Hooray for puppy love this Valentine’s Day!

We will be having a small (for ThoughtsFurPaws) contest for the hub-a-bub heart-happy holiday; it’s being generously sponsored by the following brands: Stella and Chewy’s®, Spring Naturals™ and Lickety Stik® by PetSafe®!

This Contest Is Nothin' to Snooze About; a Previous Entrant Can Tell You!

Did you know that, according to Business Wire, pet parents are so so enamored with their special furry someones – that as many as 64% of Americans pet owners will spoil their pet with a special gift this love season? They spend as much as $15 billion dollars collectively to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Well ThoughtsFurPaws and the aforementioned companies are happy to announce the Valentine’s Contest for Pooches for 2012!

Love to shower your pet with kisses? Then you’ll love Stella & Chewy’s® Carnivore Kisses™ Treats! These freeze-dried treats are made with only natural, premium raw meat and will perfectly compliment your pet’s diet. Every recipe is made without grains, glutens, fillers, added hormones or antibiotics, artificial preservatives and colorings. Carnivore Kisses are 100% nutritious and delicious and are available in 100% Angus Beef, 100% Chicken, 100% Duck and 100% Wild Alaskan Salmon.

Spring Naturals™ is a fresh new line of natural dinners and treats designed to nurture the health and well-being of dogs of all ages and breeds. The family of no-compromise recipes is made with real meats, whole vegetables, whole fruits and whole grains – meat, poultry or fish is always the first ingredient. Then whole chickpeas, green peas and eggs are added to offer pets a unique blend of high-quality proteins. And since these products do not contain meat, poultry or fish meals of any kind, they can be formulated without high-glycemic ingredients like corn, wheat, soy, potato starch or rice. Recently recognized by Pet Business in their 2011 Industry Recognition Awards, Spring Naturals was chosen as the year’s top pet food. Available in Whole Grain and Grain Free varieties (Organic line will arrive this March), Spring Naturals dinners and treats are made by a family-owned company in the USA.

For the pooch with model behavior here is a treat as lovely as he is. Lickety Stik® by PetSafe® is a new and innovative liquid treat for dogs that provides a healthy, all-natural snack while on-the-go. Designed with pet parents’ convenience in mind, Lickety Stik® is easy to throw into a purse or keep in your back pocket when heading out to the park or when packing for a road trip. Most importantly, dogs can’t get enough of this treat! With only 1 calorie in every 10 licks, this is a treat both consumers and their pets can feel good about. Lickety Stik® is available in three irresistible flavors – Savory Chicken, Braised Liver or Smoky Bacon. No matter your Valentine’s Day plans, Lickety Stik® is easy to pack, easy to treat and easy to fall in love with.

*** You can enter the contest by sending me a photo of your cute puppy or dog – he doesn’t have to be dressed up or doing anything silly – just send me your fave dog photo and tell me why it’s your fave and a little background behind the taking of the picture.***

 ♥ ♥ Email them to thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com; please put “Valentine’s Day Contest” in the Subject Line. ♥ ♥

So here is the latest “Stella-Bella” update for all you Boston Terrier and puppy fans out there…

♥ ♥ First of all, let me tell you how SPOILED ROTTEN THIS GIRL IS: her Daddy, my manager, just bought her a Louis Vuitton dog collar and she looks ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE in it. ♥ ♥ I never thought I would be one to condone spending THAT kind of money on a pet, but I guess I surprised myself…!

Stella and Daddy Sleeping...

You recently read about Stella’s first Christmas - well the collar was a POST-Xmas present — that’s how much Daddy loves this little pistol of a dog… and trust me, she is a pistol. She runs so fast outside the office in the woods and her little fun areas, it looks like she’s a miniature black hovercraft (I know I said that about Henry once, but he’s too old now to move that fast…!) (You FIRST read about Stella HERE.)

Stella's New Amigo!

BTW, Stella recently met a new friend on a walk – we can’t remember his name, but he is pictured to the right there!

Stella is so energetic; her fave toy is a Frisbee. In our business, we do a lot of shipping and Stella has a knack for sneaking into the warehouse and stealing the lids off the shipping tubes, which are perfect frisbees for her little Boston Terrier body.

