baltimore – Singing Dogs

Star Spangled Banner

Cody, Sierra, and I did a great video today of us performing “The Star Spangled Banner” which is the US National Anthem. (I assume people know but you really don't know sometimes.) I think it came out pretty well so check it out. Sierra doesn't start singing until about 20 seconds into the video by the way.

What's cool about The Star Spangled Banner is that the it was written by Francis Scott Key in Baltimore while he was watching For McHenry be attacked by the British. The Singing Dogs are from Baltimore which not only makes it a patriotic tribute but a point of pride for two Baltimore dogs. At least I think that is what Cody and Sierra were trying to convey musically in this rendition of America's National Anthem.

We hope everyone has a great Fourth of July. The Singing Dogs and I are grateful to live in the United States where we freely and openly express ourselves through music.

If you think Cody and Sierra did a great job with the Star Spangled Banner please leave a comment below and let us know.

We’re heading to BlogPaws 2013!

Just to let all of our friends, fans, and followers know, Cody, Sierra, and I are heading to BlogPaws 2013. (If you don't know what BlogPaws it is a pet blogging and social media conference.) We are very excited to be attending this year since this is the first time we are going to go to BlogPaws or have gotten a chance to go to any sort of pet conferences or events.

Since BlogPaws 2013 taking place in Tysons Corner, VA (just outside Washington DC) and we live in Baltimore attending means we will not have to travel far. We are going to be driving back and forth to the hotel where the conference is taking place which will be a bit of a pain but people drive into DC all the time for work. I figure I can do it a couple days if people do it 5 days a week.

We hope to get a lot out of BlogPaws networking with other dog lovers, pet brands, bloggers, writers, social media gurus, SEO gurus, and generally anyone who loves pets as much as we do. We also hope to meet some of the Singing Dogs fans at BlogPaws 2013 as I know there are a lot of our followers out there that want to meet us and are attending this year. We are just as excited to meet you in person too by the way!

I will be in attendance all 3 days but we are still unsure about bringing Cody and Sierra for all of BlogPaws 2013. We think it would better to bring them 1 day and then to get more out of the conference leave them home so we can takes notes from speakers and talk with people more. Sierra can be a bit whiny in the car since she is a “Dog Diva' and Cody is usually good but will probably get bored if we are just sitting around doing “boring” people stuff most of the day. (He'd rather be playing Chuckit!) If you have any thoughts or advice about bringing pets to BlogPaws I would appreciate it if you left a comment and let us know your experiences.

Anyway, we have new slick business cards to give out, gave the dogs a bath and are preparing ourselves for BlogPaws 2013. I hope to see you there and please let us know if you are going and if we should keep an eye out for you at BlogPaws.

Puppy Bowl, The Best Super Bowl Alternative

If you are not a football fan or care much for sports than you won't be excited to watch the Super Bowl today. However don't fret because there is a good alternative for you, the Puppy Bowl!

The Puppy Bowl is an ‘Animal Planet' TV show that features adorable and cute puppies playing a game of football. The puppies in the Puppy Bowl play in a miniature Animal Planet Stadium that looks like a football field and do cute puppy things.

One cool thing is that all the puppies featured in the Puppy Bowl are from rescue and shelters. This is to raise awareness for people about how they can adopt a shelter dog.

Here is the description from the Animal Planet website:

The biggest event on all fours is back!Puppy Bowl returns for its ninth consecutive year with an all-star, all-adorable cast that's ready to mix it up on the grand gridiron of Animal Planet Stadium. Puppy Bowl IXbrings viewers a loveable lineup that's itching to play in a winning combination of terrier tackles, touchdowns, puppy penalties, fumbles and Fido first downs. Featuring fan favorites like the Water Bowl Cam, tail-gating fans, and the hamster-steered blimp, this year's big game is sure to be a tail-wagger. For the first time ever, viewers can see slow motion replays with the new Cute Cam. And be on the lookout for the hedgehog cheerleaders. Also, don't miss the debut of the puppy hot tub, where puppy players can cool down after tearing up the field. From barking beagles and spunky spaniels to everything in between, we've got the cutest players taking the field on the most action-packed Sunday of the year. Plus, back for another year is the popular Bissel Kitten Halftime Show, guaranteed to bring the house down! And, sideline reporter “Meep the Bird” will return to tweet live updates throughout the game. Follow @MeepTheBird on game day for the latest news, puppy penalties and behind-the-scenes moments from inside the stadium.

