Pet Blogger Hop / #Dudefest Trooper Bowl to Help Operation Baghdad Pups

Photo: Operation Baghdad Pups

It's time to get your dudeness on!


The Twitter anipals are at it again, this time with a #Dudefest, starting today at 2 p.m. ET and continuing a full 24 hours to 2 p.m. ET tomorrow. 


Join the fun and frolic, win some prizes along the way and support the SPCA International's Operation Baghdad Pups.


Just a week before the Super Bowl, the anipals on Twitter are putting on a Trooper Bowl in support of our military service men and women and the local animals they befriend that help them endure the hardships of war. The Operation Baghdad Pups program provides veterinary care and helps reunite these beloved pets with their service men and women back in the United States.


Find out more about #Dudefest and how you can help these pups here. 


If you've never been to a #Dudefest or #PawPawty on Twitter you can learn more about these types of events at PawPawty.com.  These events were created to raise awareness and funds for  animal shelters and charities across the world.  So get your Trooper Bowl snacks ready and come on down for kick-off at 2 p.m. ET today! If Cosmo Havanese isn't off chasing squirrels, he'll greet you at the door!


If it's Saturday, it's also Pet Blogger Hop day. Hippity-Hop-Hop! 

Wordless Wednesday: Cosmo Havanese says bring on the gladiators!

Cosmo Havanese channels his inner gladiator at the Circus Maximus in Rome. What do you think he was really doing?

Close up... Is Cosmo imagining the life of a dog/gladiator 2,000 years ago?

Now a park, once upon a time the Circus Maximus was THE place for chariot racing and the occasional gladiator fight. Cosmo takes a moment to soak up the significance.


So what WAS Cosmo doing in his gladiator pose?!!


Other posts about our trip to Italy you might enjoy:

• International Paperwork Preparation
• How to Prepare Your Dog For a Long Plane Ride
• Arriving in Rome, Dog-Friendly InterContinental Hotel, Piazza del Popolo
• A Walk Through Parco della Villa Borghese
• St. Francis Watches Over All Animals
• Milan: The Duomo

Pet Blogger Hop and Baby It's Cold Outside with Cosmo Havanese!

The snow has finally melted in Atlanta, and Cosmo Havanese is happy to have his backyard back to normal! Before you head over to this weekend's pet blogger hop, check out how Cosmo navigated the snow event... and listen to our new, favorite version of Baby It's Cold Outside! It's Gleetastic, of course!

Now, let's go to the hop, oh baby!

Travel to Italy with your dog: Eating at Casina Valadier and Casina Del Lago in Parco Borghese

Eating in Italy is one of the great pleasures of traveling to this country and we took this activity seriously!   We had at least one big feast a day, which typically lasted around three hours, with several courses and sometimes an apertivo (before dinner drink), dolce (dessert) and a cafe or digestivo (after dinner drink). And of course wine is a staple of every meal! So how did we manage to eat all this and not come back as contestants for The Biggest Loser?... LOTS and lots of walking ... and only ONE huge meal a day. The others were small!

On our first day in Rome, we strolled through the beautiful Parco della Villa Borghese and headed to Casa Valadier for lunch.  High above the Piazza del Popolo, this 19th-century cafe is a most lovely place to enjoy a leisurely lunch and a spectacular view of Rome.

We entered through a colorful hallway, where famous guests from Gandhi to Mussolino had visited before us. 

It's hard to imagine lunch with a better view than at Casina Valadier. Yes, that is St. Peter's in the background. But no, that is not the Eiffel Tower in the distance (the view's not THAT good.)

Sitting down for lunch. That means EVERYBODY gets to sit down for lunch!  Having cultivated civilized society for a thousand years longer than us, the Italians allow dogs to respectfully join their owners in public more often than not.

 We started with a colorful salad of Belgian endive, apples walnuts and pomegranate... 

... and a traditional "ceci" (garbanzo bean) soup with fried baccala (salted cod).

Our secondo... we shared a French rack (lamb chop) served cacciatora style with artichoke omelette and potato gratin. Yum!

