Meet Winston the Wonder Pug
You’ve met Muse and Lunchbox. Finally, my last addition to the Fawver Family, Winston the Wonder Pug. First, some back story.
All my life I’ve considered myself a cat person. I had no reason for this, really, other than I thought cats were cuter and less maintenance. Growing up, I never had the responsibility of a pet – I don’t even know what breeds the dogs we had were. They never felt like my dogs, or family dogs, and heck – I don’t even know what ever happened to the second one we had after my parents divorced. So I had nothing to base this “I’m a cat person” identification with, but my first 3 pets of any significant size were cats. But a funny thing happened when we moved into our current house, which is owned by my dad, and I started working from home in 2008 – I had an unexplained desire to get a dog.
It took some convincing for Dominic. He had a strained relationship with the cats as it was – he grew up in a somewhat rural part of Oregon where pets stayed outside, you fed them, and if they were a problem, you got rid of them. Just a different upbringing and that kind of farmer culture where animals are for food and service, not necessarily for companionship. So I finally convinced him that if we got a dog, I’d pay for obedience classes so we didn’t have an unruly pooch.
There were a few non-starts. At the time, his aunt was breeding AKC registered spaniels (I forget which type exactly). We’d gone up for Christmas and there was a little girl that I was almost certain I wanted to bring home with us. But money was a bit tight, and being AKC registered dogs she was going to have to charge me at least $400 for the dog (which was already giving me a hefty family discount). I was dragging my feet on making the decision and, since I’d fallen for the little runt, unfortunately she didn’t make it through the week that we were there, so that decision was ultimately made for me. About a year later we were up there over the summer and she had another, slightly older batch of puppies. The last litter she was going to have before having the mother fixed – she was done breeding and this litter was actually unintentional. So she was willing to just give me one but, again, I just didn’t feel right making the decision on such short notice (since I didn’t know she had them until we were there) and I decided not to take that little puppy either.
2010 rolled around and I finally decided that I wanted a dog. I was ready to go look for a dog I could love, and after talking to a friend, I decided that I actually wanted to adopt an adult dog – shelters find it harder to get them homes, and I didn’t necessarily want to go through the trials and tribulations of house breaking a puppy with this being my first dog that would be all mine to look after. I ended up going to 5 shelters before finding the shelter in Dublin – the rest had mostly scruffy mutts I didn’t connect with or chihuahuas, rottweilers, and pit bulls* I didn’t want either.
Finally at this 6th shelter, there was a Yorkie and a Pug. The Yorkie was friendly, excited to meet me and spend time with me, and adorable. The pug was friendly, but stand offish when we tried to spend time with him, and walked a little funny. So I decided to inquire about the Yorkie – but was told that the hold period wasn’t up yet and that a lot of people (including families with kids) wanted to adopt her. So there would be a lottery, and no guarantee that I’d be able to adopt her. went home to think about it, and talk to Dominic. I’d gone on this epic hunt all over the shelters of the East Bay with Rachel on a Saturday, so I wanted to take Dominic back on Sunday to meet the dog I’d chosen. We talked about it, and I decided that I didn’t want to get my hopes up about the Yorkie, and I’d rather not edge out and win over some devastated child who’d been dead set on getting her. So I decided to give the Pug another shot.
They’d given him a temporary name – Winston – which I thought was the perfect, awesome name for a pug. Very distinguished, like Winston Churchill! When I went back the second day, he was MUCH friendly and more active because it was obvious that he recognized me. He had just been kind of shy before, we gathered, and Dominic and I played with him in the yard and discovered that he already knew many commands – sit, roll over, shake, and high-five! I asked the staff about his weird walk, and they told me that at his age (which they’d guessed to be 5) a little bit of hip displaysia was normal. But, to ease my mind, they agreed to hold onto my adoption fee check and have the vet x-ray him before putting him under for the neutering – if it was a major problem that I didn’t think I could hand, they’d call me and I could call it off and come back and pick out a different dog. So we signed the papers, wrote the check, and left Winston there to go to the vet the following week.
The day of his surgery and coming home came – November 16, 2010, and I was nervous. I had already started to love him, and I was hoping his hip issue wasn’t too bad. I had been told to expect a call around 11:00 am from the vet with the results of the x-ray. When no call came, I called around 1 and was told he was already in surgery. Odd. I explained the special circumstances and the receptionist really had no answer for me. I got a call at 4:00 pm telling me to come on in and get him to bring him home. Uh, what?
