Blogpaws Swag Bag Woos Readers

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Oliver Poses After Walking the Red Carpet

Blogpaws was definitely a lot of fun, and it was also a great time seeing how many of you wanted to snag the terrific tote bag, Natural Balance calendar and official Tshirt. Who knew! Sometimes in my efforts to clear out excess, I'm surprised by the excitement over items that may not have seemed quite so thrilling.

I'm keeping this post extra short as I'm technically on vacation. Our winner will get a notification from me just as soon as

Prizes courtesy All Things Dog Blog

possible. If she sees this post, she's welcome to email her address to AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com.

Congratulations to @AmyOrvin for winning the "I Missed Blogpaws" prize. I'll ship it direct to her and she can start dreaming of next year. 

The "I Missed Blogpaws" Giveaway

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Oliver Did NOT Miss Blogpaws

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Molly Pays Attention to a Speaker

This office can only hold so much stuff. Oliver's bed is under a guest's chair and review products are on shelves. Yet I still have an overflow to floor space, which is definitely not plentiful--the floorspace that is. Today's giveaway will help me clear out some extra goodies from the Blogpaws conference swag that will thrill a blogger or pet lover who did not attend.

Inside the official Blogpaws swag bag--which is uber nice canvas with a zipper-closure and pockets--is the official Blogpaws Conference Tshirt and a 2013 Natural Balance Calendar, filled with great photos

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Norman's New Bike!

of Norman and Tillman. This prize is perfect for the pet blogger who did not make it to this year's conference, but will be enjoyed by anyone who can use these products.

Oliver, my sidekick and PR front man for this year's event, had a ton of great experiences. I'm pretty sure if he had a calendar, Vegas would be on it for next year. He met Norman the Scooter dog, Molly the Safety Dog, Schmitty the Weather Dog and Charles the Monarch, as well as many of our fellow bloggers' pets and Service Dogs of all kinds. Oliver did not quite know what to do with the ferrets, but he sniffed curiously and was suitably respectful. 

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Oliver and Charles (the Labradoodle)

With stops along the way to visit family, Oliver was one tuckered out little dude that slept very well for the entire trip. I would love to have gotten some pics of us on the highway, but since I was driving, that was not an option. 

I enjoyed speaking with one exhibitor about safety testing being done for various types of car travel implements for dogs. Her exhibit included a smashed metal crate that had been through a car accident. It was a bit scary to think of my dog inside it. 

When I described my safety gig for the trip, she nodded approvingly. Oliver has a Pet

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Oliver Walked the Red Carpet
 in His New Tux

Buckle brand crash-tested seat belt that was attached to the luggage tie downs using the adapter provided. I seatbelted his crate down in the middle of the car and attached the PetBuckle seatbelt to his harness, while he was inside the crate. The idea was double protection, and luckily we didn't need it.

To enter the "I Missed Blogpaws" giveaway, simply RT the embedded Tweet below. I'll pull one winner from the list of Tweets on June 21 and announce the winner here on the blog. Good luck!

Did you miss #Blogpaws? @allthingsdog is shedding a little excess & U can win some Blogpaws swag here: ow.ly/lHV7g
— Carrie Boyko (@AllThingsDog) June 4, 2013

Fido's Freebie Friday Finally Home :)

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Road trips are over-rated. While Oliver was no trouble at all--doing a great job as a co-pilot--the 14 hour drive to and from Blogpaws was seriously exhausting. The event was totally worth it, though, as we had a fab time meeting new pet peeps and planning more fun for All Things Dog Blog readers.

My co-hosts of Fido's Freebie Friday, Dogtipper and Doggies and Stuff, are both doing well. It was wonderful to see them each in person and have a chance to catch up on the news. I'll be reporting on some of our Blogpaws adventures coming up.

Let's start today with a tote bag giveaway that you can enter by commenting on this post.

Shopping Bags
to Share Your Love of Pets

I've got a pile of bags from all sorts of pet product and service companies. We'll give away 6 this time, and more later, to help you with your shopping trips and other outings. You really can say NO to plastic and paper :)

When you comment to enter, please indicate a Twitter handle as a method of contact; don't reveal your email. No Twitter handle? You'll need one to enter the #WorkLikeaDog Twitter party, so hop on over to Twitter and grab yours now. Enter through May 30, and I'll announce winners on Friday, May 31.

Here at Fido's Freebie Friday, bloggers are invited to list below their individual posts separately for all currently open giveaways. Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4:00 PM ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing.  Link up anytime during the week--24/7. We make it easy to be seen here by keeping our rules simple:

•You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an expiration date.

•Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts with prizes for pet products or services, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Use your specific post url to link up.

•Please include our badge (the code is in the sidebar) or a link to this post in your giveaway write up, and ask your readers to tell us you sent them.

You'll find assistance at our HELP PAGE, where there is other useful information for bloggers doing giveaways and reviews. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog, Doggies and Stuff, and Dogtipper.

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog, Doggies and Stuff and Dogtipper take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered. Please consult All Things Dog Blog's Giveaway and Contest Rules for more detail. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Blogpaws Bound: Packing Time

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Sorry Boys...

It's time to Sharpen the Saw, as Stephen Covey would put it. His 7 Habits for Highly Effective People has had a tremendous effect on my life. If only I could master that fourth quadrant, I'd be so much better off. Sigh; there will always be fires to put out.

Oliver and I are off to Blogpaws--a pet blogging conference--to meet other bloggers, visit with pet brand representatives, attend breakout sessions on various topics and network. When the work gets to be too much for Oliver, he'll have access to an all day daycare just for the furry members of the entourage. There he'll have an opportunity to play with Snoopy, Dexter, Rocco, Pepper and dozens of other bloggers' dogs who will join us to learn more about what we do and how to do it better--for YOU!

Oliver and I are busy packing and preparing. Tanner and Jacque will enjoy a vacation from photo shoots, product reviews and all manner of other silliness that Mom often puts them through. They'll get walks with their Daddy and their girl and playtime at the park, so not to worry. No unhappy puppies here. They don't know it yet, but they'll be getting some VIP visitors :)

Back to packing now. Oliver supervised the preparation of his Natural Balance food for the trip, and has patiently watched as I filled my suitcase with things he certainly thinks are not necessary. I did, however, make sure we brought his health certificate, bowls, leash, harness, bed, crate and a few other essentials. He packs light. Good boy Oliver!

The First Aid kit, a spill-proof water bowl, and a couple of favorite chew toys, are in the back of the car along with his seatbelt and safety harness for travel. A cooler includes water, stuffed Kongs and a few snacks. Can you think of anything he still needs to bring?

Woofing Wordless Wednesday

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Wrong Travel Bag Oliver!

Barkworld is coming! Barkworld is coming! Sorry Oliver. You don't get to go this year. Maybe Blogpaws? We'll see. Tanner put his name on that list first, and you have been to Blogpaws once already. In the name of fairness, you may have to stay behind and let Tanner join mom next time. Quit being so cute in that suitcase; it's not fair!