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Pru’s Wooftastic Gift Guide 2011: The Giving Tree

5 Dec

Christmas. While usually just thinking about this holiday and the onslaught of presents sends me into a flurry of tail wags and tapping paws. The humans say I’m selfish for only caring about what’s given to me, and while that is very, very true, I’ve decided that for this years gift guide, not only will I show you that you can spoil your dog (and maybe you) with all the presents his or her selfish heart desires, but also do some good in the process. Each company and products that I feature donate a portion or the entirety of their profits to a pet-based charity.

During this time of the year, humans start looking ahead to the future by purchasing calendars for the upcoming year. Many animal shelters and rescue organizations jump on the bandwagon and release calendars featuring shelter alumni or just shelter supporter’s pets.

The Humane Society of Knox County, a local shelter where my kitty brother Harry came from, has released their own calendar. You can purchase your own for $10 and be assured that all the money goes right back into the shelter to help the animals currently in their care.

Every dog needs a nice collar; something that’s bold and shows off their personality. Fifi Run may just fit the bill. Fifi Run makes edgy but incredibly chic collars with a little bit of an electric 80s feel. The What Would Lassie Do? Collar happens to be my personal favorite (what dog doesn’t emulate Lassie and her heroism?). And the best part? Fifi Run chooses a different dog charity each month to donate 10% of their proceeds to.

 My love for Mutt Nose Best is very well known (and no, it’s not just because I’m the face of their new shampoo scent). Mutt Nose is a Maine based company that uses human grade ingredients (most locally sourced) to make some of the yummiest smelling dog shampoos, conditioners, eau de toilettes, nose balm, and ear and eye wipes. They’ve currently released a special edition holiday scent, U Puppermint Puppy that will make your pooch smell like a warm mug of peppermint hot chocolate. Each month, Mutt Nose choose one pet based charity to promote and raise funds for (you can read more about last month’s charity here).

Keeping your dog safe is a top priority for dog owners. Do it in style with another of my favorite products, a blanketID! BlanketID tags are made to help you find your dog in case they are lost not only from them wearing the tag, but also through online support, including emails to local blanketID members and local animal related businesses like hospitals, shelters, and SPCAs. Plus, if someone finds your dog, they only have to type in the code found on the back to find all of your dogs information like your phone number, address, your dog’s allergies, and more. Try fitting that on any other tag! Plus, every time a tag is registered and membership purchased, blanketID puts money into their Blanket Fund to help animals in need (you can see the animals they have helped here). Over 15% of blanketIDs profits go into their Blanket Fund.

Treats are always a doggy crowd pleaser when they are found under the Christmas tree. Some of my favorite treats (though honestly, I don’t really have any non-favorite treats) are Zuke’s Mini Naturals in peanut butter. They are soft little nibblets that are perfect for a training session or to stuff in a toy like a Busy Buddy or Kong Canine Genius. I would rather I just receive them by the handful, but mom usually makes me work for them. The human brains behind Zuke’s decided to start a fund called the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund (DCCFund) in honor of their dogs Oly and Zuke who passed away from cancer.Every year, Zuke’s donates a large percentage of their profits to the DCCFund. Last year alone they donated over $40,000. You can see some of the pets the fund has help here.

No hip pooch is complete without the gift of a leash from a certain fat, red suited jolly human. One of the neatest leash companies around is Found My Animal. All the leashes are hand made is New England by professional rope makers and some are even made from recycled bottles. The bright orange Rescue Leash is not only fabulously colorful, but it’s also made to promote pet adoption (orange is the official color for animal protection awareness).As Found My Animal’s mission is to raise awareness about animal adoption, they donate a fair amount of their profits to different pet-based charities. For example, last Saturday during an event for Rational Animal, for every purchase of a Rescue Leash, Found donated $5 to Rational Animal. You can see more of their charitable work and donations here.

