The Awards

Very Inspiring Blogger Award – 7.18.13

The ‘Why I Love Thee’ Award – 2.22.13

I Got Reality Award – 1.31.13

Super Sweet Blogging Award – 1.24.13 & 10.16.12

2012 Blog of the Year – Nov through Dec 2012

One Sweet Blog Award – 10.16.12

Blog On Fire – 9.28.12 

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7.18.13 Thankful Thursday: Very Inspiring Blogger Award

1.31.13 Thankful Thursday: I Got REALITY!

I am so thankful to receive a new award that I never saw before from Oz The Terrier.  It is called the REALITY Award.  Each letter of the award  stands for some really cool word.

Oz, whose real name is Oscar, lives in Florida.  He looks a lot like that dog Toto from the Wizard of Oz movie, which is no accident, since it is his Mom’s favorite movie of all time.  He is a breed called a Cairn Terrier.  His favorite food is bacon, so who would not love him!  Thank you Toto Oscar Oz!

Here are the rules for this award:

1) Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you – done!

2) Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back to them – done!

3) Answer 5 simple questions (well, I wouldn’t call them simple, but here goes…)

A) If you could change one thing, what would you change?
Louise (aka Lulu Belle):  I would change the fact that Mommy can’t walk us now because her knees don’t work.  I miss our walks really really really bad and am not happy about it.

Sofie Bear: Hummm, change?  I would change having to go to sleep in my kennel at night.  I would rather sleep right outside it: so what if I wonder and chase cats in the middle of the night.

Noel, the Christmas Cat:  I would be the only animal in Mommy’s life.  

Nine, the ManCat:  I would be a dog.  

Baby Stella:  I would raise Mommy’s bed an inch or two, so that it is easier to hide under.

B) If you could repeat an age, what would it be? Any year?
Well, we are a pretty young bunch, but I guess being a puppy or kitten at like 20 weeks was fun. (Noel 6-1/2, Louise 3, Sofie 2, Nine 2, Stella 1-1/2)

C) What is one thing that really scares you?
Louise:  Pretty much everything scares me, but especially strangers.

Sofie:  When Mommy gets mad and uses that BIG voice.  

Noel:  People  

Nine: Nothing (well maybe Louise sometimes when she growls at me).  

Stella: When anything or anyone moves.

D) What is one dream you have not completed and do you think you will be able to accomplish it?
Mommy:  I always wanted to raise a hybrid breed of dog that would be a watcher and caretaker for children.  I don’t think I will get to it this time around though.

E) If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be?
Louise:  Balto (brave and fearless)

Sofie:  A golden retriever

Noel:  I only would be me, since there is no cat better in the world.

Nine:  Houdini

Stella:  Audrey Hepburn

4) Display the award on your blog somewhere – done!

5) Nominate up to 20 blogs for the award and notify them
There are so many deserving blogs, but I think I will focus on just a few REAL Winners today.

– Marking Our Territory – to Eko for dealing with the silly boots

– Misifusa’s Blog – keep spreading the love

– Peace Love & Whiskers – for amazing introductions

– My Life in Blog Years – for always hopping and hosting and having great pictures

This is part of the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop from PepiSmartDog.com

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
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1.24.13 Thankful Thursday: First Award of the Year

I am thankful for my first award of the year.  Thank you to Vicki at This Abundantly Delicious Life for bestowing upon us the Super Sweet Blogging Award. Vicki has an incredibly inspiring life.  She has a long marriage to her best friend, Jim, and they love to travel and take in all the wonderful things that life has to offer.  She is a cancer survivor with this strong and insightful view of life that everyone can learn from.  I am lucky enough to have virtually met Vicki through our work and she has become someone who I will follow for years to come.  Go check out her latest ski adventure.   

I appreciate each and every award that I have every been given.  Thank you thank you thank you.  We received this award last year, so I looked at our answers to see if they changed and they had not (except I might start calling Sofie, “Pork Chop” instead of “Gummy Bear.” Check out my answers at: 12 Cupcakes for DogDaz.  

My 2013 Baker’s Dozen follows (some old friends and some new):

(1) Misaki
(2) Angels Whisper
(3) Bassa’s Blog
(4) Dakota’s Den
(5) bumpyroadtobubba
(6) Cupcake Speaks
(7) The (mis)Adventures of Sage
(8) The Dante Diaries
(9) Long Life Cats & Dogs
(10) My Three Moogies
(11)  Golden Woofs
(12) Savannah’s Paw Tracks
(13) jmgoyder  

Baker’s extra icing goes to PepsiSmartDog – for hosting the wonderful Thankful Thursday every week.  

This is part of the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop from PepiSmartDog.com

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
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End of Year 2012 Star Update:

Thank you for the wonderful additional stars this year from Misaki, The Daily Golden, Lead.Learn.Live, Worldly WInds, and Loving and Living.

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11.20.12 Thanks Misaki for the “Blog of the Year Award”

Oh Misaki, you are too kind, to grace us with the “Blog of the Year 2012” Award. It is a really different type of award and we really appreciate you thinking of us. If you have not met Misaki yet, please check her blog out at The Misadventures of Misaki.

Misaki, The Great

The “Blog of the Year” award is a little different than some other awards that we have received in the past, because you accumulate stars. We think that is a neat idea. Here are the ‘rules’ for this award:

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award

2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)

4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them

5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience

6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

Yes – that’s right – there are stars to collect!

Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different!

When you begin you will receive the ‘1 star’ award – and every time you are given the award by another blog – you can add another star!

There are a total of 6 stars to collect.

Which means that you can check out your favourite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

For more information check the FAQ on The Thought Palette.

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Oh my DOG! I want to give this award to so many blog friends that I don’t know where to start. But, since this is an award that focuses on the year 2012, I am awarding it to all of you who have acknowledged DogDaz with an award this year. (I do hope I did not miss any of you.) This is the least I can do to say Thank You again. Please keep passing it on and keep the star shine going for many blog years to come.

