Ride with mom in style to #BarkWorld Expo

Mom got exciting news this week. She is getting to drive one of the new GMC Terrains as part of the #GMCBarkNRide promotion to BarkWorld Expo in Atlanta.

If you have been living in a dungeon somewhere for the last couple of months, BarkWorld Expo is THE EXCITING conference for pet and social media lovers. If you are new to social media and want to learn more, or already an expert, there will be speakers and sessions of interest to you. Mom is just a for fun anipal, but folks who have pet businesses or who represent animal charities will be very interested in some of the sessions that will offer ways to improve your business and/or fund raising.

Mom still has room for 2 peeps to Atlanta, so let her know if you want to hitch a ride. We live in Yorktown and she will drive to Richmond and south, southwest from there and can meet anyone on the way. Also, if you haven't registered yet, mom has some 20% off discounts for the 3 day BarkWorld Expo pass. You don't have to ride with her to use one of those, just let her know!

And now, since it's Saturday, it's time for the HOP!

Be The Change - Adopt Responsibly

Thanks to mom's schedule this week (guilt, guilt), we missed the Be The Change blog hop this week. We really wanted to share our passion though and it is definitely Adopt Responsibly.

First, we believe that there are plenty of wonderful pet companions in shelters all over the world just waiting for loving humans to come get them.

Secondly, we believe that humans who adopt pets need to know what the responsibilities are. Adopting a pet is bringing an animal into your home and promising to love and care for it. This means just because the kitten or puppy grows up and isn't as cute as it once was, the animal is still part of your family. You wouldn't take one of your children to a shelter, why would you take a pet?

Pedigree has a number of great short videos like this one that in 30 seconds really expresses what it means for the animal who is adopted. Mom says that a human who loves their pet is even happier. I will have to take her word for that - along with my 4 kitty sibs and two dogs that live downstairs with her mom. We were all adopted from a shelter or people who could no longer care for us.

The Envelope Please and Hop, Hop, Hop

The Anipal Academy Awards and monthly Pawpawty was a wonderful event. Unfortunately, mom selfishly put her job and personal life in front of my social life again and I could not attend the pawty as much as I like.

Since it was a red carpet event, I got dressed up along with so many of my pals.

Mom was on her way to her own pawty on Saturday. She has college friends that get together every year and their pawty was that night. She had to drive to the DC area which is normally a three hour drive and thought she would get to the pawty and share my award with her friends. But she ran into some of the worst traffic (even for that area). She had to keep pulling over to check Twitter on the Blackberry to see if it was award time.

When she was right around the corner from her friend's house, she saw a bunch of retweets on her Blackberry and she knew it was time for our acceptance speech.

@mattiedog I would like to thank the Academy and my dad and of course my mom since she's the one with the opposable thumb! #pawpawtyless than a minute ago via SeesmicYoda Heltman
Yoda_the_Dog

And I was absolutely thrilled to have the famous @MattieDog from the Shibbering Cheetos present the award for best still pictures to me.

I love my award. Mom wants to take it to work to show it off - but she better bring it back!

And now, it's time for the Hop - we did the Bunny Hop/Conga at the end of this wonderful #Pawpawty and Anipal Academy Awards so it is only fitting.

My Review of Busy Buddy The Waggle

Originally submitted at Nip and Bones

It's super flexible middle allows this toy to be playfully "wagged" and shaken back and forth. Treat Meter randomly dispenses treats. Small 5.75" x 5.25" for Dogs under 20 lbs Medium/Large 7" x 5.5" for Dogs over 20 lbs

Busy Buddy The Waggle

My favorite toy!

By Yoda_the_Dog from Yorktown, Virginia on 7/11/2010

5out of 5

Pros: Fun, Interactive, Good Construction, Tough, Easily Cleaned, Lightweight, Stows Easily, Easy To Assemble

Best Uses: Dogs

Describe Yourself: Long-Time Pet Owner

What can be better than a good chew toy that also dispenses treats? Mom breaks small dog biscuits in half and loads them in the Waggle. She found she needed to trim back the rubber strips that hold the treats in (good instructions on how to do that are included with the product). I learned right away to shake the Waggle and get the treats out. I like to toss it up to make them come out. Mom gets home from work at night and I bring her my waggle to load up. I am notoriously hard on my toys and this one is a survivor! Mom just puts it in the dishwasher to clean.

