Doggie Bok! Bok!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

All Things Dog Blog

Fido's Freebie Friday Digs In
Living with the Rescues: One Dog Lover's Dream Life
Planet Dog Celebrates 10 Years of Orbee-Tuff Balls™
Dog Surprise Grab Bag Sure to Delight New Winner

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Each week our little giveaway bonanza grows a bit more. Both Doreen and I are excited to see other bloggers joining us to show off their pet products that are being featured, reviewed and given away in promotional events on their sites.
For our readers, this is an opportunity to seek out those products you had hoped to try, but something was holding you back. Maybe it was your wallet, or simply an uncertainty. Now's your chance. All you have to do is click to visit each giveaway, and then enter to win.
This week's Fido's Freebie Friday is sure to offer much variety and fun for everyone. Hope you all enjoy and please feel free to leave a comment.
To assist you with questions and problems, we have created a "Help Page" full of information and tips on connecting up to the Blog Hop. Visit this page if you are looking for assistance in getting started, or simply have questions. Most importantly, you'll find the code for blogs hosted at Wordpress.com on the Help Page.

For bloggers to link up, there are only 2 rules:

The Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts about giveaways, drawings, prizes, and freebies for pet products or services only, including pet-related items for owners.

Please post the badge or a link to this post in your Fido's Freebie Friday blog post and invite your readers to visit their hosts, All Things Dog Blog and Doggies and Stuff.

The Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop will open each Thursday afternoon by 4 PM and close at midnight on Fridays. During these hours bloggers may add pet related giveaways to the hop with a link directly to giveaway posts at their blogs. This blog hop is ONLY for free pet products or services. It may include any contests that involve a free, pet-related prize (photo contests, guessing games, etc) including pet-related items for pet owners, as long as the contests are family friendly.
If you have multiple giveaways, feel free to post each of them. If your blog is hosted with Wordpress.com, you will find the code for this hop at our Help Page.
And for our visitors and readers, please enjoy a look around at the possibilities, and feel free to leave a comment to let us know how you found us. Happy tails!
Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog takes no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered.

Take me to the Help Page

Living with the Rescues: One Dog Lover's Dream Life

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 09:05 PM PDT

by Kristine Tonks, guest contributor

When I think of my dream lifestyle, I picture myself surrounded by dogs of all sizes in a large country home with plenty of space to roll around in. While for me this setting remains in the realm of fantasy, for Sharon Langford, author of Living with the Rescues, it is perfect reality.

Despite old clichés about books and covers, I think it is perfectly reasonable to judge this book by outward appearances. The photo on the front shows a very happy woman sitting in the middle of a group of equally happy-looking dogs. Eight very-happy looking dogs, to be exact, and it is hard to believe these animals ever experienced moments of fear or pain.

Sharon Langford decided to write a book about her large family of rescue dogs in order to raise money for the animal welfare organization she created, called Daisy's Legacy. Throughout the book she illustrates the unique stories of each dog currently sharing her home, as well as the stories of the dogs with whom she was lucky to live in the past. Every single dog was rescued from a shelter or equally unfortunate situation. While some of the details broke my heart, knowing the dogs' futures are now full of hope prevented me from feeling sad too long.

I admit to being jealous of her ability to welcome them all in to her home. One day I hope to be able to do half as much for animals in my community.

One of my favourite parts was Langford's description of her country property. The home was designed with every dog's needs in mind. There is a sound-proof room in the basement for anxious Hannah, she built canine condos in the garage for distrustful Barney, and painted lovely dog-related quotes on the walls of the special dog play room. It truly is a house of my dreams.

In between stories, Langford also included great tips on training and rescuing dogs. She has a lot of history working with shelters and provides some great advice for newly-formed rescue organizations. I have never read a book by a woman more determined to make sure every dog finds a permanent home.

Langford's beautiful and fascinating rescue dogs have permanently altered the course of her life. I get the feeling she wouldn't have it any other way.

Living with the Rescues is not a long book. An easy companion for a lazy afternoon, it is full of photos and inspirational descriptions of how each dog has taught the author something new. I found it impossible not to smile all the way to the end.

