Beer Bottle Cap Pet ID Tags, plus TAKE THE QUIZ on Dogs + Beer in Pop Culture!

Note: This blog post contains a short quiz on dogs & beer in pop culture. You should take it (because I made it for you with lots of <3<3<3, dang it!)...right after these important illustrated messages!

So, have you seen pet ID tags made from bottle caps, like this one I got from Etsy (collar sold separately)? They're so cute!

Yep, I needed had to get one for a certain furry red-head with a punny Irish name.

Hint: "Jon Farleigh" is not an Irish name.

Neither is "Dewi." Plus, Dewi's not a red-head.

And, neither is Bertie (a red-head). 

So, I guess that leaves...

Bobby Flay O'Fish!

(The itty bitty, {formerly} feral, ginger kitty I plucked off the highway a few weeks ago.)

He I really needed a tag-collar combo that could live up to his name. :-)

And, I'd love for you to see up-close how the tag (and collar) look on him, but alas, it's hard to get a kitten to hold still for a fashion shoot.

So, I guess I'll have to show you using a stand-in. 

(Not like it would be the first time.)

Like this one.
He (Beefeater) came from the Amazon agency. ;-)

So, do you want to see the back of the tag? OK!

There's a clear, rubbery coating over the text (to prevent it from rubbing off). That adorable font is standard. And, depending on the size of your pet (lg/md dog vs. sm dog/cat), the split ring sizes (which control how low the tag hangs) will vary.

Oh, and if (the myriad available) beer bottle caps are not your thing, there are tons of soda pop bottle caps to choose from, too! 

The tag was $10 (before shipping) and came from the Etsy shop, Carlito's Creations. The cotton (nautical plaid) break-away cat collar, $12, came from Etsy at Chloe's Collars (which also has a huge selection of dog collars).  

Both transactions were easy and I am thrilled with my purchases!

Bobby Flay thinks his tag is a toy, however, so he's not wearing it (for real) just yet.

This crap is boring; what happened to dogs and beer?

Did anyone hear a high-pitched buzz just now?? Hmm, I could've sworn I heard it. Oh, well. 

So, anyway, when I showed my husband Bobby Flay's awesome new tag, and after he stopped mumbling something about my being a little too fond of dressing up the pets in "cutesy" accessories, we played a little game, where we tried to match beer brands to dogs (you know, in case we ever need to buy some more bottle cap ID tags). Like, for example, can you imagine a Blood Hound (or English Bulldog) with a Milwaukee's Best (aka The Beast) tag? Or maybe a Pembroke Welsh Corgi with a Heineken (Heiney) tag? (It was a fun game, y'all; you should try it!)

Well, then, all that dog and beer talk got me thinking about how often, it seems, dogs and beer appear (simultaneously) in American pop culture. And all that thinking about pop culture led me to the ends of the Internet, which filled my head with loads of useless trivia, and prompted me to create a (short) quiz, so all of you - my friends - can get filled up with useless dog and beer pop trivia, too!

And, here it is! With pictures! I hope you have as much fun with it as I did!
P.S. Remember, Google is to the Internet, as Siri is to the iPhone. Don't be afraid to use it!

Dogs & Beer Pop Trivia Quiz

Video Bonus: Bud Light "Dog-Sitter" 2011 Super Bowl Commercial!

It cracks me up EVERY time!

Later, y'all!

Soapy Corgis, Dog Packs Online and OMG, Facebook Ads Work!

Note: If you came here for the Facebook stuff, and don't like looking at adorable, soaped up Corgis getting baths, then you can just...um...well...

...click here to skip over the dog stuff. I'm very sorry, though, that you missed out on all the happiness in between. :*(

So, a few two of you might recognize some (or all, if you've been following since the olden days, when I was wearing a size smaller) of these photos. None of them are new; it's just that I'm about to talk about spending money on Facebook. And for some reason, that made me think of going to the cleaners and/or taking a bath, so naturally, I wanted to post photos of the dogs taking a bath. Except, I didn't feel like staging baths just for the photos, plus I'm tired, and my creativity is bobbing for air in a toilet bowl somewhere, sOOOOooooo, I'm posting these re-run pics instead. 