I know there's a treat in there somewhere

Tags: Using Product

Yoda and the Waggle.avi

Tags: Interactive, Treats, Using Product, Review, Fun, Waggle, Toy, Dog, Tough

(legalese)

Toys and More Toys and Saturday Hop

I am getting a little embarrassed about my recent largess when it comes to toy delivery. This week yet another box arrived, this time an order from Baby Patches' store Nip and Bones. Mom ordered me some of those toys that have bungee cords in them. They don't have much stuffing and they pull good. She ordered these before I won the Skinneeez contest or else she probably would have waited.

As you can see, I assume a box that comes to the house is for me. Open the box faster Dad!


It's hard to tell what I got and this was the best picture. That Blackberry doesn't capture movement very well and a toy delivery means lots of excitement and blurry movement. I got an alligator and seahorse bungee toy. At Nip and Bones they are called Shore Thing Bungee Dog Toys. It is hard to believe they are only $3! I also got a super bouncy and sturdy ball called an Orbee-Tuff Woof and Fetch Ball. I got the green WOOF one and you can sort of see it under my chin in the picture. I also got this cool small rope toy (small for me - 8"). You might catch a glimpse of the rope in the picture too. I had a great big rope but this one is more fun. Finally mom actually sprang for a small cat toy (kitty catnip creature).


Okay before you think my mom is mean because she doesn't buy the cats much, they really do not like toys. Dad keeps them in catnip (he keeps it in the fridge to keep it fresh) so he gets them stoned periodically, and they play with the laser light, but toys not so much.

I have another box on its way from Nip and Bones with my Chewber replacements (yes that was plural) and my Tug A Jug toy that was back ordered and some other surprise mom got me. I think I am beginning to feel a little like Buttons! Only difference is that I destroy so many of my toys they don't accumulate like Buttons' do!

[By the way we do not get any free products or payment of any kind for blogging about Nip and Bones' products. We are just real fans!]

Now for the Hop! I am enjoying so many new bloggies!

End Breed Specific Legislation

Efuryone that reads my bloggie knows it is usually fun and light-hearted but today I am mad! Me and Mom signed up on the Be the Change for Animals FaceBook page and got our first assignment today. It appears that in Detroit, Michigan pit bulls are against the law. What? How is this possible? They take them away from their families and kill them because of something called Breed Specific Legislation. Other places have this too but Detroit has had it for 20 years. Michigan has a law that prohibits communities from adopting these laws but Detroit already had it and got "grandfathered."

Mom reminded me we had done some research on this earlier because it was one of the #Purrs4Peace Sundays. I don't know how I forgot, because I remember we found this video that made us really sad because it was scary how many breeds were considered dangerous. Even my sweet doggie mom, a German Shepherd Dog. Sadly even though we bookmarked that video, the person who had put it on YouTube took it down. But we found this one instead:

If you want to do something like we are, see the post on the Be the Change for Animals Facebook page. We are sending off our post card, sending a contribution and doing our best to get the word out.

It's not just my mom the GSD (and who knows where it leaves me as half a GSD)? It's my little sort of cousin Honey (my mom's niece's dog). I played with her in our back yard today and had so much fun. I even let her play with my sticks. She is so sweet and she is a Pit Bull and in Detroit she would be DEAD.

Some evil people train dogs to be vicious. I am not sure if they are more evil than people who kill dogs just because they are a breed that these evil people seem to train more often. Too many evil people and it seems us dogs suffer. German Shepherd dogs are trained to be police dogs and assistance dogs too.

Be very scared - Honey might lick you to death!

Nose taps Honey!

Frankie's 4th of July Name Game

My new furiend Frankie over at his blog Frankly Speaking suggested that efurybudy do a post for 4th of July about how they got their name. I just recently explained that it my post about My Family, but here is the story again:

Mom and dad are big Scifi fans and wanted to name me after a Star Wars character. Dad liked Chewbacca but mom thought naming a puppy Chewie was a bad mistake. So they decided on Yoda. This picture does show that my ears can do special things.


I also have some nicknames. Mom calls me Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie all the time because I am the same color as pumpkin pie. At Christmas she also called me Gingerbread. Same reason, same color. They still call me Puppy and Sweet Puppy even though I am 2 now. There is only one nickname I do not like: Bad Dog.

Shawnee's Kwestshuns

Shawnee asked me and some other of her friends to answer five kwestshuns. I have been thinking on them for several days. Here are the kwestshuns with the answers.

1. Wot be you fave toy or stuffie?

I have two qualities for a great toy: fun and durable. I have a reputation for killing my toys and it's true. I love them too much. So I have to go for my waggle. The waggle is very sturdy. I have had it many months and it is perfectly without any damage. And it sure is fun because when you shake it, little treats come out! What could be better?