• First, back to your Misaki for another star on your belt. You deserve it.
• Taylor and her Mom, Jessica, at “I Adopted A Dog – Now What?”
• David Kanigan of Lead,Learn.Live
• Dear Kitty. Some Blog.
• Bassa’s Blog.
• Worldly Winds
• The adorable guinea piggies at Hutchagoodlife
• The wise duet of Bella and Didi, at Paws to Talk.
• Colline’s Blog
• Debbie at Kindness Kronicles
• Sweat Like Mambo.
• Believe Anyway
• Chuck and his wonderful Collies of the Meadow.
• Fluffy Tufts Gang
• Milka [the Great{est} Dane]
• Barb at: Passionate About Pets & People
• Misty Shores Chesapeakes
• Dianda of Cats & Co.

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

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 10.16.12 Cupcakes for DogDaz

Misaki

What a SWEET week.

It is with great pride that DogDaz accepts the Cupcake of our dreams from Misaki, the wonderdog of The Misadventures of Misaki.  Misaki is an Alaskan Malamute who lives in the UK with her Mommy and Daddy. We are not sure how she got all the way from Alaska (USA) to England, but with all her adventures, maybe one day we will find out.  Do go to her blog and thank her for us.

This Super Sweet Blogging Award makes our mouth water and we are sure that these Gluten-free/Dairy-free confections are just perfect for Mommy (virtual treats are always allergy free and wonderful to imagine). 

Clowie

Then a few  days later our friend Clowie, a Pyrenean Mountain Dog (frequently mistaken for a Polar Bear) honored us with another confection: the One Sweet Blog Award.  Clowie is the absolutely amazing white giant who has the greatest adventures with her Bipeds (humans).  She was born in England but moved to Spain and spends lots of time in the mountains that her breed is named after.

Luckily, there are no requirements for the One Sweet Blog Award other than linking back to the person who gave it to you (THANK YOU CLOWIE), but here are the rules for the Super Sweet Award   

1. Give credit to the person who chose to nominate you: Thank you so much Misaki, this was one of the sweetest awards we ever received.

2. Answer the ‘Super Sweet’ questions. See below

3. Nominate a “Baker’s Dozen (13) blogs.

Super Sweet Questions:

1. Cookies or Cake? It is definitely Cookies around her.  People cookies and Dog cookies every night before bed.

2. Chocolate or Vanilla? Though chocolate is a very nice flavor, and a great sauce over ice cream, we love vanilla.  Vanilla beans, vanilla syrup, we love vanilla!

3.  What is your favorite sweet treat?  Now this is hard.  I used to love M&M candies, plain or peanut.  Pretty much anything M&M.  But I am not allowed to eat them anymore.  So, I would say my favorite sweet treat now a days is a Tofutti’s Marry Me ice cream bar. “Find full-bodied vanilla made with organic sugar partnered with rich, deep organic chocolate coating.”

4.  When do you crave sweet things the most? I always want cookies when I am having my evening tea, but I crave sweets the most when I am stressed (who doesn’t?)

5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be?  I call Lulu ‘Brownie,’ because she has this beautiful dark brown black coat.  Sofie is my ‘Gummy Bear,’ because she is so chubby cute you want to squeeze her. 

Now to name the BAKER’S DOZEN NOMINEES:

I am going to start with a food fight and throw the cupcake at

(1) Clowie and the Sweet award at (2) Misaki – because you both are sooooooooooo sweet.
(3) whatimeant2say
(4) 400daystil40
(5) bumpyroadtobubba
(6) Cupcake Speaks
(7) The (mis)Adventures of Sage
(8) Misty Shores Chesapeakes
(9) Long Life Cats & Dogs
(10) My Three Moogies
(11) RumpyDog
(12) Savannah’s Paw Tracks
(13) jmgoyder

FOOD FIGHT!!!!!!!!!! Choose your confection and start throwing.

Late Breaking News:  Our new friend Savannah’s Paw Tracks threw a One Sweet Blog Award at us today at the same time as we were posting.  I love a food fight!!!  Thanks

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

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9.28.12 Blog on Fire Award

What an incredible week to receive multiple awards! We received this really HOT award called the “Blog on Fire” Award for our sweet friend Taylor and her Mom, Jessica, at “I Adopted A Dog – Now What?”

Taylor is just the cutest 1 year-old Scottish terrier/dachshund mix with a personality all her own. She was adopted at a Bay Area shelter this past June by her Mommy and Daddy. We enjoy following their antics and seeing what wonderful adventures they have.

I really appreciate that other bloggers find DogDaz enjoyable, and think it is so exciting when someone says we are HOT, especially on FIRE. We like that a lot! Thank you sooooo much for thinking of us.

This award requires me to share 8 unusual tidbits about either myself or my pet. So, here I go:

1. Louise and I seem to bonk heads a lot. She will be jumping up while I am leaning down. We both look at each other and go ‘Not Again?’

2. Sofie whimpers in her sleep. It is so sad, but she is still sleeping.

3. Both dogs snore and sometimes it can get very noisy.

4. I feel kind of lost if I am home and the dogs are not with me.

5. For years Louise did not know that I did not lock her kennel door at night. But one night she figured it out and about 4 AM she started poking me to wake up and play. Now whenever I forget to lock it at night, she will sneak out and poke me.

6. Sofie will do any silly antics she can to not go to bed, even though she is really tired. She lies down right in front of her kennel and rolls on her back and says ‘I’m so cute! Do I really have to go to bed?’ This is an every night thing. She cracks me up!

7. Noel, the Christmas cat, hates to be picked up. I force her to submit to the pick up and she cries until I turn her over and hold her like a baby, and then she falls asleep in my arms. Anyone else who tries this will loss an arm (just warning you) but it ‘our’ thing.

8. I would much rather blog and play with the dogs all day than work – I guess I know what I will do when I retire (if ever that happens).

