Thank you very much - again

This post is (very long! and) embarrassingly overdue. Some very fine bloggers have chosen to recognize us here at Bringing up Bella by presenting us with some awards and I have been remiss in thanking them for the honor. (On the bright side, at least they're all from 2012.)

As usual, because I'm so paranoid about breaking rules, I tried to investigate the origins of each of these awards to understand the true intent and am left even more insecure than ever. Blog awards do seem to suffer from a good game of "telephone" where the conversation changes over time due to the interpretation of the individuals involved.

So, while I'm including "the rules" as best I've come to understand them, I'd really just like folks to enjoy the nomination as a token of my admiration and appreciation for their hard work without feeling the pressure to comply with "the rules". This goes double for those folks who've received the awards previously.

Additionally, I have set only 1 rule for myself: I can't nominate anyone I've ever nominated before. To be honest, this rule only exists because if I continued with my previous rule of only nominating folks who've never been nominated by anyone before, I'd never get this thing published. ;)

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The first award received this year was the Pawsome Blogger award given to us by the remarkably kind Dachshund Nola.

Speaking of Pawsome bloggers, Nola is one of the most dedicated, friendly and supportive bloggers in the pet blogging community and we are truly honored by her generosity.

The rules for this one are pretty minimal: "Nominate 8 blogs that bring me fun, love, laughs and furiendship". I can work with that.

What follows is a list of blogs that make me smile, chuckle and even laugh right out loud sometimes.

Basset Momma
Fabulous Flo
Little Dogs on Long Leashes
Mango and Dexter's Great Adventures
My Brown Newfies
My Tail Hurts from Wagging So Much
Snoopy's Dogblog
The Spoiled Doxie

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Coming on the heels of that award, we were delighted, and humbled, to be presented The Kreativ Blogger award by the gracious Pamela over at Something Wagging This Way Comes. And I do mean humbled as Pamela chose to forward this award to blogs she considers to be "visually creative" (i.e. - we gots good pictures - my dad would be proud.)

I'm sure most of you know Pamela and her Golden Retriever, Honey, but if you don't, she's an incredible blogger whose posts always stir good, thoughtful conversation as she looks at life through the prism of her dog.

There are a few rules for this award:

1. Share 7 things you don't know about me and
2. Pass the award along to 7 other blogs.

Okay, so, 7 things you don't (or might not) know about me. (Don't you all already know more than you ever wanted to about me? You must.) However, in keeping with the spirit of things, here we go:

1. I am a registered, card-carrying sci-fi/fantasy dork. It's true, I can recite, verbatim, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" (not to mention, "The Commentary!") as well as most episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Max Headroom and Doctor Who.
2. I totally dig musicals. (Not helping the dork-factor here, I know.)
3. I have been known to forget to eat/sleep/bathe when something catches my obsession attention.
4. The only magazine I actually subscribe to is Wired.
5. I am also a registered, card-carrying klutz. Ask Jan. Or Bella. I break things (sometimes me) and tend to bleed and burn with fair regularity (especially, yet not exclusively, while cooking. I have literally burned myself mowing the lawn.)
6. I am a voracious reader and often have upwards of 5 books going at any given time.
7. My favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut.

And in keeping with Pamela's little "twist", I'm going to pass the award on to 7 blogs I think fit the "Kreativ" criteria. These are the blogs I go to when I want to "oooh" and "ahhhh":

Eva the Sheltie
Poochie Freak Photography
Romping and Rolling in the Rockies
Roxy The Traveling Dog
Two Dogs, One Camera, Priceless Moments.
Two Pitties in the City
Whiskered Paintings

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Also in January, the lovely Dachshund Nola honored us again with the One Lovely Blog award. Nola's requirements were pretty simple: "This award is designed to recognize fellow bloggers and show appreciation for their work." From what I could discover of the history, however, the intent of this award was to recognize blogs that are "newly discovered".

