January 9, 2015

Pooch Smooches Takes the Pet Blogger Challenge

Today is the Fifth Annual Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by Go Pet Friendly (check them out if you like to travel with your pets!). It's a way for bloggers to "encourage, motivate and support each other." If you're a pet blogger and haven't joined already, hop on!


Pet Blogger Challenge Jan. 10 

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone stopping by for the first time, please give us a quick description of what your blog is about.

I started blogging just over 4 years ago. When I wrote my first novel ages ago and signed with my agent back in 2008, she encouraged me to start a blog. I didn't want to because I didn't know what to write about. (Most authors I know write about writing, and I didn't want to do that.) Well, then I ended up starting the blog in 2010 because it was the easiest way to keep friends and family in the loop on our previous dog Abby's bone cancer journey. Even though I was blogging about cancer-related stuff a lot of the time, I tried to keep the blog light and funny.

Now that Abby is gone and we have Rita, I'm keeping up with that "light and funny" stuff. I mostly just blog about silly things that I hope will make people laugh. (I do sometimes try to sneak in helpful info. Three topics that are near and dear to my heart are: rescue, canine cancer and living healthy.) Anyway, I now realize my agent was right! The blog is a great way to stay in touch with other dog lovers, which is great since dog lovers are the ideal readers for my Fido-friendly fiction. (Hey, did I mention my award-winning novel Rescue Me, Maybe is on sale for 99c through the weekend? I guess I just did. Sorry about the shameless self promo. I actually hate self promo, but I like connecting with y'all.)

Um, as an aside, January 10 is the anniversary of Abby's death. It's 3 years now. I still get all weepy when I think about it. In fact, I think that's why I skipped this hop last year. I started doing my post and then was just too sad after looking at old posts. Miss that crazy girl.
Our beautiful, nutty girl. (Stealing a persimmon.)

2. Tell us one thing that you accomplished on your blog during 2014 that made you proud.

This isn't super exciting, but since I'm only techy enough to be a danger to myself and my blog, I'm most proud of two SUPER MINOR tech things I did this year: (1) I added my pretty little row of pale turquoise social media icons on my right sidebar, and (2) I dropped the "blogspot" from my URL to become simply PoochSmooches.com. Yah! (Both these things took me way more time, sweat, and tears than was necessary.) I owe this all to Elizabeth at Chronicles of Cardigan and her handy list of her most-read posts! (Well, I don't owe the sweat and tears to her. That's just due to my own non-techiness.)

3. What lessons have you learned this year – from other blogs, or through your own experience – that could help us all with our own blogs?

I think I might have finally learned to just focus on what I love about blogging and not on the things I don't. Since I don't monetize my blog, I don't really worry too much about my stats and page views and all that kinda stuff. As long as folks leave happy little comments, I'm happy. A simple "LOL" comment makes my day. Sometimes I forget and get hung up in thinking 'wow - that person gets so many more comments/has so many more Facebook likes/etc. than I do", but ultimately it's not about the #s for me. It's about enjoying what I'm writing (sometimes I just crack myself up!) and staying connecting with my other bloggy friends.

That probably doesn't help anyone who IS trying to monetize their blog, but if you're like me and mainly blogging for fun and the connection to other pet-lovers, well, when you get down on yourself/your blog, just remember WHY you're doing it, and remember that it's about the FUN!

4. What have you found to be the most successful way to bring traffic to your blog, other than by writing great content?

Oh, see now here I just said I didn't care about driving traffic... I mean, sure I want folks to see what I'm writing or else what's the point, but I'm not great about doing the things you're supposed to do to drive traffic (like sharing stuff on Pinterest or Instagram or whatever). And I don't really look at my stats to see where the traffic comes from, so... I don't really know what's most successful other than just getting out there and commenting on other blogs so they'll stop by and check out your blog. And hopefully they'll like it, and come back!

5. What was your most popular blog post this year? Did it surprise you that it was your most popular?


Alt. title: Two Rat Bastards of Verona
Oh, you made me go and look at my stats! And, of course, in looking at my stats, I remembered that Blogger is really lame about not pulling the spammer stats out of the "good" stats. So, my most popular post by like three TIMES the amount of views of any other post was The Dog's the Thing, which was about going to see Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona.

