The Shelter Pups

I know that I am supposed to be focusing on the dog event I am planning, but I came across this and I just had to share it with you. It is a custom-made replica of your dog by Shelter Pups! All you have to do is send them a picture of your dog (and $90) and they make a stuffed animal made from merino wool to look exactly like your pet. Even better is that some of the proceeds go to local shelters. I love when companies donate some of their proceeds to charities.

Wouldn’t this make a great present? Or maybe a great memento of a pet that has passed away? These adorable puppies are approximately 11” x 7” in size and are super soft. You can also purchase one of their ready-made dogs and they will donate to shelters for those purchases too! Check it out here.

Here are some pictures that were sent in and the puppies they made to look like them. Super cool Ya’ll!

Nootie

So the big dog event is just around the corner and I am still trying to finish the flyer for it. Crazy how one little flyer is giving me so much trouble. But if ya’ll ask my family, they will tell you this is “my niche”. I think that is their code for “let Lisa do it because we don’t want to”. They tell me that it is my “niche” and I go get it done. Ha ha.

While I am on the topic of the dog event I want to give a shout out to Nootie brand treats. Maverick got some in his BarkBox last month and LOVED them. Now ya’ll know by now that Maverick rarely meets a treat that he doesn’t like, but he especially loved these. He would have eaten the whole bag if I had let him (but of course I didn’t). We received the yumZies treats which are fabulous because they do not contain any grain in them. Nootie is also one of the fabulous companies donating to our dog event so I just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you Nootie for making a treat my dog loves and donating to our event!

Dog of the Month - August!

There is a dog that I have never met that holds a special place in my heart. She is a co-workers dog named Macey. Why does Macey hold such a special place in my heart? Glad you asked. Macey got in trouble last week and it is my fault. I made a batch of my homemade cookies and I took some to Macey. Her owner, Kelly, placed them on the kitchen counter out of Macey’s reach. Well as we all know a determined dog can get into anything. She managed to get the cookies off the counter and eat them all. Mail went flying off the counter in the process and Macey got into trouble. So she was on treat restriction. I am just glad she likes my cookies enough to get into trouble for them.

So I decided to give Macey a special title…Dog of the Month! I figure she earned the right. So I made up a little goodie bag of treats and toys to say thank you to Macey for going to so much trouble to get to my homemade cookies. Stay tuned for a contest for next month’s Dog of the Month!



Here is a little bit about Macey from her owner, Kelly.

Macey is a 1^st generation Labradoodle. I adopted her from a woman I met at the vet (Amanda). Amanda had gotten Macey thinking she was hypoallergenic.  Second generation labradoodles are guaranteed hypoallergenic where as the 1^st generation are 50/50 on if they will be or not.  Her 2 yr old daughter was allergic to dogs.  Her daughter had hives and was breaking out but Amanda didn’t want to take Macey back to the breeder – she thought the breeder was mean and the place was dirty. I told her if it didn’t work out I would take Macey so she didn’t have to return her to a ‘backyard breeder’.  I waited by the phone hoping she would call. I got a call 4 days later …Amanda was in tears. Bree (her daughter) was so broken out they couldn’t justify giving her shots and they decided they could not keep Macey.  I went and picked her up that night.  Amanda and I are still Facebook friends to this day!!  The picture of Macey with Elmo was the first day I brought Macey home.

Macey is 4 ½, she will be 5 in November.  Her favorite toy is a stuffed animal (rabbit) which she takes outside with her every time she can…the only thing she will drop that for is a tennis ball. And she will drop it in an instant. 

Her favorite hobby for the moment is sneaking out and staying out all night J

(Macey snuck out last night and was out until 4 am. Kelly spent all night looking for her and now Macey is on treat restriction again. Silly dog.)

Information for Petsitter

So MJ and I are heading out of town this weekend and Maverick is going to stay with some friends. Maverick loves this couple and they love him too but the question is always “what information do I give the petsitter?” Do I give them too much information that they don’t need or do I give them a little bit of information and hope for the best? Ugh so I did some research. I found this list on Petsit USA and it is great. You can easily turn this into a Word document and then update the information as your dog gets older and the information changes.

