All Things Dog Blog

Friday, May 24, 2013

Homecomings and Your Pets

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

...Both Awake and Asleep

How can I adequately describe the joy of my return from Blogpaws? Sure, I had a great time. I learned; I laughed; I networked; I made new friends. Tally that all up and they still don't approach the feeling of pulling into my driveway and having Tanner and Jacque come running up to meet me. Even Patches--an indoor kitty--awaited her greeting at the foyer. I dropped to the floor and sucked in their smells. It was so good to be home.

Oliver is excited to have me show off photos of him taken with a couple of celebrities: Charles the Monarch and Norman the Scooter Dog. Norman represents Natural

Balance, as we do, sharing the health and vitality of their great recipe. While Oliver does not ride a scooter, he does want you to know that he officially attempted to say hello to every human and dog at the conference. He is, after all, my PR front man. That was no small feat with 500 in attendance.

I'll give you more tidbits about our adventure during the next week. For now, it's important that you remember to sign up for Event Barkers' upcoming Twitter Party, #WorkLikeaDog.

Oliver and I worked like dogs logging in over 1900 miles on our road trip, stopping to visit family along the way. I've been driving a Toyota Prius for several years now, and

was eager to see what my mileage would be on an all-highway trip. Opposite of most other cars, hybrids get lower mileage on the Interstate, yet I still managed to pull off 47.50 miles per gallon. That was definitely news worth coming home to. Woo hoo!

Care to share? Comment with an especially heart-warming homecoming that you and your pet have shared. We'll all be nodding our heads :)

Join us each week for the Weekly Wag bonding series, held during the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop. The hop is hosted by Life with Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers, and Confessions of the Plume. You are welcome to link up here, or check any of their sites for their rules of participation. Happy hopping!

Wishbone Flyers Winner Goes Long

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Tanner has a complaint to register with regard to the Wishbone Flyer. From the look in his eyes, he is apparently telling me "We did not play long enough. Can't we keep going?" I see that plea often when we play Fetch in the pool, but the dog park is a much hotter place where the sweltering heat tends to wear Tanner out much faster.

Thankfully, we did our first Wishbone Flyer shots during the cooler months of Winter. I can tell you, though, Tanner is not ready to leave the Wishbone Flyer at home when we head off to the park. Quite the opposite, this morning he lured me back to our supply shelf to indicate with his snout that I had forgotten his new favorite toy. Those imploring eyes made me feel guilty that we did not have time for a long dog park outing, but I took it along for a quickie. No more sore arms for me :)

Our arsenal of fetch toys is growing. The Wishbone Flyer is an exciting addition, making it

courtesy Wishbone Flyers

easier to throw the ball farther to give Tanner a better workout--over and over again. He seems to never tire of this game.

Our winner, Kelly T., will receive a Wishbone Flyer direct from the company. Made in the USA, this great implement will keep Artie in great shape for years to come. Congrats Kelly!

You can pick up your Wishbone Flyer on their website, or ask questions and follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Want to reread our review? Just click here. Best wishes for a safe and fun Memorial Day.

All Things Dog Blog reviewed the Wishbone Flyer and has provided this giveaway as a service to our readers. We were not paid to bring you our opinion of this product and the thoughts we shared are our own.

Winning Big With Rafflecopter Entries

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Our Event Barkers social media promotions partnership with Dogtipper.com continues to bring loads of fun to our readers, while helping pet brands gain momentum. You don't want to stop with a single Twitter follow. You can increase your chances of winning big if you take all your opportunities to gain entries in the Rafflecopter for our #WorkLikeaDog Twitter Party on behalf of Zuke's.

That amazing prize that includes 8 big bags of Zuke's treats and a lot more great stuff is definitely a prize worth winning. Just ask your dog!

If you're new to Rafflecopters, don't let this entry mechanism scare you off. Just like Pierson who entered the tunnel above, you'll want to go all the way through the Rafflecopter, checking for all your possible entries. Quite a few are open to daily entries, so why not increase your chances?

