1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
Used Dog Rescue – Success Stories!

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
We are different as we are both fun and informative – and cover BOTH cats and dogs. We also have rescue stories, etc. and we are consistent.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
Discovered blogging in 2005 as a place to share pet info.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
My blogging pet peeve would be comments that are plugs for a site that has nothing to do with the post. I don’t mind a link to a website on dog training on a post about training…but spam comments get me going.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
We love Snapshots and Freekibble.com banners.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why?
Johann the Dog – great social marketing has been done with her blog (Leslie May).

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
Connection with pet lovers.

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Try and be consistent in posting.

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
HoundsGood – rescue blog, and tons of others, but like what they do.

The Blog – My Himalayan Cat, Goma chronicles the exploits of Goma, a rather furry cat who enjoys bike rides with mom, Fancy Feast and dry fishes.

The Blogger – Sachie (aka Goma’s mom), a native of Vermont, is a graphic designer and self-proclaimed animal lover. She has an interest in animal welfare and through her blog hopes to help spread the love for animals all over the world. I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job.

A Post We Luv – Check out the adorable first pictures of Goma which captured Sachie’s heart. How could anyone not love that face?

The Days of Johann, an Agility Dog chronicles the life of this extraordinary dog. Johann blogs about his family, his love of agility, and of course his dedication to helping those pups less fortunate. His blog is entertaining, heartwarming, inspirational, and at times will bring you to tears.

Johann, named after Johann Sebastian Bach, was rescued from Southside Animal Shelter by his loving Mum in August 2004. He has three adopted siblings – Wolfie, Wiggy, and Gracie. Johann is one lucky dog, and he never forgets that. He does good deeds for others every single day.

I’d like to highlight a few of my favorite posts by Johann. I’m sure you will enjoy them just as much as I do.

A Little Jig! – In this video, Johann puts on his dancing shoes and shows off one of his many talents!

My Letter to Santa – This letter from Johann to Santa is sure to bring you to tears. It’s certainly one of the best posts I’ve ever read – on any blog. And I pray that Johann gets every wish on his list.

Canine CPR Reaches 4th Top Lens on Squidoo! – Johann’s lens on canine CPR recently reached #4 out of more than 500,000 lenses on Squidoo! It is an honor well deserved. If you check out this post, you’ll even see a photo of one of my dogs!

I mentioned that Johann raises money for needy dogs. He does so with his shopping site, which offers all sorts of cool stuff for dogs. 10% of all profits go to dog shelters and rescues. If you’d like to buy some goodies for your four legged friends, and help other pups at the same time, be sure to stop by and browse the huge selection of dog toys, treats, clothing, and more!

I hope that you’ll take a moment to check out The Days of Johann, an Agility Dog, as well as Johann’s other blogs, Rescue Me and Raise a Green Dog! It’s not every day that you meet an animal with such a kind heart. Johann truly is man’s best friend.

For more information on Johann, be sure to check out 10 Questions with Johann the Dog and Rescue Me – A Blog We Luv.

Daisy the Curly Cat is a three year old dilute calico Devon Rex who lives in South Florida. Despite her oversized ears, she’s a tiny girl, weighing in at only six pounds. She has an older sister named Pixie.

Daisy is certainly a well-rounded cat. She enjoys chasing lizards, modeling, drawing comics, making movies, and of course, blogging. And as her tag line states, Daisy is “a good cat, but she’s not always a nice cat!”

Daisy has been blogging since December 2006. She posts nearly every day, participating in several weekly features. She posts a comic each week in Sunday Comics with Daisy. She participates in the Thursday Thirteen community project, and she models her latest outfits in Fashion Friday.

I’d like to highlight a few of my favorite posts from Daisy the Curly Cat.

Movie Monday – This music video features Daisy hard at play, with a special cameo appearance by Pixie. Rated PG for brief nudity and violence.

