As far as I’m concerned, there are two elements required to make any love story complete: a dog and a happy ending. And Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love has both!

Tired of the hyper-competitive magazine world in NYC, Justine van der Leun escapes to Collelungo, a bucolic village in rural Italy, where she meets a handsome Italian gardener. Through him, Justine experiences the ties that bind family life as she becomes an honorary member of his family. Even though the romance starts to unravel, Justine falls in love with another – Marcus, an abandoned English pointer that she rescues.

Justine & Marcus

Justine’s life in the rural village turns out differently than what she had expected. Through a series of misadventures on the farm, in town, and even with a couple horses, Justine eventually realizes that she’s ready to leave Italy with the man she loves – Marcus.

Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love is a funny, lighthearted, and quick memoir – I read it cover to cover on a rainy Sunday afternoon – so it’s absolutely the perfect summer read.

The pack was actually for Lucas. Lucas has an odd set of problems. When we first adopted him, he limped. The shelter said that it was because he was so malnourished as a baby that, as he received good nutrition and health care, he hit a growth spurt, which put pressure on his joints. Sort of like a teenage boy’s growing pains. But the limp never really went away; in fact, it worsened after long walks or too much play. We consulted our vet who suggested we start giving him stronger supplements, which worked whenever he wasn’t active. With playtime, the limp came back.

Fast forward two years. We moved to Bloomington, we found a new, fabulous vet who we love dearly! She did a more intensive exam, including x-rays. Turns out Lucas had a fractured pelvic bone, most likely the result of getting hit by a car as a young pup, and it had gone untreated and healed in such a way that his pelvic bone is too narrow to support his 80-pound frame. Hence, the limp. She got us the mac daddy of joint supplements, and on the (now rare) occasions when it flares up, we used a heat pack.

The heat packs we tried were all designed for people. They wouldn’t stay in place, got too hot, or cooled off too quickly. Then came the Bella Pack – one of The Whole Dog Journal’s “Product that Rocks.” It’s designed for a dog – and it has straps to hold it in the exact place the pup needs it most. It can be folded, even when frozen, to fit your dog’s contours. Plus, the gel is nontoxic. From the Bella Pack, “The gel is super safe, non toxic & made in the USA… I sleep well at night knowing that if someone’s beloved pet were to chew the Bella Pack, they would be fine.” Great!!

So, as you can see from the picture above, it works for Lucas! He tolerates it, and I think it relieves his pain. And then, this weekend after I got injured, I used it as a cold pack on my back – and it worked really well! I velcroed the straps around my waist so that I could still get around the house instead of being stuck sitting in one place.

If your dog (or even you!) suffers from joint pain, arthritis, or has a tendency to get injured, I highly recommend the Bella Pack. It’s safe and convenient, two things I love!

So what is it? Basically, it’s a feeding system with raised sides to catch splashing food and water, and it has a reservoir underneath to collect spills.

While it may sound dramatic that this was a life-changer, I used to have to clean the floor every single time the boys ate. Not good since we have wood floors that are now rippled and warped around their feeding area (despite keeping mats, rugs, etc. underneath, they somehow found ways to get food and water under the floor guards). Not only did Lucas they make a mess on the floor, but Lucas they somehow splattered food and water all over the side of the island.

Old:

Gross.

New:

Much better. Oh, and Emmett did figure out how to eat from the front instead of the side. Sigh.

A couple other pros: It’s made from recyclable plastic, and it’s dishwasher safe! One con: For bigger dogs you would have to purchase the additional leg extensions or else it’s still low enough to the ground that Lucas your big dog can still spill over the top.

It’s pricey – $65 for the large-dog size with leg extensions – but it’s not nearly as expensive as replacing that part of my wood floor would be! If you have messy, splashy eaters, the Neater Feeder will definitely help save your floors.

And I think the same goes for what we feed them.

