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Paw-some Gifts for Pets! (You Know Your Dog Wants These)

August 26, 2020 by

Courtesy of West Paw Design

Human friends, writer-grrl has been researching Christmas gifts for furry friends like me. If you need  ideas for your favorite doggie (and after all, we deserve a buncha nice stuff, because we are soooo cute and loveable), then check out her list, below.

(Santa, please note: I want all this stuff and a whole lot more….wags, Miss Paws)

Shaggy dogs are adorable–but sometimes they can’t see well because their long fur flops over in their eyes.  Tame your dog’s bangs or dress up your favorite bow-wow with a bow. Your Dog Advisor has a list of useful, cute hair accessories for canines. (No, human hair clips don’t usually work. They’re prone to slip out of your pupper’s soft fur.) Choose from simple, utilitarian clips to bands to bows. Miss Paws is such a diva. She wants a bow studded with rhinestones, lace, or satin rosebuds. 

Scratch right here…puh-leeze. Itchy pups may be allergic to their bedding, especially if it’s woolen. Otto likes this Organic Bumper Bed with its easy-to-wash, removable cotton cover. These comfy sleepers are stuffed with recycled plastic, which means they’re Earth-friendly, too. Available in five mix-and-match colors, and sized extra-small to extra-large.

Thanks to West Paw Design for this image. This is Otto, on a West Paw bumper bed. Such a hottie! ~ Miss Paws

Born to run? What dog isn’t? When you’re clenching a leash in your hand, your poor doggie can get jerked along. Canines recommend this Patento Hands-Free Leash, which lets you pump your arms naturally. That lets your running companion (moi, Miss Paws) run at a more natural pace, too. The leash attaches to a nylon wristband with a mini-pocket for your keys or a handy dog biscuit. Reflective stitching on the leash keeps us more visible at night.

Patento Pet USA makes this hands-free leash, sold by Petco stores. Image courtesy of Patento Pet USA.

Humans, I–Miss Paws–am a “power chewer,” which means that writer-grrl spends a lot of money trying to keep me in toys. If you’ve got a chewer in your pack, it can be tough to find—well, a tough toy. Tux is a toy made of a super-strong, FDA approved material. I like it when the humans stuff my Tux with a treat, but it’s also fun if they just throw it for me to catch. Sold by WestPaw, with a one-time free replacement if I do manage to gnaw it up…and I’m working on it.

On the other hand, if you’ve got a snuggle-bunny kind of pup, check out this soft, plush Owl toy. It’s featherless, with a sewn-in squeaker that guaranteed to keep you happy and annoy your humans (LOL–it’s not really annoying). These plush toys are stuffed with 100% recycled materials and they’re machine washable, so your human won’t be grossed out after you’ve got it all nice and slobbery. Best of all, it’s certified safe by third party testing.

Light up the night, so we can see where we’re going! This Dog-e-Lite leash is just what we need for our evening walks. It comes with an LED flashlight that slips onto the leash, so humans can keep one hand free (that makes it a lot easier for them to reach down and scratch behind our ears). Solar technology lets the light recharge in the sun or under artificial lights. I like that eco-friendly stuff, and writer-grrl likes not having to buy expensive batteries.

Okay, that should start my list to Santa. Writer-grrl, are you listening?

~ Miss Paws

 

 

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Dogtology: A Bone-A-Fide Book Review

September 10, 2015 by

9781626341388

Dogtology: Live, Bark, Believe, by J. Lazarus, is simply terrific. I loved this laugh out-loud look at canines and our obsession with them.

The author really has us pet-parents nailed. We are smitten with our fur-babies, and see them as our perfect companions because they’re non-judgmental, loving, playful, and accepting of all our human failings.

I like to say my rescue dogs rescued me, and they did. They pulled me out of my empty-nest slump and licked me into shape again (literally licked me, with their long, wet tongues). Four enthusiastic paws up for this book! I’ll recommend it to anyone, especially cat-lovers.

