Wedding Favors Have Gone to the Dogs!

Wedding favors are sometimes big hits, and sometimes big misses. Right now, Koozies are really in with the 20-something crowd as a wedding favor. Also in are wine and or champagne glasses. The beauty of koozies and wine glasses is they can be personalized with any logo or artwork the couple wants used to commemorate their special day. It would be very easy to have a sketch of the couple and their dog printed or etched on the koozie or glass.

The drawback to stemware as a wedding favor is out-of-town guests may have a hard time flying home with it. As a result, some guests may take more than their share of favors, while others, who may have really enjoyed the wine glasses if they were not flying, must leave them behind. An alternative would be a wine charm. These are great because they can be used during the reception, and then simply removed from the glass and taken home as a memento. While companies do make them, finding dog charms in bulk is easy, and this could be a great do-it-yourself project to save money!

When I attended Annie’s wedding they gave guests hand-painted wooden coasters. They are absolutely beautiful, and I use mine daily. While hers were not dog related, if you have an artist in the family, something similar would be easy to make! I saw these coasters in a dog boutique recently, and thought they just looked so happy!

Dog breed gourmet lollipops are also a neat and fun favor.

Wedding Bells

Love is in the air right now! With the Royal Wedding having just taken place, girls (and even some guys) are chatting about what they want, what’s in, what works, and what really doesn’t. It’s wedding season! I'm 26, and will admit a large portion of my savings and nearly all of my vacation time goes to weddings and events related to weddings, I've become a bridesmaid guru! I must admit, I was really hoping to see the Queen with her corgis at some wedding related event, obviously not the wedding or reception, but perhaps even a stroll with the happy couple and her pack of corgis would've just made my heart melt!

Source: Google Images

This scene from “You’ve Got Mail” is one of the sweetest dog romance scenes (Embedding is disabled on it, so use the link). Of course, being a romantic comedy, would this ever really happen? No. Brinkley would probably be stopped, and Tom Hanks reprimanded or ticketed, for disobeying leash laws.

Source: AllMoviePhoto.com

And of course, who doesn’t immediately think of Meet the Parents and Jinxy the cat when it comes to pets and weddings? But, the odds of me marrying Prince Harry are pretty slim, too, so here’s to our romantic dreams.

Image source: Google Images

I’ve been asked a lot about including your favorite pets in your wedding. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it goes terribly wrong. Ultimately, whenever you add a new element to your wedding that is one more thing to plan and coordinate, so keep that in mind!

Phoenix Bride and Groom did a blog post in January on pets and weddings, and anyone considering it should read this post. In the post, the author speaks with Heidi Ganahl, CEO and Founder of Camp Bow Wow and Home Buddies by Camp Bow Wow. Animal expert Heidi had this to say about the pros and cons of including your canine in your wedding:

The image of Fido walking down the aisle as a ring bearer is a memorable occasion for pet lovers. Before proceeding, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of having your pet at your wedding. Unfortunately, very few religious and indoor venues will allow dogs on location other than service animals. If you are open to an outdoor wedding, including your pet is more realistic.

Additionally, it is important to consider your pet’s personality. If you have a free-spirited animal, he may not abide to walk down the aisle on his own. Also, be cautious of guests with pet allergies; warn them in advance that your dog will be attending.

However, the benefits are endless. Since proud pet owners consider their dog as part of the family, Fido’s attendance will add a special touch to your day.

With lots of training, socialization, practice, coordination and planning, and rehearsals a pet can be a part of your wedding. Carrie Underwood used her dog as her ring bearer! Some tips to make it run smoothly: make sure there is a safe quiet place for your pet to go should he or she get stage fright. As we know from holidays, people food is not usually good for dogs to eat, so make sure there is some dog-friendly cuisine at the wedding, and plenty of water. Also, instruct guests not to feed Fido if he will be off-leash at the reception. As for allergies, a well groomed dog groomed dog is rarely a problem for allergy sufferers. With most breeds (there are exceptions) it is completely safe, and actually healthy for the coat, to be bathed and blown dry 1-2 times a week – if you bathe this frequently, make sure to use a high quality dog shampoo. This, paired with daily brushing will drastically cut back on allergens.

