castellanos from Grouchy Puppy, Neil Brogan from Life With Dogs, Ashley Niels from I Love Rescue Animals, Deborah Flick from Boulder Dog, Maria Goodavage from Dogster's for the love of dog blog, Brett Chisholm from Houston Dog Blog, Joan DeMartin from Bocci's Beefs, and Debbie Jacobs from Fearfuldogs' Blog.


And now, what's the same?


In addition to the belly rubs that Cosmo is hoping for, we're looking forward to seeing many great friends we met at the first BlogPaws and meeting so many new ones as well.

At BlogPaws East from left: Diane Silver (that's me), Salina Gannon from Confessions of the Plume; Cosmo Havanese; Lynn Haigh of Pawpawty; Vicki Stringfellow Cook of Bunny's Blog; Vicki Boatright of BZTAT; and Dorian Wagner of Your Daily Cute.

We also can't wait to see some of our other blogging pals we met earlier this year: Michelle Maskaly from My Tail Hurts from Wagging So Much as well as BlogPaws co-founders Caroline Golon from Romeo the Cat and Yvonne DiVita from Scratchings and Sniffings.


I could go on and on and on and on... but instead, I leave you with this moving video from BlogPaws East. Tissues ready?? (Hint: turn up the volume)!!

Wordless Wednesday: If it's 4:13 a.m. in the UK...?

One thing we've learned from the anipals is how to sort out time zones across the world. One way is to use the World Clock, or just go directly to PawPawty and look up the only times schedules you'll ever really need... for pawty quizzes and DJs just to name a few.

Another way is to simply compare iPhones.

When it's 11:13 p.m. in Ohio -- home of @BrewskieButt (left) -- it's 4:13 a.m. in the UK -- home of @FrugalDougal (right).  Simple, right? (We don't think Dougal ever sleeps).

I know, I know... it's supposed to be WORDLESS Wednesday, but we thought some explanation was in order. No more words... just put this weekend's PawPawty on your calendars: Saturday September 4 at 2 p.m. ET to Sunday, September 5 at 2 p.m. ET.  This month, we'll be helping the anipals who need it most at the Oldies Club. 

Pawty ON!