It’s time for the ASPCA-Rachael Ray $100K Challenge!

Click on the logo for more info!

The ASPCA is gearing up for the start of the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, where a total of $600,000 in prize grants are up for grabs to help shelters save more homeless cats and dogs.

The ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge is a groundbreaking contest that challenges animal shelters across the country to come up with innovative ways to engage their communities and get more homeless cats and dogs into loving homes.

The 49 contestants will work to save more animals – during the months of June, July and August 2013 – than they did over the same three-month period in 2012. Last year’s competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 14,376 over the same period in 2011. For a full list of participating shelters, visit challenge.aspcapro.org.

Since Dakota and I live in Michigan, we are going to be pulling for the  Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter  and will help promote them when we can to help them increase their adoption numbers!

The ASPCA and Rachael Ray will award a $100,000 grand prize to the shelter contestant that achieves the greatest increase in lives saved during this three-month period. The contestant that does the best job of engaging its community members in helping to save more animals will win $25,000. Those organizations that do the best in their divisions will be eligible for between $10,000 and $25,000 in additional grants. In total, $600,000 in grant funding will be awarded for increases in animal lives saved, as well as a photo contest and general participation.

All her life, Rachael Ray has been an advocate for animals and a supporter of animal welfare groups. Her love for animals and for her pit bull, Isaboo, inspired her to create her pet food (which you read about A LOT on Dakota’s blog) called Nutrish® to raise money for animals in need.  Ray donates 100 percent of her proceeds from the sale of Nutrish® to organizations like the ASPCA so they can implement programs like the $100K Challenge and support shelters and animal organizations around the country.

So what are you waiting for? Find a participating shelter in your area that you can support by visiting:  challenge.aspcapro.org. 

Follow all the #100KChallenge action this weekend on Twitter, and best of luck to all the shelters as they embark on this exciting Challenge to save more lives!

Dakota and I wish them all the best of luck!

In full disclosure: Dakota and I were not compensated for this post. We were contacted by the ASPCA and were asked if we would share this info and we are more than happy to do so!

 

 

 

BlogPaws Bliss thanks to Nutrish®-Thankful Thursday

Before I write another word, I want to make it clear that this is NOT a commercial.  At the heart of this blog post is the belief in a brand, as well as the person behind it.

click on the logo to visit the Nutrish website for more deliciousness!

Long before I had Dakota’s blog, he was eating  Nutrish^®. Why? Because I have been a fan of Rachael Ray’s from the time her first 30 Minute Meal shows aired on The Food Network. In those first shows she wasn’t the star that she is today. She was, by her own admission, a “home cook” NOT a chef. Her first shows were a tad awkward, she seemed tentative and reserved, a far cry from the bubbly, talk show host, magazine magnate and household word in the kitchen that she is today. What I saw in her then, and what I see and relate to now, was that she was and is REAL. She seems approachable, she drops food  “it isn’t a party until the food falls on the floor” and she burns toast. Yes, she burns toast. Just like you and me.

I knew that she used to test recipes on her first dog, a pit bull named Boo,  in her cozy cabin kitchen in the Adirondacks. She COOKED for her first  dog, she cooks for her current dog, Isaboo,  she cooks for her family. She is a home cook, like ME and like  many of YOU.

I own the majority of her cookbooks, I subscribe to her magazine, I watched nearly every episode of every show she has been on, beginning with  The Food Network and beyond.

Dakota became a part of our family in 2007, Rachael Ray began her dog food company, Nutrish^®, in 2008.  As soon as  Nutrish^® was available in Michigan, it was served to Dakota. He has eaten it ever since, long before his blog began in 2011.  It is the ONLY dog food that he is served.

Did you know that sales of  Nutrish^® goes towards Rachael’s Rescue? Rachael’s Rescue was created for “forgotten pets”, for those that have no one to love them. 

There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING better than being given the opportunity of representing a brand that you LEGITIMATELY USE,  that you LEGITIMATELY BUY, you BELIEVE IN THE BRAND, AS WELL AS THEIR PRODUCTS.  Yes! I  AM yelling! I will shout it from the rooftops! Writing blog posts about a brand and products that you love  are not  a chore, you aren’t nervous about what you are going to say, or what the brand will think, why? Because you legitimately LOVE THE PRODUCT. When you love and believe in a product, the rest is gravy, whatever you have to say will come naturally, it comes from the heart, it comes from actually being a regular consumer of the product.

BlogPaws is another love that I first discovered in the fall of 2009. Without BlogPaws I wouldn’t know a thing about blogging. When I first discovered BlogPaws it was to me, a gift from the Gods!