Prepare for your pet

• Ensure that there will be enough food, treats, kitty litter, etc. for the time you will be away.
• Let your pet sitter know where your dog's leash is kept.
• If you have a carrier for your pet, let your pet sitter know where it is kept.
• If your pet is on medication, notify your pet sitter ahead of time.
• Leave detailed instructions on its use, even if you tell your pet sitter verbally how it's administered.
• Put ID tags on each of your pets.
• Provide outdoor pets with plenty of water, shelter, and a secure enclosure.
• Leave toys for your pet to play with while you're away.
• Let your vet know in advance that you will be out of town and that a pet sitter will be caring for your pets. Many pet sitters will have you fill out a form detailing the type of care you'd like your pet to receive if you cannot be reached.
• Most pet sitters will require you to complete a veterinary release form. However, it's also a good idea to give your vet the name of the person who will be caring for your pets while you're away. This is especially important if your pet has a health condition that needs to be watched.

Prepare your home

• Inform your pet sitter of anything that may be out of the ordinary (sinks that don't drain properly, toilet that overflows, etc.).
• Show your pet sitter where the thermostat is and how to operate it. Be sure to leave it set at a comfortable temperature for your pets while you're gone.
• If anyone will be in your home during your absence, let your pet sitter know. Because of safety concerns, many pet sitters will not enter a house if they see someone there. Also, be aware that many pet sitting businesses will not accept jobs if they are requested to share pet care responsibilities with others, or if someone else will be in the home while they are caring for your pets.
• For dogs that stay outdoors, secure the yard and lock any gates.
• Potentially dangerous plants or decorations should be put somewhere that your pets won't be able to get to them. Keep this in mind especially during the holidays when Christmas trees and other decorations are on display.
• Place cleaning supplies where they will be easily accessible if needed.
• If you rent, give your landlord your pet sitter's name in case of emergency. Give your pet sitter the landlord's name as well.
• If your pet sitter's first visit will be after dark, be sure to leave an outside light on.

Contact information

• Prior to your departure, give your pet sitter information on how you can be contacted. If for some reason your pet sitter were unable to get into your home, leaving the information on your kitchen counter would be useless. Therefore, it is best to provide your pet sitter with this information before you leave.
• If you will not be able to be contacted while you're gone, be sure to provide the name and phone number of someone who will be able to make decisions on your behalf.

Thanks Petsit USA! I need to get this done ASAP! Oh and pack!

What information do you leave for your Petsitter?

Mindful Manners Dog Training

Let me just say before you read this post that MJ and I do not have any kids and Maverick is our first dog.

Now with that being said let me tell you guys about training your dog. YOU HAVE TO DO IT! You know when you are walking around the grocery store and you see those kids that are loud and misbehaving? Well, chances are that the parent(s) don’t discipline or teach their children how to behave in public. They have no consequences to face  if they misbehave. Oh I am sure they hear “you are going to be in big trouble,” but the parent never follows through.

The same goes for your dog. You have to teach them what you expect and then stick with it. Now I am not saying that there are not occasions for an exception here or there, but they should be far enough apart that your dog should recognize that they are just that…a treat. Trust me, I speak from experience. We had the hardest time with Maverick and sleeping through the night. He just wouldn’t do it. The best we could figure is that in the middle of the night when he woke up to go to the bathroom  he would be teething so bad that he needed to chew on something. So like a good boy he went for his toys. But then we were up in the middle of the night every night while he chewed. OMG ya’ll, it was exhausting. So we decided no more and started to crate train Maverick at night. Oh how our lives improved! He knows he has to sleep in there and he is fine with it, but we had to TRAIN him to get to this point. The same goes for sit, stay, quiet, or anything else you want your dog to do. But it drives me up the wall when I see dogs that do not do what their parents want because the parent hasn’t actually trained them to do it. I hear them say “oh I just can’t make him because he is sooooooooo cute!” UGH! Really? Right up the wall!