This post gets TONS of spam comments on it (which blogger is very good about marking as spam, so why can't they keep that spammy stuff out of my viewing stats?). I'm just guessing here, but I think it gets a ton of spam because it has the word "rape" in it. (I guess we'll test that theory next year cuz now THIS post has the word rape in it.)

Now you're asking yourself why a humorous dog blog post has the word rape in it. (Now it has it multiple times.) It's Shakespeare's fault. Let's just say some of his early works may have been a little bit misguided. (I mean, seriously. The play was supposed to be a comedy.)

Anyway, to get back on track, I think the post that REALLY was the most popular (a high number of views, but I never get spam comments on this one) was: Why to DNA Test Your Dog. It doesn't surprise me that this is a popular post since I know a lot of folks who have thought about getting the testing done. It was fun!
Turned out she wasn't a sheagle!
6. What was your favorite blog post to write this year?

This is a tough one, but I think it was this one about how I jinxed myself saying Rita doesn't sleep next to me, and then she started sleeping next to me! It was called When Bed Dogs Become Bed Hogs, and, as my sis said, it combines three of my favorite things - dogs, math and drawing.

A close runner up is this one about 3 Things to Love About a Reactive Dog, a humorous ode to my crazy girl.

7. Has your policy on product reviews and/or giveaways changed this year? 

Since I don't monetize the blog, I rarely do a review. This year I did even fewer I think. It's usually only if I happen upon something new that I really love and want to share. As for giveaways, I do them every once in a while for my books, but I feel like everyone who reads my blog has probably already read them by now if they were ever gonna, so I haven't done one in a while.

8. What’s your best piece of advice for other bloggers?

Remember why you are doing it! If it's a business/side-business, great. Go for it and keep after that goal. But if it's just for fun, then don't worry about stuff like stats or taking a little bloggy break, etc.
I just wanna make y'all giggle. Hopefully this at least elicits a smile!

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2015?

Simply to keep at it. This year I was happy to (mostly) stick to my twice/week posting schedule. Since I was writing/editing a new book last year, it was hard sometimes but I usually managed to make the time. (I had to take a few breaks for family emergencies and vacations, but that worked out okay and most folks came back.) This year I have another new book to write (and finish so I can start editing it, which I think is the fun part!) so I hope to be able to make the time to keep up the twice/week posting.

10. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

Really the only "challenge" I have is feeling bad when I can't get around to visit everyone's blogs often enough. I know a lot of folks post WAY more often than I do, but since I only post 2 times/week, I tend to also only 'go visiting' 2 times/week. I know that folks understand (cuz they must be in the same boat) that it's impossible to visit all the blogs you want to, but... still I feel bad when I don't read/comment "enough". Just like I feel bad when folks stop coming here. Was it something I said?? I know there's no real answer to this - but I guess I'm just hoping you'll all commiserate with me on this!

 

53 comments:

  1. I love you blog!! Rita is too cute!! :D I just bought your book!! I'm so excited to read it! I've been wanting to since I found your blog but money is so tight right now. Thanks for mentioning that it was on sale.

    As for visiting other blogs, I am so with you on that!! I always feel bad if I somehow miss someone!

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    1. Oh hooray! Glad you were able to pick up the book while it's on sale! I hope you'll enjoy it! And I'm not glad that you also feel bad, but I'm glad I'm not the only one! :)

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  2. Some of the blogs I read make me wish I knew the person in "real life", that we were buddies that hang out together. You are at the very top of that list! Aren't you glad we have a whole big country between us? LOL!

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    1. Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I was just thinking the same thing about you the other day! So, no I wish there wasn't a whole country between us!

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  3. Jackie, I love your creative photos with the thinking bubbles. I think I will have to steal that idea! I also see you're the author of Rescue Me Maybe. It looks wonderful. I am planning to interview authors who write about rescue (fiction and nonfiction) for the blog. Interested?

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    1. Steal away! And, yes, that would be fun to be interviewed! I'm definitely interested!

