My Favorite Pup Jasmine

Jaz's video on "Who Let The Dogs Out"? :D

2012-02-25T15:21:00.002-08:00

WOW!!! What an exciting day for us!!!

I had suspected that Jasmine might be on today's episode of Who Let The Dogs Out... but I wasn't sure!

Then this morning, I started getting a ton of messages from people saying they had seen Jaz on TV!!! On Twitter and Facebook- everyone was writing me. It was kind of unfair, because I hadn't even SEEN the episode at that point! (East coast people definitely have an advantage!)

But it was true!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!! Not only was Jaz on national TV, but they picked Jasmine to go to California to be in the Semi-Finals!!!!! :D :D :D

How cool is that!?? Jaz and I get to meet Tillman!! And Norman!! And a whole bunch of other cool trick dogs!!

(And you know this is like a dream come true for me!) I'm pretty much a trick dog addict! And to have them all in one place?? Where I get to meet them and see them do their tricks live?? How awesome is that?? :D Sweet little Jaz gets to fly to California with me! Should be a blast!! I am soooo excited! I literally thought I was going to have a heart attack, my heart was pounding so hard! And this is from my living room! I can't imagine how it's going to be when we're actually there! I'll probably be so distracted from all the cool dogs that maybe I won't even notice!! ;)

By the way, it's not too late to submit your dog to be on the show! Here's the link:http://www.wholetthedogsout.tv/talentsearch.htm Maybe I'll see ya there!! :D

Jaz is a FINALIST on #WhoLetTheDogsOut! :D

2012-02-25T14:55:00.006-08:00

WOW!!! What an exciting day for us!!!

I had suspected that Jasmine might be on today's episode of Who Let The Dogs Out... but I wasn't sure!

But it was true!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!! Not only was Jaz on national TV, but they picked Jasmine to go to California to be in the Semi-Finals!!!!! :D :D :D

This is the video clip they aired:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTcv9e2aMvc&feature=channel_video_title

How cool is that!?? Jaz and I get to meet Tillman!! And Norman!! And a whole bunch of other cool trick dogs!!

By the way, it's not too late to submit your dog to be on the show! Here's the link: http://www.wholetthedogsout.tv/talentsearch.htm Maybe I'll see ya there!! :D

Dogs Eating Peanut Butter!

2012-02-24T13:41:00.003-08:00

I came across this old video of Jaz and Toddy, and it made me smile. So I thought I'd share it! Now you know why I called Jasmine "Lizard Tongue!" ;)

Dogs Eating Peanut Butter- One Bite Lasts All Day!! ;)

Don't forget-, TOMORROW (Saturday) is going to be Jaz's debut on "Who Let The Dogs Out"! (on Animal Planet!) I'm pretty excited!!!

Watch For Jaz on TV THIS Saturday!!

2012-02-22T05:19:00.004-08:00

I think this Saturday is our lucky day!! :D

Be sure to watch the next episode of "Who Let The Dogs Out" on Animal Planet! (airing Feb. 25th!) I've been telling all my friends to watch! l know I'll be watching. :) I think this is going to be the one that shows Jasmine's tricks! (as well as some of our other trick dog friends!)

Keep an eye out for Jasmine and all our trick dog friends: Gabe, Ruger, Paige, Hero, and Leroy. They should show up sometime this season too! (Maybe this week!) Can't wait to find out! :D (and if you know another dog who is in it, let me know! I'll add them to my list!) :D

I sent Tillman a message on Twitter (@TillmanSkates) and asked what the name of the "kangaroo dog" was (from Episode 1). He told me that's Rox! A 3 year old Australian Kelpie.

I just love learning about all the different dog breeds. Any dog can do tricks. You just need time, patience, and some good treats!! :) (Or a toy, if they are toy motivated!)

So far, I've seen Rox- an Australian Kelpie- Hop down the Petco aisle, and circle her owner.

Gabe- the Bulldog- bring his owner a tissue. (very helpful!)

Ruger- the Cattle Dog- push the stroller. (With a kitty in it!) (so cute!)

and Paige- the Border Collie- get a waffle out of the fridge, and put it in the toaster! (What if I wanted an omelet?) ;) J/K... I love Paige! :D :D Such a sweetie!

Can't wait to see what the next weeks hold! :)

We Won the #TillmanTV Tues Blog Hop!!!

2012-02-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

WHOA!! We just won the Tillman Tuesday Blog Hop!! That's pretty cool!!! (Considering I haven't won a random drawing since the 7th grade!!) ;)

If you don't know who Tillman is... maybe this picture will help you out! Even if you don't know his name, he's pretty well-known as the skate-boarding dog!

We won 30 lbs of Natural Balance dog food (which is AWESOME, because that's actually what I'm feeding Jaz right now anyway!) She has bad allergies, so she's on the Limited Ingredient Diet. (L.I.D.) We also won a case of Tillman treats, AND the best part...

Jaz gets to donate 100 lbs of Natural Balance pet food to a no-kill shelter!!

We picked "Friends for Life". It's a rescue group here in AZ. Last October, we attended an adoption event called "Barktoberfest"! Which was really fun. They had a costume contest, and a trick contest. (Which of course we entered!) :D

Here's a picture I found from the trick contest that day! That shaggy little dog needs a haircut!! :O)

And they had lure-coursing, which Jaz goes crazy for!! So she ran that a few times. She's part greyhound if there's any type of lure-course around!

Anyway, I'm so happy that Natural Balance is helping out all these shelters/ rescue groups. It's pretty cool. (And I really like that you have to pick a no-kill shelter to donate to.) :) Tillman and Natural Balance are going to have more give-aways, so be sure you enter your blog!!

Go to Tillman's blog: http://www.tillmanskates.com/ and add your blog post on Tuesday. That's it. It's so easy! If we can win it, there's hope for anybody!! LOL

Audition for New Talent Agency! :D

2012-02-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

Can you find the dog?? On Saturday, Jasmine auditioned for a new talent agency- Arizona Animal Actors. I had SO MANY props in my car, there was hardly any room for Jaz and I! My trunk and backseat were completely full.

I thought the audition went really well!! :D They had a VERY extensive audition process! (It was seriously close to a 20 page packet of behaviors they were testing on.) And on some of them, I had no idea how Jasmine would do. But overall, I think she did great!

The first part of the test was a sit/stay for 10 minutes. With distractions- dogs walking around, people walking around, metal sounds, reflective boards, people hugging her, etc. She did pretty good on that one.

Then she had to do a down/stay for 10 minutes with the same distractions. She broke this a few times. Especially when someone hugged her. She tried to give them loves back! I had to tell her to lie down again. The other times she broke it, I think were my fault. (Moving my hand that I was using to cue it.) So we need to work on that one.

Next was a stand/ stay for 10 minutes! I *knew* this was Jasmine's weak one. When she gets bored or tired, she just sits down. So after about 5 minutes, she sat down. And I had to ask her to stand back up again. She did for a while, then sat down again. LOL. I totally can relate. I think I would have too! ;) So we're going to work on our duration for that one.

Next, Jaz was tested for her sound sensitivity. I had NO IDEA how she would do with these! They played all sorts of sounds on a loud speaker- like a car back-firing, fire-works, thunder, a horror movie scream, etc. Jaz didn't bat an eye. She didn't care. The only one she slightly reacted to was the wolf growling. She would look towards the speakers, then look back at me. I had turkey chunks. In the end, that was more interesting than the wolf growling!

The rest of the stuff she did GREAT on! I had a ton of props (as you can tell from the pic) so we could demo all of her tricks. (and I actually forgot to bring the mailbox!) Not that I had room for it anyway!! I didn't bring the mini-fridge on purpose. I mean, I have to draw the line somewhere!! That thing is heavy!! ;)

During the trick portion of the audition, I was trying to get Jaz to demonstrate the Figure 8 (leg weave) on another girl. (who was there auditioning with her cute dog!) But Jaz wouldn't do it. She kept looking up at this girl. It didn't take me long to realize the problem! I asked the girl if I could take off her treat bag (which was at her waist.) And voila!! Suddenly, Jaz can do this trick perfectly!! LOL. When in doubt, look for the food!!

My friend Stacy accompanied me to this audition. And I'm so very glad she did! She ended up not only being my friend, but my personal assistant, videographer, navigator, and stage manager! (She got me the props I needed, and told me which tricks to do next.) :D She's awesome! :D

So... it was a really fun day. The audition went really long! It took over 2 1/2 hours. (But that was because the other dog was auditioning too.) So after all that, Jaz was pooped!! It was a busy day. But it was fun.

And good news... they are going to list Jasmine! She's now going to be with Arizona Animal Actors. :)

Who Let The Dogs Out

2012-02-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow (Sat. Feb. 18th) is a big day!!

Saturday is the first episode of "Who Let The Dogs Out". (A new show on Animal Planet.) Tillman (the skateboarding dog) is trying to find America's Most Talented Pet! http://www.wholetthedogsout.tv/

AND.... Jasmine is going to be on the show!! !! :D And so are a lot of other very cool dogs we know from YouTube and Facebook!! Did you see Paige at the end of the commercial?? We LOVE that dog!! :D

I'm so excited to watch this series!! You know what a big dog-lover/addict I am! So I'm excited to see all the different breeds of dogs. I'm excited to see all the different kind of cool tricks they are going to do. And I'm excited that Jasmine gets to be included as one of them!!

I used to watch the TV show "PetStar" a long time ago... and loved seeing all the dog tricks back then! Watching that made me want to train my new dog (Jasmine) to do tricks! But by the time she got good enough to actually be ON the show, they quit making them!! :/ But.... "Who Let The Dogs Out" is going to be the next best thing!

Natural Balance and Petco held live auditions in California earlier this month, which we were unable to attend. But they let people send in video auditions. I have a lot of friends that attended the live auditions, and I have a lot of trick dog friends who sent in videos.

SO.... this is going to be the best show ever!! :D So many cool, talented dogs!!! I can't wait!! :D

Rachael Hale photography

2012-02-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

At my office, we use send out cute animal postcards for appointment reminders. (OK, and I will admit it.... I am the one that does the ordering for the front office!) So maybe that's how we end up with all the animal postcards!! ;)

I think the Rachael Hale ones are really cute. Just for fun, I pulled up their website and wrote to them. I told them how much I enjoyed their product, then I sent them one of Jasmine's trick videos.

I didn't really expect to get much of a response, but I did!!

This is what they wrote back!

"Thanks so much for your kind words, we really appreciate it and are pleased to hear that you are such a fan.

Jasmine is just delightful! What a cutie! It would be a lot of fun to get the opportunity to photograph her. We are based in New Zealand and generally do all the shoots in house. Where in the world do you live?"

Um... I live in the USA! But... Wow!! Not only did I get a personalized response, but they liked Jasmine's video!! And it sounds like they'd be interested in using Jasmine as a model!! Unfortunately, I don't live anywhere near New Zealand! I don't foresee a trip to New Zealand any time soon. But if I DID go, it's good to know Jaz could potentially have a job out there!! LOL. Yay! :)

Happy Valentine's Day! #TillmanTV Tues Blog Hop

2012-02-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

I know some of my friends don't like Valentines Day. But I do. To me, Valentines Day remains the same as it was when I was in elementary school. It's not just about romantic love, or whether you have one special someone in your life. It's about celebrating the love and friendship you have with everyone in your life. It's a chance to do something nice for others. (Even if you don't know them that well.)

Here's one of my favorite quotes from Joseph B. Wirthlin-

"Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest men and women I have known. Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes."

I've found that to be true. I still pass out the kiddie valentines (with a mini candy bar) to my friends and co-workers! Life's fun if we make it fun.

Jasmine (like most dogs) loves everyone she meets! Every time the doorbell rings, she thinks that person is there to see her. And she's so excited to see them! It's that enthusiasm that I love. Every time I come home from work, she greets me the same way.

YAY!! You're home!! YAY!!! I have yet to meet a person who is as happy to see me each day as Jasmine is. So I've applied that lesson to my life. If I love someone, I show it. I get excited when they come over to visit. And I fully enjoy the time we have to spend together. Jasmine teaches me a lot of life lessons.

