Jaz is a finalist for a #BlogPaws Award!

I was just notified today that one of Jasmine's videos has been nominated for an award at BlogPaws this year!!    Her video of us visiting the elementary school is a finalist in the "Best Blog Video" category!

And because of this, we get free registration for the convention!!

Here's the video they selected:

How exciting!!

I know all about the "Nose-to-Nose" awards, because Jasmine actually won the "Best Video" category last year for her mini-movie Santa Paws- Santa's Little Helper!  (Which was a total shock to me!!)  They had a formal banquet dinner, and I had to go up on stage in front of everyone and give a speech.  (Which I wasn't prepared to do, bec because I didn't think there was any possible way we would win it!)  It was kind of intimidating!  But everyone was really nice and supportive.  And my whole BlogPaws experience ended up being totally wonderful from start to finish.

Jasmine- accepting her "Best Video" award at BlogPaws 2012.

This is the back of my head- as we went on stage to accept the award.

So I'll have to keep you posted!!     No matter who ends up winning in the the end, it's bound to be a fun time!!  :)

Who Let The Dogs Out - 2013 TV appearance

                                                     
 On Fri. Feb. 8, 2013, Jasmine and I appeared on Season 2 of "Who Let The Dogs Out"!  :)

This was a REALLY fun episode for me to watch- because it brought back all my memories from my trip to BlogPaws!   Jasmine and I met up with our best friends Lauren and Paige in Salt Lake City.  And there we taught a class on "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Rockstar."  (Basically teaching about YouTube.)  This was a pet social media convention, so we learned all kinds of things.

Jaz posing for the cameras.  

We spent a lot of time at the Natural Balance booth.  Taking pictures, talking with friends (that I met when Jaz was on the show last year.)

If you missed that- here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lztKNisz_IY

I got to interview our friends Karen (and her scooter riding dog Norman).  As well as Ron (and his famous skateboarding riding dog Tillman!)

They showed little clips of our interview on the show!





Here's the full episode in case you weren't able to watch it.  (It was on the Hallmark channel last Friday.)

#Dogs are Family.

The fact that I consider dogs to be part of my family should not come as a surprise to anyone that knows me!!  

This is one of my most favorite pictures ever.  My two favorite things- kids and dogs.  :)

Jasmine's favorite sleeping position- upside down on my bed.  Sometimes Jaz talks in her sleep.  She makes little "woof" sounds- which sound more like "uff".  But every time I try to turn on my video camera to record it, she wakes up.  Maybe one of these days I'll capture it!

Sometimes Jasmine has "playdates" over at her cousin's house.  I don't have a big backyard, so I take Jaz over there to run around.  She loves it!  

Jasmine loves to go with me anywhere she can.  Somehow she knows the difference between going on a car ride around town, and when we're traveling somewhere big.  (Like when we went to LA for that audition, or if we're flying somewhere to be on TV.)  She normally gets excited when we go somewhere.  But she gets super excited when we're going on a trip.  (I think she knows the difference because I'm usually packing her props if we're going on a trip. (To use for her tricks.)   That's how she knows something's up!

Remember how I've been watching Subaru dog commercials lately?  To see if I can train Jasmine to do the tricks in them?  (to put on her resume?)   This one would be easy!    http://bit.ly/XBvlE5 

 I think it's fun that the people at Subaru are such dog lovers.  (and not necessarily cat lovers!)  LOL- check out this one...  http://bit.ly/14e4PrJ

They are making some fun apps on their Facebook page.  (Like making a driver's licence for your dog.)  I totally am going to make one of these for Jasmine!!   http://subar.us/USzh6V

Although- if Jaz DOES get a license... there will be no stopping her!!  She's already known on YouTube as the shopping dog!!!  LOL  





By the way, this post is a sponsored by Subaru.  We're compensated for helping spread the word about the "Dog Tested, Dog Approved" Campaign.  I am very picky/ selective on who I choose to do sponsored posts for.  So I only do it for companies that I agree with and/or support.  (In the case of a dog product, I'll only do sponsored posts for products that I would use or give to Jasmine myself.)  But in this case, it's a car.  Jaz likes car rides.  :)  So I figured she'd approve of this one.  ;)

Jaz is on TV Fri!! #WhoLetTheDogsOut

I'm so excited!