And finally, as a little treat to you humans with a sweet tooth, is Rescue Chocolate. Rescue Chocolate is, as their website states “the sweetest way to save a life.” 100% of the net profits from each of the vegan, kosher, and USA made sweets sold goes to a different animal rescue organization each month. The organization being helped during December is the Animal Farm Foundation. If that doesn’t tempt you into buying, than maybe the funky flavors and inventive names will. What human can turn down a mint and dark chocolate candy bar called Foster-iffic Peppermint? Now remember, these are human-only treats. No dog consumption allowed!

I hope my gift ideas have inspired you to not only gift your friends and furry family members a little something special, but also to think charitably this holiday season.

Happy tail wags!

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Fill Me Up With Love

15 Nov

One of the things about having a human who isn’t afraid to switch things up when it comes to my supper (and lunch) bowl is that she often gets a little too giddy when a new formula is launched by my all time favorite dog food company, The Honest Kitchen. Due to my position as a THK Allie, I heard about the arrival of two new formulas (one for dogs and one for cats) in the works, so it was with drooling anticipation that I began waiting for the new dog food formula, Love, to hit store shelves. Boy was Love worth the wait (isn’t it always, though?). Love is a grain and gluten-free (a well as dehydrated like all the other Honest Kitchen formulas), and contains ingredients such as hormone-free beef, sweet potatoes, potatoes, organic coconut, papaya, pumpkin, and so many more wholesome and nutritious foods. Like all of the other Honest Kitchen foods, Love is also 100% human grade, made in the USA, and contains non of those pesky fillers and common allergens like beet pulp, corn, soy, rice, or wheat that are often found in cheaply made, grocery store bought dog foods.

You may also notice that the packaging is a little different. Honest Kitchen recently revamped all of their packaging to be even more environmentally safe. The boxes are now made from 100% recycled, unbleached kraft paperboard and all the printing is done using soy-based inks. Plus, the box is 100% biodegradable or recyclable. 

Of course, none of this means anything unless your dog is willing to actually eat the food (or if you’re willing to serve it). While not all that grossed out about the things she serves me (even though she did have an interesting moment with some chicken livers once), my mom has never really been fond of the way my Honest Kitchen food smells. Obviously I love it, but she just has that weird human aversion to things that don’t smell like flowers and baked goods. With the Love formula, however, she rather likes the smell. She said it’s almost spice-like, or cinnamon-y. That’s all well and good, but really it’s my palate that we have to satiate and Love definitely does that and more! I have never left my bowl cleaner than after every meal of Love that I’ve had. It took my mom a little time to get the water to dry ratio correct as Love doesn’t seem to need as much water the rehydrate it as Keen does, so my first few meals were a little soupy (even after five minutes plus of hydrating time), but it seriously did not matter. I still slurped it up and then turned around and asked for more.

If you would like more information about Love, or any of the other Honest Kitchen formulas, please check out their website!

Happy tail wags!

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Out of the Savanna

12 Oct

You see that adorable pooch up there? Yes, that’s me! Aren’t I just scrumptious? And isn’t my collar absolutely chic? It was a gift from Uncommon Paws, and the topic of today’s post.

I was first introduced to Uncommon Paws at Woofstock where there was a mini Uncommon Paws store all set-up. Though Uncommon Paws carries a large range of some of the very best in pet supplies (like my favorite tags, blanketIDs!), they also have a line of collars, leashes, and harnesses all made by the Uncommon Paws crew in Maine. It was the collars that really drew mine as well as my mom’s eye, especially their faux-fur collars. And as if the collar fairy was listening to my thoughts (there is a collar fairy right? Who else makes sure my collars are always clean and pretty?), after speaking so highly of the collars on facebook, Uncommon Paws let me pick one of their collars for free!

I decided on the Giraffe Print Faux-Fur collar as the faux-fur was just so soft and the print so unlike any other collar I have (and trust me, I have a lot of collars!). I definitely made the right choice! The print is just loud enough to pop against my fur without looking too cheap or gaudy (dog forbid) and the material is just so soft my mom pets me extra just so she can pet my collar. The collar is backed with black webbing for sturdiness and features solid nickel hardware. I quite like the heavier (though not too heavy) hardware as it give the collar some weight and there for a substantial feel. Plus I just look so darn chic in it, don’t you think?

