Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Nominate a blog for the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Awards Today

BlogPaws, the first social media company with an offline conference - "bringing you nose-to-nose with social media", is holding a red carpet event at their closing ceremonies this year, in Salt Lake City, in June. It will be the awards ceremony for their Nose-to-Nose Awards. Nominations are open as we speak but will close on Sunday at midnight MT. (that's May 6th, folks)

I hope you will all nominate someone special. It could be yourself or a friend. It could be a horse blog, or a dog blog, or a funny pet blog, or a cause blog. There are 12 categories to choose from, including one for Facebook Design and Twitter Design. I know you know people who deserve this! 

Here is more information with links to the terms and conditions:

Hairball Awareness Day! It's all about the cats

The Grumpy Old Lady approves - of the Hairball Awareness Day and celebrating FURMination! (she may not look like she approves but she does... that's actually her 'nicest' look!)

Is that a word, FURmination? Don't know...but it should be. We FURMinated our girl the other day and she loved it, as usual. Many of our readers probably know we're participating in a fun hairball awareness campaign where we created a celebrity person out of...hairballs. 

Sort of. Our celebrity was the ever-young and so sarcastic, Maxine, who is the very embodiment of our Wabby Wibby, aka The Grumpy Old Lady. See image here:

Beyond that, here are some hairball facts our FURminator folks shared with us -

• Hairballs can lead to problems in the gut including vomiting (as if anyone doesn't know that!), constipation or diarrhea, and even intestinal obstructions. Ouch!
• Grooming is the best way to prevent hairballs. If your cat is elderly, like ours, you may need to help. That's why we love the FURminator so much - it really keeps Wabby looking her best and feeling her best. 
• We learned that a twice a week grooming with FURminator can remove up to 90% of the loose hair and undercoat - while leaving our kitty sleek and beautiful. 

I don't know about you, but making sure our kitty is healthy by helping her with her grooming, isn't too much to ask. She's a bit old now (you read yesterday's post, right?) and she appreciates the extra attention. We appreciate the way she looks and feels after we spend some time FURminating her. Ah, the joy of all that attention - if only someone would FURminate us! 

w00t! 

The Grumpy Old Lady as Herself

It's Grumpy, here. I thought it was about time to chime in and ask a few questions.

First, who died and left the dogs in charge? I mean, really. They think the house belongs to them, but, I'm still here dogs. Let me remind you that when I come up for a drink at the fountain, you are to keep your distance. That's 3 feet away. Especially you, Onyx.

Honestly, why does that little black dog follow me around the way he does? Last week I had to give him what for in no uncertain terms! Even then, he seemed to think swatting at him and hissing was an invitation for him to come even closer! His mother needs to spend more time on his manners.

Wordless Wednesday: Do You Come Here Often?

After a really good FURminator treatment:

Say, what's all this?

A post from Olive, the extra small dog at the DiVita-Collins household, told in words and pictures. Enjoy. 

"Say, what is all of this? It smells really good!"

"It's fun stuff from Royal Canin, just for you, Olive."

"Hmmm... fun stuff, huh? I'll be the judge of that."

"We can use some of it to give you a bath."

" A what?!?!?"

"Um... a bath. You haven't had a bath in a long time, Olive."

"That's cause I don't need a bath. Hmph! So, what's all this other stuff? If it's for me, make Chester go away."

"Well...there are nail clippers. And a toothbrush... and a nice towel, for your bath. And some toothpaste and a really soft brush... And Chester can sniff it. He won't hurt it."

"I'm not hearing the words 'treat' or 'snack.' Any snacks in there?"

"No, no snacks. But a fantastic bag of really tasty food for small dogs like you."

"Ah, now you're talking. Give me some of that." 

"Ok... for your dinner."

"Why do I gotta wait till dinner? What if I want some now?" 

"Well... haven't you had enough for now? You had treats a little while ago."