So please go to training classes with your dog and learn how to train them. Because let’s face it…training classes are more meant for you and not necessarily your dog. Your job is to learn how to train your dog so you can train them at home. I recommend Mindful Manners if you live in the Charleston, SC area. The owner is fabulous and she holds some classes over at the Pet Helpers shelter on James Island. She was also generous enough to donate a certificate to our community’s dog event!

John and Schoep

I read this article the other day that was really touching. It was about a man and his dog and the pain the dog was experiencing. The man, John Unger, found out that his dog, Schoep, had severe arthritis and may need to be put down. John had heard that water therapy helps people with this condition so he took Schoep to Lake Michigan and the two of them floated around to help relieve the pain of Schoeps arthritis. As the two of them are out floating in the lake, Schoep falls asleep on John.

Knowing that he may soon have to put Schoep down due to his condition John asked a photographer friend to come out and take pictures of them together just in case. The photographer took many shots of John and Schoep and posted the resulting pictures. They became an immediate sensation. The best part of the story is that so many donations have come in to John and Schoep that Schoep has been able to get the laser surgery necessary to help his arthritis. There have also been donations of medicine, treats, and other treatments to help Schoep along.

John and Schoep (Taken by Stonehouse Photography)

This story is a true testament to the power of having a pet. They really do get in your heart…even if the pet is not yours.

Read the article here.



Nylabone

You are going to have to work very hard to find a pet parent that hasn’t yet heard of Nylabone. From the moment we adopted Maverick, people were telling us to get a Nylabone so that he would not chew up our furniture because let face it…puppies love to chew on everything they can get their mouths on. Well, we bought him a “puppy bone” from Nylabone. It is designed for teething puppies and we would leave one in Maverick’s crate for him to chew on during the day while we were at work. But we found that he did the majority of his teething in the middle of the night so it came in very handy then too.



Puppy Chew Bone

As much as he loves his puppy bone, there is the “Nutri Dent Puppy” edible chew treat that he loves even more!! This treat is similar to a Pedigree Dentastick, but seems to last longer. I am not sure if that is due to the treat being intended for puppies or but I can I buy them from Petco in individual packages. Individual Packages!!!!! They are $1 each but totally worth keeping one on-hand in my purse or in his to-go bag. They are essential for occupying your dog for a few minutes so that you can focus on something else. I love smaller packaging of treats and bones that allow me to take them on-the-go. And of course, they are Maverick taste-test approved which is another huge plus!



Nutri Dent Edible Chew Bones



Nylabone also donated coupons for our doggie day event in September! Thanks Nylabone!

Check out all the products that Nylabone offers here.

Does your dog have a Nylabone product? If so, which one?

M & J Dog Essentials

So I told ya’ll in my last post about the dog event that I am planning and that we have so many wonderful companies that are donating to our event. The company I want to highlight today is M & J Dog Essentials. They make holistic dog grooming products. M & J Dog Essentials were gracious enough to send me 100 samples of their pre-bath treatment called Nutrient Fusion. This product is intended to help take care of your dog’s coat and is applied to a dry dog about 10 minutes before their bath. Bathing your dog can really dry out their coat and this helps to keep the coat properly hydrated and silky smooth. Below is a picture of the product and a description from the M & J website.



"This ultra-moisturizing, antioxidant-rich dog conditioner is extremely beneficial in restoring moisture and softness to dry dog skin and coats while helping to neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals and helping to eliminate dog dandruff. Nutrient Fusion is non-toxic and fast absorbing dog conditioner that can be left on your dog for as long as you would like before being rinsed off. "

Why your dog will love it:

• Mango and Cupuacu Butters help to replenish moisture to dry dog skin and coats
• Nettle Extract helps to relieves itchy dog skin and dandruff
• Conditions and protects dog skin while soothing aromatherapy and flower essences calm bath-time anxiety

I think this company has a great philosophy about dog care. Let’s show them our support!



