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Happy Halloween!  Are you scared?! Ike and Kelly say all treats and no tricks for everyone! Happy Halloween!

Here's a behind the scenes peek at my recent book signings for Faithfully Yours, the amazing bond between us and the animals we love . One book signing was even pet friendly! Zeke came to say hi Grandma! We had a fun photo op we had at one of the signings. We tried to set up dogs to look like the book cover. Diamond Iz Milo Zeke  How do you think we did?! * KATE VOLZ is the winner of a signed copy of the book on the Faithfully Yours blog tour book giveaway. Join the Blog Paws Wordless Wednesday blog hop!

What could be better this fall than curling up with a warm blanket, your favorite book, and a dog by your side? And I've got the perfect book. I'm excited that I got an advanced look at my blog pal Jackie Bouchard's new novel, House Trained . The thing I love about Jackie's books (yup, I've read them all!) is that they're not just about dogs, they're about people with dogs. People with situations and struggles and stress and messy lives. And having a dog makes all the difference. Isn't that the truth?! The other thing I love about Jackie's books is her humor, and her honest, direct approach. (Yup, that first line of House Trained is about as open and direct as they get!) The book is about a woman named Alex who is in for a few surprises in her neat and orderly life. It's also about Marie, a floppy-banged labradoodle, who teaches Alex a few lessons about acceptance. House Trained is a funny, honest look at family--the good, the bad, the messy, and

What ingredients should I feed my dog? What is the best dog food? Should I use grain-free? Important questions. There are no easy answers.  And it's so personal. And what's best for one isn't always best for the other. It's something I've read about and researched, and will continue to do so. I can't pretend to tell you what is the best food for your dog. But I can tell you about our experience and some research I've done. Quite some time ago, we used to feed our dogs what we thought was pretty good quality dog food. But after doing some research, I realized that we were way off. That was way back, before I started getting fit and healthy, and dieting with my dog . Not only was my dog Kelly overweight, but she was also at risk of many serious health conditions. I remember that all her lab results were borderline...and I determined that it was up to me to change her diet and get her healthy and get those lab tests going in a positive directions. So I learned

   What do you think Kelly has on her mind this autumn?! Join Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop! 

A few weeks ago, Ike and Zeke were playing and Zeke somehow managed to get Ike's collar off. This has happened several times before. They play rough, but it's all in good fun. What wouldn't be in good fun is if Zeke got severely tangled in Ike's collar and as the two struggled, the collar tightened around Ike's neck. There are an estimated 26,000 collar strangulation accidents a year. This week is Collar Safety Awareness Week. Toni Mark, KPA-CTP, MA, Training and Behavior Education Specialist for PetSafe (R) brand, explains that collar stangulations not only occur during play, but also the collar may get caught on furniture, crates, fences, bushes, trees and heating and cooling vents. "By launching Collar Safety Awareness Week, we hope to help reduce the incidence of these tragedies." To help, we're giving away one PetSafe (R) KeepSafe (R) Breakaway Collar. The way this collar works is the buckle releases when pressure is applied or it gets caught on s

I've been writing about the human-animal bond, and found that so many people form connections with animals, and not just cats and dogs. There are even two stories in my new book, Faithfully Yours , about a woman who helped her asthmatic chicken, and had compassion for a chicken who wanted to hatch some eggs! So that is why I wanted to share this information with you. The ASPCA is hoping to raise awareness about the plight of factory farmed chickens and how you can help. Introducing: Change your Chicken Challenge ! Here's what you need to know: There is a ton of information on the web about organic products, grass fed beef vs grain fed, having too many hormones and antibiotics in meat and dairy, and buying chickens that have been raised “cage free.” But what does all that mean and why is it important?   It should always be important to know and understand what you are feeding your body, especially when you have kids. But how do you know what is really “good?” There are some pre

