Kyjen Puzzle Testing

Being a Kyjen toy tester is a great gig.

As my friend Mango would say, my mom person wanted to stimulate my mentals so she chose the Paw Hide Dog Toy Puzzle.

We tried it one time doing it like the dog on the packge, but my mouth isn't quite big enough to get those yellow puzzle pieces out.  Morgan from Kyjen suggested we tie cloth strips through the holes in the pieces and we tried again.

Here's Oskar playing with the puzzle.

And a little video.

A couple of times when Oskar got the yellow piece off, he ran away with that & ignored the treat he was supposed to be digging for!

I think that this is an amazing toy for a more treat motivated pet who needs more mental stimulation to keep them happy.  Oskar just wasn't that interested if we weren't prompting him.

Kyjen is a great company that sells their own brands based out of Colorado.  Check them out for unique new dog products.  You could even end up being a toy tester yourself!

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One Day, 10,000 Bowls Follow-Up

The Proctor & Gamble Pet Care 4th annual shelter makeover & One Day, 10,000 Bowls drive were both a huge success again this year. 

Thanks to people like you over 10,000 bowls of Iams, Innova & Eukanuba food is being donated to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.

We'd like to thank all PBU readers who helped get the job done & for more pics of the shelter makeover you can go to these albums:

Eukanuba

Iams

Innova

Great job Proctor & Gamble Pet Care!

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True Silver Blanket Review & #Giveaway

Oskar showing off his Sleep Number True Silver Blanket

When we were contacted by Sleep Number to review one of their True Silver Natural Allergy Defense Blankets we were thrilled.  Oskar is a dog who is fairly hypo-allergenic, but the two shedding, dander dropping cats who share our bed are a pain!

Here's just some of the benefits of the Sleep Number® True Silver™ Blanket:

Pure silver fibers are woven into the blanket, which offer anti-microbial, anti-odor and anti-static benefits (that’s three check marks against the fur and allergies.)

The True Silver fiber is also part of the fill and has a natural allergy protection which will never wash or wear out which means the blanket can take the abuse and still stand the test of time.

It also has a 300-thread-count cotton sateen cover (can you say softness!), and quilted stitching so the fill inside stays where it’s meant to be.

The blanket comes in eggshell, pale blue & mushroom.  We loved the pale blue, but with dirty Oskar paws we went for the more logical choice for us, mushroom.

I can tell you that with the cats sleeping on it we have reduced the amount of fur & dander in our bed a lot!  The cover is really soft & smooth and all of the details are top notch.  This blanket is nice & lightweight and I can see us using it all year round.

Now here's the great part for you!  One lucky Pet Blogs United (United States only) reader will win a True Silver Blanket for yourself.

Please copy & paste: http://PetBlogsUnited.blogspot.com in the referring blog column in the entry form below.


Contest ends October 5th at Midnight EST.

US entries only.

I was provided with a True Silver blanket for this review and one will be provided to one of my readers.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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Welcoming Your Adopted Dog Into His New Home - Guest Post

With the country's animal population exploding out of control, adopting a dog is a smart move, and it's usually a cheaper option to boot. There are millions of shelter dogs in the U.S. — and once you’ve found your next lifetime companion, it takes a bit of work to make sure he is able to acclimate to his new home. Dogs – especially shelter dogs that have been exposed to a variety of people - can be timid, and it's necessary to ease them into their new surroundings. Whether you live in the hustle and bustle of a big city, or enjoy the calm, quietness of the lush outdoors, take the following steps to give your new adopted dog a proper welcome into his forever home.

1)      Secure his identification

Not only is it required in most states, but should your dog make a great escape off his leash (or out the back door), you’ll need identification including his name, your phone number and address. This will help kind strangers return your friend to his rightful owners.

2)      Puppy proof your home
Make sure your living quarters are safe and clean for anything within (and above) a dog’s reach.  Sharp corners should be padded down if they're in a well-traveled area (ie. between the doggie door and the food bowl).

3)      Stock up on supplies

Ensure you’re well stocked with the dog goodiesneeded to care for your new furry friend. This includes: dog bowls – one for food and one for water; veterinarian approved food – try to have at least two months’ worth on hand; indoor and outdoor toys – these will help keep your dog occupied and busy when he is indoors, while balls and other outdoor accessories will help encourage exercise and interaction; doggie bed – the most important area to note is the size of your dog. Anticipate how large your dog will be in adulthood. This will allow you to gauge the size of the bed you’ll have to purchase for his bedtime routine.

