I'm Taking the 5th Annual Pet Blogger Challenge!

It's January 10th, and most of you will know what that means - it's time for the annual pet blogger challenge!  This fun community event gives us all an opportunity to get to know our fellow bloggers a bit better, as well as to to inspire others by sharing some background info about our blogs and how far we've come.  Please feel free to click the links below to read more wonderful animal-related blogs, and join in if you'd like!

1.  How long have you been blogging?  (And for first-timers, what is your blog about?)
I have been writing Second Chances since last spring.  It hasn't quite been a year yet, but we're getting close!  I started the blog primarily to share information and news about animals in need, but it's expanded somewhat to include funny stories and photos - mostly of my dog, Riley!

2.  Tell us one thing that you accomplished during 2014 that made you proud.
This isn't exactly blog-related, but getting published in the October issue of Dog Fancy magazine was definitely a big deal for me!  It was a short article on the very last page of the issue, but we were super pumped to see my name (and Riley's!) in print.

3.  What lessons have you learned this year that could help us all with our own blogs?

Make connections and be friendly.  The Internet can be a not-so-friendly place sometimes, and it's nice to have found a little niche where everyone is incredibly kind and encouraging.  I have also learned that the best way to get people to come to your blog is by going to read their blog.  If you enjoyed an article...tell them!  Better yet, shoot them an email and tell them why it stood out to you - it can really make a difference and even help begin a new friendship!

4.  What have you found to be the most successful way to bring traffic to your blog?

As I mentioned above, visiting other blogs, commenting on posts, and sharing great articles are easy ways to bring traffic to your own site.  I also like to tweet my fellow bloggers or share things with them on Google+.  Guest posts can also be incredibly helpful.  If you're doing a product review, tagging the company on Facebook or Twitter when sharing your post can also bring new readers to your blog.

We got lots of new readers when we reviewed Travels with Casey!

5.  What was your most popular blog post this year?  Did it surprise you?  

My most popular blog post was a Tuesday's Tails post that featured two elderly adoptables:  Beau and Chachi.  I was in love with these two and shared their story multiple times.  The fact that this was the most popular isn't too surprising to me - I was very close to their situation and so was able to share some personal details that made the post more intimate.  What's more, I am so glad that it ended up being my most popular post, because Beau and Chachi finally found their forever home - perhaps, in part, due to your shares, who knows?!  A close second was my post titled "The Angels Who Save Animals".  I wrote it as a tribute to shelter employees who change lives - canine, feline, and human!

6.  What was your favorite blog post to write this year?

I don't know that I have one specific favorite, but one of them was definitely my letter to Riley's former mama - it was fun to write and, surprisingly, brought up a lot of emotions for me!  I also loved writing the posts that give people tips on how to give back to local animal shelters and rescues; two that come to mind are my list of great gifts that give back and a list of ways to show some love to animals in need.  Plus, I always enjoy writing the Tuesday's Tails features!

7.  Has your policy on product reviews and/or giveaways changed this year?

No; I don't do many product reviews, and I have yet to do a giveaway.  Though a giveaway is definitely in the works for the next month or two, I will continue to do only a couple of product reviews a year.  There are lots of products that I just don't feel would be all that relevant to people wanting to read about animal rescue, and I never want my readers to feel that I am just shilling things I don't really believe in.

8.  What's your best piece of advice for other bloggers?

Believe in what you are writing.  Enjoy what you're writing.  If you don't, it comes through in your writing and will be quite obvious to your audience.  So far, I have loved blogging...and if, for whatever reason, I wasn't enjoying myself anymore, I would stop - or at least take a break.  Having passion for what you are writing about is key to becoming a great blogger.

If you don't love what you do...why do it?  (Print from here; quote by Sylvia Plath)

9.  What goals do you have for your blog in 2015?

Honestly, I just want to continue making a difference.  I want people to read my blog and be inspired to adopt, volunteer, or donate.  I also want to make people smile by sharing funny Riley stories or cute photos of my shelter/doggie hotel dogs.  Basically, I'd love to just continue what I've been doing - only bigger and better!!

10.  If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you're having with your blog, what would it be?

Hmm.  I don't have anything particular in mind, but of course, all advice is very much appreciated!  I just really enjoy connecting with other bloggers and like-minded people in the rescue community, and I'd love to continue doing that - any tips on meeting more people?  I can't wait for BlogPaws for this very reason! :)

As always, thank you to my amazing readers. <3  

Is Your Pet Affected by a Full Moon?

