Thankful Thursday - Awards catch-up #2

I really need to thank Dachshund Nola for being one of our biggest supporters over the year we've had the blog.  Back in June, she gave us this Sunshine Award and we're finally getting around to thanking her personally for it. Our gratitude should not be measured by our lassitude.

(Honestly, I am trying to catch up and if you've been kind enough to give us an award, please know it is appreciated and we'll be sharing that information here soon.)

So you know the drill - there are some rules to accepting the Sunshine Award but they're pretty simple: Answer 7 questions and pass the award on to 10 people and let them know they've received it.

1. Favorite Number? 23
2. Favorite non-acholalic beverage? Unsweetened iced-tea with lemon.
3. Facebook or Twitter? Hmm, both? I find them to be very different - one connects me with friends and family, the other introduces me to new friends with whom I share similar interests.
4. Your Passion? Eek. Well now, that's a big question, isn't it? I can get it down to maybe three things: nature, animals, music. For what it's worth...
5. Favorite Pattern? If I had to pick one, I guess it would be paisley. Paisley's a pattern, right? (No Martha Stewart, here. ;)
6. Favorite Day of the Week? Sunday
7. Favorite Flower? Hmm. So, I'm a gardener and there is no end to the flowers that have caught my fancy over the years. There is one, however, that endures in captivating me for its simplicity: the Shasta daisy. There is just something so pure and eternal in its grace.

I wanted to give the Sunshine Award to blogs that make me smile and bring a little light into my day. I apologize if you have already received this award. Without further ado, allow me to pass this award along to:

Roo's Doins - Roo is one of the coolest dogs in the 'ville and his mom is super crafty, great with Photoshop and apparently never sleeps. Whenever I want to check out a dog that just makes me smile, I go visiting. Seriously silly and all sweetness.

Hey, It's Jet Here - Everybody knows Jet because it seems that Jet knows everybody. Jet and his mom manage to make it out to everybody's blog to say hi and keep in touch while also posting Every. Single. Day. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes informative, sometimes just supportive, encouraging or thankful. Always worth a visit.

The (mis)Adventures of Sage - I have a confession to make: I have a crush on Sage. Don't tell Bella. Although Bella might actually like Sage. Sage is a crazy little mischief-maker who loves nothing more than she loves mud. Seriously. The blog 'chronicles' her adventures, has LOTS of pictures and stories and Sage. You really should follow the pretty dog.

How Sam Sees It - I think everyone probably already knows Sam and Monty of "How Sam Sees It". The blog has been active since 2009! They are a recent discovery for me though and a lovely find at that. Sam and Monty are Golden Retrievers sharing their adventures with us. Another blog full of good stories, great pictures and pretty dogs. What's not to love?

Dexter the Wonder Dog - Living in the shadow of "Mango, Relentlessly Huge", Dexter the Labradork may have not have been noticed for his very own large personality. But now, with his very own blog, it is on full display. This blog will make you laugh. And adore Dexter.

(Click here to see my disclaimer about why I'm only nominating 5 blogs.)

Thank you very much, Dachshund Nola. As always, you honor us with your consideration.

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Thankful Thursday - Awards catch-up #1

Wow, I just realized I really owe Katherine from Life with Arie a sincere apology.

She gave us the "One Lovely Blog" award way back in April (during her crazy and successful Blog the Alphabet Challenge) and I never even said thank you here on the blog. (In my pathetic attempt at a defense, I did, at least, remember to thank her on her blog.)

So, thank you, Katherine, you honor us with your recognition.

This one's been around awhile so you all probably already know the rules (and probably already have the award) but here they are again anyway:

1. Link back to the one who gave you this award. - Check.
2. Pass the award on to 15 other lovely bloggers. - 15? Yikes!
3. Follow the person who sent it to you. - Got it covered - We love Life with Arie!

Now, I'm going to break the rules about the blogs I'm forwarding this on to. See, part of why it's taken me so long to get this written is that I can't manage the 15 blogs.

It's not that I don't think there are 15 blogs out there worth nominating as there surely are. It's more that 15 feels a bit like a laundry list to me rather than a thoughtful and considered approach to blogs I really want to give recognition to at this time.

Add to that my own rule of trying to give awards only to blogs I haven't recognized before and maybe you can understand why I'm changing the rules this time.

So I'm only passing this award on to 5 other blogs. To those being nominated, I leave it to you as to whether or not you follow the rules as stated or make up your own.