4)      Determine his training requirements

When adjusting to a new environment some dogs go through a range of emotions including an abundance of energy due to sheer joy and excitement, to high anxiety and uneasiness. As your pup is adjusting to his new quarters, many opt to crate train their dog. Crates, or kennels, are used to secure dogs when owners are out of the house. This ensures your property won’t be damaged from jumping or while your dog “explores” his new home when you’re out of the house. Crates are a calm area where pups can catch up on rest while you’re away, and many dogs grow to love their crates and see it as their sanctuary or peaceful nook.

5)      Enroll in puppy school

If your dog isn’t already trained, obedience class helps dogs learn simple commands such as “sit,” “down,” and “stay.” These techniques will not only let you control your dog, but it will be one of the first steps to learning how to communicate together. Puppy schools also offer socialization with other dogs – a key to their development. When selecting a school, note that your trainer is comfortable with your breed of dog and knows the best methods of communicating with him.

6)      Exercise!

Dogs require daily activity not only to help burn off their innate energy, but also to help bond with their owners. Spending a set amount of time together allows you to get to know your dog’s personality, and it shows him that you are his leader and protector. 

Adoption is one of the most selfless gifts you can give. By adopting a dog, you’re not only saving a life, you’re also giving hope to another homeless animal. When a pet is adopted, his spot is then free to provide shelter for another animal looking for a forever home. The next time you’re greeted by your loving companion, you’ll be reminded of the life you saved – and, most likely how you can’t imagine living without him.

When she’s not trying to energize her lazy Golden Retriever, Liz Demcsak writes for Wet Nose Guide, a nationwide dog care directory for owners on the go. When you're on the road, let Wet Nose Guide find dog businesses in your neighborhood to help cure your canine's cravings.

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Jowls of Fury - Weekly Featured Blogger

This week we're talking to Vic from Jowls of Fury about his group a cats & hounds.

I'm a wildlife biologist, my wife is an echocardiographer, and we live in Missouri with our 3 basset hounds and 5(!) cats. The blog has very little to do with the humans and is written solely by the animals - we just do the typing. The basset hounds and the cats each do some blogging and we have more-or-less weekly blog specials (Famous Basset Hound Friday, Weird Word Wednesday, Stupid TV Commercial Sunday), plus other blog posts as the active lifestyle of dogs and cats requires.

Rosco is our first hound (2 years old this previous March, a tricolor), Layla is our second hound (a rescue, 3 years old this coming August, a mahogany), and Breezy is our third hound (another rescue, she will be 4 years old this coming December, a tricolor). As for the cats, we have Beaker (7 years, orange and white), Bunsen (6 years, almost entirely black), Oliver (5 years, orange and white), Nibbler (4 years, black and white), and Korbin (3 years, all white). All of them are rescues. There are some additional details about each animal's personalities here.

Some of our favorite blog posts include:
How to survive Snowpocalypse (and live to blog about it) by Layla
This has been a stressful month by Breezy
A death in the family by Rosco

Recently the cats staged a takeover, Layla discovered cicadas and geese, and I posted about the upcoming Guardian Angel Basset Waddle (which we would encourage anyone who is thinking about donating money to a worthy animal cause to consider). 

Please take some time this week to visit Jowls of Fury, they are a really fun group!

If you're interested in being a PBU Featured Blogger, drop us a note at PBU at comcast dot net.

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Urgent Help Needed For Cobbie

I need your help friends. I really don’t know whether to be angry or sad. Why? Let me introduce you to Cobbie. Cobbie is in Greenville, SC.

Isn’t she the cutest little thing? She might be around 8 weeks old. She needs a home. Does she look less adoptable to you? Nope, me neither. You see, Cobbie is FIV+ and that’s where I get a bit angry, and a bit sad too. There is such an unwarranted stigma associated with FIV and that’s so unfortunate for sweet kitties like Cobbie. FIV is not a death sentence, far from it. There are so many loving kitties that are FIV+ leading happy and healthy lives.