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  4. Yep, just blog for fun, trying to monetize it is just too annoying and a drain on time, commenting on others is the best way to get readers indeed. I don't think I've missed a post of anyone I follow in years. Helps when you can blog at work lol and are 6 months ahead in posts. Just have to keep on a rolling on

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    1. I'm glad you agree commenting on others is the best way cuz you always have tons of commetns! Not that I'm envious or anything....6 months ahead on posts!! Wow. I write mine the night before!

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  5. I see Taryn's comment and have to say, I know you in "real life" and you are pretty damn fun to hang out with. (Mom made me say that.)

    And I was really sad to realize it has been 3 years since Abby died. Does not seem possible. Sure miss that crazy girl.

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    1. Aw, thanks. Even if Mom made you say it.

      I know, I can't believe its been three years. We can't believe we've had Rita longer than Abby even lived. Poor Ab.

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  6. You know I love your writing, In a book, on a blog, on the beach. Ok, maybe not that. I am looking forward to your new book, and anything funny here.

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    1. Thanks, Mary! I think I'll have new book news soon!

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  7. First, can we discuss how much I laughed about the Shakespeare part? Genius.

    Second, I totally feel you on the visiting blogs thing. This past year, my blog visiting has been EXTREMELY sporadic. And even when I do visit, I don't always comment these days. So, please forgive me for being a slacker - I do want you to know that I do keep up and read my favorites - like you - though! I have been feeling a bit disconnected since I lost Bella, but I do need to find a way to get back into the groove on the community side of things too. I feel like I'm missing out on some primo post inspiration too, because reading other blogs will often spark an idea!

    Oh, and how much I loved Rescue Me, Maybe... SO GOOD.

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    1. Oh hooray, I love to make people laugh! Especially people that I think are hysterically funny!

      So excited to be one of your fave blogs. You probably already know you are one of my faves since I think I lieave a stalker-like number of comments. ;)

      And thanks for the Rescue Me Maybe love!

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  8. okay, from this post alone, I signed up to read your posts by email. Thanks for making me laugh more than once today. I like to laugh for Pete's sake, and those are the blogs I seek out. LeeAnna at not afraid of color

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    1. Oh, hooray! Thanks for signing up and I'm so glad I made you laugh more than once today! Woot!

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  9. I'm embarrassed to say I think this is the first time I've visited your blog, but I will be back for sure! Great photos made me smile - who knew a dog would eat a persimmon? But then again, my girl eats just about anything, so nothing should surprise me! :)

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    1. Ya know... I think today was the first time I visited yours too. How did that happen? :) Angel Abby was a funny girl. She was NOT a chowhound, so I think she probably just wanted to play with that persimmon, not eat it. :)

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  10. Hi Jackie! Thanks for joining the challenge - I'm sorry if falls on such a sad anniversary for you. I love your mission to add humor to our lives - if we all laughed a little more, the world would be a better place. And, I agree with you that each person needs to remember why they love blogging. It's easy to be distracted from that purpose when you start comparing yourself to others and that takes the fun out of things quickly.

    Like you, I wish I had more time to visit other blogs. There never seems to be enough time in the day. And, when I do finally get a free moment, my feed reader is so packed, it's overwhelming! Thanks for the laughs today - I'll look forward to more of your posts in 2015.

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    1. It's so hard to find the time to visit, read everything, comment, etc!

      As for the date, well, it just is what it is. And of course I agree that the world needs more laughter! More silly = more better!

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  11. Hi Y'all,

    Hey, I'm with you in the not visiting as much as I'd like. I'm also with you in not monetizing my blog...hey, I'm a dog. I don't worry about money; it's why I have Humans.

    Oh, and those popular posts...know that feeling. Sex in the Woods was huge...it was butterflies mating. Another biggie, still garnering big numbers after a couple of years, was Invader or Dinner Guest? Maybe that last one keeps drawing Homeland Securities attention. BOL!

    Y'all come on by,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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    1. Hawk, you are wise to not worry about money. That is funny about your Sex in the Woods post! Hope Homeland Security doesn't come knocking!