If you’d like to purchase an Uncommon Paws collar, or one of their other items, please visit their online store.

Happy tail wags!

(FTC Disclosure: I was sent the Giraffe Print Faux-Fur collar from Uncommon Paws free of purchase.)

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Mutts Do “Nose” Best

7 Oct

The giveaway is officially closed! Thank you to all who entered! I will post the winner tomorrow.

Baths. I hate them, I loathe them, and yet my human insists that I need them at the most inconvenient times (i.e. anytime).  The only reason I put up with it is because I usually get more attention when I smell like something the humans consider “good” than when I smell like a dog (which apparently is considered “bad”). I’ve been washed with many a dog shampoo as there are so many kinds out there, but I think my humans (and I guess me) have finally found the dog shampoo brand to beat all dog shampoo brands: Mutt Nose Best.

Mutt Nose Best is a Maine based company whose goal, according to their website, is to “enhance the lives of our pet clients and their humans.” All of the formulas sold through Mutt Nose Best are sulfate-free (sulfate is a harsh chemical usually found in hygiene and cleaning products. Sulfates are incredibly dangerous if ingested), contain the highest quality ingredients, and are most importantly green (in the environmental sense). All the shampoos and conditioners are formulated as concentrates, meaning that the consumer adds the water to the product to cut back on excess packaging. The packaging itself is green as well! The company that packages Mutt Nose Best takes surplus and obsolete packaging and re-purposes it which keeps tons and tons of waster out of landfills.

A lot of the Mutt Nose Best formulas use wild Maine blueberries as one of their main ingredients. When used topically, blueberries can help nourish the skin, neutralize free radicals, and help heal and soothe inflamed skin. Plus they just smell terrific! And what’s great about the blueberries that Mutt Nose Best uses is that they are all sourced in Maine!

So far I have been bathed in two of the Mutt Nose Best formulas: U Berry Itchy Dog which contains wild Maine blueberries and colloidal oatmeal to help soothe a dog’s itchies, and U Berry Clean Dog featuring real blueberry seeds (which will sometimes be confused for fleas if your human doesn’t read the label first) to help exfoliate. My mom loves how soft both make my coat feel, how lightweight my curls become (“like curly clouds” as my mom would say), and how delicious I smell. Thankfully the scent isn’t too overwhelming unlike some other shampoos I’ve been washed in (dogs do have sensitive noses) and even their doggy eau de toilets (I have the U Berry Clean Dog spray) have a light, pleasing blueberry smell. It’s neither a heavy nor sickly sweet scent; it’s perfect!

Recently Mutt Nose Best launched a new formula, U Berry Calm Puppy. U Berry Calm Puppy features both lavender and organic Maine oats (as well as the blueberries) to nourish and calm. While it’s formulated to be gentle enough for a puppy’s sensitive skin, it’s perfect for adult dogs too!

And guess what! Mutt Nose Best has been most wonderful and has offered a U Berry Calm Puppy set to one lucky Of Cows’ Tails and Chew Toys reader! The winner will receive a 4 oz U Berry Calm Puppy shampoo, conditioner, and eau de toilet. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered. For an extra entry, just “like” the Mutt Nose Best facebook page and leave an additional comment here saying you’ve done so. This contest will end on Sunday, October 9th at 8pm EST when one commenter will be randomly selected. Good luck!

Happy tail wags!

Update: I’m now adding a second way for an extra entry: subscribing to my blog! A few commenters have done that in lieu of “like” the Mutt Nose Best facebook, so it’s now an official way to get an extra entry!

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The Biscuit Biscuits and a Surprise!

26 Sep

As if my all time favorite pet supply store, The Loyal Biscuit, couldn’t get any cooler, they recently launched their very own treat company called The Loyal Biscuit Treat Co. As the brain-puppy of co-owner Heidi and Biscuit employee April, The Biscuit biscuits (as I like to call them) definitely reflect all the hip originality that a dog comes to expect from such a great set of stores.

