The Best News EVER! I Won a Trip to BarkWorld from Pruven!

BarkWorld just announced the first winner of the contest hosted by Pruven by 3M, and guess who it is!!!

My entry Top Ten Reasons I Want to Go to BarkWorld was selected!  I am so excited I can hardly contain myself -- and my momma is even more excited!  You see, today is her birthday, so she had an extra birthday surprise when the winner was announced!  We've never been to BarkWorld before and we know it will be an awesome experience.  We can't wait!

Thank you so much to everyone who shared my post and helped me win!  And many thanks to Pruven and BarkWorld!

I'm One of the Coolest?!?

Guess who made the list of the 

The 10 Coolest Pets with Blogs in 2012? 

ME!  

And I was included in this snazzy infographic:

Infographic created by and reproduced with
permission of Ann Paws of Pawsitively Pets Blog 

A huge Thank You to Ann!  This really made my day.  And it was a great way to start the new year!  

BOL BLOGGER AWARD!!! and a case of BMS

Thanks so much Ranger!!!

My young Scottie friend Ranger just gave me his BOL Blogger Award!  

This makes me very happy because the whole point of my blog is to make people & their pups (& any other creatures who happen to read my blog) smile and laugh.  So if I make you BOL, that's GREAT!

This is a super-easy award.  All you have to do is pass it to another blogger who makes you BOL.

I hereby award the BOL Blogger Award to my buddy Reuben of Floppy Tongue Joy.

Thanks for making us BOL, Reuben!

Reuben is one of the most entertaining dudes I know.  If you're not familiar with him, check out Floppy Tongue Joy.  I promise it will make you BOL! 


I haven't been blogging much lately because I have a case of BMS - Busy Momma Syndrome.  I have SO much to blog about, but apparently my staff has other priorities.  Hopefully she will have time to catch up a bit because she has 4 DAYS OFF from her other job.  This is very exciting for all of us!  We're planning some major mommy-and-me time and of course we plan to do some hiking.  Momma says Santa's gonna' visit, but I have to admit I wasn't really enamored by him when I met him last weekend.  But if he wants to bring me presents, that's awesome!

Speaking of Santa, I've entered the Wag-in-the-Box Naughty & Nice Photo Contest.  We were asked to submit a photo of something we would like Santa to overlook.  If you have a minute, could you please click here and vote for me?  Thanks!!!

One Sweeeeeeeeeeeet Award!

I have been awarded the Super Sweet Blogging Award by Echo & Link of Husky's Life and Sheba's life story!!!  

I am extremely honored to have been given this award, especially by Echo & Link and Sheba, whose blogs we really enjoy.  

Merci beaucoup Echo et Link!  

and

Thank you so much Sheba!

With this award comes certain duties.  First I must answer the “super sweet” questions :

1. Cookies or Cake?
Both!  I love cookies, and I love cake!  My favorite cakes are from Three Dog Bakery, and they're yummilicious!  And I love ALL KINDS of cookies!

My birthday cake from Three Dog Bakery

Super-yummy cookies my momma made
(covered with carob, not chocolate)

Three Dog Bakery cookies are awesome too!

2. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Momma says I can't eat chocolate because I'm a dog and chocolate is bad for dogs, but I'm not buying it.  I think she just wants all the chocolate for herself because she's such a chocolate fiend.  So unfortunately I have no access to chocolate because momma thinks it will hurt me, so I guess I'm stuck with vanilla.  Honestly, I haven't met a flavor I didn't like.

3. What is your favorite sweet treat?
Frosty Paws!  No surprise there.  I also like cakes from Three Dog Bakery.  (See response to question #1 above.)  And apples.  And peanut butter.

Enjoying a refreshing cup of
Frosty Paws

4. When do you crave sweet things the most?
Always.  I'm a lab, so I'm always hungry.  Always.  If I don't have access to something sweet, I'll resort to paper products.

Phone books are an acquired taste

5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be?
I have lots of silly nicknames, including Muffin, Lab-a-muffin, and Muffaletta.  In no way do I resemble a muffin or a muffaletta, so I have no idea where the humans get this stuff.


