A quick recap of our adventure at BlogPaws 2013 in DC

During the very busy BlogPaws Conference with hundreds of pet lovers and brands in one place, Mama “Monster” was most excited she got to meet a bunch of  her “Monsters” and some of their humans:

• Frankie, I’m a lover not a fighter
• Zoey Says Stick It To Canine Cancer
• Lucy’s World
• The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Mom
• Mayzie’s Dog Blog‘s Mom
• Deaf Dogs Rock
• Skyy Blue Photography

We had a great Pittie Pawty Happy Hour! Jeanne Taylor Photography / Pet Portraits who does many pittie event photos in the DC area also dropped by.

 We also got to meet lots of other people, spread the word about who we are, our mission and invite others to join us. We met some pittie lovers ~ Animal Planet’s Underdog to Wonderdog, Steve Dale the radio host, Positively Woof, DogCaptions.com, Foster Dogs NYC, Heart Like A Dog, Hugs and Whiskers (and DaVinci Foundation for Animals), and more!

Frankie & Steve Dale

 

Lucy & her Dad

 

Zoey, photo by Andrea Arden from Animal Planet’s Underdog to Wonderdog

 

Unfortunately, no pittie blog won any of the awards. No worries, we’re aiming for next year! What’s important: We sure did have a lot of fun! Didn’t you see Frankie & Zoey’s outfits! 🙂

Our Wishlist for 2014:

• Would love to have more talks about Therapy dogs, Service dogs or Emotional Support Dogs, especially with veterans and the dogs trained to be their support animals
• Would love to have talks about handicapped pets and the brands that help them (wheelchair, hydrotherapy rehab, etc.)
• Would love to have seen more talks about rescues and how to use blogging and social media to help
• Maybe some can be in a workshop format, a more hands-on approach pairing groups with experts
• How about using the trips outside the venue as a photography workshop? Next year’s BlogPaws will be at Lake Las Vegas. It would be wonderful if the visit is to a no-kill shelter like Little Friends Foundation and people can donate their time to take photos and write a feature to promote the shelter’s good work as well as their animals.

Maybe that is too altruistic but maybe it’s not. We know we’ve met many rescue-minded people and brands, and it’s good to want good things to be better things.

Next year we can do this again and this time, let’s make the “Monsters” shine! 🙂

p.s. Oh, yeah: Frankie is totally a lover! Hehe…

Frankie with Korean Airlines’ flight attendants

 

 

 

 

And thank you, Zoey’s mom Kelly for making this one of Mama “Monster” & Frankie. We love you all! ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We came across this infographic poster by National Geographic Wild titled “Giving Pit Bulls a Second Chance” and thought we’d share it with you. Feel free to share and if you’d like to get a larger version, you can download the full-size poster (PDF).

Editor’s Note: There were a couple of anti-pitbull websites cited as a resource and we promptly removed them. 🙂 If you see an inaccurate statistic and can provide us a reference, we will gladly update it using Photoshop magic (we did not create this poster). Thank you!

Spread some holiday cheer for homeless pets waiting in no-kill shelters by donating toys, blankets & treats!*

Download the poster [PDF]

We believe that every pet waiting in a shelter for his/her forever home deserves the joy of play, the delight of treats and the comfort of warm beds. Donating pet toys, blankets, sheets & treats will help give every pet waiting at the no-kill shelters a special holiday gift and a more comfortable stay until they find their forever homes!

This initiative was inspired by toys on clearance. They sat unwanted, not unlike the pets waiting at the shelters. Both remind us of The Island of Misfit Toys but these pets and toys are not broken; they just haven’t found their perfect home yet.

Mama “Monster” had this idea when she was at TJ Maxx last month and saw all these dog toys on clearance ($2.99 each instead of $10). Of course she couldn’t resist! She grabbed everything that was on clearance and went back a couple of times to grab a few more. She got about 3 dozen toys. They made her think of The Island of Misfit Toys, and these clearance/”unwanted” toys are just the perfect companions to cheer up the dogs sitting at shelters for ages, who some may see as unwanted as well.

