On the Twelfth Day of Christmas . . .

Posted: January 5, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: People I Like, Places I Like, Things I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments


. . . on a bluff in St. Francisville, Louisiana, overlooking the mighty Mississippi River, St. Francis of Assisi–the patron saint of animals–focused a ray of light on Tallulah Bee and me. Such a perfect end to this Christmas season.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas . . .

Posted: December 28, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: People I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments


. . . I got my gameface on and prepared myself to cheer for my local National Basketball Association team, the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s not always easy being a fan, and lately it’s been particularly frustrating. The Pelicans opened this season with a quick 4-0 start, and then the wheels kind of fell off. One of our best players injured a finger, requiring surgery and a couple of months on the bench. He’s still out. Then another starter did something to his ankle, so we haven’t seen him for a while. Meanwhile trade rumors swirl around our franchise player, Anthony Davis. The Pelicans currently find themselves on an 0-5 skid with a record of 15-20 and currently in 14th place.

But here’s the thing about being a fan: You love your team, through the highs and the lows. You support your players and coaching staff. Sometimes that means giving them a little tough love, but it always means remaining loyal . . . and as a Golden Retriever I know a little something about loyalty. So tonight, as my New Orleans Pelicans return to their home court to start a three-game post-Christmas homestand, I’ll be cheering them on and believing that anything is possible. Because that’s what a fan does.

On the First Day of Christmas . . .

Posted: December 25, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Dogs I Like, People I Like, Places I Like, Things I Like | Tags: , , , , | 11 Comments

From my family to yours . . . Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all the best in 2019.

It’s been far too long since I’ve updated you on my activities, and I’ve so missed connecting with all of my friends in the blogging world and following your adventures. Christmas night seems like a good time to get back at it, and I have a commitment from my human mommy/blogging assistant that she will devote herself full-time–well, as full-time as she can–to sharing my reflections on a Golden life with you once again.

Just to let you know, I’m well . . . still enjoying life as a big sister to Tallulah Bee, sharing comfort and love through a variety of therapy dog activities, and loving life in New Orleans. Get ready for the next 11 days of Christmas posts and updates, and I look forward to reconnecting with all of you. It’s been too long . . . and I’ve missed you.

Cheers and much love, Miss Harper Lee ❤

Our Little Champion

Posted: August 8, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Dogs I Like, People I Like, Things I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

My little sister, Tallulah Bee, attended her first dog show this past weekend. Now before you get too excited, I said she attended her first dog show; she did not compete in her first dog show.

Tallulah and my humans went to the Lagniappe Classic Dog Show to see Tallulah’s littermate Sobe, who was competing for her final championship points, and their breeder Kelli from Rhythm Golden Retrievers.

Tallulah may not have been in the ring, but Kelli made her feel like a show dog. Tallulah got to go back to the holding area, visit with the competitors and their handlers, and hop onto the grooming table while Kelli gave her a Golden champion trim.

And then Tallulah (left) and Sobe joined Kelli outside for a little love fest . . .

. . . before posing for their “official” Lagniappe Classic Dog Show photo.

My sweet sister may not be a real show dog, but she’s our little Tallulah Bee CCG (Champion Companion Golden).

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Do you love Golden Retrievers? Are you a Golden Retriever owner? Are you a Golden Retriever?  😉 Join Golden Woofs Koru and the gang from Golden Daily Scoop for #GoldensChat, a Golden Retriever Twitter chat this Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern. Click here for more info from Golden Woofs. Chat with you Thursday!

Isn’t She Lovely

Posted: August 4, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Dogs I Like, People I Like, Things I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Several weeks ago, my friend Mia from It’s a Pibble’s Life! nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award. I cannot thank her enough. Mia is an amazing girl. She lives in Vancouver with her humom  and her furbrother, Keiko. Click here to pay Mia a little visit. You’re likely to find her playing in the ocean or racing through the forest. I’ve decided to delegate the duties associated with this award to my little sister, Tallulah. This is a really big deal. It’s her first time to speak on my blog. She just has to do two things: 1) Tell us seven things about herself and 2) nominate 15 bloggers to receive the award. Sounds simple, right? You obviously don’t know my little sister, but here goes.