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  12. We love visiting you and Rita! You are a book author, making it your top priority, the blog is a fun outlet which is great! We post for fun because we enjoy it most of all, but we do monetize too. The only time we look at stats is when someone asks us to, otherwise, we rarely do as it isn't our reason for blogging either. Can't wait to hear more about your new book.

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    1. Thank, Emma! We love to visit you and your sisters too! And, yes, you're write - the book writing has to be the top priority. But sometimes I just don't feel like working on the book, and at least writing for the blog lets me say "I spent some time writing today!" :)

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  13. Wait, editing is the fun part of putting out a book? You just blew my mind. And made me forget everything else I was going to say.

    But probably the most important thing is to tell you I'm sorry for missing Abby on this day. I hope Rita gave you lots of Pooch Smooches to help cheer you up.

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    1. Well, I know I'm weird, but, yes, I love the editing! I'd much rather have some words there to work with and improve than stare at a blank page!

      Rita's not much of a kisser (making the blog now improperly named) but she was a source of many smiles and some snuggles.

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  14. lovely post! loved it! I like you am not into the stats either. ok you told me your blog was a free blog, so you only pay for your name? I thought if you drop the blogger from your name then you must pay for self hosting?

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    1. RIght, I only pay for the name. I don't remember exactly what it cost but I think it was pretty cheap - like less than a coupla bucks a month.

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  15. Oh Jackie, I love reading your answers. I'm sorry the challenge fell on the day of Abby's passing, I can understand why it's such a hard day for you.

    And I'd like to point out, it's not stealing the persimmon if you are holding your hand out to her. :-)

    I started my blog to gain interest in my book, which I still haven't written. :-) And here you are on your third. You are shaming me.

    Love the photo of Rita trying to eat Hubby. It reminded me of a picture I took at my sister's house. We were outside with a burn barrel going and her father in law was sitting on one side talking. I was on the other side taking a photo and my youngest daughter had a big stick and was poking the fire. From the angle of the photo, and the position of Mr. Kelly's arms, it looked like my daughter was shoving him into the barrel. I love those random photos. :-)

    Keep up the good work and don't worry about visiting. I've fallen way behind myself.

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    1. Okay... Maybe "stealing" isn't the right word. :)

      Well, I had the one book done before I started blogging, so I had a bit of a headstart. (I just didn't self pub it until 2 years after starting the blog.)

      That's so funny about the fire photo. And thank you for commiserating with me! It does make me feel better to know I'm not the only one who can't manage to get around to visit everyone!

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  16. Oh, what a sad anniversary for you. When writing my post for this I also almost got sidelined reading the post I wrote about Kobi this last year. It will be the first anniversary of his death next month and I know it's going to be tough.
    I totally understand and commiserate with you about visiting other blogs. I spend a lot of time doing it, and still don't get everywhere I want. Then someone will comment on my blog, and I'll be like "oh no, I haven't been to visit them in forever!" and I feel guilty. It's tough to keep up with it all, but I guess we just have to do the best we can and I think everyone understands because most are in the same boat!
    Can't wait to hear about your next book too!

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    1. Oh, the one year anniversary is the hardest one, I think. Hang in there!

      How did I know that you and I would share guilt feelings!?

      Hope to have some Book 3 news to share soon!

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  17. I know what you mean about not enough time to visit everyone's blogs. I used to visit 30 a day, every day. Then it was less. It's been almost zero last year due to school and barely being able to keep my own blog going. I miss, as you mention, the feeling of being connected to other dog lovers though. It may only be a few a week but I am going to make more of an effort to visit other blogs this year.

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    1. Wow, 30/day is impressive! I would never be able to go visiting if I was in school or had a full time job. It's so hard to keep up! I must say - I love it when folks write short posts! That way I can visit more blogs! :)

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  18. It's impressive that you know what you want from your blog, and you remain true to that. Good going on getting your own site! I used to be on Blogger, I hear ya about those crazy stats. Your most popular and favorite posts sound fascinating, no wonder! Thanks for sharing - and for doing what you can to brighten everyone's days :)

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    1. Thanks for the nice comments. It's taken me a while to get to that zen state of "knowing what I want" and remaining true. I used to often think "why am I bothering?" when I didn't seem to get many comments or whatever, but once I stopped worrying about all that stuff and just focused on enjoying it, everything was way better! Gee, what a surprise, huh?

