Early New Year's Resolutions!

Like every other person on this planet, one of our New Year's goals is to be more active. (A.K.A. EXERCISE!) It's hard for me to go to a gym because I get bored there, and Jasmine is always sad to see me leave. And besides- what's the point of having a dog, if you can't go walk your dog? Why shouldn't she get some good exercise too! So yesterday, we went to a high school and borrowed their bleachers. We played a game of chase. Jasmine and I would start at the bottom of the bleachers. I would say, "Ready..... set.... GO!!" And we'd both start racing up the stairs. The first few times we'd be about tied... then she would stop and go sniffing down a row. And I'd win. ;) But then I learned if I kept saying "Go, Go, Go!!" she'd race me to the top! And sometimes I'd win. And sometimes she'd win. But either way, it was some good exercise for both of us. By the end, we were both panting. But I felt good about what we had accomplished. And it was way more fun that doing a stairmaster at the gym!

Christmas visits to the hospital

Usually on Fridays, Jasmine and I go to the hospital to visit the kids. But the last 2 weeks, I have been sick with that cold/ sore throat that has been going around. And I was kind of disappointed. Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year. I bought Jasmine a little Santa dress- because I knew the kids would get a kick out of it. And I really wanted to be able to cheer up the kids that had to be in the hospital during the holidays. But then I haven't been able to go.
So finally yesterday, we were able to go make our visits for the first time in December. And what a special time we had. Although volunteering makes me feel good overall, there are typically a few kids or families that we connect with that completely reinforces why we keep going back.
The first one was before we had even started. We met this little girl in the hospital lobby. She was enamored with Jasmine. She was her visiting her brother, but was feeling restless so her grandma had taken her down to the lobby. (And you can tell it was exhausting for her grandma to try and keep up with her!) So Jasmine was a fantastic distraction. The grandma sat on a bench while the little girl pet Jaz and kept her entertained. We spent quite a bit of time down there, but the grandma really needed the break... and that little girl wasn't about to give Jasmine back! ;)Jasmine is so gentle with little kids. I just love watching them interact. The second one that stood out in my mind was a girl from the 5th floor. It just reminded me how Jasmine can break down any barrier. After I got buzzed into the doors of the 5th floor, I pushed Jasmine's cart up to the nurses station to check in. They were really busy, so I had to wait. The door was open to room 501. There was a little girl who went to the edge of the bed and was looking at us. So I had Jasmine "sit pretty" and wave to her. This little girl perked up and started waving back energetically. It was kind of a game who could wave more. I kept telling Jaz to "say hi!" I thought it was just innocent fun. Then the nurses station was free, so I went forward to get the list of who I was allowed to visit. One of the nurses said, I would definitely NOT go to room 501! I said- "oh? Is she contagious?" The nurse said, "No, she was just bitten by a dog."

So that surprised me. But then I thought about it. Who could be intimidated by a furry little dog on a cart, wearing a dress, that is sitting pretty and waving at you? And hopefully that simple little interaction with Jasmine will help her to have a positive experience with a dog to counteract the negative experience that had occurred. So she's not so traumatized by it. That's my hope anyway.

As we were going down the hall, even grown-ups would crack a smile at this furry little dog being pushed around on a cart. So I felt like our visits were successful. Santa Paws had visited the hospital. ;)

Jasmine and I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. :)
Jasmine likes to remind me that it's not about the presents, it's about the love. And that's the best gift of all.

KNIX Pet-of-the-Week! =)

Last month, Jaz was chosen to be KNIX's Pet-of-the-Week! Here's a link to the winning picture:

http://www.knixcountry.com/pages/promo/california-naturals/?_show

And because of this, she won a California Natural prize pack from Bark Avenue Pet Supply...
Here's Jaz doing a new trick-- placing her paw on an object! It wasn't that hard to teach! She really liked those treats! (which is interesting- considering she normally doesn't care for biscuit treats!) But she does like these!
I was really impressed with the Bark Avenue Pet Supply store! I went in there to get the California Natural prize pack, but of course came out with a whole bunch of other stuff! They had a unique selection that you don't normally see in the other stores.

(To justify my purchases, it WAS Jasmine's birthday last Sunday!) My little puppy is 5 years old now.... (sniff, sniff) ;) Just kidding! (kind of!) It's been a wonderful 5 years, and I can't imagine my life without my favorite pup. =)

Calender Dog! :)

Back in September, I submitted a photo of Jaz to the Page-A-Day dog calendar contest. Then I never heard anything about it, so I completely forgot all about it!

