Alright… first of all, a sarcastic thanks to Kristine over at Rescued Insanity for nominating me for the My 7 Links challenge (I’m calling it a challenge) that was started by Tripbase Blog. The idea was to connect a very wide range of niche blogs through posting a ‘standardized’ blog entry featuring 7 links. The rules, are deceptively simple… each blogger searches through their blog posts and finds links that satisfy each of the various categories and posts them. Then they pass along the task to 5 more bloggers.
Now, I really loved Kristine’s 7 Links and that love is what made me… albeit slightly begrudgingly, decide to embrace this opportunity. I don’t remember when or how I came across Rescued Insanity but it certainly was well after she began blogging. Through the 7 Links post, I was able to go back and read some posts that happened before I started reading regularly. It was a fantastic look into her archive! Now, although I don’t have massive numbers of regular readers, it is certainly more than what I started with and I think I have some valuable posts from earlier on that I’d like to bring back up.
As a side note, I must say that I think I have gotten off incredibly easy… I’ve only been blogging for about 8 months and have less than 200posts to choose from and wade through. I’m not sure I could imagine doing this if I’d been blogging for a few years!
So, on to it…
1. My most Beautiful Post… A Place to Unwind While Waiting for Their Furever Homes
This post was for my first Blog the Change blog hop and I think it’s probably the most beautiful in terms of the language, the story, and the photos. It gives a glimpse into the amazing work being done at Glen Highland Farms Border Collie Rescue.
2. My most Popular Post… Focus, It Doesn’t Just Happen
This was my very first post that had over 150 views.. back when getting 25 page views in a day was an accomplishment. It was also the first post that major colleagues shared on their FB walls, linked to on their blogs, and printed/emailed to clients. It isn’t the most popular in a strictly numbers game.. but given that it received about 5 times the number of views I was typically getting makes it probably the most popular in that sense. Focus is the root of almost all behaviors… without it success is really limited. It’s a completely foundational behavior and it really doesn’t ‘just happen’.
3. My most Controversial post… This Is Why I Train the Way I Do
I really had to battle whether or not to include this post in my list because it was … not so much controversial but very emotionally driven and some people were leaving nasty comments on a video included in the post to the point the video at some point went private. It’s also very very atypical of me. I really try not to judge people, try not to point out people and subject them to potential mockery by others… it’s really not who I am to ‘call out’ someone. I don’t think this post reflects on me well… BUT… it really honestly was the most controversial and was also very heartfelt and emotional on my end of the spectrum. So, my apologies for this post… but … the ethical person I am couldn’t stand idly by with the video in the blog.
4. My most Helpful post… How Dogs Say “No,” A Translation Guide
There are so many dog owners who do not know how to read their dog’s body language and that is a little scary to me. Humans can be in danger if people do not know how to read their dogs and the dogs themselves can be put in danger. It was incredibly hard to come up with my most “helpful” post because I’d like to think there are quite a few posts that have been helpful, but I think this post benefits the dogs more than my others. It allowed me the opportunity to advocate for all dogs in a way that my other posts don’t–so in that sense, hopefully it was helpful to many dogs.
5. A post whose success surprised you… To Which I Replied, “We Work Really Hard!”
Most people want a dog to not pull, to not jump on people, to not steal food, to sit when asked, to come back when called, to stay when told, and to generally obey when out and about. What people don’t often realize is that having well behaved dogs takes work. It doesn’t just happen overnight and it doesn’t just happen without any work being done. People expect their dog to behave with strangers at the home, while out at a dog event, while out at a pet store, and for walks at the park yet they don’t put the time into teaching a dog to behave appropriately in these high distraction environments. This post wasn’t innovative, wasn’t dealing with a specific issue, wasn’t rage inducing, wasn’t AWWWW inspiring… yet somehow it had quite a few views and quite a few comments.
6. A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved… Train Naked!
It’s not what it seems! The dog should be naked… get your mind out of the gutter! Training with your dog not wearing any special training devices… no leashes, no head harnesses, no shock collars, no nothing… naked. It is really common for tools to become crutches. With that tool on the dog behaves in one way… with the tool off, it’s a different dog. What good is a training method that fails when the tool isn’t there? I was at a dog event last year when an improperly fit prong collar fell apart (the links unhooked) and the dog was gone in a blink of the eye. With out the threat of punishment of the collar the dog was incredibly disobedient. He knew he was out of the realm of punishment from the tool. Between the word naked and the idea of training reliable behaviors without the ‘crutch’ of a physical tether, I figured I’d get some interesting comments/responses but I really didn’t.
7. The post you are most proud of… You are What You Eat
I am not most proud of this because I gave a crazy amount of information. It’s not because I shared some top secret information. It is not because it’s extremely well written. It is not because I divulge some innovative something or other. I am most proud of this because it’s really the first time I’ve been able to reflect and write about the death of my heart-dog, Tazzie, in any detailed manner. It’s taken 5 years to get to the point where I could write her story without it being a blubbering mess of unfinished sentences and half-fabricated words. I hope I did her justice… even though it wasn’t entirely about her… I miss her.
PHEW! That wasn’t as hard as I had expected but it was definitely a challenge. I hope I did it justice and I hope some new readers get a chance to see some of the older posts I’d written.
Now, the second part of the deal… I’m passing this along to 5 new blogs (with a faint apology…. but it’s really worth the little bit of extra effort/time it takes!).