Next I must pass on the award to a baker's dozen of my favorite bloggers.  I have so many favorites, I could make a list a mile long.  So I've tried to chose blogs that my readers may not yet know about that I think they will enjoy.

Pawsitively Pets
One Blue Dog
Gemma's Little Gems
Alasandra, the Cats and a Dog
Cotton's Candy
Terrier Torrent
Loveable Lily
Belly Rub Please
Life With Beagle
My Girlz Got Pawz
Life at Golden Pines
Susie and Sidebite
Floppy Tongue Joy

I love awards, but I realize they can be very time-consuming for our staff, many of whom have a lot of other stuff to do, and LOTS of extra stuff this time of year.  And I know some bloggers just aren't into awards or they don't really fit into their blog format, and that's okay.  So if you don't have the time or inclination to pass on the award, we understand -- we still like you and we'll still keep loving your bloggies!  And it still gives our other friends a chance to check out some blogs they may not have heard of yet.

Okay, enough blogging, I want a cookie!

Am I gonna' need a warning label?

I just received the Addictive Blog Award from the Key West Collies!  Thank you SO much, Essex and Sherman!  I'm really flattered to have been chosen by a couple of collies who have been blogging for over five years.  In dog years, that's like 35 years!

I suppose I should get mom to draft a warning label and perhaps a waiver for my readers to sign.  

I wonder if I should have an attorney on retainer . . . 

Anyway, the Addictive Blog Award rules say I should thank the blogger who gave me the award and link back to them, talk about why I blog and why I began my blog, post the award, and then nominate 10 other bloggers.  

It's pretty wild that I should receive this award from the Key West Collies, considering that my blog was inspired by a trip to Key West.  My first post ever was about our Florida Keys Adventure last fall, and my first four posts were about some aspect of our trip.  I started the blog as a way to share our adventures with our friends, and it all started with our Keys adventure.  

At that time I had been Facebooking for a while, posting unbearably cute photos and incredibly witty comments, but I wanted to do more than just post an album of our Keys trip photos on my Facebook page.  My Facebook friends were always telling my mom how much they enjoyed my posts, so I thought they might enjoy hearing more from me.  And they have!  But I had no idea how much mom, dad and I would enjoy it.  We have met so many wonderful people and creatures all over the world as a result of blogging, and made some great friends.  Blogging gives my mom a much-needed creative outlet, and it gives my whole family a way to laugh at ourselves and relive our adventures -- whether it's last week's hike or a two-week trip to the Keys.  My mom loves to write, and she is an introvert, so blogging has provided her with a connection to other people that she just wouldn't have otherwise.  We have found blogging itself to be addictive.

We made a friend when we were in Key West -- a fireeater -- who always says at the end of his show, "Do something kind for someone every day -- even if it's just making them smile."  

Making people smile is a little thing, but it can mean so much.  Blogging for me is another way to make people smile.

And now for the nomination part.  It's always difficult to nominate others because there are so many wonderful blogs out there.  I could probably think of a hundred to nominate.

Reuben of Floppy Tongue Joy

Casey of The Legacy Chronicles

Sheba of Sheba's Life Story

Echo and Link of Husky's Life (it's really called Vie de Husky but it's translated into English in case you don't speak French)

Norwood of Norwood Unleashed

The Teacher's Pets

Jacobi at The Dog that Doesn't Fetch

Ruby and Bart at Rottrover

Murphy at Murphy's Law

Nola at Dachshund Nola

My mom and I had way too much fun with the Warning Label Generator, which we discovered today.

We also had way too much fun taking photos for today's September photo challenge word - incognito.

This is my lobsterman look
(Friendship Trap Co. makes lobster traps in Friendship, ME)

This is my Blues Brothers look

This is my Tom Cruise Risky Business look

This is my "git-this-darn-thing-offa-me!" look

Inspiring or Perspiring?

June 29, 2012
Richmond, Virginia

Apparently we're doing a bit of both. I, of course, am doing the inspiring.  (Doggies don't perspire, you know.)


