Watch My #TrickorTreatDogs Smooch Me on Command and You Could Win Up to $1000 in Prizes!

Y'all! Jon Farleigh has a trick for you! And you know what else? We're giving away some dog crack (aka Jones Natural Chews Lamb Lung Puffs, provided by the company), because DOGS LOVE CRACK! Oh, and THIS!

Because of our friends at Kol's Notes and Beagles & Bargains - hosting this first-ever Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop-of-its-kind - we get to not only direct you to nine other awesome blogs and trick-performing dogs, but nine other treat giveaways AND, each time you enter one of THOSE, you'll be entered into the drawing for one of three magnificent GRAND prizes! All total, worth over $1000! (Details to follow.) But first...

Who wants to see how I taught Jon Farleigh to "give a kiss" on command?!

Everyone?! OK, yay!

Note: Incorrect form. Tip: DO NOT do as I did to get this photo op.
Smearing peanut butter on one's nose is NOT a part of training this trick. 

How to Teach a Dog to "Give a Kiss" in 6 Steps
(as opposed to just randomly shoving his tongue into your face at all times)

Before you start:
If you want to try this at home, you'll need a dog who likes to lick you on the face, specifically the mouth (as opposed to your eyelids or nostrils, for example, because redirecting the tongue is beyond the scope of this lesson). If you don't like being licked on the face by a dog, then, well, please read the directions anyway; there's a quiz. ;)

Step 1. Wait to catch one's dog in a happy, but calm (tired), mood.

Note: Yes, Jon Farleigh is quoting Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind. And, yes, he's wearing mistletoe on his head. It's for effect, OK?

Step 2. Get within tongue-shot of his face in a non-threatening way (i.e., NO STARING into his eyes or anything; that's threatening).

Step 3. Pucker up and tell him (nicely) to "give a kiss."

Step 4. Keep puckering and wait for him to take the hint.
Note: If he doesn't, maybe lick your lips or gently blow a puff of air on his nose (trust me, it works).

Step 5. Immediately after one's dog gives the kiss (but only if he waited for your command), say "thank you." DO NOT skip this step!

Step 6. Reward him using the PRAISE suggestions* below.
Note: I have never used a treat to reward Jon Farleigh for a kiss. Wouldn't want him to confuse my lips for a spot of beef liver (or lamb lung) or anything. (But a little lamb lung later on that evening, when you're not in the mood for kisses, will be JUST FINE!) 

* Suggested praise for "giving a kiss": 

1) Squeal like a piglet with joy.

2) Use your baby voice and say, "Oh, who's the best doggy in the whole wide world?! for example.
3) Lavish large amounts of rubbing and scritching upon his furry self.

Caution: Squealing like a piglet might actually entice one's dog to lick even more, making it difficult to breathe without sucking his tongue into one's airway.

Result (after several repetitions of entire procedure over several days): One's dog can "give a kiss" when told to do so.

Important (personal) aside: Jon Farleigh will also give liberal kisses when not asked to, especially when I lie on the floor on my back, or put my face next to his on the couch/bed. My husband, incidentally, does not care for facial dog smooches, but that does not stop Jon Farleigh from surprising him (husband) with a frog-like lash to the cheek.

I think Jon Farleigh might be due for some continuing education. *sigh*

So, do you want to see Jon Farleigh in action? Check him out! (Totally unrehearsed, by the way.)

Just call him "Hot Lips" Cardigan (M.A.S.H. pun intended). ☺

To whom it may concern: Dewi is not a kisser (except for a few "fairy" kisses to the eyelids first thing in the a.m.). He is, however, an expert spooner.

Let's Talk About Doggy Crack and Giveaways for a Bit

We weren't compensated with free crack (puffs) or otherwise to say this stuff, y'all; my pets (and that goes for the dogs and half the cats) GO WILD for Jones Natural Chews Lamb Lung Puffs! And yes, it IS just about one of the grossest things imaginable to think about eating. That's OK, though. It's PURE, made in the USA (organ) meat. It looks like dehydrated, grilled portobello mushrooms (or a steak that's been run over by a truck), but it's light and easily broken into small pieces (really small pieces for cats) and they LOVE it. (Read my full review here.)

Yum! (Oh wait, ew!)