BUT... I just got an email that they are going to be featuring Jasmine in their 2012 calendar!!! How fun is that?!? :) I don't even remember which photo I sent them... so I guess it will be a surprise for everyone! (It might be this one? (The email said they would be using the photo of Jasmine begging.) So.. maybe this one?

Anyway- I am way excited about this!!! :)

If anyone else wants to enter their cute dog, here's the link I used:

http://www.pageaday.com/funstuff/dogs-00home.html

NEW video!! (Jaz sneaks out!) :D

I just realized I forgot to post Jaz's new video to her blog!! It's been very busy around here! Jasmine had her 1st article in a Havanese breed magazine published. (which I will post soon!) And there is going to actually be a 2nd article published next month!

But it's still no excuse for not posting this video! We've been working on it for the last 2 months! It's the long-awaited sequel to "Dog Goes Shopping!"

Here it is!! =D

AAWL's Walk to Save Animals

Jasmine now has her own social life... independent of mine!! This past Saturday was the Arizona Animal Welfare League's "Walk to Save Animals"!
http://www.aawl.org/

I had other commitments this day, but Jasmine went without me!! She's dedicated to show her support of helping other animals get adopted! My friend actually called me up and said "Can I borrow your dog??". ;)
Her nieces were in town and they were all going to this walk on Saturday. And they each needed a dog! I knew Jaz would really enjoy this, so of course I agreed! They did the 2K walk, and Jaz did great! (Even going with someone she didn't know at all!) She even got to meet Chester Cheeto! (Although based on her body language, she wasn't as thrilled about that.) She was probably thinking... why is this giant cat holding me? How embarrassing!) ;)
All in all-- a fun day for little dog! :)

Petsmart's Grooming Breed Book! (Featuring Jasmine and Kaine!)

Last March, Jasmine was chosen to be in a photoshoot for Petsmart. They were creating a book for their grooming department called "Grooming Styles by Breed". I knew it was coming out in the fall, and have been eagerly waiting it's arrival! I kept asking my groomer at Petsmart if it has come in yet. She said she would call me when it did. Well... last week was the big day!

Now this book is sitting on the counters in the Petsmart's grooming salons in 1200 stores across the US and Canada!

If you flip to the letter "H" for Havanese, you'll see Jasmine- she's the model for the "Havanese- modified cut".

When she had to model for these pictures, I was standing behind the photographer with chicken and a squeaky bone!


She has to stand/sit on this white pedestal which was against a white backdrop. But the pictures turned out great! And it was really fun to do. The photographers at Petsmart were very nice. This was Jasmine's 1st photoshoot. I think she enjoyed it! (who wouldn't enjoy getting treated for just standing there!!)

It's cool because they even mentioned each dog's name in this book! :)




This is the day it came out. I went down right after work.

LEFT: Nice-looking, well groomed Jasmine
RIGHT: Scruffy, needs a bath Jasmine!






Our friend Ashley and her dog Kaine were chosen to be in it too! (If you check out the German Shepherd section!)

They were a big help to us. They went a few weeks before us, and told us all about the process. So we knew what to expect! (I was nervous/excited since it was our 1st photoshoot.)
But we were well-prepared thanks to Ashley& Kaine!




Here's what a Havanese looks like if they have a full-length show coat. Jaz would never allow me to keep her coat this length (and have it look nice!) She likes to run and play too much. She tends to get dreadlocks in her hair too. That's why it's nice keeping it short!







So... this was quite exciting for us. I think this grooming breed book is a great idea! This isn't the cut I normally choose for Jasmine, but now since this book has all the options, I can SHOW the groomer which cut I had in mind!


This book was a great idea- and I'm really thankful Jasmine got to be a part of it!! :)

Tails Magazine Costume Contest Winner!! :)

Guess what!!!

Tails Magazine was having a photo contest called "Animals Dressed as Other Animals". I submitted a photo of Jasmine in her skunk costume, and in her cowboy/horse costume. And the skunk costume won!!! How cool is that?? Here's the link to the article! Check it out!

http://www.tailsinc.com/post/animals-dressed-as-other-animals-photo-contest-is

It's funny because Jasmine is only 4 years old (she'll be 5 in December.) But she owns way more than 4 Halloween costumes!! (At last count, she had 12!) They're just too cute to pass up! Plus, if you go to the stores the day after Halloween, they are always 50% off! (or more!) So you can't go wrong!

Jasmine really dislikes wearing the stinky skunk costume! So I only make her do it for a few pictures. When the kids come around trick-or-treating, she'll be wearing one of her other ones that she likes more.

She dislikes wearing things on her head. (Which is why she doesn't like the skunk costume!) But she's okay with little dresses or outfits.