The next thing is to pass this award to 8 blogs (in no particular order), who each display humor, class, and positivity with every post:

1. Chancy The Gardener

2. Rumpydog

3 .Fluffy Tufts

4. Craves Adventure

5. Gone for a Walk

6. Rescued Insanity

7. My Brown Newfies

8. Something Wagging This Way Comes

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

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9.16.12 Inspiring Blog Award

How nice to receive an “Inspiring Blog Award,” from David Kanigan of Lead,Learn.Live Thank you very much, you David are the one that is inspirational. David says that by blogging he is trying to “share some of these “ah-ha” moments or inspirations that make him wonder, make him laugh or bring tears to his eyes.” Thanks for finding what we do here at DogDaz inspirational, because we get a lot from you too.

Awards are wonderful surprises. Along with many of them come some rules, so here they are and here are my answers:

(1) Link back to the person who nominated you: DONE above

(2) Post the award image to your page: DONE on right

(3) Tell seven facts about yourself: DONE below

Fact 1: I am gluten, dairy, and red meat free (I eat poultry and fish), but my animals are not.

Fact 2: Even when I clean my office, it is always a mess.

Fact 3: I have collected elephant paraphernalia since I was 4 and I never cared if the trunk was up or down.

Fact 4: If the family did not stop me I probably would have several more dogs.

Fact 5: When I was younger I dreamed of breeding a wolf/malamute hybrid and training them to be child protection dogs when children were out in the yard playing, so that no one would steal them. Weird huh?

Fact 6: Blogging has taken over as my number 2 hobby, next to the animals (but are they really a hobby?)

Fact 7: Sometimes I just can’t think of what to write, but then I do, and it all works out in the end.

(4) Nominate 5-10 other blogs, DONE below and, as always, I try to find new blogs that I have not awarded something to before, so here they are:

1. Georgia About

2. Expressions in a Tcup

3. PetSign_cri

4. One Thousand Single Days

5. Living and Loving

(5) Let them know they are nominated. PINGBACK – you’re notified. No really I will comment on their sites. LOL

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

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9.7.12 We Won The Addictive Blog Award

What a nice surprise to receive an award from my friend Misaki at “The Misadventures of Misaki.”

Misaki is an Alaskan Malamute (I absolutely love love love Malamutes and always wanted to have one, but it just has not happened yet.). She lives with her Mummy and Daddy in Essex, England and has a fascination with Bonios (a United Kingdom dog treat, I assume).

It is with great appreciation that we receive The Addictive Blog Award.

Thank you so much.

And as with most awards on the blogosphere, there are some rules that one must follow to accept:

1. Thank the giver who has bestowed on us this award – so, thank you again Miss Misaki the Beautiful.

2. Link back to Misaki’s blog

3. Talk about why I blog and why I started blogging (see below).

I started this blog in late November 2011, to chronicle the antics of my rescued managery of animals: Louise (aka Lulu Belle) my very shy 58lb (26kg) maybe Plott Hound/Black Labrador Retriever mix (3 years old next month), Sofie Bear (who will be 2 in November), my 48lb (21kg) maybe Corgi/Sheltie mix (who was suppose to be big Collie/Shepard dog), and the house cats: The Muffin Man (aka, Muffy, 18), Noel, the Christmas Cat (5), Miss Constance Kitty (4 1/2). and the kittens, Nine (19 mo) and Stella (1 year). We lost many of the zoo over the years and their spirits and stories visit the pages from time to time, especially my soul-dog-mate, Squash E Bear, who past over in February 2010. I guess deep down, I started the blog so that I could explore a different kind of social connection to animal lovers everywhere, which I felt in turn would help me understand myself and my zoo better.

4. Post the Award (see above).

5. Nominate 10 other bloggers for the award.

10 – I can only nominate 10 – I can’t do that! Ok I have capped it at 16 that I truly am addicted to and miss when I do not read them regularly. There are a lot more that I try and visit too, it is impossible at this point.

Bassa’s Blog
Bongo Dog Blog
Bumpy Road to Bubba
Collies of the Meadow
Cupcake Speaks:
Dante’s Diary
Doggys Style
2 Brown Dawgs
Heart Like A Dog
Hutchagoodlife
i adopted a dog now what
jmgoyder
Lead.Learn.Live
Misty Shores Chesapeakes
Monica’s Tangled Web
Passionate about Pets

You all have great blogs and I must admit, I am addicted to you (that is a good thing right?)

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

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6.20.12 Wow-Some New Awards For Us!

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6.17.12 Bassa’s “You Make Me Shine” Award

Thank you so much to our favorite Caucasian Shepard Dog friend, Bassa and her Tall Person from Tbilisi, Georgia. We are honored to receive the “You Make Me Shine” award from Bassa’s Blog.

Mommy is still away in Turkey, but she told us that we should thank Bassa and make sure she knows we are very impressed that she has made it to 52 days of blogging. Happy Blog-iversay or Blogday (not sure what to call it). We really enjoy the antics of Bassa and her Tall Person as they show us around their neighborhood. They have a very unique perspective on everyday things like trees (with turtles hidden in the bark) to telephone poles (that look like elephant trunks). Tbilisi sure seems so much more interesting then where we live. Maybe when Mommy comes home she can take us to visit you.

– Lulu Belle & Sofie Bear for Mommy

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
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6.7.12 Mrs. Sparkly’s Ten Commandments Award & Versatile Blogger

Thank you so much to Worldly Winds for giving us this most unusual Mrs. Sparkly’s Ten Commandments Award. Worldly Winds is a lovely site full of poetry by Alexandra. Alex describes herself as a “Buddhist, Mother, Wife, Writer, Poet, Introvert, Eccentric,” and you will see that her poetry absolutely reflects all those parts of her. Definitely check out her poetry. The zoo and I enjoy the deep pauses.