I don't give it as a daily treat, because it's THAT good. Save that high-value crack for when you want your dog to do something GREAT! Like come when called, or walk on a loose lead, or not run out the front door when you open it. OR gift it to your dog (and/or cat) for the holidays! (Ahem.)

And right on time, I'm giving away a whole 8oz. bag (provided and shipped by Jones Natural Chews)! Residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible!
(Tip: Like Jones Natural Chews on Facebook and Twitter to be among the first to know about the latest deals!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Did you enter? Yay! I hope you win, but that's not all! Each entry into my treat giveaway earns the entrant one chance in the GRAND PRIZE drawing (one of three grand prizes, actually, including a Peanuts Halloween Train from Lionel Trains). And because this is a blog HOP giveaway, you can enter to win a different treat prize each day during the contest period - at each participating blog. ALL of those entries count toward the grand prizes too!

Check out all the prizes and participants! For blog hop/giveaway details, be sure to visit the event page at Kol's Notes! 

Bonus Trick!

I call it the Dewi or "Crack" Dance. Dewi taught himself how to do it. ☺

A lung for me? Yes, please!

Parts of the "Give a Kiss" procedure were previously published. 

STOP the Madness! It's Time for Affirmations and Meditation With Maddox (My Thumbed Cat)

Note: Neither I, nor Maddox, are certified meditation instructors. Frankly, we don't know what the heck we're doing. This is a parody. That said, we dare you not to smile.

Welcome, friends! It's been a tough go of it (your day, life, endeavor to become a professional magician, etc.) and we want to help! Do you have three minutes (of course you do; you're on the internet looking at social media)? Yay! Let's meditate for a bit. But before we start, here are a few helpful hints:

1. Sit down. If you can't sit (because you're standing in a subway, for example), for dear life, tether yourself to something, so you don't doze off and fall on something sharp! (Note: You won't doze off. Unless you're on the toilet, in which case, I hope you doze off, and your reading device falls in. Because ew! That's just wrong.)
2. Imagine you're sitting beside a picturesque waterfall, NOT Niagara Falls, though. Too violent.
3. Get over any issues you might have with giant tabby cats who have thumbs. Especially old ones named Maddox, with crooked whiskers and eyes slightly cocked. Maddox and his paws are a gift to stressed humans. Trust me.

Alright, you're almost there! To start, Maddox will say several affirmations directly to you (feel free to read them out loud; no one will care), and then he'll lead you through some calming imagery. Ready?! OK, shhhh....

affirmations

The sun is shining through your window and through your heart.

Today you will take one step toward your dreams.

Snacks make you smile.

You feel a deep connection with your feet.

Today you will be pleasantly surprised.

You are in a state of pure joy.

You are grateful for your breath, no matter how bad it might smell.

You are a calm airplane passenger.

You look for humor and fun in as many situations as possible.

Meditation is calming and will help you not have road rage.

meditation

And now, repeat the word "catnip" while viewing the following photos (and remember to breathe).

catnip

catnip

catnip

catnip

catnip

{Now, do that again, in reverse.}

end of session

Please use caution not to stumble while exiting, and have a pleasant day. ☺

Note: Maddox will not accept money.

Bonus Sound Effects

Maddox is a former shelter cat. We adopted him in 2012 from the Richmond SPCA. He was nine years old and on a prescription diet to maintain his urinary tract health. He is a polydactyl, and my soul man.

Get Chronicles of Cardigan Delivered for Free, Plus a Dog-Inspired Amazing Weight-Loss Tip!

Have you heard the phrase: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"? Yeah, so have I, but THIS ISN'T ONE OF THOSE TIMES!

You really can get all of my (or most anyone's) blog content delivered for free, straight to your inbasket, without having to do a thing (except sign up for email delivery or follow me on Bloglovin). But before I show you exactly how to do that (in pictures), let me share a WAY simple idea the dogs gave me for how to eat less, and therefore, lose weight (as I'm trying to do)! 

My Dog-Inspired Weight Loss Plan

Supplies you'll need:

• Internet
• Printer stocked with paper and ink
• Tape
• Dog or cat (optional)
• Camera (optional)

Step-by-step directions:

1. Obtain a photo of dog (or cat*) poop (you can get this from Google, or take a photo yourself, your choice).
2. Print it off (number of copies depends, but I'd make at least 10).
3. Tape one copy to the following places (not an exhaustive list): refrigerator, pantry/food cabinet door, your plate, all TV screens, bathroom mirrors, the book you're currently reading, computer/tablet screen, smart phone, the ceiling above your bed (or wherever you lie down to sleep), your alarm clock, the car steering wheel.

