WOPET Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder Giveaway!

WOPET Automatic Pet Feeder Giveaway!

1 Winner ~ Ends 8/11

Deliciously Savvy is hosting a giveaway where one lucky winner will receive a WOPET Automatic Cat & Dog Feeder!

---

Sadie and I have joined in the fun as co-hosts for this giveaway! We are excited to give all of you wonderful pet parents out there a chance to win this handy piece of technology. Scroll to the bottom and follow the instructions to enter this giveaway. Good luck!

 

Sponsored By: WOpet

Hosted By: Deliciously Savvy

Co-Hosted By:

Forever Dreamin’ // Missy’s Views & Savings Clues // The YourDesignerDog Blog // Sweet Southern Savings // Michigan Saving And More // My Silly Little Gang // Holiday Contest and Sweeps

PLUS a Big Thank You To All Of The Amazing Blogs Promoting This Savvy Giveaway ~ You All Rock!

And Now The Sponsor & The Details:

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ PINTEREST ~ INSTAGRAM ~ YOU TUBE ~ AMAZON

1 Lucky Winner Will Receive The WOpet Automatic Cat & Dog Feeder

Read Deliciously Savvy’s Review Here

Giveaway Dates: 7/20 12AM EST until 8/11 11:59 PM EST

Good Luck! Enter Below:

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook!

Entry-Form

 

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This giveaway is valid only in the United States. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway will end at 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/11/2018. Deliciously Savvy did not receive any form of compensation for this giveaway. Once winner is selected via the Rafflecopter process, the product will be shipped. Winners have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. No other blog associated with this giveaway is responsible for the product shipment. WOpet will be providing the prize above to the winner. This post does contain affiliate links. 

 

Thanks For Visiting!

Leave Some Comment Love While You Are Here!

Fun with Flags

Sadie is ready to celebrate the USA this Independence Day! As you can see, she is extra excited about her Patriotic head gear!

Happy 4th of July!

 

101 Tips For Terrific Trips with Your Dog

Sadie’s newest book is now available on Amazon! Okay, really I wrote it, but Sadie helped. How did she help? Well aside from being an adorable inspiration, Sadie agreed to be the official tester and personally tried each and every tip in this book. She gives it four paws up! 🐾 🐾

In 101 Tips For Terrific Trips with Your Dog, I give you a wealth of information about traveling with dogs. Want to take your dog on a road trip? I’ve got some tips for you. Flying on an airplane with your dog? Check out my helpful hints. Planning to stay at a dog friendly hotel? You’ll find a variety of suggestions to help make your stay relaxing and enjoyable!

---

** Update!**

My new book is currently #1 on Amazon for short travel books!!! 

---

This photo is the front and back cover of the print edition:

Want to see what this book has to offer? Click on the Look Inside preview below!

Do you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited? Then you can read the eBook version for free!

Happy Father’s Day 2018!

Happy Father’s Day!

My Own Personal Soft Kitty

 

I’m sorry Sadie and I haven’t been around much lately. We’ve had some health issues in our immediate family that we’ve been dealing with. Hopefully everyone is on the mend, but I’ll be having another surgery myself soon, so I don’t think I’ll be able to post regularly for a while yet.

Sadie, however, is great. She is the bright spot in our day, the reason we all get out of bed in the morning, and the only thing guaranteed to make the whole family smile.

To make me feel better recently, Sadie dressed up as Soft Kitty and cuddled in bed with me. For those of you who may not know, Soft Kitty is the personification of a song from The Big Bang Theory TV show. When someone on the show is sick, this song is always sung to make that person feel better. And it seems to work. Sadie’s Soft Kitty impersonation certainly lifted my spirits.

Tongue Out Tuesday with My Little Monster

 

Sunday Selfies with a Superhero

Super Sadie is hard at work protecting the neighborhood. Her superpower – cuteness. Criminals take one look at her and fall in love, forgetting all about their nefarious plans.

 

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Gnome Sweet Gnome

I’ve always loved the traditional garden gnome. As a toddler, I used to watch a cartoon starring a gnome, and ever since I’ve loved the little guys. Now I’m not one to go crazy collecting gnomes – there are only one or two on my lawn. (You may recall some photos I took of Sadie that were photobombed by my zombie garden gnome.) But when I saw the gnome in these photos, I knew she had to come home with me. When Sadie the Gnome is around, my house is definitely Gnome, Sweet Gnome.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, and M.K. Clinton.

Taco Tuesday

When I told Sadie we were having Taco Tuesday this week, her mouth started watering at the thought of some yummy beef and cheese. Unfortunately for Sadie, that was not the type of taco I had in mind. But Sadie was a good sport about it, and we had an enjoyable Taco Tuesday playing catch while Sadie wore her taco costume.

 

 

Welcome to Oktoberfest!

I can’t believe it’s already the first day of October! Sadie has decided she has the perfect outfit to wear today – her Oktoberfest costume! And to make the outfit complete, I gave Sadie a new toy to play with – a squeaky can of dog beer!

 

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

 

Warm, Fuzzy Feelings with Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Very Good, Very Bad Dog

The Chicken Soup for the Soul book series is known for providing heartwarming stories and My Very Good, Very Bad Dog is a wonderful example of that tradition. If you are looking for a book that’s guaranteed to make any dog lover smile and is easy to read in between your hectic schedule, then Chicken Soup for the Soul’s My Very Good, Very Bad Dog by Amy Newmark is the perfect choice.

No matter the breed or personality of your dog, you will find stories in this book that speak directly to your experiences as a dog owner. You’ll find reassurance that other dogs can be as mischievious as your naughty pet. Your heart will warm with the tales of the human-animal bond. And as you read, you’ll be cuddling closer with your own pets, cherishing the smiles they bring to your life.

I also really enjoyed all of the interesting facts before each story. Did you know there’s a dog collar museum in England? Or that when a dog chews on your shoe, he or she is trying to learn about where you go when you’re not home? And that the Shar-Pei and the Chow are the only two dog breeds that don’t have pink tongues? (Their tongues are a blue/black color in case you were wondering.)

Another heartwarming aspect of this book is that part of the proceeds are donated to charity! All of the author’s royalties from Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Very Good, Very Bad Dog are donated to the American Humane Association. The animals thank you, Amy Newmark!

With the crazy, unpredictable weather lately, this book is the perfect choice to read to the family by candlelight when the power goes out. You’ll have everyone laughing and smiling, forgetting about the stress of the world for a few precious moments.

Chicken Soup for the Soul’s My Very Good, Very Bad Dog is available at Chewy.com, along with many other wonderful books in the series.

This post is part of the #ChewyInfluencer blog hop.

I received a free book from our friends at Chewy.com in exchange for my honest opinion about the product.

Treats + Steak = One Happy Dog! #ChewyInfluencer

Steak is one food that is guaranteed to bring a smile to my dog’s face. When our friends at Chewy.com sent over some dog treats made from real sirloin steak, I knew Sadie would be excited. When you have a picky dog that needs to be coaxed and encouraged to eat anything, it’s a wonderful feeling to find a dog treat that your dog will eat immediately, without hesitation. And True Chews Premium Grillers are exactly the treats I need to make my dog’s mouth water.

True Chews Premium Grillers are the perfect form of enticement for Sadie. As I explain in our book, How To Get Your Dog To Eat (Chapter Four), sometimes my dog doesn’t find her dinner interesting enough to start eating. She’ll smell her dog food and then walk away, hoping for something more exciting to eat. That’s when I can use True Chews Premium Grillers. I take one of the treats and break it up into small pieces, which I sprinkle over Sadie’s dog food. Since she can’t resist the steak treats, Sadie will eat her whole dish of dog food just to get at all the little pieces of the True Chews Steak treats!

The beef used to make True Chews Premium Grillers is sourced entirely from American farm-raised cattle. These treats are all natural and made in the USA without fillers, by-products, grain, artificial flavoring, or preservatives. The sirloin steak is slow roasted to give your dog that great tender grilled taste.

There are two flavors of True Chews Premium Grillers, beef and salmon. True Chews also offers two flavors of Premium Jerky Cuts and two flavors of Premium Sizzlers. All six varieties of True Chews dog treats are available at Chewy.com starting at $9.45.

This post is part of the #ChewyInfluencer blog hop.

 

 

I received a free bag of treats from Chewy.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, based on my experiences with this product. 

 

 

Welcome to Fall 2017!

Happy first day of Fall!

 Sadie and I are looking forward to enjoying the beautiful weather and some great walks surrounded by the beautiful Fall foliage!

---

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Sunday Selfies with the Queen of My Heart

On this Selfie Sunday, Sadie is dressed up as the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. I think it’s a pretty fitting outfit for my spoiled little Yorkipoo – she’s the queen of this house and she’s the queen of my heart!

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

The Versatile Lambo Pet Carrier from Pet Magasin

 

As a small dog owner I have to be conscious of the level of stamina required for the various adventures we undertake. For every step I take on a walk with Sadie, my dog takes about 6 steps. Exercise is important for both Sadie and myself, but I want to make sure that Sadie never overexerts herself. That’s where the Lambo Pet Carrier from Pet Magasin comes in. I wear this carrier like any other backpack, but when Sadie gets too tired to keep walking, I can place her securely and comfortably in the Lambo Pet Carrier and continue the rest of our journey with her on my back.

In our everyday adventures, the Lambo Pet Carrier comes in handy most when faced with stairs. I’ve noticed that Sadie is perfectly happy to walk along with me wherever our adventures take us, but she hesitates sometimes at stairs. When we get home from an average walk, Sadie is usually still full of energy and looking for a ball to play with. But if our walk required a bunch of stairs to get to and from our destination, then Sadie seems sore by the time we get home. Sometimes she even starts limping because her hip joint, which wasn’t formed correctly at birth, starts aching. Glucosamine can help ease these aches and pains, but it’s better if Sadie could avoid the stress to her joints altogether. So now when I know a walk will involve quite a few stairs, I can pop Sadie into our Lambo Pet Carrier and whisk her up and down the stairs with no threat to her joints. Yes, I could carry her in my arms if necessary, but then I can’t hold onto the railing. Plus I usually have my camera in my hands which complicates things even more. So by using the Lambo Pet Carrier, Sadie is safe and comfortable on my back and my hands are free to use the railing.

The Lambo Pet Carrier is extremely useful for airplane travel. It is approved by airlines to be used for pets traveling with you in the cabin of the airplane. You can wear it on your back, knowing your pet is safe and secure as you check in and deal with all of your luggage. And you can walk around the airport with your hands free, without the hassle of trying to carry your dog or cat in a typical carrier that you probably need to juggle from hand to hand or shoulder to shoulder, making both you and your pet uncomfortable. The backpack fits nicely under the airplane seat and the cushioned reinforcements inside make sure the bag doesn’t collapse around your dog as some soft carriers tend to do. And the top of the backpack has a mesh zippered layer so that your dog has adequate ventilation and can keep an eye on you from under the airplane seat.

And I haven’t mentioned the wings yet! The sides of the backpack can zip open, revealing expanding mesh wings. Your dog can access these wings from the inside of the backpack, so that when they are open it effectively doubles the amount of space for your dog. These wings offer much more ventilation for your dog if you are in a hotter environment. And they are also a fun place for your dog to lay down but still be able to take in his or her surroundings.

The bottom of the Lambo Pet Carrier has sturdy feet, so you can securely place the bag down, making sure your dog doesn’t feel any impact with the ground. There are elastic tabs strategically placed on the bag for you to clip on necessities likeyour dog’s leash, a water bottle, collapsible dog bowl, and dog waste bag dispenser. And there is also a mesh front pocket, perfect for travel paperwork or even your cell phone. The backpack is made from sturdy, waterproof material that should hold up well through various travels and adventures. The cushioned, adjustable backpack straps help evenly distribute your pet’s weight, making it easier to carry for longer periods of time than your average pet carrier.

 

You can learn more about the Lambo Pet Carrier and their other products at the Pet Magasin website. You can also get your own Lambo Pet Carrier on Amazon! (http://amzn.to/2sFMg0X).

---

I received a free product to test and review. All opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with this product.

Sunday Selfies with a Backpack

Sadie is continuing with her back to school theme on this Selfie Sunday. Last weekend she showed off her new outfit. This week she’s got her cute little camo backpack packed with the essentials: a squeaky pencil and a squeaky school book. She almost forgot her carton of milk, which is also squeaky of course. Unfortunately it just wouldn’t fit into the backpack. Oh well. She may have to buy a school lunch instead.

 

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art on Teddy Bear Day!

Today is National Teddy Bear Day and Sadie decided to dress up for the occasion. Who could resist some cuddles with cute little Teddy Bear Sadie?

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

Teddy Bear Tackle

 

In honor of National Teddy Bear Day tomorrow, I put my giant stuffed bear on the couch. A few hours later Sadie randomly decided that this teddy bear did not earn his spot on the couch and needed to be taught a lesson. So she tackled him and wrestled him onto the floor. When I put the bear back on the couch, Sadie immediately leapt onto him, making sure he knew who was the boss of the couch.

Driving to School in Style

In our latest Caturday Art post, Sadie attempted to ride the school bus. She did not particularly enjoy the experience. So today I thought we would test out another form of back to school transportation – a convertible. Sadie looks pretty excited to drive her pretty pink convertible. In fact, she may be too excited. With the way she is sticking her tongue out at me, I won’t be surprised if she’ll be skipping school and taking that flashy car for a joyride instead.

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sunday Selfie in a New Dress

Sadie is feeling stylish today, showing off her new dress!

 

---

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

 

Caturday Art on the School Bus

It’s back to school time again and for this piece of digital art Sadie is posing with the most iconic symbol of this time of year – the school bus. And it looks like Sadie feels the way many kids do on their first school bus rides – a bit uncomfortable and a bit unsure. I told Sadie she had nothing to worry about because kids always love her, but Sadie was still nervous. So I told her it was a fake school bus and she wasn’t really going anywhere. Once again Sadie acted like a kid on the first day of school – as soon as the door opened and Sadie got off the bus, she jumped around and did a happy dance to celebrate her freedom.

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

What’s Shakin’ Bacon?

Tomorrow is International Bacon Day!

Gotta love those made up holidays all about tasty treats! Too bad we just ran out of bacon last night in my house. At least we can celebrate with some bacon themed clothing and accessories!

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, and M.K. Clinton.

Fueling the Fashion with Merrick Backcountry – #ChewyInfluencer

Sadie and I love to spend quality time together by having our own little photo shoots. I enjoy exercising my photography skills, Sadie is a natural diva model, and we both love playing with different outfits and accessories to create our own style. For our latest photo shoot celebrating Chewy.com’s fashion week, Sadie and I worked hard matching the perfect hair flair with each fashion fabulous dress.

Fashion and photo shoots require a lot of hard work, from the styling and quick changes to the lighting and set design. So it’s no surprise that we needed to pause for a break now and then to refuel. Sadie found the perfect fuel for this particular photo shoot: Merrick Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal or Mixers. These bite size moresels pack a ton of protein, perfect for an on-the-go energy boost!

As the name suggests, Merrick Backcountry Freeze-Dried Meal or Mixers can be eaten as a complete, balanced meal or as a mix-in to complement your dog’s regular kibble. Just follow the portion guide on the bag, add a little water, and your dog has delicious, nutritious meal. Or you can add a portion of Mixers into a portion of your dog’s kibble. Just remember to reduce the amount of regular kibble you serve based on how much of the Mixers you add, thus ensuring you don’t overfeed your dog. Adding these Freeze-Dried Meal or Mixers is a great way to make your dog’s meals more exciting, keeping your dog interested in eating healthy dog food.

Sadie tried the beef formula, which lists deboned beef as the first ingredient. Other ingredients include potatoes, carrots, blueberries, and apples, providing a good mix of fruits and vegetables to create a balanced meal in each serving. This is the perfect source of crude proteins and fats that my little pup needs to stay healthy and energized. And my picky pup thoroughly enjoyed her Freeze-Dried beef portion. She kept interrupting our photo shoot to snack on the samples I had on display!

Merrick Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal or Mixers are available in three different varieties: beef, chicken, and salmon. You can even purchase the corresponding versions for cats! The beef and salmon varieties are poultry free for any pets with a poultry intolerance. All of the Merrick Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal or Mixers are grain, gluten, and soy free, with no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.

Find out more and get your own bag on Chewy.com for $12.59!

 

This post is part of the #ChewyInfluencer blog hop hosted by Golden Woofs and Oz the Terrier.

“I received these goodies free of charge from Chewy.com in an exchange for my honest review.”

 

Caturday Art on National Dog Day

 

Today is National Dog Day!

Give your furry friends and family some extra love and cuddles today!

---

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Sunday Selfies in a Box

 

I was trying to decide what to put in my pretty new storage box when Sadie made the decision for me. Notice she doesn’t have her usual smile. Instead Sadie is giving me the “I dare you to make me move” face. Did I move her out of the box? No. Did I take pictures? Yes.

 

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Hands Free Convenience with the RokaPets Dog Treat Pouch

 

A few weeks ago I talked about what you can find inside the purse of a typical Dog Mom. When I take Sadie out for a walk I regularly lug that full purse with me, stuffed with poop bags, tissues, some treats, my phone, camera, collapsible bowl, water bottle, etc. I’m always frazzled when we leave the house, worried that I forgot something. And it’s twice as difficult when someone else in the family wants to take Sadie for a walk and I have to make sure they have everything she might need. But with the RokaPets Dog Treat Pouch, I no longer have to worry about being prepared. All of the essentials fit in a handy little wearable pouch.

For me the RokaPets Dog Treat Pouch is great in terms of comfort and hands free convenience. I can wear it around my waist like a belt (and it actually fits my waist, which was a pleasant surprise) or I can use the belt clip instead and hook it directly onto my pants. My shoulder doesn’t ache from carrying a bag for an extended amount of time. The Dog Treat Pouch is comfortable to wear around your waist for short walks or even extended hikes. And it’s absolutely perfect for spontaneous photography, which if you know me you realize happens frequently on walks with Sadie. I no longer have to juggle the camera and my purse and Sadie’s leash all at the same time. My hands are free to take all of the photos I want!

But the RokaPets Dog Treat Pouch is especially useful for the other members of my family. All they have to do is put it on and go. No more worrying about transferring the necessities from my girlie purse when Sadie’s uncle or grandfather wants to take her out for a walk. The RokaPets Dog Treat Pouch is stylish for both men and women in a pretty blue color that everyone can enjoy.

There are four separate compartments to hold all the necessities in the RokaPets Dog Treat Pouch. The large, open, main compartment can handle everything from treats to a water bottle to a water bowl. In the back is a zippered section that holds the poop bags (one roll of poop bags included!). A zippered compartment in the front is perfect to keep necessities safe like your ID, credit card, or some cash. And lastly a mesh compartment in the front provides a handy place to keep your cell phone or other item for quick access. The material is waterproof and easy to clean, which is always a plus for any dog owner. It seems like the perfect pouch to stand up to the crushed dog treat crumbs and spilled water and grass stains that accompany the typical life with dogs.

---

If you are looking for a convenient, hands free dog Treat Pouch, you can find the RokaPets Dog Treat Pouch on Amazon for $15.93.

---

I received a free product in exchange for an honest product review. All opinions are my own.

 

Hanging Out on Selfie Sunday

 

Sadie and I are hanging out at home on this lazy Sunday. And I mean literally hanging. Sadie is taking some Selfies today while hanging in our hammock!

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Have You Spoiled Your Dog Today?

Today is National Spoil Your Dog Day!

I know in some houses, especially my house, every day seems like Spoil Your Dog Day. But today it’s official. Give your dog extra treats. Let your dog take over the couch and the bed. Share most of your meals (as long as they are dog friendly). And spend some extra cuddle and playtime letting your dog know just how much he or she really means to you.

A Book Trailer Release on National Book Lovers Day!

---

Today is National Book Lovers Day!

---

To celebrate Book Lovers Day, I am presenting for the first time the official trailer for my new book How To Get Your Dog To Eat.

And starting on 8/10 you can enter my Goodreads giveaway to win a free paperback copy of How To Get Your Dog To Eat.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

How to Get Your Dog to Eat

by Mary DiTosto

Giveaway ends August 26, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday and The Game of Catch

 

 

This week we decided to join DashKitten.com’s #DKVideo challenge. We used iMovie for the first time to edit, splice, and add sounds and transitions to some iPhone videos of a game of catch. Personally I still think cell phone photos and videos are poor quality and grainy, but I did really enjoy using the slow-mo feature. And for the record, Sadie is awesome at catching her ball. All failed attempts at catching are totally the fault of the camera woman (me) and my lack of aim – it’s surprisingly hard to take videos and throw a ball at the same time.

Please enjoy our slow motion montage, entitled The Game of Catch!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-1

Inside the Purse of a Dog Mom

 

I’m one of those women with the magical purse that has just about anything you need hiding within. If you just give me a minute or two to dig around, I can probably come up with a snack of some kind, a hairbrush, a deck of cards, a cell phone charger, and some post it notes. But being a Dog Mom means adding a whole other set of necessities to my handbag. As much as I want to be prepared for anything I might need, I absolutely must be prepared for all of Sadie’s needs. Here is a list of the typical items found in the purse of this loving Dog Mom.

• Doggie bags (I just don’t like calling them poop bags)
• Collapsible food and water bowls
• Leash
• Puppy training pad in case of indoor emergencies
• Camera to capture any spontaneous cuteness (I know I don’t need to carry a camera anymore with high quality cell phone photos, but I can’t seem to break this habit)
• Squeaky ball
• Treats (usually the Busy Buddy Bristle Bone* which works as a simultaneous treat and distraction)
• Baggie of dry food
• Veterinarian’s business card
• Dog comb / brush
• LED collar, in case we end up out walking after dark
• Spare ID tag, in case Sadie’s gets lost (I actually use an ID tag as one of my keychains, so I always have one on me)
• Folding rain coat

It may seem like I have every dog product ever made inside my purse, but there are actually quite a few potentially useful items I’ve left out. I personally have decided not to carry the following items, but you may want them on hand in your purse for your dog. Some of the items may also be useful to take with you depending on where you and your dog are headed for the day. I regularly add and subtract items from my purse depending on Sadie’s and my destination.

• Water bottle – a very important item in some climates and at certain times of year, but it’s usually too heavy for me to carry unless Sadie and I plan to go on a long walk. I usually have a bottle waiting in the car for us to rehydrate. You may want to consider those water pouches as a lighter alternative if you want water on you at all times.
• Clicker – Sadie and I don’t clicker train, but if you do than you probably should keep a spare clicker in your purse
• Blanket – useful, but too bulky for everyday carrying
• Towel – even more useful, but also too bulky
• Medication – if your dog requires medication, you may want to keep a supply in your purse in case you are away for longer than intended and your dog needs to take a dose

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

*affiliate link

#SharkWeek Selfies

Sadie has been enjoying Shark Week by spending some quality time with her shark bed. She played catch from the comfort of her pink shark. She buried a bone or two beneath the fluffy pink jaws. And of course she had quite a few naps. Clearly she was not happy that the puparazzi interrupted this particular nap time.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

 

Sunday Selfies with My First Book!

Sadie is extremely proud to announce that her Mom has secretly been writing a series of books for dog owners! Now she is ready to share the first two books with all of you! We hope you get a chance to read and enjoy these informative books!

 

Introducing the Happy, Healthy Dogs series!

The first book, 25 Reasons Your Dog Isn’t Eating, is a cute little booklet, a teaser to introduce you to the series.

25 Reasons Your Dog Isn’t Eating is available now on Amazon, both in eBook and paperback formats.

Click the cover image below to see some sample pages from Book 1:

---

Book Two – How To Get Your Dog To Eat – helps dog owners find answers and creative solutions to mealtime problems.

The eBook of How To Get Your Dog To Eat will be released on Amazon today!

 

Click on the cover image below to see a few sample pages from Book 2:

 

Stay tuned for the release of the paperback version of How To Get Your Dog To Eat!

---

**As an extra special release day treat, 25 Reasons Your Dog Isn’t Eating is available for free in eBook format for the next five days!**

(If you have a moment to spare, any and all reviews for both books on Amazon would be greatly appreciated!)

---

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Take a Look at My Hot Dog!

Today is National Hot Dog Day!

Check out my adorable little hot dog! Doesn’t she look cute enough to eat?

 

We plan on enjoying a nice barbecue this evening with some hot dogs on the grill!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sunday Selfies with a Surfer Dog

Check out my little surfer girl!

 

Ok, maybe Sadie can’t actually surf. In fact, I’m not even sure she can swim. (We’ve both been to the beach, but we decided to admire the waves from dry land.) But she still looks adorable in her life jacket and goggles that I bought just in case we go surfing someday.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

The Original Tweeter

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

Celebrating Independence Day!

Happy Fourth of July!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Independence Day!

Yorkie Doodle Dandy

At this time of year I always get that old song stuck in my head – Yankee Doodle Dandy. Sadie was posing in her patriotic outfit the other day and to get her attention to face the camera I kept calling out, “Hey Sadie, over here Yorkie Doodle!” I never realized before how close her nickname sounds to Yankee Doodle. Doesn’t she make the cutest Yorkie Doodle Dandy?

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

It’s National Camera Day!

 

I’m celebrating National Camera Day with some snapshots of my favorite little model – Sadie!

Today is National Sunglasses Day!

 

Sadie is looking cool in her purple shades on National Sunglasses Day!

 

Sunday Selfies with a New Summer Hat!

On this Selfie Sunday, Sadie is excited to share with you her new Summer hat! Besides being totally adorable, I’m hoping the hat will help keep the sun out of her eyes when we’re relaxing out on the deck. During this photo session Sadie grabbed one of her squeaky balls and started running around the house playing, while wearing the hat. So I think it’s safe to say that Sadie is perfectly happy with her new fashion accessory.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Summer is Here!

Sadie is dressed and ready to celebrate the first official day of Summer! After a wet and gloomy start to the week, it’s nice to enjoy some sun and spend some quality time outdoors, especially on the longest day of the year.

Happy Summer!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sunday Selfies on Father’s Day!

Wishing all the Dads, Granddads, Dog Dads and Cat Dads a

Happy Father’s Day!

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Tongue Out Tuesday – Ready for Flag Day

It’s over 100 degrees out today, for the third day in a row. Definitely the type of weather that guarantees tongues will be out this Tongue Out Tuesday. But it is just too hot to play outside today, so Sadie decided to try on her special patriotic outfit in preparation for Flag Day tomorrow. Luckily the heat is supposed to break tonight, so Sadie and I plan on enjoying a nice Flag Day walk to enjoy our city’s special holiday display of flags.

Tetris Day Fun

Yesterday, June 6th, was the 33rd anniversary of the release of the classic video game Tetris. I was born exactly six months after Tetris débuted to the public. That particular video game features prominently in many of my childhood memories, especially reminding me of time spent with grandparents that are no longer with me. So on Tetris Day I like to play a few rounds of the game and remember the good times past.

But this year Sadie has asked to join in on some Tetris fun. She hasn’t quite figured out how to use the video game controller yet, so I brought out my live action version of Tetris for Sadie to play with. It’s actually a lamp that has rearrangable pieces that light up when touching one another. After watching me assemble the lamp pieces, Sadie realized that the game can’t continue like real Tetris without pieces falling from the sky. So my ever helpful pooch knocked some pieces off of the top tier of the lamp, thus making them fall and giving me more pieces to play with. Sadie decided she really like that game, so once all of the pieces were positioned on the lamp once again, Sadie knocked the entire structure over so that we could start our game of Tetris over from the beginning. Isn’t it wonderful when you can share a game from your childhood with your own fur baby?

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Happy 5th Birthday Sadie!

 

Today we are celebrating Sadie’s 5th birthday!

Tongue Out Tuesday in a Moving Box

 

Sorry that Sadie and I haven’t been around as much as we should be lately. Life has gotten really busy, and as you can see in the photos, boxes are involved. No, Sadie and I are not moving, but we’ve been helping out quite a bit. Sadie’s Uncle has just moved from out of state and will now be living downstairs from us! Although it’s been a lot of work packing up his old place and making room for everything here, Sadie is extremely excited. Instead of seeing her Uncle every few months and at holidays, Sadie now gets to play with him every single day!

Happy Mother’s Day 2017!

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Look how proud Sadie is posing with her Mother’s Day present to me!

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art with a Sugar Skull

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Sleepy in a Sombrero

 

Sadie is resting up today for our Mexican fiesta in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Most likely our fiesta will involve Mexican takeout and a walk past the Mexican restaurant that usually has live music piped outside. We’ll finish our evening by taking some photos at the special Cinco de Mayo photo stand the restaurant set up. Sadie says such excitement requires lots of napping!

Star Wars Day Balloons!

Every year on Star Wars Day, I dress Sadie up as one of our favorite characters (this year’s character is R2D2!) and then we have a movie marathon. Unfortunately Sadie doesn’t quite understand how sitting on the couch in front of the TV on May the 4th is different from sitting on the couch in front of the TV every other day. So to make Star Wars Day more special for Sadie this year I’ve added a new element to the festivities – balloons! Now while we watch our movies, Sadie and I can play balloon catch and balloon fetch and Sadie can chase balloon Darth Vader all over the house!

May the Fourth Be with You!

Caturday Art In a Tree

 

Yesterday was Arbor Day here in the US and Sadie decided to try climbing a cherry blossom tree in celebration!

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

Sunday Selfies in Bed

 

It’s been a busy week so Sadie and her teddy bear decided to spend Sunday the traditional way – napping in bed. Her schedule for the day: sleep, breakfast, nap, brunch, sleep, quick trip to the backyard, and more sleep.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art on Earth Day!

 

In honor of Earth Day, Sadie and I took a lovely nature walk to enjoy the cherry blossoms. We stopped at some particularly picturesque spots to create some digital art that we’d like to share with you today! Hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy some of the beauty of nature today!

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Easter Look Alikes!

Today is one of those fun random holidays – National Look Alike Day! Just last Sunday I spotted some look alikes sitting on the couch and had to get a few photos.

Tongue Out Tuesday on Tax Day

 

Sadie is smiling her tongue out smile today because our taxes are done and our refund is on its way!

Easter Sunday Selfies

 

Happy Easter!

Hope the Easter Bunny hops on by and leaves some tasty (pet-friendly) goodies for you and your loved ones today!

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

 

Energizer Sadie

 

Since this is the season of the bunny, I decided it was the perfect time to share with you some very bunny-like behavior of Sadie’s – the Energizer Bunny to be precise.

Sadie is generally a pretty lazy dog, which is good because I’m generally a pretty lazy person. But sometimes for reasons I don’t understand, Sadie gets possessed by the Energizer Bunny. She gets a new ball and will play and play and play and play. Normally Sadie’s playtime lasts about an hour or so before she’s tired and ready for dinner. But on occasion the Energizer Bunny takes over and Sadie plays right through her dinner time, right through TV relaxation time, and even right through bedtime. She just keeps going and going and going and going….

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday on #NationalPetDay

Sadie is smiling because today is National Pet Day!

Spend some quality time with your pets today!

 

Bunny Selfies!

 

Sadie took some bunny selfies this weekend and thinks she should send them to the people at Cadbury. With this disguise she’d be perfect for the Cadbury bunny auditions, right?

---

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

 

 

Sunday Selfies with a Raincoat

 

Sadie has decided to be proactive this weekend and got out her adorable pink raincoat. She took some selfies to prove that she is ready for those April showers!

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Sadie the Lady Bug

 

Since Spring still isn’t cooperating outside, Sadie decided to bring some Spring indoors with this fun little photo shoot. Doesn’t she look cute as a button dressed up as a little lady bug?

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sunday Selfies with a Traffic Cone

So a few days ago Sadie wouldn’t stop barking in our bedroom, which has a window that overlooks our next door neighbor’s house. When I looked out to investigate, I could see someone from the cable company working on a ladder directly across from our window. I let Sadie watch the excitement from the window until the workman had finished. Later that afternoon I took Sadie outside to do her business and we had a surprise waiting for us on our lawn – a neon orange traffic cone, presumably left there by the cable man. After barking at this strange item, then sniffing it from a distance, Sadie decided it was safe enough to approach the cone. Once she had the brightly colored object under her control, Sadie requested I take a few selfies so she could show off her new toy to everyone.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

This post is also my entry for this week’s Pet Photography Challenge for the theme color.

 

It’s Spring… sort of…

Today is the first official day of Spring! Unfortunately Sadie and I haven’t gotten to do anything fun or Spring-like outside yet because we are still dealing with the snow that fell on the last day of Winter… yesterday. I know we have some beautiful Spring flowers trying to bloom – we just need the snow to get out of the way. So this is the best we could do for a Spring photo – Sadie with the Spring garden flag that we can’t put outside yet because of all the snow.

Caturday Art – St. Patrick’s Smile

Sadie is all smiles today as she smells our traditional corned beef and cabbage St. Patrick’s Day dinner!

 

---

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

My little leprechaun is smiling as she spreads the luck of the Irish to everyone today!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Thirsty – #PetPhotographyChallenge

The theme this week in the Pet Photography Challenge Facebook group is thirsty. Sadie was being stubborn during our photo session and refused to drink while the camera was pointed at her. The only way I could get her interested enough in drinking water was to interrupt Sadie playing with her squeaky ball. I placed her ball near her water dish to try to convince her to drink while I took photos. Instead of drinking, Sadie grabbed the ball and put it into her water dish. She thought it was a great new game, drinking water around the ball and then trying to grab the ball back out of the water.

A Tongue Out Tuesday Cutie Pie

Today is Pi Day (3.14 – cute idea, right?) so Sadie is being a cutie pie! Enjoy your favorite flavor of pie today!

Sunday Selfies at the End of the Leash

 

Today’s smiling Sunday Selfie was taken from the other end of the leash, which was the theme for last week’s Pet Photography Challenge.

 

---

 

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art – Daylight Savings

For Caturday Art this week, Sadie is posing with a clock to remind everyone here in the US that Daylight Savings time begins tomorrow. Before you go to bed tonight, remember to Spring forward and move your clocks ahead one hour.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

Tongue Out Tuesday in a Toga

 

 

 

Black and White and Bokeh

 

This week’s Pet Photography Challenge theme was black and white. But I’m still trying to work on my technique from the bokeh challenge last month. So I thought I would try to combine the two and see how Sadie looks in black and white and bokeh.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Making Music – #IfPetsHadThumbs

Today in celebration of If Pets Had Thumbs Day, Sadie is playing with her trumpet squeaky toy. She already knows she can make beautiful music with her squeaky toys, so Sadie thinks that if she had thumbs she could be a pretty good musician.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

Mardi Gras Masquerade

 

Yesterday Sadie got all dressed up in honor of Mardi Gras! We might not be in New Orleans, but we can still look fabulous and have some fun!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday – Tooth Fairy Edition

Today is National Tooth Fairy Day! In this flashback photo, my puppy Sadie has lost her very first baby tooth. Instead of cash, the Tooth Fairy put a dog treat under little puppy Sadie’s dog bed. Afterward I wondered if my dog realized she had gotten a surprise treat during the night or if she just thought she had buried a bone under the bed and had forgotten about it. Either way the Tooth Fairy supplied treat was appreciated. Although her tongue is not exactly out, you can definitely see it, so I think this still counts as a Tongue Out Tuesday photo.

 

 

Sunday Selfies with Bacon Dog

On this Selfie Sunday, with Sadie posing for some photos with Bacon Dog, I think it’s time for a confession. Sadie does not really like bacon. *Gasp* A dog that doesn’t like bacon?!? In our household, we typically like to make a more elaborate family breakfast on Sundays. Usually this includes bacon. There is nothing I like more than being woken up on a Sunday morning by the smell of frying bacon. But Sadie is completely unmoved by this smell. In fact, if I break off a little piece of my bacon, 9 times out of 10, Sadie will walk away and refuse my precious offering. It’s just another one of Sadie’s quirks that make her a very unique little dog.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

This post is also part of the Daily Post’s weekly challenge. This week is A Good Match.

 

In the Doorway

 

This week I am combining my Caturday art post with my entry for the Pet Photography Challenge. The challenge this week is doorways. In these photos Sadie is sitting in a revolving doorway in a beautiful old Art Deco-style hotel. I added a filter inspired by the Edvard Munch painting The Scream to get the surrealist effects.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Sadie Loves Rachael Ray Nutrish Treats!

On the heels of Valentine’s Day and Love Your Pet Day, Sadie has decided to share something she absolutely loves – Rachael Ray’s dog treats. For years she has been in love with the Soup Bones – especially the beef flavor. But this week our friends at Chewy.com sent Sadie two new varieties of Rachael Ray Nutrish treats to try out – Deli Cuts Pepperoni and Meatloaf Morsels.

Like all of Rachael Ray’s products, I love that I can trust the quality and safety of these treats for my dog. Both the Meatloaf Morsels and the Deli Cuts Pepperoni treats are made from U.S. farm raised beef and contain no wheat or corn. There are no artificial flavors or meat by-products. Plus a portion of the sales of these treats goes to Rachael’s Rescue, an organization to help animals in need.

It’s obvious why Sadie loves Rachael Ray treats – because they taste great. Of course I don’t know that from personal experience, but I trust Sadie’s very picky palate when she consistently chooses Rachael Ray treats over many other brands. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if other pet parents may taste the Deli Cuts Pepperoni treats, because to me they are completely indistinguishable from pre-packaged pepperoni made for humans. Both look and smell exactly the same. And I know that I can trust the ingredients in the Rachael Ray dog treats. Not sure I can say the same for the human pepperoni.

With these two new varieties of Nutrish treats, Sadie immediately gravitated to the Meatloaf Morsels. She enjoys both, but I think she just has a general preference for meatloaf over pepperoni. Also the Deli Cuts Pepperoni has the strong, smoky odor that you would find in regular pepperoni, and I think Sadie prefers more subtle flavors. I totally understand the preference since I don’t like smoky flavors either. But the strong scent of the Deli Cuts Pepperoni treats does make them perfect for hide and seek and nose work games. They are small enough that you can easily hide them around the house and send your dog off for some sniffing fun trying to find the treats. They are also really easy to break apart to put in treat puzzles so that your dog will have a good target scent to find.

 To end this review I’d like to tell you about what happened ten minutes ago. I was working on this blog post, typing on my tablet on the couch, like I always do. I had the bags of treats on the end table, within reach so I could read the ingredients and other information. Normally blogging is too boring for Sadie, even when I’m talking about dog treats, so she usually sits on the window seat and patrols the neighborhood. But ten minutes ago Sadie suddenly jumped down from the window and used her doggy stairs to get onto the couch with me. She marched right over to me and started climbing into my lap. As I tried to maneuver to make sure the computer didn’t get stepped on, Sadie continued climbing over me until she could reach the end table. At that point she grabbed the bag of Meatloaf Morsels and tried to jump off of the couch with them. So it seems that Sadie loves Rachael Ray Nutrish treats so much that she forgets her manners and performs dangerous stunts just to get her paws on a bag.

This post is part of the Chewy Influencer blog hop hosted by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Oz the Terrier.

 

This post is also part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Sadie and I received free samples to try from Chewy.com. All opinions are honest and we received no monetary compensation to write this review. 

At the George Washington Bridge on George Washington’s Birthday!

 

In honor of the birthday of our first President, today I’m sharing some photos of a little trip Sadie and I took to the George Washington Bridge. On the New Jersey side there are a number of parks right at the foot of the bridge. At the top of the cliff, level with the bridge, is a park with an historic fort, which unfortunately is not dog friendly. But at the water level are a series of gorgeous parks with playgrounds, picnic areas, and marinas. Sadie and I chose to take a nice walk in one of the parks along the Hudson River, enjoying the beautiful views of the George Washington Bridge.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

#LoveYourPetDay

 

Sadie is covered in hearts today because it’s National Love Your Pet Day! Make sure you give those special animals in your life some extra love and cuddles today!

How To Stop the Begging With Love

 

Sadie is usually pretty good with her manners. When the family eats at the dinner table, Sadie usually sits quietly on the rug just watching everyone. When I’m in the mood to eat by the TV, Sadie sits next to me hoping I’ll give her a bite. But she doesn’t whine or complain if she doesn’t get anything. However, Sadie occasionally gets into a greedy mood for her doggy treats and begs incessantly next to her treat cabinet. I’ve recently discovered a creative way to get Sadie’s mind off of those treats. I distract her with love.