I caught this commercial on TV- and the song caught my attention. (Of course, any doggy commercial will catch my attention!!) ;)

That's my new favorite song now! I had to look it up!

It's by Ingrid Michaelson...called "Everybody". What a great song!

The lyrics are catchy. And keep running through my head.

"Everybody wants to love, everybody wants to be loved." That's absolutely true. Mother Teresa said: “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” I think this is why we all love dogs so much. They fully accept and love us- just the way we are.

I've heard this a phrase a few times:

"The more people I meet, the more I like my dog."

Which I can understand. There are some people that are not very nice out there. But it's also true that there are some VERY nice people out there.

Here's the advice I follow:

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”― Mother Teresa

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another great quote on the virtue of kindness:

"But", you ask, "what if people are rude?"

Love them.

"If they are obnoxious?"

Love them.

"But what if they offend? Surely I must do something then?"

...

The answer is the same. Be kind. Love them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It works for our dogs. We can do the same. :)

This is a picture of my grandma. <3 She's the one who showed me what it meant to love others. She's actually the first one who got me to start teaching Jaz tricks. :) She lived in another state, and she wanted to know if I could teach my dog to jump through a hoop. And if I did, she would make a trip down here to visit. Little did she know what that would all set in motion!! Yep, Jaz can jump through a hoop now. (amongst many others)

Well, happy Valentine's Day my friends. Jaz and I send our love.

May you always have love to share, health to spare, and friends who care. :)

"Special Talents" #Tillman Tuesday Blog Hop! :D

2012-02-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

Tillman (the skateboarding bulldog) is hosting a blog hop. (which we love to participate in because we love to learn about everybody's furry friends!) The topic this week is to write about our dog's special talents!

If they're talking about dog tricks, I don't even know where to start. Most likely, I've you're reading this blog post, you already know Jaz has a ton of tricks up her furry sleeves! ;)

She's clicker trained, and she LOVES to practice and learn new tricks! (Because she gets good treats!)

She's probably the most well known on YouTube for her "Dog Goes Shopping" videos. That's her most popular one... it's been shown all over the world.

But she a lot of other unique tricks too. If you're not familiar with Jasmine, here's another fun video which showcases a lot of her fun tricks: Canine Personal Assistant.

She also had an exciting day this past Sunday. She won a contest, and her trick video was featured on Channel 12 during Half-Time of the SuperBowl! :D (It's a really short video! (I had to describe in 12 seconds "How 12 News Keeps Us Connected".) If you blinked, you missed it! ;) But it was there! Here's the video that won! (Thanks to all my friends who voted for her!!) We couldn't have done it without you!! :)

Although all that stuff is really fun, and pretty exciting, it's not Jasmine's "special talent". Jasmine's special talent is that she loves everyone. She's a total sweetheart. And she can make people smile. I take her to a children's hospital to volunteer, and even before we do any tricks, Jasmine has them smiling. :) She's hard to resist! ;)

I think that's a special talent. I know if I went by myself, I wouldn't have that reaction. But as long as I bring Jasmine, she will bridge the gap between strangers. And suddenly, we're friends. This has happened enough times that I consider it a talent. :)

SUPER BOWL DOG!!! :D JAZ WON!!!

2012-02-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

YAY!!!! Jaz won!!!!! :D Her video was aired during Half-Time of the Super Bowl!! (Right before Madonna performed!) It didn't really seem real when I was watching it! LOL But it's true! Here's the video if you didn't get to see it!

The only reason we won is because of the awesome, incredibly supportive friends we have who voted for Jasmine on Facebook!!! I can't thank you enough!! You guys rock!!! Doggy Lovers Unite!!! :D

By the way- even though I knew that video (above) would be the one they aired during Super Bowl, I still re-recorded the middle part (the basketball trick!) Because Jaz can do it so much better now! When I first recorded that, I had only been working with her for a few days! Now I don't have to stand behind the basketball hoop! But oh well- you all got to see my bare feet on TV! LOL

12 Seconds of Fame VS. Therapy Dog

2012-02-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who voted for Jasmine in the "12 Seconds of Fame" contest!!

It's REALLY hard to be patient to find out who the winner is!! It's going to be a surprise during the Half-Time of the SuperBowl. (So keep an eye out for Jaz!)

She is definitely going to be featured during the pre-game show. (All 3 of the finalists are.)

Unfortunately, it's only going to be aired in Arizona... so all my friends from other states are going to have to wait until I record it and put it on Jasmine's YouTube channel!

Although this is exciting, and it would be cool if Jasmine won.... This is not what brings fulfillment to my life. In fact, sometimes I get tired of it. I'm getting very selective which contests I enter Jaz in. Because after a while, it's all the same.

I think I'm feeling this way because I haven't been able to volunteer with Jaz for a while. Her therapy dog certification expired at the end of December. And there's a few steps/vet visits I need to make to get it renewed. Life has just been kind of busy lately, so I haven't had the opportunity to renew it. But that is what really makes me happy. Being able to bring joy to the lives of others. (Especially kids.) That makes me really happy.

Whenever I'm feeling down, I just watch this video of when Jasmine visited the kids in the elementary school. I love hearing the kids laugh. I love their energy and enthusiasm. It's contagious. I think we all need to be more child-like at times. There is an innocence and fun that you have with kids that some people lose as adults. (Now, I like to tell people that I'm a little kid trapped in a a big kid's body!) It's pretty much true. I love kids. They make me laugh! This 3rd grade class all wrote Jasmine and I thank you cards for coming to visit. They were the cutest thing ever! They each drew a picture of this day, and wrote a little note at the bottom. I wish I had a scanner to share it with you. They are so funny and adorable. Maybe someday I'll get one!

Want to know who some of my heroes are? People who are compassionate. And people who make a difference.

I originally started thinking about getting Jasmine certified as a therapy dog after hearing about our friend Thy's therapy visits with her dog Atka. She takes him to nursing homes. This inspired me to get Jasmine certified:

Atka knows a lot of tricks. But that's not what matters. The best thing these dogs have to offer is their love. And the best thing we can do is share our dogs love with those who need it the most.

Another one of our heroes if our friends Theresa and her dog Winston: This dog has had some big roles as a canine actor. The most recent was a staring role in the Disney movie "Frenemies". I am so impressed by the fact that she didn't let Hollywood get to her. She's still the same kind, compassionate person she was 4 years ago when she first started volunteering with Winston at the hospital. She is such a good example to me! Theresa and Winston are living proof that I can get my dog into show business, and yet not let it define me. It doesn't have to change the kind of person I want to be.

I just love connecting with people like Thy and Therera. (And I have many more friends just like them, these are just two examples.) They know what's really important in this life. And are a wonderful example of using their dogs talents to make a difference in the lives of others. :) These are my heroes! :)

What is Fame? Havanese Breed Magazine Article

2012-02-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

Our latest article was just published in the Havanese Breed magazine! If you double click on the pics, I'm hoping you'll be able to read the article. I realized now that there were a few typos when I submitted it. Oops. Oh well!

The hyper link in the article doesn't work when I converted it to a jpeg, so here's the video if you want to see the tricks that were shown on the TV show "Right This Minute":

Super Bowl Dog ?

2012-02-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

Well, the contest officially ended yesterday! THANK YOU to everyone who voted for Jasmine!!

This little 12 second video received over 1,000 views!! I don't know how many votes she received, but that looks promising!

If her video received the most votes, it will be aired during Half-Time of the Super Bowl! (But only here in AZ.) And they are going to show clips from all 3 finalist videos during the pre-game show! The aren't going to announce who won it. We have to all watch at Half-Time and be surprised!

(If you aren't able to watch it, don't worry! I'll definitely record it for you!) :)

People have been asking me about the videos those little clips were taken from! The last one is from when Jaz and I went to an elementary school to talk about being a therapy dog. They were so excited to see us! And they sent us the cutest thank you cards!! Here's a video of that fun day!

The other video was from a monsoon storm we had here in Arizona:

Jaz is a sissy and does not like the rain!! (Probably because she rarely sees it!!)

The last one was a practice clip from a new trick I've been working on with Jasmine. She is SOOO much better at it now! I bought her a mini basketball, and she can dunk it without me standing right behind it. So I would like to re-do that clip! But oh well! I ran out of time for the deadline!

So... I can't wait until Sunday! :D For the first time in a long time, I'm actually going to watch the SuperBowl! ;) Well, at least the commercials and Half-Time... LOL.

PLEASE VOTE Jaz into the SUPERBOWL!!

2012-01-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

So... it looks like Channel 12 News is using screen captures of Jasmine's video in their facebook ads!

Don't get me wrong, I love it! It just catches me off guard every time I see a picture of my dog off to the side of my screen!! I just think it's funny that they're asking people to vote for my dog! (since there are 2 other videos in the finals!) But those videos are of people. And let's face it, dogs are cuter!! ;) (I can write this, because I know mostly doggy-lovers read this blog!!!) ;)

Doggy Lovers Unite!! :D

Anyway- there are 2 more days to vote for Jasmine in the "12 Seconds of Fame" contest. And we could REALLY use your help!! It's a close race!! (Of course! Who wouldn't want their video aired during Half-Time of the SuperBowl??) :D So would you please vote for Jasmine?

Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/12news?sk=app_256851337719345 You have to "like" 12 News, then scroll down to vote for the doggy video! You can vote once per day (24 hour period), and the contest ends on Tuesday!!!! ONLY 2 Days Left To VOTE!! So tell your friends!

By the way, if you happen to live in Arizona, I guess they've been showing clips of all the finalists videos on TV! (Channel 12) Jaz has been on TV several times during this past week, and I never even knew about it! (A friend had to tell me this!!) I have no idea what time of day Channel 12 is randomly going to show a commercial promoting their "12 Seconds of Fame" contest. So I don't even know how to record it. Soooooo.... if any of you happen to catch it... quickly email me on Facebook!! And hopefully I'll be close to a TV where I can turn it on!! :D (or even better yet- record it for me if you have a chance!!) :D

Thanks my friends- for all your love and support! You guys are awesome. :)

Maybe, just maybe, you'll see my favorite pup Jasmine on TV during the Superbowl... we'll know after Wednesday! :D

Potential SuperBowl Dog!

2012-01-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday Everyone!

Man, what a busy week for me and Jasmine!! 2 BIG things happened this week!

FIRST exciting thing... if you haven't heard, I got a phone call from Channel 12 telling me Jasmine was 1 of 3 Finalists in their "12 Seconds of Fame" contest!

SO... EXCITING NEWS!!! Jaz's dog video might be aired during Half-Time of the SuperBowl!!! :D It depends on which video gets the most votes!! So... will you please take a sec and vote for Jasmine? (And help the dog video make it into the Superbowl!!) Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/12news?sk=app_256851337719345 Doggy Lovers Unite!! :D

Hint: You have to "like" 12 News. Then scroll down and look for the dog video submitted by CJ Jackson. I found out you can vote once per day (every 24 hours.) But only until Tues. Jan. 31st!! Then... they'll announce which video makes it into the SuperBowl!! Man- I'm so excited! I never watch the SuperBowl (except for the commercials) But this year I might have to! :D

It was REALLY hard to put together a 12 second video about "how 12 News Keeps Us Connected". And I actually wish I could redo parts of it! Because Jasmine is SOOO much better at that basketball trick now!! The day I filmed that shot was only the day after I had found that basketball hoop at Goodwill! :D (Where I actually find a lot of props for Jasmine's dog tricks!!) So at some point, I want to refilm that basketball trick- actually outside on a basketball court! (without me standing behind it!)

SECOND exciting thing... the same day (last Tuesday), I also got an email from a TV show wanting permission to use one Jasmine's trick videos on their show!!! This is the one they wanted to use: (New Canine Personal Assistant)

So... I was more than willing to give my permission to let them use it!! So... I'll give you more details when I can! So- that's our news!! Hope you guys are all doing well!

Take care my friends!!! :D

Look familiar?? lol Future SuperBowl Dog

2012-01-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

I was looking at Facebook yesterday, when I stopped, and said "HEY! That's Jasmine!!" lol...

She's 1 of 3 finalists in the Channel 12 News- "12 Seconds of Fame"contest- and if she gets the most votes, her video will be featured during Half-Time of the SuperBowl!!