That's it!

(Disclaimer: Results not guaranteed, but considering I'm feeling queasy from just writing the directions, it just might actually work! *groans* Also, as with any new weight loss regimen, check with your doctor first. But, for the love of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, please don't tell your doctor where you got the idea!)

* If you have dogs, I do NOT recommend taping up pics of cat doody. Your dog will EAT your signs (or raid your cat box). 

*****

So, now that I've given you plenty of reason to never EVER miss another one of my posts, let me show you how to get them delivered to you 2-3+ times per week! (Really! You'll never have to remember to find me on the Internet again!)

Email Subscription (Easiest)

See that same exact box over near the top of my right sidebar (hint: you have to actually be ON the blog to see it)? Well, all you have to do is type in your email address and press Submit! That's all! You'll receive an email each time I publish a new post (the entirety of which, is in the body of the email) - NO SPAM! Nothing extra! And no fake names in the From field! Yay!

Follow Chronicles of Cardigan on Bloglovin (Easy, but not as easy as email)

See that button up at the top of my sidebar? Yes, well if you have a Bloglovin account, when you click it, Chronicles of Cardigan will be added to your feed list. If you don't, you'll be prompted to create one. Bloglovin, in case you don't know, is like a blog reader, with a few extras. If you opt in, it will send you a daily email digest of all the blogs you're following, including a blurb from their most recent post.  

 <= Wanna try it? Just click!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

So, will my next blog post be stakeout or DELIVERY? (No tipping, please. ☺)

By the way, have you seen Chronicles of Cardigan on Facebook? It's fun! Check it out!


Psst. Wait a sec. What do you think about my calling it the Shatkins Diet? ;)

Elfin Jar Hog, or: How to Turn Your Pet's (or Anyone's) Name into an Anagram

Hey, wanna know a secret? I can't believe I'm writing a how-to on making pet name anagrams. Because why didn't someone do it a long time ago?! Think of all the fun we've all been missing!
Thanks for listening. ;)

* * * * *

Anagram: A word (e.g., name), phrase or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters. 

What the peanut butter fudge?! ;)

 I happened to walk by the TV the other morning at precisely the same time a certain network news program was running a segment on name anagrams. Not pet name anagrams, specifically, just proper names, in general. And during the segment, the three anchors on camera learned humorous rearrangements of their own names, as previously chosen by producers, using the website anagramgenius.com.

Naturally, I ran straight to my computer, found the website (plus a couple others), and anagrammed Jon Farleigh and Dewi's names, six ways from Sunday. (In case you're not familiar with that vernacular: I spent at least 2 hours, using their call names, nick names and AKC kennel names, trying to find anagrams that suited their personalities/traits.) 

Good googly moogly, y'all! The number of word combinations were mind-boggling! 

That's a REAL anagram of his full name, Dewi Vaughn!

As you all know (and if you don't, you do now), I can't stand to keep fun stuff to myself, so I'm gonna show you how you can find unlimited anagrams of your own (in a fraction of the time it took me), using two different (free) websites!

Insider's Tip: Several more hilarious anagram-captioned photos of my Corgis are dotted throughout this tutorial.

The first one (mentioned above, as touted by a certain network news) is anagramgenius.com.

Just scroll down the home page to the free "Anagram Server" option, and click "Try it now."

Type whatever name you want in "The text to be anagrammed" field, and click "Generate Anagrams" at the bottom of the page. 

With this particular website, only one anagram will result* (based on your search criteria), even though there might be thousands of possible word combinations (the larger the name the more possibilities). In my example above, the anagram of Jon Farleigh is "Jr of Healing." (What the heck is that, by the way?) ;)

For the record, I like this anagram (of Jon's full kennel name) much better! ;)

And, that is why I'm going to show you how to find multiple results using a different (free) website!

But first, here are a few search tips:

<> The more letters in the name, the better search results (obviously). But obvious aside, if your pet's name is Fifi, or Bob, for example, you're gonna have to use both a first and (your?) last name, or a longer nick name, or full kennel name (like I used above with Jon Farleigh, if applicable) to get good results. 