2. Wot is the one thing you would most like to change about the werld?

I would have every dog, cat, bunny, bird and other anipal have a forever home where they were loved and taken care of like me.


3. If'n you could has one super powah, wot would it be?

I would want to be able to fly. I think it would kind of feel like swimming only better cause the water wouldn't go up my nose. I watch birds a lot and I would like to see everything from up in the sky.


4. Wot is you most skeered of?

I am scared of running out of sticks. Chasing sticks, chewing sticks and eating sticks is my life but sometimes I can't find any. I run around and around looking for more and sometimes I can't find them. Usually there are some more the next time I go play but I am scared that one day they will be all gone. Do you think I should worry?


5. Wot does you see in the pikshur below?
I think that inky picture looks like Button surrounded by her toys. When I first looked at it, I thought it looked familiar but I just couldn't figure it out. Then I saw her post with her answers to the kwestshuns and I said "Ah ha! That's it!" Yep, that's definitely Buttons in her pile of toys with a couple of toys escaping from the pile at the bottom.


Now for my five kwestshuns:

1. What is your favorite treat?
2. What is your favorite thing to do with your human(s)?
3. What is your favorite thing to do outside?
4. If you could meet one famous animal or person, who would it be?
5. If you could go one place in the world, where would it be?

And now for the pals I would like to ask these kwestshuns of: @BunnyJeanCook (Bunny's Blog); my largest pal @Brutusthedane (Brutusthedane's blog); @Mariodacat (Mario's Meowsings) and I know he will not be able to answer until after the Anipal Academy Awards; @TeenysFriends at Teeny's Friends; and @GrouchyPuppy at Cleo's Day. My pals, please answer my five kwestshuns to you and make up five kwestshuns and give them to five friends.

I Got Mail and Weekend Blog Hop

This was a fantastic week! After the tragic toy loss of my Chewber (and thank you so much for all the sympathy), I was a little depressed. But then there were TWO packages that came for me.

The first was all the way from England and from @HenryandFriends. This was my pawty pwize from winning a quiz. It was really three pwizes! First a giant cheeseburger with a whopper of a squeaker! We are not sure of the name of the next toy but I call it the "mom enabled ball launcher." We all know mom is a bad thrower (remember the Chewber?) This toy should really help her throw better! The last present was kind of for my mom - an eco friendly bag for her shopping. She always needs these so she is very happy too!

Here are the pwizes

I am not a good picture poser but you can tell I was going after these pwizes!

And the Cheeseburger is so much fun! No onions even and I think there is some bacon in there!

Sadly for mom and dad, it seems all the packages are for me so I know it as soon as dad brings one in. Mom thought it might have been something we ordered from Nip and Bones, but no, it was my contest pwize from Two Little Cavaliers, Davinia and Indiana. I won their Skinneeez toys contest! The contest was thanks for Ethical Products Inc. who market under Spot Brand Toys. They are on Twitter and Facebook!

When mom opened the box, I had my head in it right away to see what I had!

Wow - three cool toys!

I smell squeakers in those tails!

Yep, definitely a squeaker in there!

Aren't they cute? I got two Skinneeez toys - a raccoon and a fox. They are stuffingless and squeak in two places. The bear is a Skinneeez Big Bite which is a plush bear stuffed with a plastic water bottle. Bot does he crunch good!

Here I am with the raccoon toy!

And you will all be happy to know that mom ordered be 2 chewbers from Nip and Bones. They were on sale!

And now for the Hop!

By the way, my recent flurry of posts is very unusual for me so if you are a new follower either don't get your hopes up or don't be worried? BOL!

Off to Hawaii

Since it's a long weekend, mom said I could go to Hawaii and pawty with Sallie and her friends. Here I am practicing my hula. I practiced hard all week so I would not be embarrassed at the big 4th of July Luau.

And here I am dancing with my new friends, the hula girls!

Make custom Glitter Graphics

Happy Birthday to the U.S.A.

Here I am dressed up as Thomas Jefferson!

Independence Day celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The men who signed this document risked everything - treason was punishable by death - to forge our new country. I love the words of the preamble. My mom knows all the words by heart because she learned to sing this song by the Fifth Dimension called The Declaration:

Mom also has a real weakness for musical theater and one of her favorite musicals that was also made into a movie is 1776. So she asked me to share this video from the movie that talks about how the Eagle became our national symbol.

I wonder - if Ben Franklin got his way would we be eating turkey every Thanksgiving?