Image source: Google Images

But, if you don’t feel up to the planning and coordinating including pets in a wedding takes here are some great ideas. Include your beloved pets in your bridal portraits or engagement photos. You can display these at the ceremony. Is your dog a major part of your relationship? Why not showcase this with a customized cake topper? Your save the dates or invitations could even include your love of animals. If you have a send-off brunch the morning after the wedding, and it is at someone’s house, this would be a great time to bring the dogs! Look for more ways of incorporating your dog into your big day in my upcoming posts!

Himalayan Dog Chews

I am always on the market for good alternatives to rawhide, as you know, I believe rawhide is far too dangerous to feed. I just tried a new chew treat, and I'm pretty happy with the results. Recently, I bought two different brands of himalayan or churpi dog chews. One, was made by the Himalayan Dog Chew company, and the other was made by Churpi Chews and produced by QT Dog Chews. Both brands contain four simple ingredients: yak milk, cow milk, salt, and lime juice. The treats are all natural, and contain no additives or chemicals, which is nice to find in a dog product. Both brands have the exact same guaranteed analysis, same color, same shape, and same scent.

I decided to give this new chew a try after reading about it in a few articles, and it did not disappoint. These treats come from an ancient recipe that the people of the Nepal Himalayas have been making for generations. These chews are actually made for humans from an ancient recipe that locals can use as a snack that they slowly work in their mouths throughout the day while working in the fields. Of course, knowing the origin of the treat, I had to give it a try myself before I gave it to Milly. And, it didn't taste bad, but I don't think I'll be knawing on one myself again. It has a slight parmesean cheese flavor, and a smokey aroma, that smells nice to me, and tastes like Heaven for Milly.



Milly has tried both brands, and she hasn't even made a dent in them after hours of chewing. This is an incredibly long lasting treat, but I do recommend making sure to get a size appropriate for your dog. I went with the Jumbo size, and it is just right. In order to eat the treat, dogs must slowly work the end of the treat for hours, softening it with their mouths before small parts of it can slowly be scraped off and dissolved. This treat is actually a type of Himalayan cheese, that is long lasting and naturally preserved with lime juice and salt.

Milly seems to really love this treat. The process of which the treat is made, and the use of yak milk, makes it easily digestible for dogs. This said, this treat is extremely high in protein, and if you feed it, especially to an older dog, I would recommend limiting the amount of time your dog can chew on it, and then cutting your dog's next meal back in size to prevent diarrhea. I've found Milly can safely enjoy this chew for about an hour and a half, and then I cut her next meal back by 30% without any diarrhea. However, I am not a veterinarian, and this is simply what works for me and my particular dog.

These chew treats are not all cheap, but in the case of Milly, they last a long time. I paid about $15 for each treat, which to me is quite a bit of money. That said, you probably get 10 times the chew time out of these than you would a bully stick. I purchased one of mine from Best Bully Sticks, and the other from Wylie Wagg in Arlington, VA.

All in all, I give this product 4-stars and 4-paws. This might be Milly's new flavorite treat! Just make sure to supervise your dog with this, like you would any chew, and remember, it is very high in protein and can be overdone, especially with older dogs.

Happy Thanksgiving & A Turkey Warning!!

First, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! This is a day for Americans to give thanks, and a celebration of our harvests. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday - it is not commercialized, and it is a time of celebration and fellowship to be spent with those you love and car about. Today I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I'm thankful for - my family, my friends, my loved ones, my animals and my sweet Milly, my opportunity to ride horses again, my health, my home, my job, my blog and blog followers, and my freedom of speech that enables this blog - there are too many things I am thankful for to list. 

I woke up early on this Thanksgiving to go to the Blessing of the Hounds at our local fox hunt. I was running a bit late, and missed the actual Blessing, though I did get to watch 40 horses and riders (a very small turnout) and many, many hounds run/gallop off into the woods as horns pressed against field masters' lips blared into the morning fog. It really is a sight. I actually used to partake in these fox hunts (don't worry, in my many years hunting we never once brought a fox to ground or killed a fox).

I spent my afternoon/early evening in fellowship with my family (minus one brother, his wife and their darling daughter) and my parent's dog Lucy. I left Milly in Arlington, VA this Thanksgiving to keep my significant other company (holidays are never a favorable time of year in his family, unfortunately) - she slept last night in the bed, and dined on a raw bison marrow bone this afternoon. This afternoon we had an amazing dinner prepared by my brother Teddy, and the whole family pitched in.