Sharing entrees leaves room for dessert! This was a departure from a traditional Zabaglione, or so I am told, but it was worth every bite of creamy custard goodness! The chocolate crunchy bits on top and hazelnut shell offered just the right texture to complement the fluffy mousse-like custard. Yum! Yum!

Note:  If the weather is not warm enough to sit on the terrace outside Casina Valadier, reserve table 19 for the most prominent view in the dining room.

And finishing the meal in traditional style with a caffè. 

Even Cosmo admired the view ... and the secondo they were serving at the next table!


After lunch we walked through the park and found Casina del Lago,  a nice spot for lighter meal. We returned here the next morning for breakfast.

At Casina del Lago we had very pleasant breakfast of cappuccino and brioche.

And of course, Cosmo was welcome too!


Next up, seeing the sites of Rome!


Other posts about our Italy adventure you might enjoy:

• International Paperwork Preparation
• How to Prepare Your Dog For a Long Plane Ride
• Arriving in Rome, Dog-Friendly InterContinental Hotel, Piazza del Popolo
• A Walk Through Parco della Villa Borghese

Wordless Wednesday: St. Francis watches over all animals and Cosmo Havanese!

Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, watches over all pets and Cosmo Havanese in Milan, Italy.

Travel to Italy with your dog: A walk through Parco della Villa Borghese

In our last installment of Travel to Italy with your dog we visited  Piazza del Popolo, one of the entry points to Parco della Villa Borghese -- a wonderful place to take a stroll with your dog.

From either Piazza del Popolo or the top of the Spanish Step it's an easy stroll to the top of Pincio Hill and the entrance to Parco della Villa Borghese. Here, Cosmo Havanese and I enjoy the panoramic view of the center of Rome and St. Peter's.

Entering Parco della Villa Borghese, or Borghese Park, you're sure to find lots of activity... from bicyclists to rollerbladers AND lots of dogs!

Heading down one of the many paths and walkways...

...we came upon the Valley of the Dogs, an area designated for off-leash dog play. A handful of larger dogs and their people enjoyed the late winter afternoon. Cosmo preferred to observe from a distance. Further down the path...

... we listened to some music. Cosmo's nose was working at full capacity!

The park, one of Rome's largest, has many lovely gardens, two art museums a grass-covered amphitheater and a lake. Some of the trees were particularly impressive.

These tall sculpted-looking trees are known as Umbrella Pines, a species of pine native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. The pines even inspired a symphonic tone poem -- Pini di Roma, the Pines of Rome --  by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi in 1924. Listen! 

 After all that walking, there are plenty of places to stop for a quick snack! 

And sometimes a little dog needs a free ride!  But even up in the air, Cosmo's head was always on a swivel and his nose working overtime!  

Next up: great places to eat with your dog in Borghese Park! Here, Cosmo and I are leaving Casina Valadier after a wonderful lunch with a view!

Other posts about our Italy adventure you might enjoy:

• International Paperwork Preparation
• How to Prepare Your Dog For a Long Plane Ride
• Arriving in Rome, Dog-Friendly InterContinental Hotel, Piazza del Popolo

Pet Blogger Hop and Be the Change 4 Animals

If it's Saturday, this must be Pet Blog Hop Day. But since January 15 also is one of four designated Blog the Change for Animals days,  today we bring you a special story about our pal and artist Vicki Boatwright.   Vicki, who signs her artwork BZTAT, is using her art to launch an awareness campaign about the connection between animal and child abuse.

Inspired by a small rescued cat, Vicki has named the program Okey's Promise. Starting with a large mural on the exterior of a building in the Canton, Ohio Arts District, she plans to create artworks that will be positive in nature, such as the painting with little girl and her pets above. The plan is to display these artworks in many communities to help generate awareness for the issue of family and pet abuse and remind us of the riches we have that are so important to protect. 