So to make it interesting, I'll take Nola's recommendation of selecting 7 blogs and add the twist that they be new or at least new to me. Allow me to present:

2 Punk Dogs
Daily Dose of Jack
Enzo the Sato
I'm Kind of a Big Deal
Jowls of Fury
manymuddypaws
Tails from the Dach Side

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Finally, February brought us The Versatile Blogger award from Donna of Donna and the Dogs - a blog and blogger I truly admire for her informative posts, her dedication to rescue, her love of Labs and her biting wit.

The Versatile Blogger award comes with a few rules:

1. Thank the award giver and link back in your post. - Thank you, Donna. :)
2. Share 7 things about yourself. - Seriously, I'm just not that interesting so how about 7 things about Bella instead?
3. Pass this award along to as many as 15 blogs you enjoy reading and let them know about the award. (See below.)

Okay, Bella's list:

1. Bella trims her own toenails. (Jan built her a "scratching post".)
2. Bella has been sprayed by a skunk 3 times. At least now we keep supplies in the house.
3. Bella looks like a black dog. Bella's hair, however, is only tipped black and is really tan underneath. So her hair shows up on all of our clothes and furniture regardless of color. Grr. Arg.
4. Bella knows 27 "commands". (Although you don't actually "command" Bella to do anything. She's smart, not necessarily obedient.)
5. Bella has been attending Agility for Reactive Dogs since October, 2011. She LOVES it.
6. It took most of the summer to get Bella to step over a stick in preparation for the class.
7. It took 5 minutes to get her to go over the A-frame. Now we can't get her off of it.

And now to recommend 15 blogs. 15 people are about to hate me with heat of 15-thousand burning suns because they all probably have this award already. Remember, if you already have the award, pay no attention to the blogger behind the curtain. Just know that I think you rock!

Brando and Bogart
Brown Dog, CBR
Cleopatra, the Border Collie
Dachshund Nola
Dakota's Den
Dip-Dip and The Bridge
Dog is God in Reverse
Donna and the Dogs
Hound Dog Mom
Jets Agenda
Kol's Notes
Kootenai's Climb
My Dogs Love Me
One Pibble's Wish
Something Wagging This Way Comes

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I follow a lot of blogs and I follow them because they're all great: they inspire me, entertain me, move me and motivate me.

You're probably already familiar with many listed here but I encourage you to check out the ones that might be new to you. There is a tremendous amount of talent and good humor out there and, to my mind, these lists represent some of the best of it.

And to those who thought so well of us to include us in your lists, we really do appreciate your kind words and consideration. It is truly an honor to be in such generous company.

Peace.

Thank you very much

I should have written this post ages ago (okay, at least before Christmas anyway) but time just got away from me. For that I must apologize to some really lovely people who thought enough of us here to present us with the Kreativ Blogger award.

First, Roxy the Traveling Dog gave us the award and we were truly verklempt with the nice things she said about Bella and our blog. Then, probably because it took me so long to write this, Brando and Bogart and Pauley James Former Foster Baby gave us the award as well. I am really touched by their kindnesses.

Doing some research about the award, I found it has evolved over time and the 'rules' are slightly different depending on the blogging community sharing it. It started in 2008 as a small and informal award given by Norwegian arts and crafts blogger, Hulda, to a few of her friends in recognition of their creativity. I think it's neat how this award has continued on and morphed into so many varieties.

This time around, thankfully, the rules seem pretty simple: I have to share 10 things you don't know about us and then I get to pass the award on to 6 of my favorite blogs.