As you know, we live in Richmond, Virginia, which is about halfway up the Atlantic Coast of the United States.  Normally our summers are hot, humid, and downright miserable.  When we hike in the summer, it's usually IN the river rather than on our usual trails along the river.  But lately it's been even hotter than usual, setting all kinds of records.  I'm trying to convince the humans that we really need a pool -- and I mean a nice big one with a pool guy or girl who comes along with it who does all the maintenance and plays with me a lot.  Preferably salt water because that's better for dogs than chlorine.  Either that or we should migrate to a more tolerable climate in the summer months.


Since we don't have a pool and the river isn't safe to swim in right now because of the storm which shut down the sewage treatment plant upriver, needless to say, we've been spending a lot of times indoors lately. We are very grateful to have a good puppy cooling system (which humans call air conditioning) in our house, with puppy cooling vents located on the floor of each room.  We're also very grateful we haven't lost power like a lot of people.  I've been spending a lot of time lately lying on the puppy cooling vents.

AC vents are a pup's best friend

When it's this hot (up to 105 degrees F last week, with a heat index of 118 F) (yesterday I think it only went up to 102), we keep ourselves occupied and challenged by practicing old tricks and learning new tricks.  I plan to post some videos of my tricks soon.  


We've also been doing A LOT of blogging lately, and occasionally making the local news with our graffiti.  (See my post Farewell Huguenot Bridge.)

I MADE THE NEWSPAPER

Mom and I have also been very busy with my FIRST EVER Silly Photo Contest, so we're a bit behind on some things, including announcements of recent awards.  But we're trying desperately to catch up . . .


I have been awarded the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Shiloh, Scout, Teddy, and Ash of Dogs N Pawz AND by Jesse of Berner Tails!
  
Thanks so much Shiloh, Scout, Teddy, Ash and Jesse!  


I LOVE awards!  I'm very flattered, and it makes me feel very good to be a source of inspiration to other pups.  It also makes my mom feel good because she does a lot of the work on my blog (with my supervision and direction, of course).  (That's where the perspiring comes in.)


This is the award, which I now proudly display on my sidebar:

There are three rules for this award:  (I seem to detect a pattern here)
(1) Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post.  DONE!
(2) Share 7 things about yourself.
(3) Pass the award on to 15 bloggers you admire.


Okay, so I have to share 7 things about myself.  Hmmmm.


1.  My birthday is August 8, 2007 (so there's still plenty of time to shop for presents).  I will be five years old.  I've been living with my mom and dad since I was 1 and 1/2 years old.


2.  I'm not the complete angel that my photos may lead one to believe.  For example, I am a life-long unrepentant poop-eater.  I will eat the entire kleenex box if mom leaves it on the counter.  I have also been known to chew up books, a salt shaker, kitchen utensils, etc.  Every towel in our house has at least one corner chewed off of it, or a hole chewed in it.  Mom and dad have gotten better about keeping things out of my reach, but they still forget from time to time.


3.  I am the only lab in the history of the world who refuses to jump off a dock.  I LOVE water, of course, but I prefer to wade in, rather than leap.


4.  I used to not really like little dogs, but now I have lots of little dog friends.  (Did you know that little dogs are just like big dogs, only smaller?  And they can keep up with the big dogs on long hikes!  My friend Gauis, a dapple long-haired miniature dachshund, even likes really big sticks too!)


5.  I have a black lab cousin named Sadie and a chocolate lab cousin named Mia.  (see The Best Part of Christmas - Neapolitan Lab)


6.  I have improved my parents' social lives considerably.  Mom and dad are both introverts and would likely be total hermits if they didn't think it was important for me to get out and do things with other dogs and be exposed to all different types of situations.  The great thing is that the people we have met because of my activities are all cool dog people!  We've met some of our favorite humans through hiking, Dog Scouts, therapy dog visits, tricks classes and demonstrations, dog blogging, etc.  My parents have also made great connections with total strangers (see Fire Eating -- and MORE!!!), all because of ME!!!


7.  I'm not much of a barker, but I do make a lot of cute, silly noises.  When I dream, I make this high-pitched whinnying sound, like a horse.  I have perfected the big sigh and pitiful moan, to show my total boredom and exasperation with my humans.  The only time I get really excited is when mom and dad take out the trash, and I jump around and make this excited yipping sound.  And I snore -- boy do I snore!


