Category Archives: Bear

Apr 9 2013

Birthday Boy

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We celebrated an entire decade of Bear’s life last year, and today, Bear’s ringing in the big 1-1. Can anyone say ‘old man’?

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While his age SAYS he’s old, I’m not convinced he really feels it too much yet. Naturally, that’s a great thing! As I observed way back on his 9th birthday, he still doesn’t look much older to me. And I am NOT complaining ;) Am I just in denial?? What do YOU think?

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His gray beard has continued to develop slowly, and he’s got some silver and gray hairs poking out here and there, but he doesn’t have the classic full gray face yet either. His eyes thankfully haven’t aged, and taken on any of that blue cloudiness so commonly seen in senior animals.

My sweet boy’s still got a spring in his step! And feelin’ fine after his tooth surgery just a week ago. He’s got the appetite of a dinosaur, and the humor of the best comedian still. Bear takes pleasure in the small things: a walk out to the mailbox, a romp around the yard, a car ride up to the gas station. He’s enjoying every moment of his time with us, and us with him.

Right now though? All he cares about is taking off the damn birthday hat, and getting some BIRTHDAY DINNER!

Apr 2 2013

Happy Easter & Book Winner

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Happy Tuesday to ya! I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! We spent ours in Iowa with family, so naturally we had a great time. Lots of food and fun wrapped into one ‘much-too-short’ weekend.

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Bear got to see his girl friend Stella (all we have to do is mention her name and he knows right where we’re headed!) They snuggled on a bed together and compared notes on their BarkBoxes. (Rave reviews all around) I’m planning to post with some of Stella’s favorites occasionally too. She’s nice enough to share her toys with the kitty -so some of them even come kitty approved ;)

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I’m sure the dogs spent most of today lounging around, catching up on their sleep. Ahh the life.  Anyway, as you may have assumed from the title of the post, I’m finally ready to announce the winner of our ‘Interviews from the Ark’ giveaway from a few weeks back.

The winner is:

Julie A.

Who said: The book sounds intriguing. And I like the cover photo!

I’ll be in touch with you shortly Julie- congrats!!

Mar 25 2013

Bark Box: Our first experience

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I’ve talked about ordering a BarkBox for long enough now (both here and here) that I finally broke down and ordered one. I thought that was the hard part! I was wrong. The hard part is waiting!

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I got my order in two days too late to get in on that months box, so we did have to wait a month for ours to appear. Luckily, I can honestly tell you it was TOTALLY worth the wait. My boys must have smelled the treats in the box, because they both undoubtedly *knew* it was for them. I could barely keep them away long enough to let me cut the box open without snipping a whisker or two in the process. Once we did get it open though, I oohed and ahhed over their beautiful presentation.

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The BarkBoxes arrive to your doorstep in cute boxes! The box even has a cute cartoon, something my mailman has already gotten a kick out of!

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Crimped strips of blue paper create a nested backdrop for several packages of (wheat-free!) dog biscuits, a ‘monster’ ball, some healthy chewies, and a coconut fiber dog toy that Scooter immediately claimed as his.

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Bear can’t resist a sniff during our photo shoot. ;)

BarkBox has three different sized boxes available: small, medium, and large. I went with a medium box for our two boys, and was pleasantly surprised to find that Scooter can play with most of the toys and eat the treats so we’ve been happy with our decision.

If you think you might be interested in signing your own dogs up for BarkBox click here to get $5 off!

BarkBox has no idea who I am, and I was not paid or perked to write this review. All opinions are my own. I do get referral credit as a BarkBox affiliate if you sign up through our link.See our disclosure policy for full details.

 

Feb 28 2013

Pawsh Pals

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I’m back with another cute dog contest, different dog this time. Never one to be left out, now it’s Bear’s turn to beg for your votes. Pawsh Magazine hosts a monthly ‘Pet of the Month’ contest, and Bear was chosen as one of the finalists for February! Needless to say, getting that email first thing today ROCKED my Thursday morning ;)

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You can see Bear in all his glory on Pawsh’s website here, but voting actually takes place via comment on their facebook page here. He’s got some stiff competition to be sure, all of the dogs are just adorable! *I think you actually have to scroll down on their facebook wall and comment on the post that has ^ this exact same photo as above for the vote to be counted*

You might remember when Scooter won the “Cutest Pet Costume” contest at our vets office, we scored a free grooming session out of the deal.  This makes Bear want to win very badly! He didn’t put on that clown bowtie for nothin’ afterall, and he’s not one to be outdone by his little brother either, he’d like that noted for the record.

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Winners will be announced on Monday March 4th, so click here to place your vote today! Thank you for taking time out of your day to make Bears day a bit more special! He’ll even put on his dorky smile to thank you ;)

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Feb 16 2013

{Shelter Dog Saturday}: Black Pets

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Instead of our (semi) regularly scheduled “Shelter Dog Saturday” post in which I generally feature one of the totally awesome dogs from PCHS available for adoption, today I’ve decided to switch things up on you. Instead of featuring one very eligible pup, today I’m featuring black pets in general. Read on to find out why…

Did you know that black cats and dogs traditionally sit in shelters much longer than their more colorful companions? It’s a sad but true fact that shelters nationwide are continually working against.

Animals with black fur are often overlooked while sitting in under-lit kennels, and thus tend to need much more exposure to find their furever homes. When I worked at the  Iowa shelter in high school, we always kept colorful bandanas around the necks of our black or dark colored dogs to help them stand out in their kennels.

Along with it being National Pet Dental Health Month, the month of February is also dedicated to bringing awareness to the plight that dark-colored companions face in shelter situations, and focuses on encouraging the public to adopt these cutie patooties.

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This image has been circulating on Facebook all week, but it’s worth re-sharing again. We all know Bear has me and his daddy wrapped around his little black and tan paws. I’ve had black dogs nearly my entire life, so clearly I’m partial.

But how about you? Do you currently have a black dog or cat? Have you ever? Would you consider specifically seeking out an adoptable dark-coated pet knowing they have a harder time getting out of shelters? I’d love your thoughts on the matter….