All Things Dog Blog

Showing posts with label 5 Minutes for Fido. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

More Dog News Could be Coming Soon....

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Some of you have become aware that Feedburner, our email newsletter service, is beginning to give signals that they may be shutting down. This has been nerve wracking news for many bloggers who have used this free service for so long, since Feedburner and Google--who owns them--have not been unwilling or unable to confirm these suspicions. The signals, however, all point to this anticipated result.

All that said, I'm taking action to prepare. I'd like to ask you to subscribe to our new newsletter service so that when the time comes, I'll be able to make sure you continue to receive our updates and know what's going on here. If you're already on the All Things Dog Blog newsletter via Feedburner, you're good to go. I've migrated that list as of last week to assure I can continue to get our news to you.

I'm slowly working on a plan for deploying MailChimp with news that includes what's up

with our Event Barkers' fun and, of course, Oliver's silliness over at 5 Minutes for Fido. Every now and then you'll find that he's got important news offered up in a fun way for your enjoyment. Stay tuned!

If you have friends that may be interested in receiving our new newsletter, you can easily email this post to them by clicking on the cute little envelope icon at the bottom. Fill in their email address and off our post will go to them, giving them an opportunity to subscribe if they wish.

One last note on your subscription. If you would like to receive a mobile version at your cell phone and a regular format in your email, you may wish to subscribe twice using 2 email addresses. To be honest, I'm not 100% certain you can subscribe two times with the same email address, but if you try it, please do let me know if the MailChimp system allows it. I'd love to share this with my readers.

I'll bring you more information on how this will all play out as I get closer. For now, adding yourself to this list will mean nothing more than filling out the form below and activating the service in your email from MailChimp.

High five to all of you who opted into our new newsletter. I'll keep you posted to let you know when it will commence. Thanks again for reading and do keep in touch with any questions via our comments section or my AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com email account.

Happy tails,

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tips for "Take Your Dog to Work Day": June 24, 2011

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Do you work in an office that allows employees to take their dog to work this Friday? Sounds great, right? Maybe. Success may take a little planning. Here's a few tips to get you on the right track:

Call a meeting of all employees who wish to participate. Discuss and vote on a set of guidelines--rules to keep everyone safe and happy.
Consider giving your dog a job. And no, I don't mean he should be the "Town Cryer". If your Fido knows some tricks, allow him to perform at the opening of small group meetings or when you have a visitor. His concentration on this job will help calm him, while offering an activity that bonds him with you.
Come prepared with everything Fido will need: water bowl, bed, leash, poop bags, and maybe one or two toys. Keep in mind that if another dog visits your dog's area, those toys should be placed up and out of reach. You don't want any food or toy aggression at work or you may find yourself heading home early, without combat pay.
Rise early on Friday and take your best friend for a long walk before breakfast. A tired and well-exercised pup will be calmer and better behaved when he arrives at this new and exciting environment. And so will you!
Begin the day with a stroll around the office to allow your pup to see the whole place, if he has not yet had the chance to be introduced to your workplace. Keep it quick and goal-oriented so that he understands that lingering anywhere away from you is not acceptable.
If you plan on bringing treats or food, these too should be well out of reach of Fido at work. Offer these when your dog is alone and can finish them before a visitor arrives.
Think through your dog's placement if you'll be receiving visitors throughout the day in your work area. He should be out of the walk through area of offices, and will often do best if his bed is placed near or behind you. He'll feel safe and you'll have more control.
Refresh Fido's memory of his basic commands throughout the week. Spend some extra time on "Come when called".
Offer visitors some tips on how your dog prefers to be greeted. Giving input will help non-dog lovers learn a few new things on this most interesting and unusual day at work. You'll want to be an ambassador for good dog owners when presenting your Fido to dog newbies.
If your dog is not spayed or neutered, think twice about participating in this event. It should be rated G for Good Dogs.
Likewise, if you have a puppy that is not house-trained, think again. You really don't want to have to explain that new spot on your carpet.
And this is a great spot to remind you of the lunchtime walk. Don't forget your poop bag and be sure to allow Spot (pun intended) to take care of all of his business while you're out.

Don't be surprised if your dog is exhausted after a long day at the office with you. Even though he may have done nothing terribly taxing, the new environment and people, as well as any dogs he encounters, will more than tire his active mind. Take some time to reflect, once home, on what you can do to improve next year's experience. Plan for it now and you'll both have an even greater time bonding over your work next year.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Petstages Gator Toy Giveaway:
A Thank You for My Readers

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

You guys were real sports to read that post on gator safety. I know it's a little creepy. Those of you who live North or West probably don't need to worry, but many of us in the Southeast are at risk and need this info. Your reward is here:

I will draw three names from the pot of entries I have accumulated. You can enter additional times here daily, if you like. However, this giveaway will be drawn from the main pot, so everyone gets a chance, no matter how long ago you may have entered. Entries will close at 5 PM on Friday, May 13. Watch for a post on Saturday to announce the winners.