We were looking at costumes for this Halloween, and here's some photos I took on my cell phone. (So they're not great quality.) We haven't decided on one just yet.

I think this dragon one is cute. (and Jaz didn't mind it)








This bug on is hilarious, but Jaz would never go for it! (Plus she can't see!) But she's a good sport, and just stands there to model it!

Hospital Time

Tonight was another shift volunteering as a dog therapy team at the hospital. Every time I go, I leave feeling so renewed about life.

This time was a little different. Some days, it seems like everybody adores Jaz. And then sometimes we get off to a slow start. But by the end, I'm always glad I went. Tonight I started w/ the 7th ward (Oncology), which is usually our favorite floor. We did our visits, but didn't find anybody we really connected with. (any obvious dog lovers). Then we went down to the 5th floor. The first room we went into was of a 17 year old boy and his dad. When I asked if he wanted to see some dog tricks, he said "I guess". Jaz did her usual routine (be shy, sneeze, say hello, wave, sit pretty, high 5, cover your eye, etc.) And the boy was mildly interested.

Then we went into the next rooms. A few rooms down, we found a 4 year little girl who was SOOO excited to see Jaz! She just pet her and pet her, and Jaz laid down beside her. I talked to her and her mom for quite a while. The little girl told me all about their cats, dogs, and ferret. Before we left, we did some tricks for them. (which they LOVED!) The mom even wanted to take a picture of Jaz with the little girl. So that was a fun room.

Then the next room was a really shy little girl who didn't want to pet Jaz. But when I showed her some tricks, she became interested. (Still didn't want to touch her, but liked watching her.)

The next room was a really cool 16 year old girl. You never know why these kids are in the hospital (except of course, if they're on the 7th floor- oncology). But this girl didn't seem like she should be in a hospital bed. She had her hair and make-up done. She was wearing cute clothes. The only reason I could tell she was sick is because she had a monitor connected to her. She was really interesting to talk to. She loved dogs, and had a yorkie. She even knew what a havanese was because her grandma had one! Jaz really liked her too. There is a spot in the middle of Jaz's back that is her "itchy tickle spot". (It's the spot she just can't reach.) This girl found that spot. So Jaz was happy.

By the time I left that floor, I felt like I had done a good thing. And had connected with quite a few people. And had brightened the day of some of these kids. (and just provided a good distraction from the TV for the others.)

But there was a really poignant lesson for me when I was down in the lobby. The dad of the 1st boy I visited came down the elevator with his wife. She said- "Is this Jasmine??" I said yes (assuming she had seen Jasmine's name badge.) Then the wife proceeded to tell me how as soon as she got back to the room, her son told her all about the cool dog that had come to visit him. And all the tricks she could do. And went on and on how cool it was. (That was a surprise to me!) When I left the room, it felt like that 17 year old boy didn't care one way or the other! But yet, he had told his mom all about our visit when she got back. So that really stood out to me- that we don't really know how we effect people in the grand scheme of things. You could have an impact on somebody's life and not even know it.
It was a good lesson to learn.

Peanut Butter Time!

Here's Jaz and Toddy's latest video! I think these dogs are so funny to watch. ;)
They can go on and on like this... but I cut it short for the sake of time! =) It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

(and I don't know how to embed a little monitor... it's always this huge. If anyone can tell me, I'd really appreciate it!!!) I'm using the embed codes that YouTube provides... maybe this is the only option? Anyway- you might just have to click on the title and watch it directly from YouTube. =)

Tails Magazine

Great news! =) Tails magazine just posted an article called "Your talented pets caught on tape", and they are featuring Jaz's shopping video! =) There's also a really cute video of a beagle that can open a baby gate! Here's the link:

http://www.tailsinc.com/post/your-talented-pets-caught-on-tape


Jaz's has always had one solution to baby gates: Just jump over them!
The one time she decided to stay behind one was when this little guy was over. (She was being considerate enough not to teach the 1 year old how to escape!)

I love this pic!! =)

What dog? Me iz cat! Cheezburger Funny

I'm sure you've all seen the animal pictures with the funny captions by "Cheezburger.com" - they get forwarded around by email on a pretty regular basis!

Well, here's a funny pic of Jasmine and Rascal (the cat) that I submitted!

http://cheezburger.com/View/3954279680

Doggie Roulette website!

I got an email from a website called "Doggie Roulette" that said they are going to be featuring Jasmine's "Dog Goes Shopping" video!! =)

Check it out!

www.doggieroulette.com , then click on "Daily Top 10" and look for "Dog Goes Shopping". (For some reason, the blog isn't letting me save the link!)