And by the way – my Manager brought up a point the other day that I argued him on a d I wanted to know what you all think. He said that Boston Terriers are actually NOT Terriers, which I don’t understand at all. I can’t remember who told him that – but they said that Boston Terriers do NOT have typical Terrier traits, i.e. they have flat heads and ears! HA!

Which other traits he was speaking of I do not know, because the ones I’m familiar with are the obvious traits of:

• “tinyness”
• being a bit wiry
• very active
• fearless
• three types are working, toy and bull
• females bark at EVERYTHING unless you train it out of them

Anyhow, I think Stella shows these in full force… what do you think?

Sooo, on to the Pet Product of the Week!

We and Stella LOVE LOVE LOVED the Spring Naturals Beef Treats — they have a nice, refreshing, smelly “medley” of fruits & berries and are not shaped or formed like any other treat I have ever seen. They are baked, natural treats that are made from real beef with plentiful rations of veggies, fruits and whole grains. They’re a great way to reward your dog…

The best parts about Spring Naturals: first of all, Stella LOVES them because they smell and taste different from anything else she’s EVER had; secondly, because real beef is the first ingredient; and finally, because there is no wheat, gluten, corn, soy, by-products, artificial preservatives, flavors or colors!

So Spring Naturals totally makes “Pet Product of the Week” for ThoughtsFurPaws, with Stella’s four paws of approval!

Also, just to let you know they’re reputable and I’m not just saying this because they sent me a bag for review — Spring Naturals, in early January, won the Pet Business, a prestigious trade magazine, Industry Recognition Award in the dog food category!

** For a newcomer, that’s pretty darn impressive if you ask us! **

Stay tuned for more Stella stories and antics; you;ll soon see how smart Stella is:

she learned sit, high-five and more in just days at the hands of a very patient and smart co-worker of mine!

I was asked politely to post this — and I agreed…

… but I stipulated that I will not be endorsing the author’s point of view.

This post is about (supposed) “mean” things” that pet owners do their animals; some are plain old silly, some are natural, & some, I have no idea why the author wrote what she did…I’m not even giving the link juice out…

I do agree with a few – the actual mean one or two that are in here… the others, well, I just want my readers to see how bat-shit-crazy people are sometimes, and the things they will write to get attention and for the sake of controversy. (Trust me, ThoughtsFurPaws doesn’t need it).

You will notice that after some of these points I have listed a “point” of my own opinion…

Here goes:

“The relationship between a person and their pet is a powerful one, but every once in a while, pet owners take their love to a … new level of absurdity … downright meanness. Even seemingly innocent activities like pushing a cat in a stroller or putting bows in a dog’s hair can be torturous and … cruel. Unless you want your pet to hate you or feel like less of an animal, steer clear of these pet peeves of the pets. (Okay, that’s a cute saying…) Here are the 10 meanest things owners love to do to their pets.”

1. DRESS THEM UP: Today’s pet owners are obsessed with dressing up their dogs and cats in ridiculous costumes and clothing for holidays and virtually any occasion. As if being dressed isn’t humiliating enough, owners have the nerve to take their dressed up pets out in public. Let’s face it: pets hate clothes and accessories, so stop torturing them with such silly costumes.

2. PUT TAPE ON THEIR PAWS: THIS ONE I agree with… Pets withstand a lot of humiliation, but one of the meanest things that owners love to do to them is put office or Scotch tape on their paws. Pet owners have a blast watching cats and dogs squirm and stick to the floor with every sticky step. This seemingly innocent prank is actually just plain mean!

** I have seen this and it’s flat-out animal cruelty for one reason – because it SCARES the animal. They dont’ understand and are afraid. I believe that this factor makes this an actual mean thing to do… ***

Per #1, Franklin had a BLAST as Elmo at Halloween being dressed up!

3. WAKE THEM UP: There may be nothing cuter than a curled up kitten or a snoring dog, but that doesn’t mean it’s OK to wake them up when they’re sound asleep. Pet owners have no problem waking their furry friends as they catch some Zs, but we hate it when they do it back. Just like you wouldn’t wake a sleeping baby, you should resist the temptation to wake a sleeping pet.

