Who wants to meet other pet-fanatics??

Snuggle Session Complete!

Who wants to learn how to get more traffic?

Who wants to get relevant pet information about pet nutrition & animal welfare??

Who wants to learn more about pets in the news & pet charity??

Who wants to learn how to make $$$ major moolah from advertising???

ME!!! I mean WE!!

ThoughtsFurPaws.com wants to know all of the above – which is why Mom is headed to BlogPaws West 2010.

It’s in Denver from Sept 9-11, and the conference is filled to the brim with fun, fur, friends, and… oh yeah, TONS of information on how to make your pet blog ROCK:)

Mom went to the very first-ever BlogPawsEast in Ohio & had a total blast!

She only decided to go to this one at the VERY last minute — when she found out ThoughtsFurPaws.com was a finalist in Dogtime.com’s Petties Awards…

** So we’re totally pumped about that nomination, but Mom thinks she has zero chance of winning considering who she’s up against…

Anyhow, according to the website, BlogPaws West is being held to:

“continue building our Be the Change focus on a national scale, to embrace the exciting momentum of BlogPaws East (thank you, thank you, thank you EVERYONE!), and to give our peeps in the West a chance to meet and connect, we’re offering: more learning, more networking, more blogging, Tweeting, laughing, raising funds for shelters/rescues, shouting, singing, partying, listening, hugging, crying, cooing, clapping, and learning at BlogPaws  2010 West. “

And guess what we just found out?? Our super-good buddies at IAMS/Eukanuba are sponsoring our trip! HOORAH! We can’t wait to see our friends from there!

We will for sure return that favor somehow – Mom is already thinking of ways in her mind – she has steam coming from her ears and that means she’s on a mission. (When Mom is on a mission we do not interrupt!!)

There’s going to be lots and lots of pets there and lots and lots of people and food, and treats and vendors, and sponsors and all-around FUN!!

We also can’t wait to see our best friends from Bissell, Inc, too — they are sponsoring BlogPaws for the second time this year and we’re looking forward to catching up with our fellow Bissell Pack of Pet Lovers members.

Anyhow, we think everykitty and everydoggy should go to BlogPawsWest. You can get more information on the BlogPaws Community of Pet Bloggers here.

Introducing the August Puppy/Kitten Photo Challenge!

It’s that time again — PET PHOTO CONTEST TIME!!!  I want to announce the August Photo Contest.

It starts RIGHT NOW and I will accept ONLY TWO entries per email pleae.

This is a KITTEN & PUPPY PHOTO CONTEST only, so please don’t sendpictures of your babies unless they’re 6 months old or younger! The entry deadline is next Friday, August 20th at 7 p.m. EST. I will then allow the whole next week for voting. You can vote once through comments (you can vote for three pets only), and once in an email.

** YOU CANNOT VOTE THREE TIMES IN 1 EMAIL FOR THE SAME PET***

And please remember the warning I posted about “vote-stuffing” last month… you will unfortunately be disqualified or, if I’m in a good mood, pushed down in the rankings if you attempt this again***

RULES/PROCESS:

1. This contest, again, is being judged by reader votes/comments. You can vote for up to three pets in a comment and up to three in one email – but not the same pet three times. Entries that do not follow this procedure will be disqualified.

2. Send up to 2 WEB-COMPRESSED JPEG,  or GIF files to thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com. You can also just paste the photos into the email body.

3. Please put “AUGUST PHOTO CONTEST” in the Subject Line.

4. It is VITAL to include the names of your pets. *** Entries received without the pets’ names will not be considered as it gets entirely too confusing with the number of entries we get with no pet name ***

5. Send your network to the post your pet(s) appears on to vote in the Comments. Or repost the post your pet appears on, put in on Facebook, Twitter, Share This, etc, to get your followers to vote!

