Kelly's good luck

What's more fun than getting prizes in the mail?!
First, I am thrilled to have won third place in FIDO Friendly magazine's Leave No Dog Behind writing contest. The theme was on traveling with your pet, and I wrote about taking our dalmatian puppy on our honeymoon! In addition to an awesome trip to Baltimore MD, check out these cool prizes I won:

Pet Zen travel bowl and bottle (above) and this Pet Zen Dog to Go Hitch N' Leash.

















Then, I won a coupon for a free bag of Organix dog food in All Things Dog blog's random drawing. Look at all the goodies that came along with the coupon! Thank you!













I hope you do well in the contests you enter. Go ahead, rub the top of Kelly's head for luck!

Wednesday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup! Happy June! Here is my daughter's cat, Cinnamon. She wants to go along on a trip.

*This is fun. Interior design buff Kim, of the blog Desire to Inspire, creates a fun post, Pets On Furniture. Check out the photos or maybe submit one of your own.

*Liz Palika writes a well-stated comment about The Pets I Cannot Save on Pet Connection.

*Celebs with pugs. Check it out on Dogtipper.

*Here, from Buzzfeed, are 20 cats with towels.

*Finally, don't forget to stop over at my new Facebook page, Dieting with my Dog and find community for health and fitness challenges and successes (for you and your pudgy pup!)

Pet food on the go

This is how I usually packed when traveling with my dog: a plastic grocery bag filled with food, a random handful of treats, and a leaky margarine tub of water. Not a very glamorous, or effective, packing job.
















Fortunately, I've now upgraded. Thanks to csn stores, which recently invited me to test drive some of their awesome pet products, I've discovered two handy products I don't know how we lived without.














First up is the Drinkwell Hydro-Go Canteen. It holds enough water to keep your dog well-hydrated on roadtrips and hikes. Just flip down the convenient fold-out bowl. When your dog is done, if there is any water left over, don't waste it! Simply tip the bowl back up and it funnels the unused water back into the canteen! Can you tell how much I love this? No more drinking out of margarine tubs for Kelly!



















Next is the Omega Paw Little Buddy Lunch Box. Simple fill the plastic bin with enough food for your vacation. (This smallest size holds up to 12 cups. Larger sizes are available.) Then at dinner time, scoop out food and pour into the handy built-in bowl in the cover. There's even an extra bowl for water, and a sturdy handle. So this convenient unit serves as both carrying container and feeder.











So now Kelly is all set to go on a trip! If you are looking for great travel supplies for your dog, I think you'd like these products too.

Full disclosure: CSN Stores provides me with a gift card in exchange for this review, however all opinions are 100% my own.

Wednesday Pet Roundup

Hi and Welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup! (formerly Monday Pet Roundup!) Here is Kelly wishing you all Welcome too!

*Would you buy this product: Puppy Tweets, and electronic tag that attaches to your dog's collar. The Associated Press explains that this dog tag sends Twitter messages based on your dog's activities throughout the day.

* What exactly does "pet friendly" mean when it comes to hotels? Is it enough that the hotel simply allows pets, or should it go beyond? How about: a luxury pet bed, two silver bowls, bottled water, complimentary dog walking, and a room service menu featuring German Shepherd's Pie, Dachshund's Delight and Mastiff Munchies." Omidog reveals these details of the new "Fido Friendly Package" at NYC's Waldorf Towers.

* And is this a good idea? Lorrie Shaw, a professional pet sitter and pet blogger, makes some good points regarding a new dog nutritional bar, Grrr-Nola Dog Food Bar for "dogs on the go". (Dogs on the go?)

* I like this. You might go to the YMCA for swimming, basketball, youth programs...and now, USA Today reports on the Y's Power of Pets dog-and-human fitness program.

*Love cats and art? The Daily Vitamin Sea posts some pictures of unique painted cat statues. The different designs represent aspects of the Catskill Mountain communities in New York.

What are your thoughts?

Riding in Cars with Dogs

This week Be the Change for Animals is promoting Be Smart, Ride Safe, to inform pet owners about the dangers of unrestrained pets in vehicles.