Doggie Day '12

We live in this friendly, quiet neighborhood and I just love it. Most people are nice and stop to say hi – especially when you are walking a dog as cute as Maverick. We went to the 4^th of July BBQ event at our clubhouse and there was a drawing for some different gift cards. At the bottom of the entry form, it asked what kind of events would you like to see in our neighborhood. Naturally, I suggested dog-friendly events.

Then I got to thinking…why wait? I started work on planning a dog day at our dog park. Ya’ll, I have been overwhelmed by the response I have received from companies that wanted to donate food, treats, toys, and coupons. We are putting together bags full of product samples and coupons and we will have give-away drawings as well. Additionally, we are hosting a food drive for our local animal shelter!

Over the next couple of weeks, I will write a post about each company that has donated something to our dog event. These are all very generous companies and they deserve our support. I look forward to sharing the pictures from the big event on September 15^th!

America's VetDogs and Bil-Jac

For those of you that have ever trained a dog, you know that finding a treat to train with is very important. Maverick has yet to turn down a treat, but on our trainer’s recommendation we purchased Bil-Jac Training treats. Maverick loves them, so thanks Bil-Jac!

What I didn’t know until yesterday was that Bil-Jac makes a treat that specifically benefits the America’s VetDogs program. Feel free to click here and learn all about them. It is a wonderful program for our veterans and active military. I picked up a package yesterday and Maverick loves them (no surprise there). But even better than seeing Maverick scarf down those treats is knowing that we are helping our nation’s veterans and active military by purchasing them. So I think that if you are going to be buying treats, then it might as well benefit our nation’s heroes. Thank you Bil-Jac for teaming up with such a great program!!

Meat-Hook Paws

We adopted Maverick on April 4^th and at that time he weighed 18.5 lbs. He was the cutest puppy, but he had these enormous meat-hook paws. Now Maverick has grown to 45 lbs and he is all muscle. He is lean and fast and can handle his own with the big dogs in our neighborhood, but he still has these HUGE paws. We have been hoping he would be a swimmer but had not taken him to try swimming yet. We have ponds around our neighborhood, but there are gators in them and we never know which ponds they will be in at any given moment.

On Sunday morning, we took him to the dog park at James Island County Park. They have a large swimming area for dogs and Maverick had so much fun! He played a lot of the other dogs there and he tried his hand (paw) at swimming. He was a little timid about the deep parts at first, but he warmed up to swimming with MJ there in the water with him. Here are some pictures so you can see how big he has gotten!

Doggy Laptop?

Let me start by saying that Maverick is a very spoiled puppy. He has a crate full of toys and a drawer full of treats. He gets to play at the dog park and take naps on the couch. But I feel that he lives within the life of a normal puppy. That said, I want to share with you a product that I saw from Toshiba.





A laptop for dogs! Is this not the craziest thing you have ever heard of? Here are some of the selling points:

1.       Delicious and durable 100% organic rawhide casing.

2.       Built-in doggycam for inter-canine video conferencing.

3.       Pawprint reader offers added security and convenience.

4.       Bark-To-Text Software.

5.       Bone-shaped touchpad.

6.       Slobber resistant design.

How much would one of these laptops cost? They range from $329.99-399.99.

This was actually an April 1^st joke from a couple of years ago, but the page is still available to view. I wonder how many people tried to buy this laptop? What would your dog try to look up on the internet?

What crazy things (real or fake) have you seen out there for your dog?

Poop Bags

Ok, ya’ll let me tell you what is a big problem in my neighborhood…people not picking up after their dogs. It drives me crazy because it is not that difficult to do and it’s gross to leave it there on the ground for other people to step in or have to look at it. I don’t want to look at your dog’s poop or step in it!

So, here’s the bottom line: if you have poop stations in your neighborhood, use them! If you do not have them, then go out and buy yourself some poop bags to use to clean up after your dogs. You can contact DogPoopBags for great rates on poop bags and stations. They even have an awesome flying disk to play fetch with your dog.



It is very unhealthy for other dogs and humans to be near dog poop.

Please clean up after your dog!