My dear friends at Cats of Wildcat Woods had a wonderful post about FIV Facts and their 13 year old kitty with FIV. Please go read that post HERE.

I’m so sad for Cobbie, because of her FIV it seems that nobody is interested in her. I know that because in Greenville, SC, it seems as though they contact me as a last resort. They know I have the best friends in the whole wide world and that y’all will help me get the word out about sweet Cobbie.

Cobbie is currently occupying cage space at a local Vet’s office. This is the same kind Vet that cared for my Sister Dolly and for Little Bit (adopted by Marg), and so many others. This Vet provides lots of care for helpless and homeless critters. But unfortunately the cage space will soon be needed for another extremely sick or injured critter.

I need to find Cobbie a forever home, a foster home, or placement in a no-kill shelter. Cobbie is in Greenville, SC.

There are six of us here, Dad has his paws full, so we can’t take her. Please take a few minutes and share her story and her photos. She is beautiful, inside and out. If you can help, please email me at brianfrum (at) gmail (dot) com. I can’t bring myself to tell her she is less adoptable, can you?

Thanks friends, y’all are the best.

*Guest post courtesy of Brian from Brian's Home.

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One Day. 10,000 Bowls. How You Can Help

My friends over at Proctor & Gamble Pet Care are going all out today because it's their 4th Annual Paws for a Cause Shelter Makeover, benefiting The Humane Society of Greater Dayton.

While over 175 P&G Pet Care employees are painting, landscaping, adding agility equipment for the Community Dog Park, adding climbing areas & perches for cats and even adding cabinets for “pocket pets”, you can help by clicking on tons of fun links to donate a bowl of food per click.

They are counting counting likes/comment on these pages today to donate food, so click-away.

Eukanuba
Iams
Innova Pet
Humane Society of Greater Dayton
Petside

Jen Bourke of P&G says, "Of course, we can’t leave out Twitter! We are also supporting the donation campaign on 9.22.11 on Twitter.
We are donating 1 bowl to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton (up to 10,000 bowls) for each tweet that mentions ONE or ALL of these accounts:
· @Eukanuba
· @Iams
· @InnovaPet

AND uses the hashtag #ShelterMakeOver:

Here is an easy one: 1 Day. 10,000 bowls~ Use #ShelterMakeover & mention @Iams @Eukanuba or @InnovaPet = 1 bowl food donated to @HSDayton 9.22.11 only! RT "

Let's help Iams, Eukanuba & Innova feed lots of pets today!

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Kitcaboodles ~ New Blogger Alert

This week we're glad to introduce you to Kitcaboodles.  Laura, Sookie & Mr. Darcy are a lot of fun.

In February 2010 for our first anniversary my husband and I joined the exclusive club of owning a ragdoll cat... little did we know what we were letting ourselves in for!

Sookie

Discovering enough funny quirks, odd behaviour and 'aw' moments to write a book, I armed myself with a camera and my trusty mobile video phone and began to document life with a ragdoll (or two). My aim is to share funny stories, cute pictures and a little of what I've learned along the way in case any of it helps a fellow cat lady/man and I would encourage people to comment back and share their own stories too.

Mr. Darcy

I've also just set up a page called 'Bad Cat Photos'… you know, the ones where you aimed for cute and somehow got 'jabba the hut'. Even beautiful kitties sometimes take a bad photo and the results can be very funny! I'm hoping people will submit their own pictures to me so I can add to the collection...a wall of kitty shame!

I am a self confessed crazy cat lady, but I'd like to think I'm doing it with humour and style!

Take a break today to swing by Kitcaboodles and welcome them to the Blogosphere.

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Kitties Wanted, Maties!

Since it's Meow Like A Pirate Day, Moe & Chloe wanted to participate on Pet Blogs United.

Moe

Chloe

Okay, maybe they weren't so thrilled with the pirate hats, but they wanted me to get the word out about kitty involvement on PBU. 

We have lots of great kitty friends & we would like to see more of them featured on our blog.  The cat blog-o-sphere is so awesome, but we seem to get mostly canine feature submissions for our Weekly Featured Blogger and our New Blogger Alert posts.

So kitties, come out of your boxes, put down your nip & rise up!  Send e-mails to PBU at comcast dot net & let us know that you want your turn in the spotlight.