It looks like Channel 12 used a screen capture of Jasmine's video for their sponsored ad! Lol- it's cool! It just caught me by surprise!!

If you haven't voted for Jasmine yet, please do! It's a super short contest! You can only vote once a day (24 hour period) until Jan. 31st! (Tuesday!)

Here's the link! https://www.facebook.com/12news?v=app_256851337719345&app_data=vote_entry_id%3D2766212

Scroll down- and it's the dog video listed under CJ Jackson.

THANK YOU!!! (And if she wins, you'll see her during the SuperBowl!!) :D How cool is that?

VOTE for Jaz- so she'll be on TV during the SUPER BOWL! :D

2012-01-25T17:28:00.000-08:00

Jaz's video might get aired during the SuperBowl!!! :D Jasmine was 1 of 3 finalists in the "12 Seconds of Fame" contest for Channel 12. We need your votes! If Jaz's video gets the most votes it will be aired during Half-Time of the SuperBowl!!! :D

Here's the link to vote! https://www.facebook.com/12news?v=app_256851337719345&app_data=vote_entry_id%3D2766212

Because she was one of the finalists, a clip of her video will be played during the pre-game show! But if she gets the most votes, they'll air the whole thing!

Woohoo!! You can vote once per day until Jan. 31st! By the way, I tell everyone to vote for Jasmine.... but it's listed under me- CJ. :) Just look for the one with the dog in it! lol...

THANK YOU my friends!!

Jaz on TV during the SUPERBOWL!!!!

2012-01-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOSH!!! I am so excited, I can hardly stand it!!!!

I just got a phone call from Channel 12 News.... Jaz's video was 1 of the 3 finalists for their "12 Seconds of Fame" contest!

Voting starts tomorrow (Jan. 25th).. on the Channel 12 Facebook page! Whichever video gets the most votes will have the whole thing aired during half-time of the SUPERBOWL!!! (Sun. Feb. 5th!) Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!

And either way, they are going to show a clip of it either during the pre-game show or during half-time!! Jaz is going to be on TV during the Superbowl!! This is so awesome!!!

It's particularly amazing to me because this was something I just threw together while on vacation!! I was out of town celebrating a friend's birthday, so I wasn't even able to record any new footage.

And it was REALLY hard to come up with an idea of "how 12 News Keeps Us Connected" ... and demonstrate it in under 12 seconds! (In fact, I had to re-upload to YouTube 3 times to make sure it was under the time limit!) And it was just all random clips of Jaz.

The rain video was something I just something I recorded for fun during AZ's Monsoon season. Because it flooded my backyard, and Jaz was looking worried how she was going to get outside. (My sissy dog doesn't like to get her feet wet!)

The sports clip was a practice session I taped in my living room! (in bare feet no less!) It was never meant for YouTube, it was just to show my facebook friends the new basketball hoop we had acquired at Goodwill the day before! Now, Jaz is decent enough at it, she could make the basket without me standing near the hoop! (most times!) And I got her a mini basketball instead of her old beat up soccer ball!

The other clip was from when we went to the elementary school last fall to talk about being a therapy dog, and we did a trick dog demo. (Which the kids LOVED... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J97-J7_Prbw )

So that was old footage too!

I just threw it together while I was traveling on the airplane, because I figured what the heck... And now look!!!!! I can't believe it!!

So just remember to PLEASE vote for Jasmine tomorrow!!! (starting @ 9 am Arizona Time!) (on Facebook!) I'll post the link as soon as I know it!!! :D :D :D

Jaz is on PAWESOME.net! :D

2012-01-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

Guess what?? Jasmine's Canine Personal Assistant Video was featured on www.pawesome.net!! So fun!!!! :)

http://www.pawesome.net/2012/01/jasmine-is-worlds-best-personal-assistant/#more-171841

Channel 12 News Contest

2012-01-20T18:14:00.000-08:00

Our local news- Channel 12 was having a contest. You had to submit a 12 second video showing or telling how Channel 12 keeps us connected. So I made one of Jaz. I had a few ideas. But it is REALLY hard to show anything in 12 seconds!! (And using old video clips, because I'm on vacation!) So I'm not even home to record anything new!) So this was the best I could come up with!

Pet Blogger Chalenge 2011

2012-01-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

CHALLENGE QUESTIONS #1: FOR BLOGGERS WHO HAVEN’T PARTICIPATED BEFORE

1. When did you begin your blog? That's a hard question!! I had to save this, and go back and look at the history! It appears that it was around 2009.

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog? Jasmine had just been featured in her first commercial, along with Jesse the Jack Russell Terrier. Jesse's owner (Heather) encouraged me to start a blog for Jasmine. It serves as an online journal for me. Documenting the adventures in Jasmine's life, and the life lessons I continue to learn from her. I also post her new trick videos to it.

3. Is your current purpose the same? It definitely is!

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals? I write in it regularly. I keep training Jasmine to do new tricks, and we have our ups and downs in life. And it's all documented, so one day I can put it into a binder and have a scrapbook of all our fun times. Along the way, we've met a lot of nice friends who also like to be a part of Jasmine's life.

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you? Whenever I have something new to share. But it's pretty frequently.

Do you worry about… well, whatever you might worry about (e.g. losing traffic, losing momentum)?

I just take life one day at a time. Like I said, it's more a journal, photo documentary for me. So there's really nothing to worry about. (as far as that's concerned.)

5. Are you generating income from your blog? Nope. Not yet!

If so, how (e.g. sponsor ads, affiliate relationships, spokesperson opportunities)?

If not currently, do you hope to in the future — and how? Sure... it would be nice. Working on that right now. Any suggestions?

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)? I like sharing Jasmine's tricks with others. I like that she can bring a smile to people's faces. I like that it doesn't matter what language you speak, because there are animal lovers all over the world. Jasmine's videos have been featured on TV internationally as well as here in the USA. I love hearing the comments about how it brightens their day, or makes them laugh. So I guess I like that my blog is one avenue I can use to reach people. (Dog-lovers in particular!)

7. What do you like least? Technology problems. When it doesn't cooperate with me!!

8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2012? Just adding more friends I guess. I'm even thinking about switching over to a blog on wordpress. (But I hate change) Although I have purchased the domain name for it... so sooner or later I have to bite the bullet and do it! ;)

Havanese Breed Magazine- Article #6

2012-01-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

I am a freelance writer for the Havanese Breed magazine. They publish a continuing series on lessons I have learned from Jasmine. Eventually I plan on combining all these articles into a book. I've wanted to write one for a while, but just have never made the time for it. (I get kind of busy with my regular life!) ;) By writing for this magazine, it gives me small short-term goals that I can accomplish, that will eventually lead to my larger goal of publishing a book! When I was in college, and feeling overwhelmed, my mom always asked me... "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer is: "One bite at a time". (Metaphorically speaking!!)

So, here's last month's article! I converted it from an adobe file to a jpeg file, so hopefully you can still read it. (I think if you double click on the pictures, it will make them bigger.)

The links don't work as a jpeg, so I'll include them below if you want to watch the videos that I mention in the article.

Visiting the kids at school:

Jasmine's best dog tricks:

Dog Goes Shopping- Jaz's most popular video:

New Dog Trick, New Doggy Haircut

2012-01-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

Jasmine has learned a new trick! (which was surprisingly easy to teach her!)

She learned how to take my socks off, and then give them to me!

My friend Brenda made a funny comment on Jasmine's Facebook page... she wrote "It's about time. She's been knocking everyone else's socks off for years!" (lol- that made me chuckle.)

Jaz also has a new haircut. (Which you get to see in this video) I was a little worried because when I took her in to get groomed, her usual groomer had called out sick. (And I've been fighting a cough/cold myself, so I can totally relate.) So we had the option of rescheduling or having someone else do it. Trying someone new makes me nervous, because Jaz has had plenty of bad haircuts! But my life is so busy right now, I didn't have the time to reschedule. So I took a gamble, and it turned out good. (I did have the groomer touch up a few spots though!) I guess Jaz just has a weird shaped head. (She does have a lot of cowlicks on top, and new groomers can never get her beard even.) But I think it looks good now. I like when they leave the eyebrows. I always tell them to, but they don't always do it the way I want them to!

Jasmine's TV appearances for 2011

2012-01-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

Jaz had a lot of TV Time in 2011! (Both here in the USA and Internationally!)

THANK YOU to my friends all over the world (including here) that helped get me copies of these videos!! :D Here's some clips of the shows Jasmine was on:

Happy New Year!! :D

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve, I took Jasmine with me over to a friend's house. Jaz was barking at all the weird noises, so I took her outside to investigate. I let her watch some of the fireworks (on a leash, from a distance). She did pretty good! She only whined a little bit at some of the louder ones. (Which was understandable. They were pretty loud!) :)

Hope all our friends had a safe and happy New Year!

May you always have love to share, health to spare, and friends who care.

Jasmine on the Daily Tail

2011-12-28T23:03:00.000-08:00

Jasmine's Christmas video was featured on The Daily Tail! :D

http://taildom.com/blog/videos/jasmine-dog-helps-santa/

Woohoo! Jaz is on RTM's website!

2011-12-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

:D I just discovered Jasmine's new Christmas video is on Right This Minute's website!! How fun is that? They wrote something really sweet about her too.

The caption says:

"We all know about Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen... but what about Jasmine? This adorable canine is Santa's newest helper, and has definitely become one of our favorites. Watch as she jumps to action after getting a request from Santa himself."

And my friend Stacy wrote me and said she saw Jasmine on Channel 3 news! (and she was able to record it!) I knew she was going to be on ABC 15, because they emailed me. But I wish I would have known about the other ones! Oh well- it's all good!! :D The whole point of this is to bring love and laughter to others. Jasmine can't help but make you smile. So the more people's day she brightens, the better. Even if I don't hear about it.

I'm just still amazed that we were able to pull together that video in that short of time! It's because I have some WONDERFUL friends who helped me every step of the way!! :D (and some good neighbors who agreed when I randomly knocked on their door and said, "can I videotape your dog?" LOL. This was a very last minute project. But I guess that's how I roll! ;)

Jasmine's new video made the news!

2011-12-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

Jasmine's new Christmas video made the news!!

It's featured right now on the ABC 15 website.

And they said it might be airing today (Dec 26th) on the 3:00 or 4:00 newscast. (If it doesn't get bumped for real news!)

Pretty fun! I just barely uploaded that video on Saturday (Christmas Eve), and it's only been 2 days. But it's received over 4,300 views!! WOW!

Well, I hope you guys all had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.

If Jaz does end up making it on TV later today, I'll try to get a copy to share with you guys.

Have a wonderful week. :)

Animals Sing "12 Days of Christmas"

2011-12-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

Remember the talking dog video? Called Ultimate Dog Tease? (the maple kind?)

Well the same guy that created that made a singing animal Christmas video! (And Jasmine is in it!!) :D (around the 1 minute mark) Yay! :D

Santa Paws- Santa's Little Helper

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's done!! Just in the nick of time!! Here's Jasmine's new Christmas video!!

I somehow got it into my head that I wanted to make a Christmas video, and didn't start it until Dec. 20th! So I had 5 days to get all this together!! I couldn't have done it without some wonderful friends. My friend Deena helped brainstorm the plot, Mindy came over to help record and be the "key grip"! (whatever that is!) lol. Luke donated his time to be Santa. And mostly, my friend Stacy spent the last 4 days LIVING at my house- helping me film, be the creative director, and piece it all together! We went around the neighborhood, hoping to that my neighbors who owned dogs would be home!! But it worked!

There's no way I could have pulled this off without these people! THANK YOU for making this happen!!!!

And to everyone- MERRY CHRISTMAS from Jasmine!!!

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and loved ones. (Both human and furry!)

(and to answer your question, yes, I did have to hot glue those cookies to the plate!!) ;)

BarkWorld 2011- Reminiscing

2011-12-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

Good ol' Barkworld! Every time I see photos from that event, I get the biggest smile on my face! (Obviously Jasmine does too!) I just LOVE this picture of her!