Now I pass the award on to blogs I admire.  There are so many blogs I admire and that have inspired me, so I'm just going to list a few that I don't think have received this award yet.


floppy tongue joy - Reuben's dogblog (make sure you check out the Disclaimer on this blog)
Reuben is one of the finalists in the 2012 Petties Funniest Blog or Blogger category, so be sure to go to the Petties site and vote for him!


The Dog Who Doesn't Fetch

Gemma's Little Gems

Babka Bars


Bernese Mountain Dogs @ Bertoak

If you don't have time to pass it on, or if you've already received this award, please don't feel obligated to participate.


Don't forget - Friday, June 6 at midnight Eastern Standard Time is the deadline for my FIRST EVER Silly Photo Contest.  We have added some new and exciting prizes, so don't miss out on your chance to win something!

MORE Sunday Sunshine!!!

My new friend Gemma just gave me the Sunshine Award! 

THANK YOU GEMMA

She said she gave it to me because my blog makes her smile! That means I'm accomplishing what I set out to do with my blog, so that makes me very happy. I hope it makes you smile too.

Me, smiling

There are three rules for the Sunshine Award:
1. Answer 7 questions
2. Pass it on to ten people
3. Let them know they received the award


Most of you know my mom as my hiking companion and bumbling IT staff, but there's actually much more to her. So I thought I should give mom & dad a chance to tell you a bit about themselves. This time, they get to answer the questions.


1. What is your favorite number?
Mom: I hate numbers. Words are my thing.
Dad: Eleventy-seven (he insists that really is a number)


2. What is your favorite nonalcoholic beverage?
Mom: James River water (treated), diet Coke
Dad: You mean there ARE non-alcoholic beverages?


3. Facebook or Twitter?
Mom: It's taken me years to figure out Facebook. Please don't make me do Twitter.
Dad: Neither. This new-fangled stuff scares me.


4. What is your passion?
Mom: Garth, Garth's dad, writing, hiking, the ocean, the mountains, the Keys, beading, wire working, making things with polymer clay & other materials
Dad: Garth, Garth's mom, brown polyester

Me on the beach at Hilton Head, South Carolina
November 2009

5. What is your favorite pattern?
Mom: tie-dye
Dad: brown polyester


6. What is your favorite day of the week?
Mom & Dad: Saturday


7. What is your favorite flower?
Mom & Dad: Daffodils
Mom: Columbine, daisies, bachelor's buttons, irises, day lilies, all kinds of orchids

My dad's prize daffodils -- which he secretly planted last fall.
Mom didn't know until they started coming up this spring.

Mom grew this columbine from seed she collected
at dad's grandma's house in Rhode Island,
after his grandma had died.  It blooms every year
and has made lots of baby columbine plants.

Now I have to pass on the award to ten other blogs. This may not quite be ten.  I don't know if I can count that high.  This is the difficult part because there are SO MANY wonderful blogs I enjoy. So I tried to list newer blogs or those with fewer comments and/or followers, to introduce my other friends to them.


Sheba - My Dog Sheba's Life Story
Jesse at Berner Tails
My Girlz Got Paws (Gracie and Schatzie)
Hades the Golden Retriever
Loveable Lilly (& Muffin)
Lincoln the Great Dane
Go With Gus
Jacobi, The Dog Who Doesn't Fetch
Puppy Momma
This may be totally against the rules because this is not a dog, cat, or other creature's blog, and my Sri Lanka fan club may not fully appreciate the honor bestowed upon them, but I'm listing Lanka Log because I think some of my friends may enjoy reading about life as an American living in Sri Lanka -- my mom sure does.



I really enjoy blog awards because I think they are fun and a great way to get to know other bloggers.  However, I know they can be time-consuming and some of us don't have full time staff.  So we understand completely if you don't have the time or inclination to pass on the award.  We won't stop enjoying your blog!

STAY TUNED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT GARTH RILEY'S FIRST EVER SILLY PHOTO CONTEST!  
I will be posting contest info either this evening or tomorrow!

Sunday Sunshine -- I have received the Sunshine Award!

My pal Reuben at Floppy Tongue Joy has bestowed upon me the coveted Sunshine Award.  This award is for spreading sunshine, which is one of my goals in life, so I'm especially honored to receive it.  Thank you Reuben!

