That Dog Dancing Guy ~ New Blogger Alert

Today we're glad to introduce you to Kevin of That Dog Dancing Guy.

One of Kevin’s earliest memories is the car ride home with his families new puppy when he was about three years old; and his love of dogs hasn't wavered since. Growing up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and being gay wasn't always easy, so his childhood dogs Tina (a Fox Terrier cross), Bonnie and Soxy (brother and sister Shih Tzu crossed Maltese) were the closest he had to real companionship.

After moving out of home at the age of 19, the next few years were always a case of ‘once I get settled I’ll be able to get a dog’ and that time finally came in 2011. Kevin began blogging Luna’s life (Luna, A Dog’s Life) which led him to his current role at The Lost Dogs’ Home, one of Australia's largest animal welfare organisations. A chance meeting with a breeder led to a Border Collie, Cynder, joining the family as an 8 week old puppy and Kevin couldn't have been happier. Whilst Luna was a great advocate for the Beagle breed, she still had her own agenda in mind and little Cynder was from a great line with a desire to work. Their bond has developed strongly and will continue to grow as their journey together progresses.

After losing his blogging mojo for a while Kevin is back with "That Dog Dancing Guy" a blog focusing on the sport of dog dancing, and teaching your pets some dancing moves in Dog Dancing Basics 101, as well as exploring the world of pet ownership, training and animal welfare. Making the shift to "That Dog Dancing Guy" has really reignited Kevin's love for blogging and sharing his world down under with his friends, family and everyone else who stops by for a visit!

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Lassiter Chase & Benjamin the Shelties ~ Featured Blogger

Hi there! Our names are Lassiter Chase and Benjamin Gilligan the Shelties. We are both boys! Our nicknames are Lass-C and Ben-G (otherwise written as Lassie and Benji.) I will be 4 in December and Benji just turned 1 in August.

I (Lassiter Chase) am the voice of my blog.

I picked four blog posts as my favorites to share with you!

1. I started my blog a little over a year ago (May 2011) when I signed up to participate in Honey’s Dancing with the Doggie Stars Dance Contest on the blog. One day, Mommy decided to look up dogs and dancing on a random YouTube search and found Big Honey Dog’s videos. I saw the link to Honey’s blog on the dance video, and got hooked on Blogging immediately. It must have been fate, because shortly after Mommy and I started reading Honey’s blog, Honey announced she was having a Dance Contest on the Blog. I told Mommy to help me create my own blog during the contest and the rest is history!
Cha Cha (Doggy) Slide

2. I did a little Halloween card trick video that I am super proud of. See, Mommy was eating all the “Trick or Treat” candy that she bought to hand out to the kids for Halloween, so we needed a Plan B in case she ran out of candy. Hope you enjoy our card trick!
Trick or Treat Card Trick

3. We entered the Mango Minster Blog Contest in January 2012. I am Head of House since I’m the eldest male in the house and one of the biggest projects that I handled was supervising a new roof be put on our house. We wrote all about it in our “Working Stiffs” entry.
Working Stiffs--Our Entry in Mango's Contest

4. And finally, we put together a slideshow of pictures from the Blogville Olympics games we participated in over the Summer. The slideshow captures some of our finest moments and some of our not-so-finest moments (including us wearing flower leis and looking like girls!!!)
Our Blogville Olympics Recap Photo Slideshow

We hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about us!

If you want, stop by our blog at Lassiter Chase & Benjamin The Shelties. .

Thanks to Oskar and Pam at Pet Blogs United for all the work they do in keeping all us Pet Bloggers informed and connected! You guys are pawsome!!!!

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Music My Pet ~ CD Giveaway

Today, Tom Nazziola of Music my Pet has a great guest post & giveaway for your anxious pet.

