When I was in college, majoring in biology up at a small liberal arts university in LA, I spent many hours at the coast studying the noxious effects of human debauchery on the environment. I'd sit at Dockweiler State Beach and admire the 747s taking off from LAX just over my head, inhaling the lovely smell of jet fuel and admiring the rare view of an empty Los Angeles Beach resting in the shadow of the Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant. I'd go home, sob a little about the depravity of man into ... Read more »
Lifestyle
Book Review and Giveaway: Scent of the Missing
If you've been a regular reader of the blog, you know I'm a big fan of the dog memoir. Part treacle, part drama, part romance, the format is always the same, ending of course with the tearful goodbye to a faithful pup. Susannah Charleson's new book Scent of the Missing breaks that mold in all the right ways. Of course, the requisite components are there: an adorable dog, the initial bumps in the road adjusting to a new puppy, and the gradual coming together of owner and pet. Here's the ... Read more »
Giveaway: Hoppy Easter!
And look at what the Easter Bunny has in his basket for you: Yaay! Fetching Tags! Since they were so admired last week, Jen generously offered to give a custom tag to a lucky reader who would like to be as fashionable as the pawcurious crew. To enter, go check out the site and comment below with what your pet's tagline would be. Treat Monster? Beach Bum? Who Tooted? :D You have until Sunday to enter. ETA: The winner, selected at random, is Angie and her pup Seamus! ... Read more »
Things to smile about: Fetching Tags
I had NO idea I had so many knowledgeable chicken experts reading this blog. Truly, thank you for the encouragement and all the fantastic links. I have my work cut out for me. I even found out my receptionist is on a similar chicken kick and she pointed me to a place that is selling 8 month old laying hens. Score! There are all sorts of things that put me in a good mood this week. I put new tags on everyone's collars, and they are seriously, seriously cute tags. Since people tend to frown on ... Read more »
Teddy’s Pride Giveaway winner!
Using random.org, I came up with a number and here you go: Congratulations to Lindsay and her stinky pup Toby! This sounds perfect for my dog Toby. His breath STINKS. I got his teeth cleaned and it still smells. Lindsay, if you can send me a line through my contact info we'll get that out to you! ... Read more »
chompchompchomp
People ask me on a regular basis what kind of toy they should give their dog to chew on. We go through the usual: Bully sticks, rawhides, Greenies, Kongs (each with distinct advantages and disadvantages.) We eliminate the problem items I never recommend: pigs ears, cow hooves, dried femur bones. For the most part, we can find something that most dogs can use. Sticks, by the way? I don't recommend them. (My husband took this picture when I wasn't around.) About once a week, an owner ... Read more »
Product Review PLUS Giveaway! Teddy’s Pride oral care
Good morning, everyone. Rise and shine. I'm sure none of you are reading this with an ice pack on your head, pouring hot coffee down your green-stained throat and wondering how the heck you're going to make it into work today. I'm sure none of you do that kind of thing. My days of waking up with a pounding head and cotton mouth are long gone- eons gone, really- at least so far as hangovers are concerned. I still have to contend with that whole morning breath thing, though- not mine, but that ... Read more »
Product Review: World’s Best Cat Litter
I have to admit, I don't spend a great deal of time thinking about cat litter. Some of this is by design- when I was pregnant in 2004, I told my husband he had to change the cat litter because otherwise MY ENTIRE PREGNANCY WAS AT RISK (which, by the way, is not entirely true- one needs to take precautions, true, but changing litter during pregnancy isn't an automatic Toxoplasmosis infection.) Anyway, I left out that last part because I was happy to have an excuse to hand over litter duties, ... Read more »
Product Review: TazLabs safety collar
We have neighbor dogs. There are three, actually- I guess the other Golden wasn't out on this particular afternoon. They sure do like to bark. These are the same dogs that Skippy liked to think he could vanquish- I think some of the chicken wire fencing is still off to the right, where it was 100% ineffective in keeping him on the right side of the fence. Those were fun times. Like Skippy, and Mulan and Emmett before him, Brody thinks barking right back at these guys is hysterical. First ... Read more »