Kelly loves to ride in the car. Note: This is NOT how Kelly travels (picture taken for a photo op moment.) But I've been thinking a lot about this issue during the week.

Kelly has been riding comfortably on the back seat of the SUV. Yes, unrestrained.















She doesn't jump around, she doesn't bother the driver. She doesn't stick her head out the window like this:















(Note: Again, Kelly doesn't ride like this. But I must admit, she did enjoy posing for this shot!)

But I started thinking about what could happen in the event of an accident:

* This sounds awful, but she could become a projectile in an accident.
* If she was injured or frightened, she could distract rescue workers from getting to humans who needed help.
* During rescue attempts, she could escape out a window or open door and become lost.
* If she escaped post-accident, she might run into the road and get hit and/or cause another accident.

So I'm looking into getting a harness, which would still allow her to ride in her favorite seat in the back.
What about you? Where does your pet travel in the car? Does your pet balk at being restrained?
Have you taken the Be Smart Ride Safe pledge?

Kelly visits life-size sculptures

I can't wait to show you pictures from our weekend outing with Kelly. But first, Peggy's Pet Place has a new look! I'm excited by the new colors and size. (Please bear with me as I tweak.)

Now, back to the family outing. We took Kelly with us to tour the Sculpture in the Streets in downtown Albany NY. A city, even a fairly small one like Albany, can be intimidating to a little dog. But I think she had a great time.

The statues, by American artist Seward Johnson, are life-sized bronze sculptures of ordinary people in everyday activities. The fun part is that, from a distance, pedestrians or motorists passing by might be tricked into thinking the statues are real!

Join us on the tour:


"I'm trying to be good and stay for my picture, but there is so much to see here."
















"Enough yakking ladies. Can't we get up and play in the park?"















































"Nope. Nothing good in the news today."















"Okay, but don't come at me with those huge clippers!























"You don't mind if I read over your shoulder do you?"



















We hope you enjoyed the sculptures. Are there statues like this in your community? If not, come visit Albany! The sculptures will be on display through October.

Monday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Monday Pet Roundup! And Happy Labor Day. Kelly just came out of the lake and is shaking off. Look out, don't get wet!

* Looking for an activity to share with your dog? Try Happy Hour! The Washington Post reports on such an event held last Wednesday at the Park Hayatt Hotel. Ticket price of $12 included two drinks and free dog cookies. (Proceeds benefited the Washington Animal Rescue League.)

* How about dogs on the subway? Not in NYC, but the Boston Herald discovers that yes, dogs are allowed on the T!

* Dogs or jail? Which would you choose? According to USA Today, a Kentucky woman says dogs. Because she owns 6 dogs, 4 more than town regulations allow, she can face jail time. Do you agree, or disagree?

* Sorry to end with this but I just have to say it. I saw the video of the woman tossing the cat in the trash can. I can't forget about puppy mills, hoarding and the Vick dogs. I just read a headline about setting dogs on tame, chained bears. I can't open the link. I can't read the story. My heart is sick. I just can't take it any more.

* Okay, I can't end the post there. Here, via Cute Overload, is a little sleepy pup I hope will bring a smile to your face.

Tail-Wagging Adoption Tour and Susan Sims, Part 2

Wednesday I introduced you to
Susan Sims, publisher of FIDO Friendly magazine and founder of Get Your Licks on Route 66 mobile pet adoption tour. Today we continue our interview, find out what Junior is up to, and learn more about some of the heartwarming adoptions last year.

Q: The pet adoption tour kicks off in Chicago on September 11th. What are the special events along the way?

Susan: Each partner shelter provides volunteers to help during the day and we try and take photos of all the pets being adopted. We place a lot of ads in the local media and its always great fun when camera crews come out during that special day to help encourage more people to consider adopting their next pet. It is truly heart warming to be a part of this experience when people find their new forever friends.

Q: Do you remember some of the pets who were adopted?

