PHOTOS: Playing with pups at Paws in the Park in Orlando

I've been away, and I've let the blog go.

You see, back in May I was diagnosed with bulging discs in my lower back. After several months of physical therapy I was starting to feel better.

Then just after New Year's the pain flared up again. I was very miserable, and it took weeks to feel better. Then I got sick.

Between that and regular life it's been tough to get back to doing this. But I want to get back to it.

So I'm making a late New Year's resolution: from now on, three posts a week! It's a promise. And I also promise to get back to doing what I started this blog for: to tell stories about my crazy dogs.

This past weekend Lulu and I went to Paws in the Park in Orlando! The annual event benefits Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando (where we adopted Lulu all those years ago!).

Pet Alliance is an animal shelter, but it's also an organization that tries to help pet lovers in the community so that people have happy, responsible relationships with pets.

Take a look at some pics of our adventure.

Limited ingredient diets for allergy-suffering dogs #naturalbalance

When it comes allergies, diet can be everything.

Jasmine gets quite itchy when she eats things she shouldn't. Her skin also gets dry and flaky if I let it go too long. She'll scratch and scratch, sometimes all night. That's why we've been sticking to limited ingredient diet dog foods -- like Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets®.

Lottery dreams: How to open a non-profit for dogs

Congratulations! You've won the Powerball jackpot! You're a millionaire!

If you're like some of the many dog lovers I've met, you dream of opening a shelter, rescue, sanctuary or some other non-profit for pets. You thrill at the idea of opening all the cages at the pound and piling them into your car and taking them to a new home.


I'm sure you're also aware that it's not as easy as that.

 But if you have the cash to make your dream come true, we have the information to help you get started.

See all the winners of Deck the Dog House 2015

The holidays are rough! I feel like I am always out of time. There's always something that gets left behind.

I also didn't get around to announcing the winners of the the Deck the Dog House contest before Christmas! Sorry about that. But I did notify all the winners.

I want to start out by saying everyone did an amazing job this year. The entries were fantastic! My judges, (Jodi Chick of Kol's Notes and my mom, lol) both said choosing the winners were especially hard.

How the judging worked:

• Each judge came up with a list of 10 contestants, for each of the 10 prizes.
• Any contestant chosen by both judges instantly got a prize
• Any contestant ties were broken by me. This happened for four contestants. In the end, two contestants didn't make the top 10. This was my decision

Anyone who didn't win this year, please don't get discouraged. Please try again next year. For one thing, all winners this year are barred from entering next year, so that more people have a chance. And at least one of our winners this year did not win last year. So please just keep entering.

Also, all contestants will coupon codes to two Etsy websites. My friends at Kitsch and Crossbones and The French Dog have graciously given these coupon codes so that everyone can enjoy these awesome handmade products.

So without further adieu, here are the winners:

Hallmark dog prize winner:
"A sledding Waffos goes" -- Kelly Seals

"Waffos enjoys playing in his pool in the Summer time. In the Winter he just likes to play with the pool as a toy . Then  I decided to turn the pool into a " Sleigh Bed" for the Winter so he would enjoy his blankets & bed in there. I have had the 2 little German Shepherds stuffed critters  & I thought Waffos would love to have some company in his sleigh day photo. The weather here in Texas in our town has been in the 70's so I had to "create' a Winter scene." 
Hallmark other pet prize winner:
"Snoopy Christmas" -- Katrina Koski

"This snoopy house took 5 hours to make and all it is a big moving box covered is red wrapping paper(I was going to use poster board but all the stores in town were out of red) then I had to pant on the stripe which was hard because I had to make Rabbit safe pant. sSo that's pretty much how I did it."

Lionel Train winner:
"Countdown to Christmas" -- Kerry Swartwood

 Big dog toy winner:
"Christmas bed" -- Jessica Gibson

Small dog toy winner:
"Snoopy's Christmas" -- Ann CargenRay

NOTE: We did not get any international entries this year, so I added some prizes for our domestic winners.

Bow tie from The French Dog winner:
"By the Fireplace" -- Jaime Grahek

Four "Peanuts Movie" hats and posters winners:
"Hanukkah" -- Mary Johnson

"Kitty Christmas" -- Melissa LaPierre

"Christmas TV" -- Leslie Penka

"Christmas Lair" -- Piper Dickinson

Again, Congratulations to all the winners! I will be getting the coupon codes to all contestants this weekend!

Deck the Dog House 2015: See all the entries

We are so excited and love all the entries we got for Deck the Dog House 2015!

And now, we'd like to share them all with you. But first, we'd like to remind you about the prizes.

Itchy dog? #NaturalBalance Limited Ingredient Diet at PetSmart

When it comes to bonding with your dog, I've yet to meet a pup who doesn't love the idea of going for a ride -- even if they, like Jasmine, get a little car sick. Especially when that ride leads to goodies for them.

So today, Lulu, Jasmine and I headed to PetSmart®. We're trying out a new dog food, and we wanted to pick out just the right kind.

Just a few days left! Decorate for your dog and win prizes!

UPDATE: We've decided, to give people more time, we will extend the deadline for Deck the Dog House 2 days -- to Dec. 15! So work this weekend and get those entries in!

Only 5 days left to enter the Deck the Dog House photo contest!

And I'm a little worried. I've only gotten three entries so far!