Kristine Tonks is a former history student who has recently discovered a passion for all things dog; she writes Rescued Insanity. If she hadn't adopted her dog, Shiva, from the shelter when she did, the piles of books would have taken over her house. Kristine feels that rescuing Shiva is by far the best thing she has ever done. Kristine also reviewed A Small Furry Prayer Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life here on All Things Dog Blog, among others. You can use the Lijit search widget in the sidebar to find her other great book reviews.

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Didn't Kristine do a great job of sharing this book review? Does it make you want to read the book? Me too! I have one copy to give away, and I also can offer an Amazon option for those of you who simply cannot wait. Click this link to order yours now.

If you'd prefer to join in the fun of a giveaway, we'd love to have you hop on board for our weekly freebie fun. Here's how you can enter to win a free, hardcover copy of Living with the Rescues:

You may enter the giveaway once daily per method, but you must use a different Tweet, comment, photo, etc. each time.
COMMENTS are the primo form of entry--super simple since you're already here. Visit the bottom of the post to find the COMMENTS link and click.
Winners will be selected from comments here on the blog that include a method of contact (URL, email, Twitter handle, etc). All Tweets and emails must be followed up with a comment here to be entered in the drawing. Random.org will be used to select the winners.
Leave a comment here saying "I Like All Things Dog Blog and Living with the Rescues on Facebook" for another entry.
Post a photo of your rescue dog at Living with the Rescues' Facebook page. Leave a comment saying "I live with this rescue and All Things Dog Blog sent me" Be sure to leave me a comment letting me know you completed this entry.
Likewise, follow @AllThingsDog on Twitter and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
Subscribing to our blog by email using the dog house subscription box at left is a great way to keep up with our posts, giveaways, Ask the Vet and Trainer columns and more. Leave me a comment for one entry, saying "I subscribe to All Things Dog Blog." RSS subscribers may use this method also.
Tweet "Thx @AllThingsDog 4 giving away a copy of Living with the Rescues" Don't forget to leave me a comment that you've tweeted.
And of course, hit that Tweet/Retweet button at the top of the post, and then leave me a comment telling me you Tweeted/Retweeted this post. Leave your Twitter handle for verification and we'll be thrilled to give you another entry.
Don't forget to include a method of contact so we can notify you if you win.
Entries will close at 5 PM sharp on Thursday, July 14th. I'll report the winners on Friday, July 15th.

Entrants must be 18 years of age or older and have a North American address. This offer is void where prohibited.

I always enjoy meeting your rescue dogs, so feel free to post their pictures on my facebook page anytime. Don't forget to leave their name and come back often to see what's going on. Happy tails!

Planet Dog Celebrates 10 Years of Orbee-Tuff Balls™

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 09:01 PM PDT

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

My visit to Global Pet Expo earlier this year had many highlights. Unfortunately I cannot name Planet Dog as one of them. Shocking? Don't get your skivvies in a bind; it's only because they were so popular that I couldn't get near the booth. Each time I visited I found a mob scene and gave up, promising to return later.

When I finally made contact (sounds like a sci-fi movie, huh?) it all ended well, with me getting a box of samples to review, while Tanner and Oliver are grinning ear to ear about their job at hand. We'll start with the Orbee-Tuff Orbee Ball that you see pictured above, their signature toy that is buoyant, AND can hold treats inside to give your pup a whole different experience as he plays indoors seeking the elusive treat inside.

That's where we will start--treats! The boys chased their balls around for about 30 minutes, digging and chewing and licking until they both dropped for a nap, exhausted from the effort of trying to get the payload--Organix treats inside!

When I picked up the balls, I was surprised to find that even with treats inside, the balls still smelled delightfully like peppermint. This scent is embedded in the material and makes the balls forever remain sweet smelling to us owners--another perk.

These great balls are non-toxic, recyclable, and come in 4 sizes and 6 colors. I take it the folks at Planet Dog are serious about their Orbee Balls! And that's not all. I wanted to sign on with their staff when I read their Workforce Initiatives and their plan for giving back with 2% of your purchases going to the Planet Dog Foundation. I did take issue with their Maine Winters though; I'm a Florida girl through and through, and Tanner needs his daily swims. We'll stick with that and let him try out the Orbee Ball in the pool. Take a look:

This has been a grand way to kick off our Independence Day weekend. My pups are pooped from invigorating play and I'm sure we'll have more throughout the weekend. The pool always calls to Tanner!

