Category Archives: guest posts

Guest post: Why I love BarkBox

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I’ve got a special treat for you today – a guest post from my pal Michelle, the lovely lady behind Hey Love Designs! (Fun fact: Michelle adopted her dog from the same rescue group where I found Bellaface.) She’s here to tell us about BarkBox – a monthly delivery of goodies for the pampered pooch in your life. I’m pretty sure Bella and Tavish want me to sign up.

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Hi Friends!

I’m a pal of AJ’s and we’ve bonded over college memories, love of DIY, and of course, dogs! I talk about BarkBox so much that she asked me if I wanted to contribute a guest post. Of course I wanted to share the good dog love!

BarkBox is a monthly subscription of goodies – just like BirchBox – but for dogs. Each box can cost you anywhere between $19 and $29, depending on your subscription type, but the great thing about this is you get full sized goodies. They can be anything from toys, bones, and all-natural treats to hygiene products and innovative new gadgets.

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I decided to try it out for a few months. I actually don’t buy my beagle-mix Nico very many toys. He’s pretty happy with his one stuffed animal, a water bottle, and a crumbled up piece of paper. But he’s such a great dog and deserves a little spoiling. Plus, with so many dog products out there, how do you determine which ones are good? I thought BarkBox was a great option to try something new.

Here’s what I love about BarkBox:

  1. The products are hand selected quality items.
  2. Aside from a few toys that weren’t built for strong chewers, the rest have stood the test of time and my dog loves every single one. Although each month he has a new “favorite” until the next box comes.
  3. The treats are almost always grain free, organic, and have very few ingredients.
  4. You can choose the box based on the dog’s size. I recently upgraded to the 50+ lb dog box and Nico’s happy to getting treats for a “big dog.”
  5. You can get a free box just my referring ONE person! No complicated referral structures. Plus that friend gets $5 off their box.
  6. They have subscription plans so you can spend as low as $19 a month. Believe me, it’s worth it.
  7. They send really fun newsletters.
  8. They have great customer service and an awesome social media presence. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
  9. Every once in awhile they’ll have a special sale where you can save money on some of the items featured in your BarkBox. I’ve definitely taken advantage of this on several occasions.
  10. 10% of your subscription cost goes to a local rescue. Score!

Here’s what I don’t love:

  1. Just a handful of times I’ve gotten toys that didn’t last more than a day. I talked with BarkBox on Twitter and they now have a special list you can get on for “tough chewers.”Yay!

And really that’s it! I truly stand behind BarkBox’s awesome service and am always raving about it, which is why I’m here today. Nico approves too! I get a lot of packages for business and my online shopping addiction, and he now carefully inspects every single box, hoping it’s his BarkBox.

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Want in on this fun service? I would love it if you would sign up using my referral link. You’ll save $5! Try it for a month or for six months and your dog will be so happy you tried it out. 🙂

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I’m Michelle and I love my dog (obviously), design, and dancing. You can find me across the web at Hey Love Designs, Hey, Love (personal blog – there’s more Nico love here), Twitter, and Instagram.

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Want to see even more Nico? Check out these great videos of Nico checking out some of his BarkBox booty! Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Michelle didn’t receive anything from BarkBox for this post. She’s just a satisfied customer who wanted to share her experience with you today!

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Keep calm & carry a blanket: Senior Pet Health Month

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I have a special treat for you today… a guest post! In honor of Senior Pet Health Month, Sharon Castellanos from Grouchy Puppy is here to talk about the mental health of senior dogs.  Among her other awesome accomplishments, Sharon is Editor-at-Large for LIFE+DOG Magazine and an active Board Member of Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS).  Sharon has contributed to this blog before (and I’ve even popped up on Grouchy Puppy), and I’m thrilled to have her back today. 

One of the things I have noticed with my old dog Cleo is that she is all about the routine and the familiar. She turns to go down the street every morning, never up. Wherever she is, when it is close to dinner time, she moves to lay by the couch in a holding pattern. She knows it is a quick step to her food bowl from there. She is out of the traffic pattern of us cooking, but she has memorized the smells and sounds that say her meal is ready.