Have you ever noticed that if your dog isn’t feeling cuddly, then when you try to get some hugs and doggie kisses, your dog wriggles in your arms and tries to get out of your grasp? Well I decided to take that scenario and use it to my benefit. After Sadie sat begging by her treat cabinet for a while and refused to move even when I told her no, I decided to try a new approach. I got on the floor with Sadie and began hugging her and kissing her little head and holding her close to me. In less than three minutes Sadie was out of the kitchen, away from the treats, and settling down for a nap on the couch. I repeated this process a few times, and now whenever Sadie is begging for extra treats, I just approach her making kissy noises and she runs off. While I’m a little sad that the thought of Mommy kisses makes Sadie run from me, it is a useful tool to snap Sadie’s mind out of unwanted behavior.

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

A Valentine’s Day Tongue Out Tuesday

 

Since today is both Valentine’s Day and a tongue out Tuesday, Sadie would like to offer you all many Yorkipoo kisses!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

A Caturday Art Love Bug

 

This little cutie pie is ready for Valentine’s Day next week!

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

 

Sadie and Her Winter Pals

 

Today Sadie is hanging out with her penguin pals because yesterday we had the biggest snowstorm of the year and no one wants to go outside. We love watching the snowflakes and admiring the peaceful beauty of snow from inside the house. But Sadie agrees that during weather like this we need to make our own fun indoors. So Sadie is spending some time with the penguin stuffed animals, which are part of a rotation of toys I keep in storage so that they seem fun and interesting when I bring them out once in a while.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

The YourDesignerDog Blog Turns Three!

 

Today Sadie and I are celebrating our 3rd Blogiversary!

The blog has continued to grow over the last three years slowly, but surely. While my statistics aren’t quite where I’d like them to be yet, I keep reminding myself that slow and steady wins the race. Most importantly, I keep growing and learning, meeting new people and discovering new facets of the blogging and pet industries. And Sadie and I continue to use blogging as our motivation to go on new adventures and tackle new challenges together. Sadie’s Instagram has definitely grown quite a bit over the last year as I spent some time getting to know that platform. And with Instagram came a focus on growing my photography skills. It’s been both fun and frustrating to explore more advanced photography equipment and techniques. It still takes a bit of luck, having the camera ready at the right place, at the right time, and in the right light, but I’m getting better at achieving the picture in my head. Sadie’s also happy because with my newest camera I seem to get the photos I need faster and she gets to her favorite part of the photo shoot that much sooner – the praise for a job well done.

---

The statistics of the YourDesignerDog Blog, year three:

758 blog posts published

3,769 comments from all of our loving fans

42,149 fake comments from those sneaky spam bots

2,692 adorable Sadie photos shared

13,161 friends / followers / subscribers across social media

---

Super Bowl Selfies

 

While these photos are adorable and football related, they aren’t actually Super Bowl selfies. But true story – Sadie and I really attempted to take actual selfies in front of the actual Super Bowl!

Three years ago, the Super Bowl was held here in NJ, just ten minutes from our house. I hated the idea that such a big event was happening so close and there was nothing Sadie or I could do to see it. So like everyone else in America, we sat at home and began to watch the game (or mostly watch the commercials). But as halftime got closer, Sadie and I grew restless. I decided we should jump in the car and at least drive by the stadium to see what we could see. The stadium sits right next to a major highway that is always really crowded as it leads directly into New York City. But apparently during the Super Bowl everyone stays home, even if the Super Bowl is happening a few miles away. Sadie and I were the only car in sight as we approached the stadium, aside from the police cars positioned all along the road. We drove past and decided to turn around to be on the same side of the road as the stadium. As soon as we came back around, the lights of the stadium got brighter and I pulled over onto the shoulder. When I rolled down my window I realized that the halftime show must have just started and I could hear Bruno Mars perfectly! So Sadie, her Grammy, and I sat in the car on the side of the highway listening to the actual Super Bowl halftime show. And then the fireworks started. It looked amazing from our perspective to see the whole sky over the stadium lit up. That’s when Sadie and I tried to take some selfies, but with the bright flashes and the reflective car windows, none of them came out. I know most of America was watching from home that night, but I don’t think anyone else had a view as beautiful and unique as ours. I have to say that was by far my favorite failed selfie attempt.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

A Caturday Art Cheerleader

Sadie is ready for the big game tomorrow!

---

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

Yay! It’s Groundhog Day!

 

Sadie is happy to celebrate Groundhog Day today! In her opinion, any holiday that focuses on animals is worth celebrating. Also any holiday involving presents. And any holiday involving special food and treats. Ok, so Sadie just likes celebrating in general, but that doesn’t make Groundhog Day any less important. I mean who could resist a rodent that can tell the future?

 

5 Reasons the Puppy Bowl is Better than the Super Bowl

 

The big game is this weekend and most Americans are ready for some football. But in some households there may be a debate about which football players are better to watch. In my opinion the answer is simple – the puppies! The Puppy Bowl wins hands down over the Super Bowl at my house?

Here are my top five reasons why the Puppy Bowl is better than the Super Bowl:

Cuteness!!!

Who can watch five minutes of the Puppy Bowl without smiling or exclaiming Awwww? The Puppy Bowl players are a wide variety of dog breeds, sizes, and personalities that ensure all viewers find their ideal cuteness. No human football is guaranteed to provide so many smiles. In fact, many find the Super Bowl to be very stressful, worrying about who scores and whether the referees are being fair. Many even place bets and have to be concerned about losing money based on the game. But the Puppy Bowl with its frolicking puppies provides the perfect stress relief from all the tension associated with American football.

Your dog can watch and enjoy with you!

During the Super Bowl, your dog may sit on the couch or wander around your party hoping for snacks, but he or she couldn’t care less about the actual game. But with the Puppy Bowl, your dog can get exited when the action happens in the game because exciting moments in the Puppy Bowl usually involve barking and the squeaking of toys. Many dogs may also be bothered by the yelling at the TV and arguing with friends and family that sometimes occur when watching the Super Bowl. Your dog doesn’t have to worry about yelling or arguing with the Puppy Bowl on the screen.

Family friendly

Unlike the Super Bowl, the Puppy Bowl has no emphasis on alcohol or scantily clad women. The Puppy Bowl is a truly family friendly event. All ages can safely watch and enjoy the action of the Puppy Bowl. The Super Bowl is not always appropriate for younger family members, with constant alcohol consumption, potential wardrobe malfunctions, and commercials for little blue pills. And the Puppy Bowl doesn’t require you to stay up late to find out what happens. In fact you can have a nice family friendly party watching the Puppy Bowl with the kids and the dogs and then send them to bed so the adults can have their own Super Bowl party.

No rivalries

It doesn’t matter which team you support, everyone is a winner with the Puppy Bowl! You don’t have to worry about offending someone by rooting for the other team or worry about being made fun of for cheering for the underdog. In the Puppy Bowl, they’re all underdogs as all the puppies are rescue pups from animal shelters.

Cuteness!!!

Yes, my list begins and ends with cuteness because I can’t emphasize enough the immense levels of cuteness you find at the Puppy Bowl. Some people enjoy the eye candy of certain football players or cheerleaders during the Super Bowl, but you can’t say that it appeals to everyone. But with the Puppy Bowl, there is typically some cuteness everyone can enjoy. Adorable puppies, cute kittens at halftime, plus surprise appearances by birds, hamsters, bunnies, and more bring joy and smiles to everyone at home.

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday with a Scarf

 

 

 

Caturday Art on Chinese New Year

 

Today is Chinese New Year and Sadie wanted to show off a piece of art to celebrate. This year is considered the year of the rooster. Since Sadie was born on a farm, she used to love to run and play with the chickens and roosters. She just couldn’t miss the chance to welcome the year of her old friends by celebrating with her special headband.

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Feeling Tall

For the Pet Photography Challenge this week the task was to take photos from a lower perspective. This is a technique I use all the time in taking photos of Sadie. It makes Sadie feel like a strong focal point in our photos and also helps to show off tall objects or buildings in the background. I really feel that the closer you are to your pets’ level, the more authentic the photos look. You wouldn’t take a portrait of a person from above them, so why take pictures of your pets that way?

 But Sadie is a particularly short dog and I am a particularly short person. So getting photos from a lower angle is always a challenge for us. A typical photo shoot at a park or other outdoor location almost always ends in dirt and grass stains all over my clothing as I try to get low enough to photograph Sadie.

That’s why I love scenarios like in the photos in this blog post. All of these photos were taken last Summer in the Berkshires at the highest point in the state of Massachusetts. Leading up to the monument was a big platform with stairs climbing up to it. I was able to place Sadie on the platform above me and take photos of her from below, enabling me to get both Sadie and the full monument in the photos.

While photos from this angle look awesome and make Sadie look confident and tall, there is one slight problem. You may notice a hand in the photo above. My family, especially Sadie’s uncle, absolutely hates when I place Sadie on a higher level to get a good angle for photos. When we’re on a family vacation, like in these photos, it is almost impossible for me to take photos of Sadie without their constant concern and interruption. Obviously Sadie’s safety is my number one concern. I won’t put her somewhere she can fall. She always has a harness on and I always hold onto the leash, even if it gets in the way of my photos. And Sadie is probably the least jumpy dog you’ve ever met – she refuses to jump onto the couch or the bed, so why in the world does my family think she will randomly jump off of a wall? Regardless of my family’s unnecessary concerns, I think that placing your pet safely at a higher vantage point is the perfect way to achieve great photos from a lower perspective.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sunday Selfies in the Snow – Part 2

Another weekend, another snowstorm. At least Sadie is staying cozy warm with her new winter hat!

 

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

 

Caturday Art on Dress Up Your Pet Day!

Sadie is looking stylish today in her pink polka dot ensemble to celebrate Dress Up Your Pet Day!

 

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

What’s In a Name?

 

Have you ever noticed all the crazy names you call your pets sometimes? Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to use all kinds of silly terms of endearment much more often than I use Sadie’s actual name. Scientists say that the average dog can learn about 150 words. I feel like I’ve probably used up at least half of that with all of the silly names I call Sadie. Today I’ve decided to share a list of some of the nicknames I use for my dog.

Sadie Pooh

Sadie Lady

Doodle Bug (I hate bugs more than I can explain, so I have no idea why I sometimes think it’s cute to call my dog a bug)

Love Bug

Sadie Bug

Doodle Bear (Remember that toy? I used to love it as a kid and every time I call Sadie that the commercial jingle plays in my head)

Snickerdoodle

Yorkie Doodle

Poodle Poo

Yorkie Doodle Doo

Lovey

Lovey Dovey

Lovey Doodle

Schnoodle

Poodle Pie

Peanut

Peanuty Buddy

Munchkin (which is Sadie’s official middle name as it was the name the breeder called her)

Little One

Little Love

Little Baby

Little Miss

Missy Poo

Princess

Pupster

Puppup

Pups

Puppy Doodle

Sade

Sadesie

Doggie Doodle

Sniffy

Little Miss Sniffer

Little Woofer

Cutie Pie

Cutie Poo

What crazy names do you call your pets?

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

This post is also part of The Daily Post‘s weekly photo challenges. This week’s theme is Names.

Tongue Out Tuesday with a Snowman Headband

2017 Pet Blogger Challenge

Once again Sadie and I are participating in the Pet Blogger Challenge. It’s a great way to think about what worked and didn’t work in the world of pet blogging over the last year and come up with ideas and changes for the year to come. Each year these thought provoking questions are posed by the blog at GoPetFriendly.com and I thank them for bringing all of us pet bloggers together to share ideas.

---

1. When did you start your blog and, for anyone who is just seeing it for first time, please provide a description of your site. Would you say your blog focuses more on sharing stories with your readers, or providing a resource for your audience?

I began my blog, The YourDesignerDog Blog, in February of 2014. I blog about the adventures of life with my little Yorkipoo named Sadie. I base about 75% of my blog posts around photographs of Sadie, because for me the most fun part of blogging is being able to share all of my Sadie photos. I try to make the other 25% of my blog posts informational, with tips and advice about caring for a dog / living with a dog / shopping for a dog.

---

2. What was your proudest blogging moment of 2016?

Like the majority of people seem to agree, 2016 wasn’t the best year. But I would have to say my proudest blogging moment was finally being chosen for a BlogPaws sponsored campaign.

---

3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)

My favorite blog post this year is actually a series of pages I added to the blog showing off Halloween costume ideas. (Click here to see the Halloween costume ideas). I had so much fun coming up with costume ideas and taking photos of Sadie in all the different outfits. Unfortunately it didn’t get much traffic this year, but honestly I spent way more time adding to it than publicizing it. When the time comes in 2017, I need to make sure I focus more on sharing my creation a lot more.

---

4. Year after year, one goal that we all seem to share is that we want to reach more people. What one tool did you use or action did you take this year that had the most impact on increasing traffic to your blog?

This year I signed up for an automated pinning service for Pinterest. It really helps to keep my boards fresh and my pins are scheduled throughout the day, giving them a better chance of being seen by more people. This has given me a definite increase in traffic from Pinterest.

---

5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? (Please include a link.) Have you noticed any themes across your most popular posts?

This year a post I wrote in 2015 had the most traffic – my guide to a dog friendly Nashville, Tennessee. This tells me that dog friendly travel is a popular theme that I need to utilize more often.

---

6. What blog do you find most inspirational and how has it influenced your blog? (Please include a link.)

It’s always difficult to single out one specific blog when there are so many awesome bloggers out there. Honestly this year I’ve been exploring quite a few cat blogs. I mostly read other dog blogs my first couple years of blogging to help learn the ins and outs and get inspiration. But this year I decided to join some of the cat blogger hosted blog hops like Caturday Art hosted by Athena Cat Goddess and Sunday Selfies hosted by The Cat on My Head. I’ve been really inspired by the creativity, cuteness, and community of cat blogs.

---

7. What is one thing your readers don’t know about you or your pets that would surprise them?

My readers may find it surprising that when at home Sadie is a very independent dog. When we’re out in public, she sticks to my like glue. But at home she will go sleep in a room by herself for an hour or two and will often refuse when I ask her to come up on the bed or the couch with me. Sometimes I’ll hear squeaking from another room and find out that Sadie has started playing with a ball all on her own and I have to ask her if I can play too, lol.

---

8. What is something you’ve learned this year that could help other bloggers?

Don’t delete your photos, even the bad ones. You never know when you’ll need a blooper photo. Or maybe you deleted photos of your pet looking away from the camera and then came up with a blog post idea about how to get your pet’s attention. My point is that you can easily get a portable storage device big enough to hold all of your photos, so you might as well just save them all. Personally I save the photos I think I’ll use in one folder and the rest in another folder so that I won’t have to look through them all unless I want to.

---

9. What would you like to accomplish on your blog in 2017?

I would like to have my blog posts planned out more in advance. I often write a few blog posts at a time and then only schedule one or two. So I have a whole list of drafts that I wrote but I can’t seem to decide the right time to schedule them. But this week for instance, I had all my posts scheduled and ready to go and it was such a satisfying feeling to know I didn’t have to rush to finish what I wanted to post. I would love to have that feeling of accomplishment more often.

---

10. Now it’s your turn! You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there a question you’d like answered, or an aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

I have a hard time with titles for posts. Sometimes I have cute photos and a story to go with them, but I never write the draft because the first thing you need to start with is a title. For instance, I’m doing the Pet Photography Challenge (check out the Facebook group here) and I like to post each challenge on my blog. This week is the rule of thirds. I feel like I’m taking the easy way out if I just call my blog post The Rule of Thirds. But if I let myself I’ll just agonize over the title all week and never end up getting the post done. So is it OK to take the easy route with blog post titles sometimes, as long as it’s not all the time?

 

 

This post is part of the 2017 Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by GoPetFriendly.com.

Sunday Selfies in the Snow – Part 1

Sadie and I woke up this morning to find the world covered in white. Since we had no plans to go out this weekend, we were happy to enjoy a peaceful afternoon watching the snow fall. Of course she wanted to go out and investigate the snow, but luckily for me she didn’t want to sniff around in the cold for too long. Once she managed to cover her whole face with snow, Sadie was more than happy to go back inside and cuddle up with me to get warm.

This post is part of the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

A Long Winter’s Nap

*Yawn*

Cold weather + snuggly warm hoodie = a long Winter nap.

 *Yawn*

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

The Get It Off Me Game

 

 

Whenever Sadie and I are leaving the house, I signal to her that we are going out by getting her collar. I typically put on her collar and jacket or harness dress and then go get my jacket and shoes on. Sadie has invented a game during that brief window of time that she finds very amusing. It’s not very funny to me, especially when we’re running late. I call it her “Get It Off Me” game.

The Get It Off Me Game begins when I close the last Velcro strap, buckle, or zipper of Sadie’s jacket or harness dress. She doesn’t start the game when her collar goes on – that would be too soon. But as soon as that jacket or harness is on, Sadie runs to one of a variety of cushioned objects. Sometime she runs to the couch, sometimes it’s my bed, sometimes it’s her dog house, or just a dog bed. Regardless of which she chooses, Sadie runs full speed and then leaps onto the convenient cushion. Then she rolls around trying to get the jacket or harness off of her. Sometimes she is able to undo the Velcro against the side of the couch or bed. Sometimes she gets one leg or her head out of her outfit. She’s even ripped off buttons and decorative flowers from her dresses or jackets during this game.

All of this occurs only in the time it takes me to get my shoes and jacket on. If I’m ready to leave and open the door, then I’ve won the game and Sadie happily accepts her defeat and heads down the stairs. If she doesn’t come to me when I open the door, then I’ve lost the game. Sadie has won by at least partially removing her outerwear. I then have to put down my purse and whatever else I’m inevitably carrying and resecure Sadie’s jacket or harness so we can safely leave the house.

 

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

Amber Waves of Grain

While taking these photos of Sadie, I couldn’t get the song America the Beautiful out of my head. It may not be the fields of grain described in the song, but the way the light was hitting this section of a local park really made me think of amber waves of grain.

This is my entry for this week’s Pet Photography Challenge with the theme backlighting. Check out the Pet Photography Challenge Facebook group to join in on the fun!

 

 

This post is also part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday with Penguin Feet

 

My happy little pup is looking like a half penguin, half Yorkipoo while chillin inside a penguin gift bag!

Welcome to 2017!

 

Sadie had quite the New Year’s Eve pawty last night! So now she’s starting off the New Year right, with a nice long nap!

 

In the spirit of trying something new this New Year, Sadie and I decided to try out a new blog hop that all of our pet blogger friends really enjoy. We may be a little late to the party, but we finally decided to jump on the selfie bandwagon. So today we are joining the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

 

New Year’s Eve Art

 

Happy New Year’s Eve!

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Merry Christmas 2016!

 

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope Santa brought lots of goodies for you and all those you love!

Santa Stakeout Part 2 – The Night Before Christmas

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas,

And this little Yorkipoo,

Is napping beneath the tree,

Waiting for you know who.

As guardian of the house,

Sadie feels it’s her duty,

To supervise Mr. Santa Claus,

As he drops off his booty.

If he brings her a treat,

She won’t make a woof.

And his task soon complete,

Santa takes off from the roof!

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Reindeer Games

 

This holiday season I’ve decided to switch out Sadie’s living room dog bed with a more festive reindeer dog bed. At first Sadie wasn’t sure she liked her new reindeer bed. She didn’t really want to sleep in it or lay in it. But one day as she was looking for a good place to bury a treat, she discovered a much better use for her new dog bed. Between the side bumpers and the bottom cushion of the bed is a little space that is perfect for hiding things! Thankfully Sadie is not the kind of dog that likes to hide other people’s belongings, so aside from her treats, Sadie had only one item in mind for her new hiding spot – her little squeaky soccer balls.

It’s now become a daily game for Sadie and I to play, which I call the reindeer game. When Sadie gets in the mood to play, she squeaks her ball for a while and then runs and places it in her reindeer bed. If I’m not paying attention, she then whines until I come over to do my part. I stuff the ball firmly in the crevice of the reindeer bed and then flip the bed over. Sadie immediately starts digging into the underside of the bed. She knows she has to get her reindeer flipped back over to get the ball out, but sometimes she just enjoys the digging for a bit. Then she head butts the bed until she gets the right leverage to flip it. Once the reindeer is right side up again, Sadie can then dig her ball out and start all over again. Take a look at the videos below to see the reindeer game in action!

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

Ready for Winter

 

The snowman rugs are all in place and Sadie’s winter hat is on the coat rack. That can only mean one thing – Winter has officially begun.

 

Happy First Day of Winter!

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Tongue Out Tuesday Under the Christmas Tree

Black and White with a Touch of Christmas

 

What’s black and white and red all over?

Sadie with a Santa hat!

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Santa Stakeout Part 1

 

Sadie has been hanging out under the Christmas tree lately. When I asked her why she’s hiding there, she told me she is waiting for Santa. I explained to Sadie that she’s about a week too early, but Sadie says she’s not going anywhere. The Christmas tree is always the best place to find the magic of the holidays.

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Twins!

 

I was looking online for a new ugly Christmas sweater for Sadie because she outgrew the one she had as a puppy. (Click here to see the flashback photos of Sadie’s first ugly Christmas sweater!) When I found the listing for matching dog and human sweaters, I just couldn’t resist. Don’t we make adorably festive Christmas twins?

My Happy Little Reindeer

Caturday Art on Candy Cane Lane

 

As Christmas approaches, our house begins to look like it belongs on Candy Cane Lane. Christmas cookies are being made, Christmas candies are being purchased, and candy canes are found all over the house. Sadie wanted to join in on the sweet holiday festivities, and since holiday goodies are not part of her diet, I gave Sadie the next best thing – a fluffy candy cane hat!

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

Using Dry Dog Food for Healthy Holiday Fun!

The basic component for the majority of your furry family members’ meals is most likely dry food, aka kibble. (Check out the stats on which are the best dry dog foods for your pups over at the SlimDoggy Dog Food Database.) But at this time of year it can become tricky to keep your pets interested in their kibble when there are so many delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Today I’d like to share a few ideas to keep your pet happy and satisfied with their own healthy food during the holiday season.

While many pet parents discourage their dogs from sitting by the table during meals, personally my family prefers to have Sadie take part in our family dinners. But eating bits of human food definitely goes against Sadie’s diet. So to include my dog as part of our holiday meals, I use her dry dog food. I give each family member a few pieces of her kibble, so that whenever Sadie visits a family member to see what goodies they have to offer, they have a dog-healthy option at the ready. Sadie feels like she is participating and getting some of our holiday dinner, while still keeping on her kibble diet.

But having dog food at the dinner table may not appeal to everyone and may lead to some annoying begging behavior. So another way to keep your dog focused on their dry food during the holidays is using food dispensing toys. You can fill up the toy with kibble, give it to your dog, and then go enjoy your own meal knowing that your dog is happily distracted from the human food. (I frequently use treat dispensing toys as a good distraction when I’m working as well.) Sadie has different treat dispensing toys that I use specifically for each holiday. That way it’s a new challenge to figure out how the toy works since she only sees it a few days each year. For the Christmas season Sadie has a festive light bulb that dispenses treats/kibble.

My favorite way to make sure Sadie eats her dry food during the holidays is to make little dry food presents. I take a handful of kibble and place it in the center of a square of wrapping paper. Then I ball up the wrapping paper so that it holds the kibble in place. Then I hide the little kibble presents around the room/house. I like to put them under the tree among the other presents, but that might cause problems or damage for those of you with bigger or more destructive dogs. I always place one little kibble present in plain sight so that Sadie realizes what she is looking for. Once she has opened and eaten the contents of the first present, I tell her to go find the others. That keeps her happy and occupied for quite a while, with the bonus of making sure she eats her healthy dry food.

I also want to mention an adorable holiday craft that can be done using dry dog food from one of my fellow bloggers, Jodi at Kol’s Notes. Click here to check out her kibble/treat filled ornaments and advent calendar!

“This post is a partnership with Nakturnal.”

Pretty and Poisonous Poinsettias

 

Poinsettias make beautifully festive holiday decorations at this time of year. Unfortunately for pet owners, poinsettias are also a dangerous toxin for dogs and cats. To avoid any potential risk to Sadie, I choose not to bring poinsettias into my home. Instead, I use decorations with poinsettia designs to bring some of their festive beauty to my holiday décor.

 

But many of you may still want an actual poinsettia plant or may receive one as a gift. This post is just a reminder to all of you pet owners to make sure your fur babies stay away from this toxic plant. Keep poinsettias well out of your pets’ reach and make sure that dead leaves/petals don’t fall onto the floor. When visiting friends or relatives with your pets, double check that no poinsettia plants are within your pets’ reach. You should even be careful during walks at this time of year, as many people use poinsettias to decorate front porches and stairs. Lastly, you need to be cautious when disposing of your poinsettia at the end of the season. Don’t just throw the plant on a mulch or compost pile that your pets can easily reach.

Click here to see which other flowering plants can pose a danger to your pets!

And to help you remember other holiday dangers to keep an eye out for, here’s a handy infographic courtesy of PuppySpot.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

A Christmas Tree Tongue Out Tuesday

Caturday Art #15

Sadie and I haven’t posted much in the last couple of weeks and you may have noticed why – our blog got a makeover. Unfortunately it was not an intentional makeover. I just signed on one afternoon to find all sorts of errors and even the dreaded white screen of death! (For those of you who aren’t familiar with WordPress, the white screen of death is when you don’t have any access to the technical side of your blog so you can’t even log in to figure out the problem.) Eventually I had to just start deleting plugins and files until I figured out that our theme had crashed. Hence the sudden and unplanned makeover. Some things are still acting a little funny at the moment, but hopefully I’ll get all the bugs worked out soon and everyone can enjoy our new look.

 

In the meantime I hope you enjoy the digital art piece above that represents Sadie over the past couple of weeks. I explained to Sadie that her blog was broken, and while she didn’t seem nearly as upset about it as I was, she very patiently kept me company through all of my struggles with uncooperative technology.

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

A Woodland Fairytale

 

Sadie and I were taking a walk through the grounds of an historic mansion when we stumbled upon a patch of woods. Nestled among the trees we found this log cabin. It looked exactly like the quintessential house in the woods from fairytales. We sat down on the stone wall, enjoying the sun streaming through the trees, the leaves gently floating on the breeze, and the quiet beauty of the woods. It was such a magical place I could easily imagine Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, or maybe Hansel and Gretel coming out of the door at any second.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing everyone bellies full of good food and lots of cuddles with your furry family.

Teepee Time!

As Thanksgiving approaches, Sadie thought this would be the perfect time of year to reveal her exciting new dog bed – a teepee!

Caturday Art #14

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

Veteran’s Day at the US War Dog Memorial

 

This Veteran’s Day Sadie and I are making sure to honor all of the brave canine veterans who give their lives to serve and protect this country, just like all of the human veterans out there. These photos of Sadie were taken at the only official memorial to military dogs in the continental US. (There is also a US War Dog Memorial on the island of Guam.) While it doesn’t have the names of the fallen like some of the human memorials, I think this statue wonderfully portrays the grace of service and the pride that dogs feel in a job well done.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

An Election Day Tongue Out Tuesday

Sadie has decided not to vote in the election this time around. Although she’s old enough to vote, being around 29 in human years, Sadie is just not sure about any of the candidates. She feels like none of the issues mattering to her were addressed at all.

Where is the universal health coverage for pets? Sadie is lucky enough to have health insurance, but what about all the less fortunate dogs and cats out there?

Sadie also says she has a problem with immigration. How can we take care of pets from other countries when we have so many pets looking for homes that were born in the USA? She does sympathize with animals from other nations and thinks we should send more foreign aid money to help with spay and neuter programs in less fortunate places.

Animal cruelty is also a big issue that none of the candidates discussed. Sadie thinks there should be federal laws making cruelty to animals a felony, instead of letting the individual states determine the crime and punishment.

 Since not a single one of these issues were discussed by the candidates, Sadie has told me to vote for whomever I prefer.

 While not endorsing any of the candidates, Sadie says that Hillary Clinton does get bonus points for living with two poodle mix dogs (and a lab).

Caturday Art – Punk Rock Pet Portrait

 

I love Sadie’s pink punk rock hair in this digital portrait!

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

The Savvy Pets Giveaway – Ends 11/22

The Savvy Pets Giveaway (3 Winners)

We are co-hosting a giveaway with Deliciously Savvy and other great bloggers in which 3 Lucky Winners will receive amazing pet and animal related prizes! There is a first place, second place and third place winner! Total Retail Value for All Prizes is $195! Enter Today & Good Luck!

Sponsored By:

Read Deliciously Savvy’s Review

Read Deliciously Savvy’s Review

Read Deliciously Savvy’s Review

Hosted By: Deliciously Savvy

Co-Hosted By:

A Mom’s Perspective // Your Designer Dog Blog // Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains // The More The Merrier // My Silly Little Gang // Amy & Aron’s Real Life Reviews // Michigan Saving & More // PaulaMS’ Giveaways, Reviews, & Freebies

Plus a Big Thank You To All Of The Blogs Helping To Promote This Fabulous Giveaway To Their Readers!

THE DETAILS:

3 Lucky Winners Will Receive the Prizes Listed Below: Total RV $195!

1st Place:

1 Truly Pawsome Subscription Box ($40 RV)

1 3.5 Lb Tub of Pet Magasin Wavy Bacon & Cheese Strips ($25 RV)

1 Nature’s Anywhere Birds-I-View Window Bird Feeder ($40 RV)

2nd Place:

1 3.5 Lb Tub of Pet Magasin Wavy Bacon & Cheese Strips ($25 RV)

1 Nature’s Anywhere Birds-I-View Window Bird Feeder ($40 RV)

3rd Place:

1 3.5 Lb Tub of Pet Magasin Wavy Bacon & Cheese Strips ($25 RV)

Total RV of all packages $195!

And Now The Giveaway!

Giveaway Dates ~ Starts 11/01 9PM EST & Ends 11/22 11:59PM EST

Entrants must be 18 years old to enter and giveaway is open to US residents only

Any Questions Email Deliciously Savvy At mcushing7 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated or associated with Facebook,

Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This giveaway is valid only

in the United States. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter.

This giveaway will end at 11:59PM (EST) on 11/22/2016.

Good Luck! Enter Below:

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook!

By Supporting Our Blogs Via Social Media You Are Helping Us To Provide Fabulous Prizes For Amazing Future Giveaways! Good Luck & Thank You!

Continue reading →

The Trolls Are Coming!

 

Sadie is very excited that the new movie Trolls is coming out soon! I’ve told Sadie all about the collection of troll dolls I had as a child and she was very intrigued. I had trolls in every shape, size, and color imaginable. If I remember correctly, the highlights of my collection included a troll with pink hair that stood almost three feet tall and a troll that sparkled with my birthstone in its bellybutton. I even collected the somewhat ugly looking traditional trolls from Norway. So you can understand why I was pretty excited when I went to Petco and discovered that I could buy Sadie her very own troll, made especially for dogs. Sadie absolutely loves Poppy, her new pink troll! Although I don’t allow unsupervised playtime because I don’t want the pink hair to become a doggie snack, Sadie knows right where her troll is kept and every day she jumps up and down asking me to get it for her.

 

 

Sadie as an old school troll!

 

 

Sadie as Poppy from the Trolls movie!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

This post is not sponsored or endorsed by DreamWorks, Petco, or Trolls in any way. All opinions are my own.

A Day of the Dead Tongue Out Tuesday

Have a Witchy Halloween!

 

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Teach your dogs some Tricks tonight and give them some yummy Treats!

Black and White and Ready for Halloween!

 

Sadie is so excited that tomorrow is Halloween!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art on National Cat Day!

 

There are twice as many reasons to celebrate cats today! Not only is today the weekly Caturday Art blog hop, but it’s also National Cat Day here in the US! Usually on Caturday I show off some digital art of Sadie, ignoring the fact that she’s a dog. But this week I felt we really needed to embrace the spirit of cats. So in honor of National Cat Day, Sadie dressed up in her black cat Halloween costume to pose for these portraits!

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

Arachnophilia

Arachnophilia means the love of spiders. Sadie and I absolutely, positively do NOT love spiders. (Sadie barks helpfully while I run around the house trying to catch and release the eight legged home invaders.) But we are both totally in love with Sadie’s Halloween spider toy! I’m not sure how something so icky in real life can be so cute as a stuffed animal! Maybe it’s because the toy only has six legs and real spiders have eight? Whatever the reason, Sadie enjoys playing with this spider almost as much as I love using the spider as a Halloween decoration. Isn’t it great when you can claim that the dog toys lying around the house are actually seasonal decorations?

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

50 Years of the Great Pumpkin!

 

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Great Pumpkin cartoon! Sadie is honoring this Halloween tradition by wearing her pumpkin glasses all day!

The Sweetest Trick or Treater

 

Sadie is the sweetest little trick or treater I’ve ever seen and she just can’t wait until it’s Halloween!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Hellfire

 

My little devil is sparking with hellfire! She’s just so excited that Halloween is almost here!

Caturday Art #13

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Pumpkin Head!

 

I’m not sure what can be said about a hat for dogs with a jack-o-lantern on top. Sadie looks cute wearing it, but she can look adorable in just about anything. It was an impulse buy – on clearance of course. All I can say is that Sadie now has a glittery pumpkin hat to match my glittery pumpkin Halloween decorations.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

A Halloween Sweet Treat

I’ve got a sweet little treat for you this Halloween season – my Sadie in her cupcake costume! Isn’t she just sweet enough to eat?!? I’m not sure I’d actually eat that hat piece though. That cherry on top is looking suspiciously like a bedazzled plunger.

Save Money This Halloween – Re-Purpose an Old Costume!

If you’re feeling creative, one great way to save money this Halloween is to re-purpose an old costume. You may have an outfit in the closet from an old recital or school play or something retro that belongs to a family member. Maybe you can take a costume from Halloweens past and add or remove some accessories to give the outfit new life. Or some small tweaks and DIY elements may turn one costume into something completely new. Why not take a look in storage and see if anything sparks your Halloween creativity?

---

Keep reading to see how I transformed one of Sadie’s old outfits into five completely new Halloween costumes for my dog!

---

Pig Costume

For example, I have a simple pig costume for Sadie. It’s a fairly easy Halloween costume for her to wear, because it mostly sits on her back, held in place with Velcro. It’s easy for her to move around, as there are no restrictive parts of the costume on her legs. And it’s a convenient costume for me because it has a hole made for a harness or leash to fit through. But most importantly, when I looked at this old costume I had a sudden burst of DIY inspiration.

---

Piggy Bank Costume

With some simple DIY printing, cutting, and pasting, I can turn Sadie’s pig costume into a super cute piggy bank costume! I printed a large image of a coin I found online and also printed a solid black rectangle off of my computer. I cut out the rectangle and taped it to the back of Sadie’s pig costume, making sure not to cover the leash opening. I then cut out 90% of the coin, leaving a wedge of printer paper attached to the bottom of the coin. I folded over the wedge and taped it to the black rectangle attached to the costume. This enabled to coin to appear standing up, as if it’s just being placed into the piggy bank. Thus with a few pieces of paper and tape I turned Sadie’s pig costume into an adorable piggy bank Halloween costume!

---

Miss Piggy Costume

I was also able to use Sadie’s simple pig costume and turn it into a glamorous Miss Piggy outfit that’s perfect for Halloween! All I needed was a blond wig and a dress worthy of the most stylish Muppet. I placed the blond wig over the head of the pig costume, using the ears to hold the wig in place. Then I chose a dress that is slightly larger on Sadie and put it on over her pig costume. The combination of the visible pig elements with the dress and wig create pretty cute representation of Miss Piggy from the Muppets.

---

Harry Plopper (from the Simpsons)

---

Piglet Costume

To turn a plain, old pig costume into the adorable Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, all Sadie needed was the right sweater. A simple purple and pink striped dog sweater works perfectly as Piglet’s signature style.

---

Spider Pig (from the Simpsons)

Sadie has added a Spiderwoman dress to her pig costume to transform into Spider Pig from the Simpsons. One red and blue jumpsuit is all it takes to go from ordinary pig to superhero!

Tongue Out Tuesday in a Flower Pot

Sadie and I were in a silly mood one day and I decided to turn my precious pup into a flower by putting a tutu on her head! What do you think, daisy? mum? pansy?

Caturday Art #12

I love the tongue action in these two mosaic portraits, which show my Sadie embracing the Halloween spirit with her jack-o-lantern collar and her ghostly hair bows!

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

 

My Reluctant Ghost

Sadie wasn’t really in the mood to pose for this photo shoot. Maybe the ghost costume was too scary? I still ended up with some cute blooper photos, so I was happy in the end.

 

This post is part of the Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull.

 

 

Super Easy DIY Halloween Costume For Your Dog!

I love looking at all of the creative DIY Halloween costume ideas you can find everywhere at this time of year! But to be honest, I’m a bit clumsy with crafting, and most DIY costumes are beyond my beginner skill set. But when I came across a photo of a Beanie Baby dog costume on Pinterest, I immediately knew this was perfect for me – easy enough for my skill level and adorable enough for my dog. Plus, as someone who collected Beanie Babies at the height of the craze, I rather liked the idea of having a Beanie Baby of my own dog. Below you can find the steps I used to create the Beanie Baby costume seen in these photos of Sadie.

Beanie Baby Dog Costume

Step 1:

Search online for a good image of that unforgettable heart logo tag. Try to find an image that has the tag open so that your own tag can be opened and read.

Step 2:

Print out the heart, making sure the tag will print large enough based on the size of your dog. I printed mine at 150%, making the heart take up the top third of a piece of standard printer paper.

Step 3:

Glue / tape the paper with the heart printout to a piece of cardboard. This will help to make the tag is sturdy enough to survive being attached to your dog.

Step 4:

Cut out the tag and fold in half.

Step 5:

Write your dog’s name and birthday inside. You may also include cute little facts about your dog, or a small story or poem.

Step 6:

Punch a hole in the tag at the upper left corner. The correct spot may be marked with a small circle, depending on the heart image you chose online.

Step 7:

Attach the tag to a piece of string or a rubber band. I used a hair elastic for Sadie’s tag.

Step 8:

Loop string around your dog’s collar and you’re done! (I also tried hanging the tag by Sadie’s ear, as a lot of the Beanie Babies I owned had tags in that position. By using the hair elastic, I made sure this placement wouldn’t pull Sadie’s hair or hurt her. It looked pretty cute in the photos, but as you can probably guess, the tag did not stay in place very long and I ultimately realized the collar placement is better in the long run.)

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday with a Tootsie Roll!

Today I decided to share some photos of Sadie in her Tootsie Roll Halloween costume. After all, isn’t Tongue Out Tuesday the perfect day for finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center?

Sadie’s First Caricature

Last weekend Sadie and I went to a fun dog event in a local park. They had tables of vendors, shelters and rescues, dog businesses, K9 police demonstrations, and many other fun activities. My favorite activity at the Carnival of Dogs was the caricature artist. In exchange for a charitable donation, a wonderful cartoon artist was creating portraits of some of the pooches. Sadie and I made it to the line just in time, getting the second to last caricature of the day. I was very proud of how patient Sadie was sitting for her portrait. We got more than one compliment from spectators on how well behaved she was! Our only issue was that whenever I got up from the bench to take a photo of Sadie and the progress of her caricature, Sadie would jump up thinking we were ready to leave. So I had to be quick with my photos and then run over to put Sadie back into the right position each time. Luckily the cartoonist didn’t mind my photographic troublemaking and Sadie’s caricature was completed in under 20 minutes. The artist said she really enjoyed creating her Sadie cartoon and we were very pleased with the results. Sadie’s first caricature will soon join the first caricature drawn of me on the wall in my parent’s house.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

    An InLinkz Link-up

The Happy Halloween Giveaway! Win $1000! Ends 10/31

It’s giveaway time! Want to make your Halloween extra Happy this year? Then enter below for your chance to win one of two $500 cash prizes! Open worldwide to anyone 18 and over. Giveaway ends Halloween night (10/31/16) at 11:59PM.

