It’s #FollowFriday on Twitter and I’m sweating it out, literally and figuratively, here in San Antonio (visiting Ira’s family and friends).
I have three problems. One is that there is no wifi where I’m staying, so hopping on and off the net is impossible. That makes Tweeting and playing on FB very frustrating. Two, since I’ve been blogging I’ve discovered so many awesome dog (and pet) Tweeps and bloggers to recommend to you that I don’t feel I’m doing them justice with with a mere “@” and “#” on Follow Friday. And, three, my dance card is full. You know how it is on visits like this. It’s brunch with Kathy and Stanley, afternoon coffee with old school friends you haven’t seen in years, dinner with Mom, and so on. It’s all great fun but time consuming.
So here’s my solution to all my problems. Right now, while I have a moment, I’m going to tell you about 4 fabulous Tweeps and bloggers to #FollowFriday. Next Friday, and every Friday going forward, I’ll share 4 more.
First up is Kim Clune. She writes the heartfelt blog This One Wild Life which is dedicated to fostering and adopting senior dogs. You can find Kim on Twitter @KimClune and @ThisOneWildLife. Recently she wrote a beautiful four-part series about Georgia, a senior mixed breed dog displaced by Katrina. You can read “Georgia, Forever On our Minds” in four parts, here, here, here, and here.
And, Kim recently posted this very funny video of a dog who uses his newly carpeted stairs as a back scratcher and massager rolled into one on This One Wild Life’s Facebook page.
Next I want to shout out to Sharon Castellanos, the author of Cleo’s Day. Sharon adopted Cleo as an adult. Cleo is aka as @GrouchyPuppy on Twitter and is the muse behind the blog. Isn’t her picture sweet?
Cleo is a sweetie
I met Sharon at Blog Paws in Columbus (April, 2010) and I’ve been keeping up with her ever since. One of the things that’s so appealing about Cleo’s Day is its variety. Sharon posts lots of pictures, writes book reviews then offers the books for giveaways, and she expands the reach of her blog by inviting guest bloggers. I was honored to blog a 2-part series on separation anxiety in May. Earlier this week guest blogger, Maggie Marton, wrote a very informative post, “Why BSL Fails Our Dogs.” And, you can find Grouchy Puppy on Facebook here.
On Dancing Dog Blog, Mary Haight writes smartly about current issues in the dog and cat world. If it’s news, Mary’s on it. Recently she wrote a terrific post entitled “Giving Pet Shops and Puppy Mills the Boot.” One of my favorite categories on her blog is Foreign Report. Click here to read about pet news from around the world. I especially enjoyed “Pets Are Part of the Family: Going Global.”
This beautiful photo is from her good-news post “Abused Dogs Get a Break: There’s a ‘New Sheriff’ in Town.” You can also find Mary on Twitter @dancingdogblog – but I couldn’t find her on Facebook 🙁 Please someone help if you know how to find Mary or Dancing Dog Blog on Facebook!
Last, but by no means least I want to point you to Smart Dog University, a blog (and much more) by positive dog trainer extraordinaire, Laurie Luck. Among all that she does for dogs, Laurie trains and socializes puppies who will later in life become service dogs. Her most recent pup, now a young man, is Talos. I fell in love with Talos by following Laurie on Twitter (@smartdogu). She generously posted pictures of the Great Dane
Talos, I love you!
that turned my heart to mush. I LOVE Talos. Laurie also wrote often about their exploits and most recently about how difficult is it to “give him up” as he moves on to become working dog. I cried right along with Laurie. Here are some of her recent posts about Talos, “Glass Half-Full,” “Talos Turn In,” and “Keepin’ it Light.” You can find Laurie and Smart Dog University on Facebook here.
Whew! That’s this weeks fabulous four! I hope enjoy. I’m off to lunch with Ira and Leslie. Happy #followfriday.
Deborah,
Thank you for mentioning This One Wild Life among the best of company. The response to my Adopt a Senior Dog Series has been tremendous, with over 60 committed readers daily and plenty of sharing across the web. With such difficult subject matter, I’m incredibly grateful. Older dogs need the attention, for sure. By the way, part 5 will go live tonight (after YouTube processes the video it contains).
Thanks again, and I wish you happy surfing again soon!
Kim
Kim, that’s great news! It’s a beautiful series. I’m looking forward to the video.
Those are great FF’s. We are amazed at the number of well written blogs out there.
That’s the truth!! So am I. I love it.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Deborah Flick, Rod Burkert. Rod Burkert said: Reading: Fabulous Friday Four http://bit.ly/aqkroz [via @BoulderDog1] […]
Wow, my sincere thanks to you Deborah for including me in your inaugural Follow Friday Fab Four series, and for the wonderful opportunity to see what people’s blogs are all about in a format more meaningful, more revealing than is possible in 140 characters! You’ll be my first stop every Friday now – what a generous gift! *Thank* you:)
You are welcome!
[…] This post was Twitted by dancingdogblog […]
Thanks so much for including us in your FabFour! This was an especially tough time for me as it was Talos’ turn-in weekend. I am/was a mess at having to let the big Dane go back to the service dog organization. He’ll do great things, I’m sure. But at the moment I’m a bit worried about my state-of-mind! It’s more than a little heartbreaking for me and I’m taking it a lot harder than I envisioned. So it’s especially nice to see his big mug on your blog. Thanks again – it means a lot, especially right now for me. 😉
Oh Laurie. I can only imagine what a huge loss you are feeling. I fell in love with Talos just from his pictures and your stories, so his “graduating,” in a manner of speaking, must surely have left a huge hole in your home and life. I totally get that. You did a great service by training him and loving him, surely he will do great things. I’m delighted that seeing him in my blog warmed your heart. I really do love your blog and the work you do.
I’m so grateful you included Cleo and I in your first Fab Four! We enjoy sharing all of her antics and issues especially if they encourage people to adopt not buy and to adopt adult large breed dogs. She’s such an amazing example of wonderful truths like unconditional love, forgiveness and the value of living in the moment.
We look forward to having you return as a guest blogger and we hope others will want to join in our Grouchy Puppy community of fellow pet lovers.
Thanks for sharing some great blogs to follow! I follow 3 of the 4, but hadn’t heard about Smart Dog University. Will be checking that out!