Sometimes when you’re a dog you just feel like you’re not being heard. Maybe it’s because humans and dogs don’t always speak the same language, and maybe it’s because they just CHOOSE not to listen to what we’re saying. Regardless, every once in a while I need to make a little noise about it….
So next time your dog “yells” at you, you better pay attention, because we have LOTS TO SAY!
Does your dog bark/yell at you too? What do you think he’s trying to say? 
Just when you thought my week long road trip might be coming to an end, I’ve got even more to share! I’ve already visited some amazing places like; Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park, The Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, TN, Nashville, Tennessee and now I can’t wait to tell you about the 2015 BlogPaws Conference.
If you’re unfamiliar with BlogPaws, it’s essentially a community of pet enthusiasts who write about and support pets via social media! Their annual conferences bring together hundreds of pet bloggers, pet enthusiasts, shelters, rescues, and brands for social media education, networking, and promoting.
I’m pretty much a newbie when it comes to BlogPaws, and I decided to attend this annual event for the first time after I found out I was a finalist for the Best Dog Blog and Best Pet Photo of 2015 in the Nose-to-Nose Awards.
Honestly I had no idea what to expect at this conference, and pretty much all I knew was that it was a pet friendly event, which meant I would be doing a whole lot of butt sniffing!
At first I was a little nervous when I entered the conference. There was a lot going on, tons of dogs, lots of chatter, and so so much to look at. But after about an hour I quickly realized this was a safe place to be and I was with MY KIND OF DOGS. (friendly, adventurous, and ready to sample lots and lots of treats).
To give you a little better idea of what a BlogPaws conference actually looks like, check out this video:
At 15 seconds in you can actually see me and my mom & dad walking around the BlogPaws vender area (bottom right corner).
The BlogPaws vender area was packed with brands that are interested in working with bloggers, and that’s good news for you, because it means I’ll hopefully be able to bring you even more fun product reviews & giveaways with some great new products in the coming months! Which P.S., if you’re ever interested in hearing my honest review about a product or brand or you’d love me to host a giveaway with them (so you could potentially win!) – just shoot them (or me) an e-mail and let them know about my blog!
I had a blast sampling products, and talking to companies about some of their new product lines.
While I’ve been to expos before, this was the liveliest one, and I couldn’t believe how much there was to see and do! And did I mention the swag? There were so many wonderful sponsors that donated products to the event, and I gotta send my thanks to them (because this was only a small potion of it)! And since I’m just one small dog, I will be donating many items to my local animal rescue!
One of the exciting things was getting the opportunity to attend some of the lectures and talks at BlogPaws. I have to say before this, I had never attended a lecture before, unless you count the times I visited an Elementary School.
While mom and dad were busy learning about SEO, monetization, pinterest marketing, and so much more, I was busy catching some Zzzz’s! Because honestly, all of it was a bit over my head. I’m much more the “talent” behind this blog anyway, and I was more than thrilled that mom and dad were there to take notes for me. Mom found some of the lectures very interesting and picked up some new skills she’ll be helping me apply to not only my blog, but my regular 9-5 business at the frame shop.
While the lectures were quite serious in nature, I made sure to liven them up some with a few of my silly tricks…..like playing dead! (It’s no fun to be serious all the time!)
Guess what, I wasn’t the only Dachshund with the silly’s there either! This is Fiona McSnuggles, a long haired sweetie who was actually blind and is a therapy dog just like me.
I also met Dolly the Doxie, a dachshund mix! Surprisingly (or maybe not so much) those were the only other dachshunds I spotted at BlogPaws.
I did however get to meet the infamous Prissy and Pop! They are celebrities on instagram, and even have jobs working as mascots in a first grade class. And yes, I’m super jealous that they are on summer break right now!
With all the excitement of the BlogPaws conference I made sure to take as many nap breaks as I could squeeze in, especially since my poor mom caught a nasty cold the day we left for our road trip adventure and spent most of the week trying her best to get through all the fun activities we had planned.
Speaking of fun, I became the recipient of my very own Busy Bee while at BlogPaws! If you’ve ever watched the movie Best in Show, then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when I say I was FREAKING OUT every time my Busy Bee from PetSafe (one of the sponsors of BlogPaws) got out of my sight! And if you haven’t watch the movie…do it….do it now!
After all the excitement of the week there was one last thing to do….attend the 2015 Nose-to-Nose awards! Of course I dressed to the nines since I was a finalist for Best Dog Blog and Best Pet Photo awards!
This was my first time walking a red carpet, and hopefully I worked it!
Here’s a group shot of most of the 2015 Nose-to-Nose Finalists. In case you didn’t get a chance to catch the live streaming event, you can watch the video here:
Sadly I did not take home any awards this year, but hey, I’m just honored to have been a finalist – my very first year too!