Jasmine is going to be on Season 2 of "Who Let The Dogs Out"!  :D  
(THIS Fri. Feb 8th- on the Hallmark channel!)

Jasmine and I were on this show last season too!  Last year, they had a trick talent contest, and we were flown out to Universal Studios, California to perform live for the finale!  

Here's the video if you missed it:



We actually came in 2nd place (even though they didn't show it on the finale.)  It was SO MUCH FUN!!  Jaz and I have been all over the country performing for different TV shows, but I can honestly say that our experience on "Who Let The Dogs Out" was the best of them all!  It was so fun, and everyone was so nice!!  We became friends with Karen (and Norman).  And Ron (and Tillman).  I don't get star-struck meeting celebrities.  But I do get star-struck meeting celebrity dogs!!  I didn't know how they would be.  But they are both SUPER SUPER nice people.  They just made it such a great experience!  We had a blast!

Then in June, Jasmine and I were speakers at the BlogPaws convention.  (Giving a presentation about "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Rockstar!).   Natural Balance was there.  (Which means our friends Norman and Tillman were there!)  It was fun seeing them again!  We got to interview them, and Natural Balance recorded it.  And I found out they are going to use it on the show!

So be sure to watch "Who Let The Dogs Out" THIS FRIDAY, FEB 8th- and you can see the interviews and find out what BlogPaws is all about!   :D

Norman and Jasmine 

Tillman and Jasmine (the sun was in their eyes!)

Jasmine performing on the Season 1 finale of "Who Let The Dogs Out" 

Talking with John Fulton - the host of "Who Let The Dogs Out" and "Must Love Cats"

Jasmine and I after the show!  I was so proud of her!!

Happy Labor Day! (I'm working on trick dog videos!) ;)

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

Labor Day for me is a paid holiday off from work- of which I spent 6 hours editing a dog trick video!!!

Back in April, I had the idea to put together a compilation video of Dogs Playing Basketball.

I am connected (through Facebook) to trick dogs all over the world, and I asked them to send me clips of their dogs playing basketball.  I received clips of 21 different dogs from all over the USA, Switzerland, England, Canada, and Australia.  And I intended to edit them all into one video.

But then Jaz and I flew to California to be on "Who Let The Dogs Out".  (A show on Animal Planet.)

Then in May, we flew to New York to be on "Good Morning America".

Then in June, we flew to Utah to speak at the "BlogPaws" convention.

And I can't even remember what happened in July and August!  (Not to mention, I'm busy with my regular job, friends, and family!)

So, long story short: this got put on the back burner!

But now- I'm rejunivated to attempt it again!  LOL.  

I'm excited because I'm ALMOST DONE!!  :D   (Now I can only hope I don't have trouble uploading it to YouTube!!)  ;)

So- in the meantime- here's a teaser to get you by until I finish the video:

Best Video Award Winner! :D

It's going to feel like Christmas in July when I post this... but there's a reason!

At the BlogPaws pet social media convention, Jasmine was nominated for a "Nose-to-Nose" award... for "Best Video on a Blog".

This is the video that was nominated:

And she won!!  (Which caught me off-guard, considering the popularity of the other entries!)  The videos were judged not only on technical merits, but also on creativity and originality. (Which is where I was told we received a high score.)  :)  Once all the scores were averaged together, Jasmine's video had won!  :D    http://www.blogpaws.com/2012/07/blogpaws-2012-pet-blogging-and-social-media-award-winners-announced.html

It was so exciting!   We got to pick a shelter or rescue group to donate 5,000 meals to!!  (That's the best part!)   So we picked the Arizona Animal Welfare League.  It's one of Arizona's oldest and largest shelters.

Photo Credit: Becka Jeffs

Here's the beautiful trophy that Jasmine won.

Photo credit: Rebecka Jeffs

This is a new trick she just learned.  (How to put her paw on something and hold still for a picture.)

Here's my sweet pup.  Because of her funny little trick videos... we were able to help out a shelter by giving them 5,000 meals from Halo and FreeKibble.  How cool is that??  I am sometimes amazed at all the paths this sweet little pup has taken me down.  Who knew?  

