Denali

Denali

This week I had the opportunity to meet yet another sweet little golden retriever puppy. She was so fluffy that my friend Kellum asked, "Do you think golden retriever puppies are fluffier than they used to be?" Haha I don't know the answer to that, but I do agree that she had a beautiful golden coat and will certainly grow into a perfect adult dog.

This particular little pup's name is Denali and she belongs to a recent grad and nurse named Kendall. I owe all of you seniors and recent grads a big thank you for getting puppies this year, probably against your parents' wishes. You're all great support for the success of this blog.

Funny enough though, I met Denali while she was being babysat by my friend's boyfriend's brother. Remember the six degrees of separation theory? This is the theory that we're connected to anyone through six connections. We're pretty much there in this situation. I met Denali at lunchtime at Merritt's on Monday and we hit it off right away. She's a four-month-old golden retriever with about as much spunk and energy as you can imagine a puppy might have. She pulled me all over the place in a desperate search for bacon amongst the gravel. As other dog's approached, she let out her first barks of the day. Once the other little dogs came over to greet her, she played gently and was so happy for the puppy-to-puppy interaction.

Denali & New Friends

The curiosity of young dogs in particular is so intriguing to me as a bystander. I love to watch how interested they are in every little thing. Every smell, person, sight, and sound is something new and exciting. Someone once explained to me that babies often cry just because they're introduced to something new and they don't know what to think of it. I think dogs are the same way. They have their natural instincts with people and their surroundings, but they're often caught off guard by new things. Same with us, really. Ever tried talking to your dog on FaceTime? They recognize your voice, but they can't find you. Of course, they instantly bark. If you haven't yet tried this, do it. My family's dog Crockett tilts his head to the side, looking like he's trying to figure out what's going on. It's so interesting to imagine what they're thinking.

That type of curiosity about new things is something I try to act on in my life. Being curious helps you to try new things, learn about new things, and get the most out of what the world has to offer us. In the LDOC for Branding of Me today, the professor Gary Kayye (@BrandingofMe) inspired us all to try new things and to be curious. I may or may not go to a new place and not book a hotel room until 3pm, but we'll see. If you want to be bold like that, be my guest and get the @HotelTonight app. As I prepare to leave UNC soon, I plan to act on my curiosity and lead the most impactful life that I can. Thanks for inspiring me Gary the Professor and Denali the Puppy. It's the little things.

Until next time,
Lily

Dogs & Advertising

Hey everyone! This week I ran across an ad for Budweiser that I hadn't seen in a while. It aired in 2014 and took the internet by storm. If you know me well or have ever ridden in my car or sat next to me on the couch, you'd know that I love commercials. This may be surprising to some of you because most people are so annoyed by commercials. They are way too long between segments of your favorite TV shows. I agree sometimes, but often I don't fast forward if there are good ones on. Sure, somebody is always trying to sell you something with a corny jingle or yelling at you or however else. The thing is, I love these jingles - my boyfriend Kevin knows this quite well. I am always reciting the commercials, in particular for Alarm Force, Michael & Son's, and Crazy Kevin Powell car ads. My friend Francie and I once memorized every word to a CreditReport.com commercial - "I was shopping for a new car, which one's me? A cool convertible or an SUV? Too bad I didn't know my credit was wack. Now I'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact...etc." Hopefully there's not a video of us doing that online. If you find one, enjoy.

So back to this Budweiser Ad.... it popped up on my Facebook news feed the other day and I was brought to tears by its message once again. **Another thing you should know about me - anything with dogs, military families or love stories will bring the tears welling to the surface of my eyes. My roommate Madalyn always gives me the side glance during the sad part of a movie to check if I'm crying... and most of the time I am. She knows me well. This particular Budweiser ad features a yellow lab and his dad. As he grows up, they do everything together. One night his dad doesn't come home after a night of going out with friends. You instantly think... NOOOO he died, he's never going to come back and his dog is going to be left all alone with no one to love him. This is the teary part folks. But thankfully, that's not the ending. He comes in the door the next morning just as the dog has about given up hope. He says, as the dog smiles and runs to him, "Hey, I'm sorry, I decided I shouldn't drive home last night. I stayed at Dave's." As the video says, "Make a plan to make it home." Get home safely to your puppies and your people, they need you! Drunk driving is never the right option. Be safe and stay safe. Always remember, whether you have a dog at home or not, #FriendsAreWaiting.

I am always intrigued by advertisements that use dogs, and I know I'm not the only one. Those new Subaru commercials with the golden retriever mom driving and the puppy in the car seat, the Budweiser Clydesdales commercials with the puppy and the horse becoming best friends, etc. They all hit me in just the spot to get a reaction. These ads pull on our emotions. Dogs give us this sense of comfort, of love, of friendship. We care deeply for them and they do the same in return. Ads with dogs are just genius. I salute you, advertising people. You've got the right idea.

Until next time,
Lily

Junior the Husky

Hey friends!

