Brando & Bogart - New Blogger Alert

This weeks New Blogger has some famous names, Brando & Bogart anyone?  Here's what their person Christine has to say about blogging.


Brando

How exciting this is! Thanks for giving me a chance. My pups are Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart. They are both Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Brando is 7 months and Humphrey is 5 months. I've wanted a Cavalier nearly my whole life, but something would always happen (babies, bills, life in general), and it seemed never to be the right time to bring a puppy into our lives. My mom passed away last September. Her passing left a hole in my heart. A few months later, we were leaving our home in Chicago to move to New Mexico. It's been tough settling in, and trying to cope with my still grieving children. We needed something, or someone, to turn things around for us so, we started our search for a Cavalier. When Brando came into our lives, his love filled our empty hearts. He's oh so gentle. At the time, we were also thinking about trying our hands at agility, but as Brando's grown, he's not an agility dog. That's when Humphrey joined our family. He's like my boys. Wild, crazy, and always dirty. He plays hard, loves to fetch, a fabulous swimmer, and is eager to play with any dog. He's fearless, and he's our agility dog.

Bogart

My mom's passing was completely unexpected. She only lived a few short months after being diagnosed with cancer. It's almost like a bad dream that you're waiting for someone to wake you from, but nobody ever does. Blogging has help pull me out of that nightmare. It gives me something to look forward to. At first, I thought about blogging my children. Then Brando got sick with a mysterious lump, I was besides myself. I was hoping if I blogged about him, maybe someone would have a clue what was wrong with him since vet had no idea. I wasn't even sure anybody would read it, but felt it was worth a shot. What a shock to learn there were kind souls out there who would actually read the words of a basketcase! They gave me support, and some wonderful places to look for help. Blogging is a treasure, and so are my new blogging friends. It's helped make my heart whole again.

Thanks for this opportunity!

Thank you to Christine, Brando & Bogart for sharing their story with us.  Do you know of a great new blogger who would like to be featured?  Contact us at PBU at comcast dot net.

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Bert the Search & Rescue Dog, Guest Post

We Asked Bert from Four Legged Views to tell us about his life as a Search And Rescue dog.  Here's his story.

You asked me to talk about how I got into Search And Rescue. Well I guess I had no choice, since My Vickie picked me out from my litter mates for that exact reason. I passed all the tests that she gave me and I stood out from all my siblings. But what really made her choose me was because....I Chose Her....

She thinks it was her decision but I know better.

Now My Vickie has been doing search and rescue work for almost 25 years and she knew that she was only going to do it for 10 more years before she retired. She had three other partners before me and they were amazing. The very best of them all is Jamie and I have been able to learn from her for three years. She is an amazing friend and teacher, but she had to retire two years ago cause she is soooo old.....Now its my turn.

I love the work, I love helping others, and I LOVE KIDS.

Since cell phones, and GPS's and all the other modern stuff, we don't have near as many searches as they used to so I get to spend a lot of my time teaching children in the schools "How To Stay Safe" if they ever get lost.

I bet I get to teach 5,000 or more kids a year. I get to go into the classrooms, or auditoriums and show them how I can find them, by using something with their smell on it. I can find the trail they leave behind with falling "Rafts" that are dead skin particles that fall off your body by the thousands, every second.

Sometimes we let them hide some where in the auditorium. Then I go find them so all the other kids can see me work.

Sometimes, we take about 100 shoes from all the students and lay them across the stage in a long row. Then My Vickie takes a sock or something from one of the students who has a shoe up on the stage and I smell it and then I go through all those stinky shoes and pick out the shoe that smells like the sock. We call that "Scent Discrimination".

Well, that is probably more than you wanted to know but if you want to know more you can check out American Search Dogs website. www.americansearchdogs.org or just ask me in the comments section of my blog. Sometimes, not very often, because we need to keep some things a secret for a while, but you can read about searches we are on, on my blog. We have to be very careful that we don't give out some information cause some cases are not all solved.

So, again, Pam and Oskar, thank you so much for asking us.

Be safe everyone.