And we don't descriminate here at PBU, we're interested in bunnies, ferrets, rats, guinea pigs, whatever type of pet blog you have.

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Meet Finn Howard - Weekly Featured Blogger

This week we're happy to introduce you to Finn Howard and her family:

We're so excited to be featured on PBU! My husband and I stopped by a kennel around Christmas last year, "just to look" at some of the pups that they had there. We played with a few, and when they put Finn down in front of me, I was sold. She was adorable. I had never had a pet before; my husband grew up with dogs, and he didn't really have to convince me that this would be a great addition to our family.

I started to blog about Finn this past spring. I thought it would be a great way to meet other dog-owners and to learn about raising my dog. Let's face it, training pups takes a lot of patience and time,and I was beginning to get frustrated with her. As I started to write more and more about her, I saw she was growing more and more and I realized that she was turning into my best bud - she was always there for me and all she wanted to do was keep me company. Who wouldn't love a friend like that? And I thought that people would really enjoy reading about her antics and some of our adventures together! My blog has turned into something special for me, and I hope that when I can look back at these early years together, I am reminded of all the great times we shared together.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy reading. These are some of my favorite posts:

Beach Day 2011

Four Stages of Hose Mania

Office Terror

We'd like to thank Finn and her mom person Marianne for sharing their blog with us.  Please stop by their blog this week & leave them some comment love. 

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

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The Helen Woodward Animal Center or #HWAC

Thursday morning at BlogPaws I was able to meet with some old friends and make a new one.  It would be great if I had a picture, but being the ever vigilant blogger that I am, I didn't pull out my camera once.

I had breakfast with Joanne from The Tiniest Tiger, Rachel & Brad of Preston Speaks, Bev also known as @PetCareBev of My Flat Pet, Tina from Eukanuba and a new friend, Barbara of Mutt Mania.

Then someone tipped us off the the Mike Arms of the Helen Woodward Animal Center, was eating alone.  Guess who got to sit next to him?  ME!

People if you don't know about the work that the Helen Woodward Animal Center and Mike Arms does, please take some time to check them out.

This was the second time I was lucky enough to spend some time with Mike, since the group I was with from Iams & Eukanuba for BlogHer, got to have lunch with Mike.  After lunch he gave us a behind the scenes, private tour of the entire center.

From the state of the art veterinary facility that's going to open next year,

To an actual horse, having his leg surgery.  That's one lucky horse, because the Helen Woodward Animal Center has one of only 2 equine pools in the state of California.  The Equine pools allow the horses to heal faster and with less pain.

Mike's ideas to change the way people view an animal "shelters" have changed the industry.  Ideas like naming cats Peanut Butter & Jelly, lends to people adopting more than one at a time, and running summer daycamps for local youth to raise money for the center are just two examples of how Mike is changing animal centers.  Don't let him hear you call it a shelter!

Over 1,000 children have have attended Helen Woodward camps throughout the year in 2011, according to Marcie Grube, Operations Assistant at the Center.  Scholarships are available to children who can't afford to attend on their own.  The camps serve to educate children about animals and taking care of our environment, allows them time with an wide assortment of animal species, and raises money to support the daily operations of the center.

They also have a proven DogSmart program which has an amazing success rate at helping people who are afraid of dogs conquer their fears.  In many cases the graduates of this programs adopt a dog of their own!

Their SurfDog Surf-A-Thon was postponed due to the power outages in sewage leaks in the area, but will take place on September 25th.

And you'll be hearing more from us about Iams Home 4 the Holidays, which begins on October 1st.  Grube says, "Iams Home 4 the Holidays is very important to us.  Collectively, working with 3,500 other animal organizations, we have adopted 5.7 million orphaned animals over the course of twelve years.  This year our goal is 1.5 million animals adopted."

I may be rambling on, but spend any time learning about the Helen Woodward Animal Center, and you'll become an advocate too!

I'll continue this next week telling you about the mini-ACES workshop I attended and great work that the Ryan Newman Foundation is doing to help animals while getting NASCAR in on the fun!