Susan: Watching people looking at the pets up for adoption never failed to touch our hearts. One day in particular stands out in my mind when a disabled woman adopted a small bundle of fur who only had one eye. She thought they were a good match!

Last year, we had a cover contest where we chose one lucky pup from the tour to grace our cover. The pet that made it was a white puppy pit bull. He was adopted by a family in Flagstaff, Arizona (pictured with his new family and here on the cover) and they named him Spike. We saw the whole love story unfold that day and it was a perfect match.

Q: Are there cats too?

Susan: Cats are onboard as well!

Q: You're on the road for a month. What are the pluses and minuses of traveling so long?

Susan: We love traveling with our dog, Junior. The plus side is being able to experience different sights and sounds with him. He is always up for adventure. Another plus is that we always order room service when Junior is along for the ride. The minus side is: we always order room service when Junior is along for the ride. Lol

Q: So Junior is an important part of the tour.

Susan: Last year, Junior’s picture was quite large on the side of the bus. The caption was, ‘Hi, my name is Junior and I was adopted.’ We stay at the LaQuinta Inns and Suites as they are our hotel sponsors and one night when my husband was walking Junior at the hotel, a guest came up and said, "Is that Junior?" It took my husband awhile to realize that this person had seen Junior’s face on the side of the bus, and that was why he was recognized.

Q: Darn, I don't live in the Route 66 vicinity. Can we follow along online?

Susan: Thanks so much for asking! We will be blogging daily on our FIDO Friendly blog as well as highlighting stops on Animal Radio. There is also a direct link with photos at www.getyourlicks.org. We will be running a feature story the first of the year which will detail the entire tour.

Q: How many pets do you think will be adopted as a result of this year's tour?

Susan: Last year we helped adopt 150 pets. It would be great to double that amount this year!

Q: That would be great! How can we help?

Susan: You are helping us so much right now by spreading the word about this life saving event. We also have a great auction up on Charity Buzz. Starting September 2nd, people can take a look online and bid for great auction items. All proceeds will benefit the ‘Get Your Licks on Route 66’ tour. Once on Charity Buzz, look for North Shore Animal League America and FIDO Friendly and the event name: Get Your Licks on Route 66.

Thank you Susan, and best of luck on the tour! Hugs to Junior!

If you want, you can leave your good wishes for Susan and Junior and their travels here. And, if you have any questions for Susan, feel free to ask here too.

Tail-Wagging Adoption Tour and Susan Sims, Part 1

If you're like me, you'd take in every sweet, adorable, pleading homeless pet and give them the love and care they deserve...if you could. The next best thing, however, is promoting pet adoption all across the country.

What is it? Get Your Licks on Route 66 is a mobile national pet adoption tour rolling along the length of the America's Favorite Highway, Route 66.

When? The event kicks off in Chicago on September 10th and arrives in California early October.

Where? The 36-foot Mobile Adoption Unit will travel through eight states, with stops in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Meet Susan Sims, publisher of FIDO Friendly magazine, and founder of Get Your Licks on Route 66.

Q: How did this adoption tour begin?

Susan: Early in 2009 I had the idea to travel cross-country to help promote pet adoption.
FIDO Friendly magazine is such a great venue for all things dog, but I wanted to get out on the road and start a grass-root awareness campaign about pet adoption. We partnered with North Shore Animal League America, (NSALA) the world's largest no kill animal shelter.

Q: So, do you bring pets for adoption along with you?

Susan: The bus drivers take pets from the local shelters along the way and bring them to a designated venue where people can come on board the climate-controlled pet adoption bus and look at pets for adoption.

The 2 bus drivers from NSALA are the true heroes, as they transport pets to the different adoption sites each day and at day's end, take pets that had not been adopted back to the shelters. At this time, they sanitize the bus and get it ready for the next day's adoption. This process is repeated at each shelter.

Q: How can we find out if/when you'll be coming to our town?

Susan: We will be posting the entire schedule on our blog and online.

Q: Why have you made this event one of your personal missions--what does it mean to you?