BlogPaws' Red Carpet Award Ceremony

Photo credit:  Rebecka Jeffs

On the last night of BlogPaws, they had a formal banquet and awards ceremony.  This was so much fun!

We all had a chance to walk down the red carpet, and get our pictures taken. 

Jasmine and I spent most of the conference hanging out with my friend Lauren and her trick dog Paige!   

 This is my friend Rick- (who works for Natural Balance). The picture unfortunately turned out blurry, so you can't really see his dog Sheldon (a black standard poodle).  He's in the picture too!

 

Photo credit: Rebecka Jeffs

This is my friend Diane Silver and her Havanese named Cosmo!!  We were in the Havanese Club!  :)  (I just made that up!)  But as far as I know- Jasmine and Cosmo were the only 2 Havanese at BlogPaws!

 After a delicious dinner, they had an awards ceremony.  Jasmine was nominated for "Best Video" for her "Santa Paws- Santa's Little Helper" movie!  But I honestly didn't think she was going to win, considering who the other nominees were!

Photo credit: Rebecka Jeffs

So I was shocked when they said My Favorite Pup Jasmine was the winner!  I had to go up on stage and give an acceptance speech.  (Which I was completely unprepared for!)  I didn't know what to say!   And I actually can't even remember what I said.  I'm hoping it including the words "Thank You."  LOL  I was shaking when I first walked off the stage... (because that kind of stuff makes me nervous!)  But once I was breathing normally again, we had a good time.  And it was a lot of fun.  The rest of the evening was just a party.  :)

Photo Credit: Rebecka Jeffs

This is Jasmine and her buddy Preston (from PrestonSpeaks.com).  (with Lauren and Paige in the back!)










Now THIS was a cute puppy!!

Cue Music!  Everybody Dance Now!

It was great meeting up with everyone!  It felt like a reunion, even though we had never met before!  (We had only known each other online!)

Jaz was SOOOO tired at the end of the night.  Trick shows, award shows, classes, interviews, pictures...
 It's hard work being this cute!!  (Actually we were both pretty tired after this pet convention!)  But wow, what an experience!  It was awesome!!!  :)

#BLOGPAWS pics

Where to even begin??

Jasmine and Paige met up in the SLC airport.   For some reason,

 Lauren and I both had the song lyrics "Reunited and it feels so good"...

 stuck in our heads!!!!  :)

Then we got our rental car.  Who hired this driver??  If we never make it to BlogPaws, you know who to blame!!  ;)

OK, we made it.  (But Jaz doesn't use her turn signals!) 

 (Just kidding- she can't reach the gas pedal, so I had to drive.)

We attended a "Speaker's Meeting"... and saw the room we would be giving 

our presentation in tomorrow (Friday) on "The Power of YouTube", 

and basically how to make your dog a YouTube Rockstar.  :) 

Then look who I ran into!!  It's Sheldon!!  (a.k.a. @SheldonGryiffin from Twitter!)  I've always wanted to meet him in person!  He's very soft!!  And loves to be scratched on his neck.

We saw some of our other friends too!!  It's Norman the Scooter Dog!! 

We sat around talking with Ron and his skateboarding bulldog Tillman.  

(Who has got to be exhausted from all the skateboarding he did today!!!)

Who does the trick the best??  Eric or Jasmine??   I think Eric is hilarious.

 Paige & Jasmine.  #Best Friends.   Enough said.  :)

So... that was Day 1 of BlogPaws.  It's been awesome.  I'm having a fantastic time.  We've seen a bunch of friends from all over the country.  Lauren and I have picked out the classes that we want to attend tomorrow.  I can't wait.  It's going to be great!!  :)   

Going to #BlogPaws!!! :)

Well, it's FINALLY HERE!  After looking forward to this for what feels like forever, BlogPaws has finally arrived!  I am SOOO excited to go to Utah and meet up with my friends from all over the country!  (and learn a lot too!)