I just discovered these photos that were taken at the Barkworld Expo last September. (All photo credits belong to the BarkWorld Expo.)
Look at Paige!! Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?!? We brought the dogs to Barkworld for a trick dog demo. If you wanted to know how to do tricks w/ a large dog- Paige showed you. If you wanted to know how to adapt it to a small dog- Jasmine showed you. :)

Oh... to have a nice camera... and know how to use it!! I've always loved photography. I think I have an artistic eye for how to frame a photo. I just need to 1) save up the money for a nice camera. And 2) Learn how to work it! I just love these amazing photos of the dogs. Look how clear Jasmine's bright brown eyes are. Man, I wish I had that talent! Guess I need to add that to my list of things I want to learn how to do! :)

Lauren and I gave a powerpoint presentation on "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Rockstar". Then we had Q & A. Then did a trick dog demo (whatever they wanted to see!) This was my first time attending something like this, but we had a blast!! It seemed like everyone fell in love with Paige and Jasmine. (They were being extra adorable... because there were tons of new people to meet and be friends with.)

I talked to Lauren, and we're talking about going back next year!! :D So... we'll see you there in 2012! :D

Hide and Seek- Games to Play with your dog

2011-12-17T07:39:00.000-08:00

We invented a new game to play on rainy days. (It doesn't snow much where I live.)

Jasmine HATES going out for a walk in the rain. (Even though she has a rain coat to keep her mostly dry!) But not dry enough! My house still ends up smelling like wet dog! So we stay inside as much as possible on rainy days.

We have to invent new games to keep ourselves entertained when we're stuck inside. So we made up this game!

It didn't take Jasmine long to figure this one out. :) Now that she knows this will get her a treat, she's trying to do it all the time!

Animal Planet "America's Cutest Pet" appearance!

2011-12-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

Jasmine was on Animal Planet this past weekend!!! (Which I didn't even know about!) A friend emailed me to tell me that she saw Jaz on TV! Jasmine had 3 brief cameo appearances in Animal Planet's show "America's Cutest Pet". The first was in a segment called "My Pet's Got Talent." (pretty self-exlpainatory!)
Jaz has gotten a lot of mileage out of that original "Dog Goes Shopping video"! CLICK HERE to see the long version (which is funnier). Or CLICK HERE to see the short version.
The second clip was under a section called "Pets That Make You Go Awwwww...." This clip is called "Best Friend". CLICK HERE if you want to watch it.
The 3rd appearance was an action shot. This is Toddy and Jasmine doing double spins (in sync!) :) I had to search for a while to find what old video this clip was taken from! I finally found it. It was one of my first videos putting dog tricks to music! And I actually matched up each song to the action in the clip! First and last time I did that! It's a really cool video, but it took WAY too much time to make!! LOL. If you want to check it out, CLICK HERE.

So... that's Jasmine's brief Animal Planet cameos! :) A pretty fun surprise!

Our latest hospital visit

2011-12-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I had left Jaz over at my parents house to play with their dog while I ran errands and got my hair cut. When I came to pick her up, to my surprise, Jaz was wearing this new outfit! She's Santa's Little Helper! (or "Santa Paws")! :)

I decided she had to wear it on Friday when we volunteered at the hospital. I figured the kids would get a kick out of it! (And I was right!) Almost everyone we passed smiled or laughed at seeing Jasmine dressed up in her Santa outfit!

Last night's visit was interesting. I often don't know why kids are in the hospital. When we came to the 5th floor, we passed a 10 year old boy in the hall. His leg and hand were all bandaged up. And they were having him walk down the hall with a walker. He was hesitant to pet Jasmine, but he stroked her head a little bit. (Not everyone loves animals or feels up to seeing them, which is fine.) I continued going room to room around that floor. And when I got to the end, a man approached me and asked if I would come visit his grandson- who had been attacked by a dog. (He said it was a pit bull, but I don't know if it was.) I agreed, and when I went into the room, it was the same boy I had passed in the hall. I joked that he had already seen Jasmine, but I could show them a little trick show. By the end, he was smiling and liking Jasmine. So I felt like Jaz had helped repair that bridge of trust that was broken.

It makes me so sad that people don't train or socialize their dogs. Dogs can enrich our lives, and are such wonderful companions. And I personally have fostered 2 stray pit bulls. Oliver and Annie. (Named after the 2 orphans!) They were soooo sweet. The guy who eventually adopted Oliver renamed him "Mr. Wiggles" because we was always wagging his tail! (Which in turned wagged his whole butt!) He was such a sweetie. Pitties can be such wonderful, loving companions. I don't believe any breed is inherently bad. It's all how they are trained/raised. It seems like in the 80's, German Shepherd's were the "bad" breed. Then in the 90's, Doberman's were the "bad" breed. And in the 2000's, it changed to pit bulls. It's not the dog's fault. It's the owners. I don't mean to get on my soap box, but that's something I feel strongly about.

Anyway, I was glad Jaz was there yesterday to help re-establish a positive relationship between this boy and dogs.

Jasmine has been there a year and a half now. So we have little trading cards with Jasmine's picture on them to pass out to the patients. And she also now has her picture up on the wall, along with all the other seasoned therapy dogs. I feel proud that it's up there. Yet at the same time, I feel like that's not why we do it. It's not for the recognition. It's not for me. It's hard to explain. But Jasmine really loves coming to the hospital. She pulls on the leash to get in. (Which she rarely does.) It's a win-win. She gets treats and attention. And the kids get to pet her and laugh at her little tricks. And it really does make me feel good to help out. And it puts my life in perspective. The people at the hospital are more real to me. They are more focused on the things that matter... our relationships with others. The rest of the stuff is so trivial. But yet I get caught up in it. Our visits at the hospital keep me grounded and help me to remember to share my love with the people I care about. (Sometimes we just take for granted that they know, and forget to tell them.)

We stopped for gas on the way home from the hospital. (as you can tell by my empty gas gauge!) I snapped this picture because it was so funny to me. We have plenty of static electricity to share, if you need any! Poor Jaz!!! LOL

While I was typing this blog entry, my roommate was in her room wrapping Christmas presents. She brought out gifts, then added the labels who they were for. Then Jasmine wandered out of the room, and she had a label tag attached to her.

It said: "To: CJ. From: God." That little message warmed my heart. And made me think. It's true. Jasmine is truly a gift in my life from God. She has done wonders for me. She has allowed me to develop a talent as a dog trainer. (Which I never knew I had.) By sharing her and her tricks, she has given me a way to help make others happy. (which makes me happy) Jaz is just such a happy, cheerful dog. She has brought such joy and laughter into my life. She really is such a special dog. And I'm grateful for her.

HaPpY bIrThDaY JASMINE!

2011-12-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Monday, Dec. 5th is Jasmine's birthday! My sweet pup is 6 years old. It's crazy. Where does the time go? Who knew when I got this cute puppy 6 years ago how much she would change my life? And how she has helped me to grow and become a better person? And what amazing adventures we would have together?

I learned how to be a trick dog trainer! (Well, we learned together!) I got this puppy just to have as a pet in my home. She was my first dog as a "grown-up". I read books, and started teaching her basic obedience. But she was smart, and picked it up pretty fast. And then I had to come up with new things to teach her. And that's how my journey into trick-training began. Jasmine loves to learn. She loves the mental stimulation. (OK, I'll admit it, she loves good treats too!) She thinks with her stomach. And because she's so food-motivated, I was able to use positive reinforcement to teach her a whole lot of tricks! (She taught me a few too! She invented the suitcase trick, and the cowboy trick!) And all these funny little tricks have made her friends all over the world. And her videos have been on TV here in the USA, and in Japan and England. And she was in 2 commercials. (and has some projects in the works for next year!) Seriously, who knew? Who knew she had such potential? And who knew I had a hidden talent as a dog trainer? I've always loved animals. And I've always been patient, and optimistic. And those hidden talents allowed me to develop a visible talent as a trick dog trainer! So you never know what secret talents you have locked inside you... waiting for you to discover and develop. (This goes for me and Jaz!) :D

As I look back, and I'm just amazed at what this little dog has accomplished in just a few years...

Here's the oldest video I could find of her doing tricks:

But even then she was pretty decent! (In my opinion) I just didn't think to videotape her in the beginning, because I had no idea where this would all lead!

And look at her now! :D She's my canine personal assistant! :D

Happy Birthday to my favorite little pup. Jasmine. Jazzy. Jaz. Pup-Pup. Jazmataz.

I tell people the best thing about owning a canine celebrity is that she never lets it go to her heads. ;) She'll always be my little sweetheart.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-25T18:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends and family!!

This is a picture of Toddy (Jasmine's cousin) begging for a bit of turkey! Don't worry, after we had our dinner, the dogs got some nibbles of a special treat. :)

Hope you all had a wonderful time with your loved ones (both human and furry). And remembered to count all the things you were thankful for. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Here's a great quote:

Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likeable. -Joseph B. Wirthlin

Remember to have a grateful day! ;) (I saw this on a bumper sticker!)

Expert Trick Dog Video

2011-11-22T09:59:00.001-08:00

Here's our newest trick video! We've been working on that fridge trick for a while now! :D

Thirsty? Bring Me A Drink

2011-11-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

Jaz has learned a new trick!! We've been working on this one for a little while now.

Jasmine can open the fridge and bring me a drink! Ok yes, it's a small juice box. But I tried it with a mini soda can, and a mini water bottle. She had a hard time gripping those with her teeth. She would bite down, and it would shoot across the room. So... we had to adapt! And find something more suited to her size! And here's the final result:

The good news is... I'm glad I don't own a big dog. If she was, and I taught her this trick... there would be no food left in my refrigerator when I got home from work!!! So I'm happy Jaz is a little dog! ;)

AZ Animal Welfare League - Walk To Save Animals

2011-11-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

On Sat. Nov 12th, I went with some friends to the AZ Animal Welfare League's Walk to Save Animals!

This is my friend's adopted pitbull mix named Peanut Butter. She's a rescue. She didn't actually drive us there, she just likes to think she did!

This was a benefit walk to raise money for AZ's largest no-kill shelter. There was a 5K, and a 2K.
This was a huge event, which was very well attended!

After the walk, the Phoenix Search & Rescue did a demonstration for everyone. Those are some well-trained dogs! They were black labs, and they talked about how they had all been trained using positive reinforcement. These were the same dogs that were used during 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. Pretty impressive!

This is Jasmine and her new friend Sasha!

Sasha is a neighbor's 6 month old puppy that needed some socialization. Sasha had a lot of energy, but was really good with little kids. She would sit down when they came over to pet her.

A very beautiful, happy, sweet dog. Just needs a little training.

Have you ever seen a herd of weiner dogs? I have!! LOL. They were cute!

Jasmine met a Celebrity Vet!!

This is Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald from Animal Planet's Emergency Vet show. Jaz got a picture with him.

He was really nice!!

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/pets/celebrity-veterinarian-at-walk-to-save-animals-11122011

The AAWL and SPCA had an exotic animal display, so Jaz and the dogs got to see all sorts of new creatures! :D

All in all, we had a really good time!

I think I'm going to contact them and see if next year, they would like a trick dog demonstration! :D That would be fun.

Fidose of Reality article- "How To Get Your Dog on TV and in Print Media"

2011-11-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

Jaz has been in newspapers and featured on blogs quite a few times. And although they mean well, reporters tend to mix up the facts. And there's usually something inaccurate in every article written about us. .... Except this one!! This is the best article written about Jaz yet!!

http://www.fidoseofreality.com/v2/2011/11/how-to-get-your-dog-on-television-and-in-print-media/

This article describes Jaz PERFECTLY!!! I just loved it. I had to smile when I read the line about how Jasmine exuded happiness (which she does). The author met Jasmine during our recent trip to BarkWorld in Atlanta. So she got to know Jaz personally!

I like how the article focused on how we train with positive reinforcement. Because this is how I wish all dog-human relationships could be. Jaz REALLY does like to do her tricks. Because she was trained with positive reinforcement (Clicker training), she wants to do these things to earn the reward. (And will even try doing her tricks resume without being asked.) Especially if you are eating chicken or cheese. Those are her 2 favorite things.

It makes me laugh when a guest comes to the house, and if they bend down, Jaz will jump on their back. (Which usually catches them off-guard!) Then I have to explain that she wants a pony ride over to the treat counter!! (This has happened more than once!)

