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:

Hopes and Prayers for Robin Roberts on #GMA

Photo Op with Robin from Good Morning America

I just read that Robin Roberts is taking a medical leave of absense from Good Morning America to get a bone marrow transplant.  http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20615543,00.html

Jasmine and Jesse posing

We met Robin in NYC back in May, when Jasmine performed live on Good Morning America.  (Jaz got 2nd place in their "Dog vs. Dog" contest!)  Our friends Heather and Jesse were there too!  :)




Jaz has been on TV many times, and so we've met all types of people.  But I can honestly tell you than Robin was SOO SOO SOO very nice to us!!  She stuck around after the show to talk to us, she was super friendly and sweet.  She was willing to take pictures with everyone.  She was just so nice and genuine.  I really liked her.


So I am hoping and praying for Robin as she goes through this difficult time.  She's a wonderful person.  I wish her all the best, and hope for a speedy recovery.

Jaz in front of the GMA Studio in Times Square

Therapy Dog once again!

Now I remember why I LOVE to volunteer as a therapy dog team.  


Prior to tonight, I haven't volunteered in months.  At first it was because life was so hectic, I hadn't finished the renewal process.  And then once Jasmine got recertified, I was so busy with our travels that I just hadn't had time!  


March/April was our participating on the Animal Planet show "Who Let The Dogs Out'.  (Which was a ton of fun!)  This ended with performing live at Universal Studios for the finale.


The month of  May was our trip to New York to be on Good Morning America.  (in addtion to local news stations.)  And last but not least, we just got home from a wonderful trip to Utah where we were speaking at the BlogPaws conference.  

So, we really have been really busy.  But I've missed it.  So tonight we went.  And as usual, there was just something special about it.  The most memorable was a 2 1/2 year old girl named Bella. (I make my rounds on the pediatic/oncology floors.)  As I was going from room to room, I could hear a little kid crying very loudly.  The nurses take them to a separate room to do blood draws, treatment, etc.  She was having a rough time.  By the time she came out of the room, she was screaming.  


Her mom was holding her, and they were going across the hall to go pick out a new toy.    It was very drastic.  She went from crying very loudly to suddenly quiet.  It was when she saw Jasmine.  I was pushing her on her cart down the hall.  The little girl just stared at us.  As I came closer, I asked "Do you like doggies?"  


The mom said yes, they had a dog at home.  Bella pet Jasmine, and watched enchanted as we did our little trick show routine.  And she laughed.  Because we were in the hall, more people gathered around to watch Jaz.  One 4 year old was imitating the tricks I was asking Jasmine to do.  It was quite amusing.  Everyone was smiling or chuckling.  By the end, Bella had completely forget about her previous experience.  The entire situation was turned around.  All because of one little furry dog.  What a difference a dog can make.  


That's why I like to volunteer with Jasmine.  It reminds me of the Emily Dickinson poem,
 "I Shall Not Live In Vain".  

"If I can stop one Heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain
Or help one fainting Robin
Unto his Nest again
I shall not live in Vain."

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!  

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.

Jasmine on Good Morning America...

Jasmine was on Good Morning America last week!


Here's the GMA video from last Monday- Jasmine vs. Arbor.





Jasmine won that contest, so we got to fly to NYC to perform live on the show last Friday!


It was a whirlwind trip, but what an adventure!!


We flew in on Thurs night, and met our good friend Thy!!  We explored Times Square, found the GMA studio, and got some delicious food at the Shake Shack!  (It was SOO good!) I'm glad Thy introduced me to it!  We took our food down to Byrant Park for a picnic!  (Jasmine was thrilled to find some grass!!)  Although it was freshly cut, so it turned her white paws green!  But I was going to give her a bath that night anyway!!  It was so nice of Thy to come all the way into the city just to see us!  It helped make our first night in NYC wonderful!

 Friday morning, I went down to the Good Morning America studios.  We had to be there at 5:45 am!!!  So I got up at 4:00 am to get ready.  (Which, by the way, is 1:00 am AZ time!)   I  That whole weekend was all about sleep deprivation!!  But it was worth it! ;)
   (Side note: after I took Jaz outside to go potty, I went back to the hotel room, and my key wouldn't work!!   The battery to my room lock had died, and had to be replaced!  (which took a while).  So that was a little stressful, considering the clock was ticking, and I was supposed to be on set in an hour!)  I called GMA to let them know, and the executive producers were very supportive.  They did everything they could to help me get there close to on time!  They even let me get my hair/make-up touched up by their professionals on set!  So that was great!!  (I was really glad I had bathed Jaz the night before!!)