The sunshine award button - a beautiful orange 

daisy-like flower with a blue sky in the background

The Sunshine Award has three rules:

(1) Answer 7 questions below
(2) Pass the award on to 10 furends (all that is required is to list the blogs you are giving this award to, but I've written a little bit about each)
(3) Let them know they received the award


I'm not big on following rules, but I'm going to give it a try.


These are the questions:


1. Favorite number?  Zero, as in Mile Marker 0, Key West, Florida, USA -- the most dog-friendly and human-friendly place on the planet

This is me standing at the Southernmost Point in the USA,

in Key West, Florida

2. Favorite non-alcholic beverage?  Number one favorite is hot dog juice, number two is untreated James River water -- which is great for swimming and drinking

Me in the river, with my friend Cisco the sheppie

3. Facebook or Twitter?  My IT staff hasn't figured out Twitter yet, so for now I just do Facebook


4. Your Passion?  MUD, hiking, sticks, grass, tennis balls, eating boxes

This is me pursuing one of my passions -- 

my snout is completely covered with mud

5. Favorite Pattern?  Waves and dunes, although I also like spirals and meanders


6. Favorite Day of the Week?  Friday, after approximately 5:35 p.m., Saturday, and Sunday, because mom and dad are home and relaxed and we get to do fun stuff.  Wednesday is my favorite weekday because every Wednesday, my friend Tim picks me up and takes me and my friend Nicky on an Adventure Walk!

Me and Nicky on one of our weekly Wednesday Walks

Photo by Tim Kondas of Canine Adventure

7. Favorite Flower?  Definitely daffodils, but I also like lilies

Me posing with big bright yellow lilies

You can always tell when I've been sniffing lilies . . .

This is me with yellow stuff on my head from sniffing the lilies

Now I'd like to pass the Sunshine Award on to 10 blogs that also spread sunshine:


Oh, Corbin - Corbin has been blogging for a while, so he may have already received this award, but I simply must give it to him again.  Corbin's recent event, Blogville Pitty Post Day, is the epitome of spreading sunshine.  The blog roll of participants included SEVENTY bloggers, who all blogged about the great things about pitties and pittie-like dogs and the utter ridiculousness of the discrimination they face.


Smile With Your Tail: The Adventures of Two Doodles and a Dane - This blog about the adventures of Daisy Boo, Sampson, and Dante features not only beautiful dogs doing great doggy things, but also excellent photography and wonderful scenery.  They apparently have a very skilled photographer on staff (unlike some of us).


The Legacy Chronicles - because Legacy Boxer Rescue has brought sunshine to lots and lots and lots of boxers.  We think what they do is awesome.  Plus Casey is a great Boxer Ambassador.


Ruled by Paws - Brooke, Cessna, Aspen, Canyon and Rogue spread sunshine to their pawrents and their readers!


The Blogville Chronicle - because Editor in Chief Ruthie is keeping us all informed about everything of any importance.


Finn Howard - because Finn is a golden, and what are goldens but sunshine in the form of a dog?  Finn has been feeling poorly and has an infection of some type, so I'm sending some extra sunshine her way too.


Gopher Sessions - Gopher is another golden, and a therapy dog, at that.  Therapy dogs spread sunshine to people who need it most, and Gopher has been very busy.  In the last 21 months, he has visited 1,789 (!) patients.  Now that's spreading sunshine.


Marley's World - because we enjoy reading about the adventures of Marley, a dachshund who grew up in China but now lives in India. And we simply can't get enough of doxies.


Cheesehounds - Droopy, Smiley, and Kayah - because their photos make us smile!  I love Droopy's ears and am very happy to hear she is all healed from her recent surgery!


Bernese Mountain Dogs @ Berntoak - Fizz (what a GREAT name) is Bernese Mountain Dog blogger, who blogs about life in Kent, where there apparently hasn't been much sunshine lately.  But I think Fizz could bring sunshine to the rainiest of days!


I really enjoy blog awards because I think they are fun and a great way to get to know other bloggers.  However, I know they can be time-consuming and some of us don't have full time staff.  So we understand completely if you don't have the time or inclination to pass on the award.  We won't stop enjoying your blog!