Movie Monday: LIZARD HUNTER! – This action/adventure movie features Daisy tracking a lizard named George. Rated PG for all audiences.

I Done a Bad Bad Thing – Here’s the evidence that Daisy’s not always a nice cat!

Sunday Comics with Daisy – This comic features the very mischievous Daisy and her encounter with a “rude lizard”.

Aligator! In My Backyard!!! – This post, complete with photos, makes me very glad I don’t live in Florida!

Daisy the Curly Cat is both sweet and mischievous. Her blog will make you smile, laugh, and on occasion, shed a tear. Please take a moment to stop by and say hello. I have no doubt that she will capture your heart.

Chris is a first time pet owner; he adopted Finn in early July. My Dog Finn is a chronicle of both Finn’s life and the challenges Chris faces in his quest to become the most responsible and loving dog owner he can be. In his post Pet Ownership – Why Pets are NOT a Waste of Money, Chris demonstrates his truly caring nature – a prerequisite for anyone serious about raising a dog.

“A dog like Sir Finnegan may be a costly endeavor, but the cost isn’t even in question for me. Finn converts my money into what I want it to be, happiness, more efficiently than anything else. For that I will continue to spoil him.”

And spoil he does.

Finn has more toys than most children have. He has a wardrobe complete with t-shirts, hats, and pajamas. He even has his own Facebook page. And most importantly, he has Chris. The two share a bond that many of us will never be lucky enough to experience.

In addition to photos, videos, and stories of Finn, My Dog Finn contains a wealth of information that all dog owners are sure to benefit from. There are posts related to training, health, discipline, and dog products, as well as links to other dog-related blogs.

My Dog Finn will touch your heart. It will make you smile. And it will inspire you to be the best dog owner you can be.

You can learn even more about Chris and Finn by reading 10 Questions With Chris of My Dog Finn.

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
My Dog Finn is a way of keeping memories and sharing my experiences as a first time pet owner. My blog covers not just our trips to the pet store, dog walks, and fun pictures but also shares pertinent stories about pet health and care, training and discipline, and pet activities. I share stories that are interesting and link to news articles and blogs that pet owners and lovers would enjoy. I am proud of my dog (the first dog I can call my own) and hope to raise him well, all the time learning from him and making life long memories. Life with a puppy is great fun, and I hope to express that through my writing.

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
My dog, and my blog, are a way for me to have fun. This post gives a feel of what I mean by that.

If Finn Were a Human

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
My blog focuses on archiving the life and growing pains of a puppy, good and bad. I’ll admit when mistakes are made in taking care of him and show their results. Additionally, as a pet blog, My Dog Finn is written from my point of view. It is NOT written as if Finn were writing it. We all know dogs don’t have opposable thumbs so there is no way he is typing on an iPhone, and his paws are the size of small bread plates so it’s no use acting like he can hit each of these little keys. I blog, he chews flowers, it’s a nice little system we got going here.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
ALSDKFJLkkjasdflowlaLDSAFL;LJWE. See what I mean, that’s what happens when I let Finn try and type. I discovered blogging years ago and really starting devouring blogs when I discovered RSS readers (I use Google reader now). At my height of reading I was engulfing close to 1000 posts a day from a variety of sources, and skipping over 2k-3k more. I have since toned it down to focus on writing my own blog and spend time with my pooch and family.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
Linking directly to another site with no comment. Although I enjoy being pointed to new and interesting posts and blogs, I rely on my bloggers to recap things for me and give me some insight. A lot of times I don’t need the story but I would love to hear about it. Posts like “Blogs We Luv has a cool story about interesting blogs” are useless, but ones that say “Blogs We Luv has a cool story asking bloggers to answer ten questions such as ‘Describe your blog in 5 sentences or less’ and ‘If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why’”. This is simple writing, give me a hook, but it seems many bloggers forget this from time to time.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
The “Blog This” button from blogger. Situated in my toolbar it’s a one click way of starting a post and pulls in a link to whatever page is open. This makes it easier to conceal the fact that I am blogging while I should be doing other things (ie. working, driving, going to the bathroom) by allowing quick drafts to be saved for later.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog,who would it be and why?
Goo! That’s a tough question because there are so many great writers and bloggers out there; however, I would need someone who is interested in dogs and is very knowledgeable about animals in general so I’m going with, Jack Hanna. Jack is an animal expert and turned the Columbus Zoo into one of the top zoos in the country. I grew up a few miles from the Columbus Zoo and was always excited to see Mr. Hanna on late night talk shows with his lions and tigers, hopefully he could let me play with one while he was blogging too.

