When times are tough you have to be more creative about how to cut corners and let’s face it, sometimes those morning lattes are a necessity, not a luxury!
Yet so often we put our pets’ needs ahead of our own. Truth is, there are ways to save and your pooch will never be the wiser!
Coupons | look for coupons, discount codes and free samples everywhere – online, magazines, stores, facebook, twitter and in the mail. Also, with a little effort you can often find free samples of your favorite products.
Bulk Up | Whenever you can buy in volume or buy packages. Some places offer deals for buying quantity and some service providers (like groomers) offer packages which will offer savings.
Shop Smarter | Look around for deals. Chances are you have gotten into habits about where you shop when in fact, there may be a better deal out there is another store or online.
Join Up | Loyalty programs reward repeat purchases so check to see if the brands you buy or the stores you frequent have such benefits.
Time It Right | Pay attention to when the sales occur. Join mailing lists to find out about sales at your favorite stores or of preferred brands.
Ignore the Calendar | Your dog doesn’t know that it’s not cool to play with a Santa toy in April so look for items post-holiday – they will be on sale.
Share | Often what you’re eating for dinner is a great treat for your pooch. Treats don’t have to be dog cookies, they can be blueberries or apples – anything healthy. Just don’t create a beggar – be sure to feed “people” food away from where you eat and certainly not while you’re eating it.
Tell Your Friends | Get in the habit of telling friends about the deals you find. Pretty soon they will be telling you about deals, too!
Most importantly, remember that it all adds up. Just $15 pays for a night at a great campground! I’m sure your dog wouldn’t mind playing with Santa if he knew he could be in the woods!!
This past weekend Karma received some new gear to make his life even better! Both came from our friends at AgileDogs Rock!! who travel to agility trials with all the best goodies stuffed in their truck. If you need, want or desire anything for your active pup, find them on Facebook!
That yellow thing in the photo is called an eGGe and it’s even better than a soccer ball! Karma can’t “cheat” by picking it up because it’s made of hard plastic. And when he pounces on it, the eGGe sort of “squirts” away because of its irregular shape and the game is on! We originally tried it out in snow and the eGGe travels even faster on the white stuff! The downside is it doesn’t kick quite the same way as a soccer ball – ha! – unless you have some seriously hard-toed shoes. Oh, and when you throw it, make sure you don’t accidentally hit your boy in the face (not that I would ever do that!).
His new fashion accessory with the red trim is a K9 Kool Coat. As you know from previous posts, Karma’s generous coat makes him melt in the heat. When I say heat, I mean anything over 75 degrees! Ha! The coat is made of a mesh fabric that breathes while it reflects the sun. The added bonus is you can wet the coat and it increases the cooling properties. I like it much better than RuffWear’s Swamp Cooler as this one doesn’t trap the moisture and thus heat up. It worked really well after Karma played fetch with the Border Collies and got overheated – he cooled down faster in his new duds! I’m sold!
By now, if you read regularly, you might think I am the most paranoid person on the planet when it comes to my dog as I am often writing about safety, safety, safety. In truth I just prefer being prepared and my mom might rat me out by saying these are all just excuses to buy more stuff!
I prefer the label “prepared,” but Mom is probably right, too.
In any case, I certainly can’t convince you that I’m really not so paranoid today, because I have found an entire online store devoted to safety! Wag’n Pet Safety Gear offers first aid kits, pet passports and even evacuation kits!
Of course reading about the evacuation kit made me realize that I really don’t (or didn’t!) have an evacuation plan for Karma in case we need to (godforbid!) make a run for it. The majority of their products are for dogs, but they do have your cat and even your ferret in mind as well.
So how do you think Karma will feel about fire drills?
It’s the final day of gift ideas and unless you’re going to brave the crazy shopping traffic then I’m guessing you’re not going out to get that doggy gift you had earlier wanted to purchase. Not to worry! Like I mentioned in an earlier post about volunteering, when it comes to your pup… simply spending time with him may be the best gift of all.
