Wordless Wednesday: Cosmo gives #BlogPaws four paws up!

Photo courtesy of Rebecka Jeffs

Thanks to Rebecka Jeffs for taking this fab photo at BlogPaws! For a treat, Cosmo will do just about anything! He just gave me 5 and 10 (paw fingers) and here he gives me 20!

And speaking of High Paws, if you want to spread the word about feeding shelter dogs here's a simple way to do it through the Write a Post, Help a Dog initiative. You can even win some fab goodies for you and your pup! And for that I give you a high five, 10 and 20!

Write a Post, Help a Dog 2012! Pedigree will donate a bag of food for every post written! #BlogPaws #Dogsrule

As we head to this year's BlogPaws pet blogger conference in Salt Lake City, Cosmo and I once again have the honor of participating in the Pedigree Write a Post, Help a Dog campaign! Now in it's third year, the program has generated 650 blog posts and 6.5 TONS of food to help feed shelter dogs! 

Here's how you can help too!

Simply write a blog post from now until midnight on Saturday, June 30 and mention Pedigree's commitment to adoption and finding shelter dogs loving homes. For each post, Pedigree will donate a 17-pound bag of Pedigree Dry Dog Food to a shelter in need. 

You can use any of the wording or images you find in this blog post. Or perhaps get some inspiration from the Pedigree Adoption website. It's up to you! Just write a post and a shelter dog wins.

Once you write your post, add it to our Blog Hop below, so we can see the collective effort for helping  feed more shelter dogs! And remember, any type of blog can post to help a shelter dog, so please spread the word! Update: Once you post, enter our Rafflecopter giveaway for some fab Dogs Rule swag! 

At BlogPaws, along with eight other Pedigree-sponsored bloggers, we'll be handing out postcards like the yellow images you see above. We hope that everyone will write a post and spread the word so we can reach our goal of 450 posts for a total donation of 7,650 pounds of food!

The sooner you post, the more people will see it! So go ahead and Write a Post and Help a Dog! You know you want to!

Cosmo wants you to write a post too! This photo was taken after he worked his paws off at BlogPaws West in Denver 2010, the first year of the Pedigree Write a Post, Help a Dog campaign.  Cosmo reminds you that you can use any of the info in this post, including his photo if you want to! 

And here's a badge image you can use too! Feel free to use it in your post or on your sidebar! We linked the badge on our sidebar to http://www.pedigreefoundation.org/.

And now, to officially introduce the Pedigree-sponsored bloggers!

• Paris Permenter and John Bigley from DogTipper and CatTipper
• Joan DeMartin from Bocci's Beefs
• Ashley Niels and Nikki Jeske from I Love Rescue Animals
• Debbie Jacobs from Fearfuldogs' Blog
• Missy Johnson from Dogs for the PAWS
• Laurie Eno from The Daily Corgi

Disclosure: We are sponsored by Pedigree at BlogPaws; we are not compensated any other way for our posts.

We're Going to BlogPaws! A Word From Our Sponsor! #DogsRule #BlogPaws

Next week, hundreds of pet bloggers and industry leaders will converge at the 4th BlogPaws pet blogger conference.  Cosmo and I have been lucky enough to attend every one of them. And this year, for the third time, we'll be sponsored by Pedigree.

You may remember the Write a Post, Help a Dog campaign from the last few years. With the help of bloggers everywhere, we collectively were able to raise literally TONS of food donations for shelter dogs. And this year we'll be doing it again!

Stay tuned for more details and how you can participate. And remember this is an equal opportunity campaign... ALL types of bloggers are welcome to participate. In the meantime, check out the Pedigree Adoption Drive on Facebook.  You can also learn how your non-profit animal rescue group can apply for a Pedigree Foundation Innovation Grant through June 29, 2012.

Cosmo and I will see you in Salt Lake City!

Write a Post update: Pedigree to donate 27,000 lbs of dog food to help shelter dogs affected by Hurricane Irene

#CosmoRules

First, thanks to all our bloggie buddies for rallying to Write a Post and Help a Dog. Thanks to all of you, we collectively wrote 149 blog posts about the Pedigree Foundation which resulted in a donation of 2,980 pounds of Pedigree dog food to shelter dogs who need it most. Woo Hoo! #BloggersRule!

But that's not all! Now, Mars Petcare US is increasing the donation to 27,000 pounds of dog food (that's no typo!) to help shelter dogs in areas impacted most by Hurricane Irene. Mars Petcare will donate the food to RescueBank -- a national pet food distribution organization working to get dog food to where it's needed most in the Albany, New York area.

And, as a way to thank everyone who participated and anyone who wants to help a shelter dog, you can still purchase Dogs Rule gear at a discount at dogsrulegear.com. Just use the promo code BlogPaws10 through September 30 to get a 10 percent discount. AND, it's never too early to start buying holiday gifts, so here's a way to pick up a little something for the dog lover in your family. AND any time you purchase, a portion of proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help shelter dogs who need it most. So everyone wins!