With the award there are “Ten Commanded” questions that I must answer, so here I go:

1. Describe yourself in seven words.

Mother, Partner, Sister, Animal Lover, Friend, Blogger

2. What keeps you up at night?

It’s not the ‘keeps me up” but the “wakes me up” that I suffer from. Nothing and everything. I have not slept more than 4 hours at a time since….. who can remember? (Memory, of course, is the first thing to go when you are sleep deprived… rofl)

3. Whom would like you to be?

Well, I like who I am, but if I had to chose, maybe Angelina Jolie. She does good work both humanitarian and on film, is absolutely gorgeous (even without makeup), has what looks like a great relationship with her partner in life, and a bunch of fun kids.

4. What are you wearing now?

Blue jeans and a pink and purple t-shirt.

5. What scares you?

People being mad at me. The dogs running in front of a car. Losing someone I love.

6. What are the best and worst things about blogging?

Best – pushing myself daily to find interesting and fun things to talk about focused only on my zoo and all the incredible other bloggers I have met in blogland all around the world.

Worst – not having more time to read blogs and write comments.

7. What was the last website you looked at?

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey (I leave to Istanbul in a week)

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To be more even tempered and not wear my emotions on my sleeve.

9. Slankets, yes or no?

Nooooo !!

10. Tell us something about the person who nominated you.

I did in the opening remarks, so go check out Worldly Winds and read some of her gooooooood stuff.

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And to top off an already great day, the adorable guinea piggies at Hutchagoodlife bestowed upon us a Versatile Blogger Award. I love those little cuddly wuddly boys and girls, Nibbles, Nutty, Bingo, and Buddy. Since I have been honored with this award before, I will let you see my answers on my Awards page.

Thank you so much you four little cutie patuties. You are sweet.

So in all fairness, as most of you know, I pass awards forward to new sites that I have not yet honored before but I really think that some of my old friends need a smile, so I hereby give the following blogs a DogDaz PICK OF THE LITTER Award. You get to pick one of the above awards for your very own, as well as proudly display that you are the DogDaz Pick of the Litter!

Thank you all for wonderful reading – here is the current DOGDAZ PICK OF THE LITTER:

Collies of the Meadow
Bongo Dog Blog
Cupcake Speaks:
2 Brown Dawgs

Thank you and a million times thank you to Worldly Winds and Hutchagoodlife for thier wonderful acknowledgement.

Just another dogdaz morning at the zoo ❤
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5.31.12 Thank You Musaki, Bella & Didi

It is so exciting to receive Blog awards. It makes me realize that people really are reading the ramblings that I spend hours writing. It is kind of funny but I seem to get awards in clumps: no awards for awhile and then a few at the same time. I want to say thank you to all my readers and my commenters. I feel like I have made some new ‘real’ friends these last few months, though I only know you through your blogs and your pictures. In a weird way, many of us out here in Blogland show a very personal side of who we are on our blogs, and that vulnerability attracts others who also share themselves. I thank you all for a very enjoyable 6 months doing the DogDaz blog and look forward to many more months/years together.

The first award, the Sunshine Award, came from themisadaventuresofmisaki. Misaki is an Alaskan Malamute puppy. Though I am not sure whether Misaki is a boy or a girl (hard to tell by his blog – sorry), he enjoys eating (especially bonios), having his belly rubbed, chasing pigeons and playing with his humans. I absolutely love Malamutes and always wanted one. That dream has yet to come true at the zoo, but maybe one day.

These are the instructions for earning the Sunshine award:

• Link the award to the person who gave it to you – thanks Misaki!
• Answer the questions that come with it
• Pass it along to 10 people and let them know they have received it

Here are the questions and my answers:

Favorite number: 27 (V’s birth Day)

Favorite Non-alcoholic drink: Unsweetened Iced Tea

Facebook or Twitter: fb (even with the bad IPO)

My Passion: the animals

Favorite pattern: interesting question… I am a solids person, but none-repeating patterns are my type if anything

Favorite Day of the Week: Sunday

Favorite Flower: I do love roses, but have really been enjoying honeysuckle this week.

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Misaki also bestowed on us a Liebster Blog Award: Thank you again oh little, soon to be giant, furry dog! The rules for this award are:

1. Link back to the person who nominated you: themisadaventuresofmisaki.

2. Nominate five (5) bloggers who have less than 200 followers (if you can tell).

3. Let nominees know by leaving a comment on their sites.

4. Post nomination image on this blog.

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Then, it was a wonderful surprise to receive yet a third award. This time from the wise duet of Bella and Didi, the Standard Poodles, of Paws to Talk.

Bella and Didi are the smartest pair of ‘Dear Abby,’ pet question answers that I have ever met. They always seem to have some interesting piece of advice for the troubled pooch or lonely kitty.

The Poodles did not say we had to jump through any hoops for this award (Yah!)

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There are so many blogs that I enjoy and when you get a lot of awards at the same time it is really hard to pass them forward, so I have created my own PICK OF THE LITTER Award. The following bloggers get to pick one of the above awards for their very own, as well as proudly display that you are the DogDaz Pick of the Litter!

Thank you all for wonderful reading – here is the current DOGDAZ PICK OF THE LITTER:

A Window Into the Woods: http://awindowintothewoods.com/

Jazzy Cat Jay: http://jazzcatjay.wordpress.com/

Pat Bean’s Blog: http://patbean.wordpress.com/

jmgoyder: Wings and Things: http://jmgoyder.com/

I Adopted A Dog: Now What? http://iadoptedadog.wordpress.com/

Hutchagoodlife: http://hutchagoodlife.wordpress.com/ (what goes around comes around…LOL)

Doggy’s Style: http://doggysstyle.wordpress.com/

Expressions In A Teacup: http://tyakhan.wordpress.com/

Basil: Life of a famous pooch: http://wp.me/1Rhm0

Mirth and Motivation: http://eof737.wordpress.com/

jodistone: http://jodistone.wordpress.com/

Thank you soooooo much we love getting awards and really appreciate every single one. Thank you Misaki, Bella and Didi for thinking highly of the zoo. We like to ready your blogs and someday maybe we will all met in the virtual dog/cat park!