For over 10 years I served as one of the principal performers for Disney’s award-winning Baby Einstein CDs and DVDs – an educational series designed to enlighten and entertain children of all ages. I've always been fascinated by the effects of music on people and was curious as to how classical music (in particular) affects pets – especially those that suffer from anxiety. Many studies have shown that pets respond favorably to classical music under stress-inducing situations and often slip into a very serene and peaceful state of mind after only a few minutes of listening; However, I've discovered it is important to use music that maintains a soothing dynamic from start to finish, which is NOT the case with most “off-the-shelf” classical music.

The result of both the research and a very careful selection process (with regard to music) is a series of three CDs by Music My Pet. The first release, “Classic Cuts” features classical music of some of the greatest composers in music history (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin and more). “Classic Cuts” is designed to calm pets in a variety of situations (e.g. when a pet’s owner leaves the house, thunder, sirens, loud noises, new surroundings, etc.). As a follow-up to Classic Cuts, pets and pet owners will enjoy our latest title – Mellow Melodies, which explores additional composers (Mozart, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, others) utilizing the same soothing approach as Classic Cuts. All selections on both titles have been re-orchestrated using the sounds, chords and harmonies that soothe common pets – and their owners!

As a suggestion, play Music My Pet whenever a situation arises that may cause your pet to become stressed. For best results, listen at a relatively low volume and select the “continuous play ” or “random play” button on your CD player (or MP3 player) - this will effectively repeat the program until you wish to manually stop the music.

As a companion to both “Classic Cuts” and “Mellow Melodies”, you may also enjoy our “Holiday Treats” CD during the winter months. “Holiday Treats” celebrates the season with timeless melodies, classically arranged with all of the sounds, chords and harmonies proven to help calm anxious pets (and their owners). So grab a cup of hot cocoa, curl up with your pet and relax to the soothing seasonal melodies you know and love.

One lucky Pet Blogs United winner will win a copy of both Classic Cuts and Mellow Melodies.  To enter leave me a comment telling me what makes your pet anxious.

This contest is open to USA only due to shipping costs.  Contest ends Monday, April 15th at midnight EST.  Good luck!

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All About Max ~ New Blogger Alert

All About Max came into existence all because of one little, long-legged, big brown-eyed, little Chihuahua mix that I almost didn't get!!! Now, I just can’t even IMAGINE life before Max!! The story of this brave, 9.6 pound little guy and his Superhero Human Rescue buddies can be found on a separate page tab within his blog on his 1st adoption birthday on February 16th, 2013. You can learn about him being in a MAXium security lock-up facility in California, how he was granted a “Stay of Execution” and ultimate release from “the joint” and how he flew to Texas and ended up here in my lap as we speak!

Max has a rather bizarre sense of humor and is quite the pup of leisure. He keeps insistingthat he should be featured on Lifestyles of The Rich And Famous because Max has THREE homes! Allow Max to take over the keyboard and explain:

Summer Cottage in Maine: The 2-story house that my Auntie, Uncle and my Grandpa (who sometimes gets confused and calls me Harold…but he’s a cool dude so I let him), live at ALL the time. I have to talk real loud to Grandpa! He has an electric blanket that he shares with me cuz I’m his favorite Grandpup! Auntie laughs a lot and sends me special dog communications so I’ll jump on her lap. Uncle sneaks me culinary delights when Ma isn’t looking! Me and Ma go to the Summer Cottage in Maine a couple nights a week right after Ma comes home from work and then again for at least one of the weekend days. She says it’s cuz Auntie needs a little break cuz Grandpa needs 24/7 care and cuz Grandpa’s fun to visit…I’m pretty sure it’s REALLY because they all want to hang out with me!! Ma laughs about it being the “Summer Cottage in Maine” and I’ve heard her call it her sister’s house and say it’s in Houston but I think she just doesn’t want to make other people jealous that I have three houses!

Big Sister’s Apartment: This is ANOTHER one of my homes!! My Big Sis and her (blush) gorgeous roommate Chloe (aka Beans) live there fulltime. I’m thinking seriously of asking Beans to be my Valentine – she’s just a 4-legged vision (stars in his eyes)! Sis comes over to my other 2 houses sometimes too! Sis does that weird (don’t tell her I said that) thing called “work” (Ma does it too!!) – maybe they just aren't as adorable and fortunate as me and Beans!! Work is a four letter word isn't it?