Seven Facts About Me, Tallulah Bee

1. I am a super happy girl. Ok, before I get started, let me just say Wow! I’m blogging! Sissy’s finally letting me speak! Ok, enough of that. I better get serious before she pulls the plug on this little experiment. Where was I? Oh, that’s right. I am a super happy girl. I mean just look at my smile. I’m always smiling and my tail is always wagging.

2. I have a lot of nicknames. My registered name is Rhythm’s Tallulah Bee for Harper Lee. That’s kind of a lot to say, so humans just call me Tallulah. Unless I’m in trouble. And then my human mommy calls me Tallulah Bee, which to me sounds like “Stop it now!” But when I’m being good (which, for the record, is most of the time), my humans call me Bee, Buzzy Bee, Woo Bee, Bee Girl, Bubba, Bubba Bee, and Bubz.

3. I love to watch television. Actually, I love to watch video on anything–televisions, computers, smartphones, anything. I especially like to watch animals, but I also enjoy sporting events and pharmaceutical commercials with little cartoon-like characters. Now you’re going to be looking for those, aren’t you?

4. I’m rather fond of human beds. Technically, I’m not allowed on human beds. But sometimes I just can’t help myself. And when I do take the forbidden leap? Well, I’m just so super cute that the humans give in. Unless the bed is freshly made, and then that’s another story.

5. When it comes to food, I’m a bit of a pig. I have a tendency to inhale my meals, so I have this fancy pink bowl that slows me down. Very slightly.

6. I have a drinking problem. Not that kind of drinking problem, sillies. I mean I am not a neat drinker. And I drink gallons of water, so you’d think I’d be better at it. But I’m not. I kind of forget to swallow, and then water runs out of my mouth. Everywhere. Sorry about that, Mommy.

7. I love my big sister with all of my heart. Harper Lee has been the best big sister ever. She’s been patient and kind, and she always looks out for me. I love sleeping right next to her. And sometimes on her.

And my nominees for the One Lovely Blog Award are . . .

It said up there in the rules that I’m supposed to nominate 15 bloggers for this award. Hey. I’m just a puppy. (Ok, I’m two, but Mommy says we’re using that puppy excuse until I’m three.) I have a short attention span. Fifteen is a big number. How about if I just do eight? That’s more than half, right? And how about if I tell my nominees that they aren’t obligated to follow all of those silly award rules unless they want to. I just want them to know that I’m really happy that my big sister introduced me to them and I really like what they do.

Cast Light — This blog reminds us that we can we choose to “cast shadows” (gossip, complaints, cynicism) or to “cast light” (enthusiasm, encouragement, generosity). Golden Retriever Abby and Samoyed Sasha make the occasional appearance.

Gardens for Goldens — Escape to the beauty of the Memorial Garden at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary and meet the people and dogs who make it such an enchanting place.

Golden Kali — Golden Retriever Kali lives with her little sister Kloe, also a Golden, in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California. Hey, kind of sounds like my big sister and me, except we live below sea level in South Louisiana.

Home Sweet Home Wyoming — Check out the big blue skies and meet cute pups Bear and Sammy.

Peace With My Life: Comfort and Compassion Out of Chaos — From time to time, we’re all surrounded by a bit of chaos (you should see my living room when I decide to take all the toys out of the toy basket), so it’s nice to know where you can go for a little peace, comfort, and compassion. And you’ll get to meet a cute pup named Jazz.

Piglove — Meet Bacon, the cutest, funniest little piggy ever. And follow the adventures of the whole Hotel Thompson gang. Warning: You will definitely laugh.

Saving Sammie: An Adoption Story — Follow the adventures of sisters Sammie (a German Shepherd) and Emma (a Doodleman Pinscher). And these girls have two cats. Not so sure that would work at my house. Haha!

Tails Around the Ranch — Sam and Elsa are Standard Poodles. Sam does pet therapy at a large hospital and hospice center and Elsa is his pesky sister who gets into trouble. Hmmmmm, sounds familiar.

So, if you choose, here are the One Lovely Blog Award rules:

  • Thank the person (or dog) that nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • List the rules.
  • Display the award on your post.
  • List seven facts about yourself.
  • Nominate 15 bloggers (give or take) for this award and comment on one of their posts to let them know you have nominated them.