---

Get into the Halloween spirit by revisiting my posts from Halloween past!

My Little Pumpkin

Oct 23, 2014Nov 4, 2014

Click here to read this post...

I Want Candy!

Oct 28, 2014Nov 4, 2014

Click here to read this post...

It’s Almost Halloween!

Oct 29, 2014Nov 4, 2014

Click here to read this post...

5 Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween!

Oct 30, 2014Nov 4, 2014

Click here to read this post...

Sadie the Ghost

Nov 1, 2014Nov 15, 2014

Click here to read this post...

Black Cat Season

Oct 7, 2015Oct 5, 2016

Click here to read this post...

Pumpkin – #52Snapshots

Oct 24, 2015Oct 24, 2015

Click here to read this post...

Going Batty

Oct 28, 2015Oct 28, 2015

Click here to read this post...

Trick or Treat Buddy

Oct 29, 2015Oct 29, 2015

Click here to read this post...

Scary – #52Snapshots

Oct 30, 2015Oct 30, 2015

Click here to read this post...

Little Miss Pumpkin

Nov 4, 2015Nov 4, 2015

Click here to read this post...

An Orange and Black Tongue Out Tuesday

Oct 4, 2016Oct 4, 2016

Click here to read this post...

Super Easy DIY Halloween Costume For Your Dog!

Oct 12, 2016Jul 17, 2017

Click here to read this post...

Save Money This Halloween – Re-Purpose an Old Costume!

Oct 19, 2016Sep 7, 2017

Click here to read this post...

---

And don’t forget to check out Sadie’s Round-Up of Halloween Costumes for Dogs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Sadie is Ready for Mad Hatter Day!

 

Today is Mad Hatter Day and Sadie has picked out the perfect hat! This fun holiday, created in honor of the numbers written on the hat of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter, encourages everyone to wear a silly hat all day. Who can resist smiling and laughing on a day when your co-workers, classmates, and even your pets walk around in crazy headgear? Sadie chose this lovely top hat with bunny ears to wear today. We were both all smiles while Sadie played catch in her Mad Hatter Day outfit.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town!

 

The sun is shining; it’s a beautiful day. You want to take the dog out for a walk, but where to go? It gets boring walking the same old path around your neighborhood. But you’re not really in the mood to sit in traffic driving somewhere new and interesting. So why not explore your own town? I bet there are plenty of places in your own city that your dog hasn’t seen and smelled yet. Have you taken your pooch to every single park? Maybe you’ll find a waterfall you’ve never noticed before (Click here to read about the time Sadie and I discovered a surprise waterfall). Or maybe there’s a dog run your fur baby hasn’t explored yet. Your dog’s new favorite place could be waiting on the other side of town, so why not try out all the dog friendly places your own town has to offer!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

An Orange and Black Tongue Out Tuesday

 

The Halloween decorations came out of storage last weekend. Of course Sadie wanted to investigate everything to make sure she approved. One particular storage bin, which I use as Sadie’s toy box during the Halloween season, immediately drew Sadie’s attention. Since she seemed to like it so much, I decided the orange and black chevron box would be the perfect place for Sadie to sit and stay out of trouble while the decorations were sorted. As you can see, Sadie greatly enjoyed her festive vantage point, where she happily watched all her humans run around decorating.

 

 

 

Sadie and the City

 

In this piece of abstract digital art, Sadie is posing by the view from our hotel room in New York City. As many of you know, Sadie and I live in one of the New Jersey suburbs of NYC, but it’s always fun to spend a night out at a dog friendly hotel once in a while.

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sadie’s Dock Dog Daydream

Have you ever heard of Dock Dogs competitions? I’ve been watching some videos lately of these fun events where dogs leap into the water to see who can jump the highest or the furthest or fetch a toy the fastest. These competitions seem like they would be a lot of fun for athletic, high energy dogs. Unfortunately, neither of those adjectives apply to Sadie. In fact, Sadie feels uncomfortable doing any jumping and I’m not even sure if she can swim. The closest Sadie and I will come to dock diving is the time we spend daydreaming on the cute little dock in these photos. Sadie and I recently discovered this floating dock on a small lake near Sadie’s groomer. It’s a nice place to go and sit in the sun together, especially as Sadie can usually use some time to relax after the stress of a grooming appointment.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday on a Rock

 

 

Caturday Art – Mini Sadie

 

I’m showing off something a little different for today’s Caturday Art post. Instead of the usual digital art, today we have a handmade mini plushie of my own little Sadie! This adorable little piece of art was made for Sadie by the talented people at VonSelfies.com. Mini Sadie is just so cute, with her little bow and pink bandana. It’s a perfect representation of Sadie’s style and personality. Naturally I couldn’t resist taking some photos of Sadie wearing her own pink bow next to her mini plushie.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Welcome to Fall!

Today is officially the first day of Autumn.

Welcome to Fall!

Sadie and the Sunflower Hat

 

I thought this sunflower hat would be the perfect fashion accessory for my little Sadie. It’s adorable, it has sunglasses, what more could you ask for? But in some of these photos my Sadie does not seem to be enjoying her new hat as much as I am. You might be thinking, “Poor, Sadie, forced to wear a stupid hat that is probably too tight or uncomfortable.” But believe it or not, it’s not the hat that has Sadie looking so pouty. It’s the grass. My dog would rather be a person most days. And as most people would agree, it’s much better to sit on a comfy chair than on the grass. So as soon as I allowed Sadie to get off the grass and onto the chair, she was smiling ear to ear, even in her silly sunflower hat.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday in a Tiger Hat

Ahoy Mateys! It’s Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Sadie is busy protecting her booty because it’s international Talk Like A Pirate Day!

 

Portion Problems

 

As you all know, Sadie is a picky eater. Some days she acts like she’s starving and will eat anything in sight. Other days she will only eat her dog food if I spoon feed her a few bites. At the moment, the most frustrating aspect of these eating habits is portion size. Of course Sadie’s vet has recommended the appropriate amount of food for Sadie’s dinner. But when I prepare the half cup of dry food mixed with a little wet food that the vet recommends, Sadie barely eats half of it. So the next night I give Sadie a smaller portion, which she finishes immediately and begs for more food. So the night after that I give Sadie a larger portion, but she won’t eat any of it and it all gets thrown out. I just can’t predict how much Sadie will be willing to eat at any given time. Some nights I give her a full portion and she eats only half. I wake up the next morning planning to throw away the leftover food, only to discover that Sadie has gotten up in the middle of the night and eaten every bite. Sadie is certainly talented at keeping me on my toes and making sure our life together never gets boring.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

Hugging My Hound

 

In honor of Hug Your Hound Day, I’m sharing a photo from a little trip Sadie and I took last week to visit a local lighthouse.

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #26

 

Sadie is happy to be enjoying some little wildflowers during her evening walk. I know some people would consider them weeds, but to us they are cute little blossoms. When traditional flowers like tulips and daffodils are taller than you, it’s not hard to understand why my little dog would enjoy some little flowers. (Click here to see my little Sadie with some pretty tall tulips!)

The Empty Sky Memorial

In honor of September 11th, Sadie and I visited one of the many memorials we have in our area. This memorial, called the Empty Sky, has metal walls engraved with the names of all those lost on 9/11. These metal walls create a tunnel effect, guiding your eyes towards the portion of the New York City skyline where the Twin Towers used to stand. It’s a beautiful place to visit and remember and reflect upon all the changes in the world since that fateful day.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art – Grandparent’s Day Edition

 

Tomorrow here in the US we celebrate Grandparent’s Day. While not as popular as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, I personally think Grandparent’s Day is an equally worthy holiday to honor important family members. Unfortunately none of my Grandparents are still with us, so instead we use this day to celebrate my parents, who are Sadie’s Grandparents.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

Zebra Flower Bloopers

So I got this cute new hair bow for Sadie, which I’ve decided looks like a zebra flower. Of course the first thing I want to do is take some pictures of Sadie rockin’ her new bow. Unfortunately Sadie is not in the mood to try on hair accessories.

This post is part of the Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull.

Autumn Adventures $1250 Giveaway – Ends 10/15

With Sumner ending and Fall just around the corner, it’s time to think about planning some Autumn adventures! Fall is a wonderful time of year for outdoor activities with your dog. Even Goldilocks would approve of Fall weather – not too hot, not too cold, it’s usually just right! And who doesn’t love the beautiful scenery when the leaves begin changing colors? Last year Sadie and I had one particularly enjoyable Fall adventure to a local lake. We didn’t swim or anything, but we still had a great walk exploring some new and beautiful scenery. I’ve always got a running list of places for Sadie and I to explore when we’ve got the time and the weather cooperates. And a little extra cash can always help to make an adventure more fun.

So to help three lucky winners have an awesome Autumn adventure, we are co-hosting a giveaway with $1250 in prizes! Two first place winners will receive $500 in PayPal cash or Amazon gift cards and one second place winner will get $250! Open worldwide, 18 and older. Winners chosen at random on 10/15/16. Use the entry form below to find many ways to enter and win! Good luck to all!

What kind of adventures do you hope to have with your dogs this Fall?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

2 Cool 4 School!

 

It’s back to school time once again and Sadie is looking too cool for school in her new purple sunglasses! While Sadie and other dogs may look cool at this time of year, remember that the back to school routine may be stressful for pets. Check out this post I wrote with tips for keeping your pets safe and happy as school begins again!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday on a Scooter

For this week’s Tongue Out Tuesday photos, I’m sharing some pictures of Sadie “riding” on a scooter. I put riding in quotes here because this particular scooter is actually bolted to the ground. It’s meant as a cute photo prop for some family photos in front of the picturesque fountain. While this fake scooter was fun for our photos, Sadie won’t be riding any real scooters anytime soon. I am way too overprotective to let my fur baby ride away without wearing a helmet.

 

 

 

Relaxing at the Shore

 

Sadie and I haven’t been around much in the couple of weeks. We’ve been taking some time to relax and enjoy the last bit of Summer. Last week Sadie and I spent a few days completely unplugged at the Jersey shore. Although the weather didn’t always cooperate, we still managed to have a relaxing few days having some fun at the beach and boardwalk.

MIU PET Retractable Dog Leash Giveaway- 3 Winners! Ends 9/18

MIU PET Retractable Dog Leash Giveaway (3 Winners ~ Choose size and color)

Deliciously Savvy is hosting (and we are co-hosting!) a Giveaway in which 3 lucky pet parents will win a MIU PET Retractable Dog Leash in their choice of color and size. This awesome leash also comes with a wrist strap, cushion protection bungee and a dog bag dispenser with a roll of bags. Total value of the prize pack between all 3 winners is $93!

Enter Today and Everyday until 9/18!

 Good Luck!

Read the Review from Deliciously Savvy HERE

Sponsored By:

Hosted By: Deliciously Savvy

Co-Hosted By:

My Silly Little Gang // Your Designer Dog Blog // Amy & Aron’s Real Life Reviews // Michigan Saving and More // IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways // Marcelle mndza-the versatile blog // Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains // Capri’s Coupons // PaulaMS’ Giveaways, Reviews, & Freebies

PLUS a Big Thank You To All Of The Blogs Helping To Promote This Giveaway! You All Rock!

And Now The Giveaway!!!

THE DETAILS:

3 Lucky Winners will win a MIU PET Retractable Dog Leash in their choice of color and size. TRV is up to $93.

Giveaway Dates ~ 08/27 9PM EST until 09/18 11:59PM EST

Entrants must be 18 years old to enter and giveaway is open to US residents only.

Any Questions Email Deliciously Savvy At mcushing7 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated or associated with Facebook,

Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This giveaway is valid only

in the United States. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter.

This giveaway will end at 11:59PM (EST) on 09/18/2016.

Good Luck! Enter Below

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook!

By Supporting Our Blogs Via Social Media You Are Helping Us To Provide Fabulous Prizes For Amazing Future Giveaways! Good Luck & Thank You!

Continue reading →

Celebrate National Dog Day!

 

Today is National Dog Day! Celebrate with your four-legged friends and family today! Whether you play some extra fetch or share a yummy treat together, your dog will appreciate some quality bonding time in honor of National Dog Day.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

The Yorkipoo of Oz

 

Tomorrow is the 77th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz, which opened in movie theaters on August 25th, 1939. While I personally was a little scared of the movie as a child, my little Sadie is as brave as Dorothy, especially in her adorable costume.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

TOT BBall

 

Sadie was so inspired by the Olympics that she decided to try out one of the sports involved. I looked around the house and the only sporting equipment I could find was this basketball. There’s just one problem – the basketball is basically the same size as Sadie!

#WorldPhotoDay 2016

 

Today is World Photo Day, a day where photographers around the globe share some photos of their little corners of the world. Sadie and I are excited to participate this year with some pictures taken from the highest point in our town. These are some of my all time favorite photos of Sadie. I actually use one as the background on my cell phone. I love how bright and carefree the photos are. How the wind plays with Sadie’s ears. And I love how these photos show that anything can be beautiful from the right angle. Because this scenic overlook provides a view of a not so scenic location. Let’s just say that although the view looks nice, the industrial inner city below is not somewhere I’d go alone after dark.

 

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Crown of Victory – Modern

 

Yesterday Sadie modeled her version of ancient Olympic style with her laurel wreath crown. Today Sadie is modeling a more modern Olympic look with a patriotic tiara and stars and stripes dress. I bet all the American athletes wish they look as stylish as Sadie!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Crown of Victory – Ancient

 

Sadie is wearing her winner’s crown today in honor of the laurel wreaths given to athletes in the ancient Olympics. I love the chic simplicity of these photos, giving them a timeless feel. Visit us tomorrow to see the stark contrast of Sadie modeling a more modern style for the American Olympic victor.

 

Dreaming of Gold…

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art – Portrait of a Victor

 

In this digital art piece Sadie is posing as an Olympic victor with gold medals and a crown of laurels. Although these winning accessories are just props, Sadie is rather proud to tell you all that she recently did win a photo contest for best Summer photo.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

 

Sunglasses Bloopers

 

When you are putting sunglasses on a dog and trying to take pictures of the cuteness, you would assume that your most difficult challenge will be keeping the sunglasses on your dog. But as these bloopers prove, Sadie is a very well behaved model and I seem to be the one causing the problems. What good are sunglasses on your dog if your camera woman can’t seem to focus the camera or keep your dog in the frame? While Sadie stayed nice and still, apparently that day I was unable to stop from moving the camera all over the place, messing up the photos.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up.

 

 

Keep Your Eyes on the Ball

 

Sadie considers herself an expert athlete, especially when it comes to playing catch. So today she wanted to share a few words of advice to her fellow athletes from around the world who are giving it their all in the Olympic Games.

“The only sure way to succeed in any ball related sport is to make sure you keep your eyes on the ball!” – Sadie the Yorkipoo.

Spoil Your Dog Day – Pupcakes for Everyone!

Happy Spoil Your Dog Day!

Today is the official day of the year when you get to spoil your dog. If your house is like mine, then pretty much every day could be called Spoil Your Dog Day. But to make this official holiday special, I brought Sadie a special treat – her very own pupcake! I hope everyone gets the chance to spoil their pets with something extra special today!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday – #WorldChompian

Look at Sadie’s shiny new collar accessory! Thanks to BarkBox, Sadie is officially a #WorldChompian!

Go USA!

 

Sadie is helping me cheer on the USA as we watch the Summer Olympics together!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art – National Coloring Book Day

 

This past week Sadie and I participated in National Coloring Book Day! Sadie helped me pick out a cool doggie-Zen drawing to color and kept me company while I got to work. She even wore her pink crayon costume to add to the coloring fun! Unfortunately Sadie hasn’t figured out how to join in the actual coloring herself, but she wanted me to share with everyone our adorable coloring book page to spread the coloring fun.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Let the Games Begin!

 

Sadie and I are excited to enjoy the beginning of the Summer Olympic games today! I’ve always been a big fan of the Olympics and even got to attend the Summer Olympics myself when they were in Athens, Greece. Although I can’t be there in person this time, Sadie and I will be cheering on all the athletes from home every day.

 

Can Dogs Eat Watermelon?

 

One of the most anticipated treats every Summer is a juicy piece of watermelon. But can this tasty snack be shared with your canine best friend?

Can dogs eat watermelon?

The answer is YES!

Watermelon – without seeds – is a sweet, refreshing treat that dogs, cats, and humans can all enjoy.

You can read more about pet appropriate fruits and vegetables in this article from PetMD.

 

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #25

My Little Hula Girl

Sadie and I are planning a family birthday party for this weekend. As you can see from the photos, Sadie is voting for a luau theme. I tried to tell Sadie that her Uncle probably won’t want to wear a grass skirt to his own birthday party, but Sadie won’t listen. She’s such a cute little hula girl that I think her costume will be a hit no matter what theme we choose for the party.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #24

 

 

 

Black and White on the Railroad

“🎵Sadie’s been sittin’ on the railroad all the live long day…🎵”

No one is workin’ on this particular railroad because it’s actually a museum train car on display outside of an old railway station.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art #11

 

This week’s Caturday Art piece features a smiling Sadie enjoying a walk in the Summer sun.

 

 

---

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Queen For a Day

Sadie is a princess everyday in our home. But since yesterday was Sadie’s Gotcha Day, I thought we should do something special. So Sadie got to be Queen for the day. She’s used to the royal treatment as Princess, getting her food and water hand delivered, getting lifted on and off the furniture, sleeping on the bed, etc. But as Queen for the day, Sadie got to make all the decisions as well. Treats for breakfast? Ok, but only today. A new toy every few hours? Why not. She might not understand that I’m spoiling her for the day to say thank you for coming into my life four years ago, but she’ll appreciate the spoiling regardless.

A Spoiled Rotten Yorkipoo Lives Here

 

I can’t believe a spoiled rotten Yorkipoo has been living in my house for exactly four years! Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of Sadie’s Gotcha Day!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Tongue Out Tuesday #23

Tongue Out Tuesday #22

All American Pet Photo Day

 

Today is All American Pet Photo Day! It may be a silly, made up holiday, but I say any excuse to have some fun with your dog is fine with me! And this holiday gives me extra reasons to take photos of Sadie, so it’s double the fun in my opinion.

Bloopers in Bloom

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up.

 

A Sunny Tongue Out Tuesday

I took this photo of Sadie below a statue, thinking the statue and surroundings made a nice photo backdrop. But when I looked at these photos on my computer, I was surprised to discover that there was a much brighter focal point than expected – the sun.

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Caturday Art #10

 

Since it’s almost the Fourth of July, Sadie has decided to wear her patriotic dress all weekend! The weekend has just begun and she’s already gotten quite a few compliments on this harness dress featuring lace and little American flags. Isn’t it a great feeling when you’re happy to be wearing a cute new dress and everyone else seems to love it too?

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Rockets’ Red Glare

As Independence Day approaches, I look forward to celebrating the season with fireworks. I know that many dogs have problems with the loud noises associated with fireworks, but luckily for me, Sadie doesn’t mind them at all. Although the loud noises don’t upset her, Sadie does get nervous about being in a new place with crowds of people. All we need to solve that problem is arrive a little early and let Sadie sniff around and get comfortable. Normally it’s kind of boring and frustrating waiting for fireworks to begin anyway (you just know they never start on time), but with Sadie to keep me company and explore the park or parking lot we’re sitting in, the time passes much more quickly and Sadie gets more relaxed with her new setting. By the time the fireworks begin, Sadie is happy to sit back and enjoy the show with me. I never thought that seeing fireworks could get better, but seeing fireworks as part of a fun adventure with Sadie makes it that much more pawesome.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Shark Attack! #SharkWeek

 

Oh no! Sadie’s been swallowed whole by a shark! Wait a minute… is that shark pink?? And fluffy?? That’s right, Sadie is the proud owner of a dog house/dog bed in the shape of an adorably mean pink shark! It’s the perfect way to celebrate all the toothy fun of Shark Week!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

EarthBites – Holistic Treats with Added Benefits

Every dog deserves a treat once in a while. It’s a great feeling to see your dog smile when you give them a tasty treat. But it’s an even better feeling when that treat has added benefits to your dog’s overall well being. Recently our friends at Chewy.com let us try just such a treat – EarthBites treats from Earthborn Holistic.

 EarthBites are a line of all natural, holistic treats. They come in a variety of flavors ranging from cheese to peanut to fish to chicken. All of the Earthborn Holistic EarthBites treats are moist treats, meaning they are soft enough to hide medicine in and they will not irritate a dog with sensitive gums/teeth. Also they are relatively small and break cleanly and easily, making them a great choice for training both small and large dogs. Plus they are grain and gluten free, contain added vitamins and minerals, and are made in the USA. Adding to all that goodness are two extra special varieties with added benefits that I’d like to mention – the Skin & Coat and the Hip & Joint, which Sadie personally taste tested.

As the name suggests, the EarthBites Hip & Joint, in addition to being a tasty holistic treat, also provides your dog with an added boost of glucosamine and chondroitin. My little Sadie has some hip and knee issues that she was born with, and it’s very important for her to have daily sources of glucosamine and chondroitin to keep her joints moving freely and painlessly. I’ve noticed that Sadie responds especially well to chondroitin, which isn’t always present in many joint care treats and supplements, as most people believe that the glucosamine is more important. But for Sadie’s sake these EarthBites treats have the perfect combination of both supplements. I feel great rewarding her with one of these treats, knowing I’m making my pup happy with a tasty snack while also providing a treat that’s healthy and beneficial to her overall well being.

EarthBites treats from Earthborn Holistic can be found at Chewy.com in six different varieties for $5.99.

 

---

This post is part of the #ChewyInfluencer blog hop hosted by Oz the Terrier and Sugar the Golden Retriever.

I received a free product for my dog to try in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own based on personal experience with the product.

Puzzle Play

Sadie has a lot of fun playing with her puzzle toys. Playing in general is beneficial for dogs to feel happy and fulfilled, but playing with puzzle toys in particular brings out a dog’s curiosity and problem solving skills in wonderful ways. We have a few doggy puzzles in the house now, and although I only bring them out every once in a while, Sadie always seems to know exactly the right way to play to release her treats. In fact, when her Doggy Blocks puzzle arrived in the mail (read our review on that puzzle here), Sadie’s mind was already spinning, trying to figure out how to get some treats out of it before the puzzle was even out of the box!

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

Caturday Art #9

 

Sadie is enjoying the green grass and the Summer sun during one of our backyard barbecues!

 

---

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

Start Your Day with a Smile with Hill’s Breakfast Medleys

It’s important to start your day the right way. You need to fuel your mind and body to handle whatever comes your way throughout the day. For you that may be a long shower, and quick workout, a refreshing smoothie, or an hour of relaxing in front of the TV. But pet owners must also make sure to help their animals start off their days on the right track. Whether your dog enjoys a long walk or a quick play session every morning, all dogs must start the day with a good breakfast. And there’s no better way to end breakfast than with a yummy little treat like Hill’s Ideal Balance Breakfast Medleys. This little treat is sure to put a smile on any dog’s face, and what better way to start your day than seeing your animals happy?

The first time I saw these treats they immediately put a smile on my face. Whoever decided to make breakfast dog treats look like little waffles is a culinary genius in my book. How could any pet parent resist getting little doggie waffles for their precious pooches? As you can see in my photos, I’ve decided that with these treats and some human waffles, Sadie and I will be starting a new breakfast in bed tradition on Sundays.

If you’re not a breakfast in bed with your dog type person, there are still a ton of great reasons to give your dog Hill’s Breakfast Medleys treats at breakfast time, or any other time. Those tiny waffles make a great reward for a successful, well-behaved morning walk. Another great way to start the day is with a short dog training session, either teaching a new trick or practicing an established skill. With a morning training session you can get some good bonding time with your dog before the necessities of the day take away your time and attention. And your dog can start the day off with the mind and body exercise and self esteem boost that a good training session provides. A Hill’s Ideal Balance Breakfast Medleys treat at the end of training is the perfect way to let your dog know that he or she did a good job.

Hill’s Breakfast Medleys may look like tiny waffles, but in fact these grain free treats are made with chicken and eggs. Chicken is the number one ingredient, providing your dog with a good boost of protein in the morning. And there are no artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors. Hill’s products are all natural, all made in the USA.

You can get Hill’s Ideal Balance Breakfast Medleys from Chewy.com for $5.99. And while you’re at Chewy.com, check out all the other great products available from Hill’s Ideal Balance, including more treats and dry and wet food for dogs and cats.

---

This post is part of the #ChewyInfluencer blog hop hosted by Oz the Terrier and Sugar the Golden Retriever.

I received a free product for my dog to try in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own based on personal experience with the product.

Sleepy Little Pack Mule

Recently Sadie tried out a new doggy backpack (Thanks PetOverstock.com!). When you look at the before and after photos, you’ll probably think I’ve had Sadie carrying a heavy load on a long journey. She’s so sleepy she flopped down on her dog bed with her pack still on with a water bottle still inside. But her tiring journey was actually the distance between the kitchen and the living room! It took me so long adjusting all the straps and getting her backpack to fit correctly that Sadie got fed up with me and left to take a nap.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

The “July Edition” LootPets Giveaway!

 

The “July Edition” LootPets Giveaway (5 Winners $125 TRV) ~ Ends 7/16

Deliciously Savvy is hosting a giveaway for LOOTPETS Monthly Subscription Crate and we’re one of the co-hosts! This is a fabulous Geek and Gamer Gear Subscription Box designed to gift your Furry BFF’s with cool gear each month! The box is always valued at $50 + In products that are collectable and unique! This giveaway is for the unknown “July Themed” box and there will be 5 winners! No obligation required….the winner simply receives a LOOTPETS Crate for their Furry BFF! Enter Today and Good Luck!

Read Deliciously Savvy’s Review HERE!

Need One Now? Use Code savvypets for a $3 Discount at Checkout Today!

Sponsored By: LOOTPETS (LOOTCRATE)

Hosted By: Deliciously Savvy

Co-Hosted By:

Your Designer Dog Blog // My Silly Little Gang // Peyton’s Momma // IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways // Michigan Saving & More // Amy & Aron’s Real Life Reviews // Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains // Capri’s Coupons // PaulaMS’ Giveaways, Reviews, & Freebies

PLUS a Big Thank You To All Of The Bloggers Helping To Promote This Super Awesome Giveaway!

FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM

PAST CRATES THEMES:

January 2016 ~ INVASION Theme

February 2016 ~ DEAD Theme

March 2016 ~ VERSUS Theme

April 2016 ~ QUEST Theme

What will the next LOOTPET Subscription Box from LOOTCRATE be?

5 Lucky Winners Will Each Win a LOOTPET Subscription Box For July! Total $125 RV!

And Now The Giveaway!!!

Giveaway Dates ~ 06/21 10PM EST until 07/16 9AM EST

Entrants must be 18 years old to enter and giveaway is open to US residents only.

Any Questions Email Deliciously Savvy At mcushing7 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated or associated with Facebook,

Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This giveaway is valid only

in the United States. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter.

This giveaway will end at 9AM (EST) on 07/16/2016.

Good Luck! Enter Below

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook!

By Supporting Our Blogs Via Social Media You Are Helping Us To Provide Fabulous Prizes For Amazing Future Giveaways! Good Luck & Thank You!

Continue reading →

A Watery Tongue Out Tuesday

This is about as close as Sadie will to get any water, aside from the bathtub (where she doesn’t have a choice) and her kiddie pool (which is awesome and you should check it out here). I know lots of dogs enjoy playing in the ocean and in little streams that we see sometimes in parks, but Sadie won’t go near any of it. Although I feel bad that Sadie might be missing out on some fun, if I’m being honest I’m actually happy she doesn’t want to jump right in. Not only do I get to avoid all the hassle of a muddy, wet dog, but I also hate the water and don’t swim very well, so I’m glad I won’t ever have to jump in to chase after her.

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Celebrating Summer!

 

Today is the first official day of Summer! To celebrate the day Sadie has dug up her ice cream cone squeaky toy. I’m guessing that’s her not so subtle hint that the time of year has come to start buying her doggie ice cream. I think I’ll be saving the ice cream for special occasions, but to mark the beginning of Summer there may be a homemade pupsicle or two in Sadie’s near future.

 

 

Caturday Art #8

 

---

Sadie and her rubber ducky smiling in sepia!

---

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

---

This post is also part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

Crazy Hair Day

 

Static was not Sadie’s friend today. Her hair absolutely refused to be tamed. Luckily Sadie is a happy dog who won’t let a bad hair day get her down.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, Bionic Basil, and M.K. Clinton.

Savor the Flavor of Delectable Delights By #NaturalBalance

As most of you know, my dog is a very picky eater. The problem has gotten worse in the last year or so because the veterinarian wants Sadie on a prescription dry food to help support her joints. Sadie seems to realize that this kibble is very healthy for her, because she tries to avoid it at all costs. It’s like Sadie can smell the glucosamine and refuses to eat anything with that smell. So I’ve been working hard to try to mask the smell and find creative ways to get Sadie to eat her prescription food. Otherwise, Sadie has made it very clear that she would rather starve than eat plain prescription kibble. It was starting to seem like no matter what I tried, I would end up hand feeding her at least the first few bites to make sure she ate something. But recently feeding time has become much easier thanks to Delectable Delights Wet Cups from Natural Balance.

Delectable Delights are a series of savory wet food options from Natural Balance, made to provide a complete, healthy meal for adult dogs of all breeds and sizes. There are four flavors: Duck’en-itas (duck and chicken), Woof’erole (tuna and turkey), Fish ‘N Chicks (salmon and chicken), and Surf ‘N Turf (tuna and chicken). All four flavors are grain free, so they are a great choice for dogs with allergy issues. And each flavor not only contains healthy protein, but also vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, and green beans which help keep your dog healthy and happy. Each wet cup has a broth base, keeping the food moist and delicious for your dog. And as you can see from my photos, the meat and vegetables actually look appetizing, almost like a homemade stew instead of the unidentifiable mush of some other types of wet food for dogs.

Even though Delectable Delights contain a full meal in each wet cup (based on the size/weight/activity level of your dog, you may need more than one wet cup for a complete meal), Sadie and I only use a portion of a wet cup as a topping for her prescription kibble. This enables Sadie to stick to her veterinarian recommended joint support diet, but gives us a way to make her meals much more palatable. Personally Sadie seems to prefer the Duck’ en-itas flavor. I usually warm a few spoonfuls in the microwave before mixing it in with her prescription dry food, thus making a flavorful, moist meal for my pup.

Find out more about Natural Balance and all their healthy pet food options by visiting them on Facebook and Instagram. As a good pet parent you’ll feel great when you learn about the Buy With Confidence program that ensures all Natural Balance products are satisfaction guaranteed.

---

Visit Natural Balance on Facebook for all the latest updates on their products and to get a coupon good for dog or cat food!

---

Want your dog to savor the flavor of Delectable Delights for free? Then enter the contest below to win one wet cup of each flavor for your dog to enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

---

Tongue Out Tuesday – Flag Day Edition

 

Happy Flag Day!

Sadie Butt

So I know these photos aren’t the greatest quality and Sadie desperately needed a haircut when I took them, but I always loved the way her little butt and tail looks while she’s wearing this dress.

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Car Seat Bloopers

 

It’s that time of year when the weather’s nice and everyone is ready to spend some time outdoors. But in order to go exploring somewhere new, you must survive the car ride. Sadie is much more well behaved in the car than other dogs I’ve seen. She doesn’t get car sick; she doesn’t bark or jump around. My little pup’s problem is more about anxiety in the car. If we’re not going to our office or our house, Sadie can tell and she’s not happy about it. Even if we are going somewhere really fun and Sadie will have a blast when we get there, in the car Sadie is panting and shaking. But on the way home, Sadie is usually one happy pup. All of these blooper photos were taken on the ride back from an adventure, when Sadie is all smiles because somehow her internal GPS can tell we are going home.

This post is part of the Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull.

 

Tugging All Day with the Tether Tug

Ever since hearing about the Tether Tug, I’ve always wanted to try it out with Sadie. But my pup is so picky that I wasn’t sure it would be useful in my household. When the opportunity came to test the Tether Tug for a product review, Sadie and I jumped at the chance. And it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, as I’ll explain later.

In case you’re not familiar, the Tether Tug is an interactive toy for dogs. It’s a really simple concept – a rope toy attached to a pole. But the pole has a flexible portion that allows your dog to move that rope around and tug on it. The rope is attached via a carabiner so that it can be taken on and off and replaced if necessary. There are both indoor and outdoor Tether Tugs, as well as different models depending on the size of your dog. The outdoor models involve securing the pole in the ground and then allowing your dog to have endless amounts of fun tugging at the rope. It kind of reminds me of a doggie version of Tether Ball.

The indoor version, which Sadie and I tested out, involves securing the pole into a holder, which is held in place by the foot of any heavy piece of furniture. The rope of the indoor Tether Tug is made of a soft fleece material that seems very sturdy, but won’t irritate a dog’s mouth or damage any furniture it comes into contact with. As you can see in my photos, I have Sadie’s Tether Tug held in place by the foot of our couch. As I suspected, Sadie wasn’t too excited with this toy at first. She’s not much of a tugger and doesn’t usually grab onto anything, even if I try tempting her. But I quickly realized that if could involve one of her squeaky balls with the Tether Tug, then Sadie would be much more interested. So I took a squeaky ball and secured it in between the braids of the fleece rope. As soon as I let go, Sadie began jumping and tugging and having a good time trying to free her squeaky ball from the Tether Tug.

As I mentioned earlier, Sadie’s Tether Tug arrived at the perfect moment – just as I suddenly came down with the flu. All I wanted to do was sleep all day and I barely had enough energy to switch from the bed to the couch. Sadie was more than happy to sleep alongside me most of the day, but eventually she grew bored and wanted something to play with. That’s when the Tether Tug came in to save the day. I set it up, hid her squeaky ball in the rope, and watched from the couch as Sadie pulled and tugged and jumped and barked and wore herself out with her new toy.

From this experience I have realized that the Tether Tug would be an invaluable tool for any dog owner with mobility issues or disabilities. Your dog will have a fun way of releasing all his or her pent up energy without needing human involvement.

Visit TetherTug.com to learn more and get one for your own dog. Prices range from $49.99 to $64.99 for the complete toy, and you can also buy separate/replacement ropes and tethers for your dog to enjoy.

---

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

---

I received a sample product to test out in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. 

Sadie’s New Storage Solution

 

Our household has recently gained a really handy new piece of furniture. It’s a great all-in-one storage solution for dog owners. One drawer for collars and leashes, one drawer for doggie sweaters and jackets and raincoats, one drawer for dog toys, and one drawer for your dog!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #21

 

 

Trouble

In this photo my little troublemaker has gotten her paws on a sock someone carelessly left on the floor. On her nose is piece of cheese that I was trying to use to distract her from the sock. As you can see, she is not planning on letting anyone or anything come between her and that sock.

 

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Caturday Art #7

 

Sadie is ready to spend the weekend fluttering around the house! Maybe this little butterfly will help me do some gardening if the weather cooperates.

 

---

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

Etta Says – Chomp Some Elk!

 

Sadie loves her dog chews as much as the next dog, but with this particular chew, Sadie couldn’t wait for me to remove the wrapper to get started! From the minute it left the box from PetOverstock.com, Sadie had a one track mind to get to that Mega Elk Chew from Etta Says! She made such adorable faces as she was chomping away that I couldn’t help taking some photos of her sheer enjoyment.

You can get your own all natural Etta Says! Mega Chew or a variety of other tasty treats for your pets at PetOverstock.com!

I received sample products to use and try out with my dog. All opinions are my own, based solely on personal experience with the products.

Have No Fear With Primal Treats

For a while now Sadie has been in love with Primal’s beef jerky treats. So when Chewy.com gave us the opportunity to try Primal Treats Beef Liver Munchies, Sadie and I jumped at the chance.

In a world where any conscientious pet parent has to worry about the safety of treats and the sourcing of ingredients, it’s a wonderful relief to find a treat as simple as Primal’s Beef Liver Munchies. There is one single item on the ingredient list – beef liver. And even better, the beef liver comes from USA raised, hormone and antibiotic free cattle.

Primal’s Beef Liver Munchies are small cubes of freeze dried beef liver. They are a great size to use as a training treat or a little snack after behaving well on a walk.

And these treats provide healthy protein for both dogs and cats! I don’t have a cat in my home, but I can imagine how convenient it would be to purchase a snack that the dog and cat can both enjoy.

Primal’s Beef Liver Munchies are just one of the many varieties of Primal treats you can find at Chewy.com. Check out all the tasty options ranging from chicken to pork to venison to buffalo and you’ll definitely find something your pets will love!

 

I received a free sample in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, based solely on personal experience with the product.  

 

The Little Things In Life

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Collar

Here is Sadie modeling her favorite Spring collar. I’ve found it very difficult to take pictures of Sadie focusing on the collar she is wearing. Either I can get a good photo of the collar, but not Sadie’s face, or if I focus on Sadie’s face, the collar gets obscured by her fur. And Sadie isn’t even that fluffy of a dog – I can’t imagine trying to get a picture of one of the really fluffy dog breeds wearing a collar!

This particular collar is from a brand we love, Yellow Dog Designs, and was bought from and personalized by HotDogCollars.com. Check out this review we did of a similar collar also by Yellow Dog Designs from HotDogCollars.com.

---

 

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

---

This post is not sponsored or endorsed by Yellow Dog Designs and HotDogCollars.com. I’m simply stating my honest opinions about a product or service I personally use for/with my dog in everyday life.

A Black and White Memorial Day Weekend

---

Sadie’s got her tongue out this Memorial Day weekend as we put up our patriotic decorations and enjoy the early Summer heat.

---

---

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Frisco Premium Potty Pads – #ChewyInfluencer

Sadie may not be a puppy anymore, but we still make sure to keep a supply of puppy potty pads in our house at all times. Recently the nice people at Chewy sent us a package of potty pads so exclusive you can only find them in one place – Chewy.com. I’m talking about the Premium Potty Pads by Frisco.

Sadie is trained to go outside like most dogs, but she’s also trained to use potty pads in the bathroom. Neither Sadie nor I enjoy going out in the rain or snow for potty breaks, so it just suits our lifestyle better to have potty pads readily available. I put a Frisco Premium Potty Pad in the usual corner in the bathroom and Sadie knew exactly what to do with it in the middle of the night. When I woke up and checked the bathroom, all the liquid was absorbed and dry, without any noticeable smell. The floor under the pad was completely dry as well, confirming that the Frisco Premium Potty Pads are indeed leak proof. And best of all there were no little pee pee paw prints leading away from the pad, which means the quilted top layer of the potty pad successfully prevented any tracking.

Dogs don’t like to make mistakes any more than you like cleaning up their mistakes. They like to please their people, and once a dog is housebroken and learns that going potty on the floor or rug will definitely not please their people, dogs will try to avoid it at all costs. But sometimes humans are out of the house for an unexpectedly long time or maybe your dog has a tummy ache and simply must go potty. That’s when Frisco Premium Potty Pads come in to save the day. If you leave at least one pad out, your dog has a place to go in case of emergency. Frisco Potty Pads have an attractant built in so that even if your dogs are used to going outside, they will understand that the potty pads are the correct place to go. And there’s no need to worry about humans smelling the attractant, it’s not noticeable by human noses. So why not give your dog the comfort of an emergency potty place with Frisco Premium Potty Pads?

At Chewy.com you can get Frisco Premium Potty Pads in standard, extra large, and giant sized, ensuring that you have enough pad to cover the floor space needed by your dog. You can even choose to have Chewy.com automatically ship Frisco Potty Pads right to your door every month to make sure you never run out. Plus you get a little discount if you choose the autoship option.

This post is part of the #ChewyInfluencer blog hop hosted by Oz the Terrier and Sugar the Golden Retriever.

I received a free product in exchange for an honey review. All opinions are my own, based on my personal experience.

A Birthday Wordless Wednesday

---

It’s time to sing Happy Barkday because today is Sadie’s 4th Birthday!!!

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sleep

 

Sadie had better catch up on her sleep today because tomorrow is a day full of celebrating. Tomorrow is Sadie’s 4th Birthday!