Apparently the vet took a look and said it wasn’t anything that could be fixed, so went ahead with the surgery to neuter him and send him home. They told me, based on his teeth, they thought he was actually about 6. I walked him proudly over to the pet store in the same shopping center to get him a real leash, harness, bed, food, and some toys. I brought him home and he became a Fawver! A couple weeks later, I took him into the vet Lorenza works for to get his free check up. It was supposed to be a general wellness check, but I did mention that he didn’t seem to be eating much, he wasn’t chewing on any of the bones or rawhides I’d given him, and I mentioned his gait again for good measure. They examined him and immediately pointed out that a bunch of his teeth were rotten! That’s why he wasn’t eating a lot or doing any chewing – it hurt! They wiggled like a 6-year-old kid itching for some Tooth Fairy money!
Because I’d adopted an adult dog, and they said that was a very noble thing, and because I was a first time client and Lorenza’s friend, they cut me a really good deal to pull his bad teeth and get him all set up. That was 4 years ago, and I can’t say he’s been in perfect health since, but it’s been manageable. Winston’s about 9 or 10 now, and has arthritis in his elbows that makes it harder for him to run around (but doesn’t necessarily stop him from trying when he’s worked up) and his cataracts make him pretty blind on some days. But he knows where things are and makes it work. His vision mixed with the summer heat have lead him to bumble around our bedroom loudly at night, so he’s recently taken to sleeping at the foot of the bed (he’s lucky I’m short and there’s room!)
He’s my little old man, a shadow that follows me around nearly all the time. He knows the sound of my car & runs to the door to greet me. When I’m gone, he lets his displeasure be known by peeing somewhere or digging into my trash, just so I know how much he was afraid I wouldn’t come back. He looses his mind and barks EVERY DAMN DAY when the mail person lifts the squeaky brass mail slot in our door. He’s like me in dog from in almost every way – wonky ankles that could go out at any time, overweight, not that sound on his feet, lover of French fries! He’s my 24lb Chicken Nugget. The Winstonator. Win Stone, Private Dick. The Frito Bandito. Winstonion. My bubbas. My boogers. He gives me high-fives, but doesn’t lick my face (which I’m so OK with). He snores almost as loud as Dominic does! I never knew I was a dog person until Winston set me straight! Dominic even loves him and spoils him more than he ever thought he could love a dog, and tells Winston so all the time. We keep saying that, eventually, we’ll get a female pug named Margaret (as in Thatcher)!
I have so many pictures of Winston, it’s been really hard to choose. So follow Winston on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. He’ll share french fries with you if you’ll let him.
* Disclaimer: I have nothing against pit bulls as a breed, but they are larger than we have room for and, considering I was looking for rescue, adult dogs in the Oakland area primarily, I did not trust rescuing a pit bull whose history I was not 100% certain of.
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Julep Polish Giveaway Winners!
First, a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who entered my Julep Polish Giveaway! I appreciate all your tweets, Likes, and shares. It really means so much to me to engage with readers like this, and I’m very glad to have given back. I’m working hard to vary my content to include more aspects of my life, like my photography, entertaining, crafts, whatnot, and hope you’ll continue to join me for this journey!
Please follow me on Bloglovin’ or Subscribe to weekly updates straight in your inbox.
I randomly selected which winner will receive Julep Valerie, a teal with iridescent microglitter, and which will receive Julep Glam Roc, a midnight purple & gold stardust (matte glitter). Thanks to Rafflecopter, the winners were chosen using Random.org technology and my personal random process of picking which winner would receive which polish involved mixing them up in my hands without looking and picking one first for the first winner, and one second for the second winner. Highly technical and scientific, right?
Congratulations to Amie W. of Pingree Grove, IL and Sonya P. of Berwick, PA!
Thanks so much for your tweets and Facebook likes! If you really want to get your hot hands on these fabulous Julep polishes featured in my Julep Polish Giveaway, they are available at Julep.com for $14.00 each (or $11.20 for Mavens). If you choose to signup to be a Maven, use code FREEBOX to get your first Maven box for free (just pay the totally reasonable shipping cost).
So… what should I give away next? 🙂
Read MoreTop 5 Social Media Apps for iPhone
Guest Post by James Clark.
Social networking sites for smartphones are what make the smartphone experience all the richer. You can get the entertainment and socialization aspects of using a full time PC all in a handy device that is not only portable but can be safely tucked into your pockets or bags. Modern technology really can be a blessing but availing the luxuries can be a bit tricky. With so much progress happening on the smartphone front, there is also a lot of malware and spyware being produced too- – a counter reaction almost for all the things you can use smartphones for.