<> Leave the gender "inanimate." 

<> Three-word anagrams are better than two (if possible).

<> Set minimum word length at 2 (if you have the option) to get more results.

<> Don't be afraid to play around! You can't break these websites (probably)!

From Dewi's full kennel name. I don't even want to know. :P 

The next website is easypeasy.com/anagrams.

This page is overwhelming to look at, so don't (look at it)! Just trust me, and click the first link, "Solve/Make Anagram," in the left side bar, under the Start Here menu.

Enter your search criteria on this screen. Note: The numeric selection criteria will be prefilled. To get the best results, however, enter "2" as the shortest word size, and nothing higher than 3 for must have size.

Your max words number should vary, the longer the name you enter. For example, I entered his full kennel name, Cadnocluns Jon Farleigh, and selected 4 for max words. If I'd used just Jon Farleigh, though, I would have changed that criteria to 3.

Remember! You can't break this stuff, so, frankly, you can enter whatever criteria you want, and just play around until you get what you're looking for. 

If you traded the "e" in "geranium" for a "c," and moved the "g" over in front of the "ash," it would say
Vain Dwarf Cranium Gash. EW!

Anagram Engine Results Screen

Scroll down the page until you see Part 1: The words used to create your anagrams. Here, you should see a long list of words that were generated using the letters in the name you provided. You don't need to do a thing with these words, BUT...you might find it fun to glance through some of them - because not all of them will be used in your anagrams - just to see if there's anything particularly "fitting" or  even, "shocking"!

Once enough time has elapsed (and the engine starts spitting out anagrams), you can continue to scroll down the page to Part 2: The resulting anagrams. They will be listed in some sort of alphabetical pattern, so you might need to scroll a lot to see all your results (depending on how long the name is, and/or the maximum number of search results you listed on the (previous) search input screen).

To change your results at any time, just scroll back up the page to the left side bar in Part 1, and click tweak these results. If you do, you'll be directed back to the previous page. 

Aren't ashamed and Nirvana mutually exclusive?
Perhaps Dewi just needs to find his fir wig, aka Christmas tree hat!? ;)

And, friends, that's all there is to it! 

So, you think you'll try it? Or, have you already?

And if you do try it, I'd love for you to share some of your results, especially the wacky ones, either here or on the Facebook page!

P.S. You can post pics there, too! Like this one, perhaps:

Let me just be the first to say that if, in fact, Jon Farleigh was being bathed in margarine,
he would not be looking at the camera. Nor would I be dumb enough to publish photographic evidence.

Or this:

Sweet! ;-)

Have fun, y'all!

* At anagramgenius.com, there is the option to download some free (and fairly robust) anagram software, with which you can input many custom criteria, and generate thousands of results (among other things). I downloaded it, frankly, before I realized I needn't have, to get, for my simple needs, the same results. If you decide to download the free software, though, be advised that you only get 10 searches before your "trial" ends, at which time, you'll have the option to purchase an "upgrade," or go to easypeasy.com/anagrams (for example) and do it for free. :)

I Dropped the 'blogspot' from My Blogger Domain Name and You Can Too! (plus a BONUS Corgi Short)

I am not affiliated with nor have I been compensated in any way by the brands mentioned herein. I share because "sharing is caring." I learned that in Kindergarten.

Down below, after the technical stuff: Bonus Corgi Pictorial Short Story "Frosty Doesn't Look Good, Mama"!
DON'T MISS IT!

Okay, so you probably haven't noticed, but a few weeks ago I switched my blog's URL (domain name) from www.chroniclesofcardigan.blogspot.com to www.chroniclesofcardigan.com.

That does not mean that I left Blogger and/or became self-hosted on some other blogging platform, for example WordPress. Nope, I'm still using Blogger (for free*), it's just that I followed the Blogger on-screen directions to add my own custom (previously purchased and "parked" at GoDaddy.com**) domain name.  

I will explain why I did this in a bit.

But first, let me tell you why - about a year ago - I went to GoDaddy.com and bought the custom domain:

SO NO ONE ELSE WOULD

Yes, friends. I was afraid someone else would. Why? Well why wouldn't they? ;) Okay, that and because the custom name is easier for people to remember and it looks a lot better (than the blogspot URL) on business cards, and everywhere else on the Internet. But mostly it was so no one else could take it and lure unsuspecting peeps over to some fake Chronicles of Cardigan page with spammy links to window washing and tree removal services, for example.