Surely you've heard the superstition.  During a particularly crazy day at the vet, one of the assistants might mutter, "Is there a full moon?  These dogs are acting nuts!"  Or maybe you've even said it yourself, after your cat knocked over the goldfish bowl.  What do you think about this myth?  Is there really a correlation between a full moon and animal behavior?

For centuries, people have blamed strange or odd behavior - human and animal - on the moon.  It was said that cats yowled more, dogs howled, and humans acted in peculiar ways.  The term "lunatic" even comes from the Latin "luna", meaning "moon".

There aren't too many studies out there that research a possible correlation between lunar cycles and animal behavior.  However, one did mention that emergency vet visits were about 25% higher during a full moon.  More animal bites happened, more pets having seizures, more accidents.  It could be argued that there is simply more light outside to see animals in need.  But what do you think?

Riley, mid-transformation! ;)

Last week was a full moon, and while I've always kind of rolled my eyes at the superstition, I did notice...something...in the dogs' behavior at our boarding facility.  An older dog who had stayed with us plenty of times before with no issues tore up two of his dog beds and howled through the night.  And a sweet pittie mix - who had been totally well-behaved during her week-long stay - ripped her bed into mere piles of fluff on her very last night - which, incidentally, happened to be the exact night of the full moon.  The energy just seemed a bit...off...in the building for several days.

Now, this could easily be explained away:  perhaps a new dog was staying at our facility whose scent got the other dogs all riled up?  But on that same night, Riley got into some mischief of his own.  I woke up the next morning to find an empty baggie on the floor of our bedroom, right next to a pile of fluff from Riley's brand new toy.  Every year, my grandma makes her own AMAZING beef jerky that she gives to each of us in our Christmas stocking - we always look forward to it; it is good.  In the night, Riley must have decided he wanted a midnight snack, climbed up to the dining room table, and snatched that delicious-smelling baggie of jerky.  Not only that, but he had torn up his toy!

What do you think?  Is there something to the full moon myth?  How do your pets react to a full moon?

(Information from here and here)

The Best Christmas Gift + Adoptable Animals

Rather than giving each other the usual cologne/perfume or jewelry this year for Christmas, Jared and I decided to make our gifts more personal and meaningful.  For us, this obviously meant a lot of dog-centric items!  I loved each and every one of the presents I received, but my favorite was this:

Jared drove Riley and I to the local PetCo and told me, "Fill up the cart with whatever you'd like, and we'll donate it all to PAWS."  (PAWS Humane Society is a local shelter with amazing employees and not nearly enough financial support.)  So we had a blast loading up the cart with bags of treats, plenty of sturdy dog toys, and metal food and water bowls.  When we told the cashier what we were doing, he even gave us a special coupon booklet so we could purchase more for less!

We also picked a new toy up for Riley because, well, he's the most spoiled dog in the world.  He had it destroyed by the end of the night...sigh.  #NaughtyDogProblems

When we went to PAWS to give them our donations, of course we spent some time with the adoptable animals!  Each and every cat and dog in the shelter seemed loving and sweet, but there were two in particular that I fell in love with.

Meet Betty!

Betty is a snuggly lovebug of a kitty who is 1 1/2 years old.  Since she is so friendly and gets along with all people and animals, she is one of the "roamers" at the shelter - she gets to greet guests when they enter the lobby!  Betty is still very much a kitten, so she loves to play...but she might love cuddling even more - she snuggled right up under Jared's chin and immediately started to purr!  Sadly, this petite cat has been at PAWS for nearly a full year, so her adoption fee has been reduced to only $50.  I can't imagine who wouldn't want to adopt her - I was tempted to take her home myself!

Meet Barbie!

Barbie is a 2-year-old Italian Greyhound mix who was thought to be dumped by an owner just outside of PAWS one day.  She is well-behaved and VERY friendly, and she has the wiggliest butt/tail I've ever seen!  She is said to be a bit shy, but not so much with us - we ended up with lots of puppy drool on us from all her kisses!  Barbie loves other dogs and cats and would do well in just about any home...she isn't much of a barker, but still has a lot of puppy-like behaviors and playfulness.  Bafflingly, this beautiful and unusual gal has been at PAWS since October - I can't believe she wasn't adopted right away!