My Main House: Pretty sure this is called the Sleeping Headquarters. Have a couple of human-sized beds and stuff but you’ll read about that and my bodyguard, Thunder Kitty on my blog.

Thanks for reading about me guys!!! Welcome!! Oh, Ma says thanks too!!!

Stop by All About Max today & give him a warm welcome!

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Some of the Most Popular Pets in the UK ~ Guest Post

Everyone enjoys the presence of animals. They can provide a welcome distraction from the rigors of our day-to-day lives, be a best friend to our children and they can even help lower our blood pressure and reduce stress. Although many of us think of "man's best friend" as topping the list of the United Kingdom's most popular pets, there are many other animals that are also just as sought after, and the results may be a bit surprising. Let us have a look at some of the most desirable pets.

Fish
Surprisingly, fish are the most popular pet in the United Kingdom. This is due to the relative ease of maintaining and caring for a fish. In fact, the country has nearly 40 million kept as pets. This may sound like a rather large number but it should be noted that fish can be kept both indoors and outdoors, thus contributing to their large number.

Cats
These feline companions come in a distant second place to fish; "only" around 8.6 million cats can be found in UK homes. This may be partly due to the fact that the United Kingdom was the first country to successfully domesticate cats thousands of years ago. Since that time, these creatures have been popular in countless households and even have their own cat insurance plans.

Dogs
The relationship between man and dog can be traced back over ten thousand years. Wolves that were curious for food eventually became accustomed to their human counterparts and through centuries of domestication, they truly have become man's best friend. There are presently just over 8 million dogs owned by UK residents and their sizes range anywhere from tiny miniature poodles to Great Danes. As these animals are so dear to their owners' hearts, it is no wonder that most owners prefer some form of dog insurance to protect against any unfortunate incidents which may occur.

Rabbits
It was actually the Romans who first introduced the idea of having domestic rabbits as pets. Although inherently wild by nature, many rabbits can provide affection and enjoyment to their owners, not to mention that these furry animals are extremely cute. Birds Although the bane of many a household feline, birds have proven to be another extremely popular pet. The most common are parrots and parakeets although more exotic species are known to be kept at home.

Guinea Pigs
These tiny creatures were actually brought back to mainland Europe when Spanish soldiers returned home after conquering the Inca of South America. Since these times, guinea pigs have become popular for those who want a cute and easy to maintain pet. While they may be an interesting addition to any household, cats and dogs may not necessarily agree.

Fowl
Whether domestic or feral, ducks and other waterborne birds are also surprisingly common in the United Kingdom. Although these animals are rarely found indoors, they can make a welcome addition to any backyard pond and have been known to remain at the same location for their entire lives.

So, we have seen some surprising examples of popular pets within the United Kingdom. Whether one chooses to casually watch a flock of geese frolicking in their back pond or instead prefers the rough-and-tumble love of a golden retriever, these animals have become an indelible part of our lives.

*This is a sponsored guest post

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A Husky's Life ~ Featured Blogger

Echo & Link

Today we get to introduce you Echo & Link, two husky brothers from France!

Echo

Hi everypawdy, we are so happy to be featured on PBU!!  Let me introduce myself. My name is Echo and I'm a 3 years old rescued husky cross. I found my forever family on September 2011 and we did so many things together since, like hiking, meeting new doggies friends, some obedience and we started dancing too !

Link

I live in France with my 2 humans and my adoptive brother Link. Link is 6 years old and he is a husky cross too. He is my best friend on earth. He joined our family in January 2012 (he is a foster fail ^^)

We really love playing together. My favorite games are « bitey face » and « play fight » but I like running games too. But I hate chasing a ball or a stick, if the humans wants it, they can go get it themselves!!

I am a very sociable doggy and I love making new friends. Link is a bit shy and he doesn't like meeting strangers so my human and I usually go by ourselves for big walks and dogs meetings.

