We all know Valentine’s is for lovers – and this year, it’s for pet lovers, too. Your readers can celebrate the holiday by giving pets special Valentine’s Day gifts or helping a homeless pet find love during the PetSmart Charities Second Chance for Love National Adoption Weekend this February 12-14 in all 1,149 PetSmart stores in the United States and Canada.

With a goal of finding homes for 16,100 dogs, cats and small animals, PetSmart expects more than 2,000 animal-welfare agencies throughout North America to participate.

During the last 14 years, the PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers have found homes for more than 4 million pets. For every minute that the Adoption Centers are open, one pet’s life is saved. (Please see below for additional adoption details.)

Adopt a new pet and receive:

- Free 4-5 lb. bag of Science Diet® pet food*

- Coupon for $7 off Science Diet® dog and cat food

- The Guide for Lifelong Health (a $30 value)

- Valuable coupons and samples

If you already have a four-legged Valentine, make sure to show your loved one some extra attention. This Valentine’s, PetSmart is offering unique gifts such as Valentine tanks and plush and loofa dog toys featuring hearts and sweet messages.

ABOUT THE SECOND CHANCE FOR LOVE NATIONAL ADOPTION WEEKEND:
Prospective adopters are encouraged to visit the PetSmart Charities’ Adoption Center inside any PetSmart® store in the U.S. and Canada from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, February 12 and Saturday, February 13; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 14. Adoptions are handled by participating animal-welfare groups. Call a PetSmart® store near you to find out about a specific agency’s set-up time during the three-day event. To find the PetSmart Charities’ Adoption Center nearest you, visit www.PetSmart.com or call 1-877-473-8762.

The new and improved FURminator is the coolest and most easy to use pet brush EVER. I was sent a sample for review and the updates the company made to the original make the product even better than it already was!

The FURminator deLuxe Collection features the same premium quality, stainless steel edge and adds a sleek, enhanced design, which make grooming sessions at home faster and easier.

The new model has an ergonomic handle, making it easier to grip, the fine-toothed deshedding edge, which is the biggest feature if you ask me because it reaches beneath the top coat and grabs loose undercoat hair, and finally, it also has a really neat “FURejector:” a button you push that releases the hair you’ve trapped in the brush (so you can avoid pulling all the hair out of the comb with your hands and getting it all over the place!!)

FURminator deLuxe Edition

I have always been a FURminator fan, and never use any other pet brush. But actually, even my vet told me just this week (since I’ve spent so much time there this week…) that his lucrative grooming business uses only the FURminator line of products on all dogs and cats.

The deLuxe model includes tools designed for small, medium and large long- and short-haired dogs AND cats, so you can pick which model works best depending on the size of your animals.

I think the best part about FURminator products is that my cats and dogs actually LOVE the way they feel on their skin. They will sit in front of me for hours being brushed – which is unusual considering how hyperactive our animals are. And it’s also funny because they have learned to recognize the FURminator — when I go into the laundry room and pull it out of the cabinet it’s like they line up in a row, waiting to be brushed:)

I would highly recommend this product to any pet owner – it REALLY IS THE BEST PET BRUSH EVER CREATED.

You can find the magical new FURminator at pet specialty retailers and vet clinics, as well as online at www.furminator.com.

These are pictures of Fenris, one of the December dog photo contest winners. He has the blog Alasandra, the cats and a dog.

Here he is enjoying his new toys and treats from the prize package we at ThoughtsFurPaws sent to him for winning one of three places in the photo contest.

Enjoy all the pictures at the link below (this post only has a select few): http://www.flickr.com/photos/alasandra/sets/72157623298394290/

Fenris and Stuffies

Fenris and Prize Package

Fenris and New Toys

Fenris Roaching With Toys

It seems more holiday pet tips are coming my way from all differnt directions, so I thought I’d post this one too. This one is about some great holiday pet gift ideas that are nice and easy. It’s from my good friend John at Guideposts.com.

Here are 5 purr-fect budget friendly gift ideas for your pets:
http://www.guideposts.com/story/presents-pets-christmas
1. Buy a great toy: Check out the environmentally-friendly toys at your local pet store, or online. Or go even more simple. A bucket of old tennis balls makes Kelly happy. Try making a toy yourself. If you can sew, create a simple stuffed teddy bear for your pup. Tie a feather or pompon to the end of a string for your kitty. Get creative!
2. Cook  Something Yummy: Find a recipe for healthy dog treats. Try this dog carsomething yummy:rot cake recipe from Sharon Azar’s WOOF! blog or Editor-in-chief Edward Grinnan’s dog food recipe.
3. Frame a picture: For your animal-loving friends and family, frame a special picture of their pet, or create a small scrapbook or brag book. If you’re handy with the computer, print up stationary or note cards, with the pet’s picture in the corner.
4. Make pet books and calendars: Pet lovers will never grow tired of reading about their best friends, and there are so many great options: fiction, memoirs, how-to, and great true animal stories. (Check out Guideposts’ own Their Mysterious Ways) Page-a-day or monthly pet calendars make great gifts, too.