Imagine my excitement when a brand that I LOVE approached me to be a “brand influencer”, and offered to sponsor my trip to BlogPaws 2013. I felt as if I had come full circle. I was ecstatic. It was a dream come true. I jumped on that opportunity the way Dakota jumps on his Rachael Ray Nutrish soup bones. If I had a tail it would have wagged. I wasn’t just on an airplane flying to BlogPaws, I was floating on air!

I took this from the plane!

Meeting the Nutrish^®team at BlogPaws was a true delight! They are just as warm and personable as the wonderful woman behind the brand that we are representing.  Having dinner with them and my fellow blogging friends who were also sponsored,  the night before the official kickoff of BlogPaws, was a treat whose flavor will stay in my mouth forever!  Especially due to the delicious Tiramisu we had for dessert!

Without Nutrish^® I wouldn’t have met and connected with other bloggers who were sponsored by Nutrish^®for BlogPaws. Without Nutrish^®I wouldn’t have FINALLY met fellow dog bloggers,  Jodi Stone of Heart Like a Dog, Sugar The Golden Retriever’s Mom, Rosalyn,  Jen from My Brown Newfies,  Carrie from Tales & Tails, Aimee and Chuy from Irresistible Pets,  the list goes on and on, and I apologize for not mentioning everyone!

Chuy of Irresistible Pets

Without Nutrish^®I wouldn’t have experienced all that there is to experience at BlogPaws from the Professional Product Review session presented by Rose Hamilton (Pet360). Carol Bryant (of  BlogPaws and Pet360) and Jeff Davis.  Nor would I have been able to learn from, and enjoy the  down-to-earth and wise Kimanzi Constable who presented his workshop,  The Key to Marketing with Social Media, which I enjoyed immensely.

Jeff Davis, Carol Bryant and Rose Hamilton

For those who have stuck around to read this blog-post-turned-into-a-tome, I thank you! If there is a brand that you would love to work with, I am here to tell you it is NOT all about the numbers. It is EVERYTHING about “doing more than is expected” (as I learned in the Professional Product Review session and was thrilled to learn that it  was something that I was already doing), and about partnering with a brand that you truly believe in, that you would use NO MATTER WHAT.

Thank you Nutrish^® for your wholesome food, treats, and bones, for making my Sheltie smile, and thank YOU for the honor of representing you at BlogPaws and beyond! YOU ROCK!

#BlogPaws Bound!! Wordless Wednesday

 

Mom wishes that ALL of you could attend the

BlogPaws Conference!

For those that are, safe travels and see you soon!!

For those that aren’t, in the words of

Mom’s Sponsor for the conference:

Rachael Ray Nutrish

click on the logo to visit the Nutrish website for more deliciousness!

“We’ll see ya when we see ya!!!!”

Stay tuned for my “delish” updates

on Twitter @dakotasheltie

Barks and licks and love,

Dakota

Thank you #Nutrish!!! Mom will SOON be #BlogPaws Bound!

Also, it could EASILY mean

MORE GOODIES FOR YOU TOO!!!!

STAY TUNED!!

“Raise the Woof!” #BlogPawty with #BlogPaws and #Rachael Ray #Nutrish !! May 4th from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST!

 

Hi every furry! I am soooooooo excited!!! I am going to be attending a BlogPawty on TWITTER this Saturday, May 4th from 6pm to 8pm EST!!

It’s the “RAISE THE WOOF!!” PAWTY!!

 Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!

It is being thrown by BlogPaws and Rachael Ray Nutrish !!

I am hoping that an ENTIRE PACK of my furiends will join me!

There will be fun, lots of playing, DJ’s spinning tunes so you can dance and sing and  Bark Tenders mixing your favorite drinks for you to slurp up and ohhhhhhhhhhhh I will get a chance to BARK with every doggy!!!

Nutrish will be giving away special prize packs of “delish” and healthy Rachael Ray Nutrish products too!!  All of this is to begin the kick off of the BlogPaws 2013 Conference! YOU NEED TO RSVP HERE TO ENTER TO WIN PRIZES!!!

I am even more excited because Mom is one of five other bloggers who are being sponsored by Nutrish to attend the conference this year!!! Why SHE is going and I am NOT is beyond me, since it is ME who ACTUALLY HAS EATEN THEIR FOOD FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS but I digress…..

If you are still on the fence about attending the conference, there is still time to register! Nutrish is even bringing a caricature artist! What fun!!

So, I hope to see LOTS of you at the pawty! Be sure you are following @BlogPaws and @Nutrish

oh and of course….ME on TWITTER @dakotasheltie

Can’t wait to see you there!

Barks and licks and love, 

Dakota

Click on the photo to RSVP!!