Besides her love for food, Cleo also loves her blankets. We bought four fake sherpa-fleece blankets from Costco about five years ago. One for the car, one for each bed, and a spare. They have been work horses and have held up better than the bed we bought on that same Costco trip. Maybe it’s because she is a big girl, but her beds seem to take a beating. Now I know what my sister means when she says that she is “hard on shoes.” No wonder she buys a new pair every other month. We haven’t had to buy Cleo new blankets, and one reason I’m glad, beside the cost savings, is their familiarity to Cleo.

Comfort in the familiar. When I think about Senior Pet Health Month, something that stands out for me now is Cleo’s mental health. She visibly relaxes when she is lying on one of her blankets. To me, with her deteriorating vision, the familiar texture and scent of her blankets seem to soothe her. Sometimes I will find her sleeping in the front room, with only her head buried in her blanket. We learned when she has sleepovers with a friend, to leave a blanket for her to sleep on, or rest on like Switzerland. The familiar blanket is probably more important to her than remembering treats. In places that are “not home”, her blanket is her special neutral zone, and safe place that smells like us and home.

When we go out for her walk in the morning, we equally contribute to the route and pace. I guide her away from curbs and places she might fall into, as well as slow her down before she rams her head into a tree trunk. She tells me if she wants to walk all the way around the block, or instead that she is ready to return home after a quick pee. If she wants to walk half way, then stand and sniff the air for 10 minutes, we do that. My goal is to give her opportunities for enjoyment.

Experiencing Cleo’s aging process helps me understand my parents better. I think of my long distance calls with my 80-year old mother. Half of our conversations involve detailed accounts of her daily routine. She enjoys the familiar and often tells me how much she does not like surprises. I think the calm from her routine helps her mental health, so I encourage her to tell me all about her day. Like with Cleo, I don’t rush her pace or hurry her off the call.

When I see first hand how Cleo sighs, stretches, and dozes off in contentment, because her surroundings are familiar thus relaxing, I’m happy. Cleo can go “off duty” and not worry about protecting us or being watchful. If I can help her mental health by making familiar noises so she knows dinner is ready, I will. If I have to sew the edges of her blankets to keep them from unraveling, thus allowing her to keep them another year, I will. If she wants to walk ten steps, or ten blocks, I will guide her. Caring for an old dog has given me a chance to learn about senior nutrition for the first time, but it has also shown me the importance of watching over Cleo’s mental health.

Loving Cleo the way we do, it is a gift to have this chance to be on guard for her.

Thanks again to Sharon for joining us today! Pop on over to Grouchy Puppy to read more of her work. Now, let’s get this party (by which I mean discussion) started… does your senior dog take comfort in the familiar?

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The Grouchy Puppy Principle: Dogs get more beautiful with age

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I’ve been focusing on senior dogs this month, in honor of Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month.  Today, I have a special treat for you – a guest post from one of my favorite bloggers about the joys of having a senior pet!  

 Editor-at-Large for LIFE+DOG Magazine and Founder of Grouchy Puppy,
Sharon Castellanos writes to educate and inspire people to focus on the
beauty and joy of having a dog in their life.  She shares stories
and interviews that strive to illustrate how we all have it in us to
give fearlessly and influence positively.  She’s contributed to this blog before, and I’m thrilled to have her back again! I was lucky enough to finally
meet her in person during BlogPaws in spite of that whole hurricane thing – take it from me, she’s awesome.

Aged to perfection, this is how I would describe a senior dog. My dog
Cleo is like fine wine, an Opus One. Rather than inside glass, she gets
decanted by having belly rubs, cuddles and brushing. Cleo is a rare dog,
a hard to find vintage. It wouldn’t be fair to keep so much delight on a
shelf getting dusty, or bottled up.

When you decant wine, the process opens up the wine giving you its full
flavor. If Cleo gets enough cuddles her true perky nature comes out. You
get the sense that she is half her age. Often on our walks in the
neighborhood, after strangers stop us to pet her, they ask Cleo’s age
and then react in disbelief. But as an older dog, she a professional at
managing her aches and pains.

