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Ernest and Petey love having their very own special napping places. We have several beds both upstairs and down. They always like trying out new ones, too. We were invited to review a dog bed from Smiling Paws Pets . They carry pet beds for cats and dogs, along with other pet supplies. Would your dog like a new bed? We're giving away one free dog bed in the Rafflecopter below. So be sure to enter! We received the Modern Dog Bed in size Large. The bed was too small for our adult golden retriever Ernest, but 9-month old Petey took to it immediately. It was actually on the small side for him too, but he loved rolling over atop the super-soft sherpa fabric. Some of the pluses are that the bed is attractive, with a striped exterior and a brown sherpa interior. The bottom is a waterproof, slip resistant fabric. On the negative side is that the bed is more lightweight than I expected and the sides are not as sturdy as I thought they'd be. This hasn't detracted from Petey's en...

Are you looking for a book to help you connect more to nature AND get more out of the holiday season? Then check out All Creation Waits by Gayle Boss ... I'm giving away two copies of All Creation Waits here today, so you too can enjoy this wonderful book. All Creation Waits is a unique and thought-provoking book about the advent season which depicts how wild animals of North America adapt when cold and darkness descend. Each day for 24 days you'll discover how the Painted Turtle, Whitetail Deer, Chipmunk, Raccoon and many other woodland animals endure the long, dark days of winter. At the end, the author helps us to see how these winter preparations can help us prepare our hearts for the spiritual gift of Christmas. Today I'm pleased to have the author, Gayle Boss, join us here at The Writer's Dog:   TWD: Your book is about animals and the Advent season. What does Advent mean to wild animals? GB: Now is a time in the Northern Hemisphere when it is getting very dark a...

Do you wear a FitBit or other activity tracker? You know they're helpful in managing your activity goals. But have you ever wondered if your pet is getting enough exercise? Petey, photo by Roy Gumpell Are your walks together long enough? Is he running around in the yard or just laying in the sun? When you leave the house, is she actively playing or is she sleeping on your bed? If only you could have a FitBit for your dog! Now you can, with the Poof activity tracker . AND, we're Giving Away Two Poof Activity Trackers at the end of the blog!! Poof sent us two activity trackers to sample and review, and two to give away. We tried out the blue Bean for Petey, and the green Pea for Ernest. Setting Up At first I was a little intimidated because there seemed like a lot of parts. But the instructions are really clear and simple, and the parts are very straightforward. THE BEAN- uses a USB cable to charge. THE PEA- uses a battery So the first step would be to determine which you would ...

To be a pet parent is to have a car with: Smudgy nose prints all over the windows. Muddy footprints on the upholstery. Drool down the back of the seats. Dog hair flying everywhere. And that ewwwww stinky dog odor . Does this describe your vehicle? It does mine! Ernest and Petey have lent a paw or two to make sure our car has that lived-in look and smell! It's time for a total car clean-up. Luckily, I was sent a set of high performance car care products to review....and because I think they're so fantastic, I'm giving you a chance (below) to win  a set of five  Meguiar's car care products! We take Ernest and Petey in the car to go to the vet's, the park, training classes, visiting Grandma, and we recently took them with us on vacation. So they've certainly left their mark on (and all over!) our CRV. The trouble is, actual human beings have to ride in that car too. Most of them prefer not to sit in a rolling dog bed. It would be nice, just once, not to e...

Is Ike dreaming of sailing on the deep blue sea? Or just reading a good book about it? Ike doesn't have a boat or an ocean, but he makes do with his wading pool.  You may know Something Wagging This Way Comes blogger Pamela. (If not, you should check her out!) She, along with her hubby and their sweet golden retriever Honey, are living aboard The Meander, living life on the seas. It's fun to hear how a dog handles daily life on a sailboat. I recently learned of another dog who sailed around the world with her family. Hubble and Hattie , publishers of great dog books (and the same publishers who put out my Dieting with my Dog !) sent me a copy of the book to review and one to give away! Tara, the Terrier who sailed around the world by Rosemary and Robert Forrester, is a well-told and heartfelt tale of travel and love. From the publisher: “ Tara , the terrier who sailed around the world” is the exciting and touching story of a Jack Russell who had at least nine lives – and ma...