Susan: Just before the Get Your Licks on Route 66 pet adoption tour last year, we lost both of our two Labs within a few months of each other and as fate would have it, we adopted Junior from our local shelter just before the last sweet spirit passed over Rainbow Bridge. There are a lot of great dogs sitting in shelters right now, just waiting for the chance to become someone's best friend. By making this month long pet adoption tour something fun and hopefully news worthy, I feel that more and more dogs will be adopted as a result of what we do. Junior is a pure bred black Lab, found at a shelter, so he made a perfect choice for spokes-dog. You just never know who you will find that needs a new forever home at your local shelter. These are not throw-away dogs, just sweet spirits looking for a home.

Junior came with us last year, in fact, you could say he grew up on the road. He had never been on a car trip, never in a plane and we just got lucky that he loved the entire experience. We made sure that we stopped at places like Camp Bow Wow when we had extra time so he could run and play with a few 'new friends' before we jumped back in the car for the next city stop. I think if pet parents remember to exercise their furry best friends, making a long road trip like this one can be a great experience for all concerned.

Thank you Susan!

Be sure to stop by again Friday to
Learn more about Junior
Read some of the heartwarming adoption stories
Find out how you can help!

If you want, you can leave your good wishes for Susan and Junior and their travels here. And, if you have any questions for Susan, feel free to ask here too.

DVD review--Wendy and Lucy

I was drawn to this movie because of the dog. Is Wendy and Lucy a touching, thought-provoking movie about a struggling woman and her faithful dog? I guess so. But in many ways, I also felt that Wendy and Lucy let me down.

Wendy and Lucy (2008) is a slow-paced road movie, directed by Kelly Reichardt, out on DVD. Critically acclaimed, nominated for several awards, it also won an award for Best Actress. The movie stars Michelle Williams (Shutter Island, Brokeback Mountain) as Wendy, and Lucy the dog as Lucy--a yellow Lab, Hound mix with the most amazing button ears (ears that stand up, but flop over at the top.)

Wendy is a young woman traveling in her run-down car, hoping for better job prospects in Alaska. Along the way the car breaks down and she doesn't have enough money to repair it, or to stay in a hotel, or to feed her dog. When Lucy disappears, Wendy goes to great extremes to try to find her and I clearly feel the love of the woman for her dog. Without giving anything away, in the end, she has to make a painful decision involving the dog.

The problem with the movie for me, is that it never fully explained this woman's need to go to Alaska. There are few clues to her background, education, job history and parental involvement. So strong was her desire to go to Alaska "for a job" that she naively set out on the long journey without the means to sufficiently take care of her needs, or those of her dog. Owning a dog comes with a responsibility, and it's not enough to just provide love. That being said, I think love trumps most other situations, as long as needs such as food and shelter are also met.

While I don't want to give away the ending, I felt that--instead of the noble decision I felt the movie wanted us to accept-- the main character was making a selfish decision, one that could have been resolved by giving up her (unfleshed-out) dream to go to Alaska.

The movie is rated R, although I don't know why. There was no sex, nudity, violence and only a little bad language. A note on the back of the DVD says "This rating seems to reflect, above all, an impulse to protect children from learning that people are lonely and that life can be hard."

Life can be hard, and movies don't have to have a pretty tied-with-a-bow ending in order to be good. But this one left me wondering WHY the main character was giving up so much in order to go to Alaska-- a question that was never fully answered...and if she really did the right thing for her dog in the end.

Have you seen the movie? What do you think?

Monday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Monday Pet Roundup!

* Pet rescues in the news: In Washington DC, a distressed dog received assistance from a U.S. Park Police detective. When the dog, apparently overcome by heat, was seen struggling in the Washington Channel, the detective jumped in for the rescue.
(Update: the dog did not survive. The owner was given a citation for allowing the dog to run loose in the park.)

* USA Today reports that another distressed dog, this one trapped in a hot car, saved itself by honking the horn until his owner returned and let him out.

* Kitty gone missing? Chicago Trib reports on a new iphone app to help locate your lost cat, called Here, Kitty Kitty. I'll let you decide if it actually works.