Shall we give some of these great balls away? Of course! Let's get 6 of these colorful, durable balls out to some dog-loving folks for their pups. I can offer a ball in each color combination listed below, and with your dog sizing info we'll make sure Fido gets the right size ball. The colors are a wonderful assortment of blue/green, glow/orange, pink/blue, glass/lake, red/teal and silver/pink. The latter is the color combination that Tanner has been playing with. Oliver was introduced to the Glow Ball which we'll enjoy trying out in evening lighting as well. That should be fun!

Thanks to the nice folks at Planet Dog; they also will toss in a surprise sticker that you'll be sure to love sporting on your car window. Here's how to enter our giveaway:

You may enter the giveaway once daily per method, but you must use a different Tweet, comment, photo, etc. each time.
COMMENTS are the primo form of entry--super simple since you're already here. Visit the bottom of the post to find the COMMENTS link and click.
Winners will be selected from comments here on the blog that include a method of contact (URL, email, Twitter handle, etc). All Tweets and emails must be followed up with a comment here to be entered in the drawing. Random.org will be used to select the winners.
For 3 entries, drop me an email at AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com with a photo of your pup and a sign that says "We Love Orbee-Tuff Balls ". You can print a picture from this post and write the note on the photo for an extra entry. That's 4 entries right there! Your photo may even be featured on our Facebook page, Planet Dog's Facebook Page, or here on the blog.
Leave a comment here saying "I Like All Things Dog Blog and Planet Dog on Facebook" for another entry.
Likewise, follow @AllThingsDog and @PlanetDog1997 on Twitter and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
Subscribing to our blog by email using the dog house subscription box at left is a great way to keep up with our posts, giveaways, Ask the Vet and Trainer columns and more. Leave me a comment for one entry, saying "I subscribe to All Things Dog Blog." RSS subscribers may use this method also. Click this link for more info on RSS.
And of course, hit that Tweet/Retweet button at the top of the post, and then leave me a comment telling me you Tweeted/Retweeted this post. Leave your Twitter handle for verification and we'll be thrilled to give you another entry.
Don't forget to include a method of contact so we can notify you if you win.
Entries will close at 5 PM sharp on Thursday, July 14th. I'll report the winners on Friday, July15th.

Watch for more Planet Dog reviews coming up. I have a few other surprises up my sleeve to share. Wishing you could have a Planet Dog toy? Check out their online store for all their great products. You'll find more than just a wonderful selection of Eco toys; they also carry pet lover items, gifts, leashes, training items and some great looking Tshirts. Enjoy your shopping in the quiet of your own living room--no crowds, no gasoline, no parking lots. Just Fido on your lap while you browse the Internet. What could be more perfect? Happy tails!

Full Disclosure: Samples were provided by Planet Dog for review. I have not been paid to provide this review and the opinions included here are my own.

Dog Surprise Grab Bag Sure to Delight New Winner

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 09:01 PM PDT

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

This new Surprise Grab Bag deal seems to have been taken quite in the manner in which I intended--Super Fun! This bag, containing treats and a toy, has been won by a frequent commenter. Don't get me wrong; I don't play favorites, but it is nice to see a regular visitor win a prize.

Thanks to Hawk, CBR for visiting often and congratulations for winning this week's surprise grab bag. Your previous comments have earned you this win in today's drawing.

Each grab bag is guaranteed to contain treats, a toy, or a pet-lover item for mom or dad. Every prize will vary. I have quite a nice variety of goodies to share so I'll run these grab bags as long as the goodies hold out. Thanks for your participation. Watch for the Weekly Surprise Grab Bag each Friday during the Fido's Freebie Friday Giveaway Blog Hop. Hope to see you soon. Happy tails,

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

All Things Dog Blog

A Duet of Versatile Blogger Awards

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 09:01 PM PDT

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

All I can say is that I must be incredibly versatile. I've received this award twice is the past couple of weeks and have managed to be so versatile as to not yet respond. Today is the day.

Thank you to The Elka Almanac and Kol's Notes for proffering this award. I feel so special and completely enveloped in versatility. I'll be working on enhancing my skills in that area, simply to rise to the level of your expectations. Wish me luck!