You know who did win though? My fellow dachshund adventurer blog, You Did What With Your Wiener? Congrats to Jessica, and I’m thrilled that dachshund adventure seekers are taking over the World! (well at least BlogPaws).
After 3 days of BlogPaws I was royally beat! I had so much fun, and hopefully I’ll get to attend again sometime soon (I’m thinking it may be an every few years event for me).
For now though it was time to make my trek back home to Pennsylvania where my ponies were anxiously awaiting my return!
And don’t worry, incase you were thinking this was the end of my adventures, I still have one more fun stop I made on the way home in Knoxville, Tennessee! Check back next week for the full details on my visit to the Sunsphere.
P.S. Don’t forget, for you local Pennsylvanians, I’ll be at the Ryerss Family Fun Day this Saturday from 12 – 4pm with my friend Minnow the famous Painting Pony. Hope you’ll stop by and meet me! I’ll be performing some of my favorite tricks too!
Road trips are something I have been doing since I was just a wee pup, and I’m lucky enough that when my family sets out on an adventure they’re always looking for pet friendly locations so that I can tag along too!
Last week I set out on a week long trek to reach my final destination, the annual BlogPaws Pet Blogging Conference. I have tons to share about my week on the road, but I figured I start with my first stop, The National Mall!
If you’re not familiar with the National Mall, it is a great symbol of the United States. The National Mall is over 1,000 acres of park space in our capital city, Washington, D.C. Inside the National Mall are many memorial parks with iconic monuments and memorials.
I was lucky enough to visit the National Mall on Memorial Day so there was lots going on to see! The National Mall is pet friendly for all leashed pets and the only areas pets aren’t allowed are on the walkways at the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials and inside the Washington Monument. As a general rule dogs aren’t allowed inside any buildings and covered areas.
My first stop was the Washington Monument! It was built to honor George Washington, (the U.S.’s first president) and towers 555 feet over Washington, D.C.
It was a fairly warm day, but with a cool breeze blowing through the capitol I was loving every minute of it! What a special place to be on a day to remember those who lost their lives fighting for my country.
Eventually I made my way over to the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. I spotted a family of ducklings enjoying the cool water and couldn’t wait to take a dip with them! Sadly mom said she didn’t think the park staff would be too happy if I went for a swim, so alas I didn’t even get to dip a toe in.
The Lincoln Memorial itself was bustling with visitors and surprisingly I didn’t see many other dogs.
Eventually I made my way to the top of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and while I wasn’t allowed to go inside the monument, I did grab a selfie with my mom and dad on the steps. Apparently we’re all behind the times too, because I didn’t have a selfie stick like the many other visitors that were at the National Mall. I guess I better step my selfie game up!
While I didn’t see many dogs during my National Mall excursion, I did spot several mounted police officers. Even though I was only a day into my road trip, it made me miss my ponies even more!
I also made my way over to the Vietnam Memorial. The area was packed with visitors on Memorial Day and I hung back (pets aren’t allowed on the pathway at the Vietnam Memorial) while Dad went up to check it out. A little side fact, did you know my PopPop actually fought in Vietnam?
My last stop before I waved goodbye to the National Mall was of course the White House! I had high hopes I’d spot the Obama Family pets, Sunny & Bo, running on the lawn, but they must have been taking their mid-afternoon nap. Although I did spot a box of bees on the back lawn, who knew the president had honeybee pets?
I had a blast checking out the National Mall on Memorial Day, and I even got to watch a little bit of the parade and met so many dachshund loving people on my adventure.
Next on my road trip, I was headed to Shenandoah National Park! So stay tuned tomorrow for even more fun, and find out what happened when I came face to face with a BEAR!
What did you do with your pups on Memorial Day?
You know, sometimes it’s the simple things in life that can bring you the greatest joy.
For example, a few weeks ago I happened across a field of buttercups while on a walk with my mom and dad. And what I did next instantly put a smile on my face…
And to get the full effect you have to run like no one’s watching.
Happiness is a field of buttercups to run through! What brings your dog happiness?
You may have caught my struggles over the last few months on the saga that is the Dachshund Life Struggle. And if you follow along with me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, then likely you may have already seen many of the Dachshund Life Struggles.
Who would have thought that this adventure of being a dachshund would be so struggle riddled! So here’s what I’ve been struggling with this past month…
In case you missed any struggles, be sure to check them all out on my blog. You can keep following along with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to see more #dachshundlifestruggle and if you’ve got a struggle to add be sure to let me know!
P.S. Don’t forget to share my struggles with all your friends…..we have to spread the word about how hard it is to be a dachshund these days!
