Cute OverLoad... featuring Jasmine!! :)

It's been a really busy week for me, so I had no idea that yesterday CuteOverload.com was showcasing a picture of Jasmine!! :)

http://cuteoverload.com/2011/09/16/just-gotta-pick-up-a-few-things-at-target/

Here's some of the comments that people posted:

-Insanely adorable.

-Such a soulful expression on this girl!

-That head tilt and sweet face are almost too much! And, and those eyebrows!!

That's completely how I feel. But then again, my opinion doesn't count! I know I'm a little biased... because she's my dog!! ;)

We did it!!!!!! Thanks to you!!!!

Woohoo!!!! WE DID IT!!!! Jaz finished in the Top 5 of the Dog Days of Summer contest!! So that means she qualified to be in the magazine now!!! I almost can't believe it! Because of the unlimited voting, the numbers were flip-flopping all over the place! Jaz was in 3rd, then 5th, then 6th, then 4th, then 5th... it was crazy!

But due to some WONDERFUL WONDERFUL friends- who dedicated a lot of time to supporting Jasmine.... we did it! She finished in spot #4! Wow- that was a close race!!

And I'm just so thrilled!!! And overwhelmed with gratitude!!!

I had friends voting from the hospital, before/after school, all during the day, and night. I had friends having contests who could vote the most for Jaz! I had friends who still voted for Jaz even though their lives were full of hard times.) (and I tried to talk them out of voting- but they said it was a good distraction.) And the last night of the contest- when the #'s were SOOO close, I even had 2 friends that stayed up- and pulled an all-nighter voting for Jaz. Wow. All I can say is wow.

Because of all of you, I feel so loved. And am so grateful for all you've done. Every night when I was voting, and the votes kept jumping up... it was so cool.... knowing someone else was out there voting for Jaz at the same time as me! I can't thank you enough!!!

Today, I got an email from the magazine. They're having a meet & greet at the end of the month for the Top 5 Dogs- and then the judges will decide who the main winner is. So.... wish us luck!! (The main winner gets some other prizes too.) But I'm mainly interested in the editorial spread in the magazine! The other stuff... is just stuff! I'll probably have to end up donating it- so I don't have to pay taxes on it!! (I learned that lesson when I won the Mighty Dog contest!!)

Well my friends- I don't know how else I can express how grateful I am for all of you- and how supportive you are of me and Jasmine. You guys rock. That's all I can say. =)

Last Week To Vote!

Wow- time flies! This is the last week of the Dog Days of Summer Contest! I went to this casting call in person, and because it was local, so I thought we'd have better odds of placing in the Top 5. Then I found out that the voting was unlimited, and I was so overwhelmed! I think next time it should be 1 vote per email or 1 vote per IP address. But in this contest, you can vote as many times as you want per day!

I was about to just blow it off, when I really good friend named Vicki encouraged me to just stick with it. Because you never know. And I'm am thrilled to report that thus far, Jasmine has held her own! Jasmine's friends keep voting for her. And right now Jaz fluctuates between 3rd and 4th place. The contest ends on Sept. 15th. If she can finish in the Top 5, she'll be eligible for an editorial spread in a magazine!

So... no matter how it turns out... I just wanted to sincerely say THANK YOU... to all of you who have spent time voting for Jasmine. I really do appreciate it. (and for sharing your secrets with me!!) For example, we learned that you only have to type the one word with the squiggley line through it!) That helped me to vote faster. (Although that's usually the hardest word to read!!) lol.

Here's the link to vote: http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/dog-days-of-summer-2011/voting/170.html?msg=voted

Anyway- I just wanted to say thanks. Thank you for voting. And thank you for being my friend and for supporting Jasmine. You guys are awesome. :)

Labor Day Camping Trip!

Last weekend was so much fun! It was Labor Day weekend. (a 3 day weekend here in the USA) So I went on a big camping trip up north with my family!

The weather was beautiful!

