Boulder Dog

This weeks Fab Four is actually Five. When dogs, travel, and food are on my mind (When aren’t they?) I turn to this weeks’ Fab Five. All of this weeks bloggers post often and regularly. I’m still trying to find my blog posting rhythm, so I know it’s a challenge to post nearly every day or more. Visit these blogs often. You won’t be disappointed.

Let’s begin with Amy and Rod Burkert, the talent behind GoPetFriendly.com and their companion blog, Take Paws.

Rod, Ty, Amy, Buster

Amy and Rod hit the road with their two fearful dogs, Ty and Buster, in 2009 after encountering frustrations in trying to plan a trip with their dogs. Now they’re leading the way for all of us as they travel throughout the United States and Canada. Want to know the most pet friendly cities? Go here, here, and here. Need tips for traveling with a fearful dog? Read this. If not for GoPetFriendly.com I wouldn’t have ever considered taking Sadie, my fearful dog, on a road trip. When the weather cools down, Sadie and I just might hit the road thanks to Amy, Rod, Ty and Buster. Follow this great team on Twitter @gopetfriendly and @rodburkert. Check them out on Facebook here. 

Next up, Dog Jaunt: Traveling with a small dog. I met Mary-Alice Pomputius and Chole,

Baby Chloe

 her beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, at the first BlogPaws conference in Columbus, Ohio last April, and have since fallen in love with her blog. I’ll tell you about some posts in moment, but first–Dog Jaunt’s “pages” and “categories” rock. They are so well-organized and user-friendly. Just for fun go to Dog Jaunt and take a scroll through the right side-bar. Mary-Alice really does her homework! How about public transit pet policies in major US cities and London and Paris? Go here. If you are like me, you don’t think there are dog-friendly restaurants in the United States. Click here, and think again. Wondering how much room there is under the airplane seat for your small dog carrier? Click here. In the fall, Mary-Alice and her husband are taking Chloe to Paris. Read all about the preparations here and here. I can’t wait to hear what Chloe thinks of the City of (Puppy) Love, where dogs are welcome in many more establishments than the US–at least they were the last time I was there. Don’t forget to follow @dogjaunt on Twitter.

Shauna is the author of Fido and Wino: A blog about dogs and wine and other happy, messy things.

Shauna and Miss Kayloo

She has two dogs, Mikey ‘Chiuahua x’ and Kayloo a ‘pure bred mutt.’ Here’s Shauna in her own quirky, charming words: 

I decided on the name “Fido & Wino” because I love both (but not in a weird or alcoholic way). I could have just as easily called the blog Jeans & Beans or Berries & Fairies, but I like words that end in “o.” And Jeans & Beans sounds really stupid.

What I really want to tell you about Shauna is this: In April of this year she launched R.O.A.R. Squad: Rescue Owners Are Rockin’. Her goal is to make rescuing animals THE hippest thing you can do. She’s created a massive space on her blog for people from every state in the U.S. and every Canadian province and territory who have adopted animals from shelters. Click here, then scroll down to “Canada” and the “United States” and find pictures and bios of the R.O.A.R. Squad. For example, here’s Sarah and Zoe from Colorado. Aren’t they beautiful?  Read her inaugural R.O.A.R. Squad blog post here. And, if you are the proud adopter of an animal from a shelter, Shauna wants you to be a member of the R.O.A.R Squad. Click here to find out to how to join. Catch up with Shauna on Twitter and Facebook.

Will My Dog Hate Me: A guilt free zone for good dog owners, is Edie Jarolim’s witty, smart blog about life with her dog,

Edie and Frankie

Frankie and much more. I knew Edie before I met her at BlogPaws. We had connected via Twitter and our blogs. She’s even funnier and more charming in person. That said, Edie is also a direct, clear, and engaging blogger. No topic is off limits. She’s tackles everything from puppy mills to calming your dog with music. Every Tuesday you can read about her adventures in training Frankie in a series called “Training Tuesday.” Click here and here for two recent posts. If it’s Sunday, it must be “Friday Focus.” Every Sunday Edie poses a question or conundrum and asks for your input. Then she posts the results of your comments and her research on the following Friday, thus, “Friday Focus.” For example, last Sunday she asked about switching your dog’s diet: “What am I missing? Why can’t you vary your dog’s diet — so long as you keep it healthy?” Find out the answer in today’s post here. And, be sure to read the comments. Lot’s of people follow Edie’s blog and the discussions in the comments are often quite enlightening. Follow Edie on Twitter @willmydoghateme and on Facebook.

Champion of My Heart: A blog where everything is a work in progress, is written by RoxanneHawn.

Roxanne and Lilly

The champion of Roxanne’s heart is Lilly, her fearful Border Collie. I knew Roxanne in person before I met her on Twitter. We share, and adore, the same dog trainer, Gigi Moss, and attended some of the same classes. Roxanne has cultivated a close relationship with her devoted readers. She never lets them down. If she’s too fried to write (Aren’t we all sometimes?) she takes the time to post pictures, like these. Mostly Roxanne writes about her trials and triumphs with Lilly, and spins compelling stories out of everyday life with her dogs. A few of my personal favorites: the clueless FedEx guy, reckless mountain bikers, rattlesnake bites and near misses. I shutter just writing the word—rattlesnake. In additon to writing her own heartfelt blog, Roxanne also writes a blog at K9Cusine.com called Dog Food Dish. How good, or not, is the food you feed your dog? Roxanne tackled that question by subjecting the food she feeds to Lilly and Ginko to K9Cusine.com’s dog food rating tool. You can read the bad and good news here. Follow Roxanne on Twitter @roxannehawn and on Facebook.

That’s it for this Friday. Enjoy these outstanding blogs and I’ll see you next week with another Fab 4.

Tags: Amy Burkert, BlogPaws 2010, Dog Jaunt, Edie Jarolim, Fido and Wino, Friday Focus, Go Pet Friendly, Mary-Alice Pomputius, R.O.A.R. Squad, Rod Burkert, Shauna, Take Paws, Training Tuesday, Will My Dog Hate Me