Thank you, Bert, for doing such important work & for sharing it with all of us.  For more of Bert's adventures, make sure to check out Four Legged Views

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Furry Four Legged Foster Friends - Weekly Featured Blogger

This week we are proud to introduce you to Mel from Furry Four Legged Foster Friends:
I foster dogs for Hopeful Hearts Dog Rescue in Ottawa, ON Canada. To be honest, I originally started blogging because my first foster dog, Snoopy - the cutest little maltipoo in existence - wasn't garnering any interest from potential adopters. As cute as he was, he earned the moniker "Snoopzilla" for a reason. Yes, this little 7 lb maltipoo was quite the biter, so when people saw this on his rescue profile they passed him up. We started working with a dog trainer and I began to tell the world all about Snoopy. I shared his good days, bad days, and his phenomenal days - like the day he found his forever home (yes, I cried like a baby when he was adopted).

Since blogging allowed people to follow Snoopy's journey, I decided to continue sharing my foster stories. It's not only made it much easier for potential adopters to really get to know these great dogs that are available for adoption, but it's been quite cathartic for me as well. As an added bonus, people are also learning what fostering is all about.

Here are 3 of her favorite posts:

Puke: The Other Food Group

Real Estate

My Ottowa Dog Blog Article: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Take some time this week & stop by Furry Four Legged Foster Friends and tell them that PBU sent you!

If you're interested in being featured on Pet Blogs United, you can contact us at PBU at comcast dot net.

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Koly & Kelly's K9 Kamp

We are about to get up out of our chair & start movin!

We're taking part in Koly & Kelly's K9 Kamp.  From September 8th to October 13th we will be doing weekly fitness challenges designed to get us all up off of the couch & moving with our pets.

Since I've been in the hospital so much these past 2 years, I've lost weight, but I haven't been physically active.  I've gotten used to not doing much, so I'm looking forward to working with Oskar each week on a fun new challenge.

Click on the link above or the button below to find out how you can get involved in Koly & Kelly's KP Kamp.

I'm off to BlogPaws, & I can't wait to share all of the fun with you!

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Who Can I Meet At BlogPaws??

Myself, Pam & Flat Oskar, sorry fluffy Oskar, will be at BlogPaws this week!  I'm leaving on Wednesday & want to meet as many PBU friends as I can.

Here's a picture of me with the PBU t-shirt I will be wearing during the conferece.  If you see me, grab me & say hello!

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Bailey Be Good, Weekly Featured Blogger

This week we are proud to introduce you to Bailey from Bailey Be Good.

Hi! My name is Bailey! As of May 18, 2011, I’m an 11-month-old female Belgian Shepherd Mix puppy! My wonderful family adopted me from a rescue organization, and I really love my new home. I have a big backyard where I can run whenever I want, play in the pool, and drink lots of water! I can
go crazy too... lots!

I also enjoy spending time with my family and my 12-year-old Eskimo Mix sister, Nala. A lot of people comment on my ears -- they're a bit silly 'cause they haven't decided whether they want to stand up or flop over. ;)

On my site I try to post daily about all kinds of stuffz, and I even do doggie product reviews. There are lots of photos of Nala and me, videos, and even a few doggie games to play. I've been told that children love to read my posts because they're like mini-stories. :)

It was really hard to pick just 3 favorite posts, because I have so many that I enjoy reading over. But I'm gonna go with these 3:

1. Bone Wars I

2. Wordless Wednesday Digging Rampage
3. Nala's Drawing is Finished

I would love for you to come visit me -- I love making new friends and reading all about you!

Woofs & hugs,
~Bailey

How can you not fall in love with those ears!  Hop over to Bailey Be Good this week & show them some comment love!

If you're interested in being featured on Pet Blogs United, contact us at PBU at comcast dot net.

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Huffle Mawsom Commentathon!

Huffle Maswon is celebrating her 1,000th post with a commentathon to benefit the RSPCA in Victoria Australia. She'd like everyone to stop by and leave a comment by Saturday night to help celebrate & raise money.

Happy 1,000 Huffle!

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Foster Friday Guest Post By My Brown Newfies

Have you ever seen that E-Trade commercial with the baby that is talking and has a cat next to him and the cat sneezes and the baby says, "Bless you Peppers."
It's hilarious and this has become a common saying in our house when anyone sneezes.

Even if Leroy sneezes...we say "Bless you Peppers."
Again...it's hilarious but you probably have to live in our house to find it as amusing as we do.

Anyway...............

A few weeks ago we had a box left at the back door of the vet clinic where I work.