Christmas day for me will include Cannon unwrapping (okay… he shreds the paper) his gifts, an Orvis plush bunny and a bag of organic treats. That will be an exciting for him for all of 2 minutes. His favorite part will be what comes next. We’ll both get our coats on and head out for a good run in the cold air. Not our usual trails, we’ll be in upstate New York. There will be lots to see and to smell. We’ll do an extra long trek, after all there’s treats and xmas dinner waiting for us.
When the family all gathers there will be lots of kisses and belly rubs for Cannon. There will be crumbs to clean off the carpet from what the kids drop. There will be doorbells ringing, announcing new people to greet. He’ll have more attention than he knows what to do with. Wrapped gifts or not… just like for the rest of us, this will be the best part of all.
When we first got Cannon from the breeder he came home with a simple grey string around his neck. A simple collar to help differentiate him from his brothers and sisters. Now that he’s all grown up we’ve upgraded from this to an Around the Hounds custom collar, which we’re always getting compliments on.
His collar is a 1 ½ inch wide band of blue and white. The white strip is reflective. This helps with nighttime walks off leash in the backyard and roadside walks after dusk, keeping him clearly visible. Cannon’s got a very durable style collar but you can also find holiday inspired and other beautifully decorative styles.
If your dog’s like mine then he plays hard! Cannon’s frequently running through mud, splashing through water, pushing through tall grass or rolling in goose poo. This makes getting him clean, on a regular basis, an important task for me. This turned on the lightbulb for today’s gift idea – bath time products.
There are a lot of shampoos that you’ll find at your local pet supply store. My brand of choice is Earthbath. It’s an all natural shampoo, which means no harsh ingredients that could hurt your dog or the environment. They sell products for dogs, cats and horses. They also sell several wipes and spritzes, besides the old standard, shampoo.
For those of you who’ve waited until the last minute have I got the perfect gift – a donation to your local shelter! Time or money they can use it. These organizations rely on donations to buy food, blankets, supplies and pay regular staff in order to care for animals that have been rescued or surrendered. There are some great local, no-kill shelters that feeling the pain of the recession too… and it’s the animals that pay the price.
If you’re feeling totally broke after tackling all your holiday gift purchasing then I recommend donating what is worth more than money – your time. On any typical day shelters find it hard to give each and every dog a decent walk, if they get one at all. Now think about how many volunteers show up on a cold day or snowy weekend – not many. If you can just spend one afternoon helping walk some homeless pups you’ll put a wag in their tail and earn your spot on the “nice list.”
Alright, even I am beginning to think I am a little paranoid by suggesting all these “safety” products for holiday gifts. But here’s the thing, you and your dog-adoring friends need this stuff and as we all know, sometimes the non-toy gifts end up at the bottom of the list.
So today’s canine holiday gift idea is a first aid kit from Ruff Wear. I have written about this before, but it occurs to me that it makes a great stocking stuffer for anyone who loves their dog – which is all of us, right? I am probably going to buy a second one so I can have one for our hiking gear and one for our trial travels – can’t be too safe!
Just because your dog can swim doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t need a float coat to keep safe.
Most dogs who love the water just don’t know when to stop so they can get tired and need a little assistance. Or maybe, like Karma, your dog loves the water but isn’t the best swimmer. Or perhaps you are a boating family and you want to ensure your dog is safe if she jumps out (or falls out) of the boat.
It’s probably no surprise that we would suggest Ruff Wear’s float coats. Their products are durable and reliable and they can help you choose the right vest for your dog’s needs.
Why not give a little piece of summer this winter?
During the holidays, no doubt you will have an extra cookie or two and you may even let your pooch cheat on his “diet” as well. It happens.
So while you are making promises to clean up your act in ’10, make a promise to take a look at your dog’s diet too.