We had a great time on the Faithfully Yours blog tour! I hope you were able to stop in along the way. But even if not, it's not too late. You can still visit any or all of the stops along the way. And if you haven't entered already, there's still time to enter to win a copy of Faithfully Yours ! Leave a comment here, and on any of the blog stop posts, and you'll be entered into a giveaway to win a free copy of Faithfully Yours! If you leave comments at all 14 blogs, you'll receive 14 entries. Good luck! Here are the stops:   Day 1- Earl’sWorld Day 2 - Cindy Lu's Muse Day 3 - Melissa's Mochas,Mysteries and Meows Day 4 - Pet Product Review Day 5 - Talent Hounds Day 6 - The Writer's Dog Day 7 - Pooch Smooches Day 8 - Heart Like a Dog Day 9 - Champion of my Heart Day 10 - Joyful Paws and Talking Dogs Day 11 - Fire Safety Rocks and Five Sibes The giveaway closes 10/16. Open to U.S. Residents only. Thank you!

Hi and welcome to the very last stop on the Faithfully Yours blog tour! I hope you've been touring along with us. Yesterday "we were the champions" at Champion of my Heart. Today we have a treat, two stops, so be sure to stop by both Fire Safety Rocks and Five Sibes ! Leave a comment there and you'll be entered for a giveaway for a free copy of Faithfully Yours. One winner will be chosen from all the comments from the blog tour. Follow the tour and if you leave comments on all 14 stops, you'll get 14 entries!

Hi and welcome to the Faithfully Yours blog tour! Yesterday we were the champions at Champion of my Heart. Today we have a treat, two stops, so be sure to stop by both Joyful Paws and Talking Dogs ! Leave a comment there and you'll be entered for a giveaway for a free copy of Faithfully Yours. One winner will be chosen from all the comments from the blog tour. Follow the tour and if you leave comments on all 14 stops, you'll get 14 entries!

Hi and welcome to the Faithfully Yours blog tour! Yesterday we had a heartwarming stop at Heart Like a Dog and today we continue with the heart theme, at Champion of my Heart . Please stop by! Leave a comment there and you'll be entered for a giveaway for a free copy of Faithfully Yours. One winner will be chosen from all the comments from the blog tour. Follow the tour and if you leave comments on all 14 stops, you'll get 14 entries!

Hi and welcome to the Faithfully Yours blog tour! Yesterday we visited Pooch Smooches. Did you all get enough doggy kisses? Today we're stopping over to Heart Like a Dog . Leave a comment there and you'll be entered for a giveaway for a free copy of Faithfully Yours. One winner will be chosen from all the comments from the blog tour. Follow the tour and if you leave comments on all 14 stops, you'll get 14 entries!

Hi and welcome to the Faithfully Yours blog tour! Yesterday I was delighted to host a stop on the tour and announce the official launch day of the book, and we talked a bit about St. Francis and his love of animals. Today we're stopping over to Pooch Smooches . Pucker up! Leave a comment there and you'll be entered for a giveaway for a free copy of Faithfully Yours. One winner will be chosen from all the comments from the blog tour. Follow the tour and if you leave comments on all 14 stops, you'll get 14 entries!

Welcome to Faithfully Yours blog book tour. I hope you didn't miss the talented folks over at Talent Hounds yesterday. They're awesome! Today it's my turn! Hi! Welcome! Today is the official launch of Faithfully Yours , so I thought it was the perfect day to post. My publisher, Paraclete Press, decided to launch the book about the human-animal bond today because it's St. Francis Day. St. Francis is known as the patron saint of animals. St. Francis delighted in God's presence wherever he found it, especially in God's creatures. Many churches, schools and organizations hold a blessing of the animals on this day. I'm so delighted that Faithfully Yours is premiering on such a special day! Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of Faithfully Yours. One winner will be chosen from all the comments from the blog tour. Follow the tour and if you leave comments on all 14 stops, you'll get 14 entries! Leave comments at all 14 stops on the tour

Welcome to Faithfully Yours blog book tour. Pet Product Review was a pawsome hostess. Today we are visiting Talent Hounds . Please join us! Leave a comment there and you'll be entered for a giveaway for a free copy of Faithfully Yours. One winner will be chosen from all the comments from the blog tour. Follow the tour and if you leave comments on all 14 stops, you'll get 14 entries!