When is dinner time also play time? Answer- When you're a dog! I've long promoted products that help stimulate dogs' curiosity and give them a puzzle to solve, while also slowing down food consumption time. (Ike can gulp his meal in 2 seconds flat!) When I learned that a new company was providing "environmental enrichment for dogs through thoughtful product design" I had to find out more. Paw5 Rock 'n Bowl “Dogs are incredibly intelligent and social creatures that need ways to think, work and be active. By adding environmental enrichment to mealtime, a routine part of every day, we believe we’ve made enriching dogs’ lives easier for busy pet parents,” says PAW5® Co-Founder, Dennis O’Donnell. Paw5 sent me their product to review...and at the end, I'm giving away two Rock 'n Bowls to lucky readers!! Be sure to enter, because you're going to want one of these for your dog! Rock 'N Bowl™ builds off dogs’ natural behaviors and instincts, and turn...

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...

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 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!

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!

Welcome to the Faithfully Yours blog tour. Cindy Lu's Muse was an excellent hostess. Now we're headed to Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, and Meows . Won't you join us there? If you leave a comment, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of Faithfully Yours. And if you follow along and visit all 14 blog stops, you'll get 14 entries!

Do you have a small breed dog? My dog Ike is large, and Kelly is medium. What works for Ike doesn't always work for Kelly. Kelly uses a collar for walks, but Ike does better with a harness. Kelly loves stuffie toys, while Ike prefers tennis balls. Kelly's bed is small, while Ike's is larger. Okay, they don't always get that one right. And then there's food. You want to choose the right food for your particular dog. And if you have a small dog, you wouldn't choose the same food as you do for a dog like, say, Ike. So what do you consider when choosing a food for your small breed dog? 1. Kibble size – Kibble size is one of the most common differences between small breed and regular pet foods. Small dogs have smaller mouths and often have trouble eating a larger kibble. 2. Protein and fat – Small dogs require extra nutrients to meet their needs, it’s important to choose a small breed dog food that has higher levels of protein and fat than ordinary dog food. 3. Ingr...

 Are you ready for some fall fun? Here's an awesome way to show us a beautiful fall picture of your dog, and you could win a $50 (USD) PetSmart gift card! Here's how to enter 1. Follow all the hosts on Instagram: @kolsnotes @Heartlikeadog @Talesfrombackrd @cindylus @pfrezon @petproductreview 2. On Instagram, post a photo of your dog having fun and tag it with #dogfallfun The contest is open to those living in the US and Canada. The contest ends at 11:59pm(EDT) on September 28, 2015. The winner will be chosen at random from all Instagram photos featuring dogs tagged with the contest hashtag using Random.org and announced by the hosts on Instagram. Winner has 72 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Here's an older picture, but one I like of Kelly, and dear Brooks, in the fall. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. or PetSmart. By entering, entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age,...

Kelly just competed the Solid Gold Free Spirit Challenge by trying Solid Gold dog food for four weeks. And we're running a giveaway so you can try it too! During this time we answered a questionnaire to assess the appropriate formula specifically for her age, health and activity level. We kept track of her appetite, digestion and overall health during this time. We blogged about Solid Gold's ingredients , and how Kelly enjoyed the taste . We were exceptionally pleased with our trial. Solid Gold is natural and holistic, with grain free varieties and many different proteins to choose from. Kelly loved the taste of the venison Buck Wild variety, and responded well physically. Even Ike decided that he liked the taste better than his own food! We give Solid Gold 4 paws up! Now it's your turn to sample Solid Gold , and see what this premium food can do for your dog. Enter to win a Solid Gold V.I.P. Prize Package consisting of: 1 (4lb) bag of Solid Gold dog food, your choice of v...

I recently released my book trailer video celebrating the human-animal bond , and was so happy to hear from so many of you who loved the images in the video.  A picture can capture an emotion, make you smile, or melt your heart. Today, I've got a special treat for you! If you love pets (you do, right?!) then you're going to love this giveaway ! Retro Pets offered me a sample of their beautiful animal prints, and they're giving me SIX prints to give away! I'm excited that so many of you will get the chance to experience this adorable art and have one of your very own. Artist Krista Brooks took her love for all things vintage and combined it with a talent for drawing animals, and the result is charming, colorful, absolutely delightful art prints for pet lovers. Some of the designs, which resemble old-time advertising, include coffee, beer and wine labels. Others are for doggy treats and biscuits, while others represent ads for pajamas, purses or pubs. There are nearly 10...