  There were 4 finalists in the Dog vs. Dog competition.  (Well, technically 5 dogs.)  Our friend Heather (and her dog Jesse) were finalists too!  Jasmine pushed her shopping cart, Jesse did his front handstand, Rudy (the yorkie) played poker, and the white dogs Gater and Joe Paws pushed each other on a cart.

I really appreciate everyone who voted for us!  We came in 2nd!!!  The hosts announced that it was a close race, but I didn't realize how close until a friend sent me this screen capture of the voting totals right before it closed!  It's all good though!   I didn't really care who won.  I was just happy with my free trip to NY and the chance to be on the show!!!  And it was nice having Heather and Jesse there.... so I had a friend to hang out with on Friday.  I know Heather and Jesse from a Mighty Dog contest that both of our dogs won back in 2008.  Jasmine and Jesse got to be in a Mighty Dog commercial together!

 We also met Rachel Ray!!  She was on the show that day too!  And she was nice enough to take a quick picture with us.

We also got pictures with the hosts after the show.  They were SUPER friendly and nice!!  

 We even got to go inside the GMA set after the show was over to take a few pics!

 Jasmine and Jesse waiting for their segment to come on TV!  

 After the show, we had to switch hotels.  At first I was trying to get Jasmine and all our luggage from the Millennium hotel over to the Hilton NY.  It was hard walking Jaz on the leash and pushing a cart with all that luggage.  So then I was carrying her and pushing the cart.  That got tiring too.  So finally, we found a solution.  Princess Jasmine just rode on top of the luggage dolly for most of the way.  That way she didn't accidentally get stepped on, and I didn't have to worry about her getting in the street.  (NY is really crowded obviously!)

 After we settled into our new room (and took a 3 hour nap!!), Jaz and I decided to go sight-seeing.  We explored the sights, sounds, and smells of New York City.  I even bought the traditionally cheezy NY souvenirs.  (Including this t-shirt which I love!)  

 Our new hotel was only a few blocks from Central Park, so we hung out there for a while.  Jasmine got to chase her first squirrel up a tree!  (on leash of course!)  It was funny.  She's never seen a squirrel before.  (They don't have many where I live in AZ!)   We also took some pics by some famous landmarks- like Radio City music hall.


The next time I go back to NY, I want to see some Broadway plays.  And I still need to go to the normal tourist stuff- like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.  I just didn't have much time this trip.  (Plus, I had to find activities that were dog-friendly since I didn't have anyone to watch Jasmine.)   It was a quick trip, but we made the most of it.  Overall, a very positive experience.  :) 

GMA Dog vs. Dog contest!

Oh my gosh- this is unreal!!  THANKS to you my friends, Jasmine won her contest on Monday!

She was paired off against a very talented, sweet dog named Arbor.  Arbor was adopted from a shelter only a year ago!!  Pretty impressive!!  Here's Arbor's Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/GoVegasDog

Living proof that some of the best pups you will ever find are at your local shelter.  Go find out for yourself!  What a sweet, smart, and talented dog!

It was a CLOSE contest too! 
 If you missed it, here's the link to watch both dogs!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfo0zDto624

  So... now Jasmine moves on to the next round!  They are flying us to New York!!   I can't believe it!  Jasmine will be performing LIVE on Good Morning America THIS Friday, May 4, 2012!

WOW.  This doesn't even seem real!!  I'm so excited! 

So keep an eye out for Jasmine!  After the show,  you can vote for your favorite dog (on Friday) at: www.goodmorningamerica.com

I don't have a smart phone, so I won't be able to remind anyone to vote.  So please tell your friends!!  :)   THANK YOU!!!  :D

URGENT!! VOTE FOR JAZ on @GMA!

WOOHOO!!


Jasmine is going to be on GOOD MORNING AMERICA tomorrow morning!!  (Monday, April 30th!)   


They are having a Dog vs. Dog contest!!     PLEASE go vote for Jasmine!!


Voting is open now, but ends at 3 pm EST tomorrow!  (Monday!)


Here's the link to vote!
http://www.sodahead.com/living/dog-vs-dog-which-pups-trick-was-more-impressive/question-2620806/


Please share with your friends!  If Jaz gets the most votes, she'll get to go to NYC to perform live on the show!!!  


If you want to see both videos, here's the link~
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/dog-vs--dog--arbor-the-border-collie-and-jasmine-the-havanese.html