6. Voting ends on Saturday, August 28 @ 9 pm EST.

7. Winners will be announced (either 3-5 winners) on Sundat 8/29!

PRIZES:

** The August kitten and puppy photo contest has tons of cool prizes, including one hand-held Bissell Spot-Bot, perfect for puppies learning to be house-trained (retails value $129.99) Furminators (retails value $49.95), PetSmart gift cards (Retail Value $25.00), boutique puppy shampoo, puppy “accident” cleaning products from Clean and Green by SeaYu, pet photo albums, toys, treats, and a special surprise for the human!! ** WOWWEEEE

– Needless to say, you don’t want to miss out on this one So start sending entries to thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com ASAP! Thx!–

————————————————————————–

A Gift for Mom Too - A BEAGLE Book!!

On another note, the reactions I received from last month’s winners are overwhelming; you can even read about Shiloh and Shasta’s exciting package-opening, plus I put some pix of them opening the package in this post. Their owner was also SUPER-STOKED about the Beagle book I included for her, Dog Park Diary.

We Opened It! Wow- Look at all this stuff!

The first place winner was so grateful for the Bissell Vac that she was crying because she and her fiancee are in such bad financial straits and to get a box of play things for their rescue efforts was the best possible “picker-upper.”

The owner, Amber, of Simba and Murphy said: “My fiancee and I both work for newspapers and are underpaid obviously but we are dedicated volunteers to pet rescue. The Bissell vac is hands-down the most amazing pet hair pickup tool Ive ever used. It get EVERYTHING – even stuff you can’t see – and we use it on the couches and bed too! I had never thought of trying a Bissell cleaning product but from now on am a Bissell fan! Thank you for your generous prize – it was too much – it literally brought us to tears.”

Looks like help was given where needed! All-in-all over $450 worth of prizes were given last month…

So – REST ASSURED THAT YOU DO WANT TO WIN THE THOUGHTSFURPAWS.COM PRIZE OFFERINGS BECAUSE THEY’RE EXTREMELY VALUABLE!!

Get your August Pet Photo Contest entry – whether cute kitten picture or funny puppy photo – in now!

I cannot tell you how many vaccuums, brooms, dust-busters and wet rags I’ve used to clean up the pet hair of long haired Goldens and two cats – one VERY long-haired (and black) so it shows up in dust bunnies EVERYWHERE: on the couches, the hardwood kitchen floor, the living room couch and white Berber carpet, my bedroom…. you get the point.

Well I finally found my solution! And if you suffer from an overbearing amount of pesky shedded pet hair during summer shedding season, then it’s going to be your solution too!!

It’s the Bissell Power Groom Compact Pet Vacuum -  And I’m not pulling your chain here – Featuring the Pet Hair Removal System, it’s Great for Capturing Pet Hair and Dirt.

It really is an awesome vacuum specifically for pet hair – but it picks up EVERYTHING else too! With the innovative pet hair cleaning solution you get a pet hair lifter, rotating brush, dirt removal, pet dander pick-up and pet hair pick-up all in one seriously powerful compact vacuum (reminds me of “The Little Engine That Could!”

*** Here are some of the stand-out features that I in particular like… the best parts of the Bissell Power Groom Compact, its quick cleaning system for pet hair and special features:

• Multi-Cyclonic Separation – powerful suction for better dirt and hair pick-up.
• Filtration: HEPA Media (yay – clean-air friendly)
• Surface Types: Carpet, Upholstery, Bare Floors, Stairs, Low Pile Carpet
• Weight:  11 lbs (really easy to handle and carry/move)
• Compact Size: Light-weight and smaller profile make cleaning and storage in small spaces easier.
• Multi-Use Tool:  Crevice Tool, Stretch Hose, Dusting Brush
• Pet Hair Tool:  Pet Contour Tool
• It’s BAGLESS! HOORAY- forget about the dreaded emptying of vacuum bags!

Because of the vacuum’s unique lint brush, the Pet Hair Lifter is able to collect deep down pet hair from carpets area rugs and more. This distinctive material grabs pet hair from carpet when the vacuum is pulled back – and releases it into the suction path when pushed forward. NEAT-O!

Bottom line: between the compact size, light-weight, power, multi-cyclonic system and Pet Contour Tool, the Bissell Power Groom Compact provides a complete pet hair removal system.