24 Paws of Love - 2 packs, 6 dogs, 24 paws, endless possibilities. I love that the hu-folks at 24 Paws have never rushed, nor ever given up, on their dogs even when times get a little tough. We fully appreciate what it takes to do that.

My Life in Blog Years - Formerly Dog Blogging with Luna, My Life in Blog Years details the adventures of Golden Retriever, Luna and Dachshund, Penny. Beautiful dogs, gorgeous photos, reviews and giveaways, and hand-made jewelry, too.

Heart Like a Dog - Heart Like a Dog is Jodi Stone's recently redesigned and re-imagined blog. It chronicles her life with her two dogs: the well-adjusted, calm, sweet Sampson and his crazy, opposite, whirlwind of a step-sister, Delilah. There's a lot we can relate to here.

Just Toby - Another blog that's undergone a transformation, Just Toby used to be Donna and the Dogs until Donna sort of stopped writing it and Toby, the yellow Lab stepped in to save the day (or blog, as it were.) Toby has a smashing sense of humor and shares his view of the world from his hu-folk ("The Ones Called...") and his siblings Leah and Meadow to evil trees and animals in need. With a fearful sister in the pack, there's lots for us to learn from him.

Mayzie's Dog Blog - Mayzie is a beautiful brindle girl rescued and now living the good life with her people and her "brudder Ranger". Oh, and the kittehs, there are kittehs, too. Bella wants to know how Mayzie gets along so well with everybody. Maybe it's her sense of humor.

Thanks again, Katherine, for the award. We're sorry it took us so long to tell you how much it meant to us.

And the Purple Sparkly Toilet Seat goes to.... Us!

So in the last week, I have almost broken my wrist, prepped (read: banged head against) my PC for the OS upgrade I'm about to undertake, rescued a lost dog and celebrated the last official birthday I shall ever recognize. (If my father could remain 29 for 50 years, I figure I can be 49 for at least 30.) And as if I wasn't far enough behind on the blog, let's just say typing with one hand surely didn't help matters.

(Before you ask, I'm fine. It appears to be just a sprain and I can now type with both hands again, although I still can't open a bottle of wine on my own. I believe that's written into my marriage contract though so Jan has been keeping busy on that front. ;)

It is however, time for me to stop whining and thank some very lovely people for some very lovely things they have said about us in the last month. Not the least of which are the lovely Mums and dog over at Declan's Dogs Blog.

First, let me tell you, when we found out that we were on 'the short list' of Deccy's Excellent Blog Award, we were pretty honored to even be mentioned among such fine blogs and entries.

But wait, I'm assuming you all know who Deccy is - the infamous Greyhound of Declan's Dogs Blog fame? If not, you seriously must go check out the fabulous ex-racing Greyhound that is the Dec-Man! Witty, charming and devastatingly handsome, this is a dog and blog not to be missed!

Okay so now, where was I? Oh yes, we were quite honored to even be considered for Deccy's "Excellent Blog Award" for March 2012 so when we found out we actually won it, well, let's just say bragging was done all over. Except for, you know, here because once again I couldn't quite get my act together until now to thank Deccy's lovely Mum for sending it to us.

Here it is in all its sparkly goodness.

It's kind of funny because we won it for a Wordless Wednesday post I actually labored over posting and then suffered massive panic attacks over once I did. (Saying I'm an introvert is so understating the issue...) I was worried it was too personal, too intimate to share and no one would want to watch a slideshow of a long-gone friend and his loving family. What a learning experience that was.

Anyway, it did seem to touch a few people, not the least of which was Deccy's Mum who had her own experience with a 'sainted' canine, Deccy's beautiful predecessor, Flynn. Seems Flynn, much like my Beau, has been a tough act for Deccy to follow. And as difficult it has been to lose Beau, and understandably Flynn, I wish every one of you reading this blog, your very own sainted canine in life.

Speech, speech!

So, okay, enough rambling. I'd like to accept this Most Excellent Blog Award for March 2012 (aka the Purple Sparkly Toilet Seat) on behalf of all the Flynns and Beaus in our lives. The dogs who weather our storms and mistakes and teach us grace in the process. The ones who are just this side of extra-special, the ones we can trust to always do the right thing even when we don't and the dogs who love us and do us proud no matter how many times we screw up on them.

But I'd also like to accept it on behalf of the dogs like Bella and Deccy who, for all their quirks and foibles, will no doubt leave their own very special hole in our hearts no other dog can fill when it comes their time to visit The Bridge. Each unique and extraordinary in their own way.

Thanks Deccy's Mum. Your kindness is well appreciated.

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And while I'm on a roll, I also want to take a moment to acknowledge another special occurrence and thank the blogger responsible for it.