So what we want to do is to ask you to do the same — go to your discount retailer or pet supply store and look for toys on clearance and buy them for the unwanted pets in shelters. It may not look like a lot of toys if you only buy one or two, but if you go back every time and get one — ’til Christmas — you will have a lot! And you can either send it to the shelter directly or send it to us so we can do a big drop before Christmas. Or you can bring it to the no-kill shelters in your area (mailing does get expensive).

In addition, a spa owner asked us where she can donate her old sheets/blankets (she changed them a few times a year). She thought it was a shame to throw them away because they were good organic sheets. So we thought maybe we can also include blankets/sheets and everything else that people don’t want anymore. Maybe other spas can see that this is a great option for them and do the same. Of course everything has to be clean and for dog toys, they have to be new (you know when you give old toys to your “monsters” they kinda look at you funny, right? BOL!)

To help as many homeless pets as possible, we’re getting the help of our “Monster” Elves so not only we lift their spirits, we also bring attention to the good shelters and the various good causes they represent. We figured if we did it only on this page, we will reach a good amount of people but if we invited some of our “Monsters”, we can get enough exposure to reach more people that it can be a yearly campaign. Each one of these “Monsters” advocated for different aspects, are in different parts of the country and it’ll be a great way to reach more people and yield better results.

Being in a shelter is not fun for any pets. Together, we can make a difference in their world while they wait for their forever homes.

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SUITABLE TOYS:
New, unwrapped toys, squeakers, balls & ropes.

SUITABLE BLANKETS/SHEETS:
Clean blankets, quilts, sheets. Used items are OK as long as they are in a good shape.

SUITABLE TREATS:
New, packaged, preferably healthy and not made in China. Please, no rawhide.

(more…)

I wish someone would tell me
What it is that I’ve done wrong,
Why I have to stay chained up
And left alone so long.

They seemed so glad to have me
When I came here as a pup.
There were so many things we’d do
While I was growing up.

They couldn’t wait to train me
As companion and as friend.
They told me they would never fear
Being left alone again.

The children said they’d feed me,
Said they’d brush me every day,
They’d play with me and walk me,
If only I could stay.

But now the family hasn’t time.
They often say I shed.
They won’t allow me in the house,
Not even to be fed.

The children never walk me.
They always say, “Not now!”
I wish that I could please them.
Won’t someone tell me how?

All I have is love, you see,
I wish they would explain,
Why they said they wanted me
Then left me on a chain.

~Anonymous

Photo courtesy of ChainFree Asheville

A Tribute to Senior Dogs By Leslie Whalen

One by One, they pass by my cage,
Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.
Way past his time, he can’t run and play.
Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.

A little old man, arthritic and sore,
It seems I am not wanted anymore.
I once had a home, I once had a bed,
A place that was warm, and where I was fed.

Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail.
Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn’t belong,
I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.

Whatever excuse they made in their head,
Can’t justify how they left me for dead.
Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,
The younger dogs get adopted away.

When I had almost come to the end of my rope,
You saw my face, and I finally had hope.
You saw thru the grey, and the legs bent with age
And felt I still had life beyond this cage.

You took me home, gave me food and a bed,
And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.
We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low,
You love me so dearly, you want me to know.

I may have lived most of my life with another,
But you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
And I promise to return all the love I can give,
To you, my dear person, as long as I live.

I may be with you for a week, or for years,
We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.
And when the time comes that God deems I must  leave,
I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve.

And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new,
My thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
And I will brag to all who will hear,
Of the person who made my last days so dear.

______________________________________________________________

This poem was originally titled “Tray’s Poem,” written by Leslie Whalen in honor of her dog, Tray, and all the senior dogs that await a new home and deserve a second chance at happiness.