A Nearby Friend

Shout out to a new supporter and friend: Welcome Megan Drake, the Philadelphia Dog Advocate Examiner. Megan blogs about all things dog at the Philly Examiner's site. She heard about us via our KYW1060am podcast last week and is very excited about Almost Perfect! In fact, she's so excited about it, she couldn't even wait to get her review copy before giving our little book a thumbs up for a Mother's Day gift suggestion.

Thanks, Megan, and we can't wait to hear what you have to say once you've read the whole thing! Hope you stick around here at Almost Perfect Pets blog and become one of our big, happy family.

Maggie and Mitch - Because I Need Some Sanity

Okay, I admit it: I'm posting this solely because I need to add some sanity to the world. In the last hour, I've read about the unexpectedly steep increase in the melting of the polar ice caps; another mass shooting by some guy who lost his job; a little girl who disappeared from her home neighborhood; and now North Korea has launched a rocket and no one knows exactly why or what's on it.

You know, I can't do anything about any of that, not really. But instead of lying awake tonight feeling sick to my stomach about everything bad that's happening, I'm going to share with you something good: a sweet dog blog called Maggie and Mitch: The Airedales. You really need to check out this amazingly extensive little haven filled with love and licks and tennis balls and sticks, and -- yes -- even miniature dollhouses, crafted with love and care. (Check out those hardwood floors!)

These dogs have tremendous personalities and a mom who apparently loves them something silly, because she does their bidding in helping them blog lots and lots and lots. So, g'won over and visit these two fuzzy love muffins and say thanks to their mom for sharing their sweet antics with a world gone mad. Who needs Calgon when Maggie and Mitch can take you away? And you don't even need to be immersed in a tub!

Well, I'll be dogged!

Not necessarily about disabled pets, but about all kinds of dog subjects that could include such a topic is reiki practitioner Beth Lowell's blog, "My Life With Dogs." She writes about the life she shares with her dogs, Dasher and Bella, and a host of friends and neighbrs of varying species.

Conversational, varied, interesting and written with a genuine voice, this dog blog is a real treat for dog lovers or animal enthusiasts in general. Each post feels like sitting across the kitchen table from a good friend, sharing news of the neighborhood, watching various comings and goings, and sharing a laugh or two. Punctuated by Beth's Twitter updates, a critter photo gallery, suggested reading list and more, Dog Blog is a real joy.

Give it a shot -- I bet in no time, you'll have subscribed to the RSS feed to get a daily shot of a guilty pleasure. enjoy!