Right now Jaz is featured on the Daily Top 10, and just made the "Weekly Top 10" list! Who knows... if enough people 'like' her video, she may make it to the "Overall Top 10" list! =)

I don't know how this website found Jaz's video- but I think it's cool that they are featuring it!

It's funny, but this video has had more views than her other trick videos that I've had up for a year! So... it looks like I need to make more skit videos- rather than just a collection of tricks. Because they're more enjoyable to watch. (For the casual dog-enthusiast!) For us dog-addicts, we'll watch anything with a dog in it!! ;) If you have any great ideas for other plots, let me know!! =)

Dog Goes Shopping!

Canine shoppers unite! =) Here's Jasmine's latest video! =)



Here's some footage that I didn't use- of Jasmine pushing the shopping cart (by herself and with me). =)

Therapy Dogs

Here are some of Jasmine's new therapy dog friends! They were all at the hospital with us on Saturday. Stormy is an 6 year old Sheltie. (who we are shadowing) And Henry is a 1 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is just barely becoming certified as a therapy dog! So when all 3 went around, we just had our own little doggy parade! The little dogs are supposed to ride around on the cart that Stormy is on... but Jaz is still getting used to it! She likes walking a lot better!

This time we didn't go to pediatrics at all. (We're still technically doing our orientation- getting to know all the areas of the hospital where therapy dogs are allowed.) So instead we started with "antepartum"-- women who are pregnant, but are in the hospital for other things. (sometimes related to pregnancy.) Then we headed up to the 4th floor of the hospital. And we practically spent our whole time there! We got so many requests! As we were walking down the halls, people would come up to us... "can you bring the dogs in to see my son?" "Can my mom see your dogs?" "Will you come here next?". A guy in a hospital gown was walking down the hall, pushing his IV stand. He, his wife, and the nurse with him all turned around just to come see our dogs. He was so happy to see and pet our dogs, it just totally made his day. (which in return made my day.)

These little dogs bring such joy to people. You can definitely tell the animal lovers in the hospital. Today we did more tricks than last time. (The patients' FAVORITE was "Be Shy".) They all got a kick out of that! And also Jaz is getting better as "Say hello"-- instead of barking, she will sometimes say two syllables which sometimes sounds like Reh-Ro. (like Scooby Doo would say hello!) We're working on that!

We also accidently scared a social worker! Oops! Jaz was sitting on a patients' bed, and the curtain was drawn partially closed. I guess Jaz was startled because she suddenly let out a *loud* bark! (Which made the social worker jump- because she didn't know there was a dog in the room!)

So... that was Saturday's experience! I'm still so glad we're doing this. I know these little dogs are making a big impact on the lives of the patients. I like this quote:

"Emerson said it well, 'Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of thyself to others.'"

I think we each can do this in our own way. (Finding a way way make a difference in the world- by sharing a part of yourself.) For me, it just seems easier to reach out to people when there's a dog involved. =)

1st Day on the Job!

I recently found a quote from Heber J. Grant that said:

"Service is the real key to joy. When one is giving service for the advancement of humanity, when one is working without money and without price, with no hope of earthly reward, there comes a real, genuine joy into the human heart."

This is one of the reasons I started volunteering at the hospital with Jasmine. It's partially for selfish reasons. When I make others happy, it makes me happy. I really felt good after being at the hospital with Jaz yesterday. And as we all know, there's something special about dogs that bridges the gap between strangers. You can approach and talk to almost anyone- simply because you have a dog. And that fact makes people willing to open up to you.

It was our first day, and we were shadowing another dog therapy team- Candy (the human) and Stormy (her sheltie). We checked in at the nurses' station on each floor to see if there are any patients we cannot visit. (If patients are contagious, there is a sign on the door.) Then we went to each room, knocked on the door, and asked if they would like a visit from a therapy dog. Some didn't. But some did. Some people aren't animal lovers, but the ones that are- this totally made their day.

The hospital had a cart for the little dogs to ride on- (to make it easier for the patients in bed to see them and pet them.) But since Stormy was on the cart, Jasmine walked. If the patient could sit up in bed, I would ask them if they wanted to see a trick. (I just did little ones- like "Be Shy", "Sit Pretty", or "Wave". There wasn't a lot of room to do much more.) If they were lying down, I lifted Jaz up so they could pet her. It was really a rewarding experience. Candy said that on Fridays (which is going to be my regular shift)- the surgery waiting room would be full. And that had more space to do a little trick show. (for the family/friends waiting for people having surgery.)