 

---

 

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Red Nose Day Bloopers

 

Since Red Nose Day is all about comedy, I thought it would be appropriate to share some blooper photos with Sadie and her red nose. It is definitely not easy to make the red nose stay on a dog, no matter how cooperative your pooch may be.

Red Nose Day Returns!

Sadie is excited to learn that Red Nose Day is back this year. The comedy telethon to benefit children’s charities takes place Thursday, May 26th. Last year Sadie modeled for everyone one of the Red Noses that are sold in support of Red Nose Day (click here to see those photos). This year Sadie got a springy Red Nose headband to go with her Red Nose.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art #6

 

This week Sadie will be turning four years old! The party really happens on her actual birthday, which is Wednesday, but I always like to do a little something for Sadie on the days leading up to her birthday, so that she knows her special day is coming.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

Wildflowers or Weeds

While out for a walk, Sadie and I noticed some tiny yellow flowers scattered in the grass. Sadie and I weren’t sure whether these cute little yellow blossoms were actually wildflowers or weeds, but either way Sadie and I thought they were a nice spot for a rest and some photos. I think this quote from Eeyore of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh sums up my feelings nicely: “Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.” It doesn’t matter to me whether botanists would consider them wildflowers or weeds, those little yellow blossoms brought a smile to our faces and showed us some beauty in an unexpected place.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Fun With Doggy Blocks – #ChewyInfluencer

 

Our friends at Chewy.com recently sent Sadie a fun new treat puzzle! It’s called Doggy Blocks from Outward Hound. Doggy Blocks is a circular treat seeking puzzle with eight treat containers and four blocks.

In general treat seeking puzzles are wonderful activities for any dog. They are easy ways to exercise your dog’s mind by providing a problem your dog must solve to earn his or her reward. Doggy Blocks is a great puzzle because it has two different puzzle elements, with eight containers for rewards. You can place treats under the four Doggy Blocks and in the four internal containers, creating a long lasting challenge for your dog to retrieve all of those rewards.

The two levels of treat compartments also make the Doggy Blocks puzzle a fun way to feed your dog his or her dinner. You can put your dog’s kibble in the larger four compartments under the blocks and place a few treats or pieces of treats in the smaller internal compartments for dessert. This puzzle is perfectly setup for this because you must first remove the yellow blocks and eat your dinner before you can access the inner compartments to eat your dessert.

Sadie did have a bit more trouble with this puzzle than she usually does with other puzzles. This could be considered a good thing if you really want a challenge that lasts a while for your dog. But Sadie did get frustrated a few times and might have given up if I didn’t keep encouraging her. There are a few possible reasons she may have had trouble with this puzzle.

The yellow block portions of the Doggy Blocks puzzle are most likely meant for a dog to grab with their mouth to remove. Sadie is strangely picky about what she puts in her mouth, so she wasn’t willing to play correctly. If your dog has trouble with these blocks like Sadie did, just put the blocks in at a slight angle, making it possible for your dog to push the blocks with their paws or noses.

Also because Sadie prefers to attack a puzzle with her paws, she occasionally felt resistance from the aeration slits on the puzzle. It’s important for any successful treat seeking puzzle to have some type of holes in the payout compartments so that dogs can smell what they are searching for. But Sadie’s nails sometimes hit the slits in this puzzle at a funny angle and she would get scared and pause in her play. She never actually got stuck or made any kind of whine or whimper, but it kind of jarred her out of the treat seeking zone. I would just remind her to use her nose and smell what was inside and she happily resumed trying to solve the puzzle.

In contrast, Sadie had a very easy time with the inner layer to this puzzle. In order to reach the inner four treat compartments, a dog has to first remove all four Doggy Blocks and then rotate the spinner to gain access to the final treat compartments. The beauty of this puzzle is that the difficulty of the inner layer can be changed to fit your dog’s needs. There is a tension knob located on the underside of the puzzle that makes this inner spinner easier or harder for your dog to spin. That way you can help a frustrated dog solve the puzzle faster or give your bored dog a tougher challenge. And you can change it up each time you play so that your dog won’t know what to expect.

In this video you will see that I added a surprise element to one of the Doggy Blocks treat containers – one of Sadie’s beloved squeaky balls. She was almost more excited to try and rescue her ball than to find any treats. It just shows you that this puzzle can be fun even if your dog is on a diet.

The Doggy Blocks puzzle by Outward Hound is made of a durable, food safe plastic that is BPA, PVC, and phthalate free. You can get your own Doggy Blocks puzzle at Chewy.com for $14.99.

---

This post is part of the #ChewyInfluencer blog hop hosted by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Oz the Terrier.

I received a free product in exchange for my honest opinions. All views expressed are strictly my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.

Flower

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Caturday Art #5

 

In these portraits of Sadie you get to see that twinkle in her eye she gets every time she plays with a new squeaky ball. It’s plain to see her excitement and the energy radiating off of her in these electrifying pieces of digital art.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Lily Pond Bloopers

For this month’s Pet Blogger Blooper Round Up I’m sharing some photos I took of Sadie in front of a picturesque lily pond. It definitely takes quite a few more attempts to get a great photo of Sadie when we’re out in nature, but it was especially difficult at this lily pond. Although we were a perfectly safe distance away, Sadie had to face towards the road in order for me to get my photos. For some reason, when Sadie sees cars passing by she absolutely must watch every single one until it is out of sight. I’m thankful she doesn’t try to chase the cars like some dogs enjoy, but following each one with her head makes taking a good photo rather difficult.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up.

 

Tire Ball

From the creative team that brought you Tissue Box Ball and Bowl Ball comes a new game for dogs everywhere to enjoy – Tire Ball. Tire Ball involves a rubber tire toy and a squeaky dog ball. It’s a combination of a chasing / fetching game and a problem solving game, exercising both your dog’s body and mind.

I took one of Sadie’s beloved squeaky balls and smushed it into the hollow center of the tire toy. I then rolled the tire away. Sadie immediately started to chase after the tire to try to get her ball out of it. Depending on how difficult I made it for Sadie, sometimes she could catch the tire and quickly pull her ball out with her mouth. But sometimes Sadie would catch the tire and then have to sit down, using her paws to brace the tire on the floor and try to work her squeaky ball free with her mouth. By changing the difficulty it kept the game interesting for Sadie. And by rolling the tire farther and farther away, Sadie was able to expend more energy and get more exercise at the same time. It’s definitely an easy to play game that’s fun and beneficial for my dog and will be played frequently in our household.

Check out this video of Tire Ball in action! Keep in mind that I was filming and trying to keep Sadie in the frame, so there isn’t much of the chasing part of the game in this video.

---

Tire Ball was made possible with the help of our friends at PetOverstock.com. They have generously donated the tire toy for today’s game. You can get your own tire dog toy in a variety of sizes from PetOverstock.com.

---

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

---

All opinions and ideas in this post are my own. I received a product to try out and use as I saw fit. I did not receive any monetary compensation to write this post.

Which Flowers Are Safe For Your Pets?

---

If you’re thinking about planting a garden or just planting a few flowers to make your home look nice, you need to consider which flowers are safe for your furry family members. There are many flowering plants that are toxic or cause health issues for pets (See my list of flowers toxic to pets here). It would be best to keep your pets from eating any plants in general, as you never know what your pets will react to. But sometimes dogs will be dogs and insist on eating things they are not supposed to. So it’s best to make sure that the flowers in and around your home are the safest types for your pets. That’s why I’ve complied this list of the safest flowers to have around your pets.

---

• Roses
• Violets
• Camellia
• Marigold
• Aster
• Snapdragon
• Jasmine
• Gerber Daisy (Sadie is posing with some pretty pink Gerber Daisies in these photos)
• Impatience
• Orchids
• Petunias
• Sunflower
• Zinnia

---

To learn more about toxic and non-toxic plants and to look up specific plants by name, visit the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control website.

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Happy Mother’s Day 2016!

---

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms, Grandmas, Dog Moms and Dog Grandmothers in the world!

---

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art #4

 

Sadie found some wildflowers during a nice walk in the park. Am I a bad Mom for always laughing when I watch Sadie next to flowers? She tries to sniff them, but she can’t because most flowers are taller than her. The mushrooms were not actually there, just part of the digital effect. I don’t think I’d let her get that close to real mushrooms. They make me nervous since I can’t tell which ones are poisonous. But I liked the whimsical fairy meadow feel they brought to this picture.

 

 

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

An Authentic Cinco de Mayo

 

Sadie is ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo today! And this year Sadie’s celebration will be a bit more authentic, because I brought back a few presents for Sadie from a trip I took to Mexico last year. Personally I love souvenir shopping and it’s really exciting when I can find souvenirs appropriate for my dog. But the presents I brought back from Mexico for Sadie were more meaningful than just any old souvenirs. These particular items came from Humane Society in Mexico, so every tiny sombrero and colorful dog poncho purchased benefits shelter animals throughout Mexico. It’s the best way to shop – fun presents for my dog that help a good cause!

 

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Happy Star Wars Day 2016!

 

Dressed as Yoda, Sadie is. Star Wars Day, today is. May the fourth be with you.

Sadie makes an adorable Yoda this year, but did you see her as Princess Leia last year? Even cuter!

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

A Silly Tongue Out Tuesday

 

Sadie is being a silly puppy right now with an elephant on her head. This is actually a hand towel I have decorating my bathroom. But one day Sadie decided to turn it into a hat. It was actually a really adorable hat for my silly pup, until an unfortunate incident that ended in a trunk amputation. Now it’s not as cute as a hat, but it still does its job as a hand towel.

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Black and White on May Day

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Tissue Box Tower

 

As I looked around my living room last weekend, I noticed over a dozen tissue boxes lying on the floor. Before you start thinking I might be a secret hoarder, let me remind you that all of these tissue boxes belong to Sadie, as she uses them in her favorite game, Tissue Box Ball. She usually goes from box to box, playing with them one at a time. But on this particular day I decided to see if Sadie would like to play with all of her tissue boxes – at the same time. I took one of her squeaky balls and placed it in a random tissue box. Next I began stacking the tissue boxes one on top of the other to form a tower. Then I told Sadie to find her ball. She sniffed the tower, she barked at the tower, she ran from the tower, but eventually she worked up the courage to knock over the tower. After destroying several more towers throughout the weekend, Sadie perfected her method of handling a tissue box tower.

---

Step one involves barking at the tower, hoping it will fall down on its own.

---

Step two is to make sure the ball is actually hidden in the tower. Sadie would sniff the tower for the scent of her ball, and then sniff all over the rest of the living room just to make sure her ball wasn’t secretly hiding somewhere else.

---

Step three involves more barking, while circling the tower and checking for weaknesses.

---

In step four Sadie actually hits the tower with her paw and then jumps back, knocking down the tissue boxes without getting hit by them.

---

And finally, step five involves Sadie sniffing each fallen box looking for the one containing her beloved ball.

You can see the whole game in action in Sadie’s Tissue Box Tower video:

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Tongue Out Tuesday #20

 

 

Sadie is happy to be hanging out in her window seat with her pretty dress on!

Black and White and in a Basket

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art #3

Two years ago I tried out some editing software and created a little picture I called Sadie Warhol. I decided to give it another try with a photo of Sadie and some mums. I couldn’t believe how differently the Warhol style effected both photos. In the older photo, it was like the entire picture was washed with different colors. But in this new photo it seemed to add color accents, most dramatically to the flowers. I can’t decide which one I like best, but I do know that I really like this artistic style, especially how it plays with colors. Click here to see my older photo to compare to this new one.

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

This post is also part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

Bully Bundles Brings Quality and Convenience

 

Like most dogs, Sadie greatly enjoys bully sticks. She likes to keep one on the bed at all times and will periodically gnaw on it throughout the day whenever she feels an urge to chew. If Sadie can’t find her bully stick, she will search for it relentlessly in and around the bed. If I don’t have a new bully stick to give her, Sadie will whine and pout and search the bed over and over hoping a stick will magically appear. That’s why I was excited to learn about the new service Bully Bundles. Their job really is about making bully sticks magically appear – just in your mailbox, not in the bed. Bully Bundles is a bully stick subscription service where you sign up to receive a certain number of bully sticks each month and then the sticks are delivered right to your door.

Bully Bundles allows you to tailor your subscription to the needs of your furry family. They have 6 inch bully sticks for smaller dogs like Sadie, and 12 inch sticks for larger dogs. You can get 6, 10, 15, 30, or 60 six inch bully sticks in your monthly delivery. Or for bigger dogs you can get 5, 10, 15, or 30 of the 12 inch sticks. Sadie and I received a bundle of 15 six inch sticks, which will be perfect for my little pup for about two months. And that is perfectly fine with the Bully Bundles subscriptions plan. Once you sign up for their automatic delivery plan, you can go into your account and choose to skip a month, which is great for a dog like Sadie that takes her time and chews the same stick for days.

One aspect of Bully Bundles that I really appreciate is that their bully sticks are low odor. I know a lot of brands claim they are low odor or odor free, but there is a huge reduction in smell between Bully Bundles’ bully sticks and some of the other low odor brands I have tried. Now there is still some odor present as it is impossible to make dried bull parts that have no smell, but Bully Bundles allows the fluid removal process to go on for a longer period of time, as well as oven bakes each stick, which kills bacteria and greatly reduces the odor. There was still more than enough of an enticing scent to make Sadie try to rip right through the mailing envelope (see the video below!), but for human noses the smell was minimal enough that I didn’t mind Sadie chewing next to me in bed.

The bully sticks from Bully Bundles come from free range, grass fed, antibiotic free Brazilian cattle. The bully sticks are processed in a USDA approved facility that uses no chemicals or preservatives. You can sign up for Bully Bundles on their website. Prices start at $16 dollars a month, which comes out to $2.67 per 6 inch bully stick. The more sticks you order, the lower the cost per stick. Shipping is free within the US. And just for you loyal readers of my blog, get 10% your next purchase from Bully Bundles using the code YourDesignerDog!

 Check out this video of Sadie trying to get into the package from Bully Bundles that had just arrived in the mail:

I received a sample product to try out in exchange for my honest opinion. All views expressed are my own.  

World’s Cutest Eyeglass Holder

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #19

 

Bath

Sadie may look content in this photo, but that’s because the water isn’t on yet. Bath time is not a happy time for Sadie. She hates being wet, she hates being dried off. But she also hates being dirty. Unfortunately for Sadie, bath time is one of those unavoidable parts of life that you have to just put on a brave face and get through it. At least she’s stopped trying to jump out of the tub. I think Sadie finally gets the concept that if she stays still it will be over much quicker.

 

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

Sadie and the Giant Black and White Butterfly

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s….a giant butterfly? Sadie was so proud that she captured this massive critter! I didn’t have the heart to tell her that this giant winged beast is actually a balloon on a string.


This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art #2

I used an ice digital effect to create these two pieces. I love how smooth the lines are, like flowing water. I’m really enjoying participating in the Caturday art blog hop and getting the chance to be more creative on this blog.

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pretty Flowers Can Be Pretty Dangerous For Pets

 

Spring is here and that means flowers are blooming. Whether it’s perennials blossoming or you or your neighbors are planting some new annuals, you and your pets will probably encounter some flowers at this time of year. In general it’s always best to keep your dogs from eating any type of plants, but now that it’s Spring all the new flowers may smell too interesting for your dogs to ignore. Even if you have no flowers on your own property, you may pass some flowers on a walk in the park or around the neighborhood. So today I’ve put together a list of flowers your pets need to avoid, as they may cause health issues if eaten or even sniffed. Remember to keep your pets from all parts of these plants, as sometimes it’s the stem or leaves that are harmful to pets, not necessarily the flower petals.

Flowering plants that may be harmful to pets:

• Lilies of any type
• Azaleas
• Crocuses
• Begonia
• Buttercup
• Gardenia
• Carnations
• Chrysanthemum
• Clematis
• Daffodil
• Dahlia
• Daisy
• Geranium
• Gladiola
• Hibiscus
• Hyacinth
• Hydrangea
• Iris
• Lavender
• Morning Glory
• Oleander
• Peony
• Rhododendron
• Tulips
• Wisteria

Although the flowers above present potential dangers for your pets, it is possible to have beautiful flowers and keep your pets safe if you plan correctly. As you can see from Sadie’s photos, I do have some of the flowers from the list around my home. But I plant flowers only in the front of my house, where Sadie never goes unattended, without a leash. In the backyard Sadie is free to sniff and play all she wants without worry, as there are no potentially harmful plants at all.

To learn more about possible health issues and check about the safety of specific plants, go to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control website.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday Blossoms

Tail

 

I love how this photo gives Sadie a little corkscrew, piglet tail!

 

 

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

 

Black and White and Upside Down

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Caturday Art #1

 

Sadie and I were inspired by Sadie’s recent pet portrait to try to be more artistic. So today we are joining the Caturday Art blog hop for the first time. For my first piece of Sadie art I have taken a photo with some lovely Spring flowers and attempted to digitally cartoonize the scene.

 

This post is part of the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

 

Sadie’s Smile Bloopers

 

For this month’s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up I thought I’d share some bloopers of Sadie’s smile. Sadie was like a little kid during this particular photo shoot. She was in a happy, smiling mood when I decided to begin the photo shoot. But as soon as I pointed the camera at her, Sadie refused to smile. If I put the camera down, Sadie smiled. If I picked the camera back up, Sadie stopped smiling. Then I started asking Sadie nicely to smile for the camera and instead I got funny faces. When I said “please smile”, she stuck her tongue out at me!

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up blog hop.

 

April Showers

 

April has definitely been living up to its reputation around here. We’ve had April showers every day of the month so far. Sadie and I are starting to get sick of umbrellas and wet paws. I really hope the May flowers will be worth all this rain.

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Sadie Runs Errands

This is Sadie’s opinion of a day spent running errands with me. If sticking my tongue out at the world would get the errands done faster I’d do it too, but that’s not the case. Sorry Sadie, but you’re stuck with me until we’re done.

Eggs

 

 

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

 

Woopie! It’s April!

Sadie is dressed as a woopie cushion today in honor of April Fools’ Day, the one day of the year that celebrates pranksters and practical jokers. If you think Sadie is playing a practical joke on you by claiming that she is wearing a real woopie cushion costume, you’d be mistaken. You really can buy a costume to dress your dog as a woopie cushion. Not surprisingly, I purchased this lovely outfit on clearance and decided that April Fools’ Day is the one and only day in the year that it’s appropriate for Sadie to wear.

 

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

Custom Portraits, Charity Donations, and More at Andy’s Paw Prints

 

Sadie received a gorgeous new portrait recently and it is fantastic. The style is whimsical, the colors are so vibrant, and the likeness is striking. I could gush on and on about how in love I am with this portrait. But instead I’d rather tell you about the wonderful company that created Sadie’s portrait – Andy’s Paw Prints.

Andy’s Paw Prints creates custom pet portraits based off of photos of your pet. These portraits are all created digitally, meaning they are hand drawn on a computer rather than a canvas. There are six portrait styles you can choose from for a pet portrait: true to life digital painting, rustic, rescue, pop art, charcoal digital drawing, and colored pencil digital drawing. For Sadie’s portrait I chose the pop art style. The pop art style allows the artist to be more creative with a portrait, especially in regards to color. I thought this bright, fanciful type of art was perfect to capture Sadie’s personality and would fit well with the decor of our home. But if pop art is not for you, Andy’s Paw Prints offers both more traditional and more unique portrait styles. The rustic style, which makes the portrait appear to be painted onto wooden planks, would be great for those who love country chic decor. You can also request a rustic portrait with an American flag background, perfect for veterans and those who love their country as much as their dog. Personally I was also very drawn to the rescue style portraits, which are both realistic and unique. On the rescue portraits the background around your pet is filled with all the words the make your pet special, such as their breed, personality traits, devoted, loyal, etc. The only reason I did not choose the rescue style is that the background colors are a bit too neutral to fit my personal aesthetic. Sadie was definitely a better fit for pop art, where her beloved pink colors could shine through.

If artistic talent isn’t enough to make you want a portrait from Andy’s Paw Prints, you won’t be able to resist when you hear about the charitable portion of their business. With each and every purchase you make, Andy’s Paw Prints donates 25% to help animals in need. And it’s not just a donation to some nameless charity that you don’t know anything about. You can actually choose which shelter/rescue/charity receives the donation from each purchase you make. Andy’s Paw Prints takes the time to actually partner with shelters and rescue organizations to make sure your donations are really getting to those animals who need it the most. If you have a particular shelter or organization you love to support and it’s not on the list, you can even fill out a form to start the process of getting your organization added to the donation list.

You may notice in my photos that Sadie’s portrait is not on the typical canvas or paper of a typical piece of art. That is because Andy’s Paw Prints offers you some unique options in the format of your portrait. For your initial portrait purchase, you can order a canvas print, a print on foam board, or even have the portrait printed on ceramic tile. Once your portrait order is complete, you are then given the opportunity to order additional copies of your portrait on items that can be useful as well as decorative. I chose to have Sadie’s portrait printed on a glass cutting board. I think the shine and texture of the glass makes the pop art portrait almost come to life and I smile each and every time I walk into my kitchen and see it. The cutting board itself is super high quality, larger than your average cutting board (looking at my photos you will see that the cutting board makes Sadie’s portrait life size), and has the little rubber feet to keep it safely in on your countertop. Some of you may think it’s odd that I want to chop vegetables on my dog’s face, but for me it makes kitchen chores less tedious when I have something gorgeous to look at. In addition to cutting boards, you can also purchase additional copies of your portrait on mugs, mouse pads, and coasters.

Getting your own pet portrait from Andy’s Paw Prints is easy. You just need to pick your preferred style, fill out the form, choose the charity your purchase donation goes to, and attach a few good quality photographs of your pet. After you pay a small deposit fee, an artist will immediately begin work on your pet’s portrait. Once it’s finished, you will receive an email link to see the finished masterpiece. You get to choose whether to order canvas portraits, tile portraits, printed portraits, etc. Prices range from $45 to $195 depending on the style and medium and you will be able to deduct the price of your deposit from your final purchase amount. At this point your portrait will also appear in the before and after gallery on the Andy’s Paw Prints website, where you can share your portrait with all your family and friends through email and social media. Head over to Andy’s Paw Prints where you can see all of their beautiful portraits and order one of your own.

---

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

---

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

---

I received a free product to try out in exchange for my own opinions in an honest review.

Sadie’s Updo

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Jump

 

Sadie is not a very jumpy dog. She doesn’t even like to jump on or off the couch or bed. And that is just fine with me, because I know too many dogs who hurt themselves landing wrong. But one thing does make Sadie jump, and that is catching one of her little squeaky balls.
This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Happy Easter 2016!

Sadie is hopping for joy today because it’s Easter! As you can see the Easter Bunny has already left Sadie a basket and it’s almost time for the Easter egg hunt. Sadie and I wish you all a Happy Easter and hope you find lots of eggs filled with yummy goodies too!

 

 

 

Easter Bunny Catch

 

This little Easter Bunny is practicing for her egg hunt this weekend. If she can keep an eye on her flying squeaky ball, then surely she can spot the colorful eggs filled with yummy treats. I think successfully playing a game of catch while wearing bunny ears means she’s definitely ready for Easter.

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

Tips for an Egg-cellent Doggie Easter Egg Hunt

 

I always like to find ways to include Sadie in all my holiday celebrations. For the past few years I’ve held Easter Egg hunts as a special Easter activity for Sadie. Each year Sadie has had more and more fun and the hunts have been increasingly successful. Today I’d like to share my tips for Easter Egg hunts for dogs so that you can plan a fun Easter activity for your dog too.

The first things you need for an Easter egg hunt are eggs. For Sadie I use the normal children’s plastic eggs that can be found at any store this time of year. But these kinds of eggs may not be safe for all dogs, especially bigger dogs. Sadie is very dainty when she put things in her mouth and makes sure not to bite down hard, so she can safely handle and open these plastic eggs. But if your dog is rougher with playthings and tends to chomp down hard, then you may need to consider alternative options for your ‘eggs’. I would suggest using a bunch of treat balls or similar items that are meant to hold dog treats. Instead of filling up the treat balls all the way, just put a little in each one to reward your dog for finding it and keep looking for the next.

This brings me to the next tip – filling your doggie Easter eggs. Just like with children, you will want to put a little something in each egg to reward your dog for finding it. You will want something yummy in the eggs, something your dog really likes and is willing to work for. And you will want a treat that is not too messy, as it may spill all over when your dog gets the egg or treat ball open. For Sadie I like to use small pieces of cooked chicken. Sadie can easily smell the chicken and is excited to go looking for it. Plus it’s very easy to break into small, bite-sized pieces for each egg.

My final tips are about hiding the eggs. Personally, I don’t like to have the doggie Easter egg hunt outdoors. I’m always afraid that other critters will find the eggs before Sadie does. Or when Sadie gets an egg open, her treat goes flying out and gets covered in dirt, but of course a dog won’t care and she’ll eat dirty chicken anyway. So that’s why I prefer to hide the eggs indoors. I usually shut Sadie into the bedroom with some of my family members and then I hide the eggs in the living room. You definitely want one really easy to find egg to start out the hunt. Especially if your dog isn’t used to treat seeking games, you may want to leave the first egg in the middle of the floor. That way your dog will notice it right away, figure out there is a reward inside, and when you tell him or her to look for more, they’ll have a better understanding of what to find. The rest of the eggs should be hidden in places your dog normally goes. For instance, if you don’t normally let your dog on the couch, you should not hide an egg there. In my house I usually hide eggs behind couch cushions, under Sadie’s blanket, inside her dog house, among the toys in her toy box, up on the window seat, etc. I even hid an egg in one of the tissue boxes Sadie likes to play with! As with children’s Easter egg hunts, try to keep track of where you hid the eggs and which eggs your dog has already found. You will probably need to direct your dog towards an egg once or twice.

Hopefully you can use these tips and enjoy some bonding fun with your dog this Easter weekend. I’m getting ready to have twice as many eggs for Sadie this year. Last year I hid ten eggs, and once Sadie found the last one, she kept running around the house looking for more. She was having so much fun that I didn’t want to ruin it, so I filled the eggs with chicken again and hid them a second time! Below you can enjoy a video of part of Sadie’s Easter egg hunt from last year.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

 

---

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

A DIY Easter Basket Your Dog Will Love!

 

The first step to an awesome doggy Easter basket is obviously the basket. You can use any of the thousands of generic baskets available at any store this time of year. It will certainly look pretty and festive for the season. But there are other options if you don’t want to spend money or don’t care what the basket looks like, because in all honesty your dog really doesn’t care what it looks like. What your dog cares about is how it smells. If you use an empty treat box or container for the base of your Easter basket, your dog will definitely notice it. Or if you get dog food/toys/treats shipped to your house like I do, you can use the shipping box as the Easter basket. You can even decorate the outside of the box to make it more festive looking. Regardless of what it looks like on the outside, the scent of the previous contents remains, helping your dog realize that this Easter basket is for him or her.

For step two, crumple up pieces of tissue paper or newspaper or something similar and place it in your basket or box the way you would use Easter grass. Do not use the shredded plastic Easter grass that baskets for people come with as your dog may accidentally (or purposely) eat some of the pieces. When you fill the basket with treats or toy, bury the items among the crumpled paper. Your dog will enjoy digging around in the newspaper/tissue paper, looking for whatever surprises lay hidden in the basket.

The final step for a DIY doggy Easter basket is the presents for your dog. You must tailor this step to your particular pet, as many dogs have different treats and toys they enjoy. One suggestion is not to include any treats that are perishable or messy, as it may take your dog a while to find everything and you don’t want to end up with a box full of sticky, messy crumpled paper. If you plan on putting loose treats in your basket, you should probably only include the amount your dog is allowed to eat in one sitting. Once your dog finds the first treat in the basket, he or she will probably gobble up the rest pretty quickly. In Sadie’s basket I usually include a few loose treats for her to find and enjoy right away, and also a new package or two of some other treats that she can eat over the next few weeks.

In the above photos you can see the basket I made for Sadie this year. Although I gave it to her a week early so I would have time to take photos for this blog post, I still made sure Sadie had the full Easter Bunny treatment. I hid the box/basket behind the couch and then let Sadie sniff an empty treat bag. I then told her to go find the treats. It took a little while, but eventually she found her Easter basket and started excitedly barking and pawing at it until I tipped it over and let Sadie dig around inside. This DIY doggy Easter basket was a very successful way to share the fun festivities of Easter with my four legged family.

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday Bunnies

 

 

 

Spring Is Finally Here!

 

Sadie is pleased to announce that our crocuses have bloomed and Spring has officially arrived!

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Green

 

Green is a very appropriate theme this week with St. Patrick’s Day just ending and Spring about to begin.

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

Leprechaun Twins!

 

Sadie was looking pretty good in her leprechaun costume yesterday. When I looked at some of my St. Patrick’s Day decorations and then looked at Sadie, it was like I was seeing double. I think Sadie and this leprechaun could be twins!

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2016!

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! Whether you’re Irish all year or only honorary Irish for the day, hope the luck of the Irish finds you today!

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

Luck of the Irish

This little lucky leprechaun wishes you the luck of the Irish tomorrow and all year long!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday on the Ides of March!

 

 

 

 

Toy

Sadie is hanging out with some of her squeaky toy friends. She doesn’t actually play with these kinds of toys – not like her beloved squeaky soccer balls, but she does enjoy having these toys around. They work as the occasional pillow and they fit nicely in your mouth when you want to bring a toy when greeting a friend.

 

This post is part of the Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Time to Check Your Clocks!

 

It’s Daylight Savings! Everyone needs to Spring forward and advance all your clocks one hour today.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Bowl Ball Bloopers

 

Today for the Pet Blogger Blooper‘s Round-Up I’m sharing two blooper photos from our Bowl Ball photo shoot. One of Sadie’s favorite games, which she invented herself, I like to call Bowl Ball. Basically she places her ball into a large, plastic punch bowl and then has to paw and push and head butt the bowl until it tips enough for her ball to roll back out. (You can read about the invention of Bowl Ball and see a video of Bowl Ball in action in this previous post.) Since this game involves quite a bit of movement and action on Sadie’s part, it was tough for me to get clear photos where Sadie is actually facing the camera. Naturally this resulted in many blooper photos, so I picked my favorite two to share with you today.

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up.

Sadie Sandwich

 

Who says dogs can’t help out around the house? Sadie is super helpful when I try to make the bed. Like in these photos, Sadie is doing a wonderful job making sure the pillows don’t escape before I need them again. Plus I get the added bonus of warm pillows with a side of dog hair at no extra charge. Are everyone else’s pets just as helpful as my Sadie?

---

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Eyes

 

 

 

This post is part of the 2016 Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Black and White and Bundled Up

 

Yesterday it snowed. Two days from now the temperature is supposed to reach 70°. I don’t know if I should bring mittens or sandals on my next walk with Sadie. Hopefully this is the last time Sadie will need to bundle up this season.

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Put an End to Pulling with Xtreme Pet Products’ No-Pull Harness

 

Sadie’s got a new specialty harness we’ve been working with lately – the Xtreme Pet Products No-Pull Harness. Now you may be asking why in the world I need a harness to stop pulling when Sadie is a pretty small dog. She usually seems well behaved too. But what you don’t know is that in certain circumstances, Sadie does have a tendency to pull. She’s not a big, strong dog, so it’s not a dangerous problem, but it’s still an issue I thought it was time to address. Hence our testing of the Xtreme Pet Products No-Pull Harness.

When I first received this harness, I was a little confused about how to use it. Don’t be embarrassed if you look at a harness and just see a bunch of strings with no idea where they go, because that’s how I feel at first too. But the Xtreme Pet Products website has a nice PDF file that you can save or print to show you exactly how to put your dog into the No-Pull harness (click here to view the PDF instructions). There are two loops that go around your dog and you just need to slip both over your dog’s head with the larger loop going on first.

Now Sadie’s main issue with pulling relates to avoidance. She is not comfortable with other dogs, so she tries to pull me away from them. This sometimes happens with people or strange/noisy objects as well. This behavior can sometimes be embarrassing for me, like in the sponsor room at the BlogPaws conference when Sadie got tangled under a vendor table trying to avoid probably the most well behaved dog I’ve ever seen. So I decided to take Sadie to some pet stores so we could encounter other dogs and see if this harness could really stop the pulling. There was definitely a difference in Sadie’s behavior. With any old harness, Sadie would be straining at the end of her leash and halfway into the next aisle if I went near another dog. With the Xtreme No-Pull Harness, Sadie would attempt one pull and then just stop and look at me. So far this harness test is a success.

I also took some video of Sadie and I on a walk using the Xtreme Pet Products No-Pull Harness. The video was taken towards the end of our walk, when we are about half a block from our house. At this point in the walk Sadie is normally rushing as fast as she can, trying to drag me down the street to our house. She typically looks like a little sled dog trying to mush me home. But with this harness on, Sadie acted completely different. As you can see in the video, Sadie is just walking along normally, occasionally looking back at me. Instead of pulling harder when she reached the end of the leash, Sadie just glanced over her shoulder, as if waiting for instructions or waiting for me to catch up.

The No-Pull Harness from Xtreme Pet Products comes in 21 different colors. Many of the colors contain reflective threads to help increase the visibility of your dog. Ours is pink, of course, with silvery white reflective threads. It’s made in the USA from a shock absorbent material that stretches when you apply pressure, which helps to lessen the strain placed on your dog. The No-Pull Harness is only for dogs 10 pounds and larger. You actually order the harness by picking your dog’s weight from the list, ensuring you receive the best size. You can get your own for $30-$37.

---

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

---

 

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

I received a sample product in exchange for an honest product review. All views are my own, based entirely on personal experience.

Shutterbug!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sweet! It’s National Cupcake Day!

 

Today is National Cupcake Day in Canada. Even though Sadie and I are in the United States, we thought Canada’s National Cupcake Day was important enough to celebrate regardless of borders. First, who doesn’t love a good cupcake (or pupcake for our four-legged friends)? And second, National Cupcake Day was created as a fundraiser for the SPCAs and Humane Societies throughout Canada. All over the country, groups and individuals are hosting cupcake sales to benefit their local animal shelters. No matter which country you’re from, it’s always a great idea to help support those wonderful organizations and help animals in need. So grab a cupcake today and make your own donation to support your local shelter.

 

And the Oscar Goes To….

 

And the Oscar goes to…..Sadie for being the cutest Yorkipoo ever!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Window

 

Sadie and I ran into some pretty fancy windows on a recent walk. Apparently they are turning this building in the middle of a park into a banquet hall. I think it’ll be a great place for parties, but Sadie didn’t think it was anything special. How great can a place be if they won’t let Sadie go inside?

 

This post is part of the 2016 Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

 

Red Carpet Ready

 

Sadie is trying on her outfit for the Oscar’s this weekend. I think she’s ready for the red carpet!

 

---

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

 

Lethargic vs Lazy

 

In general Sadie is a pretty lazy dog. I would say she spends about 85% of the day sleeping or just lounging around. So I often worried that I wouldn’t be able to tell if Sadie was sick, because one of the first signs of illness in dogs is lethargy. I assumed that lethargic would probably look the same as her normal state of lazy. But I was wrong. When Sadie recently had an allergic reaction and was feeling sick for two days, there was a definite difference between her normally lazy self and the lethargy of a sick dog. So today I thought I’d share some of the subtle differences so that you can tell if your dog is sick or just being lazy.

     One big sign of feeling ill is loss of appetite. No matter how lazy Sadie is feeling, she will always investigate what I’m eating, just in case she may want a bite. But when she was feeling lethargic and sick, she did not even bother to give a sniff towards any food, let alone ask me to share. A lethargic dog will probably not beg for treats or run to the kitchen when you’re cooking.

     Another sign that Sadie was feeling poorly was her lack of reaction. Normally if someone walks into the room, even when she’s sleeping, she will either pick her head up to see who it is or just wag her tail in acknowledgement that someone is nearby. When Sadie was sick she kept right on sleeping and ignored what everyone else was doing. She didn’t bark when the mailman came. She didn’t run to the door when her Grandparent’s came over. She totally ignored the sound of a car door in front of the house.

     Sadie also exhibited lethargy in the slowness of her actions. When it’s time to go out, Sadie normally runs down the stairs and bolts towards the door. When we come back in, Sadie usually has a burst of energy where she chases me around the living room and wants to play. But when Sadie was not feeling well, she walked around very slowly. She refused to go up and down the stairs and had to be carried. I had to wait by the door for her to catch up with me. And there was definitely no chasing me around, no interest in playing.

     If you are worried your dog isn’t feeling well, look at your dog’s behavior to see if he or she is a acting normally. Does he or she have any of the signs I mentioned above? You can also test your dog to see if he or she is reacting normally, by ringing the doorbell or rustling the food packaging for example. Keep in mind that I’m not a medical professional and I’m simply sharing the signs of illness I personally witnessed in my own dog. If you are at all concerned that your dog may be lethargic or ill, make sure to give your veterinarian a call.

---

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

---

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

A Snow Filled Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Strangely Comfortable

 

Sadie is remarkably skilled at making the weirdest places seem comfortable. This is where I found Sadie the other day after returning from the laundry room. She’s managed to find a way to make pouting under the futon more comfortable for herself. And she made sure she has good sight lines from there to all the major exits of the house. It’s the perfect place to pout when your Mommy abandons you to do stupid laundry in the basement.

Black and White with a Bow in the Snow

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Keep Your Dog Warm in a Gold Paw Series Stretch Fleece

Sadie has a new cozy addition to her wardrobe – a Gold Paw Series Stretch Fleece. With Winter still bringing the snow around, this Stretch Fleece is perfect to keep Sadie nice and warm.

As soon as I received this sweater, it was obvious this is a high quality fleece. This is not your average discount, big box store dog sweater. This is like doggie couture. In fact, when Sadie was showing off her new Gold Paw Series Fleece to her Grampy, he asked if they made them for humans too. He said the material was so warm and soft he would love to wear one himself, in a more masculine color of course. The material is the perfect kind for spending time outdoors in the cold – it’s light weight so your dog can move freely and easily, but it keeps in body heat so your dog can stay toasty warm.

Somehow a dog seems to be a magnet for dirt, dust, mud, and other unidentifiable substances. If your dog happens to be wearing a sweater, than that sweater bears the brunt of the mess. But it’s not a problem with this Stretch Fleece, as it is machine washable. That is a big plus in my household, where some of Sadie’s other sweaters and jackets actually claim to be dry clean only. I love that Sadie can wear this sweater wherever and whenever she needs to, in rain or snow or mud, and I can just throw it in the wash when she’s done. And better still, Gold Paw Series backs their Stretch Fleeces with a guarantee – just contact this family owned company and they will make repairs for free.

The Gold Paw Series Stretch Fleeces are pullovers, just like people sweaters. If you have a particularly wiggly dog it may pose a challenge to get the sweater over his or her head, but the material is nice and stretchy so you should be able to get the fleece on your dog without too much trouble. The good thing about it being an over the head sweater is that it will stay on your dog. Sadie has a lot of Velcro dresses and jackets and the Velcro is always coming loose or getting stuck on something. But this Stretch Fleece stays perfectly on Sadie without bothering her or restricting any of her movement. Unfortunately there is no harness attachment or hole for a leash with these fleeces, so we won’t be using this sweater to go on walks, but it’s great for running around in the backyard or hanging out indoors when it’s a little chilly.

One aspect I like about the dog clothing from this company is the size range. It’s not just small, medium, or large, where nothing ever fits quite right. Instead, Gold Paw Series uses a number system like human clothing. The dog sizes run from 2 to 30, which according to the helpful examples fits everyone from a Chihuahua puppy up to a Great Dane. Using the sizing chart to compare Sade’s weight and measurement, we ended up with a size 14. I always buy a size larger than necessary for Sadie because I like her to be fully covered and not have to squeeze into the outfit, so if the Fleece looks a little long in Sadie’s photos, that’s a good thing. I was extremely pleased that the Stretch Fleece fit exactly the way I wanted a sweater to fit.

Gold Paw Series products are proudly sewn in the USA. You can get your own stretch fleece in one of sixteen different colors for $20-$36, depending on the size. Sadie’s fleece is the Mulberry Plaid in case you were wondering. Visit the Gold Paw Series website to see all the adorable options for your dog.