But, I promise, they're still as cute as ever!

I call it: Forlorn.

Oh where, oh where have Jon Farleigh's ears gone...?

Yes, they're both Dewi. No, as a mater of fact, I can't stand the cuteness. :-)

And, speaking of cute, have you heard of Pack (packlove.com)?

It's a startup (still private, invitation-only beta) social platform for dogs and their people, divided up into breed (plus blends and Heinz 57 variety) packs. Within each "pack," there is a (gorgeous) profile page for every dog (photo provided by dog owner, obviously). Here is Jon Farleigh's (in 2 parts - it's big):

Killer of Ladies, indeed!

So anyway, if you haven't yet, and you like being social with your dog (online at least), you should go over and take a look. Remember, though, that the site is still a cyber "baby," with lots of fun functionality still in development. What's not in development, though, (because I've been subscribed for over a month) is a weekly e-newsletter for your dog(s)' particular breed/mix. And, it just so happens that I'm the author/curator for the Cardigan Welsh Corgi newsletter, and you can sign up for it RIGHT HERE, if you want! ;-) You don't have to be a member of Pack to subscribe (not yet, anyway).

Having fun yet? I hope so, because this is the part where I talk about:

(And, if you don't give a flying flip about them, then this might be a smidge boring.)

#1: For as little as $1 (max) spent per day (for however many days you specify), you can run a Facebook ad for your blog/business fan page.

If you have a fan page already, I know you've seen the Boost Post button under all your status updates, and I'm sure you've received at least one pop-up from Facebook, prompting you to create an ad to promote your page. And perhaps, if you've clicked either a Boost Post button or pop-up ad, you've seen the pre-filled $10/day budget in the ad generator (which might have prompted you to roll your eyes and/or mutter expletives for wasting your precious time). I mean, who the heck has $10/day to blow on a Facebook ad for a blog?! I certainly don't.

The thing is, if you really do want to boost a post (say, for example, you just began a contest, or an awareness campaign), for a budget as small as $1/day (hint: you can change the $10 in the ad generator to $1*), you can exponentially increase your post engagement. (As an "experiment," for $5 total, I did it for my Frosty Paws giveaway and increased my post engagement from an avg. 200, to nearly 9,000. It works.)

Or, if you've got a goal to increase your page likes (perhaps you've been simmering around the same number for a while), for the same low daily budget of $1**, you will get them (and I'm not talking about random strangers; these are bona fide fans - most likely in the same demographic as your existing fans - who wouldn't have clicked "Like" if they didn't want to follow your page). (I've been running a $1/day-budgeted ad for one week, which has generated 57 new page fans, many of whom are fellow Cardigan Corgi people. For perspective, my Facebook page has been around since March 2011, with pre-ad, avg. new likes at 10/month. So, in a week, I've seen over a 500% increase! The ad is working.)

Please know that I understand there are other ways to attract Facebook fans, that don't involve paying Facebook. Clearly, I could probably stand to research that a bit more. But, that's not the point of this post. I simply want to share (my anecdotal evidence) that IF you choose to run a Facebook ad, and you have an existing loyal Facebook base, you will most likely see significant, swift results. Additionally, the Facebook Ads Manager makes it easy to edit, pause, delete and track most every detail of your existing ad(s). (In other words, the "delete" button isn't buried three-layers-deep in some obscure place on Facebook Help.)

So, has this been helpful? Has anyone else tried Facebook ads? 

As always (because this information has been fairly high-level), I'm happy to answer any questions!


* The minimum daily budget cannot be less than $1. I tried.
** The amount you spend per ad, per day will never be more than your budget. Facebook charges are calculated based on CPM (cost per impression), meaning that you are charged each time someone clicks your ad. Therefore, it is possible that if your ad generates few clicks, you'll spend less than your daily budget. Conversely, if your ad-clicks quickly reach your daily allotment (per budget), Facebook will pull your ad for the remainder of the day (so your budget is not exceeded).

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Facebook's britches are much too big for the likes of little ole me.

P.S. Have an awesome day! Thanks for reading! And "liking"! I heart y'all!