ThoughtsFurPaws gives Bissell FOUR PAWS UP for creating this one-of-a-kind powerhouse pet vacuum. Click here to purchase or learn more.

*** On anoter note, I thought you might be interested to know that Bissell, Inc is going to be hosting a Live Q&A Call on how to remove pet stains with its veteran expert “Stain Solver,” a BISSELL Chemist named Eric Hansen. Bissell’s Pet Care team wrote a guest blog  on Petfinder.com, which you can read here: http://www.petfinder.com/blog/2010/08/06/live-pet-mess-qa-bissell/.

Oaky — these pictures are SO FUNNY that people in my office printed them and have them hanging in random places…!

Remember earlier this summer when PetSmart was kind enough to sponsor a giveaway for ThoughtsFurPaws.com?  (Like – over $100 giveaway of some seriously cool stuff for summer protection of pets…thanks again PetSmart – ThoughtsFurPaws LOVES you…)

Anyhow, Dayna Hilton and her dog Sparkles the Fire Dog won the contest (great blog – go visit her link please and see all Sparkles does for her community), and here are the pics of Sparkles and her friend Tango modeling and checking out the prizes.

See what I mean about funny? I myself printed one or two to hang up in my office for when I need a laugh.

I can think of no more deserving dog for this gear than a FIRE-FIGHTING and PREVENTING dog so the stars aligned for us correctly on this giveaway.

Sparkles Checks Out His Winnings...

HILARIOUS Sparkles in his Winner's Gear!!!

Sparkles and Fire Friend Tango Checkin' Prizes Out

Tango is READY to Fight Fires and Heat!!

*** Stay tuned this weekend to see what Fenris and others did when they received their Summer Contest prize packages!!

Happy 4th everyone, and please stay safe and be responsible — both for yourself, your families, AND your pets this weekend!

Jaime

BELLA

This was our most popular and most highly-voted on contest EVER at ThoughtsFurPaws. I received over 50 emails, and got about 20 comments for votes, too!!

Thank you to everyone who entered, and the next contest is going to start on Friday so stay tuned — its ANOTHER photo contest! And you could win something REALLY cool from Bissell…                                                                                            

Soooooo, the “Summer Photo Contest” winners are:

There was a tie for first, so they both will get the first place prize:                                                           1. FENRIS (June 12th post)                                                                                                                                                               

Orange and Buff

 1. BELLA the PUPPY (June 12th post)

2. ORANGE and BUFF (June 15th post)

3. ZELDA (June 21st post)

Zelda

HONORABLE MENTION:

Kreepy Kitty (June 15th post)

Name Unknown — LAST PICTURE on June 15th post of that cutie puppy pie!

**EVERYONE mentioned here will receive a prize, I’ve got some GREAT pet-lover’s gifts and pet toys and treats. This includes honorable mentions!

**If you read this and see that you have won before I contact you, please email me your full name and address/phone at thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com

CONGRATS to EVERYPUP and EVERYKITTY! You are ALL GORGEOUS and IRRESISTIBLE!!

Jaime

Fenris

Like you guys haven’t heard this already — I’m a little late in telling you, but the United States Postal Service, last month, announced its launch of 5 irresistible postage stamps featuring pets!

The United States Postal Service is out with the new Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps! These adorable 44 cent stamps feature cats and dogs who were adopted from shelters and are now living in happy, healthy homes.  Not only will these stamps help raise awareness for adopting shelter pets, but the campaign has inspired a pet food company to donate a million meals to shelter pets around the country. The USPS calls the campaign Adopt-A-Pet: Stamps to the Rescue! The postal store at this link (previous link) has tons of other sets of stamps and stuff you can purchase as well. They make great pet-lover’s gifts!