But feel free to ignore the rules. I do it all the time. And have a fabulous weekend!

Love, Tallulah Bee

 

 

You Can Help Pass the PAWS Act

Posted: June 27, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: People I Like, Things I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Do my new little puppy friends remind you of anyone? Maybe this will help jog your memory.

That’s right. They’re the stuffed version of that cute puppy that sang the Bayer K9 Advantix commercial. Keeping bugs off of dogs and cats is pretty important business, but now the good people at Bayer are involved in something that’s even more important.

It’s called the Pet and Women’s Safety (PAWS) Act. The PAWS Act is bicameral (that means U.S. House and Senate) and bipartisan (that means Democrats and Republicans) legislation to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence from emotional and psychological trauma caused by violence against their pets. The act expands existing federal domestic violence protections to include threats or acts of violence against a victim’s pet, and provides grant funding to programs that offer shelter and housing assistance for domestic violence victims with pets. The bill also requires the full amount of the victim’s losses for purposes of restitution in domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for veterinary services relating to physical care for the victim’s pet. Here are a few important statistics for you:

  • 71% of pet-owning women entering emergency shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed, or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims.
  • 48% of domestic violence survivors report they are unable to escape their abusers because they are concerned about what will happen to their pets when they leave.
  • Fewer than 5% of domestic violence shelters across the country accept pets.

So what can you do to change those statistics? You can start by clicking here to learn more about the PAWS Act and why it’s so important. And then take the next step by writing to your U.S. representatives to urge them to support the PAWS Act. It’s simple. Just click here and scroll down to fill in the information. You don’t even need to know who your representatives are (although you should). The form does all the work for you.

My humans learned about the PAWS Act when we attended the BlogPaws 2017 conference. That’s when my human mommy wrote to our representatives using the form. The results were a little mixed. Representative Cedric Richmond responded quickly, but his obvious form letter was all about this year’s congressional budget and spending process . . . not one mention of or reference to the PAWS Act. At least Senator Bill Cassidy’s letter referenced the actual act and called it “important,” before he said that it’s been referred to a committee on which he doesn’t serve. And from Senator John Kennedy . . . well, Mommy has yet to hear from our junior senator. But she’s not giving up, and I hope you won’t either.

We’ve covered some pretty serious stuff today. I don’t often write about serious things, but this is important. At the BlogPaws conference, Mommy met a lady who had to make the difficult choice to stay in an abusive situation or go to a shelter but leave her pets behind. You can imagine how important her pets were to her. As she said, they were all she had. Fortunately, she found a local shelter that accepts pets. Not all victims of abuse and their pets are as lucky. I hope you’ll take just a few minutes to learn more about the PAWS Act and to take action to protect victims of domestic abuse and their pets across the United States. It’s important.

 

 

Meeting and Making Friends at BlogPaws 2017

Posted: June 13, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Dogs I Like, People I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

There are a whole lot of great things about a BlogPaws conference, but the greatest in my book has to be the people and pets you meet. They’re all so super nice. Way back in March, my human mommy started counting down the days until she’d meet my dear friend Bear’s mom. We fell in love with Bear when we discovered his Love always, Bear blog, and it shattered my mommy’s heart the day Bear crossed the Rainbow Bridge. When our mommies finally met last month, it was as if they’d been friends forever. I guess Goldens just have a way of connecting people. That’s Bear’s mom on the right holding his sister Rosy.

Rosy writes a blog called Rosy Reports and, as Rosy would say, it’s fab. So fab that she was a finalist for not one but two BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Awards. Tallulah and I were honored to pose with her before the big awards dinner, and we were beyond thrilled that Mommy finally got to hug Bear’s mom and we finally got to meet his fabulous sister Rosy.

Photo from Rosy’s Twitter @PrincessRosyRue

We were crushed when another Golden friend, Sugar, crossed the Rainbow Bridge just a couple of months before the BlogPaws conference. How fitting that our friends Sugar and Bear were side-by-side when the 2017 conference Honor Flags were displayed.

