All Things Dog Blog

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Adoptable Pets: A Tour of States Visits Maryland Posted: 30 Jul 2011 09:01 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Otis Maryland, we're finally in Maryland. We'll be checking in with Petfinder to highlight a few adoptable pets, something we do here at All Things Dog Blog each Sunday. Today we'll start in Laurel, Maryland, with Otis. Otis is likely a Border Collie or Pointer mix who has a high need for activity. A fenced yard and an active owner would do best with Otis, and his foster family recommends a family without children, as Otis avoids them. Otherwise, he is healthy and friendly. If you need an exercise partner, Otis may be just what you want for a good run and then a snuggle later, as Otis enjoys being a lap dog as well. Maggie Still in Laurel, Maryland, we now find a slightly smaller Schnauzer, Maggie, who is about 6 years old. Maggie was given to the rescue by a family who discovered allergies to her. Maggie's rescue agency prevents returns by asking all adoptive families to take an obedience class with their new dog. This is not uncommon, and does seem to cut down on returns based on behavioral issues. Although Maggie is great with kids and other dogs, it will still be a great way to bond and learn to communicate with Maggie. Echo Who doesn't like a black and white cat? Eco has beautiful markings, yet an unknown past. She was found as a youngster, outside a liquor store and taken to a rescue. Her foster family says she has adapted well and is a pleasant housemate. Her only quirk is that she prefers not to be picked up. Eco is about 3 years old and ready to find a permanent home. Happy & Sunny Being fostered in Silver Spring, Maryland, is a pair of dutch bunnies names Happy and Sunny. It is common for 2 rabbits that live together to become inseparable, and this is what has occurred with Happy and Sunny. The rescue will require that they be adopted together, to assure they live out their lives without the sadness of missing one another. You can learn more about these 2 adorable rabbits at the link. If today's preview did not highlight a pet that interests you, feel free to visit Petfinder.com where you can search for the pet that will lighten your heart. Their search function will allow you to put in most any characteristics you would like, as you search for your forever friend. Happy tails! PS Today is Tanner's birthday, so be sure to stop in at his blog and see what Oliver has put together to share our celebration. He's up to something!

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All Things Dog Blog

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Dog Care While You're Away: Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Posted: 29 Jul 2011 08:50 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © courtesy Susanvg via Flickr Dog Walkers Assure Fido is Properly Exercised When You are Away Whether you live in the city, a suburb, or even a rural area, you are likely to find a number of dog walkers or pet sitters in your area.  The trick is locating them, as they are often not listed in the yellow pages. Checking with friends who own pets and enjoy travel may net you some suggestions, but keep in mind that you want someone reliable.  Ask about this as well, as friends can often give you input on their experiences and comfort level with each individual. Your second source for recommendations is local veterinarian offices.  It is not unusual to find that a vet's office will have a tech that moonlights as a pet sitter or dog walker.  The services they offer can vary from merely dropping by for a potty break and feeding, to a long walk or even an overnight stay. Their home or yours? Sometimes you'll have a choice. The overnight stay may be a particular perk if your dog is not comfortable with a crate or kennel at the vet's office or boarding facility.  What could be better than a stay at his own home? In addition to this, having a vet tech or vet nurse care for your buddy at home could give you an extra sense of well-being if he has health conditions that you may worry about.  Your Fido may be in good hands with this arrangement, without the confining conditions of a vet clinic kennel. There's another angle to explore here.  If you are planning a longer trip--more than a short weekend--a little legwork may help you find a vet nurse who can care for your pup in her own home. This option worked well for me once while traveling with Oliver to another state.  A plan to visit a local destination nearly was abandoned because we found no doggy daycares in this rural area.  However, we did locate a vet nurse who was able to care for Oliver on her day off, and lucky Oliver had the enjoyment of playing with her puppy.  The two were close in age and size--a perfectly fun day for both. One caveat to consider. A pet sitter can only do their job well when communication is thorough and not forgotten. You may find it most successful to write all instructions out and leave them with your contact information. I suggest using the Planet Dog Pet Sitter Instruction Pad, which will assure you leave nothing uncovered. Learn more at my Thursday post about this helpful product by scrolling down to it, or locating the link in my archives at the middle sidebar. The title is "Salvaging Your Pet Sitter Experience with Clear Instructions". Thanks for joining us for another edition of the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop. I hope you will enjoy bouncing around the blogs listed below, finding all sorts of fun ways to enjoy pets and their owners. The rules for participation by linking up are displayed below, as copied from Life with Dogs, one of the hosts. The hop is also co-hosted by Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. Link up your pet blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below. You only need to add your link once to be seen on all the Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week. Note that if your blog is not pet related your link will be removed. Also note that only one post per blog is acceptable, and links promoting giveaways that are unrelated to the pet blogger hop will be removed. This is a community building exercise and not a promotional vehicle – please treat it as such. Grab the "Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop" button on the right hand side of this site and include it in your Saturday Blog hop post so that your readers will know what is going on. *Note – posting is optional. Feel free to just link and follow. Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool. Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like. Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from the blog hop. Follow back when you get a new follower through the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop. Make friends and grow. ♥