4. TEASE THEM: Some pet owners are downright mean and love to tease their dogs and cats with toys and treats. You might get a good laugh watching your dog search relentlessly for a ball you never threw, but this kind of teasing can come back to bite you big time. Teasing and play-fighting can cause dogs to become aggressive and disobedient.

*** Special note, the author used the famous 2011 YouTube video, Ultimate Dog Tease for an example of this. That video was NUMBER ONE for the YEAR with MILLIONS of hits, and by no real means even teased the animal…. IT WAS A JOKE LADY

5. PUT CATS ON LEASHES: Let’s say it together: Dogs walk on leashes, not cats. Sadly, there are too many cat owners out there who don’t understand this concept. Cats don’t like leashes and probably never will. If your feline wants to walk with you, they’ll follow you without a leash.

6. MAKE THEM DANCE: Unless your dog is related to the salsa-dancing golden retriever on YouTube, he or she probably doesn’t like to dance. And cats? Forget about it. People love to swing around their pets and make them stand up and dance against their will, but this cruel activity often ends in biting, scratching, and a hatred for dancing.

7. PAINT THEIR NAILS: Some pet owners have taken dog grooming to whole other level of wacky by getting their pooches’ nails primped and polished. And the worst part is male dogs are also at risk of having their nails painted. When will people learn that pets are animals and not dolls?

*** While not mean, I kinda think this is a bit too much, but I think I feel that way becuase I had early over-exposure to it when I lived in The OC. All the seriously wealthy women came into Nordy where I worked with their pimped out Pomeranians… getting manis and pedis and I was shocked because the dogs didn‘t like it… ** If your dog enjoys it – by all means, it’s cute as hell - but if she doesn’t, maybe think twice next time about some large thing coming at you with stinky colored stuff and scissors and clippers…

8. PUT THEM IN STROLLERS AND PURSES: Four-legged creatures are meant to walk, not be strolled or carried by their owners everywhere they go. You might think you’re spoiling your dog or cat by toting them in a stroller or bag, but you’re actually humiliating them and taking away valuable exercise time.

*** Um, how else are you supposed to carry a teacup breed in the 21st century – hee hee???? ****

*** And Im sure any dog who is spoiled enough to get a free ride in a Fendi gets PLENTY of exercise….! ***

9. PUT THEIR EMBARRASING MOMEN TS ON YOUTUBE: Pet owners get a lot of entertainment from watching their dogs and cats every day, but that doesn’t mean you should share their embarrassing moments with the whole world. Pet owners love to videotape their animals playing, sleeping, and making complete fools of themselves and put these moments on YouTube for all to see.

*** Are you a… something not smart??? One of the greatest joys of pet ownership is sharing your fur-baby’s silly antics with other pet-lovers – online or where ever – blockhead. ****

10. TAKE GLAMOUR SHOTS: You may love to take photos of your fur babies, but some people go as far as having them professionally photographed. Although some dogs and cats can sit still for a photo session, most don’t have the patience for stillness, bright lights, and the silly props that come with most pet glamour shots.

Let me know what you think… are these things mean – or are they normal and natural? OR BOTH? What’s your opinion?

And to the original author – please take no offense to me calling you a blockhead; but I disagree and believe this is horse-puckey.

ODE TO TATE, OUR WILD, RESCUE ABYSSINIAN KITTY

You have a nose that’s bright pinky

You’re the same color as a Twinkie,

And you’re always a little blinky…

You’re never ever stinky.

Our “Minian”-Minion- (to your fat ol’ brother) Abyssinian,

You’re the teeny tiny Tater Tot,

you certainly weigh just a little

But certainly love a whole lot

You’re aka the” Sweet Tatey-Potatey,”

Mommy’s beloved orange little baby

Sometimes you’re P-Tootey Scootey,

the teeny auburn kitty with a teeny kitty booty…

You’re itty-bitty teeny-tiny

Never whiney and always super shiny

Waiting your turn at dinner

Avoiding your Mad Maxwell brother – who’s the opposite of thinner…

You heart doing lovey-doveys

on blankies with your mini-clawless paws

You love rubby-dubbies with your teeny ears,

you heart your “muth-er,” and show it by kissing her nose, cheeks and jaws

You patiently wait for crunchies

or fabulous dinner tableside-munchies

Like a good-natured little boy

You’re respectful and kind and it’s your rescued life you now enjoy

In his favorite spot, the window sill...