5. Give your time: What’s the best gift to give a pet? Your time! Get down on the floor and play, maybe even invent a new game with your dog or cat. Relish time to just cuddle. Kelly and I like to get wrapped up in a blanket. For your pet-owning friends, offer dog walking or pet-sitting. Or help more pets by donating time or money to a local animal shelter.

(Next one added by me, yours truly….I couldn’t help it)

6. Volunteer. I think that we should all get out and volunteer for an animal charity this holiday season, whether by being at adoption events, writing letters, or answering phones, go into your local pet charity and see how you can help this season!

 
Happy holidays!

Concurrently with the December dog photo contest I was running the PetSmart Holiday Giveaway package. I asked people to let me know how they have helped animals this year and got some pretty amazing entries…it was tough to choose just one winner for the package. It’s so amazing to hear all that people do for animals day in and day out…
I finally decided on the winner being Lauren Egier for all her time and donations. This is what she wrote me:

“Hi, I’ve been busy this year trying to help out as much as possible. When my Bull Terrier passed away last year, we started searching for a rescue Bully to fill the void in our heart and home. We found the perfect Bull Terrier for our family and have been volunteering with Southern Ontario Animal Rescue (S.O.A.R.) ever since.

I baked thousands of homemade dog cookies to raise money at the All About Pets Show. I also baked a bunch for those dogs that haven’t found their forever home and for those that are sharing their homes with fosters.

I’ve volunteered my time at the annual Howl-o-ween Party and at the Christmas Pawty. The rescue group recently got involved with the Ontario Bingo halls and I’ve volunteered for 3-4 sessions.

Today was a very important day as I helped transport a young Lab X with a broken leg to her new foster home. Her new foster mom is a friend of ours that used to take care of our first Bull Terrier when we went away. We had emailed her hoping that she might know someone that could foster and she opened up her home to the dog.

My rescue Bully and I also partook in the Rescue Me Walk-a-thon at Woofstock in Toronto. This walk benefited many rescue groups and also raised awareness as to the types of dogs that can be found through rescue.

I am also a member of the Pig Dogs in the TDot group which gets together to walk our Bull Terriers. Each walk has a different benefactor and we have raised lots of money that goes directly to specific rescues.

Lastly, I’ve attended a couple of protests/rallies at Queens Park in Toronto to get rid of the “Pit Bull ban.”  These have been very powerful events and I have met some great people and their friendly dogs.

For any rescue group looking to make a decent amount of money, try finding a local bingo hall. We run about 3-4 sessions a month for 4-5 hours each and make a significant amount of money.”

Thank you Lauren for all that you do — and thanks to all who entered for everything that you do for animals. You all deserve to win:)

Jaime

In today’s economy, many shoppers will be looking for pet lover gifts for the best value for everyone on their wish list, including that furry member of their family.

In fact, according to a national PetSmart survey, 95 percent of pet parents give their pets a gift or special treat during the holiday season. PetSmart expects nearly 155 million pets may receive gifts this year, meaning many of you are searching for the perfect pet gift for under the tree. Well ThoughtsFurPaws to the rescue: I’m teaming up with PetSmart to offer another fantastic ThoughtsFurPaws Contest Giveaway this month. One lucky reader will receive a Good Dog Mailbox Dog Stocking, filled with the following products:

Plush Toy in Prize Package

 
§  Rein-Dog Costume with Lights
§  Plush Snowman with Rope
§  Plush Christmas Squeaker Mat

This exciting prize package is perfect for the holidays, and you can keep all the prizes for yourself or even give some of them away, as they make perfect pet lover gifts! Thanks so much to PetSmart for offering our readers this AWESOME package.

Now for the rules: All you have to do is email me at thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com and tell me how you have helped the animal welfare cause in 2008. Write a paragraph or write a book – I don’t care. I just want to know what you have done — whether it’s volunteering at a shelter or adoption event, transporting animals, or whatever —  to help our nation’s unfortunate pets this year.

The winner will be announced on December 14th. PetSmart will send the package directly to the winner! Good luck – and don’t forget to send your entries to thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com.

So all our kitty kin out there are staring at this post title and thinking “WHAT IS JAIME THINKING??”

I’ts not MY opinion, it’s the opinion of writer and New York Times Bestselling Author Bradley Trevor Greive, with photos by Rachael Hale. In “Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats,” Greive actually makes some seriously funny observations about both of our favorite types of companions – cats and dogs. With pictures that jump off the page at you, and plenty of dog and cat quotes to choose from, this book was definitely well-written, but didn’t sell me on dogs being better…:) It even says on my About Page, and has for the last 18 months, I could NEVER choose between the two, which is why ThoughtsFurPaws covers both.

Anyways, according to the press release put forth by the publishing company, Andrews McMeel Publishing, the controversy is expected over the book title and theme. Basically Greive is saying this: “dogs are social, cats are sociopaths.” (Note here: I can’t say that Theodore isn’t a sociopath some nights when he has too much nip, or when he gets the zooms in the  backyard and climbs up tree after tree when its really windy with his ears peeled back against his head and running around the yard at speeds a leopard couldn’t compete with…)

Also from the press release about the book:

“Dogs and cats. Friends or foes? The conflict between the species, like the conflict between their owners, has continued for centuries. … Greive finally puts the debate to rest…BTG (the author) writes from the perspective of one who knows – and tells. But be advised that his delightful discourse is no diatribe. He is prodog, not anticat.”

