One Lovely Blog Award: Big Smiley Face Here

Thank you to Heart Like a Dog

Now that Jodi has given up on me ever doing anything about this....  sorry, Jodi...  I really am thrilled to announce that she bestowed on me the One Lovely Blog Award!

Then she went on to say some very (VERY) nice things about my dog lover jewelry and this blog.  Jeffie and Rudy can verify my blush.   

You can read about it at her Heart Like a Dog blog here.  You'll notice that Jodi was awarded more than one award.  Definitely deserved.  I know that I always enjoy her posts, especially her rants on WTF/WooHoo Wednesdays.


The rules for this award are:

• Thank the blogger bestowing the award and proide a link back to their blog.  
• Share seven things about yourself.
• Share the award with seven other bloggers.

So, here goes.

First, a formal, official thank you to Heart Like a Dog blog!  Fetch it now and enjoy Jodi's story of her life with Labrador Retreivers Samson and Delilah. 

Seven things about me:

•  Never been to a dog park.  I live in a very rural, boondocks, sort of area.  The closest dog park is over three hours away.  Sigh... I think Rudy would love it.  Jeffie would be terrified. 

•  I don't like watching any movies with dogs in them.  My husband makes fun of me because I love disaster movies.  Kill a bunch of people (in a movie) and I'm okay with it.  Just throw a nasty glance toward a dog and I'm all through with that movie.  Actually, this is true of horses, too.  Cats? Nothing seems to ever happen to cats in movies.  Hmmm...

•  I'm beginning to avoid news stories about dogs.  Is it just me or is there much more violence towards animals?  Is it that more is reported now than in the past?  Or is it that there's actually more happening?  I'm afraid its the later.

•  I think I could be a hoarder.  One of my favorite quotations is by John Steinbeck:  I dreamed of dogs last night.  They sat in a circle and looked at me and I wanted all of them.  Me, too.  Except it wasn't a dream.  They weren't in a circle.  They were on Petfinder, Facebook, Twitter, and blog posts.  And I wanted all of them.  My husband doesn't let me go anywhere near an animal shelter without him.

•  I love bovine.  I raised my cattle herd from day old bottle calves.  Being among bovine gives me a sense of serenity I've found nowhere else.

•  I've been blessed with not only a heart dog, but a heart horse.  Some day I'll tell you about my beloved Fox Trotter, Lady, as well as farming with our draft horses and mules.  I promise.

• I am a hermit.  I sincerely prefer to be at home with my animals, rather than out anywhere with people.

Now you know more than you ever wanted to know about Sue at Talking Dogs!

 

Now comes the really tricky part.  Frankly, I don't have time to count the number of blogs I follow in my Google reader.  There are A LOT.  And here's the thing... they're all good.  Really good.  Picking only seven feels... pretty crazy.  However, here are seven, in no particular order, that I cannot live without.  To them I bestow the One Lovely Blog Award!

Basset Momma  -  I am smitten with Janet's dog, Freddie.  No matter how busy I am, each week I make sure to visit this blog so that I can catch up on Freddie and Gloria's hijinks, and get my Basset Hound fix. These days Janet is dealing with the heartbreak of Freddie's hip dysplasia. They can use some support. 

No Dog About It  - this is a new-to-me blog that gives me very pretty pictures of dogs (especially Daisy, the yellow Lab) to enjoy, as well as a lot to mull over and think about.  One of Mel's posts about abuse towards dairy cows has stuck in my mind.  Eventually it will spur me to write about my feelings about factory farming.

Chronicles of Cardigan - Not only does Elizabeth entertain me with her wit and cheeky photos, she was a rock when I lost my heart dog, Lucy.  I not only love her blog, I love her.    And I have to admit it:  I am in love with Jon Farleigh.  Especially his butt.

Brown Dog CBR -  I've followed this one for a long time.  The posts are always interesting, but it is the photography that is SPECTACULAR.  Sigh... gorgeous fauna and flora, including brown dog Hawk.

 

The Elka Almanac - I've always loved Dobermans and Elka is a beauty!  I also love Jen's posts about animal welfare.  Too bad she can't hear me cheering while I read those.  And I want to adopt every homeless Dobie she features.

