What Can You Do To Keep A Puppy From Playing When He Has A Broken Paw? Guest Post by The World According To Lexi

This is a guest post, actually we're re-posting this from The World According To Lexi, written by Nitro's person Christina:

Nitro broke his toe & it has been a very challenging week this week with having a six month old puppie that is literally full of energy but can't play because of his leg injury. I think we came up with some creative ideas to keep him occupied. Here are some of the steps we have taken to keep Nitro somewhat sane through this tough healing process.

1. We set up a big play pen area in the middle of the living room covered with blankets and pillows. We call it the "UFC Puppy Octagon" playpen. It helps him stay right in the middle of our daily routines and activities.
2. We purchased a very large treat red rubber Kong so we can feed him his meals through the Kong (keeps him from getting bored). It actually takes him about 20 to 30 minutes to eat his meal from the Kong.
3. We purchased some very large rawhide bones that are two big for him to chew any large pieces off. This way it keeps him interested in the bone for some time (but no danger of a big piece ending up in his belly).
4. We purchased a smaller Kong and line it with peanut butter. This keeps him busy for 20 minutes or so.
5. I took a lead rope and tied toys all over it to dangle it over into his UFC pen. He loves playing.
6. We let our little dog Tallulah go in and play with him but they both have to maintain a down position. I also join them in the pen and referee to make sure no one gets out of control.
7. This one is very important. Every morning I have him go in the car with me when I run my errands (usually takes us about two hours of running around). He is usually starting to go to sleep in the car on the way home.
8. We are still doing short training sessions for example like sit, stay, and lay down while he is in his "UFC Puppy" enclosure.
9. We take him outside to lay around in the sunshine on our back deck so he doesn't feel so home bound.

We are all doing very well so far considering how challenging it can be to keep a 6 month old Boxer puppy calm. We are only five days in to this adventure with 16 days to go. Wish us luck!

Below are some photos of our Petsmart trip on Saturday. Nitro laid in the buggy and just chilled out (and got a lot of attention from customers in the store)while we spent another $ 65 on treats and toys to keep him occupied. The photos under our Petsmart trip are Nitro in the car on the ride home and of Nitro napping in his new "UFC Playpen" once we returned home.

Photo of Nitro in the back seat of the car on the way to Petsmart - notice his new leopard sock splint boot cover with a pink boot? It has a rubber soal on the bottom so he doesn't slip - So cute!

Nitro totally "chillin" in the Petsmart cart. It really was the perfect size for him to be cruising around in.

Car ride home from Petsmart

You can see in this shot he is starting to get tired in the back seat of the car. Check out those cool leopard socks and pink dog bootie...what a fashionista!

The minute we got home from shopping Nitro totally passed out in his new "UFC Puppy Octagon" playpen.

Here you can see a little bit of the layout of his "UFC Puppy Octagon" playpen.

Thanks to Chritina for allowing us to post these great ideas for keeping an injured puppy occupied!

Paws Of Love Cookbook Idea

With all of the fundraising that is going on we thought we might make a cookbook of pet recipes.  We'd like to collect recipes from all of our freinds, and then we would put it together on a disk for us to sell when anipals and other things like the New Zealand earthquake need fundraising.

Would you be interested in submitting a recipe for the cookbook?  It could be pet recipes mostly, with maybe a few people recipes thrown in to make them happy.

Has anyone had an experience creating cookbooks online to save to disk.  We'd love to know about a software to make this work.

We're just in the thinking stages right now, but let us know in a comment if you'd be interested in submitting a recipe for this project, or have any ideas for us.

Animal Shelter Volunteer Life - Featured Blogger Of The Week

This week we are thrilled to feature Animal Shelter Volunteer Life!  Here's what Kevin & Tracey have to say:

Here's a little bit about us (Kevin, aka "meowmeowmans" and Tracey aka "PAWSVolunteer"):

Tracey and I used to work at the same company many years ago. Our paths crossed again when Tracey began volunteering at PAWS in Norwalk, CT about seven years ago (I had already been volunteering for a number of years). To make a long story short, love blossomed. We are now happily married and still volunteer at the shelter together every weekend. The attached photo was taken in New York's Central Park.

We are big proponents of adopting from shelters, something we believe was instilled in us from an early age. Growing up, all of our respective families' pets were rescues, or from shelters. Our furry kids Sammy, Moosey and Maggie are all rescues. We adopted Sammy and Moosey from PAWS, and Maggie from someone who had serious health issues, and as a result could no longer keep her. Our Angel cats -- Bitsy, Graphite and Lady Madonna -- all came from shelters.

We're often told that volunteering as much time as we do is "nice" and "selfless," but we'd venture to say we get just as much -- if not more -- out of our shelter experiences than the cats. We started the blog as a way to share those experiences, and to help give the kitties at PAWS a little more exposure. We never imagined that in the process, we'd meet so many amazing blogging friends from all over the globe. :)

Here are three of their favorite posts:

We love this post because the video really shows the affection between two cats who met at the shelter. Garth and Valerie ended up being adopted together. :)

This post was a lot of fun to write, and shows off some of the best "selling points" about some of the cats at PAWS.

We feel this post shows how love, patience and persistence can change things for a cat and the people who interact with it. One of the most rewarding things is seeing an extremely frightened animal learn to trust (and like!) people. And when such a cat finds a forever home... euphoria! :)

They have a special need right now for purrs and prayers for Maggie, so go check out Animal Shelter Volunteer Life and give them some PBU love!

Foster Friday ~ Baby & Bobby

This is Baby

Look at that sweet face.  Her humans were evicted from their home and they are unable to keep her. Baby is a very sweet female lab/shepard mix, she is 4 year old and is spayed, current on shots and really loves to play and loves to be in the water.

Right now Baby is staying with some good friends temporarily until we can find her a permanent home. She is house trained and was on a wireless fence, which had about an acre of roaming for her. She is doing well without fenced boundaries. The friends have 3 dogs, a cat, a kitten and chickens, so it’s not a long term solution. She has done great with all of them-she has chased the cats around but hasn’t harmed any of the animals. They are willing to keep her for awhile, but are already overwhelmed with their own animals.

All of her vet records are available along with vet information.  Baby is currently in  Dahlonega, GA. Baby was raised outside but has no problems making herself “comfy” indoors if you let her.

If you, or someone you know can help this sweet Baby, please let us know at PBU at comcast dot net.  Also, please share this with everyone you know.  Thanks so much!

Much thanks to Brian for letting us re-post this from his blog.

Now for a special Malaysian version of Foster Friday, meet Bobby:

Bobby belonged to a neighbour who lives a few blocks away. His owner picked him from a stray dog's litter. As a puppy, Bobby was cute and the owner's kids just love to play with him. But as Bobby grew, they found him not as cute as he was a puppy so they didn't want him anymore. They have tried leading him (the humans in the car and Bobby running behind the car) to a distance to abandon him but Bobby found his way home!

Then, they didn't feