Source: danielodowd
4.26.13 Follow Up Friday: We Are Family!!!!!
Today is Follow Up Friday, where does the week go?
We are so excited to announce that we received not one, but two, I AM PART OF THE WORDPRESS FAMILY AWARDs this week! WOOOOF! We are so grateful. Thank You Thank You Thank You!
We received the first Family award from Vicki Flaherty at This Abundantly Delicious Life. Vicki is actually a colleague of mine and I am so impressed with her view on life, No matter what is in her way, she has found a way to look on the ‘bright side’ of the day. Vicki is new to the blogosphere and has jumped in with both feet. I am glad to be part of her cyberfamily and definitely recommend you hop on over and get a taste of her delicious life.
Then yesterday we received a wonderful second Family award from Misaki, The Misadventures of Misaki. We blogdogs go way back and we are so glad she includes us as family (thanks for not coping out, Misaki). She lives in the UK, which seems weird for an Alaskan Malamute, but I guess her ancestors got around. Follow her daily misadventures.
This is an award to celebrate those other WordPress bloggers who inspire, help and encourage us – just like a family does:
Rules:
1. Display the award logo on your blog – done.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you – thank you Vicki and Musaki.
3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family
4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them
5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people who have taken you as a friend, and spread the love
My blog family is very large and I know that rule said to nominate only 10 blogs that inspire me, but I could not get it down lower than 14 sorry (and that does not including the 2 that nominated me who are family too):
(1) Speedy The Cheeky Rex Rabbit
(2) Bassa’s Blog
(3) Dakota’s Den
(4) bumpyroadtobubba
(5) Cupcake Speaks
(6) Heart Like A Dog
(7) The Cat From Hell
(8) Long Life Cats & Dogs
(9) My Three Moogies
(10) Golden Woofs
(11) Pepsi Smart Dog
(12) jmgoyder
(13) Gizmo
(14) EasyRider
I love reading your blogs, and though I may not have a lot of time to comment, I am there in your visitor stats, behind the scenes, every week.
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To recap the week:
Last Caturday, we went sailing with Nine in the SS Stella. Everyone loved the boat I built. I found the kit at PetSmart. It took about 40 minutes to put together and a month until the cats trusted it enough to play in it. I think that toys like that really add to an indoor cats enjoyment of life.
Sunday’s Black and White picture of The Muffin Man and Sofie in the kitchen window brought back sweet memories of a great cat.. We don’t seem to have any lap cats now and that is makes us miss the ones that have passed on. Muffy, Zack, and Cuddles all were lap sitters, the current crew are not.
By the time Monday Mischief came around the cold front had past and the windows were open again. Stella and Nine are still waiting for the skinks, which should be out shortly, but he was chasing dandelion fluff on the windowsill this morning, which I think he thought was one.
Monday’s Contest – No winner, sorry. But several of you were close. The little critters were….. drum roll please ….. baby muskrats! So cute!
Tuesday had the dogs basking in the sunshine and enjoying the slow coming spring. But by Wordless Wednesday they got busy and started doing the job a dog should do: guarding their toys from intruders. Readers were very creative in what they thought they were doing, but most people agreed that Sofie and Louise traded guard duties at noon. Barking Out Loud. 
We found this incredible story on Thursday about Wild Dogs in Moscow that ride the train to find food. We are grateful to the people of Moscow that let those strays have a calm and full life. (I do wish they had homes though.)
That’s it for the week. Thanks for playing along with us.
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Follow Up Friday is part of the blog hop hosted by Heart Like A Dog.Check out the other blog hoppers:
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
4.25.13 Thankful Thursday: Moscow Wild Dogs Ride Subways
Usually on Thankful Thursday I write about things in my life here at the zoo that we are thankful for, but today, I am reblogging a story from DogFiles, because I think it is a wonderful and generous and something that should be shared. – DogDaz
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Moscow’s Wild Dogs Ride Subways To City Center In Search Of Food
Each morning, like clockwork, they board the subway, off to begin their daily routine amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.
But these aren’t just any daily commuters. These are stray dogs who live in the outskirts of Moscow Russia and commute on the underground trains to and from the city centre in search of food scraps.
Then after a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.
Experts studying the dogs, who usually choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train, say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop – after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train.
Scientists believe this phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs.
Dr Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses. Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway – to get to the centre in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people.”
Dr Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”
The dogs have also amazingly learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow.
With children the dogs “play cute” by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy – and scraps.
Dr Poiarkov added: “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists.”
Reblogged from DogFiles
I am thankful for the people of Moscow that allow these strays to live a complete life. What are you thankful for?
This is part of the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop from PepiSmartDog.com
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
4.24.13 Wordless Wednesday: Toy Guard Gets Bored
Enough said?
Happy Wednesday.
This is a Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. Thanks to BlogPaws for the hop. Head over there and see what they are blogging about.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
4.23.13 Afternoon with Lulu & Sofie
“It is so nice to just lie here in the sun, Mom”
“What do you think, Sofie, should we get up and chase something?”
“Why would we want to expend that much energy, Louise?”
“Sure is nice sitting here in the sun, Mom”
Just another dogdaz morning at our house ❤
4.22.13 Monday Mischief: Patience
“Hey Nine! They left the window open”
“It sure does smell different out there, Stella.”
“I wonder when the Skinks are going to start running across the window ledge like last year?“
“Patience, big brother! You must wait patiently for them to wake up”
to be continued…. 
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from Snoopy’s DogBlog. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