Last Thursday night I got to meet a 9-month-old Husky puppy named Junior. My friend Jill (@JillEuchner) had a Scentsy party, AKA a wine and buffalo chicken dip party that just so happened to have candles etc. for sale. We had a great time just hanging out and smelling candle waxes. The event was called "Sip 'n Sniff" on Facebook so I'm sure there were some questions and concerns from my FB friends when I accepted that invitation haha.

About Junior though! Jill and her housemates were taking care of him for the weekend while his owner was on formal weekend with his fraternity. I felt pretty lucky to get to hang out with this pup. He was so calm and probably the softest puppy I have ever pet. I don't know if that means that all Huskies are like that or if he just hasn't grown out of his puppy hair yet, or maybe he's just special. Regardless, I'm so glad I met him and got to enjoy time with him at the party. Jill bribed me with Junior so that I would come... of course I was already going, so that was just an added bonus. We even got in a little photo shoot, so it was a successful night all around. I bought some candle waxes too so I'm excited to get those and have fond memories of that night every time I burn them.

Thanks for a fun night of friends, food, good smells, and puppy loving Jilly! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Until next time,

Lily

Brady the Lab

Brady the Lab

Good afternoon Tar Heels!

Today I want to tell you about this playful little puppy who is brand new to our beautiful town of Chapel Hill. His name is Brady (@bradydog12) and he's a 3-month-old yellow labrador retriever who just moved to Chapel Hill with his family. His parents moved here from Boston just a month ago and picked him up in Asheville on the way. As you may imagine, his parents are New England Patriots fans and named brady after the Patriots' QB Tom Brady. Though I love the name, I'm hoping we can turn these guys into Panthers fans! We'll see ;). Regardless of loyalties, I'm glad that this happy family moved to NC and I'm grateful Ali and Brady would join me for an interview. I luckily happened upon Brady's account on Instagram a few weeks ago and was thrilled to get to meet he and Ali in person. What a time for them to come to this little part of Heaven too! Everything is beautifully in bloom and there are tons of people around to provide lots of petting. We witnessed that first-hand last week on campus during our interview.

As I sat with Brady and his mom Ali at the Old Well, we were approached over and over by wide-eyed students longing for some puppy love. Meeting on campus at 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon, we managed to land ourselves in the middle of at least 10 tour groups full of prospective students and their parents. Of course, EVERYONE wanted to play with Brady... and he loved every minute of it. He had a bunch of toys he'd brought along too, including a red frisbee that he has taken a particular interest in. Since moving to this college town, Brady has sparked a strong connection with red solo cups, making me think this must be why the red frisbee seems so great. 

Because of all the prospective students having a drink from the Well, water was running everywhere. Brady played endlessly and got all wet and muddy. Leave it to a labrador to take advantage of any amount of water lying around! After one of his parents takes a shower at home, he'll immediately run in and play around in the water that's left. I'd love to see that in action! At least shower water is clean and he's pretty much giving himself a bath when he plays in it. Bet his mom loves that.

Though he's very playful and kind already, Brady has been going to Puppy Kindergarten to learn some more skills. He gets to be sociable with the other puppies there and his mom gets trained some too! He's looking forward to being able to go to the Dog Park in a couple of months when he's a little more grown up. Look out Dog Park dogs, this little pup will be there soon! After playing with a Great Dane and a German Shepherd over Easter Weekend, Brady knows he's ready for more interaction with other dogs. He played with a few different puppies during our time at the Old Well and made it very clear that he's good at making friends - both human and K9.

I loved meeting Brady and Ali and I hope to see them again before the end of the semester! If you spot them on campus, be sure to give them a kind welcome to our home! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and get to spend plenty of time with the pups and people you love.

Until next time,
Lily

The {Trolly Stop}ped the Dogs for a Picture

Hey everybody! I want to share this great idea I saw tonight at the Trolly Stop hot dog restaurant on Franklin Street.

After I ordered my moose-tracks ice cream, I started to walk around and check things out. This was my first time at the Trolly Stop, so naturally I wandered a little. They had great posters, quotes, and pictures all over the walls. As I looked up above the ice cream bar, I saw a huge collage of pictures; at first I thought they were just pictures of people who had stopped in to get a hot dog. Being a kind of short person, I guess I missed the sign that said "You and Your Dog" haha. All the people in the Polaroid pictures had their dogs with them and had stopped for a picture. Each person wrote the dog's name and date of the visit on the picture. It was really interesting to see the dogs and all of the creative names people come up with for their pups. Crowd favorite: Wolf Gang. I'll assume no connection to NC State! I look forward to seeing how this wall of fame expands in the coming years.

Like Sutton's Drug Store, one of my favorite places in Chapel Hill, Trolly Stop made a great display of their loyal customers through pictures on the walls. In both restaurants, the pictures make you feel welcome and feel that the place really cares about its customers... at least that's how I felt! Nice work guys. Hopefully some of those pups got a hot dog out of the photo op! TBD on whether pups can eat hot dogs... I'm no veterinarian here.