The Puppy Bowl is an awesome alternative for animals lovers don't care about watching the Super Bowl or the commercials, which are mostly posted on Youtube nowadays anyway. They have a Puppy Live Cam you can watch which is totally cute.

The Puppy Bowl will be airing on Animal Planet at 3pm EST on February 3rd, 2013.

Cody, Sierra, and I will definitely be watching the Super Bowl this year since the Baltimore Ravens are playing against the San Francisco 49ers. Joe Flacco, the Raven quarterbacks is the spokesperson for the Baltimore Humane Society.

Cody and Sierra in Sherwood Gardens

This is a cute picture of Cody and Sierra at Baltimore's famous Sherwood Gardens I thought I would share. As you can see Sierra likes to sit on the bench with me when walk over to Sherwood Gardens. I guess it shows she is the boss since she is above Cody. She definitely thinks she is a princess and should be treated as such. It's nice for the dogs to sit and watch people since they are herding dogs that are supposed to keep watch over things. I think the dogs need mental stimulation just as much as physical exercise.

Sierra actually escaped twice because she couldn't resist chasing a rabbit and squirrel. When she was chasing the rabbit, with me and Cody trying to catch her, she was skipping just like the rabbit. It was pretty funny to watch but nerve-wracking too I wasn't sure if she would go into the street. Sometimes she is a really bad girl, but she doesn't care! Cody tends to be more agreeable, at least most of the time.

BARCStoberfest and 5K Run – October 20th

The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) is holding it's annual BARCStoberFest and 5K Run this Saturday (October 20th) at Patterson Park. The event will help benefit and fund BARCS which helps over 12,000 homeless animals each year. BARCStoberFest will feature:

* Good food, live music, and special guests
* Adoptable cats and dogs from BARCS and other rescue groups
* Pet costume contests, fun games, and demonstrations
* Animal health and wellness experts
* Local artists and food vendors

In addition there will be a silent auction and raffle, pet micro-chipping, and other area animal rescue groups will be in attendance too.

BARCStober Fest, in partnership with Charm City Run, will be featuring the first “Ready…Set…Sniff 5-K Run OR Walk” with your special pets around Baltimore’s famous Patterson Park. The Run/Walk will ends at the start of BARCStoberfest so people can enjoy a human and family fun filled day together. It's $25 to preregister and $30 to register on race day. If you are interested in registering for the 5K Run/Walk, please click here. You can also setup an account and group to help raise money for the BARCStoberfest 5K Walk/Run by visiting this page.

What: 6th Annual BARCStoberfest

When: Saturday, October 20th, 2012 from 11 am – 4pm

Where: Baltimore's Patterson Park

For more info on BARCStoberfest please visit the website: http://baltimoreanimalshelter.org/#BARCStober

Bestfriends Furever Doggie Daycare Open House – October 13th

Bestfreinds Furever, a Doggie Daycare and Boarding Facility, is holding an open house tomorrow (Saturday) October 13th from from 12am – 6pm. Staff will be on hand to show people the Cockeysville facility if they are interested in utilizing their pet services. There will also be snacks, door prizes, a costume contest, and a face painter. (Not sure if the face painter is for humans or dogs, but I hope people aren't planning to face paint dogs!)

Sounds like the open house will be quite an experience and fun. If you can make tomorrow to checkout the facility, I would try to swing by. We currently use another facility to board Cody and Sierra but are considering using Bestfriends Furever in the future since taking with someone who works there.

Bestfriends Furever, 246 Cockeysville Rd, MD 21030, #410-773-7529

For more info you can visit: http://bestfriendsfurever.com/

Bestfriends Furever also has another location in Joppa, MD.