There are so many debates raging on what’s the best diet: raw, kibble, canned, home-cooked, the options are practically endless. And, unfortunately, there’s an obesity epidemic among household pets in America. So every pet owner needs to decide what’s best for his or her own pets.

I found a food that I felt confident would meet my boys’ nutritional needs, though I supplement the kibble with canned grain-free meat – because I didn’t think the kibble had enough meat – and home-prepared vegetables. It’s really important to me to make sure Emmett’s immune system is in top-notch condition.

Recently, Young Again Pet Food sent me a trial of their Adult Dog Food 40. When I checked out their website, I was excited to see the emphasis on immune system boosters, and the label did have a lot of vitamins and minerals that are important to their health. Like most kibble, though, the meat content was really low – the first three ingredients are Pork protein concentrate, Chicken meal, Potato starch. However, the kibble is gluten free, which is a HUGE plus, especially if your dog is overweight or has allergies.

I’m so excited I got to try out the food. The boys seemed to love the taste – I even tricked them and used the kibble as “rewards” before I started feeding it to them, just to make sure it agreed with them – and they just gobbled it up! For our routine, I think the Young Again Pet Food is great to be mixed in with their regular kibble, steamed veggies, and canned food. That being said, as we expand our little animal family – fish are on their way! and maybe a small animal, to be determined! – I’m thrilled to see that Young Again has food options for other pets!

What about you? What’s your feeding routine like? Do you stick with one thing? Or mix it up?

When I lived in DC, I met a group of girlfriends for brunch at the popular Kramer Books. As usual, the restaurant was totally packed with the brunch crowd, milling around, sipping mimosas, crammed around tiny bistro tables. After we received our food, the hostess cleared the table next to ours and motioned for a man to take the table. We watched absolutely amazed as the man was led by his service dog through the packed restaurant, straight to the table, right to his chair, and as the man settled in, the dog curled up under the tiny table. It was incredible. We had barely made it to our cramped table in the corner without spilling drinks, tripping over coats or purses or other patrons, yet here was this guy, who turned out to be blind, putting all his trust into this gorgeous dog to get him through the brunch-crowd gauntlet. It was incredible and inspiring and made me want to go home and hug my own dogs a little harder.

These service dogs are absolutely awe-inspiring. They change lives and make the world a better place for their people. The preview is below – grab a tissue before you watch it – and definitely set your DVR to catch this tomorrow night.

Shauna from Fido and Wino! And the shelter Shauna linked to was http://victoriapets.ca/.

Congratulations, Shauna! Send an email to info{at}maggiemarton{dot}com with your address, and I’ll get your prize – a 60-day supply of Teddy’s Pride -  sent along!

I’m sorry I didn’t have enough to giveaway to all the fabulous commenters who shared some link love for their favorite shelters and rescues. However, Teddy’s Pride sent along a coupon for anyone interested in purchasing oral probiotics for your dog or cat.

The inspiration behind the contest was the “Be the Change” session from BlogPaws. But the do-gooding doesn’t stop with this one giveaway! So many dogs like Emmett and Lucas and like many of your dogs (and cats, too!) are stuck in shelters waiting for their forever homes. It sounds cliche, but the reality is, every single one of us can make a difference and be the change for an animal. Here are two more things you can do to Be the Change:

1. Put it on your calendar: Let’s all get together and pawty on Twitter for a good cause! Join us on Twitter on April 21 from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. EST and tweet with the hashtag #blogpawty.

2. The #BetheChange campaign selected Pets without Parents as the charity of choice, and they’ve created a nifty little widget to help us all donate to the cause. Every little bit makes a huge difference in the lives of these animals.

Any other ideas, thoughts, or inspiration on how to be the change?

From their website:

Teddy’s Pride™ Oral Care is the very first probiotics for oral care for all cats and dogs that freshens breath naturally while gently and naturally whitening teeth.