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• Pet Lovers Enjoy Gifts Too!
• Dog Toy Giveaway: Petmate's Floatimals Find 5 New Homes
• Thundershirts Promise to Subdue Three Nervous Pups' Anxieties

Pet Lovers Enjoy Gifts Too! Posted: 29 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB (c) Carrie Boyko Bad Fur Days Found a New Home Did you enter to win this adorable book and tote bag? If not, you were in a minority. We had a surprising 49 entries for this prize. It's a great gift, or just a nice way to treat yourself to a humorous, rocking read. One of our readers even had a little fun with the title by sending in her own version of a Bad Fur Day: © S. Gilbert Definitely! Let's hear some cheering for our dog lover gift winner, Anna G., as she will be receiving this adorable giftbook, a heavy duty canvas totebag from MANKINDdog, and a bandana for her pup.  We look forward to getting your address at AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com. Thanks Anna, and congratulations!

Dog Toy Giveaway: Petmate's Floatimals Find 5 New Homes Posted: 29 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © S. Gilbert Skipper  Shares his Enthusiasm Tanner and I had a such a great time running this Floatimals review that he's been making a daily plea to have more Floatimals time. And I've been giving in. We've also enjoyed watching the reader show. Between Skipper's adorable photos and all of your fun Tweets, I have had a blast this week, and Petmate is simply thrilled with your excitement over their pool toys. © Carrie Boyko Tanner Loves his Floatimal Before I announce the winners of this drawing, I'd like to take a quick moment to thank my photographer and friend, Elizabeth Glavin, for photographing our Fetch game. Elizabeth's blog, 20something Saver, is a terrific place to learn how to save money with your dog expenses, and life in general. Thanks again, Lizzi; we love our photos so much that we'd like to leave our readers with that link, so we can all go back and enjoy the show again. I also have one more picture of Skipper to share, for those of you who missed it earlier this week. I'm sure we're all enjoying Skipper and his brother Schooner as they share their humorous antics with us through their photos. Thanks to their mom for sharing her creativity with captioning. © S. Gilbert Skipper is a Winner! I couldn't give it away, but now that the cat's out of the bag, I'll pass along the winners' names: Skipper, The Niffs' dog, Roxy, Lola, and Zora. I will contact each of you personally. You can can reply with your address by email to AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com. If you have not yet received an All Things Dog Blog bandana, please share your dog's breed and weight so we can provide an appropriate size bandana for your Fido. Photo thank you's would be most appreciated, and we will try to share all on our Facebook page. Happy tails! One last very important point....if you'd like to order a Floatimal online for your dog, please visit Valley Vet, where you can currently pick up fireflies, gators and monkeys at reasonable prices. Thanks again! Full disclosure: Petmate provided us with a Floatimal to review. Tanner loved it bunches and continues to enjoy playing with it daily. We were not paid to give you a review and our opinion is strictly ours....or Tanner's. :)

Thundershirts Promise to Subdue Three Nervous Pups' Anxieties Posted: 29 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Storm's Over  Back to Normal...Whew! Is this week over already? It seems like just yesterday we announced this giveaway and here we are handing out the winners. The folks at Thundershirt and I certainly did enjoy your enthusiastic participation, and thank you doubletime to those who did not win. We encourage you to find a Thundershirt for your dog if he suffers from anxieties. You can purchase them through the Thundershirt website, Amazon, and Pet Supermarkets. After a whopping 981 visits to our Thundershirt review, 208 entries were received at closing time last evening. I believe that constitutes a record for All Things Dog Blog, telling me there are plenty of anxious dogs out there in need of a Thundershirt. We're going to help 3 of them get one right now. Come on down: Shiloh, Kouga and Sarah S., you are our 3 winners. I will contact you separately and you can send your addresses by reply to my email. Thank you all for your participation and good luck with your new Thundershirts. They will be shipped to you from the company. Happy tails! Full disclosure: Thank you to Thundershirt for supplying 1 free shirt for Oliver to test. Thundershirt did not pay me to review their product, and my opinions in the review reflect my actual experiences.

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