Three winners will win the Petstages Stuffing-Free Gator squeaky toys for their dogs. Tanner is showing it off at the top of the post, but you can see their website image of it below. We love the cool design that allows it to continue to squeak, even when punctured. And Tanner likes the fact that it makes two different squeaky noises--one on each end. Imagine that!

Thanks to Petstages for providing the gator toys for today's giveaway. Tanner loves his, and Oliver, well....check on him at 5 Minutes for Fido to see how he's doing. He was looking a little squeamish. Good luck to you and your gators. If you're a winner, be sure to send your address to me at LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. Thanks for your patience with this giveaway being offered in a second post; the Saturday Blog Hop rules now forbid giveaway posts, so watch for product reviews and helpful information like the gator safety post.

For all of you that are moms, I wish you a very happy Mother's Day. Try to take some time to enjoy your pups today. Unconditional love is the best.

Friday, April 29, 2011

All Things Dog Blog Goes to the Meet and Greet

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Hello! And welcome to All Things Dog Blog. Today I'm here to join Dogtipper in the Meet and Greet Party. Paris has invited us to tell you a little about ourselves, so here goes.

All Things Dog Blog is on a mission to bring you the resources you need to help your family live harmoniously with your dogs. We provide help in many ways; I'd like to tell you about a few of our services.

As a mom of three full grown kids I understand the challenges of holding it all together in all phases and stages of life. And, oh, did I mention the pets? That's where we specialize--helping you bring your family and your dogs into alignment with your life, without too terribly much pain (wink).

We would like to help:

Our most popular posts are our problem-solving articles. For example, I have offered up ways to manage a houseful of company with pups as guests, given tips on exercising your Fido when you can't join in, shared our natural ways to manage fleas, and much more in my archives of 1000+ articles. Need help finding something? Drop me an email and I'll be glad to help: LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com.
Our team of experienced dog trainers is here to assist you with your dog behavior problems. Even those of you who may be 'experts', could sometimes use a different take on the situation you are too close to it.
Our All Things Dog Blog family, including our dogs, live a largely green and organic lifestyle, while offering you tips for trying it out yourselves. Some will work for you; some will not. We invite you to ask questions.
Holistic veterinarian, Dr. Pat Bradley, answers your questions on natural ways to help with Fido's health.
We also enjoy experimenting with natural treats made here in our own kitchen. Watch for our organic recipes that you can try at home.
Product reviews are the newest addition to our site, and are being well received. Today's Kurgo Cargo Cape, for instance, has quite a nice list of entries already. We offer weekly giveaways that you can learn about in our sidebar, so be sure to check it regularly for what's new in our giveaways.
Our first annual Super Dog Sunday event brought dozens of blogs together for a blog hop that included photos of all our dogs in their favorite teams' theme. That event was a blast and I hope you'll take a minute to click the link and watch the slideshow of some favorite photos.

Feel free to subscribe at the top right or follow me through Google Friend Connect (in my lower sidebar) or Networked Blogs (this one is new to us--we could use your help populating the widget!). You can also keep up with our updates and join in the conversation at our Facebook page and on Twitter. Happy tails!

And as always, don't forget to visit 5 Minutes for Fido, where Tanner and Oliver spout off their opinions and generally offer up silliness.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

It's Dog Lover Prize Time Again:

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Today's post is a twofer. You get the winner's name for the above prize, and the announcement for next week's giveaway all in one post. I'm overstocked and must make room for new products coming in, so next week's giveaway will help me clear out the warehouse (aka my kid's bedroom!).

Check out these 4 super fantastic prizes:

Two winners--owners of toy-sized dogs--will get a 24-pack of assorted Cesar Cuisine gourmet dinners
One winner--also an owner of a toy-sized dog--will snag a 22-pack (yeah; I know it sounds weird, but read on)
Finally, I can't leave out my big dog buddies. After all, the gator in the warehouse (you know this is Florida, right?) was probably responsible for the missing cans in the carton of food that is prize #2! So, I guess it's time to get rid of this big boy. One lucky owner of a medium to large-sized dog will take home the Plush Puppies Large Gator toy made by Kyjen. This toy features a whopping 16 squeakers inside. Disclaimer: I do not supply earplugs or take responsibility for any hearing loss. Supervise your dog carefully while he plays with squeaker toys, and wear earplugs for your own protection.