Dogs tend to sleep between 12 – 14 hours a day, and considering that makes up the majority of our day, we sometimes have to get a little creative with our napping spots. It could get quite boring if you slept the same way hour after hour, so I like to vary it up a little each time. So here’s a collection of some of my favorite ways to take a nap throughout the day!
As you see this could go on and on forever – but then I wouldn’t get any naps in!
What’s your dog’s favorite place to sleep? And if you need any new ones to add to your dog’s resume, check out my post of creative napping spots at work.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by my friends at Barkbox.
As you know Easter was this past Sunday. It’s one of my favorite holidays – as holidays that involve a bunny always make the top of my list! Alas though, when I woke up Sunday morning it seems I had just missed Mr. Bunny.
But don’t worry, because the very special BarkBox Bunny never seems to miss my house, and this year was no exception. Check out the fun video of me diving into my Easter Basket:
That Barkbox Bunny knows just what kind of goodies I love!
After opening my basket I packed up and headed over to my mom-mom’s house where I was put in charge of hiding the easter eggs for all of my cousins (on account of I’m very good at finding hiding spots – mostly of the hole variety!).
That’s right, they’ll never find this one!
My cousins are pretty good at finding easter eggs, but I couldn’t let them have all the fun!
Too bad all the eggs I found had jelly beans in them….yuck!
After the egg hunt it was time for dinner. Unfortunately my family forgot to set a place for me at the table! Can you believe it! Don’t worry though, I found the perfect spot to look pathetic and got handed plenty of little nibbles.
And after I was nice and stuffed one of my cousins volunteered to take me for a walk. I burned off all those calories in a matter of minutes hunting for more easter bunnies!
How did you spend your Easter with your dog?
P.S. If your pup missed out on the BarkBox Bunny, don’t worry, you have until April 10th to get your dog a box of goodies in the mail this month. And don’t forget to use code AMMO5 for an awesome 10% off your order!
Disclaimer: This post and giveaway is brought to you by K9 Couture Collars. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
My new friends at K9 Couture Collars recently sent me some new collars to update my wardrobe.
At K9 Couture Collars they believe that just like shoes, you can never have too many collars! And I have to say I totally agree with this. As a dog, who wants to wear the same collar everyday? Certainly not me, I have too much fashion sense for that.
Everything they make is hand picked, assembled and hand sewn by them.
And the designs – they have so many! Tons of styles and colors and if you don’t see what you’re looking for you can even request something custom.
Most of their collars are made with a thick nylon webbing and fabric overlay, and you can choose the collar width you prefer for your dog. You can tell each stitch is done with the utmost of care! They have many different styles and can come with plastic buckles or metal buckles and with a choice of standard buckle or martingale options.
Personally I adore this gold metal buckle collar in mint julep. My mom prefers the metal buckles as they seem to be much sturdier and stronger. And at K9 Couture you can choose whichever options you prefer best for your own dog’s collar.
I haven’t seen many collars on the market with gold hardware, and this one just screams….I’m fancy and I know it!
So if you’re looking to add a little variety to your own dog’s wardrobe then you might want to check out K9 Couture Collars.
You can even head over and like them on Facebook for a 20% discount off your next order!
And now for the best part….
TWO LUCKY WINNERS WILL WIN A COLLAR OF THEIR CHOICE FROM K9 COUTURE
Here’s HOW TO WIN:
To enter use the Rafflecopter widget below. By entering you will be added to the K9 Couture e-mail list. Winners will be chosen at random and you will be contacted via e-mail to claim your prize. All the winners will also be announced on this blog post once the giveaway ends. Open to WORLDWIDE readers. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. Good luck!
For those of you that are local (or nearby) to Pottstown, Pennsylvania then you might want to mark your calendars!
Minnow the Painting Pony and I will be attending the Ryerss Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 13th from 12 – 4pm. (rain date is June 14th)
Minnow will be painting and I’ll be performing some of my death-defying tricks! We’ll even be selling Minnow’s paintings and donating a portion to our friends at Ryerss to help feed and care for the retired horses on the farm.
And don’t worry, even if you aren’t local I’ll be sure to share all the details on my blog afterwards!
SAVE THE DATE:
when: Saturday, June 13th (rain date June 14th)
what: Ryerss Family Fun Day
where: Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines – Pottstown, Pennsylvania
P.S. if you want to find out more about past performances I’ve done, be sure to check out my archives!
Merry Easter my Friends! I hope the Easter Bunny brought you something egg-cellent!
Incase you still need some Easter Fun, check out these posts I wrote from years ago:
A Round-up of Easter DIY’s for your Dog
5 Minute No-sew Easter Bowtie for Dogs
Easter Egg Hunt for the Dog
Easter Bunny Disguise
P.S. If you want to make sure you never miss any of my posts, be sure to sign-up for e-mail notifications. It’s the best way to see all of my fun adventures!