Oh My Dog!

Tomorrow night on PBS, two documentaries are airing, both of which I plan to record. First up is Food, Inc., which I mentioned last week. The second documentary actually airs the hour before Food, Inc. It’s called “Through a Dog’s Eyes,” and the film focuses on four families as they meet their new service dogs from the non-profit Canine Assistants.

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.

While I recover from an amazing weekend at BlogPaws (full recaps to come this week, I promise), I’m thrilled to announce that we have a giveaway this week! Teddy’s Pride sent me a sample of the oral care probiotics to review. And they have very kindly offered to give away a 60-day supply of Teddy’s Pride to one reader!

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!

I feel like I might be the last dog lover to read this book because I’ve seen it mentioned all over the interwebs, but I finally got around to combing through Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.

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?

Note: The links above go to my Amazon Associates page. Check out my brand new tab (Disclaimer & Guest Posts) for more details.

Eco Dog: Healthy Living for Your Pet

Books are my weakness. I can’t walk into a bookstore without snatching up an armfull of books and magazines. In attempting to be both eco- and budget-friendly, though, I’ve been working out my library card lately, which has been awesome! However, when I saw this book when I stopped into a local bookstore (gah, I know, I know, I shouldn’t even go in one, but with my Barnes & Noble member card I get cheaper coffee… right??), I had to buy it. And it was totally worthwhile!

Chock full of useful information on how to identify and eliminate toxins, the book also has a ton of great DIY projects ranging from making dog toys to pet-safe household cleansers. I’ve already tried a couple of the treat recipes, which Emmett and Lucas loved. Rumor has it I’m getting a sewing machine for my birthday, and if so, I’m going to try the fabric fish! I’m not the most crafty of gals, but they include lots of step-by-step instructions along with color photographs, which is awesome!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re looking to reduce your pup’s carbon pawprint or just integrate safer, healthier practices in your home, or even if you’re looking for some fun DIY pet projects.

Any other eco-friendly pet books you would suggest? Or does anyone have a recommendation for a good (preferably organic) dog treat cookbook?

Disclaimer: This was not a paid review, though the link above goes to my Amazon Associate’s page.