Every Biscuit biscuit is made by hand in my hometown of Rockland, ME. All the ingredients are organic and many come from Maine sources. Because the treats are made in small batches, you can always expect a fresh treat for your pup. But by far the pawesomest part of the biscuits (besides the taste) is that each treat has the word “loyal” on it (due to being baked in custom pans!). As for flavor, these are definitely top notch. The current biscuit (and thus the only flavor) in production is a mix of cinnamon and anise, something not seen in many dog treats. They’re so yummy, I’ve even caught my mom taking a few nibbles here and there! The texture of the Loyal Biscuit treats is also important. They aren’t too soft nor too hard. Because of their size, the humans often have to break one in half (or else I chuck it around the room trying to break it myself). The treats are soft enough to break but tough enough that they don’t crumble into a mess. That’s perfect in my book!

When you purchase Loyal Biscuit Treat Co treats (which, if you don’t live near one of the two Biscuit locations, or at one of the various locations that carry the Biscuit biscuits, you can order them through facebook!), they come neatly packaged not only in a biodegradable bag, but also in a really pretty, food safe, and reusable tin. The tin can be reused in any manner you see fit, or, for a reduced price, can be refilled with Biscuit biscuits at both of the Loyal Biscuit locations! I haven’t gotten to the bottom of my tin yet (though I am making steady progress), but the latter choice will definitely be the one I take!

As if I haven’t talked about the Loyal Biscuit enough (I did say it was my favorite store, right?), I was pleasantly surprised a few weeks ago to learn that a certain someone’s scruffy mug was going to be featured in the Biscuit’s new brochure.
It sure does pay off to shop locally (and to be so darn cute!).

Happy tail wags!

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Evermore In My Belly

21 Sep

I am always trying to sniff out new delicious yummies to fill my ever hungry belly up with. Even though I really am a The Honest Kitchen dog at heart, sometimes you just need a dash of something different. I happened to find that extra something special in a brand of pet food called Evermore.

Don't you just love the packaging?

I stumbled nose (and mouth) first into Evermore, and one of the co-owners Hanna Mandelbaum, at this years Woofstock. It didn’t take my mom, nor I, long to realize that Evermore foods was something unique. As their company motto states: Evermore believes in feeding dogs the way humans (at least the non fast and junk food eating ones) feed themselves. All of the dog food made by Evermore is human-edible food (Hanna assured me that both she and the other member of the Evermore team have eaten all of the food they make) made out of high-quality ingredients, it is cooked gently to help maintain all the beneficial nutrients sometimes lost during the cooking process, everything is made in the USA as well as FDA inspected, and there is absolutely none of that by-product, filler, corn, soy, potato, wheat, or salt stuff. But check out what Evermore (more specifically the beef) does contain: ground beef, beef hearts, beef livers, yams, free-range eggs, carrots, parsnips, apples, kale, wild blueberries, safflower oil, alfalfa, organic barley, and more! Put this stuff up against most of the other commercial dog food on the market and you can literally see the difference.

See what I mean?

After trying a sample of both the chicken and the beef (those are the two current “flavors”), my mom decided to go ahead an buy me a small box of the beef to mix it up a little. As it’s sold frozen, the first time I ate it for a meal, I had to wait for it to thaw. Longest wait of my life! It was definitely worth it though. I scarfed a whole portion down before my mom could even snap a photo (I was already asking for seconds while her camera was focusing). If that doesn’t say a complete four-paw approval, I don’t know what does!

As we run on a very tight budget in this household (silly humans and their money), Evermore is a bit too expensive for an everyday type of food. However, at the suggestion of Hanna, it will definitely become a great stuffer for my Canine Genius and will be occasionally added into my diet for variety purposes!

For more information, please check out the Evermore website. They also have a list of retailers that sell their food which you can find here (both Loyal Biscuit locations carry Evermore pet food, by the way!).

Happy tail wags!

Source: Evermore

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Peaceable Kingdom Essentials

8 Sep

One of the things I appreciate about having a human who is very active in my health and wellness, is that she’s not quick to throw unnecessary medication at something that could very well be taken care of in a more natural and a possible more pleasant manner. While there is always a time and place where pharmaceuticals are appropriate, I believe that pets, not to mention humans, are often overly medicated. Because of this philosophy, I was really excited when I was asked to try out a few products from Peaceable Kingdom Essentials, a company specializing in herbal remedies for pets, as well as herbal teas for humans.