To enter, you can comment here, on my Facebook page, or through a @Tweet. Don't forget to "Like" us on FB so you won't miss any big prize news, and follow us at Twitter too. To win, you MUST tell me about your dog--big or small? Large and Medium-sized dogs will go into the drawing for the gator toy. Toy-sized dogs get an entry for the Cesar Cuisine. After all, this gator is about 2 feet long--bigger than your average dog toy, by far. Do you want to see this fella?

The winner of this week's Dog Lover's Giftpack is "Cstironkat". I have no clue how to pronounce that, but fortunately he/she left contact information so I can get in touch. Congratulations!

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Saturday, March 19, 2011

A Stylish Dog Blog? Or Dejavu?

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Whew! I just finished walking the red carpet with Tanner and Oliver. We thought we could kick back and relax. Not this week. Suddenly we're stylish. It's de ja vous!

Recipients of the Stylish Blogger Award have 2 responsibilities:

Share 7 things about themselves. (I'm going to tell you about Tanner and Oliver. That's okay, right?)
Offer the award to 15 bloggers that they enjoy reading.

Seven things about Tanner and Oliver:

Tanner is a social butterfly, even though he lives with a Papillon, which means 'butterfly.' He knows how to work a dog park.
Oliver is #74 of Annamarie Johnson's PAWS Pack 80, and proud of it! You can read his story at Dogs for the PAWS: A Retriever Family Adds a Pocket Pup.
There's not much in the world that thrills Tanner more than a good swim or a Fetch game--a typical Golden Retriever in that sense.
Oliver is the master of "Go Nite Nite". When it's bedtime, he hardly has to be told. I simply point in the direction of his crate and off he goes, sitting up proudly as if to say "Aren't I the cutest pup ever?"
Once when Tanner was waiting permission to eat his breakfast, the doorbell rang. Thirty minutes later when I returned from talking to the neighbor, he was sitting by his dish in a puddle of drool. His food was untouched. Good boy, Tanner.
When Tanner went to take his CGC test with Oliver and Xena, it rained. Hundreds of ducks descended on the waterfront area that we were using as a test site. Golden Retriever + Ducks=Zero Concentration on CGC :( Maybe another time. Oliver, on the other hand, is proud to have earned his Canine Good Citizen certification, even while Tanner was busy watching the ducks flap their wings and squawk wildly.
Tanner is a Houdini dog. He can unlatch a child-guard gate, open a chain link gate with ease, open our front door to let himself out, unlatch Oliver's crate and unlock the bathroom pocket door lock. Perhaps I should get him a job as a locksmith?

Okay, that was fun. Now I get to have even more fun. I get to hand out this Stylish Blogger Award to 15 other bloggers. It took a while to compile this list. I had trouble making decisions. Tanner and Oliver gave their input a bit (really!) and finally we're here. These 15 are not in any order; pardon if I screw up any of the names, or if I've duplicated any former winners....my bad. I am trying! Mostly these are just wonderful blogs to enjoy a good read. Take a cruise through this list and have a great time:

Thanks to Tail Taggin for offering this award to us. Our tails are definitely waggin! Be sure to stop by and see their blog that's all about Adventures in raising an English Springer Spaniel; this is one cute pup!

Congratulations to the new winners. Be sure to collect your badge as you leave. It's a beautiful badge--wish I knew who created it; I'd like to thank them. Celebrate with a trip to the dog park. It's naptime for Tanner, Oliver and me no. Nite Nite!

Oops...forgot a little business. You can learn who won the giveaway from last Saturday's blog hop at Global Pet Expo Over!.
It's my favorite day of the week, the Saturday Pet Blogger's Hop. As you hop around, don't forget to stop by the first three entries on the list, our hosts: Confessions of the Plume, Two Little Cavaliers and Life with Dogs. And of course, you absolutely must pop in at 5 Minutes for Fido, where Tanner and Oliver will be spouting off about something. Happy hoppin!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Delight Your Dogs with
St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

The All Things Dog Blog kitchen has certainly been busy lately. Tanner and Oliver enjoy green beans and now we know they also love them in dog biscuits. These are not your ordinary biscuits; they're chock full of all-natural chicken and organic green beans, for a tasty and healthy treat or even a fun substitute for today's usual meal. My boys will enjoy a breakfast of a mixture of Shamrocks and their staple, organic dog chow. They were happy to play along in advance to get these photos.