A few years ago I saw a news story about this topic on the TODAY Show and it's stuck with me ever since. This was about a pets and womens shelter program to take in battered women, children AND their pets. It's so important to find MORE ways to keep abused family members together with their pets. We sniffed out the clip from March, 2009:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

In this story, Allie Phillips talks about the PAWS program she created at the American Humane Society. While the PAWS program is no longer at American Humane, Allie continues to find ways to keep shelter animals and families together. 


There are now approximately 60 U.S. shelters allowing pets on-site, but much more needs to be done to keep families with pets safe.


Here's one way you can help. Make a donation to kickstart Vicki's program.

Wordless Wednesday: Snow Dog in Atlanta

The snow event in Atlanta continues.... Day Three. Maybe we'll get out tomorrow...

The Pet Blogger Challenge

One of the things I love most about the pet blogging community is the support, camaraderie and the many opportunities to come together as a group. This time, Edie Jarolim of Will My Dog Hate Me and Amy Burkert at GoPetFriendly.com created a way for us to share our deepest -- and sometimes not so deep -- thoughts and goals for our blogs. Click on the button to the right to read all about The Pet Blogger Challenge and head to the blog list at the bottom of this post to hear from everyone else!


Here we go!


1. When did you begin your blog? 

My first post went up on July 15, 2010 and was inspired by Blog the Change Day. I spent months before that obsessing about the look and name of my blog, which blogging platform to use, and whether it would come from my voice or Cosmo's. Blog the Change helped me take the plunge and quit worrying if To Dog With Love was perfect enough to publish. Ha!

Cosmo at the first St. Pawtricks
Day Twitter  #PawPawty 

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?

To give me more than 140 characters to work with. I started my social media "experiment" by putting Cosmo Havanese on Twitter, where I thought Cosmo would be the only animal. Boy, was I wrong! Soon I wanted more space to tell stories about what we were doing with the pet community on Twitter. Cosmo was one of the first anipals to help raise funds for animal rescue.

3. Is your current purpose the same?

Yes and no.  We do support animal causes and tell stories about Cosmo's activities on Twitter. I also use To Dog With Love as a learning "lab" of sorts and creative outlet... to experiment with video and photography and learn how to tell stories in a way that is far different than what I have done during my professional life as a journalist, copywriter and PR/marketing communications consultant.


I created the tagline -- a celebration of the fluffier side of life -- with idea that To Dog With Love would be all about the special relationship people have with their pets and all the types of things you can do to enjoy that relationship together. My goal was, and still is, to provide a balance of what I call the lighter, fluffier topics --  like shopping, dining out  and traveling with your pet --- with education and cause-related topics like pet safety, dog agility and of course animal rescue. We've also done product reviews and giveaways and partnered with some great companies to raise awareness for pet adoption and food drives. 


I've learned an awful lot in the past six months, and expect there's lots more good things to come!


4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?
My goal is three posts a week, two at a minimum. That's about as close to a schedule as I can get to at this point. I understand the value of blogging on a schedule but I refuse to be bullied by the blog! (And trying really hard not to feel guilty about it.)


5. Are you generating income from your blog?
Not really, although I think there is a lot of value in generating some of the professional relationships that have come out of blogging. 


6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular

Pals at BlogPaws East in Columbus, Ohio

• The amazing people I've met from all over the world.
• The opportunity to meet many of these amazing people in person at conferences like BlogPaws and BarkWorld Expo.
• Providing readers with information they find useful and sometimes entertaining. I get asked lots of questions about pet travel and agility and the blog gives us a way to share that information.
• Immediate gratification when I hit "post" and readers comment.
• My inspiration, Cosmo Havanese and his ability to celebrate the fluffy side of life everyday.
• Helping the anipals who need it most.
• Partnering with some great companies who help the anipals who need it most.
• Getting to do cool stuff like radio, TV and newspaper interviews. We'd like to do more!
• Getting to review and give away cool stuff!
  
• The freedom to write whatever I want.

7. What do you like the least?

Maybe Cosmo can figure it out...