And I love that Fidose of Reality included some of Jasmine's trick videos. You really have to just see it for yourself. Then you can see how eager she is to do these tricks. :)

Thank you Fidose of Reality for featuring Jasmine in your article. :) It made my day.

Jaz on TV in Japan again! :D

2011-11-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Jaz was on TV in Japan again!! :D She was on the Tokudane show- this time they showcased a video of when she was first learning to ring the bell! (I called it "My dog has OCD") Jaz REALLY likes that bell! I have to put it out of reach, or she'd ring it forever! "Room Service!" ;D

(P.S. THANK YOU to my brother for helping with the translations!!) :D

Hawaii Tours.com Commercial

2011-11-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Remember when Jaz when to California without me to shoot a commercial? (My brother drove her out there!)

Jaz was one of the dogs running on the beach for the HawaiiTours.com commercial! I knew she would do a sit/ stay/ come without me there, so I wasn't too worried about it. If they wanted her to do any tricks, I would have had to go along! She came back SOO dirty and sandy! But from what I heard, she had a blast filming this! She had never seen the ocean before and loved chasing after the waves! We'll definitely have to go back!

Here's the final product!

Jaz on TV in England again! :D

2011-11-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

This has been the month for international doggy appearances! Jasmine was on TV in Japan again yesterday, and the footage is really cute! (My friend Miki recorded it for me!) My brother speaks Japanese, so he's going to translate it! But it looks really funny!

And my friend Hannah (from London) sent me this footage of Jasmine on the BBC show "Who Let The Dogs Out?" (Which I'm really grateful for!) Otherwise I would never have been able to see this!

Jaz is going to be on TV in Japan tomorrow!! Help??

2011-11-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!!

I have an urgent request! I need to find a friend in Japan who would be willing to do me a favor!! I just found out today (Tuesday) that Jasmine is going to be on TV in Japan tomorrow (Wednesday)!! Which is not much notice!! She's going to be on the Tokudane show at 8:00 am tomorrow!! (Which is the same show she was on last July!) Is there anyone who would be willing to record this for me?? (Even videotaping the TV screen is fine with me!) I would just like to see it! Anyone have any friends in Japan? Please let me know!

Here's a clip of the last time Jasmine was on TV in Japan!

Our video from the elementary school!

2011-10-29T04:09:00.000-07:00

Jaz and I were asked to come meet with all the 3rd graders, and talk about being a therapy dog team! (They had just finished reading "Rosie the Visiting Dog"- which is about a dog that goes to the hospital.) So they were really excited to meet a real therapy dog!

We had so much fun visiting all the kids!! :D (as you can tell!!) I made a little video of all the highlights.

Jasmine Visits the Elementary School!

2011-10-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jasmine and I went to visit an elementary school! :D

All the 3rd graders just finished reading a book called "Rosie The Visiting Dog", so they wanted to meet a real life therapy dog! Jasmine and I went and had SO MUCH FUN!!!!

We talked about what you had to do to be a therapy dog, what we did at the hospital, answered questions, and then gave a little trick show. Then each kid got to pet Jasmine before we left.

The questions they asked us were hilarious!

Such as: "Do you ever go to somewhere where old people live?"

"Is your dog a full bred or a 1/2 bred?"

"Is your dog a boy or a girl?" (I had them guess - considering her name is Jasmine!)

"Can your dog jump through a flaming hoop?" (A good opportunity to explain about fire safety and how not to injure your dog!)

"Can your dog do a windmill?" (I asked if that was like a cartwheel, and no, it's not. It's like break-dancing.) So I said "no, probably not."

Jaz jumped through some hoops. (Graciously borrowed from the P.E. department because I forgot mine!!)

Jaz showed off her "Dog Goes Shopping" skills...

And last but not least, each child got an opportunity to pet her. It was SOOO MUCH fun!!!

I got some video of it- and I'll post that as soon as I'm done editing it! :D

P.S. A special THANK YOU to my friend Stacy who came to help take pics, video, and help me carry all Jaz's props!! I couldn't have done it without her!! :D

Music Video- Will Young

2011-10-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

I usually write stuff about Jaz. But this video was so wonderful that I had to share it!! I absolutely LOVED IT!! I love the song, I love the video, and I love the message it shares.

Will Young - Come On from Pop Labyrinth on Vimeo.

"Clicks with Dogs" had it posted on Facebook, along with this message:

Awesome music video and also a lesson! Reminds me of the quote from Albert Einstein: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Find what you and your dog can enjoy together and don't give up. :)

And that's exactly how I feel too! :D

If you want to connect on Facebook, here's where you can find me! https://www.facebook.com/MyFavoritePupJasmine

Jaz's National TV Debut!

2011-10-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

Yay! So- Jaz had her national TV debut today!! :D She was on a show called "Right This Minute". And overall... not bad! It focused more on Jaz, and less on me! (Which I liked!) They interviewed me on Skype last night, and the interview lasted about 10 minutes. Then they cut it all down to a minute and a half clip! But it was decent!! (Despite the one time I messed up what I was trying to say about how Jaz makes the kids smile... and it came out sounding like Jaz smiles...) Whatever! I was nervous! Although it was much better than some other interviews I've had!! LOL... I just figured it out, and that was Jasmine's 7th TV appearance. You'd think it would get easier for me! But nope!

And yes, I did have a treat sitting on my laptop to get Jaz to look at the web cam!!! ;) I originally taped a bully bone to the top of the monitor, but Jaz went too crazy for that! So I had to take that away, and put a piece of dehydrated turkey liver on the keyboard. (which she can focus better around.)

All in all- I'm happy with how they edited this! I recorded it off the TV, so the quality is not great. But until I figure out someway to record off the internet, this is the best I can do!!

P.S. If you want to see their clip of it, here's the link: http://www.rightthisminute.com/story/jasmine-doggy-personal-assistant (But you'll only see the clip, not the cute little intro teaser!) ;)

Jaz is on NATIONAL TV tomorrow!!

2011-10-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Exciting News!!! Jasmine is going to be on National TV tomorrow! :D (Well, in 48 markets.)

If you live in AZ, it's going to be broadcast Fri on ABC 15 at 11:00 am.
If you live in WA, it's on Fri. at 9:00 am.
If you live in VA, it's on Fri. at 2:00 pm.
If you live in Tampa, FL- it's on at 1:00 AM! (Sorry Florida friends!!) ;)

Here's a link with all the channels and cities: http://www.rightthisminute.com/about/stations

The show is called "Right This Minute", and they are interviewing me and showing Jasmine's latest YouTube trick video! (Hopefully it will be more focused on Jaz and less on me!!) ;)

I'm doing the interview tonight- and they will broadcast the clip tomorrow. (Of course, this is assuming that we don't get bumped because of national news!) If that's the case, I'll be sure to keep you updated! :D I'm excited! :D (And kind of nervous!) And when I get excited or nervous, I tend to talk fast!! So try to keep up , because I will be both!! :) lol

New job! CPA- That's Canine Personal Assistant! ;)

2011-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Guess what, Jasmine got a job! She's now a CPA! (That's a Canine Personal Assistant, lest you get it confused with a Certified Public Accountant!) She's very handy to have around! ;)

I highly recommend you get one too! ;)

Interviews from BarkWorld!

2011-10-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Jasmine had a FANTASTIC time at Barkworld- in Atlanta, GA!

Here's an interview we did with Nylabone while we were there!

We roomed with our really good friends Lauren and her dog Paige!

Jasmine and Paige were the YouTube Rockstars- and gave a presentation on how to make good YouTube videos, and how to clicker train. At the end of the class, we did a trick dog demo. It was so popular, there was standing room only!! It was awesome! We met a ton of new friends. And had a blast! We'll definitely be back next year!!

I didn't even realize that we did pretty much the same tricks until after I saw Lauren's interview! LOL. Hey- great minds think alike!! ;)

They also taped part of our trick dog demo- but that will be coming in a separate post!

HOWL-o-ween Costume Addict!!

2011-10-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

I kind of have an

addiction. I like buying Halloween costumes for my dog! If they are super cute, I'll buy them full price. But I mostly wait until after Halloween when they are 75% off and buy a bunch!

Jasmine is only 5 years old, so.... in theory... she should only have 5 Halloween costumes, right? I can't even tell you how many costumes she has!!

I was just looking through the pics, and they make me laugh! there's some costumes that she likes more than others. (If it's not obvious by the pictures!!)

Does anyone else dress their dog up for halloween? :D

Jaz is on TV in ENGLAND! :)

2011-10-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Jaz was on TV in ENGLAND!! (On the BBC show "Who Let the Dogs Out?") Although- because I live in the USA, I can't watch it online.

Luckily, my friend Hannah N' Saffy (on Facebook) was able to record this clip for me! (THANK YOU HANNAH!!!) :D I really wanted to see it!

Jaz is going to be on that show several more times. (A big scene with her pushing the shopping cart!) (Or pushing the trolley- like they say in England!) So- if you are live in England or Scotland, will you PLEASE tell me when Jasmine is on?? And if you can, record it for me?

If you live there, here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b015frl0/Who_Let_the_Dogs_Out_Back_Stall_Dogs/

I'm not sure when it's actually on TV. But if you see her, you can email me at superkeej@hotmail.com. Thank you my friends!!!

Jaz is on 2 Calendars next year!

2011-10-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

It looks like Jasmine is going to be on TWO calendars next year! (much to my surprise!) I went to the mailbox and got a package with a 2nd calendar in it! LOL- I don't even remember submitting to both! But obviously I did!!

So if you get a Dog Fancy or 365 Dogs Page-A-Day calendar for 2012, keep a look out for Jasmine!

On the Dog Fancy calendar, Jasmine day is Oct. 11th!

On the 365 Dogs calendar, it's Nov. 17th! If you want to enter your dog to be on a calendar, here are the links!

Page-A-Day: http://www.pageaday.com/funstuff/dogs-00home.html

Dog Fancy: http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-magazines/dogfancy/dog_fancy_calendar_contest.aspx

Friends 4 Life "Bark-toberfest"

2011-10-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jasmine and I went to "Barktoberfest" this Saturday. The had a costume contest in the morning, which looked really adorable. But we didn't show up until the afternoon for the trick contest!

This was a fund-raiser for a rescue group called "Friends 4 Life", and so we wanted to support it.

Plus, they had lure-coursing! And Jasmine goes crazy for lure-coursing! That's the one time that I think she's actually part greyhound!! She is SO Fast!!!

Back to the hospital! :D

2011-10-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were able to go back to our normal routine of volunteering at the hospital. It felt SO GOOD to be back! Jaz has missed it! Her tail starts wagging from the moment we pull into the parking lot!

I stopped by the Volunteer Resources office- because we finally got our trading cards!! (A little baseball card w/ Jaz's picture on it!) So now we can give those out to the kids we visit! Jaz does her little repertoire of tricks- which make the kids' smile. Sometimes (like tonight) there is a language barrier- where I don't speak the same language as the patient or their family! I pointed to Jaz, and they nodded yes they wanted us to come into the room. And when I started sharing her tricks, they smiled and laughed, and even recorded them. Lucky for me, "dog" is a universal language. :)

We had missed the last few weeks of hospital visits due to various events (most recently, our trip to Georgia for BarkWorld!!) - which I still need to blog about! But now we're back into our normal routine, and feeling good that we did something worthwhile tonight. It was a good way to spend our Friday evening. :)

P.S. Here's a picture from BarkWorld in Atlanta, Georgia. It's me with Jasmine and Paige! :D My two sweeties. :)

BarkWorld Movie Teaser... :D

2011-10-05T10:33:00.001-07:00

Jasmine and Paige went to Atlanta, Georgia for the BarkWorld Expo!! I can't even tell you what a fantastic time we had!! I can't wait to write all about our wonderful trip! But in the meantime, here's a little teaser video for you!!! :) (It makes me grin just watching this!)

I LOVED BARKWORLD!!!!

Doggy Day Care at BarkWorld!

2011-09-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

While I was attending classes at BarkWorld on Friday, Jasmine got to stay at Best Friends Pet Care! (with the other YouTube Rockstar Paige!)

When I first left her there, Jaz was being a baby, and trying to tell me "Don't leave me, I want to go with you!!" (This photo cracks me up!)