I received my copy of this book from Netgalley, but my opinions are bone-a-fide, so to speak.

Image courtesy of Greenleaf Book Group

 

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Walk for a Dog with WoofTrax

November 18, 2014 by

molly in sweater

Don’t let this sad look fool you. Molly doesn’t really mind her sweater, and with temperatures in the 20s today, she even likes it.

I put it on her so we can go for our daily walk, and while we circle the neighborhood, we’re using a new, free app to track our steps. It’s called WoofTrax, and it’s available for iPhone and Android. It’s a great way to support your favorite animal shelter or rescue group.

All you do is download the app (did I mention it’s free?) and select one of over 4,000 organizations you want to help. The app’s sponsors donate for every mile you rack up. WoofTrax says the donations also come from advertisers and investors. Of course, the more people who sign up to walk, the more money the charities receive.

So grab a leash! And put a sweater on your pup, if it’s frosty out there. Walking is one of the best exercises you can do, and besides–every step helps make life a little better for our furry friends.

 

 

 

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Go, Dog, Go! New Dog Gear

April 30, 2012 by

Remember those little books we had in kindergarten and first grade, when we were learning to read? They said things like, “See Spot run.”

Today, I’m saying, “Go, dog, go!”  We just added a new member to our family–meet Molly, aka Molly Cuddles. She’s on the right in the picture below, playing with Miss Paws, our resident canine-diva.

The unsinkable Molly Brown–well, our sweet Molly, anyway, on the right.

We adopted sweet Miss Molly from our local humane society over the weekend. She’d had a hard life, living in a mobile home with 5 other dogs. Finally the shelter got so full, the good folks who work there paid for her to be boarded at a local vet. Of course, there wasn’t much room there, either.

Last Saturday, they brought Molly and some other homeless pets to an event where I was speaking. We saw her and fell in love. She’s a “bassadore,” which is part Bassett hound, part black Labrador, and she’s all sweet and loving.

She’s not as tall as a regular Lab, and not as big–but she’s strong. Her coat is nice and glossy, and the vet has given her her shots and a clean bill of health.

Today I took Molly and Miss Paws on a short car ride. They did great. Miss P was seat belted in with a dog car harness I bought on Amazon. You can see the model here:  The Ruff Riders Roadie Canine Vehicle and Safety Training Harness. It’s not that she’s prone to hop around, but you never know when you might have to make a sudden stop, or when your dog sniffs out a dropped French fry between the seats and makes a dive for it, impairing your ability to brake or steer.

This adjustable harness goes around her chest and fastens behind her back. There’s a nice, long lead I can grab onto, to make sure she doesn’t take off as she enters and exits the car.

We found our Ruff Riders harness for sale on Amazon. Be sure to check out the Amazon Warehouse page for deals, or look on the right side of each product page (we saved about $10, by ordering through the warehouse).  I’m not sure, but I think these items may be distributed through Amazon’s warehouse after they’ve been returned.  At any rate, our harness appeared unused. It came without a box, but that was no problem. Miss Paws is comfortable and happy in it, and I feel better knowing she’s safe. The harness still allows her to move around, so she can look out the window and stand up or lie down.

Luckily, we’d recently found another car harness at our local Goodwill store–what a buy, for $5! We snagged it, even though we didn’t have the dog yet. It must’ve been fate! That’s the one Molly is using now, and it’s also a good, safe, snug fit.

And guess what else we got? Our dear friend Becky, from Florida, surprised me today with Doggles! Take a look at Miss P, who’s wearing them here:

The future’s so bright, we gotta wear shades.

She rocks her shades, doesn’t she? I just love them (thank you again, Becky!). They provide UV protection and shield your dog’s eyes from the wind, if you own a convertible (like Becky, who just bought a gorgeous new one) or if you ride with the windows partly down. Becky found these on eBay at My Doggie’s Closet, which has tons of cute stuff. Molly tried on the doggles and liked them, too, but wouldn’t wear them long enough to have her picture made. Silly girl.