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  19. great answers you have a lovely blog

    retro rover

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    1. Thank you! I love yours too. Wish I had time to visit all your posts!

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  20. I loved your responses. I can relate to the non-techiness stuff and the blogging for fun and just posting when you feel like it. (I thought you had been blogging longer than me! Who knew?)
    I like that you keep your blog light and fun and that you share the crafty stuff too. I think we need more of that in our world today.

    I can so relate to your challenge with blogging. I have the same issue. I just cannot read everyone's blog on a day to day basis. I try. I really do, but some days I just have to accept I cannot be a super human person. :)

    I look forward to reading your posts in 2015. When is the new book coming out?

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    1. I used to try to read more of everyone's posts, but I realized I wasn't reading books anymore! And as an author, you really need to read a lot! So, I had to cut some of my blog reading in order to get back to reading books. So now I try to limit the blog reading to just a couple of times/week.

      Hope to have new book news soon! (But even with the news... it will probably be a while. Hope folks won't mind the wait! They can read blogs in the meantime, right?) :)

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  21. I love, love your advice! Knowing your "why" is so important because, I think, it helps keep you discouraged! It's so easy to fall into that comparison trap, but you make such a critical point about keeping at it for the right reasons, whatever those may be!

    I totally feel your pain about getting around to everyone's blog. It's so hard. I have more in my feed than I could possibly comment on, though I do strive to read most. I've started cutting out the photo-only ones (like WW and B&W Sunday) because I can never come up with anything thoughtful to say on those, which - ultimately - cut my feed down a lot. I don't know if that helps at all?? If you figure out the magic formula, please share!!

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    1. That comparison trap is deadly and can hit with so many things - not just blogging of course.

      Yeah, I skip the B&W Sunday and Sepia Sat as well. I usually see the pics in my feed, but just don't have time to comment. I do still comment on WW though, because I find a lot of folks (like me!) are wordy on Wed's, so there's something to say beyond just 'nice picture'! Here's my basic formula for commenting on other blogs: if someone visits me, I will visit them. I try to scan what I missed since my last visit and sometimes I leave a comment that might encompass a few posts. Then I also scan my feed for anything with a headline that grabs me, and I'll go visit those posts. That's pretty much all I can manage time for lately!

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  22. Wonderful answers! I feel the same way getting to visit everyone. I have been horrible at it recently!

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  23. What a great and honest round up. I think this past year was the first time I never really looked at stats until JetPack sent the year end summary. Not that I obsessed about them in past years, but sometimes I would check what kinds of posts were getting traffic. Congrats on a fabulous year!

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    1. For me, it just sucks the fun out when I start looking at the stats. It's a great idea to look and see what posts get good traffic - but I'd probably just write whatever I wanted to anyway. :)

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  24. As you know, I am a fan of yours and have been for a while. I hope we can connect in person in Nashville in May.

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    1. And I'm a fan of yours! I hope we'll meet someday! (Probably not this May though... Sorry!)

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  25. I agree, I wish I could visit more of the blogs I follow on a daily basis, but we only have so much time in our lives. I'm not sure what way is best, but I follow all blogs using Feedly. Unfortunately, I still don't get around to reading and commenting on all the blog I'd like, but it does give me a chance to at least browse headlines. Best of luck to you in 2015!

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    1. I do the same - I at least browse all the headlines in my BlogLovin email. At least I feel like I'm keeping up with things to some degree that way!

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  26. Because of Mom's health decline, I missed out on this year, but let me tell you - you are one of my fondest blogging memories for 2014. I am so happy I found you, I really enjoy reading everything you write. Can't wait for what you have in store of us in 2015. You rock girlfriend!

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    1. Oh, that's just about the sweetest comment ever. Thanks so much! :) You made my afternoon!

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    2. Nice blog . I love your artice and writting .Sounds like you're on the right track if your symptoms posts are your most popular post. online pet dog toys

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