Of all the platforms for smartphones, iOS ranks number one when it comes to safety. There is just no doubt that an iPhone is the safest platform what with the closed OS and Apple’s strict review policies for apps. So if you feel that you want a social app experience and are safe from cell phone monitoring, keyloggers, and all sorts of malware and adware that spreads through social networking sites, iPhone is your best option. And so, here are the best social apps that will help you socialize with ease and no fear of spyware on your iPhone.
There can be no surprises here. Facebook is King App when it comes to comparing social networking apps for any platform. When we talk about iPhone, we know that the people over at Apple have managed to master social networking app creation and have a great free app version on iTunes. The app is very close to the real website and offers almost everything that is available on the site. The rating is 5 out of 5 and is the most used social app on iPhone.
Meebo
Though Meebo also has an excellent rating (5 out of 5 like Facebook), it still will have to come in a close second behind Facebook since the latter’s preference outdoes anyone else’s. But what is great about Meebo is that you can use it and still avail Facebook chat along with dozens of other chat services all rolled into one iPhone app. The app is free and very easy to use.
IMO Instant Messenger
This is a great app that also allows you to keep in touch with friends through multiple social network platforms and services. Among services it incorporates are AOL, MSN, Facebook, MySpace, and many more. Unlike Meebo, it supports Skype which gives it an edge over some other apps for Skype fans. IMO Instant Messenger is free and allows users to sort out and organize contacts, user push features, search chat history and more. The rating for this app is 4.5 out of 5 but personally, this app is a better option than Meebo.
TweetDeck iPhone App
This is a favorite among Twitter fans. Though it’s the free version of the Twitter app, fans flock to it since it does offer a lot of good features despite holding back many for the users on the paid version. With TweetDeck users can manage more than one Twitter account on one simple interface. The ranking is 4/5 and hard to beat for a free Twitter app.
Now this app is quite possibly the most comprehensive one when it comes to accessing multiple services. Instead of just incorporating the big names, users can also keep tabs on Tumblr, LinkedIn, and Instagram. All the news feeds come to the users in magazine style updates, keeping everything fresh and fun. Flipboard ranks great with a 5 out of 5 rating.
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James Clark has been in the business of providing quality information on Mobistealth Mobile Spy Software for a while now. He’s an expert at all things spyware, but his main forte is iPhone spyware which has captured the interest of many.
Read MorePinterest: An Effective Marketing Tool to Attract Young Consumers
Guest Post by Samantha Gray.
Facebook and Twitter are still the most popular social media platforms that internet marketers like to use in order to win over young consumer (who are often said to be the most difficult target audience to attract because they’re “picky). But if they’re smart, internet marketers should now be investing a little bit more of their time and effort using a new and upcoming social media site called Pinterest—aka “a marketer’s dream.” That’s because young consumers who love to shop (mostly women but some men too) flock to Pinterest on a daily basis ready to spend their disposable income.
Ok, so the social media/image bookmarking site isn’t that new (it was established late last summer) but with every passing month the site just continues to get more and more users. Currently there are about 10.4 million registered users, according to the most recent statistics available. And like mentioned earlier, most of the users are young— the same young users who refuse to succumb to your marketing techniques on Facebook but fall for them on Pinterest. It’s not really sure why this is the case, but the fact that Pinterest is bit more transparent might be the reason. Users know that its purpose is to connect buyers with sellers.
So how does it work exactly?
Like the name suggests, Pinterest is a digital pin board that requires users to scour a collection of highly attractive images called “pins.” These pins can be of any item that interests them. For example, if a user thinks a dress featured in the database is extremely cute then he or she can pin it on their profile/ “board.” If they think the couch is to-to-die for and would love to own it one day, they can pin it on their board too. It’s great when looking for inspiration for weddings and other events too.
So where does the cash flow in?
A smart marketer will make sure that the image is linked to the coinciding store or blog where that specific item in the photo can be purchased or at the very least taught how to make—recipes for example are also extremely popular on the site. Since users can pin whatever they like, marketers don’t seem so pushy because in a way the users are coming to you—unlike Facebook where marketers are invading a user’s Timeline with updates and can be easily seen as annoying.
Of course, it’s your job to make sure you have the most aesthetically pleasing photos of your product and/or services available so someone will want to pin you on their board.
How else can it be effective?