To be honest, I’m not too concerned if Emmett’s and Lucas’ teeth are gleaming white as long as they’re healthy. That being said, both the boys tend to have a little “dog breath,” so I was excited to try the probiotics. After the first week adding the powder to their food, we noticed an improvement in their breath. While it’s a 60-day supply, I’ve been dividing the servings between Emmett and Lucas, so perhaps with the full 60 days there would be a more substantial difference, but it seems like their breath is improving with each serving.

Now, onto the giveaway!

One lucky commenter will receive a full 60-day supply of Teddy’s Pride Oral Care for their very own. How to enter: Leave a comment on this post (one per person and comments on this post only count toward the drawing) by noon EST on Friday, April 16. After noon, I will use a random number generator to select the winner.

But there’s a catch!

While at BlogPaws this weekend, I attended an amazing panel called “be the change.” It was completely inspiring and got me brainstorming about the little ways I can do more to advocate. So here’s where the catch comes in!

For your comment to be eligible, you must include a little link love for your favorite shelter or rescue! Feel free to just post the link or tell us why they’re you’re favorite. You can help your favorite organizations earn a little SEO love while being entered to win an awesome prize!

So comment away! And if you need a little philanthropic inspiration, check out this incredible video presented at the “be the change” panel!

Have you seen Food, Inc.? What did you think? Do you recommend?

Start with at least 3 pieces of a durable remnant fabric. Also, make sure you have a supervisor, like Emmett:

Next, tie one of the pieces across another piece to form a T. Again, it helps to have supervision.

Tie the third piece at the opposite end. If you have more than three pieces, continue to tie them on. Any random pattern is great. I do find it helpful to double knot the strands, though if they come apart, you can easily retie them.

Your supervisor might really, really want the bug before it’s complete…

But once you’ve tied all the pieces together, it’s ready for his quality assurance check.

Looks like it passed!

The best part about making a bug is that you can toss it in the washer and dryer when it gets dirty. If it comes apart during tug-of-war, you can easily tie the pieces back together. In addition to a thick felt, denim and canvas work great, too, along with any cotton fabric without elastic. If you’re using old t-shirts or sweatshirts, be sure to cut out cuffs and collars because they often have elastic threads, which can be harmful if swallowed.

Avoid: Socks and any fabric with elastic bands, anything silky, and anything with a stretchy or Lycra material.

Have you put together an eco-friendly or DIY dog toy? Any winners or losers?

Over the past six months or so, ever since Emmett’s cancer diagnosis, I’ve been sort of obsessed with researching dog food, nutrition, health care, alternatives, everything. I spent a lot of time perusing the dog shelf at my local library, and ultimately ended up checking out Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.

Well, after accruing a $0.75 late fee (I’m hanging my head in shame), I ended up purchasing it for myself!

This isn’t the type of book that you would want to sit down and read cover to cover. Although I read several of the chapters all the way through, I think the real value in this book is to be familiar with what it contains and have it on your shelf as a reference when you have a specific question. For instance, even though I was primarily focused on the food and cancer sections, I recently pulled it off the shelf to see what he said about dry, itchy skin when I noticed Emmett had some dandruff.

I firmly believe that being a pet parent means choosing what is going to work best for you and for your pet. This book presents a number of alternative or natural options. Whether you choose to follow, to ignore, or to customize the suggestions, there’s great value in having extra information at your fingertips. We’re not going to start feeding his suggested diet to the boys for a number of reasons, but we are incorporating some of his supplement suggestions.

The condition-specific sections are useful for the same reason: When you’re facing a disease, it’s best to have all the information and options you can gather to make sure you make the best decision for you.

Overall, Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats is a really great resource that any dog lover should have on the shelf. While it’s not something you probably want to curl up with at night, it’s a great resource, chock full of condition-specific information and tips for your pet to live a happier, healthier life.

Have you read this book? I’d love to hear what other dog lovers have incorporated from this book. How’s it working?

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