Your entries may continue daily, if you choose these options:

Several Tweets are offered as a daily option
You're welcome to submit an "I #WorkLikeaDog for Zuke's" photo such as the one above, for each pet that you own, including your kitties.
Submitting a photo of your pet doing whatever work it is he does will also get you a nice start on your entries. One entry per pet.
Does Fido really want to get into the working life? Create a Linkedin profile pic for him and don't forget to give him a title. Be creative and have fun with your ideas. One entry per pet, please.
Once you've sent your photo to EventBarkers@gmail.com, you'll get 10 points for each entry. After that you can get extra points for Tweeting, Pinning, or sending out your pics on Instagram. Don't forget the #WorkLikeaDog hashtag that identifies it as part of our promotion.
Finally, make it count. Using the Rafflecopter to properly register each entry is imperative to winning. Questions? Feel free to write to the "Help Desk" at EventBarkers@gmail.com.

I'm sure you can see that Pierson and Schooner are enjoying their jobs. We hope that you and your dog will enjoy this experience, and wish you all the best of luck in the drawing. Oliver has been busy getting all spiffed up for his Linkedin Profile photo. We've decided that his title is "P.R. Front Man." What do you think?

With a long weekend for many of you, take some time to bond over fun and photos with your dog. Enjoy the process and make sure to reward your dog for posing and allowing photos. This should be time you savor for both you and your dog.

Enjoy the journey, and we hope to see you at the party on June 11. Don't forget to RSVP at this link!

Event Barkers is working with Zuke's to help them gain better exposure on Twitter.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Fido's Freebie Friday Finally Home :)

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Road trips are over-rated. While Oliver was no trouble at all--doing a great job as a co-pilot--the 14 hour drive to and from Blogpaws was seriously exhausting. The event was totally worth it, though, as we had a fab time meeting new pet peeps and planning more fun for All Things Dog Blog readers.

My co-hosts of Fido's Freebie Friday, Dogtipper and Doggies and Stuff, are both doing well. It was wonderful to see them each in person and have a chance to catch up on the news. I'll be reporting on some of our Blogpaws adventures coming up.

Let's start today with a tote bag giveaway that you can enter by commenting on this post.

Shopping Bags
to Share Your Love of Pets

I've got a pile of bags from all sorts of pet product and service companies. We'll give away 6 this time, and more later, to help you with your shopping trips and other outings. You really can say NO to plastic and paper :)

When you comment to enter, please indicate a Twitter handle as a method of contact; don't reveal your email. No Twitter handle? You'll need one to enter the #WorkLikeaDog Twitter party, so hop on over to Twitter and grab yours now. Enter through May 30, and I'll announce winners on Friday, May 31.

Here at Fido's Freebie Friday, bloggers are invited to list below their individual posts separately for all currently open giveaways. Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4:00 PM ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing. Link up anytime during the week--24/7. We make it easy to be seen here by keeping our rules simple:

•You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an expiration date.

•Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts with prizes for pet products or services, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Use your specific post url to link up.

•Please include our badge (the code is in the sidebar) or a link to this post in your giveaway write up, and ask your readers to tell us you sent them.

You'll find assistance at our HELP PAGE, where there is other useful information for bloggers doing giveaways and reviews. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog, Doggies and Stuff, and Dogtipper.

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog, Doggies and Stuff and Dogtipper take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered. Please consult All Things Dog Blog's Giveaway and Contest Rules for more detail. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Win a Happy Camper Bed for Your Dog

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Tanner just had to try out the water resistant fabric on his new Happy Camper bed that we reviewed earlier today. As he swam toward the step I could read his mind. He was bringing his toy in for a landing, and a nice snooze in the warm sun.

As the water poured off his coat I couldn't help but wonder how the foam inside would fare. The good news was that after Tanner dried off and went inside, I removed the cover to see how much squeezed through. The tight weave and water resistance of the fabric did its job very well.

I was able to leave the bed to dry in the sun, then placing it out of the risk of another rain shower, or wet dog invasion. This is one review sample that will really get great use at our home with a daily swimmer on our hands. Tanner already gave me the look--"This is terrific, Mom!"

If you'd like to enter to win one of these Tanner-approved, water resistant beds for your water dog, just use the Rafflecopter below and jump right in. If it seems to have sunk too low to locate, just click on the post title above and you'll quickly find it will float to the surface, ready to play.

To purchase a Happy Camper Bed, use the Store Locator at this link. I found 2 stores stocking the beds in my own zip code so I trust you will have success as well.

Good luck,

All Things Dog Blog is running this giveaway at no charge to PoochPlanet. The review of this product was not compensated and I have shared my own experience.