Inside the box was a cat.

with a note that said,

"This is Peppers, she has fleas and I can not afford to care for her."

Uggggggggggggh.

It's is never a good feeling when we see a box at our back door, you never know what you may find inside.

In Pepper's case, we had an older cat that was severely infested with fleas.

Now you can look at this and say, "What in the world is the matter with people? How can someone do this?"

Or you can say,

"Well at least the person realized they could not care for her and brought her somewhere that could." or "Maybe they tried to treat her for fleas, but their attempts failed." or "It must have broke their hearts to give her away, but they did it because they loved her"

At least they did not just let her suffer or leave her outside somewhere to die.

That's the way you need to think about it.

Try to find the good in these situations in hopes that people are better than what you really want to think.

Regardless, Peppers is safe now and has been treated for fleas and is recovering nicely.

She is one of the sweetest cats that I have met.

So sweet that it was difficult for me to get a good picture of her because all she wanted to do was nuzzle up to my leg.

She is estimated at around 12 years of age and has no apparent health issues except for anemia caused by the fleas, which should resolve shortly.

We have a full house at the vet clinic with hospital cats that reside there, so we are unable to keep her.
If you know of anyone who may be interested in adopting her, please feel free to contact me.

Jen from My Brown Newfies, wanted me to let you know that she lives in Strongsville, Ohio which is about 30 minutes south of Cleveland and about 30 minutes north of Akron, Ohio.

Thanks to Jen for sharing her story of Peppers with us along with her observations about animal abandonment.  There really is a story behind every stray.

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Helen Woodward Animal Center Launches New Blog

“What Would Mike Say?” Helen Woodward Animal Center Launches New Blog

CEO Mike Arms Shares 45 Years of Knowledge with Animal Lovers Worldwide

Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (Aug. 11, 2011) – Mike Arms, President and CEO of the world renowned Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC), was rescued by a dog after three men savagely beat him on the streets of New York City. From that moment on he dedicated his life and career to saving all the orphaned animals he could. Forty-five years later, he continues his sacred vow to save orphaned animals worldwide, sharing his life’s passion with other animal welfare professionals by offering his advice and wisdom from that long career for free through a new online resource, www.whatwouldmikesay.com.

HWAC already offers Animal Center Education Services (ACES) a free four-day conference dedicated to teaching animal welfare professionals and animal advocates the best non-profit business practices, which generate more animal adoptions and save the lives of more animals each year.

“The problem is that we simply run out of time,” says HWAC social media staffer Marcie Grube, who has been working with Arms to develop this new online resource. “Mike is often overrun with questions when he speaks at ACES and other conferences, both locally and internationally. He takes as much time as he can with each person, but there are a lot of questions he simply doesn’t have time to answer.”

“What Would Mike Say? is a place where pet bloggers, pet volunteers, kennel workers, shelter board members, or any animal advocate, can ask questions and find free advice on how to increase adoptions, how to fundraise, and even how to market dogs and cats,” says Grube. “Mike always reads each and every question. He is intensely serious about helping anyone who wants to make the world a better place for animals.”

Grube also says there are not many online resources dedicated to helping empower the animal welfare industry. Oftentimes these people are overlooked and underpaid for their hard work. Grube says, “Anyone, from kennel workers, to pet bloggers, to board members, can find tips to help them do their part to enhance the quality of life for orphaned animals.”

HWAC has also created a new interactive site where animal welfare professionals can watch videos offering proven ideas for running successful animal rescues. Soon, HWAC will launch another online resource – an interactive video stream of Q & A sessions, open to anyone who wants to learn more about enhancing the quality of life for animals.

Mike Arms will also do a mini ACES on August 25, 2011 at the BlogPaws conference in Washington D.C. Pet bloggers and enthusiasts from around the country will attend. This is not the first time HWAC has already taken ACESon the road—last May they went to the Iams Pet Food Company, located in Dayton, Ohio and reached animal welfare professionals unable to afford a trip to HWAC, which is located in San Diego County.

For more information about What Would Mike Say?, visit www.whatwouldmikesay.com. For more information about Helen Woodward Animal Center please visit www.animalcenter.org or call 858-756-4117.

