All Things Dog Blog Highlights Adoptable Pets

by Tanner

Adoptable pet preview on All Things Dog Blog today is visiting Arkansas. Every week it's a different state. Can you guess which state is next?


Be sure to visit Petfinder.com if you're looking for something different. We're sure to have the complete assortment there!

It's a Dog's Life: 10 Things about Oliver

by Oliver

(c) Carrie Boyko
ZZZZZ....Don't Bother Me Now

Hi! Oliver here. It's finally my turn to tell you about me. Strap on your seatbelt. I have quite a story:

1. I'm a puppy store pup. Yup! But there's more to the story. I came in very sick and they were going to send me back to the breeder. The nice breeder decided I might not make the trip back without a doctor to look after me, so she gave me to the store. She told them they had to adopt me out to a loving family. Toni, my girl, adopted me as soon as I got well. She says she's a sucker for a Pap face! I had to stay in the "hospital" for about a week to take medicine and get plenty of sleep. Doc took good care of me and here I am...good as new.
2. I'm a Papillon. That means butterfly in French. My ears look sorta like butterflies.
3. My grandmom fell in love with me too. Soon afterwards we adopted me a cousin to live with her. His name is Jacque. We love to play together.
4. My boy, Brent, says I can be defined by the statement "Where is my mom". He's sorta a tease, and I think he's picking on me because I like to be by my mom all the time. What's wrong with that?
5. I weigh 9 1/2 pounds; they classify me as a toy-sized dog. I'm not a toy, though; I'm a real dog. Some would say I'm little, but I go to the big dog park with my packmates, Xena and Tanner, all the time. I play with Marmaduke the Great Dane, Sherman the English Mastiff, and all the other big dogs too. So, I ask you, what's the big deal if I'm sorta big-challenged?
6. I love to take walks, bike runs, dog park visits, meet new people, play with Jacque and Gram, and keep track of my family's coming and going. I'm in charge of keeping tabs on who is home and who is out.
7. Right now I'm a little confused about that. One of my boys works in Virginia. Another one works in Thailand. My girl is away at college. So that just leaves me with mom and dad--they're easy.
8. My proudest moment was when I earned my CGC, before Tanner. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!  Sorry, I couldn't help it.
9. Tanner is jealous of me for getting my CGC first. When we arrived to take the test, it had just rained, and about a hundred ducks landed on the lakefront. Retriever + Ducks =  Big Trouble. Sorry Tanner!
10. The feather in my cap is that I was the first 'cover dog' for All Things Dog Blog. That's my Mom's blog, where she writes about happy dogs and happy families. 

I'm exhausted now. Naptime! Catch ya another time?

It's a Dog's Life: 10 Things about Xena

by Xena

© Carrie Boyko
Xena Savors her Treats

I know. We just finished telling you that we're not planning to get too organized. After we hit the publish button on the last post, we had a staff meeting: me, Tanner and Oliver--the little guy. The three of us decided that we should probably tell you a little about each of us. We gonna write our own, so don't expect anything too much like a profile. Tanner's will probably talk about his fetch toys! Here goes:


10 Things About Xena:

• I am 1 of a litter of 8 puppies from a Golden Retriever momma who had a oopsie with a Lab/Chow daddy. I was adopted at a "Rescue Day" at a local pet superstore.
• They call me a senior citizen because I'm old. I was born in 1996. You do the math.
• Just because I am old doesn't mean I don't still like to have fun. My favorite activities are tossing dad's socks in the air, taking a car ride, going on a walk, and napping. 
• When I was first adopted, the lady at the agency gave me a bandanna. My mom put it on me and after a few days it fell off. I picked it up and brought it to mom to put back on. I almost always wear a bandanna. I love them!
• My first friend's name was Deke, a handsome Rottweiler. 
• My girl, Toni, helped pick me out and myy boy, Brent, named me. My official name is Xena--Warrior Princess.
• I savor my treats and chewy strips. Sometimes I hide them for later and Mom finds them in funny places, like under her pillow.
• When I was about 2, I adopted a kitten named Patches. She and I played tag and hide and seek a lot. Now we're both getting on in years, and we're more into napping. She hunts down the sunny spots near windows and I like the cool tile.
• I met one of my sisters at the dog park once, when we were about 12. It was cool...sorta like looking in the mirror. There is something magical about sharing the same birthday with someone. Don't you think so?
• I loved helping to raise my 3 kids. It was my job to make sure they got their exercise. We biked and walked and went swimming together. Mom and Dad and I walked a lot too. It's been a great life.

Help with Adoptions; Here's the Straight Scoop

by Xena

(c) Carrie Boyko
Find Your Loving Home too!

Let's face it. There's really only one important thing to making a pet adoption work. It's very simple: Love us!


Over at All Things Dog Blog Mom is turning this topic into a major thing. She makes a lot of great points, but it still comes down to love. If you really love your dog, you'll do whatever it takes to care for her, right?


I was adopted at a rescue day at one of those big pet superstores. It was really noisy and everyone was very excited. I had 7 brothers and sisters. We all got homes that day, so it ended well.


Later, I got to meet one of my sisters at the dog park one day when we were about 12. How cool is that? It was like looking in the mirror--sorta spooky!


Anyway, if you need some help making sure your own adoption goes well, my mom can help with her tips. She'll be glad to answer your questions too. Just leave your question in the comment box and she'll get back to you. Good luck with your pup.

Woo Who...A Rescue Dog?

by Oliver

Mom's RESCUING ROVER column is back again at All Things Dog Blog, with a story from a lady in the Netherlands. We're getting pretty international over here, with readers visiting from more than a dozen countries now. 


This nice lady, Niki, rescued a little dog named Allie Woo Woo--funny, huh?!


Some folks say my name is funny because it isn't cutesy enough. But that's the way Toni wanted to name me. Mom liked silly names like Furbie and Gizmo, but Toni was having none of that.


Personally, I don't care what my name is as long as they don't forget to call me when dinner is ready. I have my priorities. 


Hope you enjoy Allie Woo Woo's story. It made me well up, and I have a hard time admitting stuff like that. It's a guy thing.

A Proud Project for Us Rescue Dogs

by Xena

I'm proud to say that I'm a rescue dog, and a mixed breed too. My momma was a Golden Retriever and my daddy was a Lab/Chow. I'm a fluffy, black Retriever-looking dog; some folks say I looked like a Flat-Coated Retriever in my younger days. Now I'm a senior citizen, and that's probly why I'm a little off track here--senior moment; sorry!


I really wanted to tell you that there's a cool lady named Annamarie in South Carolina who is painting the portraits of rescued dogs from all over the country. As she paints them, she publishes their stories, along with their paintings, on her blog at Dogs for the PAWS. She tells everyone to be sure to bring their Kleenex when they visit. LOL


My mom got to interview her for her Rescuing Rover series. You can read it over at All Things Dog Blog. Best of all, there are lots of photos of the paintings. Wow! This lady is a great painter. I bet she could paint me like a princess. Oh wait....I am a princess already: Xena, Warrior-Princess. Got it covered!