Photo from Golden Woofs: Sugar the Golden Retriever Blog

That’s Sugar’s mom holding stuffed Goldie at the conference. (Mommy and Sugar’s mom were so busy hugging every time they saw each other that silly Mommy didn’t think about getting a photo.) I’m so super happy to report that just as soon as Sugar’s mom and dad got home from BlogPaws 2017 they welcomed a new Golden Retriever into their home and into their hearts. His name is Koru Bear and you can click here to see how incredibly handsome he is.

Keeping with the Golden theme, meet Honey and her mom. Sweet doesn’t even begin to describe these two. They’re like the best cupcake ever piled high with the richest icing you’ve ever eaten and covered with sprinkles. Yep, that sweet. Honey’s mom blogs at Something Wagging This Way Comes and–get this–they live on a sailboat. It was such a thrill to meet them, and we cannot wait to follow their nautical adventures.

Now I don’t want you to think we only hung out with Golden Retrievers and their humans while we were at BlogPaws 2017. We also met Leroy from My Brown Newfies. Leroy’s mom probably thought my human mommy was a crazy stalker when she leapt from the car and dashed toward Leroy the minute we got to the conference hotel. But, I mean really, who doesn’t love a big handsome hairy guy who drools?

And mommy wasn’t the only one with a BlogPaws 2017 crush. My little sister Tallulah fell in love with Echo from A Girl & Her Husky. Yep, my little sister was that woman who goes to an out-of-town business conference and has a fling. You can’t really blame her. Echo was pretty sharp in his red carpet attire. I guess what happens at BlogPaws stays at BlogPaws . . . wink, wink.

Finally meet Lucy with the Underbite, an adorable Chihuahua-Pug mix who had the time of her life strutting her stuff on the red carpet with Rosy. Lucy and her mom work with DogWatch Hidden Fences, a conference exhibitor, and Lucy has the most adorable Instagram account. Check her out here. I could go on and on about all the amazing people and pets we met at BlogPaws 2017, but I have a better idea. Why don’t you make plans to attend BlogPaws 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri? I promise you’ll meet a whole lot of super nice people and pets.

Dinner and a Movie

Posted: June 9, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Dogs I Like, People I Like, Things I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Woo hoo! It’s Friday! I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty thrilled to see the weekend. Do you have plans yet? Might I suggest dinner and a movie? There’s a great new film called Megan Leavey opening this weekend. I saw a preview while I was at BlogPaws 2017, and it’s fabulous.

Megan Leavey is the true story of a Marine and her dog, Rex. Here’s a little more information from the studio:

MEGAN LEAVEY is based on the true life story of a young marine corporal (Kate Mara) whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq. When she is assigned to clean up the K9 unit after a disciplinary hearing, Leavey identifies with a particularly aggressive dog, Rex, and is given the chance to train him. Over the course of their service, Megan and Rex completed more than 100 missions until an IED explosion injures them, putting their fate in jeopardy.

You can click here to see a trailer for the film. It stars a really talented dog in the role of Rex . . . and some pretty noteworthy humans, too. Plus, it’s gotten some really great reviews.

Merrick Pet Care, a leader in natural and organic pet food, sponsored the movie and recently announced the launch of Merrick Backcountry Hero’s Banquet recipes, a new lineup of natural dog food and treats to raise awareness for K9s For Warriors’ work pairing service dogs with military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disability (PTSD). (By the way, June is PTSD Awareness Month.) So grab some “pawp corn,” settle into that nice comfortable theatre seat to watch Rex star in the Megan Leavey movie, and purchase a little Merrick Backcountry Hero’s Banquet dinner to help support the work of K9s For Warriors. Sounds like a perfect weekend plan to me. Cheers!

BlogPaws 2017: There and Back

Posted: June 5, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: People I Like, Places I Like, Things I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

After 825 miles, four state lines, and a night in Atlanta, we finally reached our destination: BlogPaws 2017 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I was so ready for four nights and three days of nonstop learning and networking . . . unlike my little sister, who was one big yawn.

The Bee managed to perk up, however, when we got into our hotel room and she realized that we had another floor-to-ceiling window. That girl loves a floor-to-ceiling window. (Check out my last post to see how much she loved the window at the W Atlanta – Midtown.)