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Meow Like A Pirate Day - Guest Post By Brian

Sometimes I forget some things, like where I left my favorite mousie, or what I was going to do next after running down the hall full speed to do it. Sometimes I forget how close I am to the edge of my throne and then I roll off and hurt my butt. But right now I’m trying to remember something really impawtant, like what I did with my pirate hat. I know that thing is around here somewhere, but durn if I can find it. I’ve looked under the bed, under the couch and even behind the TV, but nothing. And Meow Like A Pirate Day is coming up on September 19th, and I’ve just got to find it.

Thanks Brian for the reminder.  I hope no one minds if us woofies bark like a pirate too!

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Anyone Tweeting Out There?

My name is Pam & I am not a Twitterer.

Being behind the times as much as I am, I'm just now starting to learn more about Twitter & the ways Twitter can help deliver and send out great information.

If I had thumbs I'm sure I could do it!

But for me, the Twitterverse is a bigger, more unknown version of the blogosphere!  Baby steps, that's what I need to do, take baby steps, lol. 

Is there anyone reading this that feels like I do right now or am I alone in this boat?  And which of you are chuckling, having mastered Twitter when it came out eons ago?

How about if anyone who tweets leaves us a comment with your Twitter handle & let us newer tweeters get the hang of it by watching you veterans.

You can always follow us @PetBlogsUnited.  We'd love to follow you back!

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Living, Laughing & Loving in Loftinland - Featured Blogger

living, laughing, and loving in loftinland – consists of: 4 male dogs and 2 adults….the dogs and their “jiji” do the blogging….often switching over in a post without saying they are…..it’s kinda like butting in, or interrupting!

Nano – is the leader of the pack (or we let him think so)

Jiji – is really the leader of the pack (at least we make her think so)

Then there are “us” the boys:


Russ

We’ll start with the oldest Russ – often referred to as Russtopher Waddleworth Loftin – he waddles that is the only guess as to why he is referred to like this…the Russtopher – haven’t a clue. He is considered the sheriff of loftinland….the shortest, biggest in size/weight comparison and when he speaks he does get attention. Gives lots of orders! He is an 11 year old terrier/beagle mix that is about 30 pounds overweight. Our daughter adopted this sweet little guy when she was in college, the demands of being in school didn’t mix with raising a pup at that point in her life, even though she raised him the first year of his life, she brought him to loftinland and we opened our hearts and arms to a very special little dog.

Grizzly

Grizzly Bear is next, the deputy of loftinland – he is a 10 year old Rotty/Shepherd mix. Came to live in loftinland when his “boy” Todd moved to a different location when he was in college – one that Bear could not go with him, because he had so much fun visiting loftinland and knew he would be loved there and still get to see his boy – this is where he landed….and well stayed for the last 9 years!



Eddi

Next would be Eddi…aka as Pigpen or Digger….boy likes the dirt and covers himself in it daily! He is only 3 and for the past 2 years when he first came to Loftinland he took one look and thought I think I might like it here! There was all kinds of things to get into and tear up and along with Cowboy he is one of the best darn squirrel security dogs ever known to live! The squirrels risk their lives coming to loftinland.



Cowboy

Last but not least there is Cowboy – He is a 5 year old Husky/Shepherd mix that is often mistaken for a wolf hybrid. He is a big boy but a gentle giant! Cowboy lived in Texas before moving in with the rest of his pack, he visits his family there often, the first and only grandchild of loftinland lives there and he adores her but was too big of a dog to be around her on a daily basis! As the other dogs, except Eddi there stays were only temporary, but loftinland fell in love with them and they fell in love with loftinland, and parting would be too much of a heartache, so they stay and live, laugh, and love here with their humans who love them so!

These are not the only dogs we celebrate and blog about in loftinland….or plan to….jiji has had 17 dogs her 52 years…and she has many memories to share of them all. Our whitedog Angel guards and watches over loftinland, she was a white shepherd that found her way into the heart of loftinland over 5 years ago, she was 10 when she arrived and left us at age 15, loftinland misses her everyday!

Here are links to 3 blog posts:

Loftinland Misses You

Doesn't Tak Much To Amuse Him

#1 My Very First Angel & Dog

As you can see there is a lot going on in Loftinland, so stop by & visit this great gang this week!

If you are interested in being a Pet Blogs United Featured Blogger, drop us a note at PBU at comcast dot net.

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