The trouble is, after I bought the domain name, I was afraid to actually use it. (what if my blog disappeared? no one could find it anymore? I screwed something up beyond repair?) So I did the next best thing and forwarded my new custom domain to my blogspot address:

If someone typed chroniclesofcardigan.com (in the URL address field),

they'd be automatically directed to chroniclesofcardigan.blogspot.com.

Forwarding is easy and (at least with GoDaddy) can be accomplished with just a couple clicks from the Domain Details (Domain Information > Forwarding) page. (Hint: Go to your domain provider's Help section and search for "forwarding.")

Okay, so fast forward 13 months and on this one random day, I just decided it was time to go for it. And I read a bunch of blog articles about why I should go for it***. And looked for user feedback on whether or not their blogs were obliterated after having gone for it. And decided that I could live with a couple months (if that) of not being as searchable in search engines.

To edit your domain name in Blogger, get to this screen and click Edit in the Publishing box.

And here I am. And here's the ugly:

Things that Broke after the Switch: 

My blog roll (Blogger gadget) went blank. (But because I had read that the same thing happened to other users, and that it was a known Blogger bug, and that I would just need to add the blog links again, I was not alarmed when I noticed it.)

That was the only thing that broke.

According to my stats, I'm still getting views from search engines. In fact, I haven't noticed much of a change there, if any.

And in case you're curious, Blogger is redirecting all traffic from my previous "blogspot" domain name to the new one. That means any and all existing hyperlinks to that old address will redirect here (for as long as I keep the custom domain name). Additionally, the old blog feed (for those who have subscribed/followed my RSS) redirects, too. That means YOU SHOULD NOT RESUBSCRIBE (unless you want see my blog twice in your reader, and you will; I tested it)!

And if at any time I decide I don't want to associate the custom domain name with this blog anymore, I can just go into my Blogger blog settings and switch back to the original "blogspot" name. Too easy.

So have you been contemplating making a domain name switch yourself?

If yes and you have a Blogger blog, and use GoDaddy.com to obtain your new custom domain, there is a SUPER EASY tool at GoDaddy.com that will do almost all the work for you:

Note: You must be logged into your GoDaddy account before using the tool.

In fact, the folks at Blogger think this tool is so awesome, they've written an entire blog post about it at Blogger Buzz (hint: GO THERE!), including step-by-step instructions for switching your blog to your new domain (once you've updated your DNS records at GoDaddy using this tool). (By the way, don't ask me what DNS records are; I have no flocking idea. Just trust me; you will need to update them using this tool.)

And that's all there is to it, friends! I hope this has been helpful!

* I use Blogger (vs. self-hosting on another platform) for a variety of reasons, mostly because I am lazy. It is a personal preference, and I believe personal preferences are okay. :) I pay nothing to use Blogger; however, there is a limit to free image storage space, which I plowed through in under a year. Therefore, I pay $4.99 per year for the lowest available increment of extra image storage space through Google. When my hard drive crashed a few months ago and I lost thousands of stored images, that $4.99 annual fee seemed like a really small price to pay for back-up.

** GoDaddy.com is NOT the only domain name provider. I chose them because they were the only provider I had ever heard of, thanks to their (horrible) Super Bowl commercials. As of this writing, it costs $12.99 annually for me to have my .com custom domain (with absolute basic service). I've set it to renew automatically (highly recommended).

*** You should read the article at the other end of this link @ Spice Up Your Blog (a trusted source of mine) if you are still undecided (or even if you're not). In easy-to-follow Q&A format, it thoroughly covers some of the things I've mentioned in this post, plus several others. Also, because there is great user feedback in the comments, it really helped to put my mind at ease.

*****

And now, your BONUS CORGI SHORT (story):

Frosty Doesn't Look Good, Mama!

In the front yard on Tuesday...

Hey, Dewi, something's wrong with Frosty!

Frosty? You okay, man??

Hey, Mama? What happened to Frosty?

"Blah blah blah...went bye-bye...blah...all gone...blah blah...dead"

Oh, Frost-ayyyyyyyyy!!!

The End

Double-Bonus Outtakes:

Dude, where's the catering service around this set?

The "Catering Service" does not recommend the yellow snow.

;-)