Love you guys!

Lulu Belle, Sofie Bear, The Muffin Man, Noel (the Christmas Cat), Miss Constance Kitty, Nine (the bad boy), and baby Stella – oh and Mom too!!!!
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4.11.12 I’ve been LOL’ed

I have been honored with a ‘Just Kidding’ Award.  How fun is that!!!

Thank you to Colline’s Blog. She has given us this award in appreciatiion for making her smile.  Colline describes her blog as a potpourri of thoughts and experiences and it definitely is.  She is creative and follows the “WordPress Weekly Challenges” and mixes them with her religious thoughts and  muses on many different subjects.  Check her out because I think she will make you smile too.

The Award is to thank those who bring a smile and chuckle in our lives; or appreciate our humour and brighten our day with their posts. To receive this award you need to have a good sense of humour, and appreciate others who like to have a chuckle or laugh with you. There are no rules: it’s just fun, fun, fun! As many blogging friends can be chosen as you want – or none at all.

I present this Award to the following people who often bring a smile to my face (I am going to break my usual, only blogs I have not awarded to before rule, since this is such a different type of honor).  Check these blogs out and smile, laugh, and have fun with them, like I do:

Collies of the Meadow

Bumpy Road to Bubba

Dante’s Diary

Bassa’s Blog

These blogs make me smile, a lot!!!.  Thanks again to Colline for honor us with this award.  Pass it on!

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

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3.26.12 Thank You for ‘The Versatile Blogger’

Thank you to Debbie at Kindness Kronicles for presenting me with a VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD. I am grateful for the acknowledgement that others are reading my little rantings and always surprised and happy when someone shows such appreciation to bestow on me an award.  Debbie of Kindness Kronicles is an ex-New Yorker just like me!  She has found one of the secrets to happiness, which lies in the simple lessons you learned when you were very young.  The golden rules such as be nice, play nice, and wash your hands often.  I enjoy her new explorations into the world of being kind, so please do check her out.

The rules of the award are as follows:

1. Thank and link to the person who awarded you.

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.

3. Pass the award on to as many as 15 more blogging friends.

4. Contact those friends and congratulate them!

Wow – 7 things about us that I have not shared before (this is really hard) – please refer to my Awards page for previous secrets (LOL):

1.  I am a workaholic, so I have to write the dogs into my calendar everyday to make sure they (and me) get our 1 mile work (rain or shine).

2.  I am a native New Yorker, but have not lived in the state in 34 years (once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker)

3.  I miss Squash E Bear everyday.  He is gone 13 months now.

4. I like at the end of the day, when all the animals are in their beds (kennels and kitten room door closed), and no one is sitting on my keyboard or lying so close to the wheels of my chair that I can not move it.

5.  I like waking everyone up in the morning and how happy they are to see me, stretch, run, and have breakfast.

6.  Sometime dogs and people at the dog park scare me.  Some people do not think their dogs are aggressive, when they are, or they ignore bad behavior.  (That of course is when I leave.)  I like it best when there are only a few nice dogs there.

7.  I really enjoy blogging and look forward to seeing comments and likes everyday now.  I admit I have been getting a little blue on those days that the stats say I only had a few visitors.

There are so many wonderful blogs that I find every day and I would like to acknowledge a few new ones (you know my rules, I pay-it-forward to newbies for them to pay-it-forward):

•  http://tinykitchenstories.com/
• http://finderdog.wordpress.com/
• http://photonatureblog.com/
• http://vidalnyc.wordpress.com/
• http://400daystil40.wordpress.com/

Thank you very much Kindness Kronicles…. you are tooo kind (pun intended) – DogDaz

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3.4.12 I Am Honored To Be A Candle Lighter

Candle Lighter Award & Our Lovely Blog Award

It was sooooo wonderful to receive both the Candle Lighter Award and Our Lovely Blog Award from Sweat Like Mambo.  She has a healthy, get your body in shape, eat well kind of site, that teaches me a lot about all the things I really need to focus on (that I don’t).  Today was Red Velvet Brownie Bites with Cream Cheese Frosting… I could definitely focus on that!

The Candle Lighter Award is for “blogs and bloggers that light a candle in the darkness with their blog.” Please read about the creation of the award at Believe Anyway What a wonderful idea to light the internet with the candles of all the positive attitude blogs out there.  Glad I could be a part of the glow.

And if that wasn’t kind enough, Sweat Like Mambo also presented us with an Our Lovely Blog Award. I am  humbled and appreciate the acknowledgement.  I will refer people to my awards page to view several sets of the 7 things about us and the many blogs from each award that I have passed it on to.

Based on my self-imposed award passing-on rules (I acknowledge blogs that I have not touched before), today I am passing the Candle Lighter Award onto one blog that lifts me up: Kasmango’s World

Kasmango is a stay-at-home mom, veterinary technician, aspiring photographer, football fanatic, and movie lover.  She provides a beautiful and uplifting pictorial window into her world.  This candle is for you.

Just another dogdaz morning at the zoo. ❤ 
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3.1.12 Tag… You’re It!

We Were Tagged. (It’s not an award, but it feels like one, so I placed it here for all to see.)

Wow – we are playing tag today thanks to Chuck and his wonderful Collies of the Meadow.  I have never been tagged before so this will be fun.  Thanks Chuck and Collies for including me in the game.

I will let Sofie Bear answer for the zoo on this one:

1.Describe yourselves in 7 words: Mom says that I am stubborn but also loving, silly, active, barky, whiney, and mostly Rolly Polly

2. What Keeps You Up At Night?  Knowing that the cats get to roam around the house but Lulu and I have to sleep in our beds with the doors closed all night.

3. Who Would You Like To Be?  me and only me (well maybe Bassa the great Caucasian Shepard sometimes)

4. What Are You Wearing Right Now? My name collar with Mom’s cell phone number because she worries that I will dig under the fence and she wants someone to bring me home if I get lost (but they won’t be able to catch me so why wear anything).

