Help Wanted

Like anyone would tackle that job. Foolish Nigel.

But the post title is right on. After what has been a whirlwind summer, we have a few tricks up our sleeve for this fall and winter. More on that next week or two. In the meantime, a proposal...

Life With Dogs is seeking a bibliophile. A literary critic, if you will. A number of publishers have reached out to us with a chance to get a sneak peak of dog related books prior to release. I'm sitting on review copies of great books that I know I will never have the time to read. Many of these books have value for the vast majority of dog lovers, and just because I prefer coloring books and eating paste have an unreasonable schedule, there is no reason some of these treasures should go undiscovered.

This is not a for-pay position. Not yet. Accomplished reviewers will want to look elsewhere. It is anticipated that this will convert to a paying position in four to six months. So consider it ground floor. Like the basement. That said, if you have the chops and and have always wanted to try your hand at reviewing books, here is a chance to get your feet wet and be part of a growing venture that exists primarily to crank the fun factor up with regularity. Expected volume is three to four books per month for the first two months, with an accelerated schedule to follow. Reviews should be thorough but brief.

I've said enough for now. Just in time for wordless Wednesday.  :-p

If this is of interest - or should you have any general questions, please send inquiries to lifewithdogs@ymail.com

This Little Light of Mine

Blogs.com (The Wednesday Ten)

Where did the Friday Five disappear to the last couple of weeks? Nowhere, really. I attended to my surfing duties, started to compile a list, and was completely thrown off track by an e-mail that arrived in the process. It's been that kind of month.

I am glad I answered that e-mail. This has been a fun project. You'll see a few of repeats from the Friday Five - I was asked for a cross-section of the dog blog world and needed to fill a gap or two in a pinch. In any event, there will be many of these lists to follow. I would have done a top one hundred list if they would have let me. :)


Please enjoy...

Life With Dogs' Guest Top Ten List on Blogs.com



Tomorrow, we share a remarkable experience.

Search Party and Farewell

I am always curious about what brings new people here. I don't know about you, but I like to take a look through visitor stats, and you'd be surprised by the way some people arrive at your blog. Aside from googling "worst blog ever" here are some of the ways that the unsuspecting have found their way to our little corner of the internet. These numbers are subject to fluctuation.


Spay remnants. #5

Finding Truffles - Vermont Chocolate. #1

Nipples of Mardi Gras this one has moved from page one to three, and it's about time!

Sexting Dogs #2 gets you here eventually.

Hippie Dog Vermont #7, likely to climb. :)



On a less fun note, we had to say farewell to an old friend last week. Our long term guest, Strange P has left the building. After months of inhabiting our garage, all has returned to normal - if you can call us normal to begin with! The best no-kill shelter around has taken him in, done a wonderful job of settling his nerves, and is ready to start letting him meet potential adopters.




This was bittersweet of course. We miss caring for him - but he had reached the point of feeling safe, and we had made him healthy and strong again. It is his turn to get a new shot; and had we not trapped an angry, starving cat on a cold spring evening, I'm not sure that he would have made it.

Wish him well....

Monday Musings and the Blog Feed Mystery

This week will be different. That is good.

First, let me answer a question that some of you have been asking with regularity. For many who have followed us, we do not show up in their readers, or blog following lists. I know why this occurs. It is because I changed the blog name many months ago. I was foolish enough to believe that I would find a way to defeat this technical issue. Many posts to the blogger knowledge base crowd returned nothing. I cannot find a fix. So here is the solution. Replace the feed you have for our site with the following: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/NigelSolaCo

Works like a charm.

We may just be cartoon free this week, if you can believe it. I may not be able to make it to the Friday Five until next week, but hope to have another list to share with you instead.

In the coming days, I am receiving review copies of two books due for release in September. I'll share a little more about them when they arrive. I also have a review copy of a dog training DVD arriving soon, and it looks promising. I have received an offer that I will share with our Facebook friends - if you live in Florida you may want to connect with us on Facebook. How is that for ambiguous? :)

We'll be here at least through Thursday, and you never know what might happen.

July Contest Winners

Your dreams have been answered!

In your dreams, Nigel Buggers.

Ok, well maybe I am prone to the slightest exaggeration at times, but still, this is fun!

Time to say thanks to a couple of randomly selected readers. Let's not waste any time, the weekend is coming!

Princess Eva and Brice, congrats to you - you have won the collar of your choice from www.TheUnrulyHound.com Go have a look, take your pick and let them know we sent you. We'll pick up the tab! Of course, you may have to share. :)

I had to laugh when I saw this name come out of the pile, because Stella is always first to call Nigel's bluff. How appropriate that he try to butter her up. We all know that won't work.
Stella, you have won a $20 gift certificate to Clay Greys. Don't let the name fool you - they work with all breeds to make you an adorable custom ornament in the likeness of your pet. A little Stella, if you will.

