How fun! Dog Jaunt won the Versatile Blogger award from Vanessa and her furry cohorts at Nico & The Bandit, a delightful blog of “creative canine content” I recently discovered. Thanks so much! I’d put N&B on my list (see below), but I have to follow the rules, which are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave it to you.

Thank you, Vanessa, Nico and Bandit! I love writing about traveling with a small dog, but it wouldn’t be any fun without an audience and colleagues — I really appreciate the shout-out.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

• Chloe is my first dog since childhood — I grew up with a St. Bernard and a Dachshund (yes, at the same time!)
• I yearn for a second Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, to be named “Flora” (after the heroine of Cold Comfort Farm), but I yearn in vain (my husband requires his under-seat space for his legs)
• We nearly named Chloe “Clementine,” but a three-syllable name is really too long — she’d end up “Clemmie” or “Teenie,” neither of which speaks to me
• While Chloe’s pee-on-command phrase doesn’t have much of an effect on her, it works like a charm on me — time and again I find myself crossing my legs anxiously while she considers her options
• We also have four cats. Chloe respects them.
• I’d move to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Rome or Paris in a heartbeat
• Given the choice between lemon and chocolate desserts, I’ll choose lemon every time

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and you think are great:

(I’ve known about some of these bloggers for a while, so I’m breaking the rules a little bit. Nevertheless, here’s my list.)

• Doggy Bytes
• Take Paws
• Will My Dog Hate Me?
• Dancing Dog Blog
• Pet News and Views
• Boulder Dog
• Dog Spelled Forward
• Travels with My Dog
• Travelling Pets
• Doggie Stylish
• And A Small Dog
• Phetched
• How to Travel with Pets
• 12 Legs
• Champion of My Heart