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Woof Walk Fun Runs

THE POWER OF PETS™ BY MARS PETCARE SPONSORS

NATIONWIDE SERIES OF “WOOF WALK” FUN RUNS

Community Dog Walks Will Be Co-Hosted by local YMCAs in Cities across the Country

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mars Petcare today announced it will sponsor a series of “Woof Walk” fun runs as part of THE POWER OF PETS™ program for 2011. Co-hosted by local YMCAs nationwide, the events will feature a two- to three-kilometer community dog walk, as well as healthy and fun activities for the whole family.

The first event will take place in Chicago on September 24. Events will follow throughout the fall in cities across the country, including: Washington; Staten Island, N.Y.; Nashville, Tenn.; San Diego; Austin, Texas; Miami; and Portland, Ore.

THE POWER OF PETS™ by Mars Petcare, a community-focused initiative that celebrates the health benefits of pet ownership, is focusing its 2011 program on dog walking as a way for families to increase their physical activity levels while spending more time together and outdoors.

“Obesity levels are rising in both humans and pets,” said Debra Fair, vice president of corporate affairs for Mars Petcare US. “Taking your dog for a walk is an easy, fun and affordable way to get the entire family moving. It’s not only great for physical and mental health; it also strengthens the bonds of neighbors and communities.”

Research suggests that regular walking can lower the risk of heart disease, reduce blood pressure and may help combat obesity in both humans and pets. Walking with a dog has also been shown to increase the number and duration of conversations among neighbors, fostering community bonds and social cohesion. According to a recent survey conducted by Mars Petcare, dog owners walk more often and for longer periods of time than non-dog owners.

In addition to the community walk, events will feature other pet-friendly fitness activities such as doggie obstacle courses, dog Frisbee-catching contests and ball tosses, doggie yoga and free pet health screenings by BANFIELD® veterinarians.

“At the YMCA, we believe healthy, active families are the key to building strong and vibrant communities,” said Katy Leclair, executive director of the Lake View YMCA in Chicago. “Innovative programming like THE POWER OF PETS™ by Mars Petcare helps us encourage people of all walks of life and fitness levels to be more active. We’re excited about walking together with our families, our pets and our neighbors.”

For more information about THE POWER OF PETS™ by Mars Petcare and to keep up to date on event details, join our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/PowerofPets.

About Mars Petcare
Mars Petcare is the world’s largest petcare manufacturer, with 2010 global sales of approximately $12 billion. Headquartered in Brussels, Mars Petcare produces brands such as PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR®, ROYAL CANIN®, NUTRO®, GREENIES®, KITEKAT®, CHAPPI®, and CATSAN® Food for Pets. Mars Petcare is also home to Mars Fishcare, Mars Horsecare, Petservices and BANFIELD® Pet Hospital. The Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition provides the science behind our leading petcare brands. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars, Incorporated has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 65,000 Associates worldwide are putting our Mars Principles in action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance. For more information, please visit www.mars.com.

®/™ Trademarks © Mars, Incorporated 2011

This sounds like a great way to feel better and hang out with your pet, so check to see if there's a Woof Walk in your area!

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The Road Unleashed - New Blogger Alert

In today's New Blogger Alert, we are proud to be featuring The Road Unleashed.  Here's what they have to say for themselves.

Abby & Chewy

My name is Akila, my husband is Patrick, our cocker spaniel is Chewy, and our beagle mix is Abby. We are two humans and two dogs permanently traveling the world. We left home in February 2011 to begin our 9-month long road trip through the United States and are taking the Queen Mary 2 to Europe in the end of July to spend 15 months traveling through Europe. Patrick and I are digital nomads --- we work while we travel --- and Chewy and Abby are good-humored roamers who love finding new parks and hikes with their tails high in the air.

Chewy

I think the world needs more information about traveling with dogs, especially from real-world canine travelers. As we started traveling around the United States and planning the transportation to get to Europe, we realized that there aren't a whole lot of people doing what we do. We scrambled to find information on vaccinations, country requirements, and pet passports in Europe, not to mention the difficulties in finding pet-friendly lodging in the United States and abroad. We look for different things now than when we travel alone: a restaurant should have good food and also a pet-friendly patio; hikes must offer great views and be comfortable for eight paws to manage; and, lodging must welcome dogs. We want The Road Unleashed to be about our journey, as well as a place to showcase amazing pet-friendly places, stories, photography, and travelers with dogs.

