The Liebster Award

I am extremely honored to have recently been nominated for the Liebster Blogging Award by Jen Gabbard at Puppy Leaks! One of the reasons I’m so honored is that Puppy Leaks happens to be one of my all-time favorite blogs – it’s a great source of information about health, training, nutrition, behavior, and helpful tips for everyday living with your dog. Thank you so much for the nomination, Jen!

The Liebster Award is an award given by bloggers to honor and promote new up and coming blogs. To accept the award involves answering 11 questions about yourself and your blog, then nominating 3-11 other bloggers and asking 11 questions of your own.

So here goes! Below are the 11 questions Jen asked me:

1. What Inspired You to Start Blogging?

The inspiration for Good Pet Parent came from a friend and former colleague, who knew about my background in veterinary medicine and how much I enjoyed helping friends and family with understanding their pets’ bloodwork results, lab tests, medical conditions, and behavior. He suggested I find a way to bring that knowledge to more people, so here we are.

2. What Motivates You to Keep Blogging?

To me, it’s the best feeling in the world when someone I’ve never met leaves a comment on the blog and says I shared something that really helped them. It truly makes me happy to be able to help both animals and people, and it’s what motivates me in almost every area of my life.

3. Who, What, or Where Does Your Blogging Inspiration Come From?

Most of my inspiration comes from my experiences as a Veterinary Technician. I spent 7 years in veterinary medicine, and in that time I saw a LOT of interesting cases. And because I worked so closely with clients, I know what questions pet parents tend to ask, so I try to address those topics on the blog. I love being able to share true stories that are both interesting and educational.

4. What Types of Blog Posts do You Enjoy Reading?

I love educational posts that I can learn something from that also include personal stories to help illustrate the point. It’s always fun to hear about other people’s experiences with their pets – you can gain a lot of insight from those situations.

5. What Types of Blog Posts do You Love Writing?

I love writing about anything to do with animals, since I find everything about them fascinating. I also feel the same way about veterinary medicine. Maybe it’s the whole left-brain/right-brain balance thing, the best of both worlds – science and emotion.

But one topic I especially enjoy writing about is animal behavior and ways that we can better understand it so we can communicate more effectively with our pets. Although science likes to make a huge distinction between humans and animals, with a few notable exceptions, we’re really not so different.

6. What Are Your Pets’ Worst Habits?

I have 3 cats – Jasper, Trouble, and Squirt. I have to say they are all pretty laid-back, very well-behaved boys, but they do have their quirks. Jasper loves to unroll the toilet paper and eat it, while the “baby” of the family, Squirt, does this thing where if you’re not getting his breakfast ready quickly enough in the morning, he nibbles on your pinkie toes!

7. What Wisdom Have You Learned from Your Pets?

My pets have taught me that happiness in life is really pretty simple. Did you sleep in a warm, safe bed last night?  Were you fed at least twice today? Did you get to feel the sunlight on your face? Then all in all, it was a pretty good day. 🙂

8. What Are Your Pets’ Favorite Toys?

All the cats have one specific toy that’s “theirs” – for Trouble, it’s a catnip-stuffed leopard-print mouse, while Squirt prefers the rainbow-colored stuffed fish.

My senior kitty, Jasper, has a soft, velvety kick-stick (the one that looks like a long, rectangular tube filled with stuffing) that he drags all around the house. He’s either rabbit-kicking it, lying on top of it, or dragging it over to the patio doors leading outside to the backyard. He then puts his arm around it while he watches the birds outside. I call it his “girlfriend.”

9. What Are Your Pets’ Favorite Games?

All the boys like the laser pointer (used carefully, of course) and anything that involves a wand, string, and something on the end of the string to chase. But sometimes they invent their own games. Jasper doesn’t do it much anymore, but when he was younger, he used to “borrow” small items and hide them all over the house. We would find the most random things hidden between the sheets of our bed, underneath furniture, or in piles of laundry. Fortunately he seemed to outgrow his kitty klepto phase.

10. What Do You Think Your Dog Dreams About?

My dog Spencer used to dream all the time. He would talk in his sleep with little “woofs” and paddle his legs as fast as he could like he was chasing something. Knowing how much he enjoyed chasing birds in his waking life, I think it’s safe to say that’s probably what he was dreaming about. But you never know!

11. Who Are Some of Your Heroes (past or present)?

One of my veterinary heroes is Dr. Guillermo Couto, with whom I did an oncology rotation during my veterinary internship at Ohio State. Not only was he an internationally recognized oncologist and one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet, he was also down-to-earth, compassionate, fun, and loved by everyone. Dr. Couto taught me many things about cancer, life, and loss that I’ve carried with me ever since.

Another hero is Dr. Temple Grandin, the animal welfare advocate and Professor of Animal Science who designs humane livestock handling processes that reduce stress and anxiety for animals who are processed for food. Because Dr. Grandin is autistic, she is better able to view the world as the animals see it, and knows what needs to be done to help make the last few days of these animals less terrifying.

But I think my biggest hero would have to be my Dad. Almost everything I learned about being optimistic and positive, always seeing the beauty in every situation, and knowing the right way to treat people, I learned from him.  🙂

My Nominees

Although I know a few of these fine folks have been nominated for a Liebster Award in the past, I’m still including them since these are some of my favorite blogs:

• Creature Clinic
• Diary of a Real-Life Veterinarian
• Chasing Dog Tales
• Pawsitively Pets
• Companion Animal Psychology
• Leo’s Pet Care
• Rubicon Days

Questions For My Nominees

1. How did you get started blogging? What was your inspiration?
2. Where do you get your best ideas for blog posts?
3. Name one thing you can’t live without.
4. What’s one thing you wish all pet parents knew?
5. What has been the most challenging thing so far about blogging?
6. What do you love most about your pets?
7. Salty or sweet?
8. What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever seen a pet do?
9. Describe your perfect day.
10. Who was your very first pet?
11. Where is your dream vacation destination?

The Rules

Should you accept this award, the rules are:

• Acknowledge and accept the Liebster Award by leaving a comment on the blog where you were nominated.
• Copy and paste the Liebster Award logo onto your own blog.
• Link back to the blogger who awarded you.
• Answer the 11 questions put to you by the person who nominated you.
• Nominate and link to 3 to 11 other blogs you enjoy that have less than 3000 followers or are less than 12 months old.
• List 11 questions for your Liebster Award nominees on your blog.
• Inform your nominees by leaving a comment on their blog.

So until next time, please take a few moments to check out Puppy Leaks, as well as the other fabulous blogs on my Nominee list. I promise you will learn something new about your pets, and be entertained in the process!