What do gentlemen do?

Back on February 21st I were reading one of my favorite blogs: Something Wagging This Way Comes, and  the post that I was reading that day was:

11 Insanely Useful Weird Dog Commands

Pam had compiled a list of commands that she uses for her dog, Honey, that cover a lot more ground than your basic, “sit”, “stay” or “wait”.  If you haven’t read this fun and informative post, click on the above link!

At the end of the post, Pam asked: What are some of the strange cues you use to tell your dog what you need from her? (in our case it would be a “he”, but I digress…)

Here is the comment that I left on Pam’s blog post that day:

caren gittleman says:

February 21, 2013 at 11:45 AM

“What do gentlemen do?” I stumbled upon it a couple of weeks ago when Dakota was having a barking fit wanting a bone.

I never thought he would understand a complete sentence when I used it. In frustration I said “What do gentlemen do?” He promptly SAT. I have used it since to make sure it wasn’t a fluke and he sits EVERY time. My husband calls him a “gentleman” when he takes him to the bathroom but never uses it for sitting.
I must try to get it on video.

Then Jan Keefe  of Wag ‘N Woof Pets  (another favorite blog of mine) said on:

February 21, 2013 at 12:06 PM

I would love to see that, you will have to get it on video! 

Guess what? I did JUST THAT! Yesterday I went and to Sprint to take advantage of the upgrade I had available to me to trade in  my old Android phone for  the new iPhone4 , and was playing with the video function. I decided to ask  Dakota the infamous question: “What do gentlemen do?”  See for yourself!

It is MUCH funnier when Dakota is in the middle of vocalizing about how much he wants his  Rachael Ray Nutrish® Soup Bones™. 

Just to show you the “gentleman” routine is NOT a fluke, witness it again!

I’d say he deserves a BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Award nomination, don’t you agree?  Now is  YOUR chance to nominate ALL of the pet blogs/bloggers that you love!

From BlogPaws: The “Nose-to-Nose” Awards is the only awards program in which pet bloggers and microbloggers are judged on their expertise, creativity, and performance in one or more of 12 categories by a panel of distinguished professionals. The BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Awards are not a popularity contest!

Nominations open at 12:00 PM EST on Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 – and close at 3:00 PM EST on Friday, March 8th.

Yep, that’s right! You don’t have to experience angst wondering who you are going to nominate, you can nominate ALL of your favorites in as many categories as you would like!

As an example, Dakota  and I have already begun nominating blogs in the categories of:

Best Blog Design

Best Blog Writing

Best Humor Blog

Best Bark Blog

Best Meow Blog

Best Wiggle Blog (for animals other than cats or dogs)

Best New Blog

Best Cause Blog

Best Blog Video

Best Blog Photo

Best Facebook Design

Best Twitter Design

and you know what? There are a number of blogs that we feel are deserving in EACH category and we aren’t going to just nominate one per category, we are going to nominate ALL of our faves for EACH category! That way, EVERY FURRY will be considered! How cool is that?

One thing that we love about the Nose-to-Nose awards is that even if you are just nominated ONCE, you are in the running, AND, you CAN NOMINATE YOURSELF!

Every blog that is nominated will be reviewed by the judges panel, but just once.

Please, please nominate ALL of the blogs/bloggers that you love for whatever category!

 

To read more about the criteria that the judges will be taking into consideration for each category, click here

We are HONORED and FLATTERED that so many of you visit us on a regular basis, or even that you visit us at all! That being said, if there was a post that made you smile, a photo that you loved, a book review that inspired you to buy/read a book, a contest that you won, a product that you learned about here or anything else that you loved, that we work painstakingly and with all of our heart to share with you, we would be HONORED if you wish to nominate us for whatever category you see fit.  Well, except best meow blog since this isn’t a cat blog! BOL! Our chances of being a finalist or even of gasp, WINNING...are next to none, but it would mean the world to us if we were even to be considered.

Should you wish to nominate us, and we THANK YOU if you do, you can click on each category that we mentioned above and it will take you right to the nomination pages.

Here is our info that you will need:

Blog Home Page: https://dakotasden.wordpress.com/

Contact Name for Blog Owner: Caren Gittleman

Email for Blog Owner: cgittleman at mi dot rr dot com

Twitter Page for Dakota: https://twitter.com/dakotasheltie

Dakota’s Den on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dakotas-Den-Daily-Doings-of-a-Dog-Named-Dakota-Let-the-Barking-Begin/212764172068608?ref=ts&fref=ts

  Now, Dakota and I are off to do some more nominating of other deserving blogs/bloggers ourselves!!

Good luck to all!!

Barks and licks and love,

Dakota and Mom