Product Review: Sleepypod Air and Crater Dot
Our product reviews have been heavily skewed towards the dog type items lately. When Sleepypod asked if I was interested in reviewing a couple of their cat items, Apollo started kneading and drooling all over the keyboard. 1. Sleepypod Air The Sleepypod Air is a carrier geared towards those who fly with a pet in-cabin, though it's obviously usable as a regular day-to-day carrier as well. Its claim to fame is the ability to compress length-wise from 22 to 16 inches, which would allow you to fit ... Read more »
Product Review: Kyjen toys
When I was given the opportunity to review a selection of dog toys from the Kyjen company, Brody shot me a look that said, "You'd better take this one, lady." Not that he isn't as spoiled as they come anyway, but I'll admit the majority of his playthings are the usual easily destroyed types that I get at the store. I was already interested after so many of you raved about the line when I was looking for suggestions for the Holiday Guide, so this was a no-brainer. They sent a large assortment ... Read more »
Fun with Math: The Nutrition Game
I was in the grocery store yesterday, and like I always do, sort of did a double take at what some of the brands are charging for their food. Clients come in every day and say that they are feeding their dogs high quality, all natural food- a common example would be something like Beneful- believing it is top quality food simply based on the marketing. But when they go back and read the label, they are inevitably surprised. "I can't afford the really expensive food," is something I hear ... Read more »
Oh Disney, we were on such a high…
Up was one of the best films I have seen in a long, long time. It might be my favorite Pixar movie to date and one of my favorite films ever. It solidified in my mind the Disney franchise as a solid deliverer of syrupy movie goodness. And since we know they recognize good when they see it, it makes the bad even more of a travesty. As anyone who has been around me for any length of time can attest, I love the holidays. I love the decorations, the cheesy displays, and the specials. Oh, how I ... Read more »
The 2009 Holiday Gift guide is here!
It took me the better part of two weeks to sort through everything, look though all the suggestions, and run a few items by Brody, but I finally came up with what I think is a fun selection of my favorite cat and dog items for 2009! (The Flash gallery is a new addition here, so be sure to click the little "i" in the corner in order to see the accompanying text.) [flagallery gid=2 name="Gallery"] There were so many great items out there that I couldn't fit them all into the gallery, so I'm ... Read more »
Product Review: Biscuits by Lambchop
One of my blogathon sponsors was Annette at Biscuits By Lambchop, who provided 5 prizes for donors. Their specialty is a treat that is gluten free, animal protein free, and low fat, low sodium, and low phosphorous- making them a good choice for dogs who are unable to eat many of the treats on the market. Along with my stack of prizes, she was kind enough to include samples for Brody. She told me I should try them too. I kind of raised my eyebrow at this- I mean, I'm kind of dog fooded out at ... Read more »
Maybe they did have a good idea after all
My daughter is glued to the TV like a barnacle these days, announcing "I wish I had that," and then, "I wish I had that" every two seconds as the generous spirit of Christmas sinks its greedy talons into our daily programming. I suppose I could avoid this by not having the TV on at all, but ha ha, not in this lifetime. I haven't even thought about starting my holiday shopping, which is probably not smart, but that's always been the way I roll. Last minute central. I could only hope she didn't ... Read more »
Hour 18: Brody Reviews Weruva Cirque de la Mer
Brody very politely asked for the opportunity to do a product review, and so I obliged. ... Read more »
Thursday Thank Yous
Here are three things that I love: 1. Dog bone collar charms. I have a weakness for beautiful handmade lampwork beads to begin with- my coworkers will attest to this, as I risk my earlobes every Christmas wearing big gingerbread glass earrings to work because I LOVE THEM SO. So if you take a glass bead, then make it something adorable like a dog bone- or a dog face- or the chickens- I am in love. Seriously, check out the chickens! I've never seen such cute poultry. *love* She made me love ... Read more »