Saved by Dogs - A newish blog that always tells me something I don't know.  Lovely personal story posts that make me smile or bring a tear to my eye as I recognize a like soul, coupled with dog breed information and photos that are fabulous.

I Still Want More Puppies - I wish I had just half the punny wit as this woman.  I advise you to not miss her Friday posts.  Plus, her monthly round ups are not only entertaining, I've discovered some incredible bloggers and stories.  And, let's face it, who can resist that blog name?!

So, there you have my seven blogs.  Enjoy!

Sunshine Monday!

We're thrilled to share this news:  Dogs N Pawz has generously passed the Sunshine Award on to Talking Dogs blog.  We certainly appreciate this award!

Here are the rules:

• 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 our answers:

Favorite number:  7

Favorite Non-alcoholic drink:  water

Facebook or Twitter:  Not keen on either one, but I do both.

My Passion:  dogs, especially mutts and rescue dogs

Favorite Pattern:  Karma

Favorite Day of the Week:  every day/ any day

Favorite Flower:  daylily 

It is so hard to pick just 10 from the many fantastic blogs I follow!  However, I'm sharing the Sunshine Award to the following bloggers who never fail to bring sunshine to me: 

Basset Momma

Daley's Dog Years

I Still Want More Puppies

Kobi Pup

Nanny McFur

Oh, Corbin

One Pibble's Wish

Rumpy Dog

Saved by Dogs

The Elka Almanac

 Again, thanks so much to Dogs N Pawz!

Talking Dogs Won Another Blogger Award

We are thrilled to announce that we've won another blogger award!  We are so grateful to Harlequin for singling out Talking Dogs.

It's always exciting to win something, but especially to be singled out in the blogging world.  And one reason we are so excited about this award is that it was bestowed upon us by a blogger in the Czech Republic.  More often than not, the world seems incredibly large... but dog lovers and their love for all things canine remind me that we are a global village with more in common than otherwise.

Here are the rules for passing along this award:

• Winners must post the award with rules on their blog.
• Winners must include a link to the person who gave them the award.
• Winners need to nominate 6 blogs for the award.
• Winners must leave a message on those 6 blogs to let them know they've won.
• Winners must describe what they dream or wish for most in the world.

I read a lot of blogs about a lot of subjects.  Some more regularly than others.  It will come as no surprise when I say that dog blogs are among my favorites.  To single out only six is truly difficult and I've given this a lot of thought.  (With apologies to Harlequin who has been patiently waiting for me to get this post together already!)


Finally, I've narrowed my faves down to six blogs that I try to never miss one single post.  Here they are:

The Chronicles of Cardigan
 Dewi and Jon Farleigh are the Cardigans and their adventures make me smile, laugh (sometimes ruefully accompanied by sympathetic head shaking), relax and eagerly look forward to the next one.
I Still Want More Puppies
If the motto of this blog says it all:  Puppies = Serenity Now.  No Frown Friday is required reading for me, plus Bella's cute mug at the top always makes me feel good.
Bailey Be Good
One look at Bailey the Belgian Shepherd mix puppy and I'm smiling.  A paragraph or two later and that smile is a full blown grin.
Sugar The Golden Retriever
Sugar gives me my necessary daily dose of sweetness, including great dog treat recipes and a positive thought to contemplate.  Good for my soul.
Brown Dog cbr  
Hawk is the Brown Dog and his daily adventures are told via beautiful photographs that include gorgeous fauna and flora.
Nanny McFur
You will find dogs here, but lots of cats, too.  Our cat, Skeeter, insists this is a a necessary balance in our very canine focused lives.


Okay, my dream or wish for the world.  This is difficult.  I have too many.  However, since I write a dog blog...   

I wish for a world in which cruelty to animals does not exist.  No puppy mills.  No Michael Vicks.  No breed bans.  No abandoned pets.  No horror stories of pets suffering at the hands of humans, directly or indirectly.  Where each pet has a forever home with a warm bed, healthy food, regular vet care, and lots and lots of love.  I wish for a world where humans emulate dogs, giving unconditional love and acceptance of all things.