10 things you don't know about me and Bella

1. Fetch is a foreign concept to Bella. She will, on occasion, chase after a thrown ball but generally just keeps running as opposed to picking up the object and returning it.
2. I have hypothyroidism. So does Bella.
3. Bella likes to smell my breath. As she has not yet fallen down dead from the experience, I assume my dental hygiene program is sufficient. (Come to think of it, however, she also likes to roll in dead things on the lawn...)
4. I am a pretty good cook. I wasn't always. When we first moved into the house (Fall 2000), we had a party and Jan tasked me with the grocery shopping. I was doing just fine until I realized I had to ask the grocery clerk in which department I would find cilantro. (Ah, it's an herb.)
5. Bella doesn't like toys that 'squeal' and 'scream' like real animals (see: Talking Pipsqueak and Flingshot Flying Animals). She whimpers and cries and delicately carries them around with her. We think she's 'worried' about it, which is strange because, well, see #6.
6. Bella is addicted to jerky treats. Seriously addicted. It's like puppy crack. With all the FDA warnings about chicken jerky from China, we have done our research and found only Blue Buffalo and Kona's Chips use US-sourced chicken. I also bought Jan a dehydrator for Christmas. I'm sure you can see where this is going...
7. I am an avocational musician. Or at least I was until Bella arrived. She's afraid of the guitar so I haven't played it, or any other instrument, in a few years. I do still sing and dance with her though. She remains unimpressed.
8. Taking Bella's collar off used to send her into a state of panic. She got the collar when she came home from the shelter with us and, of course, had never worn one as a street dog in Puerto Rico. She apparently associates the collar with her family and her home. Over the years, we have had to make a point of taking it off occasionally and putting it back on to assure her we're not sending her back to Puerto Rico when it does come off.
9. Bella always uses the pillows when she is on the couch, a chair, the bed or the futon. Now if she'd only discover that human laps make great pillows. (Oh yeah, obviously, Bella is allowed on the furniture. ;)
10. Bella and I have spent the last 3 years hiding in the basement during thunderstorms - she goes into an absolute panic during storms and leads me desperately to the basement door. Don't feel too bad for me, this is where our television set is and once we're down there, I turn on the TV to a nice quiet music station, Bella hops up on the couch beside me and goes to sleep. It's a small price to pay for her comfort - even if it is usually at 3 am.

And now the fun part:

We are really pleased to forward this award on to 6 of our favorite blogs. I tried to find blogs that I love and haven't been given this award yet. (If I take any more time to write this post though, I'm sure somebody will come along and beat me to the punch!) So without further ado, may I present, in alphabetical order, our selections for the Kreativ Blog award:

1. Chronicles of Cardigan - 'Chronicles' the adventures of Cardigan Welsh Corgis Dewi, Jon Farleigh and their scribe, Elizabeth. Seriously funny stuff that always makes me laugh. I also very much appreciate their efforts to promote pet adoption and shelter animals.
2. CindyLu's Muse - CindyLu is the sweetest little Shih Tzu you'll ever meet. She and her hu-mom, Kim, host a blog full of information, funny stories, giveaways and other pet-related treats they find of interest. Tireless in their support of adoption and rescue, they also offer a weekly Fab Feline/Furry Friend Friday featuring animals in need of a home.
3. Declan's Dogs Blog - Declan is a retired racing Greyhound who, per his profile enjoys eating, sleeping, walking, eating, sleeping and farting. And eating. He is a very silly boy and totally aware of his own awesomeness. Accompanied by fantastic photos, the blog also promotes adopting Greyhounds and has a great page of resources on where to adopt one in the UK.
4. Greyhounds CAN Sit - Sue and her pups, Beryl (the Greyhound) and Frankie (the rescued 'muttley dog') spin their tales from New Zealand and invite us to come along with her fabulous photos and wonderful stories. Beryl recently started visiting a local resthome (that's a nursing home for us Yanks) and both she and Frankie are awesome ambassadors for adoption. Greyhounds CAN Sit was the first pet blog I "followed". I'm not sure whether to thank Sue for my blog addiction or curse her. ;)
5. I Still Want More Puppies - Pup Fan, the blog author is an enormous fan of "pup and pop culture". She's also a freakin' riot! The blog features her pup, Bella (the first ;) as well as all sorts of entertaining original content. (Her Christmas "caroldies" were a highlight of the season). Sundays feature her "Adorable Adoptables" theme highlighting shelter animals looking for their forever homes.
6. Life With Desmond - I have a soft spot in my heart for Desmond and his hu-mom, Lauren. Another slightly crazy rescue dog, I see so much of me and Bella in their often hilarious, always entertaining antics. Disillusioned with the overbearing, outdated training resources available to her, Lauren took matters into her own hands and is now training to be a trainer herself. Way to go, Lauren!

I really would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome we've received from the pet blogging community. It has been both sweet and humbling. We always knew Bella was special. We're glad to find some of you think so, too.