Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Just One Day – BTC

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BlogtheChange

I’m honored today to join CindyLu’s Muse, Talking Dog’s Blog and Pet Faves in co-hosting this month’s Blog the Change blog hop.

The quick and dirty. Blog the Change is a quarterly blog hop that takes place on the 15th of January, April, July and October. It’s a blog hop where bloggers share the causes that are near and dear to our hearts. It’s a time for sharing information and coming together to help animals.

If this is your first time hearing about BTC I’ll give you a little background. Yes they do have their own website, but sadly it was hacked a number of months ago and so far they haven’t been able to sort it out and make it right. **sigh** what is wrong with people? So that’s the reason we’re hosting it on our own blogs.

I’ve written about Just One Day before, but usually it’s a lot closer to the date than it is today, so I’m one up on it. Just One Day is a pledge made by shelters, animal control, municipalities and the likes.  Here’s what the Just One Day website says, “On June 11, we are asking animal shelters across the USA to take a pledge not to kill any savable animals. Instead of injecting pets with letal doses of sodium pentobarbital, we ask shelters to pick up cell phones and cameras, and to engage their communities in new and creative ways. Instead of going into trash bags, the animals will go out the front door in the loving arms of families. At the end of the day, the shelters will be emptier than when the day started.”

Isn’t that awesome? And in order to help make this day a success, Just One Day will help the organization that takes the pledge, with fliers explaining how they can showcase their adoptable pets either in traditional media or social media.

The goal of JOD is to show the nation that by working together, we can become a nation that doesn’t indiscriminately euthanize animals.

I follow JOD on Facebook. As shelters take the pledge to go No Kill for one day, the JOD page gets updated.

Then on June 11th as shelters and organizations report in, JOD posts the pictures of people lining up for the doors to open or row after row of empty cages. Watching it unfold in real time and realizing how many animals are saved in just one day, warms the cockles of my heart. (Whatever the hell that means.)

No kill is a cause that is near and dear to me as this little love bug was rescued from a High Kill Shelter.

Sweet Chocolate Labrador

Can you imagine how boring my life would be without her?

If you know of a shelter or organization whose animals could benefit from taking the JOD challenge, I’d ask you to please pass the information along.

Together we really can be the change.

 



I Walk Alone – Barks and Bytes

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Tuesday night we had some snow. It wasn’t a lot, but enough to coat the roads. I was super excited to walk the dogs yesterday morning because Sampson is just so jubilant in the snow.

So when the alarm went off at 5:30 yesterday morning, I got right up and dressed for a cold walk in the dark. Sampson got up, I put his harness and light on him, then he went back and laid down. Delilah ignored me.

I put on my treat bag, grabbed my phone and my pepper spray and walked to the door. I called out, “I’m leaving.”

Nothing.

I opened the door and shut it.

Nothing.

I said to Hubby, “Well I guess neither one of them want to walk.”

Hubby said, “Well then don’t go.”

And I admit, for a few seconds I was tempted and then I thought. “Hell no! I’m up and dressed and I’m taking a walk, with or without dogs.”

So out the door I went.

I’ve stopped taking my camera with me in the morning because…well it’s dark. And since I use the point and shoot, I don’t have time to fiddle trying to take pictures in the dark. But I forgot how light the world is when it’s covered in snow and dawn is breaking. So there I stood, alone in the dark, looking at a beautiful world with no camera.

I’ve also forgotten how destructive a Lab who hasn’t been exercised properly can be. While I was readying Sampson for our afternoon walk (which they both went on by the way) I heard a ripping noise and Delilah had gone under the Christmas tree (hey, it’s fake and I like looking at the lights, don’t judge) and taken one of my boxes and destroyed it.

Bye-bye box

Bye-bye box

Once I saw that destroyed box, I knew Delilah needed a walk. I was happy that both dogs were eager to get out and get some fresh air.

It was super cold, with strong wind gusts, but we got out and got our walk in.

I love snow!

I love snow! Try and keep up Mama!

But apparently it wasn’t enough exercise for someone, because I came home to this.

I don't know what happened. I was just lying here and the fire starting stuff just exploded.

I don’t know what happened. I was just lying here and the fire starting stuff just exploded.

And last but certainly not least, I have some folks in Blogville that I need to thank.

First, just before Christmas I was gifted a beautiful necklace from my friend Sue at For Love of a Dog. If you’re looking for beautiful, hand-crafted jewelry, look no further. Sue’s work is incredibly detailed and absolutely stunning.

Yes, this is what was in that box that Delilah destroyed.

Isn't it gorgeous? I love it so much!

Isn’t it gorgeous? I love it so much! Thank you Sue, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

And secondly, we were one of the top commenters on the Jones Natural Chews blog last year and so Miss Flea sent us a special package. Delilah’s nose knows Jones and Rocky’s Rollers are one her favorites, so thank you very much Flea for the special treats.

Oh my dog, Aunt Flea outdid herself, it's from Jones Natural Chews!