"A LITTLE WHILE AGO... that was a hundred hours ago. I need some food, Mom! It smells so good...can't I have just a taste? PLEASSSEEE?"

"Olive, you know what the vet said... no eating between meals. We gave you treats at lunchtime and we're not supposed to. Now, you have to wait for dinner for the xtra small Royal Canin food."

"Aw Mom... dinner is forever away. Isn't it? It is, isn't it?"

"It's sooner than you think..."

"Why can't it be now?"

"Cause you have to have your bath first... Olive... Olive...come back here! Olive, you need to have your bath... OLIVE>>> where are you going - Tom, don't open the... oh no, she's in the yard now! I'm not chasing her out there... I guess the bath will have to wait. But, YOU WILL HAVE a BATH Olive!"

"NOT TODAY!!!! Call me for dinner!" 

Stay tuned... we'll try and videotape Olive's bath...

And then we'll share how you can win a small dog package like the one shown here...for your dog!

It'll be fun, trust me!

"Olive...Olive...come back here!" 

Tillman the Skateboarding Bulldog! OMD!

I have a confession. I LOVE Bulldogs! That's right. I'm hooked. I don't have a Bulldog, I have a sweet Boston Terrier (and two rambunctious hound dogs), but... in my heart of hearts, I so want to have a Bulldog someday. OMD - isn't this one from wikipedia gorgeous???

Ok...you can fault me for that if you want. I know, don't 'shop' - just 'adopt' and I do. I always find my precious pups and kittens at the various shelters in our area. But, what if... the next time I'm hunkering after a puppy (know that puppy is a generic term... all dogs are puppies to me and I prefer to adopt dogs that are older), and the shelters don't have any Bulldogs? <sigh> 

I may search out a breeder. Yes, I may. A trustworthy one. And there are lots, mind you. I even know some. But, they don't breed Bulldogs. Darn.

Fresh Pet Cookies for the pups!

Let's face it - our dogs are just little kids to us. I'm a baby boomer and my pups are like my second round of children. Except...they don't talk back. LOL

Because they are that important to me, I seek out treats that are nutritional and even close to being 'human' food. Like these cookies from Fresh Pet. 

These are cookies you bake yourself. They smell fantastic and they taste even better. Well, the puppies tell me they taste 'even better.' Mind you, I'm never sure whether Chester will cooperate or not, when I have product for him to 'test.' These were sent to us free from our friends at Fresh Pet and I told them upfront, "I'll try them, but if Chester won't eat them... I have to say so." 

A truly unforgettable event

Sometimes, there are videos that are just too important to ignore. I love this one about an abused Weimaraner that was rescued and went on to become a champion in Westminster. Let's hear it for our breed dogs that often suffer the same fate as the "mutts" we love and talk about. My thanks to Suzi on Facebook, who shared it first. Suzi breeds Pulis - amazing dogs! She blogs at Dogknobit - and has some of the best content on the web.

 

World's first Prosthetic Pawed Dog - on video

Too beautiful and amazing. Had to share. Fits my Incredible Dogs category to a T.

 

Cat Lovers Unite

Grumpy Old Lady, here.

What's going on in the world? Is this political contest over which man gets to be president, more important than the lives of...well, cats? I say no. I say, we need a president that values all living beings...not just people. That isn't Mitt Romney, in my opinion. And, I think Obama has his heart in the right place but... even he doesn't get it. He thinks pets, animals, creatures that are not human, are expendable - well, he must think that cause he isn't helping us, is he? Sad.

For instance, what's up with Loew's? They are waging an all out war on the feral cat community in and around their hotel... cats that are not bothering anyone. The best way to manage feral cat colonies is TNR - Trap, Neuter and Release. Once they are unable to breed, they will slowly die out. It would be fantastic to get them adopted, but not all feral cats are adoptable. That does not mean they should be treated like... they are of no importance in the greater scheme of things. Visit the video above or here, and watch and learn.