Classic Cardigan: The Stupidly Shocking Aladdin Parody (and a bonus, or two)

Bonus #1: I did a little (opposite-of-scientific) comparative study that I'd like to share:

Things I Dread Today vs. Things My Dogs Dread Today

Note: At first, I wasn't sure that my dogs were even capable of the dread emotion, but then, I remembered this post, and this post, and this post, and decided that, yes, they in fact are.

Everything is dreadful.

Things I Dread	Things My Dogs Dread
Formatting this table in HTML	Not getting enough attention, because they saw me sit down to format this table in HTML
Cleaning my house for company (because in the absence of company, I wouldn't be)	The monsters that will be coming out of the vacuum, dust rag, spray bottle and paper towels, when I start to clean
Going potty after having been in labor for several hours and having a baby (Okay, fine, I haven't dreaded this for 10 years; it's just that I have trouble un-remembering it at times like this.)	Going potty after having been neutered (And, no, this NEVER happened - the dread part, that is.)

Conclusions:

<> HTML is for the birds.

<> No one, human nor animal, should have to clean house.

<> It's just a crying shame we can't warn them about that first trip to the potty. Isn't it?

<> Since I'm full of dread (and, therefore, unable to write something new), this is a great day to re-publish a classic.

~ End of Study ~

Originally published on March 30, 2012...

Aluladdin and the Magic Pumpkin

Once upon a time in a land not far enough away, lived a raven-haired princess named Aluladdin (but who preferred to be called Lula).

Aluladdin is a boy's name. Don't ever call me that.

One day, Lula discovered a mysterious pumpkin on her futon, and out of curiosity, put her paws on it.

I must get this play thing off of here.

And poof!

This better be good. I could've slept another 100 years.

Out of the hollow of the orange gourd - in a pillar of smoke - a snake-eyed, magic Tabby appeared.

"So what's your wish?" barked the Tabby.

"Wha what wish?" answered Lula, dazed and confused.

"Duh! Like you just released me from that slimy gourd, so now - as a (half-hearted) gesture of thanks - I'm gonna grant you one wish.
It's simple. If you could have just one thing in the whole wide world, what would it be?" 

This is my futon; who invited you?

Lula pondered.

"I already have everything I really want," she thought out loud. "Hmm....

Yes, that's it! I've got it!" she exclaimed, like someone who'd just had an epiphany. 

"Well, what is it?" inquired the Tabby.

"I want to be able to speak - with clarity and conviction - two words in English," answered Lula.

"Really? That's it? Of all the things in the whole wide world, you just want to speak two English words?" mused the Tabby.

"Yes, thanks," replied Lula, smugly.

"Okay, whenever you're ready..."

And with that, Lula turned around, walked to the edge of the futon and uttered two words...

And she lived happily ever after.

The End

Bonus #2: Heart-Failure-Worthy, Cute Kitten Photo:

Bobby Flay O'Fish (my foster kitten *UPDATE* foster fail kitten) knows how to take a nap. ♥♥♥

Happy naps and days of not-cleaning, everyone!

The Unbearable Cuteness of Being Free

Note: I have not read the novel, nor seen the film adaptation of The Unbearable Lightness of Being; however, I can tell you that one of he main characters of both is a dog named Karenin. Perhaps I should check it (the book) out.

<><><>

So, for this American Independence Day, as a gift to you, I present 29 narrative-free photos of Jon Farleigh and Dewi wearing cheap patriotic accessories from Target! (And, just to let you know, there's a reason I used the word "unbearable" in the title. ahem.)

P.S. The Statue of Liberty re-opened! 

Enjoy!

(end of narrative-free photos)

50**************************************************stars

In other news...

One year ago tomorrow (July 5), I liberated my (special needs) senior kitty Maddox from the Richmond SPCA.

It was supposed to be an 8-week foster, to give him a break from his 2-year stint behind shelter bars.

WRONG!!!!! ☺

Maddox, unfortunately, could not be bothered to comment.

Hey, Dewi. Mom wants us to wake him up.

^#%#!

Seriously?

Dang, I love that big, goofy cat.

Happy (early/long/almost) weekend, everyone!