If you're interested in adopting Barbie or Betty, please contact the PAWS Humane Society.  In the meantime, share share share these sweethearts with your friends - let's find these two beautiful babies their forever homes! <3

Riley's New Year's Resolutions

Happy 2015, fellow pet bloggers!  I am not a big believer in making resolutions for the new year - mostly because I am terrible at following through! - but it turns out Riley is quite motivated to make some changes this year.  I'll let him take over and share his resolutions with you. ;)  (If you're interested in reading a silly post about my hilarious New Years gone by, click over here to my old blog!)

My New Year's Resolutions

by Riley the Peekapoo

Use my extreme cuteness to get Mom & Dad to give me more walks

More naps - preferably on Mom's favorite fleece blankie

Perfect the art of sitting like a human - harder than it looks!

Try to make less mess when eating treats

Receive at least 10 belly rubs a day - AT LEAST!

Get more treats in the mail to review - yum!

Convince Mom & Dad to take me with them to BlogPaws Nashville

Spend more quality time with my Daddy

...Get groomed more regularly (don't judge me).

Mending a Broken Heart

Working with animals is a lot of things.  It's rewarding, exhausting, joyful, entertaining...and, yes, it is often heartbreaking.  You ache inside when someone tells you they are looking for a new home for their dog.  You feel inexplicably like crying when a new "Missing Pet" post pops up on Facebook.  It is true that there are many happy endings to balance out all that heartbreak - but it doesn't make it any less difficult.

Tonight my heart breaks for the animals that are outdoors in these below-zero temperatures.  Whether they are chained up or on the run, cared for or neglected, they deserve better.  I wish I could do more for them.  Thinking about it for too long is too much for me to stand; if you've got any uplifting videos that help you put a Band-Aid over the hurt, send them my way.

Here are my personal favorites.  I hope they lift your spirits like they do mine.  (They're all under 2 minutes and well worth a watch...or ten!)

More Mischief with Riley & #AlpoDogBiscuits

Disclaimer:  I was afforded this opportunity because I am part of the BlogPaws Professional Blogger Network.  The Alpo dog biscuits were provided by Nestle Purina.  Second Chances only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.  The opinions in this post are my own.  I received Alpo Wholesome Dog Biscuits to review in order to write this post.  I am not being compensated in any other form for helping spread the word about Alpo Wholesome Dog Biscuits.  Alpo/Purina is not responsible for the content of this article.

Let's get one thing out of the way first:  Riley doesn't like biscuits.

He is something of a treat snob - he will happily gobble down homemade goodies, rawhide bones, and soft, meaty treats.  However, when it comes to biscuits, Riley will usually turn his nose up and walk away to look for something more to his liking.  I was desperate to find a healthier treat that he actually seemed to enjoy.

When I read about Alpo's new Wholesome Biscuits, I was intrigued.  Several things about the product sold me on it:

- The Wholesome Biscuits come in a variety of sizes to suit every dog's needs.
- They contain 23 vitamins and minerals. (!!)
- They also contain calcium to build strong bones and teeth (an absolute necessity when it comes to my senior dog!)
- They are brand new and available now!

The calcium was the real selling point for me - Riley is 8 years old and already showing signs of slowing down.  The more I can do to strengthen his teeth and bones, the better!  Though I was a bit worried that Riley might not enjoy the dog biscuits, I figured we'd give them a shot.

Needless to say, Riley was super excited to find treats under the Christmas tree!

Here's the good news:  He loves the biscuits!

We use treats in a variety of ways around here - as rewards, bribes (yes, I'm that dog parent), boredom-busters, to encourage tricks or games, and to get Riley to pose for a photo.  Riley is a very food-motivated pup - what dog isn't?! - and it's also very difficult to say no to his adorable face.  So let's just say that the bag of Wholesome Biscuits is close to being empty already.

Riley doing a Sit/Shake for a biscuit

And here's the not-so-good news...

Hmm, I wonder who could have torn open the corner of the bag while we were at work!?

This isn't the first time Riley has gotten himself into trouble due to his love of treats.  I was thankful he didn't manage to polish off the whole bag this time - you get a lot of biscuits for the price, and there's no way his little tummy could've handled them all at once!   

Check out all the swag Riley got for Christmas! Here you can see the actual size of the "small" size biscuits - perfect for Riley!

All in all, this little piggy gives Alpo Wholesome Biscuits 4 paws way, way up!  For more information about Alpo and their products, please visit Alpo's website or Facebook page.

Our Christmas Card