5. What Scares You?  Plastic bags and mylar balloons, especially when the wind blows them against the fence and I can’t figure out what they are.

6. The Best And Worst Of Blogging:  Best Blogging: when Mommy blogs about me and Lulu.  Worst Blogging: when she blogs about those darn cats!

7. The Last Website I Visited?  Collies of the Meadow to thank them for making us do all this silly tag work (just kidding about the silly part)

8. What Is The One Thing I Would Change About Myself?  I want to be a towering giant not this little scrappy dog, so I act like one because Mom says, “Be the change you want.”

9.  Slankets?  If it is food, I will eat it; if it is something to wear, I will lie on it.

10.  Tell Us Something About The Dogs That Tagged You:  I have been following Collies of the Meadow for almost the whole 90 days that I have been blogging (is it really only 3 months?).  Not only have a learned a tremendous amount about the incredible Collie breed and bloodlines, but I have had a view into the life of their dad, Chuck, and his family of dogs.  Trevor, one of the seniors, is ailing and we are all praying that he finds his way with little pain.  I really enjoy checking in with them when they post and seeing what is happening in their meadow.

8 Bloggers To Tag–  I have tagged the following blogs.  If you have been tagged before, you can just post a link in the comments so we can check out your tag answers.

1. http://pinkpixie786.wordpress.com/  Vanilla Bean: clad-n-cute
2. http://pawstotalk.net/  Paws to Talk: Two Standard Poodles giving advice on the world’s problems one bark at a time.
3. http://lifeatlazylranch.wordpress.com/  Life at the Lazy L Ranch
4. http://makebelieveboutique.com/ Make Believe Boutique
5. http://davidkanigan.com/  Lead.Learn.Live: David Kanigan: Inspiration, Ideas, and Information
6. http://monicastangledweb.com/  Monica’s Tangled Web
7. http://noruffdaysdotcom1.wordpress.com/ No Ruff Days
8. http://collinesblog.wordpress.com/  Colline’s Blog: A potpourri of thoughts and experiences.

Just another dogdaz afternoon ❤

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2.22.12 We won an “Awesome Blog Content” Award

The Rules for this award are:

ONE: Share something about you, alphabetically!  Just a word or two about you starting with each alphabet letter!

TWO: Nominate worthy bloggers for this award, no limit how many you forward it to.

Here is the A-Z of DogDaz dictated by Louise and Sofie to Mommy:

A : America, that is where we live.  We are just a couple of American Mutts.  We live in a beautiful part of the country on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Mommy says it is a little piece of paradise.  We have never been to paradise but we figure she knows what she is talking about.

B : Beaver, Sofie’s lovey.  Mommy actually bought it for Louise the day that Sofie came to live with us, but Sofie decided it was going to be hers (which she decides about most things).

C : Cats, we now have 5, which we think is entirely to many.  There should be more dogs than cats, but they seem to always get their way around here.  But, the blog is called DOGDaz, so I guess we do win sometimes.

D : Ducks, which like to swim in our pool, which we do not appreciate, but it gives us something to bark at.  Mommy let’s us actually bark at them but they do not seem to fly away even when we get real close.

E : Earth, we like to dig in it and move it around, a lot.  We think that we are excellent gardeners except nothing seems to grow in the spots we dig holes in.  We are not sure why.

F : Food, we love to eat especially cat food and anything we are not supposed to eat.  The chicken that Mommy makes us for training treats is our favorite.

G : Grass, we like to poop in it and run around on it and Sofie likes to roll and roll and roll in it.

H : Humans, we like our humans very much, especially Mommy and the young one.  Louise is afraid of one’s she does not know, but she tries hard to be brave when they invade her space.

I : Ice, we like to chew on cubes of it but we do not like to walk on it outside.

J : Jumping, we are not suppose to but we both like to jump up on things when no one is looking.  Sofie likes to jump on certain people and Louise only jumps on Mommy to get her attention when she has dinner and is not putting it down fast enough.

K : Kittens, we have 2 new ones, Stella and Nine, and we really like them a lot.  We actually only just met last weekend, because Mommy had the silly door closed for a long time to the room they are in and we could smell them but not play with them.  Nine let both of us sniff him today without going cat crazy.

L : Licking, we are not suppose to lick Mommy in the face but sometimes we can’t help ourselves because she tastes so good. 

M : Miss Constance Kitty, is wider than she is long, and she loves to watch fish TV.  Sofie and her have a special relationship.

N : Noel, is the top cat and she is snow white and very very large (but not fat – we did not say fat – she would kill us – and she really isn’t anyway).  Mommy calls her ‘SNoel.’  She is not always very nice to us, but I think if we stopped chasing her under the table or across the living room, she would put her claws back in.

O : Out, we love to go out: whether the yard, a walk, or in the truck for a ride.

P : Plott Hound/Labrador, which are maybe two of the breeds that Louise is a mix of (but who really knows).

Q : Quiet, what it rarely is around here.  Sofie likes to whine and bark, a great deal, Louise knows better but forgets her manners sometimes.

R : Relentless, which is what Sofie is when she wants something.  Whine, whine, whine, whine, whimper, whimper, whine, whine.

S : Shelty/Corgy, which are probably two of the breeds that Sofie is a mix of (but who really knows). 

T : The Muffin Man, our 18 year old king cat, who we like to bother on occasion just because we can.  We respect him, but we still like to nose butt him anyway.

U : URL, http://www.dogdaz.com  This is our blog and we have so much fun doing it and winning awards too!

V : ‘V,’ that is our other human, who takes very good care of us when Mommy travels (which is to often for our liking) and sneaks us real meat (which Mommy does not eat) and other fun stuff, when Mommy isn’t looking.

W : Walk, Lulu Belle loves her walk and would be sad if she missed it, Sofie Bear just comes along because everyone is going.  Usually we walk everyday with Mojo, Louise’s Lab boyfriend from next door.  Lulu says she really misses him if they don’t get to have their walk together.

