My 7 Links: My favorite posts from TripBase blog project

There is a meme making its way around the net, whereby the nominated blogger is to pick seven posts to represent some of their favorite work. Since the lovely Edie at Will My Dog Hate Me and the equally lovely Jen at My Brown Newfies were kind enough to suggest I take part, I spent some time this weekend mulling over my posts from the past couple of years. I’m a forward-thinking kind of person, but it’s nice to look back and remember those posts that really tickled me. Or you. Or not.

The gist of the exercise, started over at TripBase, is to get you to share some of your favorite posts that might have gotten buried in the archives. So without further ado, here they are:

Your most beautiful post

Oh, Emmett. To this day it is the one post I cannot read without crying, even now, two years later. I wrote it the day after I buried my head in Emmett’s fur one final time and cried as I felt his heart beat the last time, and by some miracle I managed to come up with a coherent post. Reminiscing on our last days at the beach is like looking at an old dusty photograph of a summer afternoon, that wistful longing as you remember the feel of the sunshine on your face and the remorse knowing that day is many years gone.

Your most popular post

The Trouble With Barbie. It’s a post I almost didn’t make, because it was a bit….saucy, I guess you’d say, but I just had to post it because it made me laugh, and I figured if it didn’t make you laugh, you’d probably not ever like this blog and it’s better to know that right from the start.

That post is my sense of humor in a nutshell. Love me, love my dollies. I use them a lot in this blog.

Your most controversial post

Have Blendtec, will veg. This post generated more hatemail than the rest of my blog posts put together, including my ill-fated political ponderings. Who knew vegetables were so darn controversial? Or that I was a granola munching pathetic hippie commie ruining her kids loving her dogs more than her children pinko bacon hating PETA freak for even considering eating more of them? And I don’t even like PETA!

Your most helpful post

In Defense of (some) breeders was one of those posts I wasn’t sure if I should post or not, which usually means someone is going to be mad about it but just as many people are glad to see it. It was a response to a DogTime editorial that stated in no uncertain terms that there were “no responsible breeders”, a statement that despite my support of rescue and adoption is not something I agree with.

I don’t know if it was helpful in terms of sharing information people weren’t aware of before, but I think people who are involved in responsible breeding programs are so darn scared to talk about it for fear of being told “you’re killing puppies” that I wanted them to know that many people out there do support what they are trying to accomplish. I don’t see how demonizing some of the most adamant dog lovers you’ll ever meet helps us solve the bigger problem.

A post whose success surprised you

A post titled, appropriately enough, “I want a chicken.” It always comes back to the chickens. I wanted-still want- some, my husband said no, and when I asked for advice you all came pouring out of the woodwork to tell me that I should definitely have chickens. In fact, this post reminds me that perhaps I should revisit the idea. Feel free to convince me some more. The option is that, or go the Bloggess route. I think real chickens would be preferable.

A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

One Dog. I really loved the visual impact of this post putting a picture to the numbers behind overpopulation. 4 million pets euthanized a year, 10,000 a day- it’s just a number when you read it that way. But to put a face on each number and actually see them looking back at you- that is a powerful visual.

There was a lot going on that week- I had committed to this post before the Japan tsunami hit and I think everyone’s mind was rightfully focused on that global disaster, but this stands as a post I am so very proud of. I think it’s worth revisiting.

The post that you are most proud of

That’s a tough one. It’s a tossup between Paws for Japan and Tumbleweeds. Two very different posts that illustrate what I am most proud of when it comes to being a pet blogger- the power of this community.

Paws for Japan was an idea that hatched just a couple of days after the tragic tsunami in Japan. With just a couple days’ notice, my Be the Change pals helped me put out the word that we wanted the world to take notice on March 17th and help out the thousands of affected pets by making a donation to WorldVets, which was one of the first animal organizations to send a team and supplies to the ravaged country. 168 bloggers participated. WorldVets brought in record donations. It’s everyone in this crazy internet space at their best.

Tumbleweeds was the post marking the one year anniversary of Emmett’s death. Instead of making a post solely about him, I wanted to recognize the universal sadness we all feel on such occasions by including a picture of the pets of anyone who wanted to participate as well. The result was something much more than one person’s expression of sadness- it was a memorial to all of us who have sat there in those quiet moments after a pet has left, wondering if anyone else knew just how wretched this feeling was. I was so honored when this post was selected as a BlogHer 2011 Voice of the Year piece, and so grateful to them- and to you- for recognizing what it was all about.

*****

And now, I am supposed to nominate 5 bloggers to continue the grand tradition. I think anyone who wants to do this should- it’s fun!- so consider yourself nominated, but in the interest of formality here you are:

Dr. Patrick Mahaney’s blog: I met Patrick on the Amazon Cares trip and liked him from the moment I saw him, sitting casually in the airport lounge while Nikka Harvey and I ran up huffing and puffing with 2 minutes to make the connection. He’s a cool guy, an acupuncture specialist and Teddy Hilton’s celebrity vet to boot. His blog is always interesting, as is he.

KnobNotes: I met Susi at the AKC/Eukanuba show in December and later at the Iams pet blogger summit. We sized each other up: she was a crazy breeder and I was a crazy animal rights weirdo (we had some perception issues to work on). We immediately hit it off. This woman is hysterical, and her love of dogs comes through with every word she types. Her post about the guy passed out in her hotel hallway at BlogHer gave me the Anderson Cooper giggles.

Doggy Dessert Chef. A woman after my own heart. I don’t know if she’ll have anything controversial to pull up, but her recipes are so awesome it’s worth a bookmark no matter what.

The 7 MSN Ranch. Truly the Pioneer Woman of pet blogs. From the beautiful photography to the pitch perfect stories, this blog is a treat for the eyes and the heart. I don’t always read pet blogs, but when I do, I prefer the 7MSN Ranch.

Your Daily Cute. Dorian’s blog is like candy for your brain. It’s great enough to almost make me forget I’m a dog person. I don’t always read cat blogs…oh wait, I already did this joke.

Voila!