My favorite areas were the pediatric ER and the pediatric oncology (cancer). There was little girl in the pediatric ER (about 5) sitting on a chair while the mom talked to the nurse. She saw Jasmine and said "Doggy!! Doggy!!" So I took Jaz over to her so she could pet her! Although Jasmine loves everyone, for some reason, she ESPECIALLY loves little kids. (Maybe because they are more her size, or because they play with her.) But her tail really started wagging when she approached the little girl.

And the staff and nurses really love the dog therapy teams too! They need a smile and a friendly tail wag as much as the patients do! It was a really good experience. I highly recommend it! I feel like Jasmine is such a sweet dog who can brighten almost anyone's day. So I need to share her love with those who need it most. =)

And like the quote said at the beginning, you can't help but feel good yourself when you're helping other people.

Guess what I found at work? A Husky!!

One of my neighbors once called me the patron saint of lost animals. But it's not really a joke anymore! Guess what I found outside my office this morning? A husky!! (And a GORGEOUS one at that!!)

I know I had promised my roommate I wouldn't bring home any more strays for a while! We just barely found homes for the last ones! But I swear, they find me!! I'm like the pied piper for lost animals! This is the 3rd dog that I have found at the office alone! (Not to mention lost dogs I find on walks, or while driving.) But I figured it was okay to bring this cute guy home... because LUCKILY he was wearing a collar and had a 2010 license! :)

My boss was nice enough to let me leave work to take this pup home. (This has happened before!!) I called Animal Control and was able to get a phone # for the current owner. He stayed in my backyard for the day.

I wonder what Jaz thinks of all these lost dogs that wind up in her backyard! I don't ever let them mingle unless I'm there. (and even then, sometimes I don't.) Just because I don't know the lost dog's histories. But this guy was SUPER friendly. And I figured if he had a 2010 license, he was up-to-date on his shots.



I found out the original owner named this dog Hunter. He's a 1 1/2 year old male. VERY friendly, very loving, and very energetic! When they sold him, the new owner (a guy in his early 20's) renamed him Demon. LOL... yea right! That's like naming a black kitten Snowball!

I love this dog! I was secretly kind of hoping I wouldn't find the owner for a day or two! He was adorable!! And I just LOVE his face!! So pretty!!!


But at the end of the day, he was able to be reunited with his owner. So... happy news. =)

(But now I want to go to Alaska and ride on a dog sled!!) LOL
I already know I love sled dogs!!!

Maybe I'll have to settle for watching "Eight Below". ;)

Dog Plays Wii

If you really want to know what dogs do when we're not home, check out this video!! ;)

Rescue Me! =)

Today we stopped by 2 animal shelters to donate the dog food Jaz won. (from the "Top Pet" contest, and I still had free dog food coupons left over from Mighty Dog.) We gave 1/2 to Friends for Life, and 1/2 to Maddie's Projects.

Of course, we had to stop to meet all the dogs! This girl here is a sweetie. I just love her face. (I think I'm partial to dogs with eyebrows!!) They just have most expressive features! She's available at Maddie's Projects (inside Petco). I wanted to put her picture out there on my blog- just in case someone might see her and fall in love. =)

Here's the link: http://www.commonpaws.org if you want to contact them! =)

Runner- Up Prizes!

I got a voicemail from Mix 96.9 that told me Jaz was a runner-up in their Top Pet contest! =)
So after we stopped by the hospital to get pictures taken for our new volunteer ID badges (see post below), she went with me down to the radio station! She won a prize pack from Nutro.

In the bag was some coupons for dog food, a box of Greenies, a food scoop, some poop bags, and a collapsible water bowl (on a carribeaner!) Some great prizes!! We're going to share some of the food & treats to "Friends for Life"- a local non-profit that I really like. Jaz really was excited that we brought this kind of dog food home- she kept smelling it- trying to open it. So I'm going to try it out, and see if she likes it. And I'm super excited about the collapsible water bowl! I had been looking for one of those to take with me hiking, and to agility class. So that's perfect!! =)

THANK YOU to all my friends who helped Jaz be the runner-up in this contest!!! You guys rock!! =)


P.S. Here's proof that Jaz likes the new dog food she won! She's trying to use her "Jedi Mind Trick"! She looks at what she wants, looks at me, looks back at what she wants.... ;)

New Therapy Dog!

Guess who's starting as a new therapy dog volunteer on July 24th?? =) =) =)
FINALLY- after all the background checks, interviews, orientations, health screenings, blood work, 2 TB tests, and booster shot updates.... We're in!!!!!! =D (and that was just for me... Jaz had to do a whole long process to become certified as a therapy dog last year!)

So... we're finally going to be able to start volunteering at the hospital! I'm really excited about this. It will be a good opportunity to share Jasmine's talents, and also bring a lot of joy to the kids at the hospital. I'm so excited!!