* Over at Take Paws, guest blogger Roxanne Hawn explains why Golden, Colorado is a great destination to visit with your dog!

*You're not going to want to eat this. Doggie Stylish brings us photos of amazing, 3D dog cakes.

What about you? Do you know of a great place to visit with your dog? And, if you've lost a pet, what have you done to help find it?

Dog Mat, Will Travel

Whenever we reach for the car keys, Kelly bolts to the front door, tangles around our feet, grabs her leash in her mouth...anything to get our attention. She sure as heck doesn't want to get left behind. Kelly loves to travel.

Fortunately, she's a good passenger. The only problem is the mess left behind...muddy footprints and dog hair on the seat. That means the next person who sits back there gets furry jeans. We usually throw a blanket over the seat, but it often ends up bunched up or fallen to the floor. So we were looking at various car seat covers. Some seemed nice, while others seemed a bit too time consuming to install. Then csn stores sent us an awesome dog mat to review.
This mat is called the Mt. Bachelor Pad, home away from home, by Ruff Wear. It comes in chocolate brown with a darker brown border, and green with a black border. Kelly is about 35 pounds, and we chose the Large size. She could have got away with the medium, but the large covers up most of the back seat of the SUV.

Review:
Ordering:
csnstores.com was extremely efficient. Their website is clear, although it does take some time to navigate. They have more than 200 stores and everything from housewares to office goods to baby furniture to ...of course, pet supplies. If you're looking for dog crates, pet furniture, cat carriers, bird cages or aquariums, you're sure to find it here! The service was easy and quick, and the product arrived at my door in less than 2 weeks.

Kelly Testing:
When the box arrived, Kelly knew it was for her. After sniffing the mat thoroughly, Kelly proceeded to roll all over it. She returned to it often during the day, which I could only take to mean it was comfy. She gives it a four paws up rating!






Product Quality:The Bachelor Pad is durable and well-made. The bottom is a thick, waterproof material. The top is soft fleece. The mat is not as thick as a dog bed, but it's thicker than a blanket.

In the Car:
The large mat fit nicely across the seat and up the back of the seat in the SUV.

For Travel:
This mat rolls up and secures with velcro. Much like a sleeping bag, it needs to be rolled tightly to get the velcro straps to fit. When properly rolled, the mat is a compact dog bed to take with you on a trip. It even has a convenient, built in handle.

Overall Uses: This mat is great for a dog bed on the floor, but that's not all! It would protect your sofa, or car seats. It makes a convenient travel bed. And, it would be great for camping, due to the durable waterproof bottom.

Monday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Monday Pet Roundup!

*This picture is one of the contest winners from Pet Happy! Find more of the cutest pet photos here.

* I love learning about interactive toys that might keep my spaniel Kelly amused and involved. The Pet Blog shares this review of Linkables. Looking at the pictures, I wonder how the dog is able to get the treats out? Maybe I'm not as clever as a dog.

* Traveling with your pet? Where does your pet travel? My pet peeve is dogs riding loose in the back of a truck. I see it all the time, even on the highway. Check out these great pet car safety tips from Will My Dog Hate Me?

*If you feed your cat Iams Proactive Health cat food, you'll want to read this recall notice, posted on Petfinders blog.

* Sweet dog needs a home: Ebony, a Labrador mix, was surrendered by a family that came upon hard times and had to give her up. She's only 6 years young, 60 lbs, with no behavioral problems. She loves dogs, cats, children and everyone! Right now she is living in the Manhattan area. Photos available. Contact me if you can take her in. Thanks!

*Love this recipe for chicken dog treats. Easy! I'm going to try making them for Kelly.

*Note: The winner of the sample bag of Red Moon dog food was unable to be reached, so according to the contest rules a new winner was drawn. Congratulations to Cheryl-Arizona Beagle Rescue! I've sent you instructions on how to claim your prize.

What about you? Does your dog play with interactive toys? What do you find challenging when traveling with your pet? And, can you provide a home for Ebony?