Issue #1 has arrived. Your dog approves.
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Issue No. 1 • May 3, 2026
A NEWSLETTER. ABOUT DOGS. OBVIOUSLY.
Oh good, you're here.
You're here because dogs matter and most newsletters forget that.
Bark Bits is where I highlight the shelter dogs who need eyes on them, share the shop updates that fund the advocacy, and go on the occasional unhinged tangent that somehow connects back to a dog in need of a home. There's always a dog. That part is non-negotiable.
Grab your coffee. We've got a lot of ground to sniff.
SHELTER DOG SPAWTLIGHT
Meet Pauly.
Pauly is a bit of a mystery — in the best way.
His mom was a mixed-breed cattle dog. His dad? Let's just say he was a traveling man. What that combination produced is a dog who is full of life, full of love, and absolutely full of potential.
Born July 24, 2025 at Precious Paws Animal Rescue in Franklin, PA, Pauly has never lived in a home. He'll need a patient person willing to show him the ropes — but he is more than ready to learn them. He's already mastered the important stuff: chasing a ball, a good game of tug-of-war, and long walks with the biggest stick he can find.
Here's the part that should make this an easy decision: Pauly's adoption fee has been fully sponsored by My Barking Life. The only thing left to do is apply.
Precious Paws Animal Rescue 720 Atlantic Ave. Franklin, PA 16323 814-671-9827
Can't adopt? Share this. Tag someone. Every pair of eyes on Pauly gets him one step closer to home.
FRESH FETCH
Is your dog ready if disaster strikes?
Bad weather season is here. Your evacuation plan probably has a spot for your family, but does it have a spot for your dog?
Here's an uncomfortable truth: most public emergency shelters don't allow pets. Which means if you haven't thought through where your dog goes when things go sideways, you're making that decision under pressure — and under pressure is the worst time to make it.
The good news is that getting your pet disaster-ready doesn't take much. It takes a plan, a kit, and about an afternoon.
This week's post is a practical one — it includes a pet disaster preparedness checklist you can actually use. Download the printable PDF and stick it on the fridge, tuck it in a go-bag, or send it to every pet parent you know who still hasn't thought about this stuff.
MEANWHILE...
May the Fourth Be With Your Wallet
Starting Monday, May 4 at 11AM, everything in the My Barking Life Threadless shop is 20% off — tees, stickers, mugs, all of it. Sale runs through Wednesday at 6PM, so you've got a solid window to grab something good.
Use code UNLOCK20 at checkout.
Sit. Stay. Apply.
My Barking Life offers Training Assistance Grants to help pet owners cover the cost of professional training classes. Classes start next month and spots are limited — if you've been putting this off, now's the time.
Tell a Friend (Seriously, Though)
This is Issue 1. If it landed in your inbox, someone thought you'd like it — and they were right. Forward it to one person who needs more dogs in their life. The dogs will thank you. Probably.
THE FEED
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
XOXO, The Shelter Girl Series
Every dog in this series is real, adoptable, and entirely too good to be sitting in a kennel right now. New episodes whenever Ohio's shelter dogs demand it. Which is always. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
The dog I didn't like — and why I'll never stop fighting for him
This is the story of how Pike — the dog who almost broke me — became the dog I cannot imagine my life without.
That's a wrap on our first issue!
Thanks for being here and for caring about the dogs — it matters more than you know. And if you share Bark Bits with one person this week, you'll have my eternal gratitude and a permanent gold star. You know what you did.
See you next Sunday. Give your dog a belly rub for me.
WOOF!
Kim, Pike, and Gus
You're getting Bark Bits because you're a dog person with excellent taste.
Forward this to someone who needs more dogs in their inbox.
© 2025 My Barking Life. All rights reserved.
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