Results of the Mix 96.9 contest

The results of the Mix 96.9 contest were supposed to be announced on July 5th. I was dying of suspense all day long. I had the day off of work (which was good and bad! ) Good- to have a day off to celebrate 4th of July with my family and friends. (and I even made Jaz get in the pool!) =) Bad- because I was thinking about it ALL day long- and was constantly sneaking back inside to check the website. NOTHING. (They took down the main link off their website all-together.) Finally that night, I found an old link that said they would be announcing the results tomorrow (July 6th). So that pacified me for the night! So then this morning the waiting game began again! Around noon, they finally posted the results. It wasn't Jasmine. It was a cute dog named Kona that got the most votes.

To be honest, I was kinda disappointed at first. But then I thought... Oh well! You can't say we didn't give it our best! I had all my friends on DoggySpace, all my friends on YouTube, and all of Jasmine's Facebook fanclub voting. So.... if that wasn't enough votes... well.. oh well! That's all I can do!

And I felt nothing but an outpouring and love and support from all my friends during this contest. Jaz had people voting for her from all over the world!! It's pretty amazing to me that the internet can bring all us dog-lovers together like that. It's a wonderfully supportive network.

I can't thank you enough my friends, for continuing to vote for Jasmine, encourage me, and support both of us through it all. I have wonderfully awesome friends. Some of whom I have never met... just talk with online. But I am so appreciative of how loved and supported you have made me feel. THANK YOU ... you know who you are!!!! =)

If you hear of any other trick contests, please let me know. (Those are more our specialty.)

I'll continue to learn new tricks and post them on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MyFavoritePupJasmine

And the next time another trick contest comes around... we'll be ready! =)

So... I don't regret entering. You never know unless you try, right?? And now I also know what an awesome, supportive built-in network of dog-loving friends I have. =) You guys rock!!!!
=)

Summer Agility Fun!

Since our Agility class is officially over until Fall... we decided to attend a few "fun runs". (Keep in mind, we are no where near this level!) We just get to play along with the rest of the group! =)

Jaz actually does pretty good, all things considered! I need to work on distance (from me) and obviously she needs some targeting practice so she'll stop jumping off the teeter! But all in all.. pretty fun!! =D

2 Days Left to Vote!

ONLY 2 days left to vote!! (Sat & Sun) On Monday, we'll finally find out who the winner is of the Mix 96.9 Top Dog contest! I'm trying not to think about it. (Basically- trying not to get my hopes up... in case we don't win.) But at the same time, I know Jaz does have a lot of friends out there voting for her... so maybe she has a chance. Who knows?

I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much to everyone who has voted for Jasmine. I really do appreciate it!!! No matter the outcome, it makes me feel good to know what wonderful and supportive friends we have.


http://www.mix969.com/pages/arizonas-top-pet/vote-entrants.php?type=d&gid=1&id=20

So... I guess we'll see! Either way- it will all be over soon! =)

Jasmine is a Finalist!

Jasmine has made it to the Final Round of the Mix 96.9 contest!!

Here's the video I made to help get the word out! This is the final round, so every vote counts! I really wish the website would say how many votes each dog has... that would make things sooo much eaiser! But since I have no clue how Jaz is doing in the contest, I'm just going to do the best I can at getting the word out - and hope for the best. If it turns out it wasn't enough- oh well, we tried our best. That's all you can ask for.

Besides- I've discovered an incredibly supportive dog-loving community via YouTube, Facebook, and DoggySpace. Jasmine has many friends, and I'm very grateful for the their support and encouragement.




Here's the link! (which you may have to copy/paste)
http://www.mix969.com/pages/arizonas-top-pet/vote-entrants.php?type=d&gid=1&id=20

SURPRISE!! DOG STAR DAILY!

LOL... Check out it!!

Jasmine was featured on DOG STAR DAILY. COM! (Nice of them to let me know!) LOL. (That's ok with me! I'm just pleasantly surprised I found out! It was a random discovery!)

The comment reads:

"Just a cute little video of a girl and her dog. Sweet."

And then there's a link to this video:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/home/jasmines-awesome-dog-tricks

Graduation Day!

This past week, Jasmine graduated from her Beginning Agility Class! (The 2nd class of the series.) Although we made a few mistakes, it was still SO MUCH FUN!!! Jasmine just LOVES agility class. Even watching this video, I recognize it even more. You can see the excitement in her eyes, and her perky tail. It's like she's trying to say "what next? what next?"