I was looking at the BlogPaws website, and check out who's video was featured!!  Jazmaztaz!!  :)  
http://community.blogpaws.com/





This is going to be such a fun trip!!  Lauren and her trick dog Paige are coming too!  It's a Jasmine/Paige Reunion Tour!! :)  :)  :)   


We'll be giving the presentation on Friday afternoon about "The Power of YouTube".  (Since both of our dogs have very similar stories!  They're just regular dogs- who have had some amazing opportunities just because of some simple YouTube videos!)  


I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!  It's going to be a blast!!  I'll keep you posted!!  :)

Free Ticket to #BlogPaws!

As I'm sure you know, Jasmine and I are flying to SLC, Utah later this month to speak at the BlogPaws pet convention.  I'm giving a presentation about YouTube with my friends Lauren and Paige!  (Friday afternoon session)  Afterwards, we'll do a trick dog demo so people can see Jasmine and Paige live!





And fitting enough, Jasmine's blog was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the "Nose-to-Nose" awards at BlogPaws!   http://awards.blogpaws.com/   They are going to announce the winners at a red carpet ceremony on June 23rd.  Pretty fun!

The best part is... by being nominated as a finalist, Jasmine earned a free conference pass that I can give away!   So, if you are considering going to BlogPaws, let me know and I'll submit your name in the raffle!   (I'm going to do the drawing on Monday.)  You can leave your email address in the comments, or write to me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MyFavoritePupJasmine


Even if you don't win the raffle, you can still get 20% off your conference ticket if you mention us.  (Because we're one of the presenters.)   Just use this code when you register:
BlogPaws2012-Speaker-Jackson-20 


It's coming up quick!!  Lauren and I are super excited about this!!  :)  If you do come, please come say hi to us!   It's going to be so much fun!  

WHO IS JASMINE? BlogPaws Intro Video

Many of you know Jasmine's history, but some of you do not.   Since we're going to be speaking at a pet convention next month called BlogPaws, I thought it would be good to make an introduction video!


Here's a little background on us:





Jasmine is a 6 year old Havanese who LOVES to do tricks!  I've had her since she was a puppy.  She is clicker trained, using positive reinforcement.  She loves to learn, because she enjoys the mental stimulation and she LOVES good treats!!


We've had a lot of wonderful adventures together.  I had no idea when I got this sweet little pup where it would all lead.  But... one thing just keeps leading to another... and here we are.  :)  And now she's been on TV all over the world.  I don't even know where we'll end up next! LOL.

YouTube videos= TV Time

   Next month, Jasmine and I will be traveling again!  This time we're headed to Salt Lake City, UT to attend the BlogPaws convention!  It's June 21st-23rd.  In the entertainment industry, everything happens last minute.  I didn't know we were going to New York to be on Good Morning America until a few days prior!   But the nice thing about pet conventions is that they are planned months in advance!   

I'm really excited about BlogPaws!!  Thus far, all my experiences with the people from BlogPaws have been positive.  It is a well-organized, well-planned convention that I am excited to be a part of!

We are going to be giving a presentation on Friday, June 22nd about "The Power of YouTube".


My friend Lauren (and her trick dog Paige) are going to be there with us!!  It will be so great to see her again!!  Both Jasmine and Paige initially gained their popularity from YouTube videos.  


Jasmine and Paige have both been on TV numerous times.  Sometimes it's live.  But in Jasmine's case, more often they air her YouTube videos.  (especially internationally.)


Here's just a sample of Jasmine's TV appearances:


Live TV appearances:

Good Morning America

"Who Let The Dogs Out"- AP

Valley Dish - NBC 12

TV appearances using Jasmine's YouTube videos:

"Right This Minute"

Tokudane show- JAPAN

Anderson Cooper Show

"My Pet's Got Talent"- AP

ABC 15 News

NBC "12 Seconds of Fame"

Animal Planet's WLTDO Audition

Good Morning America

 NBC 12 News

Animal Planet- Cutest Pet

So... this is proof of the power of YouTube.  5 years ago, I would have never dreamed my dog would be as popular as she is!  It's kind of surreal.  But... YouTube lets other dog lovers share your videos.  Thus now, Jasmine has more friends than I do!  But it's okay.  I know people smile and laugh when they see her tricks.  So it makes me happy that she can now help people smile all over the world.