Last year, after receiving Kristine’s 11 Must Reads for 2011 (from Rescued Insanity), I created the cheat’s version in “5 Favourite Dog Blogs of 2011“, but then also committed to making a list of must reads from 2012. I then exceeded these plans by deciding to make four best of lists: My favourite blogs, my favourite blog posts by others, my favourite blog posts by myself, and the most popular blog posts from me (according to Google Analytics). So here we go!
My 5 Favourite Blogs of 2012
Saving Pets blog.
1. “Saving Pets” hasn’t budged from the rankings as my absolute favourite blog. This blog exposes inadequacies in welfare, predominately in Australia, looking at the failings of Breed Specific Legislation (especially in Victoria), highlighting how society currently funds kill shelters, number crunching stats that demonstrates the problems associated with the Lost Dogs Home and RSPCA, and many other worthwhile posts. I am so excited to read every post, and I particularly appreciate how breeders are never targeted as problematic in the shelter pet-killing culture.
2. I have only recently started reading the “Dogged Blog” by Christie Keith, but I am so glad I have! The posts made about sheltering and animal welfare are very well articulated, and compliment Saving Pets (above) in terms of content. I am so glad I found this blog and I look forward to continuing to follow. My favourite pieces include “Why shelter killing has nothing to do with ‘pet over-population’” and “What opponents of free pet adoption don’t get“.
3. The “Doggone Safe” blog covers a topic I’m passionate about: Dog-child safety. It very much target audiences, and it’s written in an accessible way for those readers. For example, posts like, “My dog growled at my child – now what?“. I share this content as much as I can, as I think it’s really important!
4. Denise Fenzi’s blog (which doesn’t seem to have a name?) has been another favourite of mine during the past year. Denise really brings fun into training and often inspires me to actually do some training with my dogs. She also has some good, novel ideas, like practising heelwork to a metronome.
5. My fifth choice for my favourite blogs goes to “Angry Vet” blog. I love the upfront approach of this blog, that gets to the point and isn’t afraid to challenge standard veterinary practice – and it’s normally things that I’ve been thinking all along!
My 5 Favourite Blog Posts by Others in 2012:
Favourite five blog posts by others in 2012 (in spirit of Eleven Must-Reads from 2011 from Rescued Insanity in last year):
‘My Dog: The Paradox’ by the Oatmeal.
1. “My Dog: The Paradox” from The Oatmeal (not a dog blog). This makes me smile, and cry, everytime I read it. Please note this is not safe for work.
2. From Dogs Naturally Magazine, “Heartworm Medication Part 1: Truths, Omissions and Profits” (and could I sneakily make note of Part 2, too?). For a long time I have believed that the heartworm treatment epidemic is unnecessary, considering the specific conditions that heartworm requires to develop. This post looks into heartworm specifically in the USA.
3. How many times have you heard, “It’s how you bring them up that matters?”, especially around bully-type dogs. This phrase had bugged me for a long time, so I was wrapped when Notes From a Dog Walker posted, “It’s not how they’re raised, it’s how dogs are managed that matters most“. It’s an excellent post that doesn’t leave anything out! A well deserved place in my top 5.
4. I know this is a dog blog, but I found this blog post too interesting to not share. “Fairy wrens teach secret passwords to their unborn chicks to tell them apart from cuckoo imposters“. Amazing stuff!
5. Team Unruly made a great post about “Not Good Enough“. It questions the requirements of some rescue groups in their adoptions, and whether having strict adoption criteria is in the best interest of rescue.
Honourable mention: From Fanny Gott’s blog, “Epic learning a big lesson” (that bitches in season aren’t a reason to not work!).
My 5 Favourite Posts from This Blog:
This is a simple list – my favourite 5 blog posts from the year:
Resources for New Puppy Owners
Environmental Enrichment and Stress
Television is good for puppies
Other’s 5 Favourite Blog Posts from this Blog
According to Google Analytics, the most visited pages on my blog this year were:
How to Reduce Your Dog’s Weight
Seven Steps to Off-Leash Reliability
Introducing Dulcie (side note: Sadly, Dulcie is still looking for her forever home.)
Long Term Confinement Area for Puppies
So there it is! 4×5! I would love to know what your favourites were in 2012.
Thanks for the link! I have yet to post my list from last year and feel pretty bad about that. It’s something that is a lot of fun to do and I really enjoy checking out others. I’d better get on it before it’s too late!
Denise Fenzi’s blog is also one of my favourites from last year. From a dog sport perspective she offers a lot of really great and simple advice.
Thanks for taking the time to compile all of these terrific posts. I have a lot of reading to do!
No, don’t feel bad about it! Do what you want – it’s your blog! I just included you as my original inspiration for this blog formatting. That being said, I have found a couple of blogs doing a similar thing, and I love it. It makes me discover new content I might’ve otherwise missed!
Awesome list! Thanks for the links to the top blogs you follow, I’ll start checking them out as well