STAY TUNED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT GARTH RILEY'S FIRST EVER SILLY PHOTO CONTEST!
My mom has been working on the prizes!

My Favorite Things, Part Four: Prizes!

I LOVE winning prizes, especially gift baskets and gift bags!  Actually I love gifts of any kind, but I especially love gift baskets/bags because they usually contain MULTIPLE gifts.  I also like winning.  Who doesn't?


I've won lots of prizes because I'm very smart and talented (and not at all modest).  My mom is also something of a Toddlers-and-Tiaras type very encouraging of my endeavors.  Here are some of my favorite prizes that I have received.


Last weekend, I won Flying Squirrels tickets in the Frosty Paws Eating Contest (read about it here) at Furry Friends Jubilee.  I was disappointed to learn that the Flying Squirrels are a baseball team and are not, in fact, actually flying squirrels.  I really wanted to take my girlfriend Willow to see flying squirrels play.

Can I eat it?

I won 3rd Place in the Adventure Animals category in Mango Minster 2012.  This was a HUGE honor -- especially since I tied for 3rd Place with one of my idols, Honey the Great Dane.  My prize was this AWESOME blanket with my name and prize embroidered on it:

I'm so proud

I won the Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shop March Fan Appreciation gift -- Key Lime Dog Treats (who knew there was such a thing as Key Lime dog treats?).  Many thanks to Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shop!  The treats are YUMMY!

Would you PLEASE stop playing with
Instagram and give me a treat?

I won a super gift basket for First Place in the Richmond SPCA trick contest at Stony Point last summer:

I won an awesome gift bag from Three Dog Bakery for Best Trick at the Henrico Humane Society's Bark in the Park last fall:

And mom won me this gift basket in the Holiday Barn Bad Poetry Contest last year for a silly poem she wrote about me:

I smell something GOOD

This is the poem:


"The World According to Garth" 
by Garth's mom

Always in a happy mood,
He believes that everything is food,
There is so much more to nibble,
Than the two daily bowls of kibble!
Towels, phone books, especially shoes,
We're lucky he hasn't found the booze!
Also everything's a toy,
Boxes and paper bring him joy.
When happy, he wiggles all over,
His fur is as white as the cliffs of Dover.
He is quite good at doing tricks,
And he love love loves to munch on sticks.
His favorite thing is river hiking,
Romping with friends is much to his liking.
He loves the James River Park,
And chasing balls in the yard after dark.
He has many a Facebook and puppy bud,
But his most favorite thing is mud!
He can play piano and the drums,
Much to the delight of his grandmums.
He will do anything for treats,
And brings a smile to all he meets.
Yes, he's a show-off and a ham,
He's not afraid to walk across a dam,
But put him on an elevator going up,
And he becomes a scaredy-pup!
He believes the time is never wrong,
To have a peanut butter kong,
And a smelly carcass is good to eat,
He jumps on the bed with muddy feet.
He likes to eat rabbit poop,
And any type of icky goop.
He loves to kiss and cuddle,
When walking he steps in every puddle.
He's a canine good citizen and therapy dog,
Lab-a-muffin and attention hog.
We call him Mr. Puppyman,
Of all the many, I'm his biggest fan.

Liebster Blog Award! Thank you Puppy Momma!

I'm very flattered to have received my second Liebster Blog Award!  I love it when other people enjoy my blog, so getting this award means a lot to me.  I want to thank Puppy Momma for selecting me!

Liebster is supposedly German for "favorite".  (German-speaking readers please correct me if I am wrong.)

As part of receiving the award, now I have to pick my five favorite up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.  This is the difficult part because I have lots of favorites.

Here are the rules:

Rules:

The award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers and deserve recognition. The rules are as follows:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog award presenter(s) on your blog
2. Link back to the blogger (s) who awarded you
3. Give your top 5 picks for the award in a post with a copy of the rules
4. Inform your top 5 by leaving a comment on their blog
5. Post the award on your blog

Here are my picks:

1. Cabana of Ours for a Year.  Cabana is a beautiful 3 year 7 month-old yellow lab girl who smells like Indian food!  She was raised for Guide Dogs for the Blind, but decided she would prefer to be a playing dog than a working dog.  (Can't blame her -- those guide dogs work really hard!)  Cabana's parents are first time puppy parents, and we think they are doing a great job!  Cabana's mom also sells really cool training treat bags (among other things) in her Etsy store.