Link on a walk

Link is doing a lot of clicker training with our human because he wasn't very happy with his previous family and he was afraid of a lot of thing when he arrived in our family. He’s been doing great progress and he’s not afraid of cars, stick, or large humans anymore but he still fears other male doggies (especially big and black ones) but we are confident we will be joining us for « pack walk » soon.

Meeting some new friends

We started blogging in march 2012, first in French, then in English, as we made many foreign friends. Our human just loves tacking pictures of us so she taught maybe some other people or four leggers would like our photos and read about our adventures too. And we just love making new friends :-D

Here's a link to our favorite posts :
How we entered our humans' lives
Once upon a time... a walk with my very best friends
Flashback Sunday - Reunion with my brother

Link is just getting over a hurt paw, so stop by A Husky's Life & say bonjour to the brothers!

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Jack The Christmas Collie Book Review & Giveaway

The Once and Future Collie

I've had Collies all my life. Like millions of people around the world I fell in love with the movies and stories about Lassie and those wonderful old Collie stories by Albert Payson Terhune and his Sunnybank Collies. Who wouldn't like a beautiful, loyal, smart, gentle and protective companion like a Collie? Our family’s first Collie was Macintosh. He was a free spirit. We lived in a rural part of the county and my father was a school teacher quite a ways away so living in the country, having a Collie for protection and a watchdog made total sense. Later in my teen years we had Lad. Currently we have a tri-color aptly named Captain Jack Sparrow. He is a true pirate at heart. I can easily say he has less manners and is the most mischievous Collie I've ever met. He has been known to steal an entire stack of large tortillas right before everyone sits down for Taco Tuesdays dinner! We've been through numerous remote controls; crunched and smashed beyond repair and one very nice digital camera!

Jack came from a very good breeder and was guaranteed to be healthy, but unfortunately when he was less than a year old we began to notice a problem. When we brought Jack home as a Christmas present for our three young children we thought we were creating this idyllic perfect family environment with the perfect pet and a perfect outcome. Without spoiling the story, that was far from the case. Jack has been through a lot, but he has had a funny, frustrating and blessed effect on the whole family. As Jack’s young life and story began to take shape it suddenly hit me one day that we were living in the middle of an intriguing story – a true story and I thought, I should write this story and let people know about Jack’s condition and how we dealt with it. Some animals are much worse off, but even so, Jack had an issue that often causes many owners to simply euthanize the animal. We saw it differently. As with any story, the ending is never really the ending. Four years later I am working on a second edition: Jack: The Christmas Collie – A New Beginning, scheduled to be out Summer of 2013 in hardcover, paperback, Kindle and soon after in audio-book format. Come follow the fun and adventures of Jack and his friends on his Facebook page, even get some writing tips on how to begin thinking about putting words on paper and telling your dog’s story.

Kevin Brett

In my own humble way, I have tried to begin to put out some new Collie stories since we no longer have Albert Payson Terhune or Eric Knight, the creator of Lassie. We have not really had new material or stories for decades when it comes to Collies and those old classics. As our family began to experience Jack’s story, it occurred to me that it was time to put some words on paper and do something about that. I hope also, through Jack’s story and sharing some of the writing tips that I think can help almost anyone start shaping their story, that maybe we can bring back the popularity of those romantic old Collie stories of old and maybe help a new generation of readers appreciate what many of us were able to experience during our formative years. It’s time for a new generation to discover the magic of the Collie! Thanks!

We absolutely love this book & fell in love with Jack!  It's a great story to add to your collection any time of the year.

I have two copies to give away to 2 lucky readers.  Unfortunately I'm only able to send them inside the US due to shipping costs.

Please leave a comment on this post telling me why you would love to win a copy of Jack The Christmas Collie.

Contest ends Tuesday, April 9th at midnight EST.  Please leave your e-mail address in the comments, so I can contact you if you win.  To avoid spammers you can leave it in this format: PBU at comcast dot net.

Good Luck!

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