Heart Like a Dog

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

You Make Me Smile – January 9, 2017

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We are a day late on this post, due to our participation in the Go Pet Friendly, Pet Blogger Challenge.

You make me smile, (or laugh). The sweet, funny, loving things my dogs do on a daily basis, that brings a smile to my face, or a laugh to my lips.

Today, my little granddaughter turns six. (Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!)

Because this past weekend was her “Birthday Weekend,” we had a sleep over on Friday night. When the grandchildren are over, or one of them sleeps over, the dog’s schedule gets thrown off a wee bit. Oh, they still get their two walks per day, and of course they still get fed. What I mean by their schedules being off is, when the grandchildren are over, the dogs typically get less ‘quiet’ time for sleeping.

I know the dogs love the kids, because they get super excited when they get here, but typically, there is not a lot of interaction between the kids and dogs.

Sampson is such a special dog, and he’s super protective of the kids. So when the wee granddaughter went to lie down, it was no surprise that someone went with her.

sampson-the-protector

What did surprise me was when the wee one got up in the night to potty, and wanted me to go with her, someone else got up and followed her too. Then he followed her back to bed, where he remained for the rest of the night.

That made me smile.

I would like to mention, that most nights, Sampson doesn’t sleep in the bed. And he has NEVER followed me to the bathroom.

Just sayin’.

7th Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

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Join the Pet Blogger Challenge Jan 7th, 8th and 9th

Many thanks to our friend Amy, at the Go Pet Friendly Blog, for hosting this annual challenge. I think this is the 4th or 5th year we’ve participated. Not sure what it’s about? It’s sort of an evaluation of your blog, a sharing of dreams, and the opportunity to ask your fellow bloggers for advice.

So let’s get to it!

1) When did you start your blog and, for anyone who is just seeing it for first time, please provide a description of your site. Would you say your blog focuses more on sharing stories with your readers, or providing a resource for your audience?

I started this blog December 1, 2010. Initially, I had no idea what I was blogging about, but within a couple of months, I’d settled on my dogs. Mostly I share stories about the dogs. The trials and tribulations, the good and the bad, and I try like hell to find the humor in whatever it is I’m writing about.

2) What was your proudest blogging moment of 2016?

2016 wasn’t the best year for me, but I did agree to co-host the Pet Blogger Showcase. I can’t say I’m a great host, but it does make me accountable, and keeps me blogging and visiting other blogs

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

I love Urine Luck. It was funny (IMO), informative and I think I SEO’d the shit out of it. I think they (the people that say such things) call it Evergreen Content.

4) Year after year, one goal that we all seem to share is that we want to reach more people. What one tool did you use or action did you take this year that had the most impact on increasing traffic to your blog?

When I was actually working on the blog, I tried to be more interactive on my Facebook page. Honestly, I can’t keep up with the Social Media, and I think that was one (of many) reasons, that I struggled so much this year. I decided to focus on just one medium and it seemed to work.

5) Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? (Please include a link.) Have you noticed any themes across your most popular posts?

You know…I suck at the stat thing, but when I check the one that STILL gets the most traffic is one I wrote to Sampson on his 8th Birthday. “Happy Birthday My Love.” The post I wrote this year that got the most traffic was the Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop.

6) What blog do you find most inspirational and how has it influenced your blog? (Please include a link.)

I don’t visit nearly as much as I used to, but I love Life at Golden Pines. Kim and her husband Carl foster Golden Retrievers. Most of Kim’s fosters are older dogs, who through no fault of their own, find themselves looking for a home. Kim and Carl provide a safe place until a forever home is found, and sometimes…well sometimes they find that Golden Pines is their home.

Kim and her blog inspire me to be a better person, and to try and write my blog with as much love as she shows in her writing.

I’m also a big FAN of My GBGV Life. She posts five times a week, runs Nosework trials, has amazing photos, and just added a third GBGV to the pack. Oh, and did I mention, she works too? Honestly, I’d like to know how she does it all, or maybe she has a Time Turner, or doesn’t sleep. I’m not sure. All I know is she inspires me to try harder.