You’re the head and founder of the” itty-bitty-kitty-committee®”

Always polite, never sassy, but seriously witty

So Momma Jaime made up this little ditty

To dedicate to you…,

Our seemingly 3-ounce, wild rescue wonder-kitty!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Here is a super-funny picture of a dog seriously trying to avoid a bath!!

Thanks to my friend Jason and his friend, the dog’s owner!

Have your own funny animal pictures? Email them to me and be featured on Wordless Wednesday: see About Page for contact info!

The most-interesting and very inspiring book, Pure Gold, about Holli Pfau, a Golden lover and all-around friend to animals, rescuer, and how she came about having SIX rescues and was able to train them, is enlightening, inspiring, and full of love, hope, and stirring stories that make you laugh, cry and talk/laugh out loud all at the same time. (“Hey – Benson did that SAME thing when we first trained him!!”)

Pfau’s dogs “guided” her to a career in animal-assisted therapy, sending her into wilderness adventures in one of my favorite places on the entire Earth — the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Her dogs: Nikki, Bodie, Tucker, Sophie, Daisy and Chatter each have their own little personality quarks that will warm your soul as you leaf through the pages – turning each one with more fury than the previous so you can find out what happens next…

Along the way or rescuing and training and bringing up these guys, she decided to add “rally obedience” and agility to the assortment of activities for the dogs. In each and every case, the golden-colored, sweet-hearted and level-headed dogs led her along the way…

Thus, Pure Gold is a tale of the unexpected escapades that come up when you have one (or SIX!) wonderful Retrievers – and it also, in great detail, tells the reader in narrative form and with humor and wit, of the fruitfulness of one’s life who owns rescued dogs…

Holli Pfau and two of her Golden rescues

Pfau totally nails the kinship that is formed between rescuer and “rescuee” if you ask me… although my family and I have rescued mostly cats, and only one Golden (Gibson – the white one), I personally also helped to rescue and recover a puppy mill Basset Hound and have been part of the rescue of many other animals through my volunteer work.

*** Pfau has a blog on the website you should check out: one of my favorite blog posts – “The dogs made me do it.” ***

This detail was taken from the Pure Gold website:

“Inspired by the lives, antics and talents of her six rescued or second-hand golden retrievers, Holli Pfau wrote Pure Gold to support the efforts of Golden Retriever Rescue and other dog rescue and adoption programs.”

Chatter the Rescue...

Pfau says on the website that she wrote Pure Gold to assist in efforts to rescue and place Golden Retrievers and other dogs in their forever homes. Fundraising for rescue is a special program available to 501(c)(3) non-profit dog rescue organizations, humane societies and shelters across the country. These groups can purchase autographed copies of Pure Gold at the wholesale price, sell the book at list price, and retain all profits for their programs.

BRAVO Pfau… BRAVO.

Some organizations that are supported by Holli and the profits of this book include:

Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) and Land of Pure Gold Foundation…

*** On my account, (coming from a total bookworm here as well as a rescue advocate and Golden-obsessed dog-lover), this book gets a full FIVE STARS!! You guys must got and read it! Check out puregoldbook.com for more information, fun pictures, blog posts, author information and cool stuff about each pooch! ***

Stella the Boston Terrier rescue I wrote about here (she is our company mascot) turned 8-months-old on 12/23!

Happy Belated Birthday Stella! Woo Hoo!

Well as most north-easterners know, we had a nice blast of snow the past few days, at least on the east side of Cleveland, in Willoughby, where Cute Lil’ Stella the “Opportunist” resides. Stella just looovesthe snow and thinks of it as somewhat of a toy… or a bizarre treat or something!

Snow-Loving Stella, the Boston Terrier!

She has taken to sniffing and running and eating it all at the same time, barely stopping to breathe (she has been warned about yellow snow!) and just having a blast.She runs so damn fast that she reminds me of a hovercraft, lol!

Her Dad bought her a really warm furry sweater to beat Ole Jack-Frost since we Clevelanders face tough winters (particularly living on the East side RIGHT ON Lake Erie).

We’ll be updating you on Stella soon — stay tuned because she is quite entertaining!

RUFF RUFF