2. Casey of The Legacy Chronicles.  Casey is a very handsome and sweet 4-year-old rescue boxer, and he is a Legacy Boxer Rescue Boxer Ambassador.  His job is to show the world how awesome boxers can be.  (Now that's a sweet job!)  He specializes in kisses and snuggling.  Casey is only one of the ten contributors to the Legacy Chronicles, but he is the one I know best.  (We have a soft spot for boxers because my mommy's constant companions as a young child were two labs and a sweet old boxer.)

3. River of Down River.  River is a super-cute rescue beagle and cancer survivor who lives with a bunch of other beagles in Georgia.  I bet they can get quite a chorus going!  River is also a contestant in the the Cutest Dog contest on Animal planet.  You can vote for him by going to the Animal Planet Decision 2012 page (here), doing a search for 'River' then clicking on the Five paws on the right.  (We have an extra soft spot for beagles because Grampa Booga had a beagle named Amos who followed him around everywhere -- even to classes at UNC.  One of his professors always called Amos' name when he called roll!  And we have a picture of Grampa and Grandma Gayle in their wedding attire, getting ready to go off on their honeymoon, with Amos in the car with them!)

I think River is the cutest, don't you?

4. Tucker, Daisy, and Leo of Two Goldens and A Wannabe.  Tucker and Daisy are goldens, but Leo is a CAT.  (I know, I can't believe I'm associating in any way with a CAT, but the two goldens kind of cancel out the CAT.)  Tucker is 8 years old, we're not sure about Daisy.  But they're both very cute, and we LOVE goldens.

5. Jesse of Berner Tails.  Jesse is a 7-year old Bernese Mountain Dog whose blog we just discovered when perusing the recently-joined blogs on Dogs With Blogs.  Jesse is clearly my kind of dog -- he likes to go mountain trekking, and he even carries his own pack!!!  It looks like I may have super-stiff competition for the Mango Minster Adventure Animal category next year!

I hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I do!

I am the Frosty Paws Eating Champion!

Yesterday our Dog Scout trick dog team did a tricks demo at the Furry Friends Jubilee. Gauis, Willow, Hero and I were all there. It went well but dad didn't get any good photos because he was trying to be the photographer, roadie, and Garth-holder all at the same time.

After the demo, we wandered around looking at the booths, and a girl came up to us and asked if I wanted to enter the Frosty Paws eating contest. Twist my paw!!!  We said "sure!" and walked over to the contest area. Mom told dad that I probably wouldn't win because I didn't do well in the last Frosty Paws eating contest I entered (okay, so I like to savor my Frosty Paws), but she said I deserved a treat after doing a tricks demo, and that's why we entered.

Well, mom was in for a surprise! I was determined to win this time, so I tried really hard. I didn't even come up for air!!! And I won first place!

Mom says this is a whole new area of potential prizes for me. (Previously I've only won tricks contests, raffles and random drawings.) She is of course very excited at the prospect of more prizes.

And the prize was pretty sweet! A 4-pack of tickets to a Flying Squirrels baseball game and a gift certificate for an emergency exam at VESC. Too bad my mom is the only person on the planet who doesn't like baseball. So I'm giving the tickets to Willow's mommy because Willow's mommy really wants to see the Flying Squirrels.

Note the concentration

I'm definitely in the zone

My technique has clearly improved

This takes great skill and talent

Best Daffodil Planters Award!

Based upon the spectacular blooms of our surprise daffodils, Dad and I just won the coveted BEST DAFFODIL PLANTERS Award!

The coveted Best Daffodil Planters Award!!!

This event is unprecedented -- this is the first time EVER that this award has been bestowed upon first-time daffodil planters!!!!

Dad and me posing with our award

Although I supervised and was the brains behind the effort, and dad only provided the manual labor, we plan to split the prize money 50-50.

Special thanks to Todd for lending dad the bulb-sized drill bit!