Okay, so I’ll give him that much…it’s not that the book itself is anticat, it’s just all prodog!

BTG elaborates on these singular perpectives as well:

- Dogs match up to people. People must match up to cats.

- Dogs teach us patience. Cats test our patience.

- The bottom line is this: Dogs want love. Cats want fish!

The book definitely has some more comedic moments like this that made me literally lol, I won’t deny it. Some of the chapters are called, “Cat People and Dog People: A Study in Contrasts,” “Cats Are Not Without Their Charms,” and “The Best and Worst Thing About Dogs.”  And it’s a lovely hard-covered, full-colored beauty bound for my coffee table for sure.

I recommend you guys all check it out if only for the laughs and the AWESOME pictures. There are some SERIOUSLY funny gems of cat and dog wisdom in this book.

“Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats” is the official Pet Product of the Week! Go out and read it!

Franklin in his EzyDog jacket

We received an EzyDog coat for one of our family’s Basset Hounds last week, and it is the most adorable doggie jacket I have ever seen. It’s camoflauge colored with reflectors on both sides. We got it for Franklin (the rescue foster Basset who turned into a permanent member of the household), since he is still so skinny and loves to spend time outside.

It was hilarious to see Frank in this jacket: he did NOT want to take it off. Once we put it on him, he totally strutted his stuff around the house and around the neighborhood on the walk, it was SO funny. He never wants to take the jacket off and even insists on wearing it in the house now! Neighbors were stopping to ask me where I got the jacket as here in Cleveland, inclement weather often is a hurdle for dog owners who want to walk their beloved pooches in sub-zero temperatures.

The EzyDog Outdoor Coat is windproof, waterproof, fleece-lined and extremely

Reflector View on EzyDog jacket

warm. It acts as a barrier in bad weather, keeping your four-legged adventurer warm and comfortable.

It comes with a Neoprene stretch panel that produces a secure custom fit and two quick-release side buckles with cam-locks to make fitting very simple. It also features two top zippered pouches to help carry essentials like doo-doo bags, etc.

According to a press release from the company, “Our company has been very successful with our leashes and collars,” said John Hatcher, Owner of EzyDog. “So we decided to expand our line and include coats so that dogs who like to be outdoors can keep them playing all year round.”

The coat is available in six different designs and seven sizes so you are bound to find the perfect fit for your dog. To order an EzyDog jacket for your pooch, visit www.ezydog.com. 

ThoughtsFurPaws definitely gives the EzyDog jacket four paws up (sixteen paws up if you count the other foster Bassets who got a chance to try it on). This is a great investment that will long-last the seasons and protect your dog from the cold. It would also make a great pet-lover gift for the holidays.

Next step — booties for walking in the snow…:) (I’ll let you know how that one goes!)

So I have this fabulous new product to tell you all about that is am AMAZING alternative to traditional rawhides. They are called Pork Chomps.

They are a “safer, tastier, more digestible alternative to beef rawhide because the revolutionary chews are made from natural baked pork skin.”

I tested these out on the four Basset Hounds this weekend and they were a TOTAL HIT. Of course Henry, the oldest and the alpha male, will eat anything you put in front of him, but the other three, not so much. They often turn their noses at treats and chewies but not Pork Chomps.

Franklin promptly took his Pork Chomp outside for privacy while the other three boys chewed theirs all in a row in the family room. It took them about 10-15 minutes to get through the small chewy treat.

Pork Chomps, according to a news release, were preferred by 9 out of 10 dogs against beef rawhides. “Baked pork skin has a natural flavor that’s extremely appealing to dogs so unlike conventional rawhide, Pork Chomps don’t have to be stuffed or basted to entice dogs…”

Made by Scott Pet Products, extensive research and field tests by the company have shown that pork skin chews are more easily digested than rawhide, which is important for pet parents because there have been tons of reports of dogs getting intestinal issues from beef rawhides (my two Golden Retrievers included).

So I would highly recommend these chewies to anyone looking for a tasty, more easily digestible alternative to beef rawhides.

Pork Chomps are available in Bacon, Peanut Butter, and Pepperoni flavors and in a remarkable range of styles, including Mini Knots, Smoked Bagels, and Rolls. You can find them at PetSmart, Tractor Supply, and other pet stores, or check out the website to order of for more info.

Bottom line: four Bassets give 16 paws up to Pork Chomps:)

Looking for a different type of stencil for the kids (or – admit it – for you) to carve on your pumpkin this Halloween? Then you must go and visit Better Homes and Gardens and check out their dog Halloween pumpkin stencils — they are so cool! All you do is print the handy PDFs, then size on a copier and transfer the design to your pumpkin!

They have a huge selection of doggie pumpkin stencils, all adorable and fun. Plus, you can vote for your favorite breed!

For an overview of this year’s Dog Breed Pumpkin poll and to see some examples of the cute stencils, check out the featured video on BHG’s Channel on YouTube.