Before I hand off this beautiful, lime-colored award, I'm supposed to ~~bore~~ entertain you with 7 things about myself or my family. I'm sure I can bore them too.

I enjoyed raising three wonderful kids who all surprised us with exceptional athletic ability and accomplishments, taking us all over the country (and more) to compete in gymnastics, tennis, barefoot waterskiing, pyramid waterskiing, volleyball, karate, baseball, basketball and diving. Whew!
No wedding bells in the works yet, but who knows what surprises the future may hold.
My eldest is an attorney in Virginia.
My middle son, having graduated from UNC Chapel Hill last year, spent a year teaching high school science in Thailand and is now doing a 3 month tour of Southeast Asia.
My youngest, a daughter, is studying abroad in a program to enhance her education about primates. She's a biology major.
Hubby is a huge reader and a golfing fanatic--said with all due respect!

I believe you've met Tanner, Oliver and Patches, the furry members of my family, so let's move on to the winners I have chosen. In no particular order, please join me in congratulating:

Nanny McFur

Life with Claire

Autumn and Jasmine's Playground

I invite these bloggers to have a little fun exploring the blogosphere to bestow their award on new winners. Please let me know when you pass it along, so I'll get to hear who your choices are, while knowing that you've also had a chance to enjoy your time in the limelight (pun intended!). I believe the prescribed number of winners was supposed to be 15, but I decided to be a rule breaker and go with my top 9. It's a nice number; don't you think?

Back to my pets. I think I was successful at boring them. Check out Tanner:

New Lupine Dog Collars, Puppies That Chew, Discount Code

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Dear Friends,

We hope you had a fun, relaxing and most of all, safe 4th of July holiday. We've been super busy, adding a bunch of New & Woof-Tastic dog products for you. Remember, Summer is a great time to update your pet's Dog Collar and Dog ID Tag for safety and style. Enjoy the newsletter and please make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. - Rita & Scout, your furry friends at PupLife

Words Of Wisdom
"To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace." - Milan Kundera

New & Woof-Tastic: Lupine's Wet Paint Collar

Lupine's newest pattern, Wet Paint, is an eye catching delight. Bold splashes of color on a blue background make this medium width collar a great choice for any dog. Plus, like all Lupine products, it comes with a lifetime guarantee - even if chewed. Perfect for updating your four legged friend's summer style. Also comes in Martingale style, as well as Step-In and Standard Harness designs.

View More New & Woof-Tastic | View More Dog Collars

PupLife Deal Of The Week
Every week, starting Monday morning, you can grab a special deal on one PupLife product (while supplies last). Here's this week's deal:

50% Off The Primo Pet Stroller/Carrier
Can't decide between a dog stroller or a carrier? Here is the ideal solution: get both! The Primo Pet Dog Stroller has a detachable dog carrier that is perfect for traveling around town, to grandma's house, or just out and about. We have a very limited supply of these to offer as our Deal Of The Week. Once they are gone, they are gone - and at 50% off (plus free shipping) we expect this deal to sell out quickly!

Regular Price: $169.99

Deal Of The Week Price: $84.99

Puppies That Chew

Puppies may be just as much work as human babies – maybe more so because puppies can’t wear diapers, they like to chew and they have very sharp teeth! It’s definitely true that, similar to infants and toddlers, puppies explore their world by putting things in their mouths. In addition, puppies are teething until they’re about six months old, which usually creates some discomfort.

Chewing not only facilitates teething, but also makes sore gums feel better. Although it’s perfectly normal for a puppy to chew on furniture, shoes, shrubbery and such, these behaviors can be a problem for you. A puppy won’t magically “outgrow” these behaviors as he matures. Instead, you must shape your puppy’s behaviors and teach him which ones are acceptable and which aren’t.

Discouraging Unacceptable Behavior
It’s virtually inevitable that your puppy will, at some point, chew up something you value. This is part of raising a puppy! You can, however, prevent most problems by taking the following precautions:

• Minimize chewing problems by puppy-proofing your house. Put the trash out of reach, inside a cabinet or outside on a porch, or buy containers with locking lids. Encourage children to pick up their toys and don’t leave socks, shoes, eyeglasses, briefcases or TV remote controls lying around within your puppy’s reach.