• That I haven't won the lottery yet so I can blog full time.
• The technical challenges and strange glitches that causes fonts and colors to go haywire. Typically after five hours and lots of contortions I can figure out some crazy way to fix it.
• Technical challenge part II -- trying to link my blog to my ToDogWithLove.com URL. I tried it once and thought I lost my whole blog. Still haven't figured it out.
• Still trying to figure out if I really need to switch to WordPress.
• The number of emails, requests and pitches that I haven't gotten to because there isn't enough time, and frankly because I need better focus.

8. How do you see your blog changing or growing in 2011?

Refining some of the basics... like a better About Me section and focusing in on To Dog With Love's purpose. More posts that provide readers with information they find valuable and can use. You can expect a series of posts from our recent trip to Italy, more on agility and more about our favorite breed, the Havanese! And, perhaps some technology enhancements if I can figure it out.


Enough about me. Here's what everyone else is up to!

Travel to Italy with your dog: Arriving in Rome, dog-friendly hotel and an outing to Piazza del Popolo

In the United States, dog people often long for a bit of Italy, where you can take your dog most anywhere. So when we embarked on our journey to Italy with Cosmo, we were excited to see all the sights, enjoy the food and shopping, and not have to leave Cosmo behind! 

     

 

We flew non-stop from Atlanta to Rome and arrived  at 7:30 a.m. in the morning after flying all night.  Cosmo traveled in his SturdiBag under the seat in cabin and slept the entire way! Above, he shakes off the sleep, does a few downward dogs and he's ready to go!

Going through customs in Rome was a breeze. We showed passports, got our bags and were outside the airport in less than 30 minutes. We had all the required international paperwork for pet travel, but didn't need to show anything on this end. Outside the airport in Rome, above, Cosmo is ready to chase some Italian squirrels! I'm ready for a nap.

           

We stayed at the pet-friendly InterContinental De La Ville Roma. The hotel is beautiful, the staff super friendly, and it is conveniently located at the top of the Spanish Steps.

Cosmo was treated like a celebrity -- with hearty greetings and pats --  every time he entered the lobby of the InterContinental De La Ville. After checking in, we hit the town to see the sights and search for some much-needed cappuccino!

First stop, just a few steps from the front of the hotel we walked down the Spanish Steps to Piazza Di Spagna.  Above, we stopped for a photo opp in front of the Barcaccia Fountain. At the bottom of the steps to the right, you can see a corner of the Casina Rossa, where the poet John Keats spent the end of his life.  At the top of the stairs is the 16th-century Church of Trinita dei Monti. From here we walked down Via del Corso to the Piazza del Popolo.

So much to see... and eat! Along the way, we stopped for a scoop of warm chestnuts. These vendors are on almost every corner!

At Piazza del Popolo, we stopped at the Canova Cafe for cappuccino and brioche! Ahhh, nothing like Italian cappuccino! 

Cosmo sat at the table and enjoyed the people, and dog, watching in the piazza ... and, the sound of the bells from the twin churches that flank either side of the Via del Corso. Built in the Neo classical style, the churches Santa Maria di Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Marcoli were designed by Carlo Rainaldi in 1658. Listen...

On a  beautiful Sunday morning in December, there were plenty of people out strolling through the Piazza del Popolo, enjoying the sunshine and soaking up the centuries of history. The obelisk at the center of the piazza was originally erected at the Circus Maximus to commemorate the conquest of Egypt by Augustus in 10 BC. It was moved to Piazza del Popolo  by Pope Sixtus V in 1589. Cosmo takes a sunbath and we listen to the cellist playing next to the obelisk in the center of the square. Take a look and enjoy!

Next we headed to the west end of the piazza, below, where the steps lead up to Pincio Hill and the entrance to Parco Della Villa Borghese, a wonderful park for a dog walk!

Next post: A walk through Borghese Park and lunch in the Park at Casina Valadier!

Wordless Wednesday: Italian style

Cosmo soaks up the history in front of the Duomo in Milan, Italy

We had a GREAT time with Cosmo in Rome and Milan last week. More stories and photos coming once I sort out all the pictures!


Buon Anno!