Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Pet Parents Share Their New Year’s Resolutions

by Yvonne DiVita, Hop Over and Like Us on Facebook!

Most of my pet parent friends are adding 'extra' thought to their New Year's Resolutions. Are you? Some pet parents (the ones at my house, for sure!) are including how they care for their pets in their list of things they want to improve in 2012. 

To that end, our friends at Halo, Purely for Pets recently checked in with more than 1,000 pet parents for the Pet Parents’ New Year’s Resolution Survey. 

Here's what I discovered (content shared via Romeo the Cat's Mom, Caroline):

Halo & Free Kibble.com Visit San Francisco

Another great program that I can't help but share. It's that time of the year, of course. We're all focused on helping shelters and pets. We do it all year long, sure, but somehow, during these winter holidays, we get really inspired... like this:

From our BFF Caroline Golon - I'd write a whole post of my own, but this press release says it all better than I could. Imagine all this kibble being delivered in San Francisco today and in Portland and Seattle tomorrow. There are opportunities to interview folks on-site. If you go, please let us know and come share your experience. (pics are from the Cinncinati drop off... look at those smiling faces!)

"This holiday season homeless pets across the nation will have bellies full of nutritious, all natural food, thanks to Halo, Purely for Pets and Freekibble.com . The two organizations are embarking on their first ever Freekibble.com "Koast to Koast Kibble Drop" where shelters and rescues up and down the East and West coasts will receive 400,000 meals of all natural Halo Spot's Stew for the holidays.

Walk in Sync: It works!

We've struggled with the concept of a relaxing walk with the dogs. Emily, our rambunctious crazy girl (you know what I mean - she's fun-loving and energetic and only listens when she wants to), thinks the walks are meant to show Chester & Olive that she's in charge.

She loves sniffing an occasional bit of grass (and getting prickers in her feet; sigh) but mostly...she is on the lookout for rabbits. Then, she goes into her stalking pose... which I hope to capture for this blog someoday! (she doesn't really want a rabbit, she just wants to stalk it)

Chester will mosey along at his own pace. He's such a good boy. If I stop, he will (reluctantly) stop also. That Emily is moving ahead without him is of little concern.

Olive likes to get her nose right into the grass and dirt. She is sometimes more concentrated on sniffing than Chester! She, however, hates it when Emily gets too far ahead. 

Spooky Buddies from Disney to be at BlogPaws!

This week's BlogPaws update is an announcement -Disney has selected the 2011 BlogPaws Conference to hold the "first press screening in the country of Spooky Buddies" the quintessential movie with those "irresistible talking puppies"!

When we were working on this, all I could think of is how much fun this will be! First of all, the Buddies movies are fantastic (read more about Spooky Buddies here) and the fact that we can offer this exciting opportunity to our attendees at the 2011 conference just gives a girl goose-bumps!

I don't need to tell you all about it here. Hop over to BlogPaws and READ ALL ABOUT IT! And, visit the Spooky Buddies site, too. Seriously, talking dogs...is that not fun wrapped up in a big, red bow?

It's Barking Out Loud fantastic! Hope you're there to whoop it up with us. There's more to come about this event, also...stay tuned!

Our Friends at Bissell®

Many of you will know that last week Tom and I got to attend a GREAT event at Bissell, in MI. We're part of their Pack of Pet Lovers group and it includes some free product as well as a trip to at least one event during the year. (find them on Twitter at @wemeanclean )

This event was fantastic in a lot of different ways.

I've been to brand headquarters before. Other brands. I had certain expectations of this one. Bissell not only did not disappoint, they impressed me beyond expectation. The part of the day that made the most impact on me was - the true friendly nature of everyone we met. I have to tell you that the hostesses and every employee treated us like we were old friends (we kinda are, but there were a good many folks who we had not met before and they acted like we were old friends, too!).

PetPeePee®

So, if you're like we are (crazy about pets) you've probably experienced this: your dog or cat doesn't make it to the doggie door or litterbox and you find a odorferous spot on one of your best rugs. Or, on the floor.

 Some of us experience this more than others. Hello, Caroline! No offense intended to the pets who miss the box or the doggie door - but I can say in all honesty that I'm tired of it. I'm tired of coming downstairs in the morning and finding another spot on the rug.

Yes, I know our shelter pets might have issues. I don't fault them - for the most part all of our dogs would prefer to go outside.

A Fun & Unique Marketing Opportunity for Pet Bloggers

by guest blogger, Kyla Duffy

Happy Tails Books, a well-known pet-book publisher, announces their upcoming book, 25 Great Pet Blogs…and their most memorable posts. This book is written to help pet-lovers navigate the pet-blogosphere and find some of the greatest pet posts, all in one place. Like yours, maybe?

Clorox Fresh Step Cat Litter's Contest

In full-disclosure, this post is part of a sponsorship campaign with Clorox’s Fresh Step Cat Litter’s YouTube contest in coordination with Lijit Networks, Inc. I received compensation for these posts, but the opinions expressed here are my own. I also run third-party advertisements through Lijit, compensated on a CPM-basis.

If you have cats - and lots of you do! - this is for you.

Everyone knows The Grumpy Old Lady - seen here watching me prepare her breakfast - lives at our house and one of the things that makes her Grumpy (besides our nosey dogs) is not having a good litter-box experience! If you visit this YouTube video created by Clorox for the Fresh Step Cat Litter, you'll see what I mean: cats are just fussy about these kinds of things!

The Snow

Oh the snow, the beautiful snow...filling the sky and earth, below.

So goes the poem I remember. Snow is beautiful and sits on the trees and fencetops like frosting on a cake. In the early morning, when the sun is just coming up over the mountains, the snow sparkles like a rare gem - pristine and beckoning.

The dogs, however, seem to feel differently about it. Our Emily does not let a little snow deter her from weaving to and fro, on our walks. She seems oblivious to the cold beneath her feet until snow gets caught up between her toes. Then, she pauses and acts as if there are prickers in her feet. The prickers are a common occurence when the path is clear. We bend down, rub her toes and she's off again, at a trot.

Form, Function and Pets

I read an article the other day on the NY Times Website about how some pet owners are designing their interior space with their pets in mind. Before you dismiss this as yet another article about over the top pet owners, think about some of the things we've discussed on these pages about how important your pet's home environment is to their health and well being.

Indoor cats, as we've discussed in posts about sensitive cat syndrome, are prone to a host of disease problems related to chronic stress, much of which can be attributed to their home environment.

Homes that are either too chaotic or sterile can be bad for cats. Thinking about the world from the cat's point of view can make their lives richer, stress free and healthier.