---

 This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

---

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

I received a free sample of this product to evaluate on my own. All opinions are my own, based entirely on my personal experience with this product.

Sadie and the Snow Penguin

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #18

 

Sadie is hanging out with her indoor snowman today because it is too cold and snowy to go outside!

 

 

 

 

Honoring President’s Day

 

 

Sadie is modeling some patriotic neckwear to get in the spirit of President’s Day today!

 

 

Happy Valentine’s Day 2016!

Sadie is sending doggy kisses your way today because it’s Valentine’s Day!

 

 

 

Winter Bloopers

For this month’s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up I’m sharing some winter related bloopers. It’s tough getting good photos in the snow. Sadie acts more distracted than usual when there is white stuff on the ground and I can’t exactly put the camera down to get Sadie into the right position. And don’t get me started on the cold and damp. I usually end up with more bloopers than good photos. But every time it snows I still want to go back out there to capture Sadie frolicking and having a good time.

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Pet Blogger Blooper Round-Up.

 

 

Favorite

 

This week’s theme for the Pet Photo Challenge is favorite. Anyone who has read this blog before knows there is one obvious choice for the word favorite – Sadie’s little squeaky soccer balls. As you can see, I frequently give in to the cute little puppy face and give Sadie a new favorite ball.

This post is part of 2016 Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

This post is also part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Twinkle Lights

 

 

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

Who’s a Cutie Pie?

 

This little Cutie Pie is getting ready for Valentine’s Day!

---

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

It’s the Year of the Monkey!

 

Yesterday was Chinese New Year! All over the world fireworks and dancing dragons helped celebrate the start of the Year of the Monkey. Let’s hope the Year of the Fire Monkey brings you all good health and good fortune!

It’s My 2nd Blogiversary!

 

Yesterday in my house we had another reason to party besides the Super Bowl. Yesterday marked the 2nd anniversary of my very first blog post! I can’t believe I’ve been sharing Sadie’s photos and adventures for two years now! Sadie and I have done a lot of learning and growing these past two years and this blog keeps getting bigger and better. During my first year of blogging I was totally focused on learning the mechanics behind having a blog, designing the look and feel of the blog, setting up social media accounts, and all the little details I didn’t know before becoming a blogger. By the time this second year of my blog began I was a lot more comfortable with the how to of blogging and got to focus more on content. I was able to partner with some great companies and review some awesome products. I got paid for a blog post for the first time. I went to my first blogging conference, BlogPaws, and was able to meet and learn from a lot of other amazing bloggers. And most importantly, this blog has given me a reason to seek out adventures for Sadie and I to have together. So on my second Blogiversary I want to say thank you to all of you readers out there who support and encourage all the good times and hard work that goes into every photo I take and blog post I write.

The statistics of the YourDesignerDog Blog, year two:

539 blog posts published

3,050 comments from all our loving fans

62,230 fake comments from those sneaky spam bots

1,685 adorable photos shared

6,344 friends / followers / subscribers across social media

 

Thanks again for being here with Sadie and I as we celebrate our year two milestone!

 

 

 

 

Football’s Big 50!

 

It’s time for the Big Game! But this year it’s not just any Big Game, it’s the 50th Anniversary of the Super Bowl! (It’s also the 12th Puppy Bowl, which is pretty impressive too!)

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Nose

 

 

 

This post is part of the 2016 Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

 

Football Bloopers

Sadie is getting ready for the Super Bowl this weekend by trying on a football player uniform. Last year Sadie was content to be on the sidelines as a Puppy Bowl Cheerleader, but this year she wanted the right outfit to get in on the action. Somehow this photo shoot to show off her new uniform did not go quite as planned. Sadie kept making the funniest faces and then before we got any “nice” pictures, the camera battery died. Maybe we can just tell everyone that Sadie was purposely making weird faces to try to intimidate her opponents.

 

 

 

 

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

What Did the Groundhog Say Yesterday?

 

Sadie was excited to find out what the groundhog predicted this year. I told her not to get her hopes up for an early Spring, especially since we had such a late start to Winter this year. But Sadie was rooting for Spring and she was right! Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, so Spring is on the way!

---

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #17

 

 

 

Grey / Gray

 

Today I’m joining Six Legs Are Better Than Two in their weekly Pet Photo Challenge. The theme for this week is grey. I’m never sure which is the correct spelling – grey or gray. I think gray is American English and grey is British English. Personally I’ve always preferred grey, but maybe that’s because I love Grey’s Anatomy. Whichever way you spell it, gray is the color of Sadie’s new teddy bear hoodie. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a real bear this particular shade of grey, but it sure makes an adorable dog hoodie.

 

This post is part of the 2016 Pet Photo Challenge hosted by Six Legs Are Better Than Two.

 

Sepia Saturday – the Snowsuit

 

Sadie loves playing and sniffing around out in the snow. She does not, however, enjoy wearing her snowsuit. I remember hating when my Mom made me wear a snowsuit when I was a kid. But I understand wanting to make sure your child is safe and warm. During the first snowfall of the season I usually put Sadie in her snowsuit and bring her outside. I want her to enjoy the snow, but I also want to protect her from the clumps of snow that get stuck to her fur if her belly isn’t fully covered. Sadie sniffs around for a little while, but then sits down and starts giving me the sad puppy eyes. Inevitably I give in and take off her snowsuit, allowing her to run around and have fun without any hindrances. I love watching her have fun playing in the snow, but I do not enjoy the hour afterward I spend trying to get the cold, wet clumps out of her hair.

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

 

Where Do I Sleep? – #DogMomProblems

 

This is how pet parents end up sleeping on the couch. You leave the bed for five minutes and you come back to find your furbaby has gotten all cozy in your spot. How can I make this little ball of cuteness move?

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

The Waiting Game – Car Seat Edition

 

Sadie is used to our typical routine of running errands every week. She sits in her car seat while my family members and I take turns going into the bank or the post office or the pharmacy, etc. Usually the person leaving the car is gone five or ten minutes and Sadie just sits patiently looking out the window during that time, watching for her missing person. But if someone is gone longer than expected, Sadie starts to get antsy. She stands up, looks out every window, whines, barks, and basically tries to find the missing family member without being able to leave the car. One day while impatiently waiting for Sadie’s Grammy to return to the car, I thought I would document Sadie’s range of emotions as she waits in her car seat.

---

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

---

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Big Feet!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #16

 

Let It Snow

 

We’re coming to the end of January now and here in this part of NJ we have hardly seen any snow. But apparently that will change this weekend with the arrival of a big blizzard. I’m honestly looking forward to some good snow fall. Yes, it will be annoying once the cars need to be cleared off and the sidewalks shoveled. But since it’s the weekend, all the manual labor can be scheduled for Sunday, leaving Saturday free to enjoy all the wonderful parts of a snowstorm. Sadie and I can run around and play in the snow. We can build a snowperson or snowdog or snowpenguin. We will definitely play some snowball catch. And when we’re cold and tired we can curl up under a blanket by the window and watch the peaceful flakes fall.

 

 

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Sadie’s Treadmill Alternative

 

One tool frequently recommended by dog training professionals is the treadmill. Especially useful during the Winter months, you can use a treadmill to make sure your dog gets enough exercise and burns off excess energy, all from the comfort of your own home. The treadmill is also extremely helpful for dog owners with mobility issues, who can’t physically handle the kind of walks and exercise some dog breeds require. But not everyone has the space or money for a treadmill. Sadie has not had a chance to try a treadmill yet, but she’s created her own daily exercise that makes me think of a treadmill every time she does it.

In these photos and videos, Sadie is playing with one of her little squeaky balls. She likes me to hide the balls so she can try and find them. One place I typically hide her ball is under a pillow. Sadie knows the ball is under the pillow and all she has to do is move the pillow to get it, but Sadie likes to do her treadmill exercise first. Every single time I hide a ball under a pillow, Sadie tries to frantically dig through the pillow to get to the ball. She gets some great exercise, working her little front paws for a few minutes, and when she feels like she’s done that enough, she just pushes the pillow aside and takes her ball. After a few good minutes of squeaking, Sadie will put the ball next to the pillow and stare at me expectantly, ready to start her “treadmill” exercise again.

 

---

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

---

 

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

A Black and White Sunday Snack

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

S is for Sadie

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #15

 

 

 

It’s Time for the 2016 Pet Blogger Challenge!

Today I’m joining the 2016 Pet Blogger Challenge. This annual event, hosted by GoPetFriendly.com, encourages pet bloggers to take a look back at the previous year on their blogs to help gain insight for the new year. The Pet Blogger Challenge consists of 10 questions designed to make bloggers think about their blogs from a new perspective and share insight to help fellow pet bloggers. This will be my first year participating in the challenge and I’m looking forward to what it helps me learn. So without further ado, here are this year’s questions and my answers:

---

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone who is visiting for the first time, please give a quick description of the subject of your blog.

I will be celebrating my 2nd Blogiversary next month, which means I have been involved in the wonderful world of pet blogging for two years now. My blog focuses on the life and adventures of my little Yorkipoo Sadie. I love to share photos of her adventures, discuss ideas about pet parenting, and review new products.

---

2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?

One of my most proud moments of 2015 was as a proud Dog Mom. My little Sadie is not very comfortable around other dogs and usually tries to avoid all contact with other canines. But at the BlogPaws conference it was pretty much impossible to avoid all other dogs all the time. We participated in one particular event, Pawject Runway, where I had to make a quick little costume for Sadie and parade her on stage in her homemade attire. Although we did not even come close to winning, my proudest moment was at the end of the competition when all the pets and their parents got onstage for group photos. Sadie sat on that stage right next to other dogs and allowed them to sniff her. She did not run or try to jump off the stage – she just sat calmly through the photos and then wagged her tail excitedly when I said we could leave.

---

3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)

It’s a tough choice to think of my favorite post from 2015. I’m proud to say there are a number of posts I’m extremely satisfied with, especially many of my product reviews, but since I have to choose just one, it will have to be the Ownership Contract. In honor of Sadie’s third Gotcha Day, I decided to have a little fun and write up a list of demands that Sadie would have made before letting me take her home. It was a fun blog post to write and I really need to let myself loosen up and write a few more silly posts in the new year.

---

4. A common theme from last year’s challenge was that many of us wanted to increase the size of our audiences. Whether or not we intend to monetize our blogs, it seems we’d all like to reach more people. It feels good to know that we’re connecting with others, sharing a laugh or supporting a cause, and it’s motivating to see those numbers grow! What is one thing you’ve done in the past year that has brought more traffic to your blog?

In 2015 I participated in a number of group prize giveaways with other bloggers. These giveaways were very successful in getting new readers and followers to my blog and social media pages.

---

5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? (Please include a link.)

My post in 2015 with highest traffic was actually a review I did of a pet identification tag. Generally ID tags aren’t the most exciting topic, but I believe I got the boost in traffic on this particular review because of my intriguing post title – Does Your Dog Have a Driver’s License Yet?

---

6. What is one blog that you read religiously – other than your own – and what makes you such a devoted reader? (Please include a link.)

I’m a little ashamed to admit that there isn’t any particular blog I read religiously. I always enjoy what other pet bloggers have to share, but I can’t always find the time to be a consistent reader. In fact, in 2015 I actually cut back on my online time in order to focus on having more adventures with Sadie. Usually when I find the time to read other blogs, I just click on the photos that seem interesting from whichever blog hop I’m joining and then read a bunch of their blog posts to catch up on what I’ve missed.

---

7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog?

My biggest resource in 2015 was the BlogPaws conference. I took so many notes at the conference last May that I’m still referring to them and trying to implement some of the strategies I learned.

---

8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask questions and interact with brands and bloggers and readers. I’m a very shy person and sometimes it’s hard for me to think of what to say, but in 2015 I built up my confidence quite a bit by initiating conversations with companies and getting positive feedback.

---

9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals?

I base a lot of my blog posts on the photos I take of Sadie. If she’s doing a specific activity or using a specific product or going on a specific adventure, I make sure to take lots of photos so I can blog about it. But I have other blog post ideas in my mind that I never get around to writing because there are no specific photos that go with them. In 2016 I’d like to write more blog posts for the fun of writing or my interest in the topic and not worry so much about having the perfect photo.

---

10. You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there one blogging challenge you’d like help with, or one aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

It’s frustrating that Instagram doesn’t allow clickable links with the photos. How can you convince Instagram followers to actually venture over to your blog post when there is no convenient link that will take them straight there?

---

A Lazy Black and White Sunday

 

---

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Sweater Bloopers

 

 

Today is the first day of a new monthly blog hop called the Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up. This should be a really fun event, taking place on the second Friday of each month, where bloggers can share all those silly photos that make you laugh out loud but aren’t usually considered blog worthy. I’m excited to share some of Sadie’s blooper photos and can’t wait for the smiles I know will come from looking at all the other bloggers’ bloopers. Shout out to Christina at The Lazy Pit Bull for creating this awesome way for bloggers to spread some laughter! Today I’m sharing two bloopers and one good photo from my attempts at taking some pictures of Sadie in her little pink sweater. While I’m positive that Sadie hates being cold and wants to be toasty warm whenever possible, Sadie was absolutely positive that this particular sweater was not the answer to keeping warm that day.

---

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up.

---

This post is also part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

Nested

 

Sadie appears to have turned one of my sweaters into a little nest. Doesn’t she look proud of herself? I can’t say I blame her – it’s a super cozy sweater and it was super cold outside today.

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

New Year, New Look

 

 

Sadie is trying out a new hair color for the new year. I told her that red might be a little drastic and might not go well with her tail, but Sadie wanted to try something bright and bold. She really enjoyed her new look for a few hours, but got annoyed when her flowing red locks kept getting into her food. Sadie is glad she didn’t make any permanent changes and can just put her red wig back on when she’s in the mood for a change again.

Happy New Year 2016!

Welcome to 2016! Hope everyone has a healthy and happy New Year filled with fun and good times!

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

Rainy Days

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #14

 

 

 

My Plaid Reindeer

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Welcome to Winter!

 

 

 

Today is the Winter Solstice and the shortest day of the year, which means it is officially Winter. While I broke out Sadie’s Winter hat and scarf for this photo shoot, we actually don’t need Winter gear yet in NJ. It is strangely warm on this first day of Winter and temperatures are supposed to reach almost 70° on Christmas Eve! If it’s not going to be a White Christmas, then I guess a warm Christmas is the next best thing.

 

 

 

Keep An Eye On Your Pets with the Petzi Treat Cam!

Recently I was given the opportunity to try out a cool new gadget – the Petzi Treat Cam. It’s like a baby monitor for your furbabies, but with way more features. You can watch a live video feed of your pets from any mobile device and can send your pets a little reward right from your phone! There are lots of cameras out there that can monitor your pet at home, but I love that with the Petzi Treat Cam I can send my little pup a treat while I’m having dinner at a restaurant, or I can give her a little snack as she waits for me to finish up at the grocery store.

The Petzi Treat Cam works in conjunction with the Petzi app on your mobile device. The app is free to download for both Apple and Android devices. You use the app to sync your treat cam to your home’s wifi network. Once your treat cam is synced with both wifi and your mobile device, you can begin viewing the live feed from the camera. The video feed is high quality and very reliable, unlike another pet monitor I owned in the past that always failed to connect. While you watch the treat cam’s video feed, you will also notice a few buttons on the screen. You can press the camera button to take a snapshot of the current image from the treat cam’s video feed. You can press the microphone button to speak directly to your pet through the treat cam’s speakers. And you can also press the Treat Cam’s namesake button – the button to deliver the treats. The Petzi Treat Cam even comes with a few sample packs of dog and cat treats so that you can test out that treat button right away and learn the size of treat that fits best.

But the Petzi app is much more than just a remote control for your treat cam. The Petzi app is also a social network for pet lovers. You can view and like photos from other treat cam users. You can make friends and comment about each other’s photos. You can see the most popular photos, or find only dog or only cat photos.

The Petzi Treat Cam is the perfect way to teach your dog to handle separation anxiety. You can leave your dog alone indoors, while you watch how your dog reacts to your absence from your phone or tablet outside. You can send your dog a treat if he or she is good after five minutes, ten minutes, etc. or you can run back inside if your dog is too upset. You can try to calm your pet through the built in speaker to see if just hearing your voice will make your dog feel happier. And you can monitor how long it takes for your dog to calm down or get upset and plan your outings accordingly.

Recently I went on vacation for two weeks. I knew that Sadie was happy and safe with her doggie sitter, but I still missed seeing her little face. With the Petzi Treat Cam I was able to see what she was up to in real time. As long as you have wifi access, you can sign onto the app and watch your pets from anywhere in the world! It’s also useful if you want to make sure your furbaby is getting the proper care and attention, like when you’re trying out a new dog sitter or dog walker.

Below I’ve included some of the photos I’ve taken of Sadie while watching her on my Petzi Treat Cam. In the first photo, Sadie is a bit alarmed by this new gadget that just made some strange noises in her home. But then she realized those noises were actually treats being released by the strange gadget. So Sadie and her Petzi soon became close friends. She began to sit and stare at the camera, watching for more treats. The last photo was taken in complete darkness using the Treat Cam’s night vision setting.

Learn more about the Petzi Treat Cam on the Petzi website, where you can also buy your own for $169.99.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

I received a free product to test and give an honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation and all views and ideas are my own.

It’s Almost Star Wars Time!

 

 

 

Sadie is wearing her pretty pink Princess Leia dress today in honor of the new Star Wars movie that opens tomorrow. Although I don’t go to the movie theater often, this is one movie I definitely want to see on the big screen. But I’ll probably wait a few weeks until I don’t have to worry about it being sold out anymore. Do any of you plan to brave the crowds and go opening night/weekend?

---

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

The HUGE Holiday Giveaway!

 

Introducing the HUGE Holiday Giveaway! Nine awesome bloggers and myself have joined together to give you the chance to win $250 PayPal cash! With the holidays fast approaching, I’m sure a little extra spending money would be a nice treat, so enter your information below for your first chances to win. Then, visit these nine awesome blogs for more opportunities to win:

Barking from the Bayou
Cascadian Nomads
Dolly the Doxie
Heartprints Pets
It’s Dog or Nothing
My GBGV Life
My Rotten Dogs
Tenacious Little Terrier
Wag ‘N Woof Pets

Remember, the more you enter, the greater your chances to win. So be sure to take advantage of all the entry options in the widget below, as well as the options on the other nine blogs. You have until 11:59PM on Monday December 21st to enter. One grand prize winner will be chosen for the combined entrants on all ten blogs. Good Luck and Happy Holidays!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to those 18 and over with an e-mail or mobile number that PayPal recognizes as able to accept the $250 prize in US funds. Participating bloggers are not responsible for PayPal issues with or delays in prize fulfillment. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depends on number of entries received. Giveaway will run from Monday, December 14, 2015 through Monday, December 21, 2015 at 11:59pm PT. One (1) winner will be randomly selected by Random.org and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Participants must read and agree to and Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion.  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, Vine and PayPal do not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Participating bloggers paid an entry fee to cover the cost of the prize.

 

Random Sadie Photos #22

 

Random Sadie Photos #21

 

 

 

 

Neighbor – #52Snapshots

 

 

The theme for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge is neighbor. In these photos Sadie is keeping watch over our neighbors from her favorite vantage point – my bay window. I took these photos from the outside looking in, showing the way my neighbors love to see and wave to Sadie every day.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #20

 

Random Sadie Photos #19

Random Sadie Photos #18

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #17

 

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #16

 

Random Sadie Photos #15

 

 

Bokeh – #52Snapshots

 

 

The theme for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge is bokeh. At first I thought this word had something to do with polka dots or Bohemian style, but I decided to check the dictionary just to be sure. Turns out bokeh in photography is about creating a blurred background effect. Some bokeh photography looks absolutely amazing, but I haven’t quite perfected the skill yet. I did take the bokeh-looking background photo of my Christmas tree last year, but I had to Photoshop Sadie into it. Bokeh is definitely a style I plan on getting more practice with.

 

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #14

Random Sadie Photos #13

 

Random Sadie Photos #12

 

Another Sadie Staycation

 

 

Sadie is starting another relaxing staycation today! Unfortunately, cruise lines still refuse to realize that Sadie would be the cutest passenger ever, so she can’t come on a cruise with me. This time my family and I will be gone for a 12 day Caribbean cruise which happens to coincide with my 31st birthday. I don’t like that I’ll be missing my favorite family member during my birthday celebration, but who could say no to a birthday cruise? So Sadie will be in charge of the house while I’m gone, helping out our family friend who will be house sitting. On the blog I’ve got some random cuteness scheduled to post, so don’t worry, you’ll still get your Sadie fix while I’m away!

---

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by My Brown Newfies.

Thankful – #52Snapshots

 

The theme for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge is thankful. Sadie and I are very thankful that we had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with all of our loved ones. We are also very thankful that we get to share our photos and adventures with all of you!

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Happy Turkey Day!

 

 

 

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! Now it’s time for leftover turkey sandwiches and turkey casserole and anything else that I can think of to do with leftover turkey. It’s going to get yummy and creative in my kitchen this weekend!

---

This post is part of the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Gobble Gobble!

---

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sadie’s DIY Leaf Necklace

 

 

Sadie and I were hanging out on the deck this weekend, enjoying the brisk Fall air and the colorful leaves. Quite a few of the beautiful leaves found their way onto our deck and I thought it would be a shame just to throw away something so pretty. That’s when I decided to make Sadie a Fall leaf necklace. I collected some of the prettiest leaves that had long stems. Then I tied the stems onto Sadie’s collar. Sadie seemed to enjoy looking pretty in her fancy necklace. But eventually my knots came undone in the wind and pieces of Sadie’s necklace scattered in all directions. It was a beautifully festive fashion accessory while it lasted.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by My Brown Newfies.

Polka Dots and Pumpkins

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #13

 

#KickStartYourKibble with Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers

 

 

As many of you know, Sadie is a very picky eater. She eats a prescription kibble for weight control and joint support as suggested by our vet, but she won’t eat just plain kibble. Typically I mix her kibble with some canned food, but I know that canned food can cause problems with her teeth. So I’m always searching for new, healthy options to mix with her dry kibble to make it more palatable. That’s where Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers come in to solve all of these issues. According to a study at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, 9 out of 10 dogs prefer kibble with Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers to just plain kibble. That seemed to me like a pretty good reason to give Meal Mixers a try.

First off, Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers are made with raw, freeze dried ingredients sourced from the USA. I’m personally a little grossed out when I hear about raw feeding, but these Meal Mixers are not like the slimy raw meat pieces I envisioned. Since Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers are freeze dried, the pieces are sanitary and easy to handle. Each package even comes with its own scoop for easy portion control. All you need to do is mix a scoop or two (depending on your dog’s weight) of Meal Mixers with a portion of your dog’s kibble and your dog has nutritious meal that takes you only seconds to prepare.

The freeze drying process also seals in the flavor, keeping the food tastier for a longer period of time for your pet. By using freeze dried, raw food like Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers, your dog can receive the raw nutrition they instinctually crave in an easy to handle way for dog owners.

Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers come in four varieties and three sizes – Stella’s Super Beef, Chewy’s Chicken, Tantalizing Turkey, and Savory Salmon in 3.5oz, 9oz, and 18oz resealable bags. We were given the chicken to try, which is great because Sadie loves chicken. But Meal Mixers contain more than just nutrient-rich meat. There are also organic fruits and vegetables and healthy probiotics and antioxidants mixed in with the freeze dried meat. You won’t find any grain, gluten, fillers, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones or other artificial additives in Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers.

Meal Mixers also work great as a reward. In my house, if I try to give Sadie some pieces of her kibble as a reward, she looks at me like I’m giving her brussel sprouts for dessert. Sadie considers her dry kibble as health food, something she must eat every day if she hopes to also get a treat or two. But Sadie gets excited to see the bag of Stella and Chewy’s Meal Mixers. She will happily perform tricks in exchange for a piece or two of the Meal Mixers. It’s a perfect, healthy, nutritious reward!

At Stella & Chewy’s, they go above and beyond to ensure the quality of their products. The Wisconsin-based company utilizes a test and hold process with their food. A sample from each batch of food is sent to an independent lab to ensure the quality and safety of the food before it leaves the production facility. You can even go online and read the test results from your dog’s specific bag of food!

 The company was founded in 2003 by Marie Moody, who wanted to share the success of her raw diet with other pet owners. The company is named after the founder’s own dogs, Stella and Chewy, whose health issues were greatly improved by a raw diet.

Learn more about Stella & Chewy’s and Meal Mixers at stellaandchewys.com. You can also interact with Stella & Chewy’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

---

This post is sponsored by Stella and Chewy’s but opinions are my own. Stella and Chewy’s is not responsible for the content of this article. 

---

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

---

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

A Veteran’s Day Wordless Wednesday

 

On Veteran’s Day we honor the real life superheroes – veterans!

---

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Socks Weather

 

 

 

It’s officially that time of year here in NJ when the sandals must be put away and the socks come out to stay. Sadie is pretty happy about this change in the weather, as you can see by the big grin on her face. She doesn’t actually enjoy wearing socks herself, although she humors me by keeping them on for a while. Sadie is actually smiling about the perfectly comfortable Fall temperatures. Since she’s always wearing a fur coat, it’s way too hot in Summer. But Sadie is a little sensitive to the cold and doesn’t like Winter temperatures too much either. So Fall is the best time of year for Sadie. While I’m mourning the loss of my sandals and grumbling about putting on socks all the time, Sadie is loving nature.

---

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by My Brown Newfies.

Orange Is the New Pink

 

As you all know, pink is Sadie’s favorite color. Yes, it’s my favorite color as well, but if you remember my post A Preference For Pink, Sadie clearly demonstrated that she likes pink herself. Anyway, like most people, Sadie has days where she just feels like trying something different. So on this particular day, Sadie decided that orange was the color of the day. Since it’s a great color for this time of year, I decided to indulge Sadie’s orange whim. She wore an orange dress, an orange collar, played with an orange ball, ate orange treats, and only posed for photos in front of orange backgrounds. This may sound silly, a dog choosing a specific color for the day, but you can see what I mean in the following photos. Sadie and I thoroughly enjoyed our orange day and I’m thinking we may try another color day sometime soon.

---

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

   

---

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.  

Little Miss Pumpkin

---

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #12

 

Honoring the Day of the Dead

Today is the Day of the Dead, the traditional Mexican holiday where you honor the spirits of those you have lost. Sadie and I love the cool skull decorations associated with this holiday, but what we love even more is the spirit of the holiday – honoring the memory of friends and family. It’s the perfect day to make time to visit the cemetery and remember your loved ones. Or sit at home and look at old photos or tell family stories at the dinner table. Make sure that those you love, whether they’re still around or have moved on, know that you still care and are thinking about them.

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by My Brown Newfies.

Happy Halloween 2015!

 

Happy Halloween! Hope it’s lots of treats, not tricks for everyone today!

Scary – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is scary in honor of tomorrow being Halloween. Sadie and I decided to take a walk in a scary new place for this photo shoot. Every year one house in my town goes all out for Halloween. Every inch of the house and property is decorated and people come from miles around to enjoy the scary spectacle. On Halloween they even hire scare actors to jump out at people and chase you around. Even if you don’t like to participate, it’s fun just to drive by and see all the people gathered in their costumes having a good time. Unfortunately, my city usually has some scary plans for that house. A few years ago the owners of the house had to take down all their decorations before Halloween because the city thought it was drawing too much of a crowd. After all the residents complained, the city allowed the house to be decorated the next year, but only if the homeowners paid for off duty police officers to provide crowd and traffic control. This year the city has added another scary rule – no one can park on any of the streets near this house until Halloween is over. Seems to me my town is trying to get the neighbors so annoyed they won’t allow the decorations anymore. But I don’t think the city’s plan is working. Every year more and more houses on that street decorate for Halloween, with more elaborate decorations. I think that seeing the joy those decorations bring to the neighborhood inspires everyone to embrace the spirit of Halloween.

 

Eeep! What was that?!?

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Trick or Treat Buddy

 

 

One of the most important safety rules to follow on Halloween is the buddy system. Always pair up with at least one person and stick with that person at all times, especially when trick or treating. This ensures that no one gets lost or left behind. This helpful system can also be used to make sure your pets have a safe and Happy Halloween. In these photos Sadie is posing with her Halloween buddy. Although Sadie and her buddy will not go out trick or treating together, they will both hang out with me on the front porch to give out the candy.

Halloween can be a scary time for children and pets alike. There are so many strange sights and sounds and smells. There are costumes and candy everywhere and doorbells ringing constantly. All of these factors add up to a stressful holiday for cats and dogs. Your pets may try to hide, run out the front door, bark obsessively, steal candy, etc. This is when the buddy system comes in handy. Assign a friend, family member, or even yourself the job of being the animal buddy. That person must know where the pets are at all times, making sure all animals are safe and accounted for. For example, when the doorbell rings, the animal buddy can grab the dog or cat to make sure no one escapes through the open door or takes some dropped candy. If you don’t want to miss out on all of the Halloween fun, you can take turns being animal buddy throughout the festivities.

A trick or treat buddy is absolutely necessary if you will be taking your dog out with you on Halloween. Someone must hold the dog’s leash at all times to keep your pet safe. You never know when a costume or decoration will scare your dog or maybe some excited children will run by and your dog will want to chase them. There may be candy on the ground that you may not notice in the dark, but your dog probably will. If your dog has a buddy, that person will notice your dog’s interest in the candy and can keep your dog away. If no one is really paying attention to your dog, it takes only a second for your dog to chow down on that candy.

Unfortunately it’s also a concern that your pet could bite or scratch someone on Halloween if not watched carefully. You may have the most friendly pet on the planet that loves all babies, children and adults. But it’s entirely possible that your friendly pet may not feel friendly towards a vampire or a skeleton or a witch. People tend to speak differently in costume and may even smell differently because of heavy makeup, causing confusion and possibly fear in your pet. If your pet has a buddy, he or she can watch your pet’s reaction and remove your pet from the situation if it’s causing too much anxiety.

 

So if you want your pets to join in on the Halloween fun, I suggest trying out the buddy system and hopefully everyone will have a safe and Happy Halloween!

 

---

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

  This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

Going Batty

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #11

Yet another Halloween costume option – Sadie’s Mexican poncho and sombrero.

 

 

Super Sadie!

 

Introducing, Super Sadie! Protecting the neighborhood from squirrels, groundhogs, and package delivery men, all from the safety of the front porch! Sadie is trying on this superhero Halloween costume today in honor of the new TV show Supergirl, which is premièring tonight. It looks like a fun show and the world definitely needs more female superheroes, so we’re excited. If SuperGirl needs a sidekick, I know one little Yorkipoo up for the job!

 
This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

 

Black and White Bats

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Pumpkin – #52Snapshots

 

The theme for the 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge this week is pumpkin. With Halloween fast approaching I’ve been thinking about pumpkins a lot lately. My absolute favorite Halloween activity is carving a pumpkin. I’ve got quite a few stencils and books of patterns, so I’m trying to decide what design to make this year. I’m not particularly talented or anything, but I really enjoy creating some Halloween artwork. These photos show last year’s jack-o-lantern, which had a Sleepy Hollow / Headless Horseman theme.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Costumes Galore

Click here to see Sadie’s Halloween Costume Ideas for Dogs!

 

Sadie is having trouble deciding what to be for Halloween this year and it’s all my fault. You see, last year I went a little crazy with the after-Halloween clearance sales. I basically bought one of everything. In my defense, how can you resist all the cute little doggie dresses and hats and costumes when everything was under $5? Maybe we really didn’t need that monkey with the cymbals that rides your dog’s back or three different types of wings (angel, ladybug, and butterfly), but you never know when something might come in handy. In the meantime, Sadie keeps trying on various outfits every day, which makes for a lot of adorable photo sessions. During yesterday’s photo shoot I tried to explain to Sadie that people normally wear one hat at a time, but she insisted on wearing four.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

Welcome Back to the Future!

 

 

Today, October 21st, 2015, were are officially in the future, at least according to the Back to the Future movies. As you may recall, today is the specific date that is visited as the future portion of Back to the Future 2. Sadie and I had a little movie marathon last night and Sadie has one thing to say – Where’s my hover board?

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #10

 

 

 

World – #52Snapshots

The theme for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge is world. To be perfectly honest, I was not feeling the creativity this week. I was out of town most of the week, my Mom and Aunt both celebrated milestone birthdays, and I had some house painting to get done. So this is the best I could come up with for world – Sadie posing with a world map.

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Posing With Pumpkins

Today I decided to share some of my favorites pictures from a photo shoot I did with Sadie and some pumpkins. Like most Americans, I feel the strong need to buy pumpkins at this time of year. Of course I have no idea what to do with the pumpkins once I’ve purchased them, so they just sit around on the steps and the porch and on some tables at my house. But they do make great photo props. Those of you who follow the blog on Facebook will recognize this setup from our festively Fall cover photo. If you haven’t seen our Facebook page yet, click this link to check it out!

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

  This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.  

My Little Devil

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #9

 

It’s a cute little Sadie Dalmatian! Sadie and I have been trying out potential Halloween costumes. Check back tomorrow for another costume option!

 

 

Animal – #52Snapshots

The theme for the 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge this week is animal. Sadie and I have decided to focus our photos this week not on animals in general, but on Animal with a capital A. In these photos Sadie is dressed up as Animal the Muppet! Has anyone else been watching the new Muppet Show? Because Sadie and I are loving it! When I saw this pink monster outfit in the box of Sadie’s costumes, I instantly thought of Animal. As a fan of all things pink and of hard rock music, Animal the Muppet drummer has always been one of my favorites.

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

 

Keep Curious Dogs Safe with COVERPLUG

 

When bringing a dog into your home, one of the most important parts of preparation is dog proofing. Whether it’s a tiny puppy or an older rescue dog, you can never tell how a dog will react in a new environment. Your previous dog may have stayed away from garbage cans and electrical cords, but that doesn’t mean a new dog will behave the same way. So great products like the COVERPLUG really help to make your home safer.

One of the main ways dogs, especially puppies, learn to identify objects is by using their mouths. If your dog encounters an electrical outlet and becomes curious, your dog will most likely sniff and then lick the outlet. This could have disastrous, even deadly consequences. But this kind of disaster can easily be avoided by using COVERPLUGs. All you need to do is take the COVERPLUG and gently push the two prongs on the backside of the cover into the circular ground holes of your electrical outlet. The cover fits securely in place, enclosing the entire outlet and wall plate. COVERPLUG won’t fall out of place or get knocked off by a wagging tail, but can easily be removed by some gentle tugging from an adult. It’s a quick, non-permanent dog or baby proofing solution for electrical outlets.

If your dog is like mine, he or she may enjoy the occasional nap under the bed or the couch. These locations are very important for dog proofing, as it is hard for you to watch your pet while he or she is under the furniture. You may have electrical outlets behind the couch or the bed and you can’t tell your pet to stay away from them if you can’t see what’s happening. With outlet covers like COVERPLUG, you don’t have to worry about what you can’t see, because you know your pet will be safe.

Dogs can be unpredictable in their attention. You never know when they may get a crazy idea in their head to suddenly examine an object that they’ve ignored for years. Sadie has done this on many occasions, so to me it makes perfect sense to cover our outlets, because you never know if Sadie may one day wake up and wonder what the heck those little white/black circles are. It’s also worth mentioning that you may want to consider outlet covers if you decide to change the faceplates around your outlets. The new plates may smell different, making your dog curious enough to investigate the outlet.

The COVERPLUG is proudly made in the USA. The surface of the COVERPLUG is designed to be painted to match your wall color, so that the cover will seamlessly blend in with any wall. Or you can go the opposite route and make a fun project of creatively decorating your COVERPLUG so that you have a new little piece of artwork on your wall.

Visit COVERPLUG.com to find out more and get your own package of two COVERPLUGs on Amazon for $8.95.

Or you can win a set right now! Check out the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post contains affiliate links. YourDesignerDog was given a free product to try in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts and impressions about said product.

Black Cat Season

 

 

 

Halloween is the time of year when black cats take center stage as one of the most iconic symbols of the holiday. Sadie is getting into the spirit of the season this year by posing in her new black cat dress next to our new black cat yard decoration.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #8

 

 

>

I’m Ready for My Close-up!

 

The other morning I was sitting and eating breakfast when I thought of an idea for some cute photos of Sadie. (Hopefully I’m not the only one who thinks about taking pictures of my dog while eating breakfast, lol). I had some time sensitive errands to run, so I wouldn’t be able to take the photos until I got home later. But I didn’t want to forget the set up I had in mind, so I figured I would get everything ready really quick before I left the house. I have this pop up cube that I use for a photo backdrop whenever I don’t want anything else to show in the background of my photos. I set up the cube on the floor and put a few props nearby to use in my photos later. Then I went and got dressed and ready for my errands. Once I’m finally set to leave the house, I grab Sadie’s collar, harness, and leash to get her ready to come with me. But Sadie is no where to be found. Normally she comes running when I open the front door, but this time she is no where in sight. So I go looking around the house and finally find Sadie. My little model is sitting in the photo cube, all prepared for a photo shoot. She looks at me like, “Come on Mom. I’m ready for my close up. Where’s the camera?” I’ve gotten her so used to posing for photos that when she sees the pop up cube she knows a photo shoot is about to begin. She’s such a good, cooperative little pup that she assumes her photo shoot position without my even asking!

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog Hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Framed – #52Snapshots

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is framed. Sadie and I had fun playing with some photo booth props for this challenge. But my camera and I were fighting quite a bit when trying to take pictures of Sadie with her frame. With every photo, either Sadie was in focus or the frame was in focus, but never both. I couldn’t get the camera far enough away to focus on both while holding the frame myself. So I brought in some assistance to hold the frame for me. Most of the time it’s just me and Sadie at our photo shoots, so it was a nice change to bring more people in on our fun.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

My Hungry, Hungry Hippo

 

 

I was going through some of Sadie’s costumes the other day and I found this hippo hat. I put the hat on Sadie and then gave her a new squeaky ball to play with. Eventually she brought the ball over to me to play catch and I couldn’t stop laughing. Sadie was lying down and every time I threw the ball she would simply stick her neck out to catch it in her mouth. It looked just like the board game Hungry, Hungry Hippos!

 

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #7

 

 

 

 

Shadow – #52Snapshots

 

 

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is shadow. Is it me or is Sadie so cute that even her shadow is adorable?

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Happy Fall Y’all!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Dog House Bath

 

 

This weekend Sadie had her first outdoor bath! Normally Sadie uses the bathtub, just like the rest of the family, but this time I decided to take advantage of the last official weekend of Summer and the really warm weather to try something new. Her dog house pool seemed like the perfect place for outdoor bathing. I filled the pool from the hose and mixed in some warm water that I brought out from the house in a bucket. Sadie’s big dog was very helpful in holding all her bath supplies. I let Sadie splash around in the pool for a bit before we got down to business. The bath went very well. Sadie smiled the whole time, which rarely happens in the bathtub indoors. I feel like I got more soaked than usual, but it was hot so I didn’t really care. After everyone dried off we deflated the pool and put it away until next Summer. It’s sad to see the Summer end, but now I know that bath time can be more fun for Sadie next Summer in the dog house pool.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

S-A-D-I-E

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #6

 

 

 

Happy Grandparent’s Day!