Abby

They currently update once a week, but starting soon they will be sharing the adventures of the Queen Mary 2 trip!

Stop in & say hello & tell them that PBU sent ya!

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Can You Help Boonie Find A New Home?

This a post that we have copied from Dobermans By The Sea.  Please help spread the word, they are in the Enterprise, Alabama area.

Meet Boonie-he is an unneutered male Lab-boxer mix and has been living in an empty house near ours for the past few months. Not sure if someone abondened him or where he came from. I'm looking for a good home for him since we are moving soon and I cannot keep him. I bring him food and water several times a day, he is really cute and a bit timid. He is getting used to me though. If he hasn't found a new owner by the time we leave either he stays or we will turn him over to a local no kill shelter. Either way, things are not looking good for Boonie unless he finds a new home soon. He is located in the wiregrass area-email me if you are interested or know someone who might be.

Thanks a bunch!

Come on PBU, let's help get the word out!

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Preston Speaks - Weekly Featured Blogger

This week we are proud to introduce you to Preston from Preston Speaks.  I (Pam) have gotten to know Preston's mom Rachel at a couple of blogging events & I can't wait to meet Preston & his brother Elvis in the fur at BlogPaws!

About me
Hello world! My Name is Preston and I’m a west Highland Terrier (A westie) and I run my very own website- Prestonspeaks.com. ; My official AKC name is Sir. Preston Peabody but I only am called that when I’m in really big trouble with my mommy and daddy. I am two and 1/2 years old and I live in Western Kentucky.

I have three brothers and sisters who are cats but they aren’t very friendly to me sometimes. Mommy says I’m too jumpy and they don’t like to play the same way I do. I also have a new westie brother Elvis who was my foster brother but we decided to keep him around. He is a puppy mill survivor so he has issues sometimes..like he didn't understand you can walk on grass and go up stairs..but we love him anyways.

My Website
I am the CEO of Prestonspeaks.com. ; My leadership team includes my dad who is the CIO who does all the technology stuff and my mom is the COO and manages contests and e-mail correspondence. Prestonspeaks is a blog from a westie point of view. It is all written in first person (me). We cover a variety of topics including, my adventures and travel, pressing animal issues, product reviews, and pet safety tips.

Here are some of their favorite posts:

Why We Foster Westies

Elvis the Interview

SF Day one - Trolley Cars and the Fisherman's Warf

And finally, you may need your Kleenex for this one, but It's a beautiful post

Rest in Peace Baxter

I hope you enjoy my website www.prestonspeaks.com and thank you Pet Blogs United for featuring me!

Of course the goal of Pet Blogs United is for us to share as many awesome pet blogs with all of you as we can, so please take a minute this week to visit Preston Speaks!

If you are interested in being featured on Pet Blogs United, please drop us a line at PBU at comcast dot net.

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Teddy The Dog - Great Product Review!

I was lucky enough to be contacted by the folks behind Teddy the Dog to try some of their products.

I looked over their website and knew this was a brand that was right up my alley!  Then I saw the adorable products they sent me.

Take a Hike

I got a matching Take a Hike t-shirt & cap.  There's adorable detail on the hat that I wanted to make sure you saw.

Love the paw detail!

I have to tell you that both items are made of high quality fabrics and the t-shirt is super soft & comfy.

Back of t-shirt detail

Another touch that I thought was cool, was the fact that each tag on the Teddy the Dog merchandise has it's own Teddy sticker!

Teddy the Dog

Teddy the Dog has it all, stuff for men, women, kids & dogs.  Check it out & see if you don't find something you just have to have!

*I was sent the above t-shirt and hat for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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Thundershirt Video Contest

Recently we told you about the success that Oskar has had with his Thundershirt.  It really helps to naturally calm his anxiety during loud thunderstorms.

Thundershirt is currently hosting a YouTube video contest until August 22nd for the chance to win a personalized Thundershirt (embroidery and can be any of our specialty designed shirts).

Entering the contest is easy with just two simple steps!

1. Film some before and after shots of your pup in his or her Thundershirt
2. Upload the video to YouTube and tag it as #ThundershirtYouTubeContest.

The top 3 videos will be selected and placed on the Thundershirt YouTube page where the winner will be decided by the public.

Check it out & maybe your dog could be a winner!

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