It’s hard for me to describe to you just how wonderful a BlogPaws conference is. There are dinners and lunches with keynote speakers. Yep, that’s my little sister, Tallulah, on the big screen as everyone is arriving for lunch. And by everyone, I mean everyone: humans, dogs (on leashes and in strollers), cats (mostly in strollers), at least one bearded lizard, a ferret, and a therapy rat.

Animals even attended the fancy awards ceremony dinner . . . after walking the red carpet, of course. That’s a photo of my little family.

There were educational sessions all day long, and pets were welcome to attend. I got to assist Dr. Julie Buzby at her session, “All Hands on Dog: Ten Touches that Could Save Your Dog’s Life.” (That’s Dr. Buzby on the left and my human daddy on the right. I’ll be doing a blog post on the ten touches later this week so you humans can keep my dog friends healthy.) I look pretty alert in this photo, but mostly Tallulah and I just slept through the sessions while my humans did a lot of note-taking. We definitely perked up for our visits to the exhibit hall, where more than 50 exhibitors shared information about pet products, pet health, pet food, pet toys, pet training, and pet treats. More importantly–to Tallulah and me, at least–they also handed out samples. We’re pretty sure that heaven will be a lot like that exhibit hall. I’ll share some of my favorite products in the next couple of weeks . . . just as soon as my human mommy finishes unpacking the two huge duffle bags of goodies that we brought back home.

BlogPaws 2017 was a whole lot of activity . . . maybe just a bit too much activity for my little sister.

Alright, I’ll admit it. Between the meals and the educational sessions and the happy hours and the visits to the exhibit hall and meeting new friends, even I needed a little nap or two.

What? A girl can’t sneak away from a conference for a little beach time? It’s been almost three years since the first and only other time that I felt the sand between my toes. But when I set foot on Myrtle Beach, the pure joy came rushing back. It was Tallulah’s first trip to the beach. To say that she’s a beach girl, too, would be perhaps the biggest understatement ever. Tallulah loved, loved, loved the beach. Be assured that I will be sharing more pictures and stories from our beach afternoon in the next few weeks.

And just like that, BlogPaws 2017 was over and we were back in Atlanta and checking into another W Hotel.

Unfortunately for Tallulah, the W Atlanta – Buckhead does not have floor-to-ceiling windows . . .

. . . but it does have floor-to-ceiling mirrors, which she enjoyed almost as much. Really, little sisters can be so silly.

After dinner at pet-friendly Seven Lamps restaurant and a restful evening, we reloaded the chariot and started the long drive home to the Big Easy. Our excellent adventure had come to an end, but our wonderful memories will last forever. We saw so many sites, met so many nice people and their pets, learned so many new things, and had so much fun. Thank you, BlogPaws, for making it all possible. My humans are already talking about the next road trip the four of us will take. Stay tuned!

A Work of Art in Progress

Posted: March 14, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: People I Like, Places I Like | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

My neighborhood grocery store is pretty special. It’s real name is Breaux Mart, but my humans call it The Bro. Although I’ve never been inside, I have spent quite a bit of time outside–either waiting with one of my humans while the other runs in to pick something up or strolling around the outside on one of my daily walks. I’ve always loved this mural on the downtown side of the building. (I know that in most cities people give directions as east, west, north, and south. But in New Orleans we say downtown, uptown, river side, and lake side . . . mostly because nothing’s quite straight around here.) The mural was painted by Max Bernardi. You can click here to read more about Ms. Bernardi and to see video of her discussing the swamp-scene mural.

We were thrilled to discover that Ms. Bernardi is painting another mural on the opposite (or uptown) side of The Bro. I’m so excited to share photos of this new work of art in progress. There are six sections running along the wall. The top photo was taken the first week in January and the bottom photo is from the first week in March.

Don’t you just love seeing the progress?

I almost feel as if I’m on the street with those turkeys.

I also feel as if I have to tell you that it was much cooler when we took pictures in January than it was the day we took them in March; but I still think I look pretty good comparing my profile to that horse’s profile.

These last two sections have a bit more to be done.

We’ll follow the progress on our walks to and from The Bro, and I’ll be sure to show you the finished product.

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