Suggesting a diet for someone else’s dog is about as inflammatory as bringing up religion at a cocktail party so I won’t even try!! What I will do instead is offer a site I have found helpful in learning how to better read labels and get educated – Dogma!
I will also suggest researching your specific breed requirements as well. When I first got Karma I learned that his breed has much different protein requirements than my Labrador did and that was helpful.
If you can’t stick to your new year’s resolution diet, for sure your dog can!
OK, so a trip to the vet is probably not what your dog would request. But it could save your relationship.
I’m talking about micro-chipping your dog. The vet inserts a rice-sized microchip in the area around your dog’s shoulder blades and then the number on the chip is registered to you. Karma has a “Home Again” chip but there are other brands as well. I can update my information in my online account in case I move.
Of course, no one likes to think about something bad happening – especially at the holidays! So I’m not trying to be a downer. But there are lots of ways you could become separated (I won’t list them here) and you should make sure that the odds of getting your best pal back are tipped in your favor!
You also could spring for the micro-chipping of a friend’s dog (or new puppy?) as a thoughtful gift – great stocking stuffer!
In all actuality, what your dog really wants for the holidays is more time with you doing fun things and we couldn’t agree more! Be sure that when you are choosing toys, you are choosing things that require interaction because the real goal of toys is to build a better relationship with your dog, not just have your dog keep busy in the corner! In simpler terms, you=play!
One of the best way (according to experts, of course) is to play tug with your dog and I just love the fleece tug toys at Genuine Dog Gear. Their toys are as soft as they are durable which makes tugging for you and your pup more enjoyable.
Playing tug is not only fun for the dog but reinforces what we all know: you control the universe and all the fun in it! Tug toys shouldn’t be left laying about the house, rather they should be a special toy that comes out for interactive fun time! Karma will “steal” tug toys from their hiding spot and bring them to me when he wants to play, demonstrating that he does in fact know I am our home’s “Julie, the cruise director.”
There is no doubt I have enjoyed getting into agility with Karma. While at first glance he is an unlikely breed to be hurling himself over obstacles, he is actually quite athletic and fast – proof that you can’t judge athleticism by the breed!
If you are interested in giving your dog another challenge, agility could be a fun way to go. If you have a puppy or a dog who isn’t full grown, please check with your vet before asking your dog to jump, climb or weave since stress on growing bones can be damaging.
Also, I strongly encourage enrolling in a class or two to learn the basics about introducing your dog to obstacles. Of course I am partial to Karma’s “school,” A Click Above, but there are many who are qualified to give you the basics. Who knows, you may get bitten by the agility bug as we have been and work towards trialing.
For gear, there are LOTS of choices! I have chosen to include just a few including a basics starter kit that may be just right for your backyard. As with anything, you can spend as much as you want and quality will vary so be sure to get the right gear for your purpose!
Clean Run – This is such a go-to for serious enthusiasts!
J&J Dog Supplies – Great for all types of supplies!
Doctors Fosters & Smith – Lower-end agility products, but a great all-around site!
If you do a lot of traveling with your four-legged friend then gifting yourself and your dog some travel accessories might be the way for you to go this holiday season. There are a lot of products out there to make sure you pet stays safe while you’re on the road.
Check out drsfostersmith.com for a longer list of items. Following is a sampling of these.
- Travel crate
- Pet barrier
- Rear-seat hammock
- Cargo liner
As many of you may already know, I’m the owner of an 80 pound Rhodesian Ridgeback – but that wasn’t always the case. I also was a proud mama to an 11 pound toy poodle, Champ. Having bred small dogs and been the caretaker for Champ for 16 years, I know how important it can be to get them buttoned up in sweaters during the winter. I also know how hard it is to find something that cute and classy.
I wish I’d found the Ralph Lauren pup sweater collection back then. I recently stumbled across this site and instantly recognized it as some top notch doggy gear. If you don’t have a dog that needs to be dressed (yes need, dogs closer to the ground need more protection from the elements) then I still recommend checking out the page, if just for the cute pics.