But I went inside and watched out the mirrored doors, and soon she was just fine. Once she realized I had left, she went right up to another person to get her snuggles!

They took good care of her! They emailed me this picture while I was in class! SO CUTE!!!!! Jaz looks like she's modeling, while all the other dogs are just... being dogs! :D (But I swear, this wasn't a posed pic!)

Paige liked to snuggle too! :D (I snuck out between classes to check on Jaz and snap a few pics of my own!)

Check out this BarkWorld ice sculpture! It was pretty cool! It was a fire hydrant, and a water bowl for the dogs!! :D Pretty sweet!

This was so nice that the doggy daycare was located right out on the terrace on the same floor of the hotel as our classes.

They were SO sweet to the dogs!

I loved watching these dogs play! This isn't a good picture of it, but there was a really cute Frenchie named "Bello"- who was Jasmine's friend. By the end of BarkWorld, we had met and become friends with all these dogs! (And their owners!)

Lauren had loaned us one of Paige's old kennels for Jasmine to use while we were there. But it's obvious from this picture that she still remembers it's hers!! LOL.

Of course Jaz was overjoyed to see me when it was finally time for me to pick her up. First choice was to be with me. If that's not possible, then the next best thing was to hang out with her new friends at Best Friends Pet Care.

Meet & Greet w/ the Judges!

2011-09-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the Meet & Greet with the judges for the "Dog Days of Summer" contest!We all met up at the Oh My Dog Boutique. (Which was a really fun store!) WAY too many cute things in there!!
All the Top 5 finalist dogs were there... Bacci, the labradoodle. CocoaPuff, the pomeranian. Jasmine, the Havanese. And Molly, the all american dog. (mixed) and Dino, the mastiff (pictured below) ALL these dogs were SOOO CUTE! It's going to be really hard to pick a winner! Do you judge on looks? Personality? Talents? Who knows?! But no matter who they pick, they'll make the right choice. You can't go wrong with this bunch!! All the dogs were very friendly, and the owners were super cool. And it was so much fun talking, and meeting the other dogs... I think everyone had a good time. The judges were really really nice, so it didn't feel like there was any pressure. It was just a bunch of dog-lovers enjoying each others dogs!
I wanted to take CocoaPuff home!!! I JUST LOVE HER!!!! She's absolutely adorable!! This has to be the cutesiest little dog on the planet! (Yes, I just made that word up!) But she was!! She's like a living teddy bear!
Molly was my other favorite- a SUPER CUTE dog! With little pink bows in her ears. SOOO adorable!!
Dino was dog-gone tired! ;) This dog was HUGE!! But he was nice! The judges are going to make a decision over the next few days and announce it on their website! So I'll let you know!

I need to finish packing for the BarkWorld Expo! We leave tomorrow morning to fly out to Atlanta!! I'm SOO glad the meet & greet was tonight! And not tomorrow night!! LOL

Atlanta.... Here We Come!!

2011-09-26T15:15:00.001-07:00

I am getting so excited about our trip to Atlanta for the BarkWorld Pet Expo! (Jasmine is less excited.... lol... but she'll be okay.) I think she'll do better this trip because she's going to be under the seat in front of me on the plane. When we went to NY for the Letterman audition, she was in cargo, and that was kind of traumatizing for her! Lauren & her superstar dog Paige will be there with us! We're both giving the presentation on "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Rockstar"! :) This is one of those presentations that could also be titled "Things I Wish I Knew 3 Years Ago!" There's a lot of good info! There's a little bit of everything- clicker training, editing videos, SEO, marketing, and the background story of Paige and Jasmine, to list a few! It's all the things Lauren and I have learned through experience! We've got the powerpoint presentation all done- and emailed to BarkWorld. So it will be ready for us when we arrive.

I'm trying to make sure I don't forget anything!! Jaz groomed... check. Vet health certificate... check. Now I just need to pack, and buy a new memory card for my camera! (So we can take a ton of pictures of our awesome trip!) We leave on Thursday!!

Life is insanely busy of course! Remember how Jaz was a Top 5 finalist in that "Dog Days of Summer" contest? Well, the meet & greet with the judges in this Wednesday! (to pick the final winner!) I'm so glad it was on Wednesday, not Thursday!! Or we would be in Atlanta!! so- it's go-go-go for us!! :D (But it's fun stuff, so it's all good!) :D

Jaz's TV appearance in England!!

2011-09-22T08:50:00.001-07:00

Who lives in the UK?? I know Jasmine has friends all around the world! But now I'm trying to track down a friend in England or Scotland who can do a favor for us!!

I have great news!! I got an email from an assistant producer at the BBC, and Jasmine is definitely going to be on TV over there! He said Jasmine DEFINITELY got picked to be in the show! (And maybe more than one episode!) He said that "Jasmine pushing the trolley cart was our favourite clip!" (A.K.A. Jasmine's "Dog Goes Shopping" video!) So that's really exciting news!

First Japan, and now England/Scotland! The show is called "Who Let The Dogs Out", and you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer.... but only IF you live in the UK! :/ I can't even watch it because it's not available to view from USA.

So... I'm trying to find a few friends across the pond who can help me!! Please let me know if you would be willing to watch this series, and tell me when Jasmine is on!! (Then I'm going to try to find a friend in the UK to can record it for me!)

I'm pretty sure it's going to be on a segment called "Tails from Around The World".

Here's segments from the show- (Just scroll down to the bottom- it's Either on Part 2 or 3!) http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/who-let-the-dogs-out

If you want to watch the entire episode, you can here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b015scnb/Who_Let_the_Dogs_Out_Dock_Diving_Dogs/

Please let me know if you can help me out!!! I would REALLY appreciate it!!! THANKS!! :)

You can post a comment here, or better yet- write me on Facebook so I can actually respond back!! :) https://www.facebook.com/MyFavoritePupJasmine

Cheezburger website!

2011-09-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

LOL! I randomly found Jaz's shopping video featured on the Cheezburger's YouTube page! AND... they changed the music to CHEESEY 80's music!!! This video clip has had so many different soundtracks! Every TV station and website that shows this clip changes the audio! (Which is fine... I just find it amusing!)

It's weird because I randomly discovered that clip on YouTube, but when I was looking for her clip on their website... I found this! (See link below)

http://dogs.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/07/18/funny-dog-videos-goggie-goes-shopping/

For that clip, they kept the original audio AND gave me credit at the end.... WEIRD, huh?

Camping again!

2011-09-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't been camping with Jasmine since she was a puppy! (At least 3 years ago!) And this month, we went twice! (Once with my family, and once with my friends.)

Jaz is a city dog... but she LOVES a good adventure!

She managed to stay fairly clean this camping trip! (Probably because we were in an official campsite!)
It only rained on us a little bit Friday night.

However- we didn't get any sleep! Because it was elk mating season. And the WHOLE night- every 45 minutes, you heard them calling back and forth!

We hiked down to the reservoir. Jaz didn't want to get in the cold water. But she liked hiking, and she liked resting down by the water!
Jaz found a good shady spot! :)

There were plenty of other dogs there that wanted to get in the water! (Even though it was really cold!) There was an Irish Setter who LOVED fetching his ball from the water. And when someone didn't throw it, he would just stare at it... trying to get it to move telekinetically! (It didn't work, but it was funny to watch!)

Meet the BarkWorld Ticket Winner!

2011-09-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Buddy, this is Pepper! Pepper, meet Buddy! :D

This is so cool. Remember when I posted about the free ticket I had to give-away to the BarkWorld Expo?

Well, we have a winner! :D

Cherise wrote me that she would love the ticket if no one else wanted it. Her dog Buddy is on Dogster, and she has a Dogster pal named Pepper that is going, and they would love to meet there for the first time!

How could I resist? I'm actually meeting my friend Lauren there for the first time too! :D (Even though we've been friends for years!) We're both giving the presentation on "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Sensation"! So I'm really excited about that!

Pepper has been a fan of Jasmine's for about a year (ever since she saw the "Dog Goes Shopping" video on YouTube!) And Pepper had won a free ticket from Dogster! So how perfect is it that? They both won free tickets and get to meet up at the BarkWorld Expo!

If you want to come- it'll be here soon!! It's in Atlanta, GA from Sept. 29- Oct. 1st.

Oops! I made a mistake! That lab pictured above is named Molly! This is actually Buddy!

Cute OverLoad... featuring Jasmine!! :)

2011-09-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2011-09-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-09-10T03:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

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! :)

2011-08-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

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. :)

New Mailbox Trick

2011-08-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is still a work in progress.... but I just wanted to share our progress! This is Jasmine's latest trick! "Get the Mail". Since she is so food motivated, it was VERY easy to teach her to open the mailbox! I just put turkey inside! And now she can get the letters, so I just need to teach her to go close it! And then practice a lot to make it smooth! :)

I also need to figure out what to attach the mailbox to so that she doesn't tip it over when she puts her weight on it. (But yet, is still portable enough to take with us for trick shows.) Any ideas?

I'm still working on making a new trick video that has all her tricks on it- old and new. I've been re-filming them in HD. And then editing takes a long time! But I found a song I like! So that's 1/2 the battle right there! :D

Today's Hospital Visits

2011-08-13T12:44:00.001-07:00

Today we volunteered at the hospital again. We spent the whole time in the children's center as usual! I brought along some new props, so we we could add a few new tricks to our routine!

We volunteer for about 2 hours. And there are usually a few patients we really connect with. Today we started on the 7th floor making our rounds. Room 706 was my favorite room today. There was a little 6 year old boy lying in the hospital bed watching TV. His older sister (who was maybe 8?) was on the foot of his bed. Both were looking pretty bored. The little freckle-faced boy was especially disengaged. His eyes were kind of glossed over. But they both got so excited when Jasmine came in. Suddenly they were alert. She started doing her first trick (sit pretty) before I even asked her to. (Jasmine's philosophy is less talking, more tricks!) (Which means more treats!) ;) The kids were totally engaged. I went through our little routine. Plus encores. They kept asking, "Can you do sneeze again? Can you do High 5 again? Can you do dance again?" They were so cute. And even the parents were enthralled with Jasmine. The dad was British, so it sounded so cool when he spoke! We spent a long time in that room doing extra tricks- because they were really involved. They wanted to know how I trained her. And how old she was. And what did she look like as a puppy. It was so fun. So that was our international room.

My next favorite room was down on the 5th floor. I lucked out this time, and there were a bunch of kids in the playroom. (Sometimes that's empty when I go.) So I got to do a more involved trick show for a whole group of kids. I liked this one. Because when I walked in, one of the girls that was painting had tears in her eyes. (I'm not sure why.) So when we were doing the show I would specifically ask some of the questions to her. "Do you want to hear Jasmine talk like Scooby Doo?" She nodded her head yes. Then Jaz would do the little routine. And by the time we left, all the kids were laughing and smiling. That's what I live for. I love the sound of children laughing. And for some reason, Jasmine connects better with little kids than adults. She doesn't mind adults. But she LOVES little kids. She doesn't even mind when a bunch of them try to pet her at once. She's so good with them!

The last room we went to, the family didn't speak English. Luckily, dogs transcend all language barriers. I did Jasmine's little trick show, and got the same amount of laughs and smiles as the previous rooms. So even though I couldn't communicate with them, Jasmine could. And she brightened their day.

So... this is why I like to volunteer. It just makes my heart happy to see other people enjoying Jasmine's little tricks. Jasmine loves the attention and the treats. And the kids love her visits. It's a win-win.

Jasmine's Petsmart Commercial

2011-08-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Jasmine's Petsmart commercial is out! Wow- a commercial and a calendar all in one month! This is a fun month for Jaz! :)

Petsmart had a contest where people submitted video clips saying, "I can't guarantee my dog won't..."

Mine originally said, "I can't guarantee Jasmine won't slobber on the remote!" But they did a voice over and changed the words. (Which is fine with me!!) Here it is! :D

2012 CALENDAR DOG!!! =D

2011-08-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

YAY!!!! Jasmine is featured in the 2012 Dog Fancy Page-A-Day calendar!! =)

We just got our copy today in the mail! (A surprise Fed Ex package was waiting for me when I got home from work!) Inside were 2 calendars! I knew last year that Jaz was chosen to be on the calendar, I just didn't know when they were being released. (We got an early copy. They don't come out in stores until September.)