 

Sadie is proud of the gift she bought for her Grammy and Grampy for Grandparents’ Day!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

Labor – #52Snapshots

 

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is labor. All week long there has been a lot of labor and noise going on as workers tear up the road in front of our office building. Normally Sadie is very good about ignoring noises around work, but the noise from this labor has been so loud it makes the entire building shake. It’s been nearly impossible for a certain little Yorkipoo to get her afternoon beauty sleep. So once work was over on that first day, I took Sadie out to find the source of all the noise. Parked in front of our building were a number of construction machines that had been helping the workers with their labor all day. Sadie was very brave and went right up to these giant machines, sniffing and even exploring them, once I made sure the equipment was safe.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

DIY Ball Ramp

 

Sadie’s Grampy decided to get creative when cleaning out the recycling recently. He saw some long pieces of cardboard and got an idea. He built Sadie a toy ramp for her squeaky balls! There’s a little platform, made from half a cardboard box, where Sadie stands to reach the top of the ramp. Once Sadie is in position with a squeaky ball in her mouth, I give her the “drop it” command and she releases the ball down the ramp. When the ball hits about the halfway mark, Sadie runs around to the front of the ramp and tries to catch the ball. More often than not, Sadie misses and then has to chase the ball across the living room. It’s very entertaining to watch, and Sadie seems to enjoy playing the with ramp, but it’s currently taking up about half the floor space between couches. I think the ball ramp, like Sadie’s dog tunnel, will be more of a special occasion toy, taken out of the closet only when regular playtime has become too boring.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

    This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

Hanging with the Big Dog

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #5

Happy Labor Day = Back to School

I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend! Sadie and I had a nice time with a barbecue and a visit with family. But today is Labor Day, which means start of the school year, give or take a week or two. Sadie is definitely ready for back to school, but there is one problem. Neither I nor Sadie actually go to school. Sadie decided to ignore that little detail and got dressed up with her new backpack anyway. So we played with some blocks and I tried to teach Sadie to spell back to school. After I took a few photos, Sadie got bored with the school idea and took a nap. I guess my little three year old pup is still a bit too young for school. Although she might enjoy some aspects of kindergarten like play time and snack time and nap time.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Technology – #52Snapshots

 

 

 

This week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is technology. For my photos today I decided to try out a new gadget I bought Sadie. It’s an attachment that hooks onto a dog’s or cat’s collar and shines a little laser point at the ground. Since Sadie acts like a cat half the time, I thought she would enjoy playing with and chasing a little laser beam all over the floor. It’s a cute concept. Since the laser is attached to the collar, the beam moves when your pet does, so your pet can basically entertain themselves by chasing around a beam that they are moving themselves. So I attached the little device to Sadie’s collar and pointed out the light to her. She looked at it for like a minute, then got bored and went to find a ball. Oh well. I’m thinking the laser can still be useful, especially since you can change it to blinking or flashing lights instead of just the one little beam. If I set it to flashing on her collar and send Sadie out to use the bathroom at night, I can keep an eye on her by following the flashing light. So technology doesn’t always work the way you want it to, but it’s always pretty useful in the end.

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Car Safety Begins with a Booster Seat

 

In my opinion, the best tool to keep your little dog safe in the car is a booster seat. I’ve had one in my car for Sadie ever since she was a puppy and it is something we wouldn’t live without. Recently Sadie and I were given the chance to try out a new Deluxe Pet Booster Seat from Devoted Doggy and we love this new seat!

The Deluxe Pet Booster Seat is secured to the seat of your car with two straps, one around the seat back, and one around the headrest. It’s easy to install and easy to move if you want to switch it from the front or back seats. The strap that hangs around the headrest is adjustable so that you can raise or lower the seat to give your dog a better view out of the window. It also collapses for easy storage when the back and headrest straps are not in use.

For safety, there is a strap attached to the booster seat that hooks on your dog’s harness. The strap helps to keep your dog safely inside the seat in case of sudden stops or sharp turns. It also keeps excited pups from jumping out of their seats and possibly distracting the driver. Sadie is able to stand up, move around, and change positions comfortably, while still safely strapped into the booster.

The interior of the bed is soft and cushy for your dog’s comfort. It has a liner of sherpa-style fabric that can be removed and washed after the inevitable muddy car ride. Sadie loves to snuggle down in her booster seat for a nice nap, especially when she wants to avoid the sun. But there is also enough room for her to stretch out. Sometimes she enjoys using the side of the booster seat to rest her chin, and sometimes she rests her head on the headrest strap.

This particular model of booster seat has a convenient pocket in the front of the seat. It has a zipper closure so you won’t lose your belongings. In the above photo, I’ve got Sadie’s leash stored in the pocket so it will be handy when we’re ready to get out of the car.

The Deluxe Pet Booster Seat is available on Amazon for $39.95. It’s made to hold pets up to 20lbs and comes with a lifetime guarantee.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

  This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

I received this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own and I received no monetary compensation for this post. Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I will receive compensation for any sales resulting from clicking on those links.

Dog with a Blog

 

I’m not sure why someone randomly decided to put the word blog on a squeaky ball for dogs, but as soon as I saw it at the dollar store, I knew Sadie had to have it. Now Sadie is a dog with two blogs – one that I play with on the computer all the time, and one that squeaks that she can play with too!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #4

Tissue Box Ball

 

Introducing a new, exciting game from the creative team that brought you Bowl Ball and Dog House Ball. It’s Tissue Box Ball!

 

 

Tissue box ball started with one of those battery operated dog toys that bounce and vibrate and bark at your dog. The protective bag over this crazy dog ball ripped, so I was looking for some alternative covering to protect my floor and Sadie from the hard plastic of the ball. I had just taken the last tissue from a box and randomly decided to drop the crazy ball into the tissue box. It fit perfectly and made the tissue box jump and dance across the floor in a very entertaining way. From that moment on, a tissue box became Sadie’s favorite playtime accessory.

 

 

Multiple times a day, Sadie will be playing with one of her squeaky balls and will drop it into one of the tissue boxes I leave on the floor for her. She then uses her paws to bat the tissue box around on the floor. She likes to make the box flip over and over until her ball drops out. Then she squeaks her ball again for a bit, before dropping it into a tissue box again. Occasionally the tissue box will get pushed into an inconvenient position, so Sadie picks it up with her mouth and moves the box to a better location before starting to bat it around again. She also enjoys having multiple boxes to choose from, which has led to there being eight to ten tissue boxes on my living room floor. But the tissue boxes on the floor are well worth it when I see Sadie’s smiling face as she runs from box to box deciding which one her ball should go into next.

 

 

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Sleepy – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is sleepy. Sleepy time is very popular in my house, especially when it’s combined with cuddle time. When Sadie first wakes up in the morning and you can tell she is still very sleepy, that is when she is her most loving and cuddly. For most of the day Sadie has better things to do than sit around being petted and cuddled by her humans. She practically times her hugs, only staying in your arms for a quick minute or two. But in the morning, Sadie will happily snuggle with you for hours if you have the time. It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning when a sleepy Sadie comes snuggling up next to you!

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Pretty Petunias

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #3

 

Sadie the Bat

 

 

 

Over the weekend I did some cleaning in my bedroom. Sadie was sleeping on the bed and I was working on the floor below her. At one point I glanced up and found a surprising sight. My little pup was upside down, hanging off of the bed staring at me! With her big ears flopped open, Sadie looked just like a little bat! She seemed very comfortable in her upside down position and happily stayed like that watching me until she fell asleep.

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

 

School – #52Snapshots

 

 

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is school. Unfortunately Summer is almost over and it’s time for many to get back to school. We don’t have anyone going to or working in a school in my household, but Sadie still wanted to join in the back to school fun. So Sadie and I did a little back to school shopping. Every kid needs a backpack for school, so that was first on Sadie’s list. I also got her a personalized notebook to go with her squeaky pencil toy. And of course she needed a new school outfit, so we got a new comfy sweatshirt that will be perfect for Fall. Then we had a little photo shoot to show off our purchases.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

My #1 Dog Friendly Dining Tip

 

My top tip for dining out with your furry family is:

don’t hesitate to ask.

My family loves going out to dinner, but we almost never go out anymore because we feel sad having to leave Sadie home alone. So we get excited when we discover a new restaurant that is dog friendly. Sadie loves going out to dinner with us, exploring a new place with exciting new smells. And we love having Sadie as a dinner companion. But it’s hard to find places that allow dogs in my area, even if they have outdoor dining areas. And you can’t necessarily rely on reviews or word of mouth to find out if a restaurant  is dog friendly, because one manager may love having dogs, but if someone else is in charge that day, he or she may be too nervous to allow your dog to stay. So my best piece of advice is don’t hesitate to ask, because what the restaurant staff says may surprise you.

For example, Sadie and I recently stayed at a dog friendly hotel that had an attached restaurant. The hotel clearly had frequent canine guests, as they had welcome treats and food and water bowls already set up in the rooms. So I assumed it would be an every day request to eat with my dog on the patio of the restaurant. As usual, assuming didn’t work out well. Apparently I am the first person to ever ask to eat there with my dog! The wait staff and kitchen staff had a discussion about my request and decided it was fine with them if the hotel manager approved. So then they had to track down the hotel manager to give permission for me to eat outside with my dog at the dog friendly hotel. Eventually the manger approved and we had a nice dinner on the patio. But the point of my story is that no other dog owner ever thought to ask. Imagine all the other poor doggies left alone in their hotel rooms when they could have been enjoying dinner with the rest of the family. All it took was a simple question.

This post is part of Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

Tongue Out Tuesday #2

 

Is it a Dog House? Is it a Pool? It’s Both!

Sadie and I had some splashing good fun this weekend in her brand new dog house pool! Recently purchased online, Sadie’s dog house pool is actually an inflatable baby pool. It only holds about a foot of water, but that’s just enough for my short little pup. It took almost a half an hour to inflate the thing, but I was pleasantly surprised at how big and sturdy it is. Luckily there was a separate nozzle to inflate the bottom of the pool, so I was able to leave the bottom uninflated to keep it safe from doggy nails. I really like how the roof of the dog house pool keeps the water shaded so that Sadie can be out of direct sunlight and the water stays cooler. It was really humid here this weekend, so it was refreshing to cool off in the little pool after a nice walk. Although I did not join Sadie inside the pool, she still managed to keep me cool with her splashing and frequent shaking the water off of her fur. For a dog that hates taking baths and generally getting wet, the pool was very successful. Sadie seemed to really enjoy cooling off and I was happy to have some summer fun with my little pup.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Black and White Reflections

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Black – #52Snapshots

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is black. For this challenge I decided to use black as the background for a series of headshots of Sadie. I love how a black background like this makes everything look more serious and striking. There are no distractions, nothing else to draw your attention away from the face of my little pup.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Sadie’s Summer Style from Micha Doggy Wear

Sadie is looking stylish this summer thanks to her adorable new shirt from Micha Doggy Wear! This Hawaiian shirt is one of the cutest pieces of doggy clothing I have ever seen. It’s just like a miniature version of a Hawaiian shirt for people! It has three buttons down the front and a cute little collar, exactly like a human shirt, but tailored perfectly to fit a dog!

Sadie feels perfectly comfortable wearing her Hip Hawaiian Shirt. Occasionally when Sadie doesn’t want to wear what I’ve put on her, she protests by refusing to move. But Sadie happily runs around the yard wearing this shirt. We ordered the size large, which fits perfectly on my 14 pound Yorkipoo.

The bright colors and the flowers and palm trees pattern are perfect for some summer fun. The shirt is 100% cotton, allowing for maximum comfort even in the summer sun. In these photos Sadie is hanging out on her surfboard, enjoying some sun in the backyard wearing her Micha Doggy Wear Hawaiian shirt.

In addition to offering great quality, stylish dog clothing, Micha Doggy Wear is a company with heart. All of the designs were inspired by life with the owner’s adorable rescue dog, Micha. Micha was rescued from a shelter/dog sanctuary in Korea, where she lived for two years without hope of adoption due to a birth defect. As a thank you for the great care Micha received during her stay at the Busan Abandoned Pet Sanctuary, a portion of the proceeds from MichaDoggyWear.com will be donated back to the shelter so that many more animals can receive the help and care they need.

Check out MichaDoggyWear.com to get your own Hip Hawaiian Shirt for $19.99 or browse their other adorable designs.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. I was given a free product to try in exchange for my honest opinions and experiences.

A Bridge to Nature

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tongue Out Tuesday #1

When looking through some of my Sadie photos lately, I noticed that I have a TON of cute pictures with Sadie’s tongue hanging out. I haven’t been able to find a really good excuse to post many of them, so I’ve decided to create a reason. Today I’m beginning a series of Tongue Out Tuesday posts so I can share even more adorable photos of my happy little pup.

 

 

A Black and White Sunday with a View

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Favorite – #52Snapshots

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is favorite. It was obvious which photo to post today because there is only one clear favorite in Sadie’s life – her little squeaky balls. As I’ve talked about on many other occasions, Sadie’s absolute favorite toy is the little squeaky soccer ball seen in the above photo. Every day when we get home from work, Sadie asks for a new little squeaky ball. Although by now she must have a hundred of them piled around the house, I just can’t say no to her little face. It’s her reward, her favorite way to unwind after being good and quiet in our office all day. I love how happy and excited she gets with every new squeaky ball. The pure joy on her face when I get a brand new ball out of the closet is priceless.

 

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Temper Tantrum

 

When Sadie’s in a bad mood and wants you to stay away, or when she has a treat and she’s afraid you’ll take it from her, my little pup has a predictable pattern of behavior. In the following photos, you can see the typical steps of a Sadie temper tantrum from start to finish.

---

It begins with “the look”.  Sadie gets a certain look in her eyes that clearly says “stay away”.

---

If you ignore “the look” and approach Sadie anyway, she begins to growl quietly, showing her teeth a little.

---

If you still persist and reach out towards her, she snaps. She doesn’t actually bite or even try to grab you, she just tries to snap in your direction to scare you away.

---

The final stage of the temper tantrum is guilt. Sadie immediately feels sorry for snapping and tries to lick you. It’s hard to be stern and reprimand my little pup for snapping when she insists on licking your face and apologizing.

 

---

 

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

Bubble Head

 

Sadie and I decided to play with some bubbles yesterday. It turned out a bit too windy for the bubbles to last long, but we still had  fun. I tried to take some photos of Sadie chasing after the bubbles, but the timing was a lot more difficult than I realized. Somehow the best photo I captured yesterday featured Sadie looking at the camera with a bubble perfectly positioned in front of her face. I don’t think I could have gotten a shot like that if I had tried, but I really like the accidental photo of my little bubble head!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Nature – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is nature. This theme is extremely appropriate for Sadie and I right now because we just got back today from a week in the Berkshires, the mountainous region of western Massachusetts. We explored nature this past week through a variety of forests, state parks, rivers, lakes, ponds and mountains. Sadie and I had lots of fun and took frequent advantage of the beauty of nature with lots of photos. Unfortunately nature did not include WiFi or good cell service, hence my lack of blog posts this week. Check back on the blog next week for more photos and stories about our trip to the Berkshires!

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

 

Twenty Sixth Time’s the Charm

 

Clearly I wasn’t paying enough attention when taking photos of Sadie after her grooming visit this weekend. It was hot and sunny, the ground was full of sharp, pointy rocks, there were bees, excuses, excuses. Honestly I was just being impatient and trying to snap a quick photo. But as usual, if I try to do something quickly, it just takes longer to correct all of my mistakes in the end. It took me over twenty five tries before I finally positioned myself, the camera, and Sadie correctly to get the above photo. Here are six of my first attempts, which I find funny because they are so bad, followed by two photos that actually turned out pretty well.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

 

Snuggly – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is snuggly. In these photos, Sadie is all cute and snuggle with my stuffed bunny. This particular bunny was my favorite childhood stuffed animal. Not only did this bunny survive my childhood, including an accidental trip to a hotel laundry room, but it also survived Sadie’s puppyhood. As a puppy, Sadie considered all stuffed animals to be her toys and would routinely steal decorative stuffed animals from around the house. Somehow Sadie realized that this bunny was different, special. Even at four months old Sadie wanted to snuggle with this bunny, not eat or destroy it. And she still loves a bunny snuggle to this day.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Sadie’s Gotcha Day Attire

 

Yesterday was the third anniversary of Sadie’s Gotcha Day! Instead of bringing me a present to celebrate the occasion, Sadie decided that she was my present, complete with a shiny bow on top. She knows me well – there is no better present for me than seeing my little Yorkipoo smile.

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

The Ownership Contract by Sadie the Yorkipoo

 

We humans are in the enviable position of being able to pick the perfect pet for ourselves. We can go to a shelter, store, or breeder and pick out the perfect animal that looks friendly or smart or adorable or dependable, basing our decisions on whatever qualities are most important to us. As the anniversary of Sadie’s Gotcha Day approaches, I find myself thinking about what would happen if the animals got to pick their human instead. I imagined Sadie holding interviews for possible owner candidates, and decided that, if given the chance, she would require her new owner to sign a contract before she agreed to go home with them.

So, in honor of Sadie’s Gotcha Day, which was three years ago tomorrow, I present the Ownership Contract written by Sadie the Yorkipoo:

---

On this, the 21st day of July in the year 2012, I, Sadie the Yorkipoo, am listing my terms for entering into a dog-owner relationship with Mary DiTosto. The following terms are non-negotiable, and any deviation from said terms will void this contract.
 

1. Sadie will be given a new toy every day of her life, with the option of additional new toys for good behavior, special occasions, etc.

 

2. Sadie will be granted first choice of sleeping and siting areas; i.e. she will choose her preferred spot on the couch or bed and all humans will adapt to her choice.

 

3. All food belongs to Sadie. She will eat her fill from your plate and then allow you to enjoy the leftovers. In addition, a dog treat must be promptly provided upon request, no exceptions.

 

4. If Sadie decides an object is hers, she may have it without complaint. Objects include, but are not limited to, shoes, socks, slippers, clothing, stuffed animals, pillows, etc.

 

5. Sadie will be let outside promptly when asked, no matter the time or the weather.

 

6. Sadie reserves the right to add future provisions, which will be binding when signed as an addendum to this contract.

 

I, Mary DiTosto, hereby agree to abide by the following terms in exchange for the privilege of owning the Yorkipoo named Sadie.

 

Mary DiTosto
___________________________________

Owner Signature

 

__________________________________________
                                                                   
                                                                  
                                                                   
                                                                   
(Place paw print here)                                                                   
                                                                 
                                                                  
                                                                   
                                                                 
__________________________________________

Sadie the Yorkipoo’s Signature

---

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

 

Water – #52Snapshots

 

The theme for this week’s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge is water. Sadie isn’t too fond of going into water, but she’s perfectly happy posing in front of some water. These lovely fountains can be found at the office complex where Sadie’s Uncle works. Who knew that a quick visit to an office building would lead to such a great photo opportunity. That’s one reason I love bringing Sadie with me, even for the most mundane errands. You just never know when you’ll find the perfect place for some doggie photos!

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Hitchin’ a Ride

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Summer – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is summer. At my house, Summer means fun in the sun. Sadie and I try to spend as much time as possible outdoors, enjoying the beautiful Summer weather. In these photos, Sadie is soaking up some Summer sun in the backyard. She’s got her doggie sun glasses on while she relaxes on a beach towel.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Does Your Dog Have a Driver’s License Yet?

 

Sadie is super excited today because her driver’s license just arrived in the mail! She immediately ran and grabbed my car keys, ready to put her new license to use. She even got behind the wheel of the car! Unfortunately for Sadie, this new license doesn’t really allow her to drive. It’s actually a cute new type of dog ID tag from DoggieID.com.

The state license ID tag is a whimsical alternative to the traditional dog tag. It looks just like a miniature license from the state of your choice. Personally I was very tempted to order a Hawaiian license tag for Sadie, because the rainbow design makes Hawaii’s licenses the prettiest of the 50 states. But Sadie and I live in New Jersey, so in the end we ordered the New Jersey ID tag. We’ve already received quite a few compliments during our walks from other dog owners amused by this unique style of ID tag.

The tag itself is small enough to fit comfortably on my little dog, but can be read easily. It feels like laminated plastic, so it should be reasonably durable but won’t make the annoying, jangling sounds of metal tags. And it comes with not only the standard key ring to attach to your dog’s collar, but with a mini carabiner clip, so you easily move it from one collar to another. Each Doggie ID tag is made in the USA and is backed by a lifetime guarantee.

The state license dog ID tags are available for $18.95 from DoggieID.com. I think they make a pretty unique gift for the dog owner in your life and are even conveniently shipped in a little gift pouch. You can even win one right now using the form below! One winner will be randomly selected one week from today to win one free state license tag from Doggie ID!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.  

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

I was not given any monetary compensation for this blog post. I was given a free product to review. All views are my own, unbiased opinions.

Seeing Double

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Happily Exhausted

 

Sadie and I are happily exhausted after a fun and busy holiday weekend. On Friday Sadie got to meet some new relatives, went to work at the office, spent time with an old friend, and saw her first fireworks. Sadie has heard fireworks before and is not bothered by loud noises, so I decided to bring her with me when a friend and I went to a good fireworks viewing spot. It went very well; the fireworks were pretty, Sadie was happy to be outside, and didn’t care at all about the noise. She was mostly confused about why my friend and I were staring at the sky for so long. On the Fourth Sadie spent the day at her first barbecue. She met lots of new people and got to explore a whole new backyard. She was a bit nervous around so many people, mostly hanging out around my feet, then suddenly got very friendly when the grilled chicken was brought to the table. On Sunday Sadie and I went to a brand new park, which involved quite a bit of hiking and frolicking through nature. Unfortunately that nature included a muddy stream, so we ended our holiday weekend in the bathtub.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Patriotic – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is patriotic. Sadie and I have been fully embracing this theme all week, as you can see from our last few blog posts. We have really enjoyed decorating the house in red, white, and blue and preparing for tomorrow’s 4th of July festivities. While at the supermarket earlier in the week stocking up on grilling supplies, I noticed some little red, white, and blue pompoms on clearance. Sadie’s Grammy thought I was crazy for buying them, but I had a sudden inspiration for some cute photos I could take. Sadie’s patriotic “wig” turned out exactly how I’d imagined, although it was a lot harder to keep in place. But Sadie’s a good model and happily kept still so I could get some good photos of her and her patriotic “hair”.

 

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

 

Patriotic Bloopers

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Feeling Patriotic

 

Sadie’s in a patriotic mood this week. She can’t wait for the 4th of July!

 

 

 

Dogs at Work – the Benefits vs the Complications

 

In honor of National Take Your Dog to Work Day tomorrow, I’ve decided to talk about the benefits and complications that come with bringing your dog to work. I’m one of the lucky people that can bring my dog to work with me every day and Sadie is definitely my favorite coworker. But there are also some difficulties with having Sadie in my office. I personally think the pros far outweigh the cons, but you can decide for yourself.

Some of the benefits of taking your dog to work:

• Less anxiety, for both the dog and the human. Your dog won’t get separation anxiety staying home alone all day and you won’t have anxiety about your dog getting into trouble when home alone all day.
• Boosts morale in the office and makes people smile.
• Saves time and money – no running home from work to feed and walk the dog and no need to pay a dog walker
• Forces you to get up and away from your desk every once in a while so your dog can take care of business
• A new environment is stimulating for your dog and he or she will be excited to explore the new area with all its sights and smells.
• An office can be a great place to refresh your dog’s training in a practical environment. Sadie learned her ‘leave it’ and ‘no barking’ commands very quickly in the office setting.

In my opinion, the biggest pro on the list is stress relief. When I’ve had a difficult phone call or a technical problem is making me mad, I can just pick up a toy and play with Sadie for a while and all those minor problems are forgotten. And it’s the same for my coworkers; when they need some cheering up, they come to my desk to see what cute thing Sadie is doing. Because even when she’s fast asleep, Sadie never fails to put a smile on your face.

Some of the complications of taking your dog to work:

• Finding bathroom areas and dealing with possible accidents.
• Making sure you have all the necessary supplies on hand, like bowls, a dog bed, dog food, doggie bags, toys, treats, etc.
• Chewing up shoes or other items (Sadie likes to steal the occasional slipper from under a desk) and making sure coworkers dog proof the office. When you have a dog it becomes second nature to keep harmful items off the floor, but your coworkers may forget to keep things out of reach from a dog.
• Your dog may dislike coworkers or think he or she needs to protect you. This could lead to barking, growling, or biting if not handled properly. Similarly, if your coworkers also have dogs, the dogs may not all get along.
• Coworkers with allergies or fears can also be a problem. You must try to be respectful of their wishes and keep your dog from having contact with those people and their belongings.

Dog can be unpredictable, so you never truly know what complications you’ll face until you’ve actually brought your dog to work. If you’re like me and believe the pros are far greater than any cons, you just need to be prepared. Make a list of items your dog will need to spend eight hours in your office. Make sure your office is free of hazards that could harm your dog. Ask your coworkers in advance if they will enjoy a visit from your dog or if your dog needs to avoid certain people or areas. Scope out a good spot to be your doggie bathroom. As long as you’ve done your best to prepare yourself, your office, and your coworkers for the arrival of your pup,  you should find life with your new furry coworker to be as heartwarming and fulfilling as I do.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

Cutest Luggage Ever!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

In Disguise

 

The puparazzi have been hounding me all weekend, so I decided I needed a disguise. What do you think? Will they recognize me?

 
This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

 

Flag – #52Snapshots

In honor of Flag Day last Sunday, this week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is flag. Sadie is looking very patriotic here in her red, white, and blue dress, surrounded by American flags. I bought the little flags to decorate all of the flower beds around the house, but I thought they would be perfect for a Flag Day photo shoot first. Apparently I’m not great at making a nice circle and the wind kept trying to steal the flags, but I still managed to get some cute pictures.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Walks Before Photos

 

Last holiday season I shared with you my favorite tips for taking a great photo of your pets. (Click here to see all of those tips.) Today I’d like to focus on one tip in particular: walk your dogs before taking your photos. As I mentioned before, walking your dog before a photo session has a number of benefits. You can work out your dog’s excess energy, making him or her more cooperative when sitting still for a photo. Also, your dog enjoys going for a walk, and your dog’s happy mood when you get home usually shows through in your photos. Sadie and I had a photo shoot last month that is a perfect example of the difference between taking photos before and after a walk.

 

 

Before the walk…

 

 

… after the walk!

 

 

In the first photo, I took Sadie outside to use the bathroom and decided to pose her by some pretty flowers. Sadie grumbled the whole time, didn’t want to look at the camera, and was generally annoyed that I was trying to take pictures of her. Since it was a nice day, I decided to take Sadie for a walk immediately to see if it would put her in a better mood. The last two photos were taken when we got back from the walk. Sadie is posing in front of the same pretty flowers, but with a much happier smile.

 

 

 

 

 

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

To Climb or Not To Climb?

 

“Should I go, Mom? Do you think it’s OK?”

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Paws for Charity

 

Today Sadie is showing off her paws for a good cause. DOGForDOG is holding an Instagram charity campaign. For each photo of paws posted on Instagram with the tag #DOGforDOGpaws, DOGForDOG will donate one bowl of food for a shelter dog. This charity campaign runs until the end of June, so you’ve still got time to get your pets’ paws out there and do some good. Visit the DOGForDOG blog for more information on this campaign.

 

 

 

 

Doggy Room Service

 

Sadie got into a little mischief in the hotel room at the BlogPaws conference. When my room service dinner came one night, my dog was naturally interested in the arrival of food. But when I flipped the cover off of my plate, Sadie got even more excited. But she wasn’t focused on my plate. Sadie was dancing around trying to get at the upside down plate cover. It took me a minute to realize that to doggy eyes my up-turned room service cover actually looked like a metal dog bowl. Sadie was barking at me and giving me sad puppy eyes to get her paws on the “bowl”, so I decided to humor her. We were on vacation after all. That night I fed Sadie her dinner in the room service plate cover and she loved every minute, and morsel, of it.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Let Your Flag Fly – Today Is Flag Day!

 

Today we celebrate Flag Day! Sadie helped me put out all the American flags around our house, but we had one left over. So I decided it would make a perfect photo backdrop!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

Comfort – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is comfort. For this theme I’ve decided to use a photo I took a couple of weeks ago in Nashville, Tennessee at the BlogPaws conference. In the photo, Sadie is relaxing on the bed in my hotel room, cuddled up in her purple cupcake blanket. For Sadie, this blanket provides comfort and security, as it carries the familiar scent of home into the strange hotel room.

 

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Dog-Friendly Nashville, Tennessee

Sadie and I recently spent some time in Nashville, Tennessee after the BlogPaws conference. I want to start this off by saying that it was raining like crazy for most of the two days we had to spend sightseeing in Nashville, so that seriously limited what we could do with a dog. Rain will cause that problem no matter what place you’re visiting. But Sadie and I still managed to have a great time and I feel like we saw quite a few interesting sites.

The first stop on my tour of Nashville was Centennial Park to see the Parthenon. I was an ancient history major in college, so I was really excited to see a complete recreation of the Ancient Greek temple, the Parthenon, in all its glory. Sadie was not allowed inside, but we walked all around the building, sat for a while among the giant columns, and took some great photos. Plus the Parthenon is in the middle of great park with a small lake, so it’s a beautiful place to visit.

Next we drove over to the heart of Nashville, the area called the District. This is the main tourist part of Nashville, with lots of cowboy and country music themed restaurants, bars, and shops. Here we found Riverfront Park with the historic Fort Nashborough. We walked in the park along the river, where you can look across and see the stadium of the Tennessee Titans. We looked around Fort Nashborough, a wooden  recreation of the first settlement of Nashville in the 1700s.

A few of the stores in the area were dog friendly.  One boot store in particular, Nashville Cowboy, actually asked us to bring Sadie inside so the staff could say hi to her. Obviously I didn’t mind the chance to do some cowboy boot shopping, and was glad the staff kept Sadie entertained while I shopped. That’s where we took the cowgirl Sadie photo at the top of this post.

We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, where they had an outdoor patio that welcomed dogs. Thankfully the patio also featured umbrellas, because it started raining again during dinner.

The next day we made a quick visit to Fort Negley park. It’s a nice place to walk your dog around the remains of an historic fort, though there isn’t much to see there. But this park sits against the back of the Adventure Science Center, so it’s a good place to hang out with your four legged kids while your two legged kids check out the science museum.

We ended our time in Nashville at Belle Meade Plantation. For $10 you and your dogs can walk around the grounds of the estate and visit the out buildings. We saw horses, barns, stables, horse drawn carriages, a smokehouse, a dairy, slave quarters, Civil War bullet holes, a log cabin, and more. Sadie even souvenir shopped with me in the gift shop! There is also a small dog-friendly  winery on the grounds, where the wine tasting is included in the admission price.

Nashville has quite a few other dog-friendly activities we just didn’t get the chance to try. The Nashville Ghost Tour, for example, is dog friendly. And Bicentennial Mall State Park, with its water spouts you can run through and it’s view of the State Capitol, would also be a great place to spend some time with your dog. I guess Sadie and I will just have to go back to Nashville some day to see the sights we missed and revisit some of our favorite dog-friendly places!

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Wisdom Panel 3.0 – DNA Testing for Dogs

Have you ever wondered exactly which breed(s) of dog you have? Did you know that your dog’s DNA can give you important information about the health of your dog? Many dog breeds are prone to specific genetic conditions, and knowing what to look out for can help save your dog’s life. The Wisdom Panel 3.0 Canine DNA Test by Mars Veterinary can tell you all that information and more!

The newest Wisdom Panel 3.0 Canine DNA test recognizes over 250 dog breeds and varieties and can be used on purebred, mixed-breed, or designer dogs. Your dog’s DNA sample is compared to over 10,000 genetic profiles in the Wisdom Panel database! The test provides breed information for three prior generations, meaning you’ll find out which breeds were your dog’s great-grandparents! This information is particularly helpful when training your dog, as many breeds excel at specific types of activities. It can also help you understand some of your dog’s instinctive behaviors, which can be greatly influenced by a dog’s breed ancestry.

 

The DNA test results will also include a projected weight profile which will explain the typical weight for your breed of dog. This can be very useful in helping your dog maintain a healthy diet. You should share your DNA testing results with your dog’s veterinarian, who can use this information to provide better, more specific care for your furbaby.

 

Also included with this new DNA test is MDR1 Genetic Mutation screening.  MDR1 stands for multi-drug resistance 1. This condition, which is especially common in herding and sighthound breeds, causes a problem with absorption of certain medications into a dog’s body. Dogs with this genetic condition can have severe reactions to some common drugs. By getting a Wisdom Panel DNA test, you can find out if your dog has this genetic mutation and can discuss the situation with your veterinarian to be prepared if your dogs needs medication. Click here to see a list of medications and dog breeds most affected by MDR1.

 

A Wisdom Panel 3.0 at home testing kit includes instructions, DNA cheek swabs, drying inserts for the swabs, and a prepaid return shipping box. You need one kit for each dog you want to test. The process is simple: you just swab along your dog’s gum line for 15 seconds, mail in the sample, and wait for the results. It typically takes two to three weeks to get your results once the lab receives your dog’s cheek swab.

 

 

To find out more about the Wisdom Panel 3.0 Canine DNA Test go to wisdompanel.com. Or visit Wisdom Panel on YouTube for testimonials about the Wisdom Panel DNA tests. You can purchase the at home kit online for $84.99. You can also follow Wisdom Panel and Mars Veterinary on social media for news, updates and special events.

 

Or you can speak to representatives from Wisdom Panel in person and get great discounts at the following events throughout 2015:

(In person DNA testing is offered at the discounted price of $39.99 and at home kits can be purchased at these events for $49.99.)

• GoPRO Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado
• Amazing Pet Expo in Austin, Texas
• Mars Pet Adoption Fair in Franklin, Tennessee
• Amazing Pet Expo Holiday in Los Angeles, California

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Mars Veterinary Wisdom Panel 3.0.

 

Sadie at the Parthenon

 

Sadie is posing at the Parthenon of Nashville, a full-scale recreation of the Ancient Greek temple to Athena!

Come back tomorrow to read about all the dog-friendly places we visited while in Nashville, Tennessee!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Dog House Ball

 

In my latest attempt at entertaining Sadie, I’ve invented yet another new game for her that I like to call Dog House Ball. For this game, I use one of Sadie’s little squeaky balls and her pink dog house. On the floor of her dog house I keep a blanket spread out to make it more cushy for her. When we play Dog House Ball, I bury the ball within the blanket in her dog house. Sadie then goes nuts digging around her dog house, trying to get to the ball. For some reason, Sadie will not go completely into her dog house when searching for her ball. She uses her snout and front paws to dig around, while keeping her back paws on the floor outside the house. It’s pretty funny to watch her digging around when all you see is dog butt sticking out of the dog house. But aside from the entertainment factor, I like Dog House Ball because it takes a bit longer to play than Bowl Ball. I can bury the ball for her, and then I know Sadie will be happily digging away for the next five minutes or so. It’s a great game to play while I’m cooking, because her dog house is near the kitchen, so I can start the game and then watch her play while I’m working on part of the meal.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

 

Makeover Magic

Before…

…After

Before…

…After

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Play – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is play. At some point every day at my house you will find Sadie and I playing catch. Sadie often enjoys playing with her toys by herself, but when she is looking to play with humans, it’s always a game of catch she is looking for. I love how playing catch always puts a smile on Sadie’s face and sends her ears flying as she dives for the toy.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Sadie’s First BlogPaws Conference!

 

Last weekend Sadie and I attended our first ever blogging conference, BlogPaws. The BlogPaws conference is geared specifically towards pet bloggers and features seminars and events on a wide range to topics for bloggers and animal lovers. During this three day event, there are also dozens of brand representatives present to meet and learn more about great products. This year the conference was held in Nashville, Tennessee and had over 500 attendees!

Today I’d like to share some of the photos Sadie and I took during the conference to give you some idea of the good times we had.

Here’s Sadie keeping me company at one of the informative seminars.

Sadie’s posing with one of the paw prints found all over the hotel, helping lead conference attendees to the various event locations.

Here’s Sadie and I after our interview with Pet World Insider.

In this photo Sadie is exhausted from all our fun activities.

Sadie and I being silly at the Mars PetCare photo booth.

Hanging out with the person-sized VitaBone spokesbone.

Sadie’s homemade outfit in the Pawject Runway event. There was some tough competition! I really need to work on my creativity if I hope to be a winner next year!

And last, but certainly not least, Sadie posing with our mountain of swag!

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

Nashville Here We Come!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

It’s Sadie’s Third Birthday!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SADIE!

Today my sweet little Yorkipoo turns three!

We had a little family birthday party last night to celebrate. Sadie got dressed up in her birthday outfit. I decorated our living / dining room and brought out all the toys from birthday past. Sadie chased around some balloons. The humans had ice cream cake. Sadie enthusiastically tore open the present containing a new little squeaky ball. (She completely ignored all of her other presents.) And of course I took lots of photos. It was a wonderful celebration of my little girl’s big day!

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Enjoying Memorial Day Weekend!

 

Sadie is busy enjoying the long Memorial Day weekend. She helped me put up some of our patriotic decorations to show our love and support for those who gave their lives for this country. But Sadie couldn’t resist a little silliness when she saw the feathers and flags headband in the box of stuff. Since Sadie took the headband out of the box herself, she was clearly asking for a patriotic Memorial Day weekend photo shoot.

 

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Sky – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is sky. Unfortunately, it’s been really overcast and gloomy here all week, so I didn’t have the chance to capture a beautiful blue sky with fluffy white clouds. But the above photo of Sadie turned out pretty well, despite the sky’s refusal to cooperate. Below is a photo I took on my last cruise, showing the sky at its best. One of my favorite things to photograph is the sky as the sun is setting over the water.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge

It’s Red Nose Day!

 

Sadie’s dressed and ready to participate in the festivities for the big event today, Red Nose Day. If you haven’t heard about it, Red Nose Day is an annual charity fundraiser, where participants don red noses and use comedy and laughter to promote awareness and donations for a variety of charities benefitting children in need. Sadie and I did our part by making a small donation and purchasing the official #RedNose Sadie is modeling in these pictures. You can find out more about Red Nose Day at rednoseday.org.

Red Nose Day has certainly brought some smiles and laughter to my house. As you can imagine, convincing a dog to wear a fake nose is no easy task. After some initial sniffing and lots of convincing on my part, I finally got Sadie to keep her #RedNose on for more than two seconds. When I turned away to grab my camera, I expected Sadie to try to get the nose off. I did not expect for Sadie to leap onto my lap instead. The rest of the photo shoot felt like a comedy routine. I would put Sadie on the floor and tell her to sit, but as soon as I clicked the camera, Sadie would run onto my lap. In the end, I was lying on the floor hysterically laughing with the camera in one hand while holding Sadie back with the other, trying to keep her far enough away from my lap for the camera to focus on her face.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.  

 

 

 

The Riddle of the Sphinx

 

The only riddle Sadie and I heard from this sphinx is “Why would someone want such an ugly statue?”!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Doggy Dry Cleaning

 

The tag on Sadie’s winter coat said “dry clean only”. Since I’m not much of a rule breaker and the coat really needed to get clean, I decided to take her tiny little coat to the dry cleaners. Apparently it costs $6.00 to clean Sadie’s “vest”; the dry cleaner’s inventory system did not have a button for doggy coats. One week later I retrieved Sadie’s coat, cleaned, pressed, and safely ensconced on a full size hanger in one of those floor-length plastic protective bags. Although the size difference doesn’t look quite so drastic in the photo, I assure you that it was absolutely hysterical to see her tiny little doggy coat in a people-sized dry cleaning bag.

 

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newbies.

 

 

 

Mother – #52Snapshots

 

The theme for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge is mother. I thought it would be fitting to post some photos we took last weekend, on Mother’s Day. After playing around on the floor together, Sadie decided to attack me with kisses. Sadie’s Grammy got out the camera and captured these photos of our mother-daughter bonding.

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day 2015!

Sadie and I want to wish all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts, Dog Moms, and other wonderful women out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Teach – #52Snapshots

 

For this week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme teach, I decided to share some photos of a trick I’ve been practicing with Sadie. I take a treat or piece of food and hide it in one of my hands. Then I hold out both of my hands, closed so Sadie can’t see the treat, and ask her “Which hand is it in?” Sadie needs to respond by tapping the correct fist with her paw before I give her the treat. If she uses her mouth or head or tries to force my hand open, I just repeat the command. But when she uses her paw to correctly identify the hand with the treat, I open my hand and allow her to take the treat.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Bones at Work – #DogProblems

 

Sometimes it’s tough being an office dog. Your Mom finally hands over that treat you’ve been begging for, but you’re not quite ready to eat it yet. Where can you possibly find a safe place to bury a bone in an office?