X : Xanthous, similar to the color of an egg yolk, which is what color Sofie is kind of but not really, but we could not come up with an X word.

Y : Yogurt, what Mommy eats everyday and gives us the container to lick.  Yummy!

Z : Zoo, what Mommy calls the 7 animals and 5 humans that make up our life.

Here are our nominations – remember we only give to blogs we have not given to before.  Today we want to honor two Awesome photographers:

Laurie Bartolo Photography – for truly Awesome photos

Tracie Louise Photography – for more truly Awesome photos (and because her name is Louise too!)

Just a wonderful dogdaz morning dreaming about our acceptance speech ❤

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2.19.12 You can never have toooo many HUGs

Thank you to Milka [the Great{est} Dane] for honoring us with a wonderful HUG award. This is such a nice gift from a new friend. Do not tell Lulu and Sofie, but my daughter has always wanted a harlequin Dane and she thinks you are just the cutest.

Milka [the Great{est} Dane

As her human describes her, Milka is 100 lbs (and growing) of slobber, with 2 different color eyes and guffy ears. She is our new Portuguese best friend and we are so glad we can follow her antics on the internet.

So to continue the chain, we would like to pass a Hug Award on to a very deserving blog friend, Barb at: Passionate About Pets & People

Barb is one of those truly international people that has lived in many parts of the globe and has a deep passion for the furry, feathered, and human. She lives in Queensland, Australia. Her blog features her current dog Poppy, her hubby, and past pets and passions. She always has something nice to say and I learn something everytime I visit her blog. So, Barb, this HUGs for you.

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2.12.12 The Hug Award: How Special !!!

Thank you Misty Shores Chesapeakes for honoring us with a very special Hug Award, you are tooooo kind.  We were really in need of a hug today so it came at a wonderful time.  This is a really interesting award and I was really glad to receive it. Receiving this award sent me to the site it comes from to see what it was all about (http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/) and I learned about A Hope For Today.

So, as the rules of many of the awards go, I will tell you more about me: Though I earn my pay in the corporate world, I try to live my life in service for the world good both locally and globally.  To me that means providing hope of a better today for humans, animals, and the environment. I believe you need to be the change you want to see in the world. So, I drive a hybrid (with the license plate ‘GIVEBAK,’ so honk if you see me), I recycle everything possible, I rescue animals (you all know that part), I work with the River Keepers to try and restore and keep my river and the Bay healthy,  I support wildlife (I am a Certified Wildlife Habitiat), I support certain human causes such as Lupus (which I have), Crohns & Colitis (which plagues my family), and all kinds of Cancers (which has robbed me of many family & friends), and currently I am a Commissioner on the County Commission for Women, to improve the lives of women and children.  Yes, I must say that sometimes I do all this for the hugs, but mostly, I do it for the selfish reason that I believe in the law of cause and effect – what you put out there will come back to you 10 fold: to give is the greatest gift I get, and at the end of the day, the only one I want.  I have hope today and everyday, so thank you Misty for reminding me of the greater value in that.

I will pass this along to 5 blogs I have not acknowledged before, who are teaching me something with every blog:

Cats & Co.

2 Brown Dawgs Blog

The Jogging Dog

Walden Marsh

Lead.Learn.Live

Hugs and Hope from the zoo at DogDaz ❤

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2.11.12 We Are Honored By Another ‘One Lovely Blog’ Award

Wow – Another One Lovely Blog Award in the same week, this time from Dianda of Cats & Co.  Thank you so much.  Cats & Co is a very catty site with Suki, the Queen, and Hiro, the silly cat.  If you want to learn all about cats (and my 5 cats sure love to learn history and tips), this is the place to watch.

Here are 7 more things about us:

1.  I am deathly afraid of…..don’t laugh…..ballons!

2. Miss Constance Kitty will pee on the newspaper if you leave it on the kitchen table overnight (no one knows why).

3.  Louise can take the squeaker out of a dog tennis ball in 60 seconds max.

4.  I was attacked by 6 large guard dogs when I was in my twenties.

5.  I am terrible at cutting the cats claws (and I have many a shredded door jam to show for it).

6.  The dogs love cat food, and The Muffin Man loves dog food.

7.  I once had the opportunity to walk/run a wolf through the woods.  He was rescued from a captive situation and was being cared for by a rescue society.  Though he was old, and tethered to me around the waste, I ran for over an hour behind him.  I will never forget the wolves eye view.  He had to be walked by a human so that no one took a shot at him and also so he did not run away (I guess).

So now to pay it forward to 5 more lovely blogs:

BassasBlog: I must say that I keep forgetting the dog that I am madly in love with, every blog day, Bassa, – She is the most incredible looking, sweetest giant on the net.  And her humans have shown me a lot about the place they live, Tblisi.  Keep up the giant work and making me smile every day.

The Dante Diaires: Dante Alighieri is a 3 year old Malti-Poo, weighing in at about 5 lbs. (my girls would call that breakfast – LOL).  Follow his adventure with his humans in Florida.  They call him the Traveling-Boy (an he appears to be very portable).

Missing Williow Farm: This is the adventures of my x-coworker Connie, her husband, and her farm.  Check out her new goat triplets.  The site is well done, fun, and informative.  She has taught me there can be a life after the corporation.

PhotoBotos: These pictures are blowing me away, even if they aren’t dogs and cats.  The brothers, Charlie and Tom, are on a mission to provide us with one AMAZING picture everyday.  You must see!!!

Cupcake Speaks:  The tales of the adorable rescue, Cupcake, and his children’s book author mom, are a great read.  Mom also blogs a lot about kids, as a former teacher.  A big woof for this little dog.