At the end of the course, our instructor told us if we would be moving up to the next class or if it would be better if our dog repeated this one. (To get a better foundation). I would have been fine repeating the class. I know I have a lot things to learn being Jasmine's handler. She's willing to do almost anything, I just need to learn how to communicate what I want her to do! But I was REALLY excited when our instructor recommend we move up to Intermediate class in the fall!! =)

Here's our two runs:

Round 2 of Mix 96.9 Contest!! =) Yeehaw! =)

Hi Friends of Jasmine!!

THANKS to you, we made it to Round 2 of the Mix 96.9 Top Dog Contest!!

Now I found out the votes start over. :/ Bummer! I was hoping it would be a cumulative count. So... here we go again!!

When you get a chance, will you PLEASE go vote for Jasmine? You have to use this new link:

http://www.mix969.com/pages/arizonas-top-pet/vote-entrants.php?type=d&gid=1&id=82

(copy and paste that into your browser) (I don't know why the link isn't working!)

You can vote once per day, per email address.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your support! You guys are awesome!! =D

On June 21st- they'll announce the Top 50 dogs.
Then on July 5th- they'll announce AZ's Top Dog!

Technically, it's a "Top Pet" contest, but I'm pretty confident a dog will win it!!! :D

Mix 96.9 Top Dog Contest

Hi Friends of Jasmine!!

I need your help! Mix 96.9 is having a photo contest to find AZ's Top Pet!

And I entered Jasmine! Will you go vote for her? I would really appreciate it!! =) (I submitted the photo shown below.)

Here's the link! (You might have to copy and paste it into your browser!)

http://www.mix969.com/pages/arizonas-top-pet/vote-entrants.php?type=d&gid=4&id=71

THANK YOU!!!! =D

Time to go shopping!

I ♥ it when I forget about stuff I've ordered on Amazon, and it magically appears on my front door step!! (Jasmine's little metal shopping cart came today!!) So now we can learn a new trick!! :)

New tricks up our sleeve!

Jasmine's been learning some new tricks!

Here's a montage of some of our practice sessions. (New and familiar tricks... with a little dedication to my favorite pup at the end.) =)

Mighty Dog Movie & Premiere Party!

Here's the Mighty Dog Movie- starring Jasmine, Jesse, and Mater!



And here's some clips from her Premiere Party! (Courtesy of Mighty Dog!)



They jazzed it up a bit (lol)... meaning... Jaz was SOOOOOO tired that night!! We had gotten up early that morning to do a 5 hour photo shoot. (So she was wiped out by this party!) At the beginning of the party, they took tons of pictures. Most of them involved Jaz laying her head on my shoulder... She's a sweetie. =) But by the end of the night, she perked up enough to do some tricks.

This was quite an amazing experience for us. Some of my family and friends got to ride over with us in the limo. (Our 1st limo ride.) The party was awesome! It was with all my dog-loving friends, who've always been so supportive of Jasmine. It was a wonderful night. And I REALLY appreciated everyone who drove all the way out to Phoenix on a Wed. night just to come to a dog party! *But I think they made it worth their while! It was a fun party, with good food, friendly people, and everyone went home with a gift bag w/ a movie poster, dog food, a kong (dog toy), and other stuff. It was just a great night.

It's really weird to think this is all over! :( It's been going on for about a year. (Since we entered that contest last summer.) What a wild, amazing ride. Winning the contest, making the commercial, the movie, the photo shoot, and now finally... celebrating with all my friends at the premiere party. That marks the end of an amazing adventure for my little mighty dog. It was a lot of work, but what a fun experience!!!

Mighty Dog Movie!!!

The long awaited day is finally here!!!!

Here is the world premeire of Mighty Dog Nation: The Movie!!

Starring Jasmine, Jesse, and Mater! =)

http://www.mightydog.com/mightynation/Movie.aspx

(I still have to post pictures from the Premiere Party... those are coming!) =)

Awesome Gift Bags!

The whole Mighty Dog experience was just incredible. And true to any good premiere party, all the guests left with awesome gift bags!

They contained a Mighty Dog Nation movie poster with all 3 pups pictures on it!) The also got a Mighty Dog citizenship kit- with a kong toy, a window decal, keychain/ dog tag, canned dog food, coupons, and a card that says "Friend of Jasmine". :)

This is my friend Gwen's dogs investigating the prizes!!

My friend Brenda's dog Droopy was one happy boy! Such a cute face!Her other dog Taz was fascinated by his kong!!

Oliver gets adopted!!

For those of you who don't know the story... in February, we found some stray dogs in a Burger King parking lot. We named them Oliver and Annie (the Orphans). We got involved with a rescue organization, and agreed to foster both dogs until good homes could be found.



