dogs in wheelchairs

Welcoming the Familiar. Joie’s School Appearance Debut.

Posted by Barbara Techel

joie and me april 2013Joie and I will be making our first school appearance on May 10th. Well, I guess I should say it is actually Joie’s first appearance at a school as I’ve done these quite a few times.

I’m working on updating my presentation which will now be a mix of Frankie’s story and will include Joie’s as well.  I think there will be some wonderful teaching moments. I had John take this photo above as I needed a new one to send to school’s when they book a visit with us.

When Frankie passed away I really didn’t think I’d ever be doing school visits again. But I’m happy to give it a try with Joie and see if she  is up for it. While I don’t know if I will do as many as I did with Frankie, I am excited about integrating this into my schedule and doing some during the school year again.   I’m hoping the visit and presentation goes well, so I can also look into us visiting classrooms via Skype as well.

Though my life feels like a whole new chapter -a whole new book, really, since Frankie has been gone–It also feels familiar with going back to some of the things I did before.

I welcome the familiar, but am also excited to continue to move forward with new adventures.

—

Tomorrow for my continued Joyful Paws Jaunt Blog Tour I’ll be sharing my guest post on Mad About Dachshunds. If you love Dachshunds you really need to check out their website and Facebook page.  Stop on by my blot post tomorrow and leave a comment so your name can be entered to win a e-book copy of Through Frankie’s Eyes. 

Special and Exciting Announcement! Plus My Guest Post on National Dog Week Today!

Posted by Barbara Techel

nwnrdd 404I’m so excited to share this wonderful news today!

As many of you know I created National Walk ‘N Roll Dog Day (NWNRDD) in memory of Frankie and in honor of all dogs in wheelchairs around the world, which I established in August 2012, two months after Frankie passed away.

It’s my hope to continue Frankie’s legacy by bringing positive awareness to dogs in wheelchairs, educating others that dogs in wheelchairs can (and do!) lead quality lives.  NWNRDD began with a website as well as a Facebook page. As of today, we have 1,312 people part of this wonderful, growing community.

While the day was not officially designated, I hoped to have that done soon, so was diligent in sharing the work of NWNRDD as much as I could. I also applied for official designation this past January with Chase’s Calendar of Events.  Chase is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference available on special events, holidays, federal and state observances, historic anniversaries and more.

The exciting news is that my application for NWNRDD has been accepted! This means even more people will have an opportunity to learn about NWNRDD, join our community, and help spread the positive awareness… which I believe, will ultimately save more pets’ lives that become disabled so others have this knowledge of the option of dog wheelchairs and how we can help our pets.

Thank you to everyone who joined NWNRDD community since its inception in August as that certainly helped with my application for the official designation!

To top this off, I had my guest post planned well in advance for today with National Dog Week (NDW) for my Joyful Paws Jaunt Blog Tour. I love the synchronicity of how this all unfolded!  So without further ado, I invite you to check out my blog post on NDW blog today, as well as encourage, and invite you to join NDW Community on Facebook.  Afterall, we dog lovers can never get enough of dogs, right?

Let the Joyful Paws Jaunt On Line Book Tour Begin for “Through Frankie’s Eyes”

Posted by Barbara Techel

IMG_1286 c

My publicist, a.k.a. Joie, gave the approval to announce the schedule for my Joyful Paws Jaunt. This is my on line book tour that begins this week. You will find me and my new book Through Frankie’s Eyes making stops at blogs, radio shows, and a few in person events I’ll share over the next three months.  Below is the full schedule.  I will also be adding where I’ll be on any certain day to the end of upcoming blog posts when appropriate.

Before I announce the schedule, I do have to let you know that I was interviewed for the Tiny House Blog today. I was so excited to be featured on this blog that I’ve been following and admiring for many months now. You can see photos of my writing cottage as well as read my thoughts on tiny house living. Thank you, Christina for the opportunity to be on the blog!

Joyful Paws Jaunt- On Line Book Tour for Through Frankie’s Eyes

Tuesday, March 4th:  Host Kim Gifford’s recorded audio interview with me on her blog Pugs and Pics.

Week of March 11th:  Host Tammy Strobel (and author of You can Buy Happiness) of Rowdy Kitten’s blog interviews me.

Thursday, March 21st:  Radio host, Yvonne Perry interviews me for We Are One in Spirit. Show begins at 2:00pm cst. We will talk about staying connected with our beloved pets even after they have passed.

Monday, March 25th: Host Kathleen Pooler of Memoir’s Writer’s Journey blog shares my guest post on the benefits of being vulnerable when writing a memoir.

Tuesday, April 2nd:  Radio host, Janet Roper interviews me on her upbeat and fun Talk 2 the Animals radio show. Begins at 8:00pm cst.

Friday, April 5th:  Book signing at Cassy Tully-Fine Art. Part of her First Fridays series featuring different authors, artists, and photographers.

Wednesday, April 10th:  Host Linda Hoye of Slice of Life-Writing will share my guest post on the writing process.

Wednesday, April 17:  Host Lisa Begin-Kruysman of National Dog Week will interview me about how our beloved dogs help us to be more compassionate and giving people.

Week of April 22nd:  I will be doing a guest post for the growing Mad about Dachshunds based in the UK. Dachshunds have become so popular in the UK that there is a 2-year waiting list to adopt one!

Wednesday, May 1st:  Host Mary Shafer of Almost Perfect Pet’s  blog will interview me as we talk about our shared love of pets with special needs.

Saturday, May 4th:  Book signing event at Bookworm Gardens for their opening day of the season.  “Walk, Roll, and Read”  honoring Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog Day will start with a walk/run around the university loop across from the gardens (under one mile), reading stations, activities, and book signing.  Bring the kids to meet Joie, my new ‘walk ‘n roll dog!”

Tuesday, May 7th:  Author Jackie Bouchard of What the Dog Ate will host me on her blog.

Tuesday, May 14th:  Host Abby Thomas will host me on her blog Our Dachshund Sophie. We are two women who have a very deep love for our love dogs on wheels so it is sure to be a heartwarming interview.

Tuesday, May 21st: Radio host Deb Scott will interview me on her inspirational The Best People we Know radio show. Airs at 10:00am cst.

Tuesday, May 28th:  Host Peggy Frezon of Peggy’s Pet Place will host me on her popular blog.

Be sure to share this schedule with family and friends so they can also join in the fun and inspiration!