After stuffing our faces with Turkey and fully satisfying our appetites my dad suggested giving Lucy some Turkey, but I immediately said make sure no skin, no fat, and no turkey that has been seasoned, because it is rumored to be connected to holiday pancreatitis. 

So before you feed those left overs to your pooch make sure 1) there is no turkey skin 2) there is no fat 3) the turkey has not been seasoned, because you don't want your pooch to get pancreatitis. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all! Let me know what you did today and what you're thankful for!!! :)

Texas Toothpicks!!!

As you know last week I went on a fun natural-treat shopping spree at a wonderful store called A.K.A. Spot. I wanted to get Milly something to serve the purpose of a rawhide type chew – something to clean her teeth, and keep her occupied for at least 30 minutes. I found the perfect treat… Texas Toothpicks, made by Merrick. I could not be happier with them! Milly absolutely loves this one of a kind treat. The toothpicks are about 6-8” in length, and maybe ½” in diameter at the largest point – they have a puffy texture that makes them appropriate for dogs of all ages, and is not too hard on their gums. It takes Milly about 30 minutes to finish one Texas Toothpick making them the perfect treat to leave her with when I head to work on weekday mornings, and she seems to really enjoy the crunchy, chewy sensation and unique texture of the toothpicks. The all-natural treats made from beef tails, and smoked in the heart of Texas, are a healthy alternative to the rawhide bones you will find at the grocery. Because dogs are naturally carnivores feeding all-meat treats like these natural Texas Toothpicks is sure to be a very enjoyable snack for the dog, and is very natural for their digestive tracts. Unfortunately, all-natural treats do tend to come with higher price tags, and Texas Toothpicks are no exception to the rule. I paid almost $17.00 for my 6.5oz bag, but the bag does have at least 20 Texas Toothpicks in it – making them less than $1 a treat.

Chicken treats, Milly got sick, and I found a great dog store!

A few weeks ago I fed Milly breakfast, gave her a dehydrated chicken treat, and headed to work. When I returned at lunchtime to check on Milly there was vomit everywhere and I was so worried! I cleaned it all up, made sure she was acting normal and drinking, and reluctantly headed back to work for my last two hours. I spent my time at work wishing I was with Milly, worried sick about her, wondering what could have made her vomit 8 or 9 times, and if she was okay.

I went through my mind of possible problems: the day before I had done yard work, and had not yet had a chance to pick up all of the clippings from the yard, could she have eaten something toxic? I mixed in a Taste of the Wild food sample (25% Taste of the Wild, and 75% her regular Fromm) with her breakfast, because I was thinking about switching – did the new food do it to her? And lastly, what I now think was the culprit… I had acquired two bags of Waggin’ Train dehydrated chicken strips – I fed the first bag to Milly the weeks leading up to the incident with no problems, and she loved them, but on the morning of her illness I gave her the first treat from a new bag. I have since learned the problem with Waggin’ Train treats is they are made in China, and there have been all sorts of problems with poultry products coming from China. Though the Waggin’ Train website reassures customers their products are safe, I have read of these particular treats being involved in two recalls in the past few years.

After lots of worrying, Milly turned out to be just fine, but vomiting 8 or 9 times is something to really be concerned about! I have since had her around the same plants that were clipped, and tried feeding her more Taste of the Wild food with no problems… the only thing different I did that day was that bag of chicken treats! I even found the treat in one pile of vomit, so I know shortly after eating breakfast she fell ill. I have saved this bag of treats, and am currently looking for a company to test them and see if there are toxins in this batch of treats. She has not been given any more of these treats, and I will never feed her this brand again (or any other made in China treats).

This incident really frightened me, and I want to publicly thank a wonderful veterinarian in the area by the name of Dr. Amy Poole, who kindly offered her assistance to me on this terrifying day.

Since then I have been on the hunt for some high quality treats to stock up on. I make my own biscuit type treats, but I like to give Milly something that takes her a bit longer to eat when I leave for work.