The 5 irresistible postage pets that the author, Peggy Frezon, selected include:

1. Teddy:  A wire haired Jack Russell Terrier who was given up when she had puppies.

Teddy

2. Willow:  A gray Maltese cat who was left in a box at the door of a shelter.

Willow

3. Buddy:  A golden retriever who was purchased from a pet shop, then given up due to health problems.

Buddy

4. Peaches:  A gray, white and tan shorthaired cat who was born under a porch and had to be trapped to be rescued.

Peaches

5. Trevor:  A yellow Labrador retriever found abandoned at a new home construction site.

Trevor

This story is thanks to Guideposts.com, with additional reporting by ThoughtsFurPaws Administrator.

So is your dog bored of squeeky toys, rope pulleys, and balls? Does he play for 3 minutes then walk away uninterested? Perhaps it’s time to refresh his toy collection…

I have the perfect solution for you: the new interactive doggie games from The Company of Animals in the UK. These games will keep your pooch mesmerized for quite awhile, and make them exercise their brains/thinking skills and actions/motions all while learning something new at the same time.

As the UK’s leading specialist in dog behavior and training products, The Company of Animals  recently introduced three new interactive, reward-based games to its Nina Ottosson Collection.

The games are designed to keep pooches mentally active while reinforcing a special canine-human bond. The new additions—Dog Finder, Dog Twister and Dog Casino—work on the same principle as the original games—Dog Tornado, Dog Brick, Dog Magic and Dog Spinny—where the dog moves the parts around to reveal hidden treats. However, these new games are the most challenging in the collection.

Every Nina Ottosson game is suitable for dogs of all ages and sizes and comes with free training guides and DVDs.

We tried out the Dog Finder, and boy did Benson ever have fun with this one!! As the “runt” of his litter, Benny isn’t the smartest Golden you’ll ever meet  – except when it comes to anything to do with food or food preparation. (What he lacks in brains he makes up for with sweetness!) Anyhow, at first Benny just sniffed around all over the place, and got super-excited because he could smell his treats underneath the plastic bone-like shaped toppers. 

The dog’s task in this puzzle is to slide the bone to a wider area of the groove and then dislodge it (i.e. actually pick it up and remove it from the board) to access the hidden treat.

Dog Finder, pictured here at left, is a little more challenging than some of the games in the collection and takes practice to master. Treats are placed under the white plastic bone shells, which the dog must slide through a channel to be able to remove.

The ground-breaking Dog Finder, which retails for only $29.99, is definitely given an A+ from ThoughtsFurPaws for keeping our dog entertained and teaching him new skills and learning activities. Now when we pull the toy out of the closet, Ben can’t wait to get started on it!

You can purchase the Dog Finder and other Nina Ottosson Interactive games (such as the Dog Twister, Dog Casino, etc.) at The Company of Animals. (The easiest way to find the toys on the site is to type the name of the specific toy into the Search Bar I’ve found.)

I highly recommend the Nina Ottosson Interactive Game Collection to anydog — it would especially make a good pet lover’s gift! Your pooch will have so much fun, and will learn and use their memory at the same time. It’s genius!

Wags from Benson

**This product review was written after a sample game was sent for trial

So summer is coming up, and all we pet lovers know what that means. FURBALLS. HAIR. MORE FUR. SHEDDING. And LOTS of it.

But I have to tell you about the perfect solution: my favorite new cleaning necessity…the Bissell Multi-Surface Pet Hair Broom.  The adjustable bristles clean bare floors (perfect since our whole downstairs practically is hardwood floor), PLUS it cleans low pile rugs! For $24.99, (with a lifetime guarantee), this broom has worked wonders in my house.

It has these special rubber bristles that attract/catch all the pet hair, and it’s specifically designed to get the hairballs out of the deepest darkest corners of your kitchen, basement or where ever else your pet’s hair collects dust. Also, the rubber bristles are are retractable so you can use the broom for everyday sweeping, too.

This thing worked like a charm on our hardwood floors, AND on the WHITE Berber (spelling??) carpet in the dining room. And it has an adjustable handle for shorter or longer sweeping needs.

Trust me: between Benson – a constantly-shedding-in-the-summertime-Golden, and Sasha, a long-haired-I-continuously-shed-black-long-fur-all-over-cat, this thing gets the job done.

