Pet Blogger Challenge

The very first picture I posted on this blog: Times Square at Night

I warned you with the badge! Because I thought it would be fun, I'm participating in the Third Annual Pet Blogger Challenge. What does that mean? Well, it means I needed to answer the following questions:

1. When did you begin your blog?
February 2008 (how can it be possible that it was almost 5 years ago?!?) Here's the very first post: The Inspiration

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?
To share pictures and thoughts about our first trip to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show..and whatever else struck my fancy. My secret original purpose? To have a different kind of outlet for my writing.

3. Is your current purpose the same?
Yes and no...since I didn't really know where it would go even then, it's a little hard to say whether I'm getting there!

If not, what’s different?
I've become more accustomed to the blogging world. Others inspire me to try different approaches/tackle different ideas...

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?
It's definitely been a good outlet for both my photography and my writing...when I blog.

4. How often do you post?
Well now, that all depends on what all's going on. I've done daily, and I've gone months without it. Even though right now my life/schedule is perhaps at an all time high level of wacky, I'm trying to post daily because it's making me happy.

5. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?
As the spirit moves me (but refer to #4 above).

If you publish on a schedule, why? How strict are you about your publishing deadlines? What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?

If you don’t publish on a schedule, why?
See above!
How do you think your decision affects your audience? How do you know when a topic is “post-worthy?”
Will I lose my three readers if I say I really don't think too much about how it will affect them or whether or not something is really "post-worthy"?

6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week? 
All depends on whether I'm in a daily posting phase or not....anywhere from a couple of minutes to maybe an hour or two?
How much time visiting other blogs? 
Wow! This is turning into a rut. When I can, I like to stay current on several of my favorite blogs, but sometimes "the real world" interferes and I just can't do it.
Share your  tips for staying on top of it all.
Lately I've discovered the "trick" of at least starting several posts that I know I want to eventually share (like different sets of pictures) and then saving them as drafts only to pull them out later and post them. That seems to be a pretty good way for me.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?
??? See #5 above. I just have to put it out there in the blogosphere because it makes me happy to do so and hope that someone may enjoy looking at it.

Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions?
I occasionally look at numbers, but in qualification of the above answer and in response to this one I will say that I LOVE when people comment on a post...it confirms that someone did actually see it :D

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?
Wow! Even though I've been playing with this for almost five years I still feel so new at it that I don't even know.

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?
To be more committed to keeping it going and posting regularly...even if that's not every day. I know it's a good outlet for me. If I can participate in some discussions that help raise awareness/support for some good causes that benefit animals that would be awesome.

So, if you want to check out some other neat pet blogs and see what other folks are doing, hop along to some of these other sites:
 

Shadow Fun

We’re participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosting by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you’d like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor. Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

Wayward Hound - Homeward Bound

It may be ironic that What Remains Now started a discussion earlier this week about what kind of identification your dogs wear in case they get lost...We had quite the scare last night when Gwyn decided to go on a walkabout...or runabout (the greyhound version)! Don't worry, she's home safe & sound. We're very grateful to have wonderful family & friends who immediately helped form a search party. We also had Home Again (the company who made the microchip she has) send out alerts to members, vets & shelters in the area. Fortunately for my cardiac health she wasn't gone too long. As I've often tried to explain to people who aren't familiar with greyhounds, it's not that they won't come home (she did), it's what can happen before they have a chance to! LoML was out first thing this morning fixing the gate that had gotten messed up and come open that allowed her escape. While the rest of us were out looking (some walking, some driving slowly around the neighborhood) my Mom had volunteered to be the one to stay at the house in case the wayward child returned home on her own. Which she did. Mom says she came running up, grinning her big grey grin...delighted to see that her grandmommy had come for a visit!!

photo courtesy of J Frazz Photography

I don't think my heart could have taken her being gone any longer than she was!
We’re participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.  If you’d like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor.  Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

Built for Speed

Can there be any doubt greyhounds are built for speed? Enjoy more photos from our photo shoot with J Frazz Photography:

Photo courtesy of J Frazz Photography

 Also a good demonstration of the fact that they're sighthounds...look at the focus and concentration throughout.

Photo courtesy of J Frazz Photography

 Gwyn got a new toy especially for the photo shoot. It's rapidly become her favorite! It's an Extreme Kong Flyer. I love that it's so flexible and soft, yet sails through the air and is Kong tough. (And no, we don't get anything for pitching them...just our humble opinion.)

Photo courtesy of J Frazz Photography

We’re participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you’d like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor. Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

Good Ride, Cowboy..

Life can throw you a curve-ball every now and again...my week took a few unexpected turns so I was delayed from posting. Back to it and thought I'd share a few bull riding pix from last weekend's rodeo.



This bull really was magnificent! Enjoyed seeing one of the real no-nonsense cowboys that wasn't competing, but would come out and round up the bulls that didn't want to follow directions.
Hope you also enjoy visiting some of the other blogs participating in the latest blog hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.

Cowboy Up!

Went to the rodeo last night. Lots of fun!
Enjoyed shooting action shots with the new camera. Not too bad considering we're at the top of the bleachers, it's dark outside and there are floodlights behind us and across the way. Oh. And did I mention that this is all happening *very* *fast*?






More tomorrow...Maybe I'll show you the bull riding!

And maybe you'll find a fun new pet blog to check out if you follow any of these links:

Oz and Gwyn

Gwyn can concentrate pretty intensely when working on a chewy...
..but not so much that she doesn't keep an eye on her people when one of them gets up and heads out of the room...Wonder if she has some herding dog in her? :D

I'm watching you, dad...
On another note, one of the things Oz seemed to miss most after losing Phil was sprawling in front of the hound and playing bitey face.
Then he rolls around, showing off belly and luxuriating in his superiority as a cat :D
Gwyn's learning that this is the only reasonable reaction to that show:
On a side note...all this time with blogger and I thought I was limited to five pictures per post because that's all I can upload at one time. Ashamed to admit that it's taken me this long to discover that I could upload five and then add more!

I'm participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. (Thanks again to Tales and Tails for introducing me to this idea...a great way to discover new pet blogs!) If you’d like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor. Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

Blog Hop

I'm new to this idea...but have discovered some wonderful blogs in the last week by following one of these, so wanted to join in the fun! Thanks Tales and Tails for leading me astray...