We went on a long hike around the lake. Jaz was good for most of it. But toward the end, she was getting tired. So I had to invent a creative way to carry her! This is my new doggy backpack. She loved it. :)

I'd say she walked about 4 miles before she got tired. She's a pretty athletic dog. But we took a "short cut", which ended up being a "long cut", lol... and so by the end she needed to rest!

We did all the usual stuff- slept in tents, played games, and of course toasted marshmallows over the fire. (S'mores are a MUST for me on any camping trip!)

(This is doggy camouflage! Blend in with your surroundings!)

It was so much fun being out in nature, and just spending time together as a family.

Of course, Jaz came along! I could not believe how many other campers had brought their dogs! (Probably about 80% of the campgrounds had a dog!) :) I guess

most of us that like the outdoors also like dogs!

This is the lake we hiked around. (Well, Jaz hiked most of the way around it!) lol

And this is my "pup tent"! :D haha...

Jaz likes to find the most comfy spots to nap. This usually means stealing my pillow. But in this case, she found a good spot on the air mattress.

BarkWorld Here We Come!

Well, it's official and kind of scary! I just booked my flight to Atlanta at the end of the month.

Jasmine and I are going to BarkWorld!! I'm not really scared about giving the presentation. (Are you kidding? The two things I love talking about are my dog and making YouTube videos. This is going to be fun!) :D

But I'm nervous about flying Jaz out there. When we went to New York for the David Letterman audition, that was Jasmine's first time flying. (She went cargo, and it kind of traumatized her for a bit.) So this time I found an airline that doesn't have a weight restriction, because she's small enough to fit under the seat. It will be a little squishy for her, but I imagine she'll like it a whole lot more being with me.

We're going to be sharing a hotel room with Lauren and her superstar dog Paige! :D I FINALLY, FINALLY get to meet them in person! We've been good friends over the internet for years. We talk on the phone, and I feel like I already know her. But now I get to meet Paige!! :D (Who just finished up a commercial for 1-800-Pet-Meds!) But I knew her before she was famous... so she knows I'm one of her real friends.... and not just jumping on the bandwagon because she's popular. ;) lol

I'm still looking for sponsors to help pay our way out to Atlanta. So if you know of anyone... please let me know! :D (Jasmine's airline ticket was almost as much as MY airline ticket! And she doesn't even get the peanuts!) ;) But how could I go and not bring Jaz?? Seriously... I don't think she'd ever forgive me! ;)

I feel good about this trip. I love meeting other dog-aholics. "Hi. My name is CJ. And I'm a dog-aholic." ;) (Hey- at least I can admit it!!) I even bought a pawprint magnet for my car. (like the one pictured above)

Also- I just found out that I can give away one free guest pass to the conference. So... let me know if this is something you are interested in! If only one person replies... it's all yours! If a couple of people reply, we'll have a little raffle.

Here's the info about BarkWorld!! http://www.barkworldexpo.com/

NEW Dog Trick Video by Jasmine! :)

FINALLY!!! Here is Jasmine's NEWEST Dog Trick video! (I had some trouble publishing it in HD, and it took forever to upload!) But TA DA!! It's finally done!! =)

NEW MAILBOX TRICK!

I think I'm going to start a new thing. "TRICK OF THE MONTH". This will motivate me to keep working with Jaz on new stuff! (She gets a lot of practice on the old stuff when we volunteer at the hospital.) Here's this month's new trick: Get the Mail!

I sent this one it to Letterman. So maybe we can get back to NY again with this one. Odds are they won't use the shopping cart trick, because they don't like to use tricks that are similar. And on the last show they had Norman the Briard pushing a scooter. And this next show, I know one of our friends is going, and her dog also does a trick with wheels. So... that's why I wanted to come up with something different! :) And... if they don't pick this one, well then we'll just keep trying! My friend Lauren (and her dog Paige) had to audition 3 x's before they were finally on the show! (She's my hero!) The secret to accomplishing your dreams: Just keep trying- and eventually it will happen. :)