The Bissell Multi-Surface Pet Hair Broom also has a soft grip for comfort (great for those of us who have to sweep up pet hair EVERY day), a circular end for easy hanging, soft bumpers to protect walls and furniture, and it’s non-slip so it won’t slide off the wall if you lean it up against one. (Which is so annoying to me – when I set the broom or mop against the wall and it falls – total pet peeve, FYI. Sorry to go off on a tangent there.)

Rarely have I found a broom that can pick up pet hair like this one. I give this broom four-paws-up! You can order it online here, or pick one up at your major pet retailer or other store (there’s a store locator on that same page link).

(*ThoughtsFurPaws is part of the “Bissell Pack of Pet Lovers” and is reviewing this sample product at will with an honest opinion.)

As the pet parents of approximately 77.5 million dogs in the U.S. gear up to get outdoors with their pets this spring and summer, PetSmart would like to remind your readers that with the warm weather, sunshine and time spent outdoors comes a host of health concerns for pets such as dehydration, sunburn and pesky pests like fleas and ticks.
A few of the health concerns every pet and their parents face include:

·         Staying hydrated: Dehydration and heatstroke can be fatal to pets, so access to clean drinking water is critical in the spring and summer. Products like an outdoor pet fountain provide a stream of fresh, clean water. While on the go, be sure to bring water for your pet in a suitable drinking container.
 
·         Stopping pests from pestering: With warm weather and sunshine comes a more sinister visitor, the threat of fleas and ticks to your pets and your home. Fleas cause severe itching which can lead to sores if left untreated, and they often carry tapeworms that can be transmitted to your pet. Ticks carry diseases that are dangerous to both pets and humans. A simple monthly preventative treatment like Advantage or K9 Advantix will keep these pests away from pets.
 
·         Keeping sun exposure at a safe level: Just like their parents, dogs can experience sunburn, and even skin cancer, too. To prevent sunburn, apply a sunscreen where hair is thin and skin lacks pigment (nose, ears and sensitive areas) every day your dog is outside.

Sooooo, PetSmart is offering ThoughtsFurPaws readers one lucky prize package: PetSmart would like to offer a giveaway prize pack featuring the necessities every pet parent should have this season. The “Get Outdoors” gift package includes dog sunscreen, a travel food and water system, prescription-grade flea and tick preventative and a collar and lead.

The AWESOME prize pack, worth well over $150 includess:
– K9 Advantix Flea and Tick Control Treatment – $59.99-62.99
– TRAVEL-tainer Pet Feeding System <http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755359> – $14.99
– Vet’s Best Sun Relief Spray Sunscreen for Dogs <http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3680762&lmdn=Dog> – $6.99
– Aspen Pet Signature™ Collar, Harness, and Lead  <http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751419#prodTab1> – $9.99 to $16.99
– Doggles™ Dog Eye Protection <http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755385> – $23.99
– Outward Hound™ Pet Saver™ Lifejacket <http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753838> – $17.99 to $32.99

Pet Saver Life Jacket

When the winner is selected, Iwill just need to get contact information and the requested size for the Aspen Pet Signature Collar, Harness and Lead, as well as the Doggles Dog Eye Protection and the Outward Hound Pet Saver Lifejacket.

A GREAT thanks to PetSmart for prmoting this contest for me.

So how do you win?

Well, I want you to tell me your favorite outdoor moment (whether funny or sentimental) with your dog over the years. Tell me about something that happened that you will never forget -- for example, my Golden Gibson getting home from a walk in California and taking an unauthorized swim in the pool even though he knew he wasn’t allowed.

Sent your story entries to thoughtsfurpas@gmail.com by Friday, May 6 at 5 p.m. EST. I wil announce the winner on Saturday May 7 in the afternoon.

This is a TOTALLY cool package offering from PetSmart that one lucky pooch and parent will get to take home, so get those stories into me now okay?

Special thanks to Shae Sneed and the kindly folks at PetSmart:) We love you!

Jaime, Benson and Sasha

(and Theodore and Gibson in spirit…)