A Cool Breeze for your dog

How does your dog handle the heat? Kelly, who is nearly 10 now, doesn't do so well. She has a few cool hiding spots like behind the recliner and under the table on the porch. So recently, when we were asked to review a product from In Style Dog, a shopping site with modern, stylish and luxury dog beds, furniture and accessories, we chose the Cool Breeze by K&H.

Cool Breeze is a dog platform/chair/bed, supported on a frame that unfolds like those handy portable chairs you take with you to parks and baseball games. In fact, it all folds up neatly into it's own carrying sleeve. The elevated bed is great. Kelly's always jumping up on the furniture, so why not give her something of her own to jump up onto?

























The fabric is super strong, featuring the "award winning Cool Bed, which utilizes a unique central core that diverts liquid, cooling the pad from the inside out." All you do is fill the reservoir with water. The result is a squishy, gel-like, cool surface for reclining. Ahhhhh.













The cover is pretty heavy once you fill it with water. I was worried that the legs would collapse under the weight, but they were plenty strong to hold it up, and 36 lb. Kelly as well. Cool Breeze comes in 3 sizes, regular, medium and large. Kelly is enjoying the medium.

I've also laid the Cool Breeze on the floor and Kelly has curled up on that without the frame. Everything about this product, and the prompt and friendly service from In Style Dogs, was excellent. Kelly gives Cool Breeze 4 paws way up! (Some day I'm going to have to tray to take a picture of her with all four paws up!) In Style Dog also offers Breezy Bunk, which is a similar doggy hammock, with a soft covering instead of the Cool Bed.













*One more thing: In Style Dog offers readers of this blog a 5% discount on all ISD items! Just type in the code bppp when you check out!

Disclosure: We were provided with this product in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Kitties Gotta Play

Today, Guest Blogger Kate Fenner and her kitty Cinnamon take on Big Orange Fish and Lazy Lady Bug with this pet toy review. Imperial Cat generously provided the toys from their Cat 'N Around collection.

Kate: A few days ago I received a mysterious package in the mail. I had a suspicion it contained the much-anticipated Imperial Cat toys even before I opened the package, because I heard the contents jingling. So did Cinnamon! Just after I opened it, she moseyed into the living room to check things out.

Inside were two adorable toys, one shaped like a fish, and the other like a ladybug. Each has a little bell inside, which makes a light jingling noise when tossed around. Both are filled with feline friendly organic catnip.

When I first opened the envelope, the scent of catnip was extremely strong. However, once being removed from the envelope and tossed around the house by Cinnamon, it didn't bother me anymore. And as you will later see, the scent was not a negative issue for Miss Cinnamon.

When she was a young kitten, Cinnamon didn't care too much for catnip. But recently, we've discovered that she now really enjoys it, both on its own and in toys. So when I placed the toys on the ground, and she started investigating them, I could tell she knew the catnip was there, and she was thrilled!












She had a great time batting both the toys around, rubbing up against them with her head and body, and most amusingly, grabbing one of the toys in her two front paws and then scratching at the toy with her back paws, all while rolling onto her back.












Cinnamon definitely enjoys both of these toys. I think the orange fish tends to get a little more use, simply because it is a little larger of a toy, which makes it easier for her to grasp. These Imperial Cat "Cat 'n Around" toys have both certainly become welcome additions to her toy box.

Kelly Tests Toys

Kelly roots through her basket of toys like a truffle pig, searching for just the right one. Why does a particular toy catch her fancy at any given moment? Who knows. She has her favorites, like the pink bunny (now decapitated and dismembered.) She loves toys!

Recently csnstores.com generously gave us the opportunity to test a few pet products. Kelly and I selected two toys and a pet food placemat. Testing products is fun!

Kelly loves Nylabones, and I love the fact that they are practically indestructible. We chose the Nylabone Galileo Dog Chew Toy, "Souper" size, for powerful chewers 25 lbs and over (Nylabone $17.48). This bone is huge! And heavy. Even so, Kelly loves to toss it in the air and fling it about (thunk! crash!). She was immediately attracted to the scent and flavor. The lumpy shape is pretty cool too, reminiscent of a real bone.















I was really excited to try out the Dog-E Logic Interactive Dog Toy (Ware, $27.95). The idea is to hide a treat under the pegs and sliding discs, and see if the dog can deduce how to remove the obstacles to get to the goodies.





























But could she figure this out? See for yourselves.



Kelly seemed to have fun playing with this toy, but I think it was more knocking and pawing things until she got what she wanted. Not sure if there was really much reasoning going on.











The last item we tested was the Doggie Butler Indoor/Outdoor Rug (No Trax, $28.99). When this arrived, it smelled strongly of rubber and carpet, so I had to put it outside to air out. But now it's fine. The mat has raised edges which help keep the bowls, and stray food in place. It sops up sloppy water dribbles well. The backing is thick rubber, so it doesn't skid around or budge on the tile floor at all. Overall a great pet food mat.

If you have any pet supply needs, I would recommend these products, and csnstores.com. They have hundreds of different items, from dog beds to crates, leashes, travel bowls, pooper scoopers, grooming needs and of course....toys! Kelly says toys are the best!

Monday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Monday Pet Roundup!

* I'll occasionally review a pet product I think you'll find helpful, and csn stores contacted me recently with another great offer to review one of their products. At their website you can find everything from a bedroom vanity to a braided rug to a barbecue grill...but seriously, you're going to love their wide range of pet products. Stay tuned in the following weeks for my review!

* You may have heard of Ricochet the surfing dog. Now meet Outback Addie! This rescue dog was once afraid of everything, but now look at her go! Hang twenty, dude!

* Take the USA Today poll. Should dogs be allowed in restaurants?

* Neil Genlinger suggests that we may be wasting too much time watching cute pets on TV, movies and the Internet. In his New York Times article he notes that one You Tube video, "Surprised Kitty" received more than 28,500,000 views. The clip is only 17 seconds long, but this amounts to 15 years of time spent (he says "wasted") watching this. I don't know about you, but I think that 17 seconds of my life was worth it!

*Chocolate...grapes...onions. Zootoo reminds us to keep these foods away from our pets.

* My vet warned me that my dog Kelly shared many of the same risks as I due to being overweight. At Dancing Dog Blog, Mary Haight shares some authoritative insight on dogs and human diseases.