 

Sadie has this issue almost every work day. She’s tried burying bones in the filing cabinet, the supply closet, under desks, in people’s purses and shoes, and many other creative locations. But Sadie’s favorite hiding spot by far is the recycling box. Sadie hops right into that box, digs around the papers, and makes sure her bone is good and safe.

 

 

There’s only one problem – it’s too good of a hiding spot, because Sadie can never get her bone back out of the box. I’ll be sitting at my desk working, when all of a sudden I hear Sadie start whining from the other room. If I don’t immediately go running to her, she then begins kicking her hind legs back in frustration. At that point I know I have to go help her, because her next step to get my attention is barking. Sadie knows that barking is not allowed at the office, but she also knows that if she lets out one bark, I will come running to keep her quiet and will conveniently rescue her bone at the same time.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

  This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.  

A Sadie Siesta

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

It’s Cinco de Mayo!

 

Sadie has found the perfect outfit for our Cinco de Mayo celebration! Who knew a sombrero could look so cute on a Yorkipoo?

 

 

May the Fourth Be With You!

 

Sadie is celebrating Star Wars Day today by wearing her new Princess Leia costume. She’s posing with her new Yoda basket, which she’s been using as a hiding place for treats and squeaky balls all weekend. Sadie can easily drop a bone or ball into the basket, but unfortunately Yoda’s head is too tall to get her items back out. All weekend I’d be summoned to the living room by annoyed groaning and barking, which is Sadie’s way of requesting help to retrieve something she can’t reach.

Happy Star Wars Day!

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Below – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is below. The word below is used very frequently in Sadie’s daily life, especially when we are at our office. Multiple times a day someone will ask where Sadie is, only to find her below the conference table or below one of the chairs. And Sadie’s main home-away-from-home is located below my desk, where she sleeps away the boring hours when I’m actually getting work done.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Re-Learning the Stairs

 

Sadie is almost three years old now and has gone up and down countless flights of stairs. But there is one particular set of stairs she’s never traversed on her own – the main stairs up to the second floor apartment where we live. Sadie is fine with the stairs in the office because they’re carpeted. She’s comfortable with the brick steps up to the front door and even with the rugged wooden steps off of our back deck. But shiny, slippery, interior wooden stairs were out of the question. If she was a bigger dog I may have worked on convincing her to try those stairs. But since she’s small enough to carry and I knew we would be getting those stairs carpeted eventually, I decided to err on the safer side and just carry her up and down those slippery steps. But now the time has finally come. We just had carpet installed on ‘the’ stairs. All I need to do is convince Sadie that the stairs are now safe and she will no longer be carried up or down them anymore.

 

 

I started the process at the top of the stairs. Big mistake. I spent valuable time trying to convince  Sadie to step off the landing, but she just wouldn’t go. Eventually I took her off the landing and placed her on the top step to get her moving downward, but she just stood on that top step and refused to move. After more negotiations, which Sadie won, I gave up and carried her down the stairs. We went outside for a potty break. When we came back in, Sadie stepped up to the bottom step, then looked back at me. All I said was “Go ahead” and she shot up those stairs like a bolt of lightening. I couldn’t have been more proud of her.

 

 

But going down the stairs was still a problem. Sadie did not want to step off the landing. I tried luring her down the stairs with food, but Sadie has never been very food motivated. I tried throwing a squeaky ball down the stairs, hoping she would chase after it, but she just stared sadly at me until I went and got it for her. Just when I was running out of ideas, the doorbell rang. Sadie raced down those steps without a second thought, wanting to know who was at that door. All it took was that one distraction for Sadie to finally stop thinking about how scary the steps were and start thinking about what’s exciting at the bottom of them. From then on, Sadie happily goes up and down the stairs with ease. I can’t believe I went so long having to carry her, because life is so much sweeter when I can have free hands on the stairs.

 

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

Big Guns

 

Sadie and I found this canon at the same historic mansion where we found the wagon wheel from last Sunday’s blog post. I’m not sure why someone needs such firepower in the middle of Northern New Jersey, but it made an interesting photo spot.

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Spy Cam Footage

 

The other night, Sadie was playing with her little squeaky ball, as usual. She would squeak it for a few minutes and then drop it by me, asking me to do something with it for her. At first I just threw the ball so she could go get it, but then she stopped chasing it. She just looked at me and whined until I went and got the ball so she could start squeaking again. But a few minutes later she dropped the ball in front of me again. I didn’t want to throw the ball, since I didn’t want to get up and fetch it myself again, so I looked around the living room to see what I had to work with. That’s when I noticed the empty laundry basket, waiting to be brought to the laundry room.

When feeling mischievous in the past, I’ve put both Sadie and her ball into the laundry basket to try to keep her squeaking happily without the ball ending up under the furniture. (Read more about that here). But this time I decided to try something different. The next time Sadie brought me her ball, I put it underneath the overturned laundry basket. At first Sadie just looked back and forth from me to the basket, as if she expected me to fix it. Then she barked at the basket. When that didn’t help, Sadie walked in circles around the basket, examining it for weaknesses. She noticed a small gap where the curved sides of the basket don’t quite meet with the floor. Sadie stuck her nose in this gap and managed to lift the basket enough to crawl under it. A second or two after Sadie disappeared under the basket, the squeaking noises began. I had expected Sadie to cry as soon as she was under the basket to be let back out, but instead, she sat down and started squeaking. After a minute I took the basket off of her and she wagged her tail happily at me. She got up and took her ball to a dog bed and started squeaking again. But a few seconds later, Sadie came back over. Instead of dropping the ball by me, this time Sadie dropped the ball in front of the laundry basket. She was clearly asking me to put the ball under the basket again. So I put her ball back under the laundry basket, and Sadie crawled back underneath and started squeaking. This time I decided to see how long she would stay under there squeaking. After about five minutes of continuous squeaking, I got curious. The laundry basket has small circular holes in the sides, so I decided to put my camera up to the holes and see what kind of pictures I would get. Most came out blurry, but the ones I chose to share today I thought were amusing. To me the photos look like I had a spy camera and I was taking secret photos of my dog.

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

The Wagon Wheel

 

Sadie encountered this giant wagon’s wheel on a recent walk we took near an old mansion. When I asked her to pose next to it for a photo, Sadie kept looking up at the wheel over her shoulder. I couldn’t help but smile at how cute and inquisitive Sadie was acting, as if she was trying to figure out what the heck you could do with a giant wheel.

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Sepia Saturday #36

 

For some reason Sadie found this particular boulder very interesting on a recent walk. Since she refused to continue our stroll until she had sniffed every inch of this rock, I decided to be helpful and give her access to the top of the rock. She was quick to take advantage of her new vantage point and scouted out the surrounding area from above. I took advantage of her new vantage point by taking some photos.

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

Earth – #52Snapshots

 

Today’s #52Snapshots of Life theme is Earth. Protecting our planet and the environment is a very important cause that is the central focus of two holidays this week, Earth Day and Arbor Day. Sadie and I celebrated Earth Day on Wednesday by enjoying some outdoor time. All our Spring flowers are in bloom and all the trees are starting to come to life again. It’s a great time of year to enjoy the beauty of nature. Unfortunately it’s also the time of year when breathing in all that nature causes sneezing fits and sinus headaches. So once Sadie had her fill of nature this Earth Day, we decided to celebrate the planet indoors. I blew up my inflatable Earth beach ball, and Sadie and I knocked the ball around in the comfort of my mostly allergen-free home.

 

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Quizzical – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is quizzical. As soon as I saw the word quizzical, I knew what Sadie photo I needed to take. Nothing says quizzical to me more than a dog with its head tilted to the side. When Sadie hears a strange noise or you ask her to do something that she doesn’t understand, she tilts her head to the side. I think it’s one of the most adorable expressions she can make. I love how clear her message is: Huh? What the heck?

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Bird’s Nest Necklace

 

Sadie’s modelling a new Spring wreath I bought for the front door. Doesn’t it look like she’s wearing a bird’s nest as a necklace?

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Homework For Grown Ups

Look at my little helper, keeping me company while I work on my taxes.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

The First Flowers of Spring

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Easter Paparazzi

 

Sadie had a wonderful Easter weekend! The Easter Bunny brought her some new toys, she wore her pretty Easter dress and bunny ears, and she had a very successful Easter egg hunt involving lots of yummy chicken. Of course all of these activities led to lots of pictures being taken. By Sunday afternoon, Sadie was exhausted and decided to take a nap on the couch. Since I took her dress off and put away the camera, Sadie thought she was finally safe from the paparazzi and fell right to sleep. I began making dinner and wasn’t paying much attention to my sleepy pup. At one point I glanced at the couch and thought she looked so adorable sleeping that I had to go get the camera. I got a few pictures taken before Sadie noticed I was there. Then Sadie opened her eyes and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes, saying “Oh no, not the paparazzi again.” But Sadie was just too tired to find a new, paparazzi free place to nap. So Sadie found her own solution – she buried her face behind the pillow so she could sleep without being disturbed by the camera!

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Happy Easter 2015!

Happy Easter everyone! Hope the Easter Bunny brings you and your furry friends some nice goodies today!

 

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Sepia Saturday #35

 

Sadie is ready and waiting for the Easter Bunny tomorrow!

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

 

Foolish – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is foolish. To go with this topic, I would like to share a few photos of what I think is Sadie’s most foolish habit – finding the most uncomfortable place for a nap. In these two photos, Sadie has worked hard to move all of the comfortable options out of the way to get to that cold, hard, wooden flooring. Why sleep on one of two dog beds or a nice soft carpet or even a comfy human bed when you can nap on some bamboo? I know dogs usually pick the floor when looking for a cool place to lie down, but Sadie will sometimes sleep like this in the middle of a blizzard in winter. To me this is the epitome of foolishness – I just don’t get it.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

 

 

My Spring Chicken

Did I suddenly decide to get a pet chicken? Or maybe that’s a Sadie chicken! Happy April Fools’ Day!

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Please Mom, I Desperately Need a New Toy!

 

Unfortunately for me, Sadie has figured out where I keep new toys that I haven’t given to her yet. At some point every day I can usually find Sadie sitting in front of the closet door, wishing that it would open and the new toys would jump out. If she sees me go near the closet, she runs over and looks expectantly from me to the closet, waiting for me to get her a toy. If I don’t immediately comply, Sadie grumbles, whines, and even barks at me to open the door and give up the toys. Sometimes I give in, but mostly I just ignore her in the futile hope that she’ll understand that she doesn’t get a new toy every time I go into the closet.

But Sadie’s latest attempt to convince me that she deserved a new toy had me laughing hysterically. I hadn’t heard a peep out of Sadie for like an hour, so I went looking to see what she was up to. I found her sitting in front of THE closet. As soon as she heard me coming around the corner, she jumped up, wagged her tail at me, and squeaked the toy in her mouth. She made some more happy noises, then looked from me to the closet door a few times, as if she was saying “well aren’t you going to open the door?” When I didn’t move toward the door, she started barking at me to get a move on. But her barking came out all cute and muffled by the squeaky ball in her mouth. So basically she was begging me to get her a new toy while squeaking the toy already in her mouth. When I walked in the opposite direction of the closet she started whining and giving me the sad deprived puppy eyes. It’s kind of hard to pull off the sad deprived puppy act when you never stop squeaking the ball already in your mouth.

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, My Brown Newfies, and Alfie’s Blog.

Black and White Sunday #48

 

 

Sepia Saturday #34

 

 

 

 

Spring – #52Snapshots

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is Spring. Although it’s technically Spring right now, the weather here in NJ hasn’t quite caught up yet. In fact, it actually snowed on the first day of Spring last week. So today I’m going to share some photos from last Spring, in the hopes that real Spring weather isn’t too far away.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge

 

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #11

Random Sadie Photos #10

Random Sadie Photos #9

Random Sadie Photos #8

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #7

Sadie Is Having a Stay-cation!

 

My family and I are leaving today for a week-long vacation, but unfortunately Sadie can’t come with us this time. Instead, she will be having a stay-cation! My Aunt will be living at our house for the week, keeping Sadie company. While I am out to sea with the rest of my family, Sadie will get to relax at home without the constant threat of the Mommy paparazzi. But after such a nice trip with her last December, I’m really going to miss Sadie while I’m away. They need to start allowing dogs on cruise ships. Anyway, I will once again be posting a few random Sadie photos on the blog each day while I’m away. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

Green – #52Snapshots

I’m sure that this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme, green, was chosen with St. Patrick’s Day and the first day of Spring in mind. But I had a different idea. As part of the preparations for my vacation this weekend, I went to the bank to get some smaller bills for tip money. I came home with what felt like a big roll of cash in my pocket (in reality it was $50 in singles) and had the sudden desire to make it rain. Unfortunately, I still haven’t perfected my technique for photographing money fluttering down around my dog like I envisioned, but I think the results were pretty cute anyway. So here’s Sadie with some green.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Sadie Bunny!

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2015!

Have a fun St. Patrick’s Day!

Beware the Ides of March!

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Travel – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is travel and I must say it’s a very appropriate theme for me right now. I have three trips scheduled in the next two months and I’m basically trying to plan for all of them at the same time. My family and I are going on a cruise next weekend and exactly a month later I’m headed to Germany to visit friends. Unfortunately, Sadie is only able to come with me on the last trip, to the BlogPaws conference in Nashville in May. But Sadie did join me on a trip to Florida last December and I’d like to share a few photos from that vacation today. We had a few hours with nothing particular to do and were driving around the area outside of Tampa, when I decided to stop and have a walk around the town of Tarpon Springs. If you’ve never heard of Tarpon Springs, it’s a town that was built on the sponge diving industry and has a very strong Greek influence. It’s definitely a unique place, where all the gift shops are filled with the usual Florida tourist gifts like seashells and palm tree t-shirts, but also sell fresh sponges and Greek statues. We had fun walking around for a few hours and especially enjoyed our little photo session in the giant sponge diver helmet.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Hot Dog Collars – a Review and a Contest!

I was really excited when Sadie and I were give the opportunity to try out and review some products from HotDogCollars.com. In case you don’t know, Hot Dog Collars is an online store that sells a variety of pet products. Even before we were contacted about this review, Sadie and I had purchased quite a few collars from their website, so we already knew they had a great selection of high quality items. For this particular review we chose to focus on one of the leashes by Yellow Dog Design, the Rubit heart dog tag clip, and the personalized dog collars by Yellow Dog Design.

The first item we received from HotDogCollars.com is a designer leash by Yellow Dog Design. It’s a great looking dog leash, five feet long with a nickel plated clip on one end to hook to your dog’s collar or harness and a loop on the other end for a secure grip. The material, which is a cotton/poly blend, seems very durable and is even machine washable. It feels very comfortable in your hand during those long walks, unlike the scratchy fabric of some other leashes. And these leashes by Yellow Dog Design were made in the USA! But the factor that makes this leash special for me is the pattern. Hot Dog Collars offers leashes in a wide variety of colors and patterns to fit any style or occasion. I chose the pink and black polka dots to match Sadie’s favorite collar. The price for this leash is $13.45 from HotDogCollars.com

The next item to review from HotDogCollars.com was the small heart Rubit dog tag clip. Having tried out a Rubit dog tag clip, I can honestly say that we will never go without one ever again. The Rubit dog tag clip allows you to secure your dog’s ID tags with a keyring onto the Rubit, which then clips onto your dog’s collar. The clip is made of lightweight aluminum, so it’s durable, but won’t add extra weight around your dog’s neck. The main purpose of a Rubit dog tag clip is to make life a zillion times easier when changing your dog’s collar. No more struggling to pry open the keyring enough to slip the tag out. No more broken nails or sore fingers. You just unclip from one collar and clip onto the next. Hot Dog Collars offers the Rubit dog tag clips in a number of different colors, sizes, and styles starting at $5.79.

The last item we chose to review is one of the personalized collars by Yellow Dog Design. This time we picked out the red kilt pattern to match Sadie’s winter coat. But to be honest, Sadie actually has one of these collars for almost every season and occasion. She’s got one for Christmas, Easter, St Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Fall, Winter, and the Fourth of July, just to name a few. That is how much we love these Yellow Dog Design collars from HotDogCollars.com. But the vast selection of collar designs isn’t even the best part… these collars can be personalized! You can put your dog’s name in a variety of colors right on the collar at no additional cost. And I even had little paw prints added on either side of Sadie’s name to make the collar even cuter (added graphics do cost $1.99 extra). We’ve owned one of these personalized collars for almost two years now and it’s still vibrant with perfectly intact text, no chipping, cracking, or fading. Even with the personalization, the collar is machine washable. The price for the personalized collar starts at $13.95 for a size small (add $2 if you choose additional graphics) from HotDogCollars.com.

On a personal note, these personalized collars have actually helped Sadie get more comfortable when meeting strangers. When we last travelled, people often came up to Sadie to say hi. She would wag her tail and sniff the new people, but she was hesitant to get close enough for a stranger to touch her. Many people then noticed Sadie’s name on her personalized collar and would start talking to her by name. Sadie would relax much faster and be more willing to interact with someone new when they called her by name. So I’m grateful that these collars can be a good tool to help my dog be happier and less stressed when meeting new people.

 

Now I’d like to announce the contest. Hot Dog Collars has offered one $50 gift certificate for one lucky winner. All you have to do to win is go to the YourDesignerDog twitter feed and be the 10th (tenth) person to retweet my tweet that begins “Get personal with personalized dog collars from @hotdogcollars”. (Contest begins at 9AM Thursday March 12th, 2015 and continues until winning conditions are met.)

And now I’ll end my review with a photo of Sadie enjoying one of the treats that come with every order you get from HotDogCollars.com.

 

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

YourDesignerDog received no monetary compensation for this post. I was given a choice of complimentary items to try out and give honest feedback. All opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts on these products. This post contains affiliate links.

Snowman Surgery Part 2

 

As promised last Thursday in part one of Snowman Surgery, here is Sadie checking out our newly restored snowman, now up-to-date with bright LED lights.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Top 5 Tips for a Dog-Friendly Hotel Stay

 

A few months ago I blogged about the first time I stayed at a dog-friendly hotel with my dog, Sadie. (Click here to read about that adventure.) We loved the experience so much that we’ve stayed at a number of hotels since then, including one extended trip where we flew across the country. During those various hotel stays, I have picked up a number of helpful tips that I think would be useful for anyone bringing their pets to a hotel. Today I would like to share my top five tips for an enjoyable stay at a dog-friendly hotel:

 

 

 

Tip #5  – Familiar and Comforting

Make sure you bring a few items that will remind your dog of home. A favorite blanket or dog bed are great options, as those items will smell like home and comfort your dog when he or she lies down with them. A familiar food or water bowl could make your dog more comfortable eating or drinking in an unfamiliar setting. A favorite toy from home can also be very beneficial for your dog. You can use a favorite toy to play with your dog, keeping their mind off of the unfamiliar setting. But for many dogs a favorite toy also acts like a security blanket. They feel more confident and secure if that particular toy is within reach.

 

 

 

Tip #4  – Location

When staying at a dog-friendly hotel, the location of your hotel room can play a big role in having an easy, stress-free trip. I would suggest asking for a ground floor room, as close to an exit door as possible. If you’re on the ground floor, you can get outside for walks and potty breaks much easier than if you have to wait for an elevator. Also, many dogs are uncomfortable around elevators, some even refusing to step into one, so it’s usually easier to avoid elevators with a dog in tow. Similarly, a room closer to an exit door means closer to the bathroom for your dogs. If you have to run out in your pajamas in the middle of the night because your dog is suddenly desperate for a potty break, I’m betting you don’t want to navigate a maze of hallways or pass through the lobby.

 

 

 

Tip #3  – Exercise

As many of you know, it’s very important for your dogs to get enough exercise to release excess energy. If your dog has too much pent up energy, he or she may become hyper or destructive or exhibit other types of frustrated behavior that would be especially inappropriate in a hotel setting. But the right amount of exercise before getting to the hotel room can prevent all of these issues. When Sadie and I stay at a hotel, I make sure to take her on a long walk around the hotel grounds before bed. It’s interesting for her to explore the new environment, but she is also tiring herself out. When we return to the hotel room after the walk, Sadie is usually much more calm, subdued, and more importantly, ready to sleep. If the area around the hotel is not conducive for dog-walking, or the weather is not cooperating, Sadie also really enjoyed just walking through the hallways of the hotel. There’s lots of interesting people smells to keep your dog entertained and you won’t need to walk outside in an unfamiliar place.

 

 

 

Tip #2  – Try to plan your schedule with your dog in mind.

When you are planning a trip that will take you to a hotel with your dog, try to keep your schedule as dog-friendly as possible. Try to minimize your dog’s alone time in the room. It can be very stressful for a dog to be left alone in an unfamiliar place. When my family and I took Sadie with us to Florida, we made an alternating schedule so that someone would always be with Sadie while the others went to the theme parks. I knew that Sadie would not handle being left alone very well, so my family and I made the choice to plan our schedule around Sadie’s comfort and happiness. But I know it’s sometimes unavoidable and you have to leave your dog alone in the hotel room. So try to plan your away time carefully. Make sure it’s after housekeeping has cleaned the room. You don’t want to take the chance that housekeeping comes in and accidentally lets your dog escape. Also try to return for regular meal and walk times if possible. Your dog may be used to staying home all day while you’re at work, but a hotel is a strange place and your dog may not be nearly as comfortable alone. Just keep that in mind and try keep doggie alone time to a minimum.

 

 

 

Tip #1  – Minimizing Triggers

You do not want to be “that” hotel guest, the one whose barking dog keeps everyone up all night or wakes everyone up early. So make sure you do what you can to minmize the triggers that will set your dog off on a barking spree. Let your dog tag along if you need to run to the lobby or vending machines. It will be extra exercise for your dog and will also ensure your dog isn’t sitting by the door, barking at every little sound until you return. Bring your dog into the bathroom while you’re in the shower. Keep the TV or radio or a noise machine on low if you can; that way your dog will be less likely to notice noises coming from the hallway and other rooms. This is especially important if you need to leave your dog alone in the room and won’t always be there to quiet him or her down.

 

 

 
So far Sadie and I have thoroughly enjoyed the times we spent staying in dog-friendly hotels. To us it’s completely worth any extra expense or hassle that may be involved with traveling with a dog. We love the adventure and new experiences we can enjoy together. Have you ever stayed with a pet at a hotel? Did you enjoy the experience as much as Sadie and I did? If you haven’t yet, Sadie and I think you should try it!

 

 

Bad Hair Day #2

Looks like Sadie is having another bad hair day. Good thing she has an appointment with the groomer this week!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Mischief – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is mischief and I’ve got a story for you about some on-going mischief in my house. While I was cleaning out one of my closets recently, Sadie managed to invent a new game for herself. I had taken everything off of one of the closet shelves and piled the items on the floor around me. Sadie was nearby, watching me work while squeaking one of her little squeaky balls. At one point she came over to investigate all the stuff on the floor and dropped her ball into a big, blue plastic bowl. She proceeded to scratch and claw and bark at the bowl like a lunatic until I came over and got the ball out for her. Exactly thirty seconds later, Sadie dropped the ball right back into the bowl. This time she circled the bowl a few times, like she was examining the problem from every angle. Then Sadie began pushing and pawing at the bowl, trying to tip it over. After just a few tries, she got the bowl to tilt enough for the ball to come rolling out. And thus “Bowl Ball” was born.  The bowl now officially belongs to Sadie and remains in the middle of my living room floor, where she frequently engages in games of Bowl Ball at least once a day.

Here’s a little video of Sadie’s new game in action:

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Snowman Surgery Part 1

This week we took down our winter-related decorations in hopes that winter would take the hint and finally leave. Since it is currently snowing outside once again, clearly that plan did not work. Anyway, when we took in our lighted snowman I noticed that some of the lights were burnt out. It seemed that a little snowman surgery was required. So I took the snowman apart on the living room floor and began testing the lights. Sadie of course had to come over to investigate what I was doing on the floor. She sniffed around for a while as I worked on the lights, but once she stood up on the snowman and smiled at me I just had to go get the camera. So here are the photos of Sadie “helping” me with my snowman surgery. Check back next Wednesday to see if the surgery was a success!

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

A Wordless Wednesday in the Snow

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

My Dog the Hoarder

 

The other day I was looking at Sadie as she climbed into her dog house, wondering how she can fit in there with all of those toys. And that’s when I had a realization – my dog might have a serious problem. I think Sadie might be a hoarder. Just look at all of those squeaky toys she has stuffed into her dog house!

And she doesn’t want anyone touching her hoard!

 

 

Sepia Saturday #32

 

 

 

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

 

Purple – #52Snapshots

The theme this week for the 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge is purple. If someone asked me to rank colors in order of preference, I would say purple is my second favorite color. That is why I was rather surprised this week to realize that there is very little purple in my house. Sadie owns almost nothing purple. She has no purple collars, leashes, dresses, or sweaters. She has a few purple toys, but they made for some boring photographs. Then I went out to the car and remembered something. I keep a bag of emergency Sadie supplies in the trunk with food, bowls, an extra collar and leash, etc. I refer to it as her ‘diaper bag’. And it’s a beautiful shade of purple! It was a perfect opportunity to bring the bag inside, restock the emergency supplies, and take some adorable purple photos.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Winter Wardrobe

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sitting Pretty in the Cold

 

It has been bitter cold around here lately and it’s hard to find the silver lining for this type of weather. The only benefit that I’ve been able embrace from subzero wind chill is the opportunity to dress Sadie in her warmest outfits. I usually feel guilty bundling Sadie up too much, as it’s harder for her to run around and have fun when she’s got a hood or hat or long coat to deal with. But these past few weeks she’s been happily allowing me free rein to dress her as snugly as I see fit, sometimes even layering her outfits. These photos show Sadie on one of those layered and bundled up days, sitting as happy as can be, waiting to go outside.

 

Dressed to Impress!

 

Sadie is all dressed up today in honor of the big show tonight – the Oscars. We may not be going to the Oscars, but it’s always fun to get dressed up and have our own red carpet party. As you can probably guess, I act as the paparazzi and Sadie is my movie star.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Sepia Saturday #31

 

Sadie’s showing off her new winter hat today. Isn’t it cute?

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

Mirror – #52Snapshots

 

The theme for today’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge is mirror. I was really excited about tackling this challenge, envisioning cool, artsy photos of Sadie reflected in a mirror. I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to execute my ideas. First of all, all the mirrors in my house are either way too high for Sadie or in locations that are awkward for photo sessions, like the bathroom. Second, once I took a mirror off the wall and brought it to Sadie’s height, I realized it’s really hard to position both Sadie and myself in order to get a good photo. Either Sadie moved so that I couldn’t capture her reflection, or I moved and caught myself or the camera in the photo. Lastly, I had to keep changing the lighting, but never quite got it right. If I used a flash there was a glare. If I used the overhead light there was a different glare. If I didn’t use any additional lights, I got more blurry pictures than clear ones, etc. Despite all of my photography issues, Sadie actually seemed to enjoy this photo shoot. She thought the mirror was pretty interesting, although not in the way you would think. She didn’t care at all about her reflection. She sniffed it once, and that was it. Instead, Sadie decided that a mirror makes a very nice place to sit down. Once I stopped trying to move her around to get a good shot of her reflection, Sadie got comfy on that mirror and just sat there happily, smiling at me while I took my photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

#Cube – The Digital Picture Frame for Instagram

Today Sadie and I are going to tell you about a really interesting new gadget we got to try out called the #Cube. It’s like a digital picture frame that uses your Instagram account. As you know, I’m constantly taking new photos of Sadie, and the #Cube is a great way to show them off. The 8 inch square screen is bright and vibrant, giving more life to the photos than a standard digital picture frame. Plus the #Cube updates over WiFi, adding new photos every time you or your friends and family add new photos to Instagram.

The #Cube is really easy to set up. You plug it in and use the touchscreen to connect to your WiFi. Then you just enter your Instagram login information and a slideshow of your feed starts right away. The #Cube uses your WiFi to automatically add any new photos your Instagram friends have uploaded, so that your feed slideshow is always up-to-date. You can also scroll through the photos on your own with the touch screen, as well as click on individual photos to read the description, comments, likes, date posted, etc. And you can  find out what user posted a specific photo, along with the number of photos and followers for that Instagram user all in one place.

There are three buttons on the top of the #Cube, along with the touchscreen. The left-most button is circular in shape and functions as the power button. The middle, square shaped button is the menu button. With the menu button you have the ability to search for specific hashtags to see photos about specific topics. You can also choose to view a feed of the most popular photos currently on Instagram. There is also a settings menu, where you can adjust the brightness of the screen, control the speed of the slideshow, and read the user guide, among other things. The third button is heart-shaped and gives you the ability to easily like/favorite whichever photo is currently on the screen.

Another feature of the #Cube, which I use all the time, is the ability to search for a specific Instagram username and view just that person’s photos. It’s a great way to see what a specific friend or family member has been up to lately. I also like to use the #Cube to show off my recent Sadie photos by selecting my own username as the basis for the slideshow. And I think the #Cube would be a great gift to a less tech-savvy friend or family member. You could help them with the initial set up, and then it will continuously bring them all the newest photos from their loved ones.

The #Cube has a built in speaker to view any videos in your Instagram feed. It also has a four-hour battery, so you can enjoy your Instagram feed completely wirelessly. The software on the #Cube comes with lifetime updates to ensure seamless, easy use of the product. The #Cube comes I’m three colors: black, white, and the classic model which, as you can see from my photos, is designed to look like the Instagram app’s icon. Find out more about the #Cube and buy one of your own from hashtagcube.com and Amazon
for $149.00.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

YourDesignerDog did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. I was given a free product to try out and review. All opinions are my own unbiased observations about this product.

A Wordless Wednesday Nap

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Black and White Sunday #43

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Happy Valentine’s Day 2015!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Take some time today to remind everyone important to you how much you love and cherish being part of their lives. And don’t forget to show some love to your pets today, too!

 

 

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

Love – #52Snapshots

 

In honor of Valentine’s Day tomorrow, this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is love. The topic of love always makes me think about the unconditional love that a dog share with his or her owner. There’s always the traditional cuddling and doggie kisses and faithfulness that dog’s use to express their love for their owners. But I think a perfect example of Sadie’s unconditional love for me is in these photos – Sadie is willing to wear a frilly dress and sit still while I take dozens of photos, all with a smile on her face. If that doesn’t show how much she loves me, I don’t know what does.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Sweetheart

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Ball Pit Catch

Last Friday I introduced you all to the ball pits I created earlier in the week for Sadie’s entertainment (Click here to read more about the ball pits). Since we continued to have cold, snowy, icy weather here all weekend, I spent some time playing with Sadie in her ball pits. She would let me know she was ready to play by sticking her head in the ball pit and pulling out whichever ball she was in the mood for. She would then lay the ball by my feet and go back to stand or sit in the ball pit. It was so cute watching her be all attentive and excited for me to throw the ball, I just couldn’t help taking a few photos during the games. Here are some of the highlights from the multiple games of catch we played:

Snowy Paw Prints

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Celebrating My 1st Blogiversary!

 

I can’t believe that exactly one year ago today I started the YourDesignerDog Blog! It feels like just yesterday my little puppy Sadie and I had lots of cute photos but nowhere to share them all. Then I discovered the world of pet blogging. I never imagined a year ago what an amazing, rewarding journey this would become. Sadie and I have met (both in person and virtually) many wonderful, kind-hearted people. I’ve learned more in this past year than I ever expected, about blogging, web design, social media, advertising, photography, dogs, animals in general; the list could go on and on. Sadie and I have had many exciting adventures I never would have undertaken before starting this blog. So today, on my first blogiversary, I’d like to share some of YourDesignerDog’s vital statistics of the past year. And don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for a little giveaway to thank all you loyal readers for your support!

• I’ve published 327 posts.
• You’ve left me over 1,900 wonderful comments.
• All those spam bots out there have tried to leave over 43,000 spam comments.
• I’ve shared 828 adorable photos of Sadie.
• I’ve been blessed with over 5,500 subscribers/followers on all the social media networks combined.
• I’ve helped to give out over $2,500 in cash and prizes to loyal readers.

 

And now for the giveaway! Starting today until midnight 2/14/15, you will have the chance to win one of four Jolly Awesome Pet Tag gift cards. Each gift card contains the value of one set of tags. Click this link to check out my review of their photo pet tags. Then enter my giveaway in the box below. Four winners will be randomly selected from qualified entries.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.        

This post is also part of Rascal and Rocco‘s Pet Parade blog hop.

Create – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is create. I decided this was the prefect reason to finally put into action a little DIY project I’d been meaning to try for Sadie’s entertainment – I created a doggie ball pit. Actually I created two ball pits, as Sadie wasn’t really comfortable with my first attempt.

I began with a laundry hamper. I filled it with all of Sadie’s ball-shaped dog toys, along with some other balls I found around the house. Then I put Sadie inside. She was a little scared at first, like she couldn’t quite find her footing among all the balls. She didn’t really sniff around or play like I imagined she would. She just sat down and stared at me. I played catch with her a little while she sat in the laundry basket ball pit, and she did seem to enjoy that experience. But overall the laundry basket version of a ball pit just wasn’t working for my pup.

So I went back to the drawing board, so to speak. I got out the playpen I had for Sadie when she was a puppy. I poured all the balls into the playpen and let Sadie inside. She immediately started wagging her tail like crazy and ran around trying to sniff each individual ball. Although I didn’t have enough balls to fill up the playpen as much as I envisioned, I think Sadie is happier as a result. She feels safe and comfortable being able to walk among the balls, instead of having to stand on them or push through them. She loves running into the pit and digging through the balls until she finds one she feels like playing with. I think she sees the playpen ball pit as a kind of walk-in toy box. So clearly my creation didn’t turn out exactly like I planned, but I think Sadie still appreciates my efforts.

 

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

 

Mom, I Think I Need A Haircut

 

Me: “Sadie, look at the camera.”

Sadie: “I AM looking at the camera.”

Me: “Then why can’t I see your eyes?”

Sadie: “Is there a way to answer that question that doesn’t end in a trip to the groomer? Ummmm….I’m very sleepy?”

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

 

Squeaky in the Snow

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Chew With Your Mouth Closed!

 

I seem to have failed at teaching manners to my little lady. Sadie just insists on chewing with her mouth open. It’s a good thing she’s munching on a dental treat to help keep her teeth clean and her breath fresh!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Groundhog Day!

 

Happy Groundhog Day everyone! Right now it’s too early to find out the official Groundhog weather prediction, but I’m pretty sure I know what he’s going to say. Since it is currently snowing outside as I write this post, I’m guessing winter isn’t planning to leave anytime soon.

Happy Puppy Bowl (and Super Bowl) Sunday!

 

Sadie is super excited for today’s big game! She’s got all her toy footballs ready to play along. But instead of a silly football jersey, Sadie will be playing with her doggie footballs wearing her official Puppy Bowl pink cheerleader uniform!

Once the big game is over, Sadie plans to curl up on the couch and take a nap while the humans watch that other football game. This way she’s nearby when her cheerleading services are needed or when they drop any tasty snacks. Go Patriots!

Getting Ready For the Big Game!

 

Sadie’s trying on her cheerleading outfit so that she’s ready for tomorrow’s big game – the Puppy Bowl!

 

 

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

Winter – #52Snapshots

 

Initially I had a difficult time thinking of a good photo for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme – winter. Last week the best idea I could come up with involved Sadie and some snowman decorations. But then Mother Nature decided to help me out. After weeks and weeks of winter with no snow, my area got two big snowstorms this week. And nothing says winter to me like some photos of my dog playing in the snow. In these particular snapshots, my adventurous pup decided to climb a mountain of snow at the end of an evening stroll. I love how proud she looks surveying her kingdom from on top of the world.

This post is part of The Lazy Pit Bull‘s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Sadie’s Ready For Some Football! #GameFace

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

 

 

Sadie’s Shiny New Collar – A Hamilton Collars Review

 

For the last few weeks Sadie has been trying out a shiny new collar, sent to us by the nice people at Hamilton Collars. The collar is very lightweight, yet sturdy, which makes it perfect for everyday wear. It’s adjustable with a six inch differential, so there is plenty of wiggle room to get the right fit. Our new collar is a vibrant pink color called Raspberry, which is perfect for Sadie. All the colors used in Hamilton Collars are fade resistant, so you never have to worry about losing that bright new collar look.

Our Hamilton Collar is made of high quality nylon webbing with standard hard plastic buckles. The buckle seems very sturdy – none of that cheap, flimsy plastic you sometimes find with bargain collars. Plus this collar was designed with an extra safety feature built into the clasp – you need to slide one half of the buckle through the metal ring in order to put the collar on and off. This means that if the collar somehow became unbuckled, it would still remain securely around your pet’s neck until you were able to refasten it. That feature alone makes this a great collar in my opinion – an extra secure collar gives me extra peace of mind.

You can find out more about Hamilton Collars and other products on their website, hamiltonproducts.com.

YourDesignerDog received no monetary compensation for writing this post. We received a free product to try in return for our honest opinion. There were no outside influences or incentives involved in writing this review.

An Average Black and White Photo Session

 

This is an example of a typical photo shoot at my house. When I think Sadie is looking particularly cute and run to get the camera, here’s what happens:

 

 

“Oh no, not the stupid camera again!”

 

 

“Maybe if I don’t look up she’ll go away.”

 

 

“Wait, I think there’s something on my nose.”

 

 

“Are we done yet?”

 

 

“Hey look, my squeaky ball!”

 

 

“Yoink! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

 

 

“Ok, now I’m happy. I’ll look at your silly camera.”

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Dream – #52Snapshots

 

This week’s 52 Snapshots of Life theme is dream. I think that Sadie dreams quite frequently. I often notice that when she sleeps she moves her paws around like she’s running or twitches her nose like she’s sniffing. What I wouldn’t give to know what Sadie dreams about!

 

 

This post is part of The Lazy PitBull’s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Sadie’s DIY Office Bed

Working at our office can get pretty boring for Sadie, even with all the toys she’s got all over the place. So some days I try to make things more interesting for her. I had just finished using the last ream of paper from the box and was setting up the empty container for recycling when Sadie came to investigate what I was doing. She started sniffing around, and then stepped into the overturned box lid and sat down. That’s when Sadie’s Grandfather and I realized that the box lid was exactly the right size for Sadie to lie down. We brought over some stuffed toys for pillows and a nice blanket. As soon as I placed the blanket over Sadie, she laid down and got comfy. Within minutes she was fast asleep. Of course Sadie has multiple fluffy dog beds around the office, but we correctly predicted that a box lid would be a far more exciting place for a nap that day.

 

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.
   

 

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.  

 

Snowman Snuggle

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

I Wasn’t Done With Those Sheets Yet!

Over the weekend I changed the sheets on my bed. It’s part of my usual weekend routine, something Sadie has watched me do a zillion times. She usually either ignores the process or gets really nervous because she has some treat buried in the bed that I have to rescue before removing the sheets. But for some reason things went a little differently during this weekend’s chore.

While Sadie sat nearby supervising, I took the old sheets off the bed and tossed them in a pile on the floor. Then I got the clean sheets out of the closet and made up the bed. At this point Sadie showed no interest in anything I was doing. But then I had to go to the basement to get an empty laundry basket from our laundry room. When I came back up the stairs I found Sadie like this:

She had buried herself in the pile of sheets on the floor! Normally Sadie doesn’t even bother to sniff the sheets at the end of our chores, but this time she decided to hide herself in them. I pulled the top sheet off of her eyes and took a few pictures, but I didn’t want to disturb her too much. She just looked so cute and cozy buried in those flannel sheets! After getting my fill of photos, I left Sadie alone and she fell asleep. She ended up napping in those sheets for over an hour!

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Black and White Sunday #40

 

I tried out a new app this week to turn some Sadie photos into an animated gif. I think it turned out pretty cute!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Joyful – #52Snapshots

 

So I’ve tried all week to come up with some joyful photos of Sadie for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Challenge. She looked kinda happy when I gave her a treat. She looked more relieved than happy when I came home from the store. She looked temporarily happy when I gave her a new toy. But only one thing makes her face light up with pure joy – catching one of her little squeaky balls. Sorry if I sound like a broken record, always talking about her obsession with this toy, but I just want to give an honest idea of life here with Sadie. And in all honesty, playing catch and taking photos of Sadie everyday brings more joy to both our lives than anything else.