Finally, I also want to share a picture of Becky’s dog, Emily, modeling her stylish new Thunder Shirt. In case you don’t know what those are, they’re little tops that put gentle pressure on a doggie, and you put them on your pet during storms, to help keep them calm and relieve stress and anxiety. Take a look:

Here’s Emily, a little fashionata in her sweet pink Thunder Shirt. Mickey D is admiring her.

Becky reports that the Thunder Shirt isn’t the answer to all of little Emily’s bad-weather phobias and fears, but we’re hoping it helps. Hey–a lot of us feel like hiding when it’s raining and hailing. Can’t fault a girl for being smart enough to know that strong winds and dark clouds can spell trouble. That’s Emily’s brother, Mickey D, peeking out behind her.

Molly says she’s happy to meet our readers, and we hope you’ll enjoy hearing about her in the days to come. Miss Paws is a little jealous, but so far, they’re doing fine. Just like human siblings, they don’t always get along perfectly!

wags,

Lynn and Miss Paws

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The Bark: Happy HOWL-o-Ween!

October 31, 2011 by

Human friends, I just wanted to wish you a happy HOWL-o-ween tonight! No, I’m not in my costume yet. I can’t decide what to be. Maybe I’ll be a cat, like I was last year. Take a look.

What’s that you say? You don’t think that’s me, dressed up as a cat?? Of course it is! I just had a very good costume. That’s why you probably won’t recognize me if I come to your house tonight. I might show up as a ballerina, a cowboy, an alien, or the scariest thing of all–a politician.  Boo!

Just a note: my favorite dog treats are the bacon strips, in case you can throw a few of those into my Halloween bucket. If not, writer-grrrl will eat the candy corn and, of course, anything chocolate.

Watch out for the Trick-or-Treaters tonight, and for all my four-legged friends who may be crossing the road while the traffic is out.  If you see any black cats, be kind to them. Those old superstitions are not true. They’re just as loving as the rest of us.

Happy Halloween, peeps!

wishing you lots of candy, and sending wags, Miss Paws

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The Bark: Dogs Love Trucks – and the Big Hair Ball

March 29, 2011 by

dog in blue truck

It’s true what they say, two-footed friends–dogs love trucks!

I was with writer-gurrl at the garden center recently when we spotted this happy guy waiting in the bed of a pickup truck.

There’s something else dogs love. We just love us a Big Hair Ball. (Don’t anybody start gagging. Stay with me now.)

The kind of Hair Ball we’re talking about here is NOT the stuff you pick off your sofa and your best pair of black pants. No, no, no. We’re talking about a party sponsored by Angels Among Us Pet Resuce!

Come on out for the Big Hair Ball! No hair is required to enter this event!

The Big Hair Ball is a fancy dinner and dance with music from your fav 80s bands. (I’m too young to remember, since I’ve just had my first birthday, but I’ve heard about  the great musicians from that era, like David Bow-wowie and Furran Furran.)

The Ball is for anybody who loves dogs and other pets (and yes, even icky cats). Here’s the skinny on when, where, and what it’s all about:

Saturday, June 18th 2011
Country Club of the South, 4100 Old Alabama Road,
Johns Creek, GA 30022

There’s a cocktail hour and silent auction from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, followed by dinner and dancing. 80’s attire and/or Black Tie attire are optional.

This is for such a good cause! The money raised at the Big Hair Ball will go to help homeless pets, like I once was. Your donations will buy food and medicines and provide shelter for rescued and orphaned dogs, cats, and other animals. We really need your help–and if you’ll take us home, we’ll give you so much in return. We’ll love you forever, and you’ll know you’ve helped some of God’s creatures.

So what are you waiting for? Click here:  Great Big Hair Ball to find out more. Then break out your leg warmers and parachute pants, mini-skirts and shoulder pads, and come on out for a good cause. You’ll make us smile, even if we don’t have a truck to ride around in!

Wags,

Miss Paws

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