Started in 2010 by Cindy Wenger, an animal communicator and certified herbalist, Peaceable Kingdom Essentials prides itself in their 100% USDA Certified Organic and earth friendly pet products. Each batch of their tinctures are made, by human-hand, in small batches instead of mass produced in large amounts. The herbs used are never sprayed or irradiated. Peaceable Kingdom Essentials sells tinctures to help ease problems from incontinence to boosting a dog’s immunity. They also have other products including catnip, brewer’s yeast, and flea repellent powder.

The first product I got to try was an external spray called Reliever Achiever. Reliever Achiever can be used to help soothe and heal minor skin problems such as hot spots, irritations, and abrasions. Now, my mom has recently been using coconut oil on my skin itchies, but there are some times when she just doesn’t feel like scooping out the coconut goop and getting it all over herself and I. This spray has been great for those lazy days. All you do is shake it up and spritz it on your dog’s itchy skin. You can also spray it on you hand and rub it onto the itchy spots (sometimes the spray bottle can’t reach all the itchy spots, like the ones on the belly). Obviously it’s hard for me to verbalize to my human whether or not a product is working for me, but there was a decreased amount of itching and scratching on the spots that had been sprayed. And, in an act of itchy desperation, my mom even sprayed the Reliever Achiever on a very irritating bug bite. It took the itchiness away within a few minutes! She also likes the fact that the spray has a pleasing orange smell (due to the sweet orange essential oil), though I’d rather smell like a dog and not fruit.

I was also sent a one of the internal tinctures called Paws a Moment. Paws a Moment is used to help calm easily stressed and high anxiety animals through the use of herbs such as Valerian root, skullcap, passionflower, and more. It seems to me like Cindy has been reading my blog as I often write about my issues with pooch anxiety. As the rule of thumb with herbal remedies is two weeks on, one week off, I’m slowly working at getting the Paws a Moment into my system. My mom, however, has seen a marked calmness in my demeanor. In fact, yesterday, during a trip to TJ Maxx, I was calm and comfortable enough to greet a human I have never met before with a kiss, something that I have always been too anxious to do.

If you are interested in seeing what Peaceable Kingdom Essentials has to offer, please check out their website. There is also a very informative bit of information on the page about the tinctures that talks about everything from appropriate dosage to things to keep in mind when using an herbal remedy. And, as always, it may be a good idea to discuss the use of herbal tinctures with your pet’s vet if you have any concerns.

Happy tail wags!

(FTC disclosure: I was sent both samples free from Peaceable Kingdom Essentials and their PR company for the purpose of review. No other compensation was involved).

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Joss & Main

16 Jul

I would like to see a paw raised for all of you that don’t like to save money. I have a feeling there would be very few, if any. Even I, a dog who has her own walking wallet that I kindly refer to as “mom,” like to save if it means being able to get more stuff (I just love stuff! Especially if it’s edible). On my romps around the internet searching for pawesome stuff to share about here, I’ve noticed there are a lot of those “exclusive” websites that are invite only. These invitees are able to receive massive discounts on designer items. Sadly, I haven’t seen to many of these exclusive sites that cater to the four-legged and furry crowd; until Joss & Main that is

Joss & Main is the place to find unique items for the home for upwards of 70% off the regular price. Of course, it’s not 100% pet stuff, but they often host sales of pet items like beds, cat towers, collars, and more. In fact, tomorrow is the start of the Bowser pet products sale. Bowser is a company that sells quality pet furniture, collars, and even raised feeders.

The Bowser Eco+ Orbit Bed

Bowser Collar

 And for those of you looking for the kittier side of things, July 31st is the start of the Kittypod(makers of some adorable kitty furniture) sale.

Kittypod Geodome

 (photo source)

So how do you get in on these pawesome deals? I have an exclusive invite just for my readers! All you have to do is click here. Now, for full disclosure, for every human who clicks that link, signs up, and then makes their initial purchase, my mom (remember, she’s my walking wallet), will receive a $15 credit. You too can receive credit if you invite your friends with your own personal link (see the Joss & Main site for more details).

