Cody and Sierra sitting on a Stone Wall [Picture]

Yesterday I posted a fun picture of Cody and Sierra when Sierra was a puppy.  The picture showed just how hard it is for older dogs when adding a puppy to the family.

Since that picture was bit high energy I thought I'd share this calm picture.

sierra cody lookoutSierra took cues from Cody and wanted to be with him when he was keeping a “lookout” over the yard and house.  I like how in the picture she is next time him and looking the other way.  She also liked to cuddle with Cody when he was napping outside.  Unsure if he was happy about that.  Of course we thought it was cute and funny that she was following around her big brother just like a little sister would.

Having a puppy is fun, but it's nice when a dog grows up and there are no more “messes” in the house.  Do you think everyone loves puppies?

 

Cody defending his Attention Time [Picture]

Since I haven't posted in while I thought I would share this picture we found recently while trying to organize some files.  (Not real files but computer files.)  This was a funny picture of Cody and Sierra back when Sierra was just a little fluff ball, also known as a puppy.  Check it out, we think it's kind of cute.

cody vs sierraCody wasn't too happy with Sierra since she changed everything and was getting a lot more attention than he thought she should.  He's just trying to defend his “turf” and his attention time from the family.

We noticed that Cody's personality changed a lot from a spoiled only dog too a being a “grown-up” dog when Sierra came into the mix.  He was pretty hard on her, still is mostly, but things have changed.  Cody plays with Sierra and tolerates her being around… but probably wouldn't mind if she left and things got back-to-normal in his mind.

Have you ever introduced a puppy into your family when you already had a dog?  Had did the dog react to a puppy?  Was it good or bad?

We will try to find fun pictures of the Singing Dogs and do short and quick posts.  What do you think Cody is saying here?  We'd love to hear opinions and comments.

Lazy Singing Dog

We haven't uploaded a new video for awhile, but I think this one is pretty good.  Sierra does a great rendition of a Jazz Classic while being a Lazy Singing Dog.  What do you think?

I like how Sierra is so expressive with her voice, even when lying down and relaxing.  Shows just how musically inclined my girl is.  Even if she isn't always on key, I still think she has pretty good singing chops.  It's not like she attended music school or anything, you know.  Sierra is a completely self taught singer.

By the way, instead of me telling people what the sing is I thought it would be fun if people took a guess. Does anyone know what the song I am playing on my saxophone is in the video? Brownie points to anyone that leaves a comment below and knows what the song is.

9 Reasons I Need to Attend BarkWorld 2013

barkworld 2013

If you are a pet blogger than I am sure you have heard of BarkWorld, a blog and social media conference.  BarkWorld is now going strong in it's fourth year and BarkWorld 2013 is just around the corner in August.  I would really like to attend BarkWorld 2013… but unfortunately I find myself a bit light on cash at the moment.

Thankfully Pruven, 3M's pet division, is going to sponsor one lucky pet blogger's trip to BarkWorld 2013.  This pet blogger doesn't want to go but needs to go BarkWorld.

10 Reasons I Need to Attend BarkWorld 2013

  1. Improve Social Media Skills:  Honestly my social media skills are not that impressive.  I understand Twitter and I am a TweetDeck user.  However, I can't seem to crack how to get a lot of followers and could use some.  Having recently attended BlogPaws 2013 I felt a came up a bit short talking with the so-called “Social Media Gurus.”  I found they offered no advice I hadn't heard before and didn't give me clear answers to many of my questions.  If I attend BarkWorld I know I will pick-up some better skills from speakers and other bloggers there.
  2. New People and New Connections:  For anyone that has attended a blog conference before you know all the great people you meet and connections you make.  Making friends in the real world translates to good friends online which can really help catapult a blog.  I'd love to meet make connections with pet companies, brand, rescue groups, and other bloggers so that the Singing Dogs are more well known.
  3. Take Blogging to the Next Level:  I already feel like my blogging and writing skills are pretty good.  You should never stop learning and gaining new skills especially if you are competing online.  Attending blog conferences, such as BarkWorld 2013, will really up my blogging game and take it to the next level.  I need to be successful online since I really don't want to get a real job.  You know, since real jobs kinda suck.
  4. Help Rescue Groups:  Every since I discovered Sierra and Cody's singing talents I have hoped that I could use it to raise money for animal groups and shelters.  In addition I have hoped that I could use it to raise awareness about animal abuse.  I haven't quite figured out how to do this and I know attending BarkWorld 2013 I could talk with rescue groups and organizations about any ideas.  (Sierra and Cody are divas when performing live and we can't use pop songs due to copyright issues.)  I'd love to help animals in need since that is why Singing Dogs was started.
  5. I can Teach: Having attended other blog conferences I know I can teach other bloggers a lot.  I truly believe the value you get out of these events is not only learning but giving back to others who need help.  It pleases me when I show people resources or tools they have never heard of before.  Having bloggers willing to teach others makes the a blog conference better in my opinion.
  6. My Session Summaries:  My BlogPaws 2013 Pro Session summary was as detailed and comprehensive as you can get.  (If anyone can find a more detailed summary of the talks shoot me an email.)  If I attended BarkWorld I would write a similar summary of my various thoughts about the talks and sessions.  This not only helps other bloggers and potential attendees asses how useful BarkWorld is but would also make future BarkWorld conferences even better.
  7. I am a Dude:  There seems to be a lot more female pet bloggers out there than guys.  Therefore a lot more women will be attending BarkWorld than guys, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  I need to go to BarkWorld to make sure that everyone is aware that guys also love animals too even if we don't show it quite as much by starting a blog about it.  Of course I did.
  8. Visit Atlanta:  I think Atlanta is a great city and would love to visit again.  Quite honestly it is much cleaner than Baltimore and I don't mind not having to worry about crime all the time.  It is also dog friendly.
  9. Cody and Sierra Assume I am Going: My dogs already think I am heading to BarkWorld.  Would you want to disappoint them?  🙂

Hopefully the generous, smart, and attractive (I can only assume) people from Pruven will agree with all my points here.   I know there are a lot of people vying for the BarkWorld free trip but I truly hope I am at least considered with this blog post.

BarkWorld 2013 is set for August 22-24th in Atlanta, Georgia.  Tickets are $129 if you purchase before July 31st and at-the-door tickets are $169.  (There are additional fees too.)  That is reasonable pricing for a blog conference since most are $500+ for a weekend not including hotel and airlines expenses.

Even though BarkWorld 2013 is a reasonably priced I could use help in getting my way paid.  Hopefully we will but I will be ok if we don't win too.

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.