In addition to her sparkling personality, Cleo’s ability to put forward
her mission to collect admirers is something to behold.  She sees
someone she likes, or another dog she wants to meet, and watch out. With
laser like focus, Cleo heads straight to her target, either winning
them over immediately, or getting a straight arm or leash, rejection.
Like some wines, you know pretty quickly, once you get a sniff, you’re
happy or your nose becomes wrinkled in distaste.

Fortunately for Cleo, she has mad skills which have only gotten more
refined with age. She wins hearts and virtual ribbons. Her age and
aging, only seems to add to her fan base. Cleo shows others that a
senior dog is a treasure, a rare experience that one shouldn’t pass up
when given the opportunity. With November being Adopt a Senior Pet
Month, consider going “wine tasting”, and check out the vintage dogs at
your local shelter or rescue. You might discover a rare dog of your own.

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Help senior dogs by voting for The Old Dog House

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I have a treat for you today… a guest post from my pal Chandra of Daley’s Dog Years, a fantastic blog about senior dog life.  Enjoy!

Every day of the year, amazing humans known as animal rescuers save the lives of homeless senior dogs. November is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month, offering all of us who know and love senior animals an opportunity to pitch in by encouraging adopters to choose a grey muzzle. Today, I’m thrilled to share an additional way this month that you can help homeless senior dogs, with just one click of your computer mouse per day!

The Old Dog House, a nonprofit senior dog rescue and sanctuary in Jacksonville, Florida is currently in the running for $25,000 in funding from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

When older dogs find themselves homeless, their health and wellness needs have often been neglected and those issues contribute to the several months time it can take for senior dogs to get adopted. The Old Dog House is seeking $25,000 in funding to build a warm water therapy pool on its property, a fantastic idea for the health and wellness of the dogs in its care.

The project directly speaks to The Old Dog House’s mission to rehome the senior dogs it rescues and rehabilitates. “A warm water therapy pool will give the dogs the opportunity to exercise without any impact on their joints, allowing muscle development and improving overall health,” writes Kim Siegmund Stordahl, president of The Old Dog House. “If we’re funded, we will share the wealth with other rescue groups in our community by allowing them to utilize the pool for their dogs.”

Meet Sam, one of the residents

Currently, the closest warm water therapy pool is a two-hour drive away so a win for The Old Dog House is a win for all senior dogs in the area—in addition to those in local rescue, The Old Dog House would like to make the pool available to senior dogs in the community.

So how do we help make this great project idea a reality? Vote every day, through November 30, online here or text the code 109539 to Pepsi (73774). Each day you have five votes to spread among all the great ideas up for funding!

Seven times a year, people and organizations submit their project ideas to the Pepsi Refresh Project. The ideas are organized into categories and voted on by funding amount—$5,000, $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000. The Old Dog House’s idea is in the “We Heart Animals” section of the $25,000 Communities category.

Muttley, another one of the adorable residents

Only the project ideas voted into the top 15 slots in each category are eligible for funding. Right now, the Old Dog House’s project idea is ranked #32 in its funding category so we need your vote and those of all your friends!

Learn more about The Old Dog House at its site here and find it on Facebook here. Currently, The Old Dog House has nine dogs in its care—three permanent residents due to physical/medical issues, five adoptables and one who will be available for adoption once medical issues are treated. See all their adorable photos here.

Photo caption quoted from The Old Dog House:

“Every dog at The Old Dog House is viewed and treated as part of the family. We do not have kennels, runs, or cages, rather they live in a true home environment with all of the comforts of home. Since establishing the rescue in 2006, foster homes, besides our own, have been few and far between, limiting the number of older and senior dogs we are able to help. So, we did a little brainstorming and turned our attention to our old, dilapidated 1930’s detached garage. The only thing it was housing was bugs and some moving boxes! In 2010, down it came and in its place stands The Old Dog House, equipped with all the comforts of a home – heating and air conditioning, a bathroom, cable TV, WIFI, radiant heat floor (yes, it does get cold in Jacksonville!!), stereo, couch with a chaise lounge – well, you get the idea! We can comfortably house 4-6 dog-friendly dogs in The Old Dog House. Also, it is a comfortable place for volunteers to come hang out with The Old Dogs to keep them happy and socialized.”

Thanks to Chandra for sharing this great cause.  I’m heading over to vote for The Old Dog House right now.  How about you?

 

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