Interested? They're super easy to make and extremely healthy. Check it out:

St Patrick's Day Chicken and Green Bean Shamrocks

Ingredients:

2 all-natural or organic chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1-1/2 cups fresh organic green beans, washed
1/4 Cup organic chicken or vegetable broth
1 large organic egg
2-1/3 cups organic white or wheat flour, or try using 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat (While I generally prefer wheat flour for its health benefits, white flour will allow the green bean color to show up better in these cookies that are special for St. Patrick's Day. A natural green coloring can be added to enhance the hue, if you wish.)

Instructions:

Cut each chicken breast into about 6 pieces
Bring a quart of water or chicken broth to a boil.
Add chicken and green beans.
Lower heat and simmer until chicken is done--white in the center.
Strain well.
When cool enough to work with, place chicken and beans in food processor with sharp blade in place.
Run until meat and beans form an even, light mixture.
Remove from food processor to change to the dough blade, and replace chicken mixture.
Add egg and 1/2 of the flour. Knead using the food processor, or by hand if you prefer.
Add additional flour gradually, using 1/4 cup broth if needed to get a cookie dough texture, firm and suitable for rolling. You may need to add more flour or broth to get the texture you desire.
Refrigerate dough while you clean up and prepare for rolling and baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets.
Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Dip cookie cutters (or even a small juice glass) in flour and use a thin spatula for removal to cookie sheets for baking.
Bake 25-30 minutes, depending on dough thickness and the size of your cookies.
Remove to cooling rack and continue until all dough is used, or freeze dough for future baking.
Refrigerate what you can use or give away in 2-3 weeks. Freeze extras for use later.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen small treat-sized bones, as well as 8-12 larger biscuits for a special occasion meal substitute or enhancement. These also make a nice gift for your Irish Wolfhound friends (wink, wink), or any Fido that will enjoy them as today's pot of gold special. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Oliver has a few comments over at 5 Minutes for Fido, so stop by and check out his antics.

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Friday, March 4, 2011

Darby's Story: The Life of an Adopted Dog

by guest blogger, Kristine Tonks
of Rescued Insanity

I don’t take the time to read children’s books very often. When I heard about Darby’s Story: The Life of an Adopted Dog by Martha Steward, I jumped at the opportunity. Any book starring a sweet rescue dog is automatically on my reading list. I doubt anyone could look at the cover of this book without falling in love.

This isn’t a typical boy-meets-dog story. After all, neither Darby the husky mix, nor Drew the young child, are quite conventional. The book begins with the author and her son, Drew, attending an adoption event at a local pet store. Instead of rushing toward the energetic puppies, the two think carefully about the kind of dog who will best fit their lifestyle. Once they spot quiet Darby, relaxing in his crate, they take the time to get to know him first before making the big decision to bring him home. This way they ensured that not only would they be happy with Darby, but he would be equally happy with them. It’s an important message for all who are thinking of owning a dog.

The rest of the book goes on to illustrate the funny and interesting ways in which a dog added to the life of Drew and his mother. As the boy grew up, Darby was there to keep him entertained. Sometimes it seemed Darby was more of a sibling than a pet. The two even competed for prime seating in the car. Throughout the story, the small family went through many changes. They moved to a farm and adopted several other animals. Each one, especially the cat, provided a new challenge for Darby. I enjoyed Steward’s insertion of her guesses at what could be on his mind. Like many dog owners, I often do the same.

By the end of the tale, I was on the verge of tears. As we all know, the life of a dog is much too short. They could live for centuries and it wouldn’t be long enough. The author dealt with the last few years of Darby’s contented life with delicacy. Steward even included valuable notes on helping children say goodbye to a beloved friend. There was sadness, of course, but also joy for the memories they shared.

In my opinion, Darby’s Story is the perfect bed-time story book. While younger children may have a difficult time grasping some of the concepts, I think all would enjoy snuggling down to hear about Darby’s fun adventures with his multi-species family. I know the photo of the large dog sleeping with the baby goat will give me pleasant dreams for many nights to come.

Want to win a copy of Darby's Story for a special child in your life? Comments here on this post, as well on about this post on our Facebook page, will be entered in a special drawing to win a free copy of Darby's Story. The winner's name will be announced next week on March 11, 2011.

More on Darby's Story:
The website
The blog
Authorhouse (to purchase your own copy)

5 Minutes for Fido just about always has some sort of commentary on my posts. What are they up to today?

Kristine Tonks is a former history student who has recently discovered a passion for all things dog; she writes Rescued Insanity. If she hadn't adopted her dog, Shiva, from the shelter when she did, the piles of books would have taken over her house. Kristine feels that rescuing Shiva is by far the best thing she has ever done. Kristine also reviewed A Small Furry Prayer Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life here on All Things Dog Blog.