Drop me a line at lifewithdogs@ymail.com if you have any questions.


As always, our thanks for visiting. Hug your dogs for us and have a perfect weekend.

Thankful Thursday

I must be quick - there has been so much that has happened in the last week, and I am frustrated that I will not have time to share most of it until next week. I have been asked to contribute material to a few other sites, and I have looming deadlines that will keep me away from the blog until Monday.

We have much to be thankful for. The Friday Five will have to wait one more week - and you'll understand why in a few days. :) We plan to share the love, and some great news. Tomorrow we'll announce our July contest winners (two - I'm feeling generous) so depending on who you are, it might be a great day to stop by. :)

Stay tuned, and be well in the meantime.

Wordless Wednesday 25

An old skeleton. Forgive me Nigel. ;)
click to enlarge

Atonement

Blinded By Love

The Friday Fifth*

*I know, it's actually a liter. ;)

It's great to be back from vacation! Next week the Friday Five will return, and we'll be around - although with a limited schedule. There have been recent exciting developments behind the scenes that will require a bit of my time, and I hope to be back on schedule after next week. I may not be around to visit until then. But know that you have all been missed...

Now is it five o'clock somewhere?

Happy Birthday Nigel Buggers!

We are still on vacation, and the day has nearly escaped us, but that's because it was spent properly - with the dogs. I just wanted to drop in and share. I've no doubt Nigel will be nursing a hangover tomorrow, but for now it could not get one bit better - we slept in late after some 2am Wii sessions with visiting relatives that had the dogs dodging our legs. Most of us were in bed until ten this morning. The rain has passed and the dog yard has been busy. The river calls, and we will answer with a swim in just a bit.

Next up, PB and fluff sandwiches. After that who knows -but it won't suck regardless. We are together; at peace, in a house of love.

All for you Nigel. I know you will never read this, but when we lost Casper I was broken, and you walked in to our home and healed my heart. I don't know how I could ever show enough gratitude. Perhaps I should give you a blog, or maybe a Facebook page... ;)

All That Sparkles

The Other White Meat

*We are on vacation for a few days - the Friday Five will be skipped until next week so that we may bring you an important safety reminder for the holiday. See you tomorrow. And rest assured, no Crackers were harmed in the manipulation of these photographs.

Wordless Wednesday 24

The Scales of Justice

Repeat Offender

To be continued...

The Friday Five

Welcome back to the end of the week, and thanks for stopping by. We'll get to our weekly list shortly, but wanted to share a little fun on the way there.

Susan from City Gal Moves to Oz Land surprised our pack with a little something earlier this week - free food!


A wonderful card was included - we used to have a Dalmatian so Susan and Trixie and the gang tugged at our heart strings with that one. We were so touched that she took the time to whip up a batch of crunchy goodness for the dogs. A custom label for the treats rounded out the package: perhaps Trixie is on the way to her fifteen minutes. There is not a treat left, and I am typing this Tuesday night. That's a good review if I have ever seen one - thanks Susan!

Now on to the Friday Five for the week. And the accompanying cheap trinket we created especially for it - the Gold Hydrant Award (more). This item of little to no value is yours to display, or not. No questions to answer, no need to pass it along, no rules, no strings. Brag to your friends or run away in shame. Either way, we're hurling this at you because we think your blog should be seen. Cut and paste if you'd like, or cut and shred!




I need to mention a site that provides very useful information. I have it bookmarked for reference. Read and learn from Helpful Buckeye at Questions On Dogs and Cats. Always interesting, there is a mix of information and entertainment on tap. Tell them we sent you!

Remember the Dalmatian I mentioned? I bring this next blog to your attention with great pleasure, especially since I know Mrs. Author will go absolutely bonkers when she finds it. I would fly our dogs to Florida to have Kim from House of Spots photograph them. Of personal interest is this post. We saw those kinds of bitey faces often. :)

If there is a dog I want to steal as I review this list, it is Hoover from Battery Powered Dog. Hoover gets the job done with a pacemaker, and that makes him a badass in my book. Scroll down to Meet My Sister...check out Hoover and Kirby crashed on the floor. The name comparison post above it is a riot!

Want a visual feast of dog fun? Head over to visit Minnie Moo this week, and scroll through loads of pictures of Minnie and friends in action. These dogs know how to play, and Minnie is one lucky canine.

Feeling boxed in at the office as you read this? Stop by Gennasus for some amazing open sky pictures, and a beautiful tour of their corner of Scotland. I think I could live there and be quite happy. Their dogs certainly seem to be!



Have a great weekend, and hug your dogs for us...