If any of you make good on any of these deals, I would love to see photos on my facebook of your dogs or kitties enjoying their new steals and deals.

Happy tail wags!

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Fishing

8 Jun

It looks like this week may become a week of reviews as I have another fun product that I get to share with all my friends (I mean you guys, silly!). This time around, it’s a really pawesome chew toy sent to my by my friends Salina and Baby Patches of Nip and Bones. This cute fish, called the Rope Chew Fish Dog Toy is probably one of the neatest chewable toys I have. It is made out of cotton rope that is 100% azo-free (azo is a compound sometimes found in dyes that are potentially carcinogenic) and machine washable. Because the fish is made out of rope, it becomes almost like floss when chewed. In fact, the toy is made to fray after while to not only lead to more flossing action, but to also show that your pooch has been using it.

My mom was a little bit hesitant about me getting the toy (I sometimes have a habit of trying to eat string. I blame my cat-brother Harry; he does it too), but was reassured that the toy is so well made that the rope most likely will not come off the toy. The fish is actually quite heavy and thick, which lends itself to putting up with a lot of abuse from my teeth. Though the humans are less than impressed with I attempt to throw it across the room or at them.

I’ve had this fish ever since my birthday and have been chomping on it rather regularly and it looks almost exactly as it did out of the package. It frustrates me a little, as I quite enjoy eviscerating my toys, but my mom is incredibly impressed. I have a feeling this fish is going to be around a long time for me to chew on.

Thanks again to Nip and Bones for the lovely present! If you’d like to purchase the Rope Fish, make sure you check out the Nip and Bones shop.

Happy tail wags!

(FTC Disclosure:  I was sent the Rope Fish for free by Nip and Bones for the purpose of writing a review. No other compensation was given for this review)

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Let There Be Cake

6 Jun

If you’ve been a reader of my blog for awhile, it comes as no surprise that I love food. Eating is one of my favorite things up there with walks, chew toys, and running on the beach. So when I got an offer to try a cake mix from the online dog bakery supply store, K9 Cakery, it made me so tail-waggingly happy. I also wanted the chance to showcase K9 Cakery because a lot of my human friends are in the dog treat making business, and every dog knows that you can’t make dog treats without things like dog-themed cookie cutters. So K9 Cakery could become a useful place for them to shop!

Anyway, I was sent one of their homemade sugar, gluten, wheat, corn, and soy free cake mixes for my mom to make for me. And could you believe, the mix I received was the Savory Chicken Doggie Cake Mix. Chicken is only one of my favorite foods! I had to have mom bake it up for me right away. She had to improves for the frosting, so she used some Greek yogurt and a few Itty Bitty Buddy Biscuits and a Bocce’s Bakery (I’m going to do a review of Bocce’s Bakery soon!) cookie for decoration.  The cake was super simple (or at least seemed that way to me. My mom assured me it was) to make. There were only a few ingredients to add to the mix so it wasn’t incredibly complicated.

Unfortunately for me, it had already been decided that I would not be enjoying this delicious smelling (it honestly smelled like roasted chicken) cake all by myself. Which is how I found myself at The Loyal Biscuit with the two shop dogs Chuck and Fenway, trying hard not to drool as my mom cut the cake. Fenway decided that one piece of cake wasn’t enough for her, so she gobbled her piece as well as Chuck’s and mine (so obviously she liked it!). She even ate them so fast that my mom didn’t even have time to snap a photo (though I think all the giggling she was doing didn’t help either). Thankfully, Chuck and I each got another piece and Fenway was sent back to her bed. Chuck was equally as enthused about his piece of cake and gobbled it down. I, on the other hand, am too much of a lady to gobble. So I took my time licking off all the yogurt and then taking dainty bites until every crumb was gone. It was so very delicious we even got seconds!

If you’re feeling like you want to start your own doggy cake or treat making business, or if you just want to whip your dogs up some healthy and delicious treats, you’ll definitely want to check out all that K9 Cakery has to offer!

Happy tail wags!

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