While a user can purchase the item they pinned directly, a user’s friends can make purchases too. Firstly, they can take a peek a specific user’s pin board so they know what items their friend might like come Christmas or their birthday. Secondly, Pinterest integrates with Facebook and Twitter so that users can post their pins on these sites as well. This means that even someone who doesn’t have Pinterest (but has a Facebook or Twitter account) can see a Pinterest pin. If they like what they see, they can purchase the item too. This means you get to expand your target audience without doing too much. Pinterest users will do it for you.
In sum, Pinterest can be a really useful marketing tool to invest in.
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Samantha Gray is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas, who offers college advice to those interested in furthering their studies and careers. She also enjoys writing about various business-related topics like marketing. She can be reached for questions or comments at samanthagray024@gmail.com
Read MoreThe True Value of Google+
When you are trying to promote a site for your business or for a cause, it is important to promote its visibility as much as possible. This often involves you signing up for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Recently, Google+ has become a popular social network that many webmasters and businesses are turning to for promotion. Here are a few things to consider about the true value of Google+.
Integration With Google Places
If you have a local business, you will definitely need a Google+ account, so that you can take advantage of Google Places. Google Places was a service offered by Google, which made it possible to promote your business listing for local searches. Recently, Google moved all of the Google Places accounts over to Google+ accounts. This means that if you want to participate in this program now, you have to have a Google+ account. This makes it possible for you to reach customers in your local market for free and interact with them.
Multiple Ways to Connect
One of the nice things about using Google+ is that you can connect with other people in many different ways. For example, you can form circles of different types of contacts. You can set up “hang outs” where you can video chat with a group of people. You can send direct messages, public messages, and chat with people as well. If you are trying to increase visibility, and get to know your customers, this can be a good way to go about it.
Integrate Into Site
If you are a webmaster, you also have the opportunity to integrate Google+ features right into your site. There are various widgets that you can put into your site with just a few clicks. For example, if you have a Brain Host hosting account, you’ll be able to integrate Google+ buttons easily onto your pages. This makes it easier for your website visitors to interact with your Google+ profile, and for Google+ visitors to find your site.
Why Get Started?
If you are serious about developing an online presence for your business or website, you owe it to yourself to open a Google+ account. It is the latest social network to make a splash online, and it is growing quickly. While it is yet to unseat Facebook as the undisputed king of social networking, it can provide you with some benefits for your business.
Read MoreHow to Determine if Your Business Needs a Social Media Manager
Guest Post by Melanie Slaugh.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, your business has probably made the wise decision to incorporate social media into its marketing scheme. Social media and the Internet give you a chance to reach thousands of new customers on a regular basis and who wouldn’t want to leverage that to their benefit? Of course, it only works if you’re doing it right. If you’ve been on the fence about hiring a social media manager or not, here are five signs that it’s time to do so.
You don’t know the first thing about social media and you have no desire to learn
Easy. Hire someone to do it for you. It’s not worth the back and forth or the stress over if you should learn how everything works or not, nor the worry about if you have the time to learn the tricks of the trade or not. You would be better off hiring someone with the technical know-how so that you can focus on what it is you do best for the business.
You’re spending more time trying to figure out how to tweet than is monetarily feasible
If you’ve made the leap into social media marketing but you’re going into it blind then it can go one of two ways: either you’ll pick it up quickly or you will spend countless hours trying to learn to the point that it’s not worth it. When attempting to learn social media starts cutting into your productivity (and subsequently, company money) then it’s probably time to put that money to better use and to hire someone that knows what they’re doing.
Your automated messages aren’t generating the buzz you wanted
Successful social media is so much more than just scheduling automated tweets or Facebook posts, and if you go into it thinking that all you need to do is send out automated posts you’re going into it destined to fail. The reason social media is so successful is because of the personal interaction that it allows members to feel. Having a social media manager means you have someone who is capable of developing these relationships and building your brand.
You don’t have time to maintain the accounts
Social media success is a direct result of the time that is spent being active online and maintaining the accounts. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to the different social media then you’re better off hiring someone whose sole job is to promote and engage with customers via those accounts.
Not everyone needs to hire a social media manager, and many businesses do just fine passing off those responsibilities to employees who can pick up the slack. However successful social media does require being savvy enough with it to not only keep the accounts alive, but also to grow them. If you’re finding your businesses’ social media is lacking, it might be time to hire a professional to take it over.
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Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet providers in my area for presenting the consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them. She can be emailed for follow up.
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