• Wordless Wednesday: National Dog Day

• Wordless Wednesday: Craft for Your Pet Shelter

Support National Craft for Local Shelters Day on July 21.

• Wordless Wednesday: Lost Pet Prevention Month

Rachel, a friend's dog, went missing in May 2013.
She was never found.
See her Facebook page, Bring Home Rachel.

Do not let your pet become a statistic. Read these
Lost Pet Prevention Tips. Know what to do if your pet is lost.

• Wordless Wednesday: BlogPaws 2016 Kickoff

Sugar the Golden

• Wordless Wednesday: Saluting Pet Dads

• Wordless Wednesday: Best Friends Day

I know that Snowe and I will be best friends for a long time.

• Wordless Wednesday: Welcome, Snowe

My new little girl

• Wordless Wednesday: Mother's Day

It's May 4, but the calendars on my office wall haven't turned past March. One reason is that between travel and pet sitting, I was home only four days in April. The other reason is that part of me stopped on March 29, when Honey died. I miss my hamster.

Every year on Mother's Day I treat myself to something special, claiming my hamster bought it "with her allowance." Silly me.

The thought of Mother's Day without a hamster is so sad. Am I ready for a new furry baby? I'm not sure, but May is largely clear of pet sitting jobs, so it's an ideal time to bond with a new hamster.

You know, I just realized what I should buy myself for Mother's Day this year . . . .

• Wordless Wednesday: Pet First Aid Awareness

Every pet owner should know basic pet first aid.
You are your pet's 911!

• Rest in Peace, Sweet Honey

Honey passed yesterday after being sick only two days.
I am still in shock about my sweet girl. May she rest in peace.

• Healing Touch for Animals: Volunteering at an SPCA

Healing Touch for Animals bridges the art of energy
medicine with the science of animal healthcare.

Blair Selby, HTA Annapolis Coordinator, demonstrates on Bo.

The goal of HTA is to balance and clear an animal's energy system.

This demonstration introduced SPCA volunteers and the public to HTA.

The energy sent to Bo reached this cat, who seemed to want to stay in the room!

On Bishop Warhol, I began with a balancing technique.
Bishop is up for adoption at the Anne Arundel, Md., SPCA.

Bishop's response to the treatment was to relax. Relaxation creates optimal
flow of energy throughout the body, which supports self healing.
HTA can address health, behavioral concerns, and emotional stability. 

Animals instinctually feel energy. HTA can
deepen the bond between animals and people.
I love when an animal truly connects with me!

Ruth connects with Russia. HTA practitioners do not diagnose
or give medications. HTA techniques for animals are meant to
complement traditional healthcare. Russia is available for adoption.

Practitioner-volunteers debriefed. The goal of giving HTA
is for animals to be adopted sooner. The team plans to
volunteer again at the Anne Arundel, Md., SPCA. 

You can learn more about Healing Touch for Animals
and find a practitioner near you.

• Wordless Wednesday: Pet Sitters Week

Avery and Annie don't know it's Professional
Pet Sitters Week. They just think I came to visit.

Thank you, BlogPaws, for featuring me on Wordless Wednesday.

• A Furry Little Miracle

While I was pet sitting Bettina, her heart condition flared.
The vet tented her with oxygen and gave a diuretic to flush fluid from her lungs.
I'm grateful Bettina came home and will see her human mom tonight.
Bettina's condition is terminal. Paws crossed for many more days for her.

• Wordless Wednesday: Dress It Up

"Putting on the dog" at the BlogPaws conference red carpet

• Wordless Wednesday: Dog Show Woes

"I do not like when you touch my balls.
I do not like it, not at all."

Because show dogs must be fertile, judges go hands-on the family jewels.

• My Honey Valentine

Honey gave me a Valentine card, and she's fixing dinner—a big salad!

• Wordless Wednesday: Valentine Pet Love

Chip, Bubba, and
Jellybean are in charge.

Furry love is the best. Food from clients is a close second.

• Wordless Wednesday: Spoil Your Pet

Show your pets the love in your heart, including with toys you know they'll destroy!

Beloved shredders Quincy and Sadie

• Wordless Wednesday: Grow a Blog

Here we are at a BlogPaws conference session. What do you notice about the pet bloggers in the audience? No one is looking at the presenter!

Are these bloggers rude? No! They're posting on the spot on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Periscope, and other social media sites. They're taking notes. They're shooting dozens of pictures, especially of the pets in attendance, like the little black-and-white guy nestled on the pink blanket. (It's OK for pets to sleep through sessions!)

If you want to rocket your blog into another stratosphere, join me and 499 other pet bloggers at BlogPaws 2016, June 23-25, in Phoenix.

• Wordless Wednesday: BlogPaws Conference Fun

Get your kicks on Route 66 ~ Get your licks at BlogPaws 2016 ~ June 23-25

• Golden Woofs!

Sugar, a favorite in the pet blogger community, is having surgery. 

Sugar and her mom are two of my favorite bloggers.

UPDATE: Sugar's surgery was successful and she's healing well!

• Wordless Wednesday: Winter Shape-Up

Whatever the season, keep it moving, dude!

• 2016 Pet Blogger Challenge

One of my favorite bloggers, Garth Riley.

It's time for the annual Pet Blogger Challenge, a sort of "how are we doing?" for pet bloggers organized by Amy Burkert of GoPetFriendly. Below are questions from Amy and answers from me.



1) How long have you been blogging? Describe your blog.

Since 2011. It's primarily photos of animals I pet sit.

2) What was the one thing you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?

I became certified in Reiki Level 2 and completed Healing Touch for Animals Levels 1, 2, and 3. I've begun to trust that I am a healer. I feel shy about talking about it, which is why you've yet to see a blog post about it.

3) Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year? Why?

The 2015 BlogPaws Conference. I love remembering BlogPaws and deciding what photos to use.

4) What is one thing you've done in 2015 to bring traffic to your blog?

I join the Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

5) Which blog post got the most traffic? Why do you think that is?

The post about my beloved hamster Winnie, who died in September, received the most comments. People met Winnie at BlogPaws and BarkWorld or online. When one of us in our community of pet lovers aches, we all ache. I love that about bloggers.

Winnie and me at BlogPaws 2015, in Nashville

6) What blog do I read religiously? Why?

Fire Horse Ranch. Diana Gogan champions and empowers women. She's succinct and meaningful, and my work with her blew me away. P.S. Diana is in Phoenix, the site of BlogPaws 2016!

7) What resources do I use to enhance my blog?

For the most part, I post only on Wordless Wednesday, so I'm heavy on photographs. I've been using my iPhone 5 and it's time for me to bite the bullet and buy a bridge camera (between point-and-shoot and DSLR) or a DSLR. Question: What camera do you use? Why do you like it?

8) What's the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?

If your enthusiasm wanes, ask other bloggers for help. BlogPaws has an outstanding Community page with lots of resources.

9) What is my vision for my blog in 2016?

Because I plan to add energy work for animals to my pet sitting services, I want to blog about energy healing. Those posts will be useful when I segue to a dot com web site that will advertise my energy healing.

10) Is there one aspect of my blog I'd like input on?

I helped a stray pet get back to its owner and thought I'd write a short post about it. But that same day another blogger wrote a comprehensive post about that topic. It was so well researched and written I wondered why I should bother writing about my experience. Question: Why do you write about a topic if another blogger has written about it?

• Wordless Wednesday: Get Fit with Your Pet

It's Exercise with Your Pet Month, so get out there!
You won't see me, though. My pet is a hamster.