This post is part of The Lazy Pitbull’s #52Snapshots of Life Challenge.

Cold Weather Walk Alternatives

 

The cold weather is hitting hard right now in many parts of the US and that makes walking your four legged friends much more difficult. Not only do you not want to go out in such frigid weather, but in some places it’s so cold that it’s literally too dangerous to go out for a walk. So I’ve been trying to come up with some alternatives to outdoor walks to get Sadie the exercise she (and I) needs. Here are a few of the options I’ve considered:

The treadmill is always a great option for humans and pets to get some walking done indoors. Unfortunately Sadie and I don’t have a treadmill at the moment, so I don’t know much about the process of actually using one with your dog, but most professionals suggest utilizing this tool if it’s available. However, Sadie has created her own treadmill alternative exercise for herself at home, which is both adorable and effective. You can read about Sadie’s treadmill alternative here.

Take your dog for a walk around the mall. Here in NJ, we’ve got dozens of indoor shopping centers all over the state where people go just to walk around and get some indoor exercise. At the mall closest to my house, I’m allowed to walk with Sadie on a leash. According to mall security, leashed dogs are allowed with you in all common areas of the mall, except the food court, as long as you are respectful of other patrons and clean up after and control your dog. Dogs are allowed in some of the stores, depending on rules of the individual store. The mall is a great place to walk as long as your dog doesn’t mind crowds of people and noise. You can check with the security guards at your local mall to see if they allow leashed dogs.

Make a game of going up and down the stairs. If you’ve got a safe staircase in your home that your dog is comfortable climbing, you can use that as a tool for cold weather exercise. If you want exercise yourself, then you can just go up and down the stairs, calling your dog with you to make sure he or she follows you up and down. If you get tired, you can throw a toy down the stairs for your dog to go get, then call your dog back up the stairs and throw the toy down again. Make sure you remove the toy from the staircase when exercise time is over, because you don’t want someone to trip and fall over a toy on the stairs.

 

Sadie and I will continue to brainstorm other fun exercise alternatives during this cold, crappy weather. We’ll let you know if we come up with any other interesting ideas. And we’d love to hear any ideas you have, so feel free to leave a suggestion below!

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Blooper-palooza!

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

 

Is That a Dinosaur Bone?

 

Someone gave Sadie a bone this week that is so big I think it must have come from a dinosaur! She had an absolute blast carrying it around, burying and re-burying it all over the house. Normally I would worry about her eating a treat that large, but by the time Sadie settled down to nibble on the bone, she was exhausted. After only a minute or two gnawing away, Sadie fell asleep with the bone still in her paws!

 

 

Black and White Sunday #39

 

Sadie’s been enjoying getting reacquainted with snow this weekend.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Music – #52Snapshots

 

Today I am joining The Lazy Pitbull’s 52 Snapshots of Life photo challenge. Each week there is a one word theme to use as inspiration for taking some new photographs. This week, which is the 2nd week of the challenge, is about music.

I don’t know about other dogs, but Sadie is not at all interested in music.

I turn on the radio or MP3 player and Sadie couldn’t care less.

She doesn’t even look up when the cell phones or landlines are playing their songs.

Music from the TV or computer is totally uninteresting to Sadie.

Sadie does pay attention when the doorbell starts making music, but she sees that as part of her doggie job description.

There is only one sound that is actually music to Sadie’s ears…

…the squeaking of her beloved little squeaky basketball.

 

 

Gingerbread Catch

With the holiday season at an end, Sadie and I have been slowly working on putting away all of our Christmas decorations. I absolutely love decorating for the holidays, but I try to put off un-decorating for as long as possible. So in the spirit of procrastination, I decided Sadie should have one last hurrah before we put away her Gingerbread House. Here are some of the highlights from our game of Gingerbread catch:

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

  This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

Yorkipoo Weightlifting

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Black and White Sunday #38

Sadie’s been trying to catch up on some sleep after a fun and exciting holiday season. After all of my New Year’s celebrations, I will be joining Sadie for some extra naps this weekend too.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

Happy 2015!

Here’s Sadie with her very own version of a New Year’s Eve ball!

Hope you all enjoyed New Year’s Eve. Best wishes for a wonderful 2015! Thanks for all your support, encouragement, and kind words in 2014. Can’t wait to see if 2015 can be even better!

Sadie and I made two resolutions for the New Year: to exercise more and to be more social.

Have you made any resolutions for 2015?

 

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

  This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

 

New Year’s Celebration

Sadie is clearly enjoying her celebrations. Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve too!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

A New Use For Old Wrapping Paper

Sadie has discovered that used wrapping paper makes a great place to bury a bone.  Unfortunately she buried it a little too well – I had to rescue Sadie’s treat when she couldn’t find her needle in the haystack.

Look Mom, I Can Make Confetti!

In this flashback photo, mischievous puppy Sadie has decided that we need more confetti for New Year’s Eve. After getting her paws on some tissues, she makes great progress in rectifying the situation.

 

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

MY Present – No Touching!

Yes? What do you want?

 

What? I’m just sitting here chewing on my present…

 

NO TOUCHING!

 

Sorry! I got a little carried away…

 

 

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Merry Christmas 2014!

Sadie and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

 

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

  This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Waiting For Santa Paws…

 

Merry Christmas Eve!

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Sadie’s Gingerbread House!

 

Sadie is pleased to show off another early Christmas present – a Gingerbread House! While I was making this year’s Christmas cookies, Sadie was hanging out in her cookie house!

And to go with the Gingerbread House…a Gingerbread Sadie!

Continue reading →

No Peeking!

Over the last few day I’ve been working on wrapping Christmas presents. I’ve got a few gifts for friends and family under the tree, along with one present for Sadie. Dog toys are really annoying to wrap, in my opinion, since they are oddly shaped. Plus if I accidentally squeak the toy during the wrapping process, Sadie comes running over, begging for the new toy. So I usually put off wrapping Sadie’s toys until the very last minute, hence only one of her presents being under the tree at this point.

Anyway, Sadie wakes up from a nap and notices that there are now presents under the tree. She goes over and gives each one a thorough sniff inspection. Suddenly she starts tearing and clawing at one, trying to get it open. Of the dozen or so presents under the tree, Sadie has found the only one for her and decided to open it. Since it is Sadie’s present, she’s already ruined the wrapping paper, and she seems so excited about unwrapping it, I let her have her fun. Sadie finally gets the toy free and starts running around the room shaking it, celebrating her victory. And that’s when I notice what the toy actually is – a present shaped rope toy with the words “No Peeking” on it. I found it absolutely hilarious – Sadie decided to open early the one present that’s actually labeled no peeking until Christmas!

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

Sepia Saturday #27

Me: “Sadie, you look so adorable cuddled up with those bunnies.”

Sadie: “What bunnies?”

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

An Ugly Christmas Sweater Flashback Friday

In these flashback photos from her first Christmas, Sadie is modeling a lovely example of an ugly Christmas sweater. Looks like it’s pretty tiring work being so cute and Christmas-y.
 

Continue reading →

Preparing Your Pets For Meeting Children

 

If you live in a household without any kids, than your pets may not have spent much time with children. Sadie, for example, has played a bit with one little girl whose parents work next to our office, but she hasn’t had any experience dealing with multiple little kids. But with the holidays approaching, I know Sadie will be meting a number of little relatives for the first time. So we’ve been doing a few simple exercises to try to prepare for little kid behavior.

Continue reading →

Assistant Decorator

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

 

Sadie’s First Airplane Ride!

Last week Sadie joined me on a very exciting adventure – her first airplane ride! It’s only a 2 hour flight from here to Florida, so I thought this would be a good first flight for Sadie to take. We flew on JetBlue, so Sadie was able to ride with me as my carry-on bag. I just had to make sure that she was in a soft-sided carrier that met the airline under-seat requirements, which I’ve heard are a little stricter than other airlines. I also brought along Sadie’s vaccination records and a certificate of good health from her vet just in case someone at the airport or hotels asked to see them (no one asked, but better safe than sorry).
Continue reading →

Outdoor Dining Mischief

As you may know, Sadie and I spent last week on vacation in Florida. One of the best perks of that vacation location is the warm weather, allowing for outdoor dining. At home in New Jersey, Sadie has never had the chance to eat at an actual restaurant with me. But in Florida we ate at restaurants every night. I really enjoyed Sadie’s company as a dinner companion, but no meal ended without a little Sadie mischief.

Continue reading →

Random Sadie Photos #6

 

Random Sadie Photos #5

 

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #4

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #3

 

Random Sadie Photos #2

 

 

Random Sadie Photos #1

 

A Birthday Vacation!

 

Today is my 30th birthday! To celebrate this momentous occasion, Sadie and I are taking a family vacation. As you are reading this, my family and I, including Sadie, will already be in sunny Florida for a week long stay. Since I will be traveling unplugged this time, with no tablet or laptop for blogging, I’ve scheduled a week of random photo posts for you to enjoy. Next week I’ll be back to tell you all about our trip!

 

 

Is Obsession Contageous?

As you all know by now, Sadie is completely obsessed with her little squeaky balls. Every night, if she’s in possession of a functioning squeaker, Sadie will squeak constantly for an hour or two. She’ll run around the house, squeaking, rolling, dropping, and chasing that ball until she’s exhausted. She also tries to get me involved in the process, giving me the ball to throw, asking me to play catch, losing the ball under furniture so I have to come rescue it, etc. After months of this cycle, I have realized that the quickest way to tire Sadie out and get her to stop squeaking for the night is to play catch with her for as long as possible. And during these nightly games of catch, I’ve developed an obsession of my own. I can’t seem to stop taking pictures of Sadie catching the ball. I just love the way these action shots look. When I get photos ready for this blog, I rename them with a description and number, and right now I am up to catch photo number 43. And those are the photos good enough for the blog, so you cam imagine how many hundreds of others I’ve taken to get 43 awesome pictures. So it would seem that Sadie’s squeaky ball obsession is contagious enough to infect me with my own obsession.

 

 

This post is part of Rascal and Rocco‘s Pet Parade blog hop.

 

Tips For Taking the Perfect Picture of Your Pet

The holidays are fast approaching, which means it’s time to start thinking about your holiday cards. If you’re anything like me, then you definitely want your pets included on your cards. But sometimes it can be extremely difficult to take a picture of your pets that’s worthy of sharing to all your friends and family. So today I’m sharing my top tips for taking a shareworthy photo of your pets.

Continue reading →

Where Did I Put That Note?

 

At the office Sadie sometimes makes herself useful as a sticky note holder.

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Sneaky Squirrel!

Squirrels are such mischievous critters! Even Sadie’s squeaky squirrel was being mischievous this week. Somehow it snuck out of the house and ended up outside on the patio chair.

Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #36

A tiring game of pretzel catch…

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Sepia Saturday #26

Sadie hitched a ride with the storage tote taxi service yesterday. I was headed downstairs to fill the empty storage container with Thanksgiving decorations, when Sadie started whining and pawing at my leg, begging me not to leave without her. Since I needed both hands to carry the storage tub and Sadie refuses to walk down the bare wooden stairs, I could only think of one solution. So into the storage container she went. Sadie was very well behaved during her ride, sitting still so she didn’t jostle the storage tub. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, Sadie popped up and started licking me. I guess that was my tip for being a good taxi driver!

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

Have a Thankful Thanksgiving!

Just a quick note today from Sadie and I wishing all of you in the U.S. a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you are having a wonderful day filled with food, friends, and family!

 

This post if part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

    This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog. 

 

 

Slipper Season

Although this weekend has been something of a reprieve from the cold weather around here, I know this mildness won’t last. So I spent some time getting ready for the cold. I’ve now got my winter coat and Sadie’s winter harness and jacket hanging by the door. My short sleeve shirts have been moved to the upper, hard to reach rack in the closet. And my fuzzy socks and slippers have come out of storage.

 

I know many people wear slippers around the house year-round, but I usually prefer to be barefoot when I can. But Sadie rejoices at this time of year when I finally give in to the cold weather and break out the slippers. It doesn’t truly feel like winter is coming until I’ve got a Yorkipoo chasing me around the house trying to steal my slippers. Of course I remind Sadie every year that my slippers are not toys, but at least once a week she “forgets” and attacks my feet until I give her a slipper. Then she celebrates her victory by shaking the slipper around in her mouth a few times. Once she’s satisfied that the slipper has learned its lesson, she gives it back to me. It makes me wonder if Sadie thinks she is protecting me from my misbehaving footwear.  If so, I appreciate her good intentions, but I’m pretty sure she’s causing more mischief with the slippers than she’s preventing.

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog hop hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies.

 

 

Black and White Sunday #35

Looks like Sadie’s back in the box again. On Wednesday she had trouble finding her way out. But now she’s such a pro she can go through her cardboard box tunnel backwards!

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

Sepia Saturday Bars

Normally bars and dogs mean trouble, i.e. doggy jail. But these bars make Sadie feel happy and safe. These bars are from the railing around our backyard deck. Sadie loves exploring the backyard everyday, but only for about ten minutes at a time. After ten minutes Sadie wants to get onto the cleaner, higher ground of the deck. From there she can easily patrol the yard and monitor any activity nearby. She can even see over the fences into the neighbors’ yards from that vantage point. But what Sadie loves most of all is that when she’s standing on the deck and I’m on the grass, she is exactly the same height as me – perfect for doggy kisses.

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

I Love My Dog Shampoo!

 

Let me start this out by saying that I was always perfectly happy with Sadie’s current shampoo. I’ve tried many brands, but someone in the family usually had an issue with the smell or some allergen relating to other shampoos. So I’ve always just stuck to the same puppy shampoo I’ve used on her since day one, with no plans to change brands. Until now. After trying I Love My Dog shampoo by Lovely Fresh I’ve realized that I was just settling for any old shampoo. But not anymore. From now on Sadie will be using I Love My Dog Shampoo during every bath.

 

Basic facts:

• All natural
• Uses neem oil and oatmeal to soothe sensitive skin
• A 17oz bottle costs $14.95 on Amazon
• Made in the USA!
• 100% money back satisfaction guarantee

 

Continue reading →

Which Way Out?

Should I go this way?

 

 

Or maybe this way?

 

Yay! I found the way out!

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.


 

 

An After the Adventure Routine

 

After a recent adventure with Sadie that involved her plowing through piles of leaves at a park, I’ve realized that it would be helpful to establish a routine for coming home after being outdoors. I noticed in the car on our way home that Sadie had some kind of burr stuck in her front paw, a twig stuck to one back paw, and the other back paw was covered with tree sap. Clearly I needed to get Sadie cleaned up, stat. But she was still keyed up from the adventure and so excited to be home that she was running around like crazy and playing keep away. I was glad that she was happy and had fun on our adventure, but now that we were home it was time to clean up and relax. So I’ve decided to institute a routine for coming home from an adventure so that Sadie knows it’s time to calm down and relax and I can make sure we’re both healthy and happy.

 

Sadie’s After the Adventure Routine:

 

Step one – Potty break:

As soon as we get home I take Sadie to her favorite bathroom spot. She gets shy in public places, so even though we may have spent the day outside, Sadie still may want to go once we’re home.

 

Step two – water:

Sadie absolutely refuses to drink water outdoors in unfamiliar places. It’s just another of her strange quirks that I have to deal with. Typically I can get her to drink some water once we’re back in the car, but usually it’s not enough. Therefore, as soon as we get home, I get her fresh new water and make sure she rehydrates.

 

Step three – dog check:

Since I have to lift Sadie in and out of the car, I happened to notice the burr, twigs, and sap stuck to her the other day. If she was a larger dog that just jumps into the car, who knows how long it would have taken me to find out. Sadie did not complain at all about anything stuck to her, which amazed me since it hurt my fingers just getting the burr out of her fur. So when you go out with your dog, it’s a good idea to give them a once-over after you get back home. You never know if they might have stepped in/on something or might have something caught in their fur.

 

Step four – treat and relax:

There is no better end to an exciting, exhausting adventure than to sit down and relax at home with a nice treat. That goes for both the humans and the dogs in my opinion.

 

It’s exciting to get out there with your dog and explore new places. But it’s always nice to come home again. Once you’re home you want to rest, relax and get comfy. With a routine similar to this, you can help to keep your dog healthy and happy after an exciting adventure and show him or her when it’s time to settle down.

 

This post is part of the Adventure Dog blog hop hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany’s Diamond Dogs.

 

The Dog Ate My Homework!

 

The old excuse “the dog ate my homework” is making a lot more sense to me now. Although I don’t have homework anymore, I do have important paperwork for my job. And this week Sadie decided to destroy some of it. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me to capture the carnage, so I’ll just have to describe to you what happened.

 

It all started with a treat at our office. I gave Sadie a snack at work, but she wasn’t hungry at that moment, so she decided to bury the treat on the shelf under the printer. Throughout the course of the day I put some paperwork on the same shelf, not realizing that I covered her treat. Eventually Sadie decided she was hungry. She went looking for her treat, but couldn’t see it. She could, however, smell the treat. Sadie knew it must be under the papers somewhere, so she started digging. I did hear the sounds of Sadie digging, but didn’t think anything of it at the time. Meanwhile the papers got all scrunched up around the treat as a result of Sadie’s efforts and then started to tear. I immediately went to investigate the sound of tearing paper, but by then it was too late to save the pages. So I just watched as Sadie got her teeth involved, ripping the papers in hopes of freeing her treat. In no time at all Sadie was happily munching on her treat amidst the wreckage of my paperwork. I found the whole situation hilarious, although it probably wouldn’t have been so funny if I couldn’t just reprint all my damaged papers.

 

On a more serious note, I’m lucky that all Sadie tore apart was paper. Many other common household items can be harmful for your pets if ingested. Check out PetPlan Insurance’s helpful guide called “Eat This, Not That” for more information on edible hazards.

 

This post is part of the Monday Mischief Pet Blog Hop.

 

Bad Hair Day – Black and White Sunday #34

 

 

Looks like Sadie needs some serious combing after her bath today!

 

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

Sepia Saturday #24

Sadie and I did some more exploring last weekend. I’m glad we got one more good adventure in before the weather turned really cold. This time we went walking around a pond. You actually couldn’t see the water at all because of the tall plants completely surrounding the whole thing. It was driving Sadie nuts to smell a pond, but not see it at all. She kept trying to burrow through all the vegetation to get down to the water. Eventually I picked her up so she could perch on this rock and stay out of trouble.

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

The Cash for Christmas Giveaway!

I’m sure everyone can use a little extra cash during the holiday season (I know I can since I always spend more than I should on doggie gifts), so Sadie and I joined with other wonderful bloggers to bring you this giveaway opportunity!

Tammy from My Life Abundant and Tammy from Creative K Kids have gotten together with a few of our bloggie friends to have a giveaway!

We are so excited to be giving away $250 in cash prizes for you to use starting Thanksgiving weekend.  Here are the prizes:

1 – $100 Amazon Gift Card
1 – $50 Target Gift Card
2 – $25 Walmart Gift Card
1 – $20 Kohl’s Gift Card

Amazing. Right? Well, what’s a gift card and getting up early, early to shop if you can’t focus on your shopping.  

So how about we add a $5.00 Starbucks gift card to each one of the prizes above!!

But wait. There is one more prize.

1 – $5 Starbucks Gift Card

Now its time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

Starting at the top row we have:

Kim of KidPep | Jody of Mom ‘N Daughter Savings | Penny of Penny’s Passion | Jeanne of Home Garden Joy | Leticia of Desafio In The City | Barb of A Life in Balance | Tricia of The Good Mamma | Mary of Your Designer Dog Blog | Alecia  of Detours in Life, Family Vacay, Family Time Travelers | Katie of The Ramblings of an Overtired Mama | Michelle of On A Wing and A Prayer | Lauren of Heart of Deborah | Christine of Your Strong Tower | Lindze  of Interior Fun | Michelle of The Happiness Blogger | Stacy of A Moment in our World | Nikki of MBA SAHM | Paula of Beauty Through Imperfection | Sarah of Mommy of Two | Scarlett of Scarlett’s Excellent Adventures

Please stop by and say hi to these wonderful ladies and their blogs.

The giveaway will end midnight on Wednesday, November 26th, the night before Thanksgiving.  You will have 48 hours to respond to the email claiming the prize.  If you respond right away, we will get you the gift card promptly so that you can shop with it on Black Friday!  If we don’t hear in 48 hours, we will choose another winner. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fall Frolic

With the weather turning cold and snowy, it’s starting to feel more like Winter than Fall around here. So today I’ve decided to post some pictures of Sadie enjoying the natural beauty of the Fall season. She had a blast this year frolicking through all the colorful leaves. Watching my little girl joyously romping around the yard actually made the task of raking leaves a little more bearable this year. I didn’t even mind too much when she messed up my leaf piles 🙂

Continue reading →

Ribbit, Ribbit

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Black and White Sunday #33

 

This was Sadie’s idea of fetching the newspaper for me. I pointed to the local newspaper on the floor and told her to bring it to me, but I guess Sadie thought it was a better idea to lie down on the paper. She even got her squeaky ball and squeaked for a while on top of the newspaper! Hopefully there’s no important news this weekend, because it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting my paper back anytime soon.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Sepia Saturday #23

 

Sadie’s enjoying a restful Saturday catching up on her beauty sleep. Hope you all find some time to relax this weekend too!

 

This post is part of the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl’s World.

 

 

Royal Service

 

 

Sadie’s princess dog bowl was very appropriate yesterday when I served her royal highness some water in bed. And by bed of course I’m referring to my bed, because the princess has to have the best bed in the house.
Continue reading →

Cuddle Up With a Buddy Blanket Comforter!

The weather is getting colder around our house, and where Sadie had been looking for a cool floor to sleep on, she is now looking for warm, cozy spots. This is the perfect time of year for Sadie to snuggle up with her Buddy Blanket Comforter. The Buddy Blanket Comforter is a down comforter, made especially for dogs and cats. It’s just as fluffy, comfy, and warm as your typical made-for-humans down comforter, but it’s sized perfectly for your pets.

Continue reading →

Watch Out, Rubber Ducky!

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

 

 

Tissue Tongue!

 

Sadie has gone #TongueOut today after some hard work destroying those tissues. I like to let her indulge in a little harmless mischief once in a while to get those destructive urges out of her system and she always has a blast going crazy with the tissues.

 

P.S. – Sorry for the short post, but I’ve been dealing with some technical issues (Maybe you’ve noticed the random streaky line that appeared on the blog’s homepage?). Hopefully I’ll get everything looking better than ever soon.

 

Black and White Sunday #32

 

I told Sadie I could use some extra sleep today, so she used her magic wand to make time go backward one hour. Enjoy your extra hour today and remember to change all your clocks because daylight savings time is over.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

5 Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween!

 

Halloween can be a fun and exciting day for both humans and pets. But Halloween also brings many potential dangers for your pets. So today I’m sharing my top five tips on how to keep your pets safe so everyone can enjoy a Happy Halloween!
Continue reading →

It’s Almost Halloween!

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

 

I Want Candy!

Like most dogs, Sadie always comes to investigate the smell of food. But unlike most dogs, Sadie often rejects what she’s smelling as something she doesn’t want to eat. For example, Sadie knows and is not interested in the smell of chocolate. That is one quirk I’m very thankful for, especially at this time of year. Sadie will hear me opening a bag and unwrapping something and come to investigate. As soon as she smells that all I’ve got is boring old chocolate, she goes back to whatever she was doing. But if the chocolate is mixed with other smells, like candy with peanut butter or coconut, that is a different story. It always takes some convincing for Sadie to understand that even though it smells like peanut butter, it is still not for dogs.
Continue reading →

Photo Avoidance Mischief

 

This weekend it took me over fifty attempts to get the above photo. Sadie was sitting on the front steps, watching the humans do more yard work. Something about her pose struck me as cute, so I decided I would take a picture of her. I put down my rake for what I thought would be a couple seconds to snap a photo, and didn’t pick it up again for twenty minutes. Sadie was just absolutely refusing to be photographed. She must have tried every avoidance technique she could think of, from running down the stairs to get away to scratching at the door to get back in the house. She stubbornly refused to look at the camera, and when that didn’t stop me from trying to get a good picture, she got more mischievous. Sadie started looking at the camera, and then as soon as she heard the camera focus, she quickly looked away, leaving me with lots of blurry photos. In the end I just had to be more stubborn than Sadie and kept trying until I finally got the perfect photo.
Continue reading →

Get Creative with Jolly Awesome Pet Tags!

It should come as no surprise that I love custom dog-related products, especially those that use photos of Sadie. So when I heard about Jolly Awesome Pet Tags, I knew I had to try them. At JollyAwesomePetTags.com, you can design custom tags for your pets, using your own photos, clip art, text, etc. I spent about an hour having fun designing three custom tags for Sadie and I just love how they turned out!

Continue reading →

My Little Pumpkin

Today I’ve decided to share some #ThrowbackThursday pictures of my little pumpkin’s first Halloween. Unfortunately we didn’t get to celebrate much that year as Hurricane Sandy put a damper on our fun. But Sadie still made quite an adorable pumpkin, even if no one got to see her.
Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #30

 

Sadie is hanging out with more of our Fall flowers as we continue gardening this weekend. Judging by that tongue of hers, I think she’s getting bored with flowers and bulbs.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Fluttering Around the Garden

 

Sadie and I have been gardening these last few days. We’ve been working in the flower beds in front of the house, planting bulbs for next Spring. While I know that the effort will be worthwhile when I see those beautiful blossoms in Spring, I can’t help but feel that right now it’s thankless work. Sadie keeps looking at me like I’m crazy, wondering why I’m making so many holes and burying such weird things that don’t even smell good. So in order to counteract the delayed gratification of planting bulbs, I decided to also buy some Fall flowers already in bloom. I planted some purplish Asters and reddish Mums in our little planter box on the deck. Sadie was very interested in our new floral decorations. She wouldn’t stop hovering over them once they were in place, and I joked that she was my little butterfly attracted to the new flowers. And then I realized that she really could be my butterfly; the Halloween items were out of storage and her butterfly costume was just inside the next room. So I ran and grabbed the costume and had a little Sadie butterfly photo shoot with our new flowers.

 

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

  This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

 

Pumpkin Perching!

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

 

Do Your Pets Have Allergies? Find Out with ImmuneIQ!

Just like humans, many of our canine and feline companions suffer from allergies. They can get the same itchy skin, watery eyes, and runny noses that many people suffer through, along with uncomfortable disgestive issues or ear infections. It can be tough for humans to identify the specific triggers for their own allergies. You may need to have many conversations with your doctor, endure dozens of testing needles, spend hundreds or thousands of dollars, and still have to figure out your triggers with trial and error. Now imagine how tough that would be for a dog or cat that can’t describe their symptoms or pinpoint exactly when or where the allergic reaction began. The at-home testing kit from ImmuneIQ makes discovering the possible causes for your pets’ allergies much easier.
Continue reading →

Sadie’s First Trip to a Dog-Friendly Hotel

During our travels a couple of weeks ago, Sadie and I spent part of that time staying in a hotel. This was quite an adventure, as this was Sadie’s first ever time in a hotel. I was a little nervous about how Sadie would respond to her new environment, but overall I was very proud of my pup.

Continue reading →

Best For My Pets Bully Sticks Review

As most of you know, Sadie is a very picky eater. I’m always on the lookout for low fat, nutritious treats for Sadie to try. I had heard before that most dogs enjoy bully sticks, but with Sadie’s pickiness and the generally high cost of those types of treats, I never wanted buy them with the chance that Sadie wouldn’t eat them. So when I was given the opportunity by Best For My Pets to review their bully sticks, I jumped at the chance. And I’m glad I did, because Sadie loves them!
Continue reading →

I Bet You Can’t Do This!

 

Do you remember that day as a kid when a friend or classmate realized most people can’t touch their tongue to their nose? And everyone spent hours trying to force their tongues to their noses to prove him or her wrong? Sadie makes it look so easy in this photo, but no matter how hard I tried as a child, my tongue was never long enough. It makes me smile when I see this picture and remember silly childhood days like that.

 

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

My Pretty Girl

 

 

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

An Interview with the Amazing Artist Ruth Oosterman

 

Sadie is officially a model now! She is the newest subject of a fabulous watercolor portrait by the artist Ruth Oosterman. I was so excited to get this portrait in the mail last week! Sadie looks beautiful, the colors are brilliant, and I love how the watercolor gives the portrait a whimsical feel. I recently had the opportunity to speak to Ruth about her portrait work. I found it very interesting to hear about animals from an artistic perspective. Read on to find the interview, some beautiful portraits created by Ruth, and a special surprise at the end!
Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #20

 

When Sadie wants a treat or a bite of something I’m eating and I won’t hand it over immediately, Sadie goes into her ready position. She knows that I want her to earn the treat, so she sits down and looks up at me, awaiting orders. I love to stay quiet for a minute or two to see Sadie’s adorable reaction. Since she doesn’t know what command I’m planning to give, Sadie just launches into a quick summary version of every command she can think of.  She stands up, lies down, rolls around, speaks, gives me her paws, spins in circles, etc.; all in fifteen seconds flat. I like to think of it as my ‘no command’ command.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Flashback Friday Bloopers

 

On this Flashback Friday I’ve decided to show you a few of Sadie’s puppy pictures that didn’t turn out quite the way I planned. Every time I come across these photos I giggle, but I’ve never thought about showing them to others until now. Hopefully some of these will put a smile on your faces too.

 

 

 

 

This post is part of Rascal and Rocco‘s Pet Parade blog hop.

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Incoming!

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

Black and White Sunday #19

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

Sadie’s been watching the world from the couch this weekend. I spent yesterday running around the house cleaning and organizing things, while Sadie supervised from her perch.
Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #18 – Teeth

 

 

 

Yesterday I was seeing a lot of these pearly whites, but unfortunately it was not in the happy, smiling Sadie way. I was out most of yesterday afternoon at a dog and cat adoption charity event. I wish I could have taken Sadie, but she would have been terrified of the huge crowd, and I would have spent the whole time worrying about her. I knew Sadie would have a better time at home hanging out with her Grandparents and playing with her Uncle, who is visiting from out of town this weekend. At one point I spoke to my family, who said Sadie was happily running around and playing and chasing her toys.
Continue reading →

Turn Your Best Pet Photo into a Canvas Print with CanvasHQ

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

I am constantly taking new pictures of Sadie, and am always excited to find new ways to display my best photos. One of my recent discoveries is CanvasHQ. I was able to turn one of my Sadie photos into a wall-art quality canvas print. This is an 11×14 canvas print of Sadie and I the day we went to the Cherry Blossom festival. Who knew Sadie and I would look so good on canvas?
Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #17

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 Little miss Sadie, all sweet and adorable. How can you resist that face?

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Happy 4th of July from my Patriotic Pup!

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

Sadie and I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!

Hope you can all enjoy a long weekend full of relaxing, barbecues, and fireworks. It’s a great time of year to spend some quality time with friends and family, both human and furry alike. Just remember to keep your pets close after dark – fireworks can be pretty scary when you don’t understand what they are.
Continue reading →

Night Walk Safety

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Summer is in full swing, which means the days are hotter and longer. Most people are spending more time outdoors, which is wonderful for everyone involved, especially your dogs. Now when you get home from work late, there is usually enough light left for a quick walk with your dog. Or maybe you and your furry companion enjoy an evening stroll, when the temperature cools down just enough to be comfortable. Personally I prefer sunset walks with Sadie. But whether you intentionally set out on a nighttime walk, or you stay out longer than expected and lose the light, it is important to be prepared to walk your dog safely after dark. And the key to night walk safety is visibility.
Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #16

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 Sadie and I were relaxing out on our deck this weekend when she noticed something interesting.

Continue reading →

Be Careful With Your Medication!

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

I’ve noticed lately quite a few commercials on TV about making sure your prescription drugs are out of reach of your teenagers and children. But is everyone making sure all medication is out of reach of your pets? I’m sure you all realize that if your pet accidentally eats medication of any kind, you need to seek immediate veterinary assistance. Most common human medications are poisonous to animals. But what about medication safely stored in childproof bottles? If the bottle is out on a counter or table, your pet can get it. And childproof does not mean puppyproof. Continue reading →

5 Tips for a Positive Training Experience

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Today I’ve decided to join the new Training Tips Tuesday blog hop. As it’s my first time joining this blog hop, I decided to share some basic dog training principles that I always like to consider when working with Sadie.

T – Treats

R – Repetition

A – Applause

 I – Instincts

N – Nurture

Continue reading →

Summer is Blooming

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

Summer is officially here!

Continue reading →

A Not So Temporary Obsession

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

Four nights ago I gave Sadie a new toy. Just a little squeaky rubber ball, not much different from various others she has. But this one is a miniature basketball, so it has that bumpy texture. Whether it’s the texture, or some other reason, as soon as I gave Sadie that ball, she became obsessed with it. Normally when I give Sadie a new toy, she plays with it excitedly for ten or fifteen minutes, and then either breaks the toy or gets bored. But not this time. This time she cannot get enough of her mini squeaky basketball.
That first night she was squeaking it obsessively for over four hours, only breaking when she convinced me to throw the ball for her. She didn’t even mind me taking pictures of her during our game of catch. Normally she blinks or turns away when the focus light flashes on the camera, but that night she didn’t want to take her eyes off the ball.

For the first two hours I thought her obsession was pretty cute. I was glad she was enjoying her new toy. But four hours went by and the squeaking continued. Then I wanted to go to bed, but the squeaking continued. Once I was in bed and stopped paying any attention to Sadie, she devised a new way to keep me playing. I did not appreciate her new game. She would squeak the ball a few times, and then hit it with her paw, purposely directing it under the couch. Now she knows I won’t let her get things that fall under the couch, because I’m terrified her head will get stuck. So I’m forced to get out of bed and go rescue the ball, or I’ll have nightmares of her head stuck under the couch all night. She did this twice before I decided to lock her in the bedroom with me.

So then she was trapped in the bedroom with me and she still wouldn’t settle down and leave the ball alone for the night. She came up on the bed, squeaked the ball a few times, then dropped it off the side of the bed. Then she whined and looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to retrieve the ball for her. When I got the ball for her, she jumped back on the bed and repeated the process. Eventually I refused to get the ball, and when she jumped off to get it herself, I took away her doggy stairs so she couldn’t come up on the bed and do it again. But Sadie wouldn’t let that stop her fun. She began to squeak the toy incessantly again, until she knocked it under the dresser. Then I had to get up and get it for her because, just like the couch, I’d have nightmares of her little head getting stuck under there. Immediately I blocked the dresser with some cardboard so the ball couldn’t get under there again. But five minutes later Sadie was crying again. She’d managed to move the cardboard over enough to get her ball to sneak past and roll under the dresser. By that point birds were chirping and the sky was beginning to lighten, so I needed to put an end to the craziness for good. I felt bad, but I took the ball away and hid it. By the time I fell asleep, Sadie was still crying and searching the house for her beloved ball.

Now it’s four days later and the obsession continues. I give her the ball every morning, and then have to take it away when I’m ready for bed at night. I’m glad that she’s having so much fun and getting good exercise running after the ball all day, but she still insists on purposely directing the ball under any nearby piece of furniture. I’ve tried various methods of barricading the furniture, but so far she keeps finding holes in my defenses. If this continues much longer I’m going to need a better plan…

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.
This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop brought to you by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is Being Owned By a Husky.

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Black and White Sunday #14

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

 

Here’s Sadie from a few months ago, clearly needing a haircut. It’s been getting pretty hot here this week, so I’m glad Sadie has her summer haircut and doesn’t have to deal with the extra fur in the heat. Do your dogs get a special summer haircut?

****Be sure to stop by the blog tomorrow for the start of an awesome week-long giveaway with over $650 in prizes! You don’t want to miss your chance to enter this giveaway!****

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Sadie Warhol

I had fun with some new photo editing software last night. I call this piece Sadie Warhol.

 

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

 

 

 

 

 

Black and White Sunday #13

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 I’ve interrupted nap time to bring you this adorable picture of my sleepy Sadie.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Continue reading →

Sadie Turns Two Today!

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

Today is Sadie’s 2nd birthday! We are looking forward to a day of celebrating with friends and family. I’m thinking a nice long walk to start the day, if the weather cooperates, followed by a birthday party at home. I’ve got the house decorated with birthday banners and balloons. I’ll be making a nice dinner for everyone, followed by cake and presents. I’ve actually already let Sadie open one present when it turned midnight. She is happily squeaking her new squeaky piece of cake as I’m writing this. Now let’s get this birthday party started!

 

And the winner of Sadie’s May Birthday Giveaway is….
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations to the winner! Hope you enjoy your tote bag!  

 

Thank you to all who entered our very first giveaway! It was definitely a success and I look forward to holding many more giveaways in the future.

 

    This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

 

 

 

Say Aaahhh! #TongueOut Tuesday

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Today Sadie and I decided to join in on the #TongueOut Tuesday fun. I thought it would be cute if I made “Say Aahhhh” a command for Sadie to open her mouth wide and maybe stick out her tongue, like she is doing in the picture above. Turns out Sadie is extremely stubborn about opening her mouth. I’d forgotten my troubles with getting Sadie to open her mouth on command during the early stages of teaching her to play catch, especially since she catches so well now. But when beginning to teach catch, or for the dog to simply open its mouth on command, you are supposed to hold some kind of food or treat above the dog’s mouth. The dog is supposed to automatically open its mouth to receive the food dangling before it. Unfortunately, Sadie reacts differently, as she does in most scenarios. Sadie takes food from humans in a very dainty manner, only opening her mouth a tiny bit so she can grip the very edge of the food with her teeth. Or sometimes she refuses to take the food altogether, until you place it on the floor in front of her. Either way she still won’t open her mouth enough to get my command idea to work. I’m thinking maybe if I catch her yawning enough I can try to put the command to that action, but I’ll need to time it just right. So “Say Aahhhh” is still a work in progress.

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Celebrating 100 Blog Posts – Black and White Sunday #11

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

With this post I hit a milestone for my blog – 100 posts. I know I’m still new and this blog is only four months old, but I think 100 posts is something to celebrate. That means I’ve already shared 100 adorable Sadie photos with the world. I’ve gotten many nice comments, met many great people, and I’ve learned a lot. I can’t wait to see what the next 100 posts will bring. And I think judging by her smiling face in the picture above, Sadie is pretty proud of me.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Happy Mother’s Day – Black and White Sunday #10

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

 

Sadie is giving everyone a big Mother’s Day hug! Take some time today to make sure all the women in your life know how special they are and how much you love and appreciate them. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers everywhere!

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop. Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #9

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

Black and White Sunday #8

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love!

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate the love! Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #7

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

 

 

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love! Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #6

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

Happy Sunday! We successfully completed week one of the A to Z challenge and are enjoying our well-deserved day off.

 

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop. Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #5

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

 

“Mommy, where is this Spring people keep talking about?” – Sadie

It’s still freezing cold here this weekend, so for this black and white Sunday Sadie poses with her winter coat and socks on.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

Black and White Sunday #4

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

Sadie goes a little green on this Black and White Sunday. I had some fun with the color accent settings on one of my cameras on St. Patrick’s Day.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop. Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #3

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

“Rawr! No more pictures, Mom!” – Sadie.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop. Continue reading →

Say Cheese! – Flashback Friday #4

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

This week’s Flashback Friday picture comes from Sadie’s first day at my office. I had a pink puppy playpen setup for her with all kinds of new toys in it to keep her busy. As I write this post while I’m at work, Sadie is sleeping under my desk. She’s so well behaved now that we don’t need the playpen and the distractions to keep her busy. Whenever I look at this picture it makes me smile. Continue reading →

Black and White Sunday #2

Thanks for liking us! Sadie and I really appreciate all the love!

Sadie and I worked on some black and white photography at my office this past week. Here she is sitting in her inflatable chair next to my desk. She loves to be on a higher level whenever possible so she can look around easier. But lately she’s been sitting there becausetype carpeting, you can see the hair on her ears and tail start rising and fanning out. Then if she comes into contact with a person it causes a shock, which scares the heck out of my poor puppy. Continue reading →