• If, and only if, you catch your puppy chewing on something he shouldn’t, interrupt the behavior, then offer him an acceptable chew toy instead and praise him lavishly when he takes the toy in his mouth.

• Make unacceptable chew items unpleasant to your puppy. Furniture and other items can be coated with Bitter Apple Spray to make them unappealing.

• Don’t give your puppy objects to play with such as old socks, old shoes or old children’s toys that closely resemble items that are off-limits. Puppies can’t tell the difference between these objects and approved Dog Toys.

• Closely supervise your puppy. Don’t give him the chance to go off by himself and get into trouble. Use dog gates, close doors or tether him to you with a six-foot Dog Leash so you can keep an eye on him.

• When you must be gone from the house, confine your puppy to a small, safe area. You may also begin to Crate Train your puppy. Puppies under five months of age shouldn’t be crated for longer than four hours at a time, as they may not be able to control their bladder and bowels longer than that.

Discount Code: 10% Off Any Order

Here's an exclusive discount code for PupLife newsletter subscribers only! Use code PUPLIFERULES during checkout and we'll deduct 10% from your order total. But hurry, this code expires July 11th at midnight.

Discount Code: PUPLIFERULES
Good For: 10% Off Any Order
Expires: July 11th, Midnight

Coupon codes may not be combined with store credit codes, discount codes, other coupon codes or promotions. Code must be used during checkout (we cannot apply it to orders already placed). Coupons may not be doubled (used twice on one order).

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Raise a Green Dog!

Homemade Frosty Paws - the sequel!!!

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 07:51 PM PDT

It's that time of year...fun in the sun, hiking, agility, swimming! But, it can get really hot some days!

We were at our local training facility this past weekend doing a little lure coursing and guess what? We found some blackberries growing along the fence line on our little hike around the property. (Mum and I took a few, yummmmm.....gimme!)

That one little blackberry made my Mum say, 'Hey! It's hot, we need to make our famous Homemade Frosty Paws!'

Over the past few years we've posted often about our Homemade Frosty Paws, but this time we're going to add in some extras, some information to make them even yummier! First let's get started.

How do we make 'em? Here's my favorite recipe for our Homemade Frosty Paws!

Ingredients needed:

* 1 large container (32 oz) of low-fat, plain, organic yogurt (we like Stoneyfield Farm)

* 3 handfuls of fresh (organic) blueberries

* 1 banana

* 2 tbsp of organic peanut butter

* Other fruit as desired - like apple slices, orange slices, pineapple slices, and more. Remember, locally grown and organic is best! And only stick with the fruits and veggies that are safe for dogs.

Instructions:

* Chop up the banana in small pieces (or mash) and mix all ingredients together. Place the mixture in ice cube trays and freeze for about 3 hours.

* Once frozen, run hot water over the under side of the trays, pop out the frosty paws, and serve. That's it. For fun, you can use bone shaped ice cube trays!

Now for the good stuff! We know you're dog will not only love our recipe, but gain some pawsome health benefits too, like:

Yogurt - Did you know that organic healthy yogurt (one of the main ingredients in our recipe) is high in calcium and vitamin D (good for bones), but also contains probiotics, or the 'good' bacteria of the digestive tract to keep everything 'flowing' nicely. :)

Blueberries - This blue fruit ranks with one of the highest antioxidant capacities among all fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are important to your dog's health to keep free radical damage at bay and help them better cope with environmental toxins.

Peanut Butter - A pawsome food, rich in protein and high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat (that's the good fat) and vitamins for keeping muscles strong and active.

Bananas - High in potassium bananas are great to keep your dog alert and thinking clearly and help with muscle strength and tone. Great for us agility dogs who can always use more energy, but also great for all dogs who need to focus their energies the right way. :)

Apples (peeled) -'An apple a day, keeps the doctor away." These powerful fruits are packed full of flavonoids, a class of antioxidant that can help your dog be heart healthy.

Oranges - High in Vitamin C, oranges contain an important water-soluble antioxidant for disarming free radicals and preventing damage. And they add a nice little tang to the HFP's!

Blackberries - These black yums are loaded with soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. Like blueberries, they are rich in anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants that protect against cancer and chronic diseases.

And remember, these are treats, everything in moderation, K? Ready? Set? Go!!!!! Enjoy your healthy treats!!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

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