And now, we bring you this message from Betty White, who we also LOVE in Hot in Cleveland! #BettyWhiteRules #BloggersRule #DogsRule!

Pet Bloggers Hop: Back From BlogPaws!

What a great trip we had to BlogPaws! In spite of earthquakes and hurricanes, the show went on and we had a blast seeing old pals and meeting new ones. We'll post more about what we learned in upcoming weeks, including some fun new products and terrific programs to help all furpals.

And, if you missed it, here's one way all bloggers can help feed shelter dogs right now! Simply write a post, help a dog and Pedigree will donate up to 10,000 pounds of food to shelter dogs. Please consider writing a simple post to help... and you can even copy all the info you find here. It can be done in a jiffy and Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of food for each blogger's post. Just remember to post it by September 3.

We'll also post more photos later, but here are just a few to get you started...

Cosmo (left) and his pal Dexter enjoyed catching up ... I think they were discussing this year's swag.

Dexter seems a little stunned by something ... perhaps Cosmo is telling him to watch out for the pet psychic,  she might reveal his secrets!

Now, let's go to the hop!

Pedigree Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011 #dogsrule

Anytime we have the chance to help donate food to shelter pets who need it most, we're all for it. And once again, here's a way that all bloggers can help too.

Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011

This year, as we head to the BlogPaws pet bloggers conference, Pedigree is resurrecting is insanely successful Write a Post, Help a Dog program. In 2010, 391 bloggers wrote about the program and with each post, Pedigree donated 20 pounds of its Healthy Longevity dog food to shelter animals. In all, 7,820 pounds of food was donated to two shelters renowned for their care of senior dogs: Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco and Castaway Critters in Harrisburg, Pa.


How you can help in 2011

Simply spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011 and once again Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of food for each blogger's post.  Here's all you need to include in your post:

• The Write a Post, Help a Dog program is aimed at raising awareness and food for the more than four million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year.
• For each blog post mentioning the Pedigree Foundation from now until midnight ET on September 3, Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of its new dry Pedigree recipe food for dogs -- its best recipe ever -- to a shelter, because every dog deserves leading nutrition. 
• The Pedigree Foundation -- a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization is committed to helping dogs by providing grants to shelters and rescues and encouraging dog adoption. This year the Foundation has already raised more than $376,570 against its goal of $1.5 million to carry out its work to fund grants that not only help shelters operate, but to further shelter innovations.

The Pedigree Foundation depends on charitable contributions from individuals to carry out its mission to help dogs find loving homes. In addition to writing a blog post, here's how you can help:

• Donate online at http://pedigreefoundation.org/donate.aspx
• Apply for a shelter grant from the Pedigree Foundation by completing a form at www.pedigreefoundation.org
• Purchase Dogs Rule Gear at www.dogsrulegear.com where the proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help loving dogs find a home. SPECIAL OFFER: Get 10 percent off Dogs Rule Gear by using the promo code BlogPaws10 from August 22 - September 30.

We'll make it even easier to spread the word

Feel free to copy and use anything from this post, including all images. (HINT: double click on any image to see it at full size, then save it to your computer or post).

Then, link up to our Blog Hop below, hosted by the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers to help spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog.

Once again, we are honored to be one of the Pedigree-sponsored bloggers at BlogPaws 2011 and we can't wait to join up with the rest of our group to help feed more shelter dogs. If you're going to BlogPaws, come over and meet us! If you won't be there, please meet the rest of the Pedigree bloggers here:

• Sharon Castellanos at Grouchy Puppy
• Ryan Rice at Houston Dog Blog
• Ashley Niels and Nikki Jeske at I Love Rescue Animals
• Felissa Elfenbein at Two Little Cavaliers
• Debbie Jacobs at Fearfuldogs' Blog
• Joan DeMartin at Bocci's Beefs
• Paris Permenter and John Bigley at DogTipper and CatTipper

Look for Cosmo at BlogPaws and I should be close by!

Social Media Tips for Non-Profit Charities on Blog Talk Radio

Cosmo and I took a little time out from an agility trial yesterday to participate in a discussion about social media and non-profits with Rick Rockhill on his Palm Springs Savant & Co radio show. 

We had a great time chatting with Rick yesterday about some of the ways we've used social media to help non-profit organizations raise money for animal-related causes.

Mavis at Mostly Mutts
is still looking for her
furever home

We shared stories about Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week and Mavis, pictured at left, Pedigree's Write a Post, Help a Dog campaign, PawPawty, Be The Change for Pets and more!  You can hear it all by clicking on the widget above or by listening here. 

Kim Smith from the Petco Foundation opened the show with some great stories and useful tips too. Read more in the press release.

Rick Rockhill, Natalie Malaszenko
from Petco and me with Cosmo
at BarkWorld in August

We met Rick earlier this year when he was a speaker on behalf of Natural Balance Pet Foods at the pet social media conference BarkWorld Expo. Rick shared some fun pics and stories about the conference on his Palm Springs Savant blog. Not surpisingly, Cosmo Havanese spent most of his time working the crowd, and Rick, for treats! 

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!

  

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!!

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!!