7) What is one thing your readers don’t know about you or your pets that would surprise them?

Guys, I pretty much lay it all out there. If there’s something you don’t know, odds are I don’t know it either. 🙂

8) What is something you’ve learned this year that could help other bloggers?

Self-care is important. If you aren’t enjoying your blog or blogging, it’s okay to take a break.

9) What would you like to accomplish on your blog in 2017?

I honestly have no idea. I think I’d really like to figure out if I want to keep this blog going, or if it’s time to let it go.

10) Now it’s your turn! You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there a question you’d like answered, or an aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

Literally, I’m lost. I can’t seem to find the energy to blog lately. Don’t get me wrong, stuff is still happening. Sampson’s still struggling with his CCL tear, and he’s had Dr. visits. We’ve had DADO encounters, I mean life is still happening here.

The trouble is, I can formulate the posts in my head, but when I sit down to write, I just can’t. So what do you do for that? Is there a way to get past the block? How long does it go on before you just pull the plug? Those are questions I’d like answers to.

Welcome to the 7th Annual Pet Blogger Challenge.

Pet Blogger Showcase – January 7, 2017

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Welcome back to the Pet Blogger Showcase! Hopefully, you’ve all had wonderful holidays and are well rested, and ready to take on 2017! You may remember, our last Pet Blogger Showcase was waaaaaay back in December, December 3rd to be exact. So reaching way back into my memory, here are the posts I loved from that Showcase.

Photo by Travels with Barley

Photo by Travels with Barley

Special Delivery by Beth at Travels With Barley – Beth had been thinking about adding another dog to her home for a while. So when a litter of puppies showed up at her local shelter, she headed on down. But things didn’t turn out exactly how she anticipated. I’m not going to spoil the story, I’ll let you read it for yourself.

Photo by Shelter Cats

Photo by Shelter Cats

Sniffles by Maggie at Shelter Cats – Sniffles the cat. Who can resist a name like Sniffles? Not to mention, he’s up for adoption. I love how Maggie shares the cats at her local rescue. It’s also cool, that she’s right in Norwalk, CT, not too far from me!

Photo by Animal Shelter Volunteer.

Photo by Animal Shelter Volunteer.

A Sassy Sunday Selfie by Animal Shelter Volunteer Life – Poor little Sassy had a rough start to life, but a little bit of loving care, and now she’s recovering and looking for her forever home. If you know someone looking for a furever friend, send them Sassy’s way. Welcome to the Pet Blogger Showcase! This is the place for you to show off your favorite family friendly pet related posts, find other great posts to read, show some love to other bloggers and maybe be featured on one of the host blogs! Meet the Hosts Behind the Showcase Pet Faves– Living the pet lover lifestyle Heart Like A Dog– The good, the bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs Felines Opines– The world from a feline point of view Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat– The humorous and touching tales of a formerly homeless, yet always extraordinary, feline and his Momma, who’s just along for the ride. About the Pet Blogger Showcase Twice a month, On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, you have the chance to link up one of your blog posts to the linky party link-up. Then visit 3 other blogs that joined the party and leave a meaningful comment. Feel free to share with your followers on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Then each week the hosts will feature their favorite 3 posts from the previous Linky Party on the new party post. Pet Blogger Showcase Rules

  1. Share a pet specific post, past or present, from your blog in the linky below (be sure to link to your post page and not your home page). Family friendly posts only. (We love reading about other topics and niches, but posts that are not pet related will be deleted this includes any posts that don’t mention pets even if they are on a pet blog or if the post could pertain to pets.)
  2. Spread the Love! Leave a quality comment(more than just a few words) on at least 3 other posts from the linky party. Tell them why you love their post, encourage them, share on social media.
  3. Check back for the next linky party to see if you are featured on one of the hosts’ blogs.

*Note: By adding your post to the linky party you are giving the hosts permission to use an image from your post if your post will be a featured post on their blog to help encourage people to click through to your post. The image may be used individually or as a collage. That’s it! No need to RSVP. No need to bring a covered dish. No need to add the linky to your post. No need to include a button. Just come join the party and PAWTY ON!

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