Jasmine is featured on Oct. 11th!! =D YAY!!! So now, October 11, 2012 is official Jasmine Day!!! =D (at least in my book!)

Here's the outside of the box, and her page! :D I'm so glad they sent me two copies!! Now I can use one and save one for a keepsake!! :D

The voting begins!

2011-08-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, we went to a doggy casting call. And now the voting period has begun! It's crazy because they allow you to vote as many times a day as you want! (This is good and bad!) I thought since it was a local contest, we would have better odds. But the unlimited voting had me overwhelmed! But some very cool friends convinced me to keep going- and they would keep voting for Jaz. So we've been doing it. And Jasmine has over 10,000 votes and rising!

The contest runs until Sept. 15th. And if we can finish it the Top 5, a panel of judges will then select a dog to have an editorial spread in their next magazine! So that's what we're trying for!!
And the competition is fierce! Those votes keep rising- but because of some very awesome friends, Jasmine's votes keep going up too! So as of today, she's in the Top 5. (But it's constantly fluctuating!) So... we'll see! THANK YOU to everyone who is voting for Jaz!!!! You guys are wonderful!!! And no matter what happens, I sure appreciate your efforts! We'll give it all we got...and hope for the best!! =D Here's the link to vote!

http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/dog-days-of-summer-2011/voting/170.html?msg=voted

Special Trick Show for Jaz's Ohio Fans! :)

2011-08-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

You know how it's always fun when you meet someone who knows someone who knows you? I call it the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon (in the real world). Well it happened to us!

There's a lady who goes to my church. She was talking to her grandkids in Ohio. They told her all about this trick dog they like to watch on YouTube! Turns out it's Jaz! The kids were impressed when they found out the grandma lived in the same city as Jasmine!

So... this week they came out to visit their grandma. And we came over to do a special trick show for them. (Which was really fun!) Jaz loves kids. And I'm pretty sure they love Jaz! Good times had by all! :) (These kids were so cute!!)

Here's some of the tricks we did:

Please please vote for Jaz!! (Doggy Casting Call!)

2011-08-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

Please Vote For Jaz!!!

Last week, we went to the AZ Foothills Doggy Casting Call! And now is the official voting round! From now until September, they are having a voting contest!

http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/dog-days-of-summer-2011/voting/170.html?msg=voted

You have to type in the words you see (to prove you're not a robot!), then you click vote. And you can vote as many times as you want! It's unlimited! (Which is both good and bad. )

So that means I need a LOT of help!! This is a local contest, so there aren't as many participants, however people can vote as many times as they want each day. So the vote count is already past 4000!! (And right now, Jaz just passed 2000!) I turned on a movie tonight, and just watched it- voting over and over. (And we're still about 2000 votes behind!) So this is where I am asking for your help!! Will you please take a minute and go vote for Jaz? If I can make it to the top 5, then a panel of judges will pick from there. So... I'm really hoping we have a chance to at least be considered. The winner gets to be in their magazine!

Anyway- thank you so much for supporting Jaz!!! :D

As you can tell from the picture, it was SOOO hot out! All the dogs in the pictures are panting!! (Jaz would drink the water I brought, but she didn't even want her treats, because she was so hot!) You could submit a photo online, but you automatically got 1000 votes if you showed up to the doggy casting call. (Plus, it was good practice for Jaz to perform with distractions.)

Doggy Casting Call- AZ Foothills Magazine

2011-07-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a REALLY hot day! (106 degrees) But today was the "Dog Days of Summer" casting call, so off we went!

I was lucky my friend Deena came with me to help! She got some good pics while we were there! We had to wait in line for about 45 minutes until it was our turn. But that was okay because there were some really cute dogs there to admire- of every size, breed, and color. It was fun talking to all the owners.

When it was our turn, the first picture we took was just our number. We were #39.

They took a few shots of Jasmine sitting, then sitting pretty. Then finally with the shopping cart. We only got about 2 minutes of the photographer's time. So we had to make it count! Jaz did really good- considering how hot it was outside! She drank her water, but she didn't even want her treats. (Until she cooled down in the car afterwards- then she reconsidered!) ;)

Their website said you could submit a photo online. And if I had, it probably would have looked better. However, it's going to be a voting contest. And you got 1000 votes if you showed up to the doggy casting call. (Then they also have the rights to the photograph.) So I'm hoping one of the ones they took turned out decent. If not... it was still a good experience for Jaz to practice auditioning. She's good at performing with distractions. (Probably because of our experience being a therapy dog team.) However, she doesn't always like to perform when it's really hot outside. (And I can't say that I blame her!) I wouldn't either!! ;)

Old School Trick Video...

2011-07-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

An oldie, but a goodie. :)

I love this video. (Mainly how the songs match the actions of the tricks!) The downside to being a YouTube partner is that you can't use fun songs like this anymore!! I have to use royalty-free music. Which is nice... but it's not the same as the fun songs that everyone knows!

Jaz was on TV in JAPAN!! =)

2011-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Remember how Jaz was on TV in Japan last month? Well I now have the video to share with everyone!! I found a nice friend in Japan who was willing to record it for me, and then my awesome brother added the English subtitles! So now we all can enjoy it!

Here's the international shopping dog!

Almost to 1,000!

2011-07-17T21:53:00.001-07:00

I just noticed Jasmine's YouTube channel is up to 992 subscribers! Woohoo! I wonder if we'll hit 1,000 this week!?

(I'm weird, but I like even numbers!) LOL

I've been working on putting together a new trick video. I got a friend to come over on Friday to videotape some footage for me. (THANKS MINDY!!) :D

Now I'm working on uploading, editing, etc.

I made the switch from my ancient PC to a newer Mac Laptop (that I barely know how to use!) The good news is: All my future Jasmine videos can be in HD. The bad news is: 1) I'm still learning how to use iMovie. 2) All my previous footage of Jasmine is on my hard-drive, but saved as a .wmv (Windows Movie Video or something... which is not compatible with my mac!) :( So I need to record new footage. But I guess that's ok. Jaz has been getting better with her tricks anyway... I might as well show off the latest! :)

Well that's all for now folks! As you know, Jasmine was on TV in Japan last month... and I'm hoping to have that video up in the next week or so! (My brother is editing it so it has English subtitles!) Woohoo! =) So keep an eye out for it on Jaz's YT channel! It will be there soon!! :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/MyFavoritePupJasmine?feature=mhee

LOL... Fake!

2011-07-09T09:02:00.001-07:00

LOL.... I got a good laugh this morning.

Somebody on YouTube wrote a comment on one of Jasmine's old videos...

He wrote that this was fake!! Um.... LOL. Did I need to actually write that in the comments? Yes, YouTube watchers, this is trickery. You can't believe everything you see on TV or the internet! Jasmine doesn't actually play the Wii when I'm not home. (As far as I know!) ;) I laughed really hard when I read that comment!

Looking for a few sponsors...

2011-07-07T18:41:00.001-07:00

OK Friends...

I need your help! As you know, I got invited to be a Keynote Speaker at the BarkWorld Pet Expo in Atlanta from Sept. 29- Oct. 1st. (Because of the growing popularity of Jasmine's YouTube channel.) One of her recent "Dog Goes Shopping" videos is up to 73,000 views! :)

My presentation is called “How To Make Your Pet A YouTube Sensation”. And I'm going to teach people how to promote their pet through social media. (I don't even need to tell you that Jasmine has made some wonderful friends online- and thus has a very loyal following on Twitter, Facebook, and this blog!) Lauren & her dog Paige are going to be there... and they are SUPER popular!! :D (And we get to meet them!!!) :D (They're one of the wonderful friends we have met online... but never met in person!) (until September!!)

So... long story short... I need to find a few companies to sponsor our trip to BarkWorld. (and in return they can get promoted through Jaz's social media sites (her Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube). So... who should I ask?? Any ideas?

New Petsmart Commercial!!!

2011-07-07T09:26:00.001-07:00

GREAT NEWS!!!
Jaz is going to be in another Petsmart commercial!! =D I submitted this video back in May. Petsmart was having a contest on Facebook asking for video submissions, and I just got an email that they are going to use it!! YAY!!! =D

I'll be sure to keep you updated when the real thing is coming out!!

Discovery Channel appearance?

2011-07-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

So... I got a phone call from the Discovery Channel! They might use some of Jasmine's videos in an upcoming show! So I took some new 'shopping dog' footage for them! There's a possibility that Jaz's part may end up getting cut by the end. But that's okay! It's cool that they're even considering her! Here's some of what they might be using:

I'll definitely keep you posted!! =D

Being a part of "Annie" was the highlight of this year...

2011-06-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

♥ Every now and then, you have a chance to be involved in something special. We just finished up our last show of "Annie". I can't even explain how wonderful it was to be a part of all this. Jaz is completely exhausted, but loved every minute of it. The entire cast (both human and canine) was phenomenal. Such talent. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to be a part of it. ♥

I feel like being a part of this production of Annie was one of the highlights of this year for us. This was our first experience with the Valley Youth Theater. And it was such a great experience. By working together, you really do develop a closeness and friendship with everyone. And the entire cast just LOVED the dogs. (Both Abbie and Jasmine) They were always getting loves from everyone. The dogs wouldn't even stay in their dressing rooms after a while, they would always be down in the actors lounge hanging out with the kids! Jaz played the part of the "homeless dog", and we even were part of the curtain call. After the last song, Jaz and I were the first ones to go out on stage to take a bow. (Both dogs know how to bow.) :)

Jaz and Abbie had their own dressing room- with their names written on the mirror! ;)

Because of the friendships that developed, my view of the play changed. At the beginning, it was just cool being backstage and being part of a production. I've never been involved in theater before. And every show was a little different. And it's quite a complex process! Watching actors dash back to their rooms to do a costume change, changing out scenery and backdrops, and making sure every person is in their right places for their cues. After a couple of shows, it became a smooth process. It was interesting to observe the chemistry and dynamics between the audience and cast. During the last show, I went up to the 3rd floor balcony to watch a part that I had never seen. They did fantastic. I know how much work this is for them. And to make the last show have the same amount of energy and enthusiasm as the first show is tricky. But they did it. And I was so proud.

I've been to a lot of plays before. I thoroughly enjoy good theater. I love music, drama, and dance. But it's a different experience when you know someone in the cast. You're more involved, it's more personal. And when you've become friends with the ENTIRE cast, it's a completely different experience. Watching from the 3rd floor balcony, I was enthralled. This cast from the Valley Youth Theater ranged from ages 8-18. And they were phenomenal. I just loved watching the choreography of the dance numbers, and listening to them sing. There is so much talent there.

And I was so happy to be a part of it. At first, I was just responsible for Jasmine. But then they made me the "dog handler" for both dogs- Abbie (a.k.a. Sandy) and Jasmine. Abbie responded really well to me. (The treat pouch I always had at my waist was probably a motivating factor there!!) ;) But it was really cool being completely responsible for both dogs. I had to get them to their cues on time, and signal them from off-stage. (and make sure they got their potty breaks at the right time!) Both dogs did great!! I'm pretty sure they had their parts memorized too! After each show, the entire cast went out into the lobby to take pictures and sign autographs. (Both dogs had a paw stamp!) The dogs did fantastic here too- with so many strangers petting them and wanting to take pictures with them. It was tiring, but they were troopers!

I feel like I have made such wonderful friends with the cast. My motto has always been "Carpe Diem"- Seize the Day. And I can't think of a better way to have spent the month of June than working closely with these people to help make this production of Annie a huge success. (Granted, I had a small part... but we all played a part.) Now that it's over, I'm kind of going through withdrawals! I miss the songs, and the kids. Good thing we have Facebook to stay in touch! And I ordered a DVD of the play. That way I will always be able to remember our time together. :)

P.S. Jaz had to have her long coat so she looked like a shaggy, homeless dog. Now that the play is over, she got shaved! It's much cooler in the summertime!

The Stars of Annie!