You see, a few weeks back we entered a contest over at Roo's Doins. Roo and Roo's mum make some of the most inventive stuff in Blogville from Pet Fiction Theatre Theater (sorry, crossing the pond even on a blog can take a moment ;) to their Monthly Jigsaw Puzzles and their recent "It Takes a Thief" contest. So when they were sponsoring a contest to giveaway some new creative software they'd reviewed, we signed up. If they liked it, we figured we'd like it too, if we could ever suss out how to use it.




And well what do you know - we ended up winning!

We've already downloaded the software but are waiting to really dig into it until after we upgrade to Windows 7 (no comments please). For such a computer nerd as myself, this was a lovely gift to win and I promise Roo and his mom that as soon as we get a chance to dig in, we'll produce some fun scrapbook pages to show off what a cool prize it was.

In the meantime, if you want to see what someone with talent can do in just a short time reviewing the product, click here to check it out.

What playing we have done has been fun and we really appreciate the prize. It will be put to good use (just as soon as I can get this darn OS installed and working properly.) Thanks again, Roo.

Happy Monday, all!

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.

Liebster means Dearest

Wow. This has been a pretty hectic week what with us participating in the "Social Media for Social Good" (SMfSG) holiday event campaign, Pet Fiction Theater's "A Blogville Christmas Cabin" (I make no apologies for my goofy love of the creativity behind these shows :), Bella's agility class and the normal blogging schedule.

Add to that a big project at work and oh yeah, Christmas preparations(!) and I'm so stupid tired right now it'll be a miracle if this post makes any sense at all due to my failing-by-the-minute cognitive skills.

Breathe, Leslie, just breathe.

First I'd like to welcome all our new visitors (and Facebook followers) that found us via the SMfSG campaign. Lovely to have you here. I hope you'll poke around and join in the conversations.

Today I woke up to a very nice surprise on top of all this fun (2 somethings, actually, but I feel it's important to cover them separately to give appropriate attention):


Bringing up Bella won our first award!

Jet from over at Jet's Furkid Palace chose us as one of their recipients of the Liebster Blog award. I am very touched. And they called Bella gorgeous, too! (We agree, thank you!)

So here's how it works:

"Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. As with any award, there is a bit of ceremony involved. In order to accept the award, we must do the following:

1. Copy and paste the award on our blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award.
3. Pick our five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs."

Now onto the fun part.

I have really enjoyed discovering lots of awesome blogs over the past few months. Being new myself, I like to specifically search out smaller blogs that are either just getting started or for some reason or other haven't gotten the attention I think they deserve. This "Liebster" award with its "less than 200 followers" requirements fits nicely into that and I hope the blogs I've chosen will end up on your regular reading list, if they're not already.

Our 5 blogs (in no particular order):

1. A Coonhound's Tale - Prudence is a beautiful rescued Coonhound living in NJ and entertaining her mom. She shares her adventures with us with lots of pictures of the pretty dog. Being a big fan of hounds, I can't resist checking in to see what Prudence has gotten up to in any given week.
2. Doodling Dogs - I have to admit, I was surprised to see this blog didn't already have, like, a thousand followers. Emily and her pup, Leila, offer up a variety of dog-related topics including a "Breed of the Week" spotlight that can leave even canine fanatics like me stumped on occasion.
3. Two Collies and a Mutt - Marquie is a lovely young blogger with a penchant for Collies. Her blog is full of wonderful photos and commentary about her mutt, Ella, and 2 Collies, Petal and yes, Lassie. How can you not check that out?
4. Pupparoos - Continuing in the Sheltie category (Editor's note: Edited to correct breed. I'm a dolt, I know the difference between a Collie and a Sheltie - ack! Sorry Ellen! See "cognitive skills" above. ;), Ellen from Pupparoos blogs about Stewie (not the Sheltie) and new pup, Tucker (the Sheltie). Blogging about a fantastically adorable puppy certainly ensures this blog's success but we're kind of infatuated with Stewie here.
5. Pauley James, Former Foster Baby - Pauley's Mr. and Mrs. are those incredible kind of people we all probably aspire to be: they're fosters. Pauley, it would seem taught them the meaning of "failed foster". ;) The blog is full of the fun-filled adventures of their 3 dogs and 5 cats as well as the heart-warming, and sometimes heart-breaking, stories of animal rescue.

I hope you enjoy visiting our "Dearest" selection of blogs. And once again, I'd really like to welcome everybody and to thank Jet for thinking of us when selecting their award recipients. It made my day.