For my own collection of all the Dogs of Chapel Hill I've encountered, be sure to follow @dogsofchapelhill on Instagram!

Until next time,

Lily

Sonoma

Sonoma and Amanda

You may be thinking "Williams-Sonoma", "Sonoma wine country", "Sonoma County"... but what(who) I'm going to tell you about is Sonoma Schroeder. A sweet 9-year-old family dog and a mighty fine resident and Dog of Chapel Hill. A "mini" golden doodle (mini poodle + golden retriever) from Liberty Pines Doodles. I promise I'm not (too) biased folks, this really is a coincidental pattern of blog posts about golden doodles. Anyway... I met Sonoma through her sister Amanda and loved her from the start. As an older dog, she has a lot of personality and clearly a lot of love for her family. We had our interview at Merritt's - the home of an incredible BLT and one of my very favorite local spots in Chapel Hill. If you haven't been there, go ASAP. It's not going anywhere, but it will make your life instantly better with that first overwhelming whiff of bacon when you walk through the door. 

We sat outside on a beautiful Sunday afternoon as Sonoma very diligently sniffed for bacon scraps under every table. She was friendly to all the BLT eaters and the other dogs walking by. She'd wander off on her long leash and we'd have to reel her back from greeting the people sitting at the table next to us.. A people person, really. She loves to have her time with her family and spends an hour or so before bedtime most nights resting in the human bed with her family. She's not so fond of other people being on her dog bed though... a little territorial in that way. Somoma also loves other dogs and tries to act tough around them, but she usually gives in and rolls over on her back when playing with little dogs. I think that's one of the many things that witness to her sweet sensitivity. She gives kisses on command and even licks away the tears when you cry. That may be for the love of the salty taste too, but we'll give her the benefit of the doubt and credit her sensitivity instead.

As for the other things that make Sonoma's life full and happy, she loves a good kong with peanut butter in it - ATTN. dog owners: these are great when frozen! For recipes to make for a kong and make your puppy extra happy, go here. 

Sonoma also enjoys being at the beach, but has never quite grown to like the waves. She doesn't much like stairs either in her older years, possibly because of her eyesight and trouble with depth perception. But get this girl an elevator and she's good to go! Who needs stairs anyway, right?

Throughout her nine years, Sonoma has certainly mellowed out and learned to appreciate the calm parts of being a dog. Her puppy times creep back in every now and then and she has certainly not lost her spunk, but she enjoys a good day of napping too. Who doesn't though? She's "tolerant" of cuddles and loves to show her family that she loves them. Especially her mama who keeps an eye out for her during the day and night. For her family and everyone she meets, she makes them happy and takes away any and all bad feelings. At the end of the day, that's what we all need. We should all be like this sweet Sonoma.

A huge thank you to Amanda for telling me her story and for sharing her puppy time with me! Thank you also to all of you who tune in and show love for the Dogs of Chapel Hill. If any of you know any Tar Heel pups, please let me know! I'd love to meet them and have them on the blog. Have a lovely start to your week! 

Until next time,
Lily

The Branding of Dogs

Credit: Snoopy and the Gang

Hello everyone! In case you didn't already know, I'm currently in a course called the Branding of Me, and Dogs of Chapel Hill is a major part of that. In my first blog post called I'm a Dog Person, I discussed why I love dogs and what mine have meant to me throughout my life. Dogs are inspirational in their loyalty, compassion, companionship, and unrelenting awareness of your well-being. These characteristics give us an example of what kind of people we should strive to be. If only we all greeted each other as our dogs greet us... if only we showed compassion for every person who looked like they were having a bad day... if only we could relinquish our pride and love people unconditionally no matter what hurtful things they said when they were angry. You realize that dogs are EXCEPTIONAL creatures when you step back and look at it all in "people terms".

This fall, I participated in interviews for my first full-time career job - a pretty overwhelming and exciting experience to take part in. I enjoyed hearing about the companies, their missions, and the groundbreaking methods they're using to change the world. As I sat in an auditorium seat at the MetLife Women in Technology event, the speaker began to explain why the Peanuts characters, and particularly Snoopy, are icons for the company. Snoopy, a dog, represents loyalty. For customers, employees, and any person who may question the integrity of the company and the people who run things.

"Since 1985 Snoopy has served as an ambassador for MetLife, enhancing the warm, approachable quality that is important to the MetLife brand. Our logo and Snoopy work together to unify the many communications provided by various entities of our company." - MetLife, Snoopy as Brand Icon

This branding strategy stuck with me and I found myself in the final round interview room answering a question from the HR director about "why Snoopy?". I certainly will not forget "Why Snoopy?" and thankfully I didn't on that day. In November, I accepted an offer as a Business Systems Analyst in Regional Application Development at MetLife, where I start my career in July. I am thrilled to take on this role and quite honestly humbled to be represented by a dog.

Until next time,
Lily