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo!  Keep those awards coming – we love them and you too!!!! ❤

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2.9.12 One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you sooooo much to Misty Shores Chesapeakes for recognizing us with this very wonderful ‘One Lovely Blog Award.’  I am really happy that other bloggers are reading and enjoying my stuff.  Misty even said that we posted ‘cool’ stuff.  That made me so happy.  I do try to find interesting internet animal stuff to brighten the day. And maybe because I live on the Chesapeake Bay we have a special connection; me and the Chessie dogs.  Misty Shores has 4 lovely Chessies. Cheyenne, Maia, Riva, and Titan, and their purfect cats: KC & BW.  They are a beautiful bunch.

I think the rules of the award are that I tell you 7 things about us and than I pay 5 forward.

1. Louise snores
2. Sofie likes to clean the cat pan (gross!!!) when she can.
3. I would adopt every homeless animal I meet if I could just figure out how to feed and walk them.
4. I always wanted to ‘mush.’
5. I miss the dogs a lot when I am gone for more then 3 days.
6. There is almost always one animal in my office with me at any time (currently there are 4).
7. Sometimes I stoop to bribery to get Sofie to come inside.

I wish I could give everyone a badge for being so wonderful, but I have selected some blogs that I really have been enjoying lately and that are ‘lovely.’  (I am only going to select sites that I have not honored before, because that only seems fair.)

1. Onecoolgriff: Rambo, a Petite Brussels Griffon living in Michigan and his family of five dogs (two more Griffs, Pearlie Blue and Jemmie, Atticus the Rottweiler, and Buddy ‘the incredibly-old-but-still-getting-around whatever kind of dog,’ two cats, three VERY BIG horses, and his two peeps, Mom an Dad. This blog is funny and fun and I want to thank them for making us laugh.
2. Bumpy Road to Bubba: This is a very lovely blog about a single Mummy and her darling 1 year old, Poppy Grace (aka Bubba).  Along with the furry family Bella & Bear.  This is her ‘journey to motherhood – single by chance, mother by choice.’  Thanks for letting us watch you all grow together.
3. Chancy the Gardener:  With a face to-die-for and an incredible set of ears, watch Chancy, and the cats: Patches, Pooh, and Snookums, get into a lot of trouble fun.  Thanks for the fun.
4. RumpyDog: Jenny Threet blogs about her rescues Rumpy and DeDe and their cats. I thought my zoo was funny and photogenic, but these guys are a hoot.  Thanks for the stories.
5. TheNoiseInsideMyHead: Jake and Sabrina share their life with this wonderful young woman, Becca,who has been winning the cancer battle for many years.  I find her insightful, playful, and down right an inspiration.  Thanks for blogging and letting us share your journey.

So once again, we want to thank Misty Shores Chesapeakes for this honor – much love – Lulu Belle, Sofie Bear, The Muffin Man, Noel, Constance Kitty, the kittens, Nine & Stella, and of course, me (the human).

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Collie’s Choice for Best Blog Award

Thank you !

It is so wonderful to receive an award for our fun blog adventure from Collies of the Meadow.  They said such nice things about us that it makes us blush.  Since Sofie is part Sheltie we have been trying to learn more about Collies and Shelties to understand her thoughts and moods.  Check out Collies of the Meadow the dogs are absolutely georgeous!

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Versatile Blogger Award

The rules of the award are as follows:

1. Thank and link to the person who awarded you.

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.

3. Pass the award on to as many as 15 more blogging friends.

4. Contact those friends and congratulate them!

Wow – 7 things about us (this is really hard):

1.  Louise’s nickname is Lulu Belle.  She is also know by ‘Looney,’ ‘Lu,’ and ‘#1′  I also refer to her as the big girl.

2.  Sofie’s full name is Sofie Bear.  She is also know by ‘So,’ ‘SoSo,’ ‘Little Bit.’ and ‘#2.’  I also refer to her as the baby.

3. Louise has a boyfriend named Mojo Raising, He is a Black Lab champion dock diver.  They see each other almost everyday and get blue if they don’t.  Mojo lives across the street and Lulu stands on her hind legs and watches his house out the kitchen window for a really long time, hoping to catch a glimpse.

4. Sofie really really really wants to snuggle and lean on Louise but when she does, Lulu gets up and moves away (how sad or how big sisterish).

5. I like my dogs better than I like most people (I guess that is sad too.)

6. Louise looks good in almost any color (ah, black goes with everything) but Sofie looks best in purple.

7. Sofie’s favorite toy is her lovey, Beaver.  Beaver is her security blanket and she will dig it out of the bottom of the toy box (if it accidentally is in there) otherwise she can’t go to sleep.  She takes Beaver where ever she goes.

I have not been blogging very long, but in my short time I have come across some super cool blogs.  Here are a few really good blogs that I have been enjoying.  I hope you will check them out too.

Bongo Dog Blog Bongo is a dog who loves to get into mischief. He also loves people and wants to share with you what he’s up to.

Collies of the Meadow This blog is dedicated to collies: past, present and future who have blessed these humans with their love, enthusiasm for life, their joy and fun and alas their sorrowful ends.  This human loves his dear collies…

For The Love of My Dogs  This blog features an animal crew along with tips, stories and advice on all things dog. Included are informative tools on animal rescue and adoption, homemade dog tested recipes and wellness info, shopping suggestions and tips from personal experiences.

Fearfuldogs’ Blog Debbie Jacobs lives in southern Vermont USA with a husband, a cocker spaniel, a border collie and her scared dog border collie mix Sunny. Sunny was the inspiration and catalyst behind the creation of the FearfulDogs.com website. When he came to Debbie he was so fearful that he could not move out of the corner of her living room for weeks. It took months and years of effort and training to get him to where he is today.

Fluffy Tufts  From Dublin, Ireland the romping of three dogs (“The Lads”) and the prettiest cat in the world!!

Misty Shores Chesapeakes Follow these beautiful Chesapeakes, Cheyenne and Riva,.and watch their progress with training and breeding/whelping.

Kitty Bloger Ok, it’s a cat not a dog site but not just your average site about cats.

Congratulations to the 7 blogs that I am passing the award to.  May your new year bring lots of wonderful adventures and many happy DogDaz ❤