Oh my dog, Aunt Flea outdid herself, it’s from Jones Natural Chews! Thank you Aunt Flea!

 

Heart Like a Dog

Welcome to Thursday’s Barks and Bytes Blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog. We hope you will grab a badge from one of our websites and join us.



6th Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

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Join the Pet Blogger Challenge Jan 9th, 10th and 11th

It’s that time again! Time for the 6th Annual Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by Go Pet Friendly. It falls at a perfect time (right in the beginning of a new year) and it’s a great opportunity to take stock of your blog, share thoughts and ideas and get input from your readers and fellow bloggers.

If you’re just hearing about it now don’t sweat it, you can grab the questions over at the Go Pet Friendly blog and the hop is open through Monday the 11th.

Let’s get to it shall we?

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone who is visiting for the first time, please give a quick description of the subject of your blog.

December 1, 2015 I celebrated my 5th year of blogging. Originally my blog started out on the free WordPress and was jodistone.wordpress.com but when I decided to self host, Jodi Stone was taken. So I struggled to come up with a unique and original title that might draw in readers. One day I saw a saying about how much nicer the world would be if everyone had a heart like a dog.  I ran with it.

My tag line is “The Good, the Bad and the Oh My God of Life with Dogs.” Mostly I just share personal stories about my dogs, our achievements and challenges. I try to always find the humor in my situation because I’d like people who are struggling with training challenges (or challenging dogs) to feel like they aren’t alone. That they can have a dog that challenges them, and still keep their dog.

2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?

I was pretty pleased to actually have two posts that I was paid for. I’ve been paid in product before, (which is awesome) but you know the green is what puts food on the table and keeps the lights on. 

3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)

This was a hard one for me. I really love writing humor, but being funny all the time is hard and it’s sometimes hard to find the humor in every situation, but I did find this one, The Sky Is Falling, which I thought was pretty funny and which I enjoyed writing. THEN AGAIN, The One, was a post I wrote for Sampson’s birthday, it was sweet and loving and I thought it came out really good and pretty much expressed how much this dog touches my soul.

4. A common theme from last year’s challenge was that many of us wanted to increase the size of our audiences. Whether or not we intend to monetize our blogs, it seems we’d all like to reach more people. It feels good to know that we’re connecting with others, sharing a laugh or supporting a cause, and it’s motivating to see those numbers grow! What is one thing you’ve done in the past year that has brought more traffic to your blog?

Truthfully? I don’t know that I HAVE brought more traffic to my blog. (I’m so not good at reading and analyzing those statistics etc..) I do try and have variety in my posting. And I try and limit my product reviews to unique and new products, and I only promote products that I use myself.

If I had to choose one thing, it would probably be that I’m trying to get better at being active on my Facebook page.

5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? (Please include a link.)

According to the Jetpack stats, Happy Birthday My Love still gets the most traffic. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but that’s what they tell me.

We’re Trick Training So You Can Win Treats, was the one that was written this year, that got the most traffic. That was a really fun post because I made a video to go along with it and I personally loved the video.

6. What is one blog that you read religiously – other than your own – and what makes you such a devoted reader? (Please include a link.)

Honestly, I’ve really been struggling trying to keep up with all the blogs that are out there and I don’t get to read them as religiously I’d like to.

However, if you’re looking for a good read, I’d suggest Life at Golden Pines. Kim shares her home with senior dogs (mostly Goldens) she has her own, and she fosters as well for her local rescue. Her writing is beautiful and she really inspires me.

7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog?

You’ve read this blog right? I don’t do shit. The technical stuff is over my head. Mostly when I have a technical issue I ask my more knowledgeable friends.

Writing? My writing hasn’t improved. I start sentences with And.  AND I use siriusly instead of seriously.

Photography? Take a look at my photos, I use a little point and shoot and it shows, almost all of my photos are on the fly. There’s no real skill in there. 

Look...no props, no background. You call that photography?

Look…no props, no background. You call that photography?

8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?

Be yourself. I think some of the best compliments I’ve gotten are the ones that say, “Your blog is like sitting down with a friend and a cup of coffee and catching up, or your blog is just like talking to you in real life.”  I think if you’re honest and authentic it shows and it will draw others to you.

9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals?

Today. Right now. It’s to keep blogging. I waffle back and forth with this.

This blog is like a drug to me. I loathe it at times but yet I can’t stop myself being drawn to it and putting more of my heart and soul into it. I’ve put so much into it, I don’t want to give it up yet there are times when I feel so discouraged with it and my inability to make it what I want it to be.

10. You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there one blogging challenge you’d like help with, or one aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

I notice that very few of my posts get shared on Facebook. Is there something I can do to make my posts more shareable? And of course…how do I increase my readership? ;-D

That’s it; another Pet Blogger Challenge in the bag. If you have a few minutes grab the questions and link up. I promise you’ll get some great reads and some great advice.

Many, many thanks to Amy at Go Pet Friendly for creating and hosting this amazing hop.

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