Ci-Da (Good Dog)
Success Just Clicks 
Those were some great posts Tena.
I am still crying at “You are what you eat.” I’m so sorry that you lost Tazzie that way. My punkin “Sampson” is my heart dog and I know he will toss me over the edge when his time comes.
Due to some health issues with Delilah, we started them on the raw diet (dinner only) last April. In January we went full-time. Sampson was always a slow, careful eater. You could leave kibble down all day (I know you aren’t supposed to; don’t judge) and he would pick at it. That changed when Delilah joined the pack because she will eat hers and then on to Sampsons. But since we started on the raw, he cannot wait to get his food. He loves this stuff. They have both lost weight and look and from what I can tell feel great. It costs a lot more than kibble but the health benefits are awesome.
As for vaccinations, I only vaccinate for rabies (because it is a CT state requirement) and Leptos because we walk in the woods alot. I don’t vaccinate for Lyme (I have my yard sprayed for ticks and check them after walks.) After talking with our vet I don’t feel they need to be vaccinated for anything else.
I don’t use Frontline or any other topical flea and tick treatment on them. Seriously this chemical gets in your dogs blood and kills a freakin tick after it bites your dog! Have you ever tried to kill a tick? Instead I use a homemade flea and tick spray for hiking and I have them on a garlic protocol.
I hope to have them around for at least 8 more years.
As a new reader, it is nice to find out what some of the author’s favorite posts are.
That was a job well done!
Thanks for taking a look back on previous posts Jodi! Yeah, losing Tazzie was so very hard but I learned so much from her and her premature death that I feel like she will always be with me because of the lifestyle changes i’ve made for my dogs/cats.
There are certainly some dogs who can be free-fed… I generally don’t suggest it because dogs tend to value the food more if they have to earn it….assuming the dogs aren’t grossly overweight, I don’t judge people for free-feeding LOL! Like i said, I try not to judge people in general…
I lived in Westchester NY (border with CT)… there were more ticks than I coudl possibly shake a stick at–goodness! I had to use my tick “key” 3 or 4 times while Shayne was on garlic before breaking down and using frontline once…I dont’ like it but y’know… between that and getting icky ticks (plus the risk of lyme) I went the way that kept me from having concerns about ticks in my bed lol! Like another old post… it’s all about weighing risks and making educated decisions.
Here’s to another 8 years for your pups!!
These were all great – I think I had only not read two of them, but I went back and read them all.
Awesome, glad I could show new posts without having to write any additional posts! Lazy Blogger recycles 🙂 haha!
When I first started reading your blog I went back quite a ways to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Looks like I could have just waited for this post!
Thanks for the nomination. I should get around to following through with it… soon. Some time this weekend. Cheers!
I appreciate you going through the older posts, there are plenty older ones that, i think, are worth a read but that didnt’ fit in my list… 🙂
Take your time, I had to take a few days to go back through my posts… see what all I wrote about, look at stats/comments etc.
So I just posted mine, and I see what you mean- I have posts I REALLY liked but didn’t fit the categories. I also had some that fit the category really well but that I don’t think are all that great of posts. It was fun, though. Thanks for tagging me so that I was spurred to do it.
Hum I remember when most of those posts came out… I enjoyed reading them again! My favorite was the one “We Work Really Hard.”
Thanks for sticking with me for so long!! It’s been quite a journey…
What a great look back 🙂
Thank ya! It was fun to look back!
😛
I will do mine later. Especially since I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to tell which of my posts is most popular.
LOL… I took most of the week to think about it and figure out how I wanted to approach the task. You may not have the stats tracker but that is how I picked mine stats and comments = popularity 🙂
It is fun to take a look backwards, but I have to admit… I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out which of my own posts to choose.
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Wow. I was a late joiner to the blog, so it was great to go back and read some of the past highlights. I’ve just started working with a dog who was trained using punishment based methods, who reminds me of the poor boxer in that video. After two sessions, he is finally responding to praise and affection, much to his owner’s delight. And I’m so sorry to read about Tazzy- I’m beyond paranoid about Parker’s health, cause he’s my 1 in a million. Thanks for being full of information!
http://parkerskye.blogspot.com/
I have lots of reading to do, and writing it appears. (thanks, she says somewhat uncertainly…). I’m short on time today, but I read this post through, and look forward to going back and reading each of the ones you highlighted so nicely. I know of Glenhighland, and can’t wait to read what you have to say about them! I also look forward to learning about Tazzie – I know all to well how hard it is to write about an old friend. Thanks for sharing all of this, and for passing along the torch (I think – LOL!).
Once I got going through the posts, it was okay… it just felt very tedious at the beginning. It really turned out to be a pleasurable experience! i hope you enjoy the posts you didn’t get a chance to read before… That was my favorite part about Kristine’s 7… it was just great, as a reader, to read the posts from before and the posts SHE chose to put in the categories
Fantastic! This is why I knew I had to pass it on to you. Your posts are always full of valuable information. Also, I was pretty sure I’d missed some good ones (I was right) and wanted a second chance to find them. Pretty sneaky/lazy, I know.
Thanks for the shout-out and for doing such a brilliant job!
Glad you enjoyed the look back and saw one or two you hadn’t read before 🙂 It wasn’t as challenging as i anticipated (once I got started) and I ultimately enjoyed the challenge!