FUNDRAISING CONTEST: Donate to Prynne for a Chance to Win DENISE FENZI's New Book!!

You guys all know Denise Fenzi, right? Super awesome trainer, founder of the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, and prolific author? Well, I just happen to edit a lot of her work, and after I do, Denise usually sends me a free copy or two of the book.

She sent me FIVE extra copies of her newest book:

Beyond the Back Yard: Train Your Dog to Listen Anytime, Anywhere (Click here to learn more)

The book is meant for pet dog owners/trainers, but honestly, it offers a pretty awesome "proofing" plan for sports dogs, too. Ian Dunbar gave it rave reviews, and I just really like it.

And you guys remember Ettel and her dog Prynne? Prynne ate... something... that got lodged her throat, perforated her esophagus, and caused her to have a massive chest infection. Well, today her mom got the devastating news that the tear was worse than they thought. Prynne either needed to stay in the vet hospital for SIX MORE WEEKS to heal OR have a very expensive surgery... or be euthanized.

Ettel chose the surgery. And she doesn't have pet insurance. (GUYS, GET PET INSURANCE. HONESTLY, YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU WILL NEED IT.) So, in addition to the bill that Prynne has already racked up, the total is now around $18,000!! Yikes!

So... LET'S HAVE A CONTEST!!! Donate ANY amount to Ettel and Prynne, and then comment either here or on Facebook that you did, along with the name you used to donate. Next week Friday, I will randomly choose FIVE donors to receive a copy of Beyond the Backyard. I will contact you if you're one of the lucky winners (so be sure to include an email address or check back- if I can't reach you within a week, I'll choose another winner in your place).

DONATE HERE!

One Year Blog-iversary!

Wow! Today marks one year of blogging!

I'm pretty impressed with myself; when I started this blog I seriously doubted that I'd keep up with it regularly. This is post number 147, though, so I guess I've done okay!

To celebrate, I'm hosting a Mystery Giveaway! If you win, I will send you a special surprise in the mail.

(It probably won't be a cat, though. Sorry.)

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment. It can be about anything, but if you need a topic, I'd love it if you told me about the coolest trick your dog can do, or about a trick you really want to teach your dog, or even about the cool trick you saw a dog do once. I'm not picky. Please make sure that I can contact you somehow (either through your blog, or leave an email address), and let me know if you or your dog have any food allergies just in case I decide to do a food-related surprise.

I will choose a winner at random next Friday morning, and will update this post when I do.

Update, Friday, December 10th:
Okay, it's time to choose a winner! I used my favorite random number generator to pick a number between 1 and 18:

And who does that comment belong to?

Congrats, Dawn! I will be emailing you to arrange for you to receive your prize! I love that you have Magic pick things up for you. I'm still working on teaching Maisy how to do that, so I'm envious!

And thanks to everyone who entered. I loved reading about what your dogs do. There are some neat ideas in the comments, and I'm excited to try them!

100th Post!

When I first started this blog, I had no idea what I was going to do with it... or even if I'd post regularly! Well, I've clearly made blogging a habit, and one that I quite enjoy at that! As for content, I thought it would be mostly a chronicle of personal stories about Maisy with limited appeal to others. Instead, it's morphed into part personal stories, part information and education. And I'm constantly surprised by someone new commenting.

Today, I'd like to celebrate what this blog has become by hosting my first ever giveaway! I'm really excited about this, because Jessi of Cholula Jewelry has agreed to provide a custom, hand stamped dog tag to the winner! Her jewelry is gorgeous; please go check it out.

Photo by Kate Axford of Polar Square Designs.

The winner of this contest will win their choice of either the paw print tag seen above (see more views here), or a bone tag (see it here.)

As an added bonus, Jess, a dog trainer in Southwestern Minnesota, is offering any Lupine collar in her store so you can show off that gorgeous tag properly!

Alternatively, if you win and already have a tag and/or collar you just love, you can elect for a surprise dog toy to be sent to you instead.

To enter, all you have to do is comment below! Although it's not required, I would absolutely love it if you'd give me some feedback in the process. Tell me which post of mine you enjoyed the most, or what types of posts you'd like to see more of in the future. Make sure that I will be able to contact you- either by having your email address in your blog profile, or by leaving the address in the comment. I will choose a random commenter on Monday, August 23rd.

Thanks, everyone! Your comments and feedback have really challenged me and helped me grow. You've encouraged me and cheered me on! I have really enjoyed the blogging community, and look forward to another 100 posts!

UPDATE!
Thanks to everyone who entered my contest. I chose a random number:

And found the matching comment:

So, congratulations to Krecik, our winner! Incidentally, Krecik makes gorgeous plushies. Go check out the puppies she's made- they're amazing!

Thanks to everyone who entered. The next 100 posts are going to be amazing thanks to your feedback!