On Thursday, I stopped by a new dog store (well, new to me) in Clarendon (a neighborhood in Arlington, VA) called A.K.A. Spot. A.K.A. Spot is great, and if you haven’t been there I encourage you to check it out! I had heard great things about the store from my former roommate Mary Katherine, but had never been there myself. I was on the hunt for all-natural treats and found this store to be exactly what I was looking for! They have a large variety of all-natural and high quality foods, lots of collars and leashes (many of which are on sale right now!) and tons and tons of treats and toys! I stocked up on lots of treats and spoke with the wonderful sales associate about my problems with treats made in China, Milly’s dry skin, and countless other dog related topics. Everyone at A.K.A. Spot was extremely friendly, and dogs are welcome in the store! When I need more treats I will be sure to frequent this wonderful local business again! Unfortunately, they do not carry Fromm or Wysong foods, so I will not be able to use them as my food provider.

I’ll post a photo (update: photo posted!) of my wonderful purchases when I get home, but wanted to quickly mention that among the many, many, many treats I bought I also picked up a bottle of doggie beer! It is non-alcoholic, contains beef broth, and was a major hit with Milly and her puppal Hershey. I’ll right a full review of my experience with Bowser Beer at a later date, but it is great stuff, and a fun treat to give the dogs on occasion.

Don’t forget to enter the Austrian Crystal Dog Bone Pendant GIVEAWAY!!!

Abby Enjoying Her Bully Stick

I thought everyone might enjoy seeing photos of Abby enjoying the bully stick she won in The Wet Nose giveaway.

The photo with the cat is actually the cat trying to steal the bully stick from Abby! Katherine wrote to tell me her cat would pick up one end of the stick while Abby was chewing on the other end, and run off with it! That's one docile dog, and one feisty cat if you ask me!

Enjoy these fun pictures! :)

Economic Turmoil - There Are Food Options

This economy is crazy! The markets continue to plummet, more and more people are being laid off, companies are enforcing salary freezes and even cost of living raises have been cut from many company budgets. Times are tough for many Americans, to say the least.

If you need to cut back on your dog's food budget (temporarily) or for a few years there are some better cheap foods to consider. Costco Kirkland brand Lamb and Rice dry food sells for $27.63 on their website for a 40 lbs bag! The food isn't the best dry food on the market, but I'd say it is comparable to many Science Diet formulas and Nutro's formula. You can increase protein in your dog's diet by feeding an egg a few times a week (especially on days of heavy exercise) to the dry food. You can either feed raw egg or hard boiled, and if you chose hard boiled you can even feed the shell - extra protein! I'd recommend supervising your dog if you feed shell on for the first time. Hard boiled eggs are great because you can boil a week's supply at the same time and just keep them in the fridge, if you travel or go to dog show's you can simply toss a hard boiled egg in your drink cooler and keep it fresh for your dog's feeding time.

Ok, so you want to find a decent canned food too? One that won't break the bank, and is made in the USA? I suggest hitting up your local Trader Joe's and trying their canned food in Lamb and Rice. It is twice the size of most dog food cans, measuring in at 22 oz, and at $0.99 you can't beat the price! While there are better canned foods on the market, this is a decent option because unlike typical grocery store brand foods Trader Joe's canned food contains no corn (often an allergen in dogs, and a common filler in pet foods). Like many canned dog foods Trader Joe's food is not as meaty as most would like, and contains a high percentage of water. However, without spending double or triple the amount for a canned half the size you'd never be able to find a canned dog food that is at least 90% meat.

Because both of these foods are produced in large facilities I recommend frequently checking petfood recalls. In 2007 Trader Joe's voluntarily recalled all of their canned pet food as a precaution - http://www.itchmo.com/trader-joes-pet-food-recalled-191. While no recalls have occurred in nearly two years regarding either of these foods it is always better safe than sorry.

Before you have to re home your dog because of the economy first look at cheap options that aren't that bad. Both of these foods are better than many, if not all, you'd find on grocery store shelves, and the size is larger and the cost less. You can also look into this service for human groceries, Angel Food Ministries - it's a good deal, and there are no income restrictions or requirements, but you have to be willing to eat what is on the menu for the month. If you need help for you or your pet there are numerous organizations and individuals willing and able to offer you support in these trying economic times.

Don’t forget there is still time to enter the Bully Stick GIVEAWAY!