2011-06-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

Being a part of this production of Annie has been SO FUN!!! It's true that kids and dogs steal the show. So... how could this not be awesome?? :) This cast is so talented!! They range in age from 8-18 years old. And both the dogs are 5 years old, in case you were wondering!! ;)
I am now the full time handler for "Sandy" as well as the "stray dog". So this has been a really good experience for me and Jasmine!

This is "Annie" hanging out with the "Stray Dog". :)After each show, the whole cast goes into the lobby to take pictures and sign autographs. (Jasmine has her own paw stamp!) This is Jaz with one of the orphans.This is Jaz and "Rooster".Can you say SPOILED?? Jaz doesn't even stay in her dressing room anymore. She goes down the actor's lounge to get attention from all the actors! (Who all adore her!) She's going to go through some major withdraws when this is all done!

And actually, this is last week for people to come see this production of "Annie". It's been a big time commitment, but SO MUCH FUN!! And we've met so many wonderful people! And it's just cool being backstage for a production.

It's not really a hard knock life for these orphans! These songs from "Annie" are stuck in my head! When I go to sleep at night, I'm singing them in my head. When I wake up in the morning, it's usually a different song. It's a good thing these are really great songs!! (Or I wouldn't enjoy it so much!) (I have this one memorized because right after this song is when Jasmine goes on stage!!)

This is "Molly". She makes Jaz look HUGE!!

You're never fully dressed without a smile.... seems to fit appropriately for this cast. They're always all smiles!! :D
Last but not least, this sign backstage always makes me laugh. Probably the first and last time I will ever see a sign telling me not to poke the champagne. ;) (I'm not sure what's in the glasses. Jello maybe? I guess everyone wants to poke it to find out!)

Being a part of this production of Annie has been one of the highlights of this year. One of the cast members wrote on his Facebook "There are no small parts, only small actors." Well, in Jasmine's case... she does have a small part... and that's because she's a small furry actor!! ;) And we're cool with that! ;) It's all good!! :D

Enter to WIN the $50 Nylabone Give-Away!!!

2011-06-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have GREAT NEWS!!! Jasmine and Nylabone have teamed up to give away $50 worth of Treats & Toys! :D Woohoo!! I'm so excited to be able to give away prizes to one of Jasmine's friends! These are our friends Ringo and Francie. (The Goldendoodles) They each got a Nylabone Durachew as a thank you for participating in my little doggy pirate movie! (shown below)

This contest is super easy! (no voting required!) :D

Here's How You Can Enter:

**Just subscribe to this blog, and leave a comment below saying your pup wants to enter Jasmine's Nylabone giveaway! That's it!! =D Super Easy!

If you would like extra entries, you can also do any of the following:

1) Follow @MyFavPupJasmine on Twitter, and leave a comment saying you want to enter the @MyFavPupJasmine @Nylabone Giveaway.

2) Subscribe to Jasmine's YouTube channel, and post a comment under her Pirate Adventure Movie (shown below) saying you want to enter Jasmine's Nylabone Giveaway.

3) Last, but not least, you can 'like' Jasmine (My Favorite Pup) on Facebook, and leave a comment saying you want to enter Jasmine's @Nylabone Giveaway.

Totally easy! Up to 4 different ways to enter! GOOD LUCK MY FRIENDS!!!!!

Here's the official stuff:

PRIZE: One winner will be randomly selected to receive $50 worth of treats and toys from Nylabone!! Woohoo!

DEADLINE: You have from now until the end of June to enter! The contest ends at 11:59 pm PST on June 30th! We'll announce the winner on our blog/facebook/twitter, etc.

RULES: You can enter the contest once per day, per email address, per method. (Example: once per day commenting on this post, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) Each will count as one entry. And in July, we'll randomly draw our winner! =D This contest is open to Jasmine's friends everywhere... furry or human... (unless prohibited by law)

So good luck my friends!

ANNIE!!

2011-06-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all know by now that Jaz was cast as the "stray dog" in the play "Annie".
I can't tell you how fun this has been!! Opening night was just magical! There was such a fun energy. Kids and dogs always steal the show. And since "Annie" is all about kids and dogs... it was fabulous! I absolutely loved being a part of all of it!!

This is Annie with her doggy co-stars! Sandy (Abbie) and the stray dog (Jaz)These little girls just LOVE Jaz and Sandy. Our dogs can't walk down the hall without a dozen hands reaching out to pet them!

These kids are just so incredibly talented! I LOVE this play!! It's so cool being a part of it! And since Jaz is only in the first scene, I get to be the Sandy's other dog handler. When she has a part to go across the stage, her owner Stephanie releases her and she comes to me in the opposite wing. So it's really fun. Jasmine and Sandy even have their own curtain call! We each come out and the dogs take a bow!

These are all the adorable orphans. "It's a Hard-Knock Life" for them!

After each show, all the actors (and dog actors) go out into the lobby to have their pictures taken and give autographs.Since Jaz and Abbie haven't learned how to sign their names yet, the have a paw print stamp as their "pawtograph"! The kids just adore it! There's always a ton of kids swarming around wanting to get a stamp and their picture taken with the dogs. We stamp the PlayBill, but often the kids want a stamp on their hand too!

This past weekend, Jaz had a rose delivered to her in her dressing room! Our friend Christina came to see the show. She was so sweet. She got Jaz and I each a rose. :) One was addressed to me, from Christina. One was to Jaz, from Indy. (Which is Christina's dog!) ;)This has been such a good experience. And I've been wondering something lately. When an actor goes out on stage, you say 'break a leg' instead of 'good luck'.
When a dog actor goes out on stage, do you say 'break all 4 legs"? Is that how you wish a dog good luck? ;)

Annie is playing all through the month of June at the Herberger Theatre in downtown Phoenix. As you can probably tell, I HIGHLY recommend it! (and not just cuz Jaz has a small part in it!)

It's a wonderful play with wonderfully talented kids and dogs. Definitely worth checking out. :)

TV Time!

2011-06-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got a clip of when Jaz was on TV a few weeks ago!

Be patient, it takes a few seconds to start.

AND I'm really excited because Jaz is going to be on a TV program in Japan tomorrow morning! So I'm doing my best to get a digital copy of that too! Hopefully I'll be able to watch it and share it with all Jasmine's friends!

Jaz is going to be on TV in JAPAN!!!

2011-06-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Jasmine is going to be on TV in Japan!!

This Wed. June 15th at 8:00 (am?). She is going to be on a variety show called ""Tokudane" on the Fuji Television Network.

**If any of Jasmine's fans from Japan see this, will you please record it for me??**

They wanted permission to use a lot of Jaz's videos- "A Shopping Dog", "Funny Dog Walk", "Dogs Eating Peanut Butter", "Dog Sneezes", "Best Friend", and "My Dog has OCD".

So of course I said yes! :)

The Dog Stars of "Annie"

2011-06-04T16:20:00.001-07:00

The dog stars of "Annie" share a dressing room! Here's Abbie (Sandy) and Jasmine (the stray dog) chilling before dress rehearsal.

This is where they come to get some downtime between their time on stage. Abbie is a very loving, 5 year old Goldendoodle. And Jaz is a 5 year old Havanese. But with her hair all scraggly like this, she definitely fits the role of a stray mutt!

I don't know if you can see this sign- but it has both dogs' names on it. This is outside their dressing room. Luckily, it takes them no time at all to get into costume. They've got these dog roles down pretty well!! ;)

We have full dress rehearsal every night this week. And Friday is opening night! Jasmine only has a little part in scene 1. But I've been staying late each night to watch the whole rehearsal.

These kids are SO TALENTED!! And this is just such a fun, upbeat play. The song lyrics stick in your head!

All these orphan girls just love Jaz and Abbie. They can't walk down the hall without getting loves from a dozen little girls!

The Herberger Theatre is so nice!! It's so fun being a part of all this! I've never been backstage for a production before. There's so much work that goes into it! More than just memorizing lines. Where you stand, the sound effects, the props, the moving scenery... it's complicated! I'm glad I just have to worry getting my dog from stage left to stage right!

If you're in Phoenix, you'll definitely want to come check out these kids!! (and the dogs too!) ;) Here's where you can get tickets! http://www.herbergertheater.org/annie

Jaz & Abbie made the news!!

2011-05-28T23:22:00.001-07:00

Jaz and Abbie made the news!! It's been a big week for Jasmine! She was on TV on Thursday, and now I found out she was in the newspaper on Friday! (I just have to see if I can track down a copy of Friday's paper!!) Abbie is the dog that plays "Sandy" and Jasmine is the "stray dog".

They interviewed Bobb Cooper- the director of the play "Annie"- about the dogs that were chosen to be in it! Here's the article: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2011/05/26/20110526phoenix-valley-youth-theatres-annie-finds-dog-stars.html

It's kind of funny. The first time they held dog auditions, no one showed up!! (Because I don't think many people knew about it.) So the second time they had auditions, a LOT of dogs showed up! (You can see the pics in my previous posts.)

We're so excited to be involved in this production of Annie. It doesn't even matter that it's a small part. (I actually like it better- considering this is our first time doing live theater!) So it will be such a good experience for Jaz! And I just love the play. We went to our first rehearsal last Saturday. It was SO COOL watching all these talented kids sing and dance. Neither of which are talents that I've been blessed with! ;) But I really appreciate the arts. I've always enjoyed good music, drama, and dance. And it's fun being able to participate using my talents of dog-training in a different atmosphere. I feel like I'm a part of something special. And the upbeat songs of "Annie" can't help but leave you feeling happy.
This is my "homeless dog" or "stray mutt". In the cast list, she's listed as "other dog". lol. The title changes every time, but it's the same part. And she's going to have a little bio in the playbill!
http://www.vyt.com/on-stage/2010-2011-season/annie.aspx
I'm growing her hair out, so she looks as shaggy as possible! (By June, she will be one big hair ball.) I've met the boy (Max) who is playing the dog catcher. He really likes dogs. So I think this will be a really good experience for everyone! If you're in Phoenix, come check it out! :) It's at the Herberger Theater from June 10-26th. :)

Jaz was on TV today!

2011-05-26T17:45:00.001-07:00

Jaz was on TV today! (To my surprise!) I sent in this clip yesterday, and they sent me an email today at 2:40 pm saying that Jasmine was going to be on their show at 3:30 pm today! (Although, I didn't even see that email until 3:45 pm!!) Luckily, they have the clip posted online!!! =D Wow- things happen fast around here! Sometimes it's hard for me to keep up!! ;)

Here's the link in case that video doesn't work! http://bcove.me/xjg651cu

"Annie" Audition Results, and TV Appearance

2011-05-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

GREAT NEWS!!! I got a call on Sunday from the director of "Annie". They picked Jasmine for the role of "homeless dog"! =D So I guess our plan to show up at the Sandy audition, and not look anything like Sandy worked out really well!

This isn't a huge role, but I'm still excited about it! I have always loved live theater, and love the idea of being behind the scenes. Besides, what an awesome opportunity for Jaz!! She'll get practice performing in front of a live audience with every possible distraction you can think of! Lights/Sounds/People. This will be such a good experience!!

The nice thing about doing a commercial, photo shoot, or most TV programs is that they edit the footage!! So if you mess up, you can do it again and it's no big deal! They always make it look nice!

We've only been on live TV one time. It was last summer... and trust me... it was quite the learning experience!!!

I made the mistake of giving the host some of Jaz's treats at the beginning, because she wanted to do some tricks with Jaz. (We discussed this before the show.) And now I know that I should have waited to give them to the host AFTER we had finished our trick routine!

Because at that point, I couldn't get Jasmine to pay attention to me! (Because she thought the host had the treats! And my dog is VERY food-motivated!!) And the producers also told me I would only have 60 seconds to do our tricks. So I planned 60 seconds worth. Then on live TV, they said keep going. And of course, my brain froze. So I couldn't even think of what other tricks to ask Jaz to do!! (to fill up 2 minutes, 20 seconds worth of time!) I don't think fast when put on the spot! So really, live TV is not my strong point!! But it was still fun. And I just chalk it up to good practice! (It was our FIRST live performance!) Everyone has to start somewhere! Live and learn, right?? =)

The big advantage of participating in the play "Annie" is that we'll get the benefits of a live performance. And yet, it's a practiced routine which both Jasmine and I will know. So I won't have to improvise!! ;)