Well, on April 11th- Oliver found a new home!! We took both dogs to a big adoption event. Oliver, with his big goofy smile, was irresistible! He was such a good boy!!! I was so happy to see him go to a good home!! He went home with a great guy named Jim who just adores him. (and how can you not!?)

Oliver has now been renamed "Mr. Wiggles"- because when he wags his tail, he wags his butt, then he does this excited little body jig. It's very cute!! So he earned his new name! (Besides- he's not an orphan anymore, so he needs a new name!)







So now it's just Annie that needs a home! She's just barely over a year old, and still has lots of puppy energy. She loves to go on bike rides and walks. She is crate trained, so if anyone is interested in adopting her, contact Lou...
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16033678

Another TV Appearance on Channel 12!

Jaz was on TV again!

Her tricks were featured on the show "Valley Dish"- during their Pet Pride segment! Last week, they showed a video clip I had submitted of her tricks. Then the next week, they invited us to the TV studio for a live taping with Tram Mai!




This was her first LIVE appearance! It was so much fun!! Everyone down at the studio just loved Jasmine! And I learned a lot too! NEXT time, I'm not going to turn the treats over to the hostess until AFTER Jaz has done a few more of her tricks!! ;)
Jaz didn't know who had the food! And she's VERY food-motivated! But all-in-all, I think it turned out cute!

Semi-Finalist in OPIN's video contest!

A friend recommended I submit one of Jasmine's trick videos to OPIN's video contest. (Outreach to Pets In Need.)

Here's the email I just got from them:

Out Reach To Pets In Need would like to congratulate you on your video nomination for "Best Pawformance". Your submitted video 'Jasmine's Awesome Dog Tricks' has been chosen as one of our semi-finalist for the 1st Annual Pet Tail Video Awards to benefit the Stamford Animal Shelter and Out Reach To Pets In Need.

The winner will be chosen on the evening of April 22, 2010, 8pm at the 1st Annual Pet Tail Video Awards to be held at the Avon Theatre in downtown Stamford Connecticut.

For more information about this event please visit www.opinpets.org.

WOOHOO!! =) I couldn't think of a better organization to support!


We're fostering 2 rescue dogs right now... trying to find homes for Annie and Oliver. (2 pitbull mixes that we found in a Burger King parking lot.) We named them Annie & Oliver because they were orphans! They have now been neutered and fixed, and have had their shots. So... if someone out there has room in their heart and their home for these guys, let me know! =)

Petsmart Photo Shoot!! =)

Awesome news!! Jasmine was selected to be in a photo shoot at Petsmart!!!

They are creating a grooming breed book- so the groomers can show customers what certain styles look like. And Jasmine is now the model for "Havanese- Pet Cut"! It's going to be in the stores in the next few months.

SO EXCITING!!! I had trouble sleeping the nights leading up to the shoot, because I was so excited about it. But then it was finally here! Jasmine and I had to drive an hour to NORTH NORTH Phoenix to be there by 8 am to get groomed there. Then she was all pretty for her photo shoot at 11 am.

Jaz did great! The first shot they took of her was of her standing sideways, looking slightly at the camera. They got that easily. The second shot was of her sitting, looking at the camera. I thought that would have been the easier shot to get, but sometimes she was leaning to one side... or her head was down (trying to look at the treat!) But in the end, it didn't take very long! They got some good shots of her, and we were done! It was that easy!

It turns out I didn't have any reason to be nervous, all the people I worked with there were SOO NICE!! =) And they got the shots they needed pretty quickly, so it went really smooth! It was a lot of fun! I'm so glad they picked us!!

And in case you were wondering what the "Havanese- Pet Cut" looks like... here's the model showing off her new haircut! (and chilling out after the shoot!)

Jaz's Graduation- from beginning agility class!

Jasmine has completed her beginning agility class! Obviously, there is still a lot of room for both handler and pup to grow! But it was really fun! We've signed up for the next class.

Science Diet Contest!

I entered Jasmine into a new trick contest! It's for Science Diet treats!

http://treatstalentshow.com/video/gallery.php

Her video is called: "Going to Grandma's". You were only allowed to submit ONE trick! So it was hard to pick which one was her best one! I finally picked her suitcase trick- because I could do a little skit about it.

Newest Trick Video

Here's my sweet puppy doing some of her favorite things- tricks, lure-coursing, agility, and just goofing off! =)

Vote For Jaz!

I entered Jaz into a photo contest for Bissell vacuums!

You can vote for Jaz from Jan. 15th-Jan. 21st! Click on the button below:

Going to the Vet to get "tutored"

On Monday, Jasmine's cousin Toddy is going to the vet to get "tutored"!! Yea!! Now maybe he'll quit marking all over my house! ;)