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
Blogging has given me more motivation to learn all about taking care of my dog. Not only have I learned proper training and care but I’ve learned signs of future problems with a pet and other little things to avoid. Did you know you should not mix dry pet food with water, milk, canned food, or other liquids because it can cause the dormant not harmful bacteria in the dry food to become hazardous? Yeah, I didn’t either. Thanks blogging!

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Don’t worry about other people. Decide on your reasons for blogging and keep to them. One of my favorite writers, Kurt Vonnegut, always used to say in his books “Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.” I like this principle and try to remember it anytime I get stuck.

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
Lifehacker has posts about making life easier. Anything from “How to put more music on your iPod” to “How to pull your vehicle uphill using brute strength (and a pulley)” can be found there along with much more. Yes it strays from the ‘stay on one topic’ principle of blogging but the common thread between all the posts is just enough to make it a wonderful blog.

You can learn more about Chris and Finn by reading My Dog Finn – A Blog We Luv. 

A Place to Bark…and Meow is authored by Bernie Berlin, a mixed media artist who runs a full-time dog rescue in Portland, Tennessee. Bernie’s rescue, also called A Place to Bark, was established in 2001. It is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization. Though it focuses primarily on the rescue of dogs, Bernie also accepts cats and other animals.

Bernie is drawn to dogs that are otherwise unwanted, unloved, and misunderstood. She takes in the abandoned, abused, and police confiscated. She fosters and retrains them and then places them for adoption through various Humane Societies across the country. She also does some private adoptions after a very strict screening process. A Place to Bark receives no government assistance. It is funded through private donations and the proceeds of Bernie’s art sales.

I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled across Bernie’s blog, but the first post I read brought me to tears. I realized that Bernie is truly an angel among us. When she found Keoshi at the pound and heard his story, she couldn’t turn her back on him. Keoshi has been diagnosed with heartworms and is in urgent need of treatment. He had been well cared for until his owner became homeless. The owner then made a tough decision to turn Keoshi over to the shelter. He couldn’t bear the thought of his dog suffering due to his inability to pay several hundred dollars for proper treatment.

Bernie can’t afford it either, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. She is currently raising the money to give Keoshi the care he needs. He has an infection that must be cleared up before he can receive treatment. And once treatment begins, he will be confined to a crate for six weeks. If his heart rate becomes elevated due to activity, he could die. With the heartworm treatment, his outlook is very good.

Bernie got the name of Keoshi’s owner, and she plans to find him and tell him that his dog is safe and that he can have Keoshi back once he is off the streets. See what I mean? Bernie has a big heart, fashioned from pure gold.

Bernie’s blog is dedicated to the animals she helps. You’ll find photos and stories of beautiful dogs in need of good homes. You’ll read about the daily goings-on at the rescue. There are links to Humane Societies and Rescues that Bernie networks with. There is also a video about A Place to Bark in the sidebar.If you’d like to support Bernie’s work, there are several ways you can do so. Her blog contains a list of supplies that are currently needed. There is a link for you to make a monetary donation. Bernie also has an annual eBay art auction with all proceeds going to the care of her rescued animals. If you can donate a piece or two of art, Bernie and her dogs would greatly appreciate it.

Please take a moment to stop by A Place to Bark…and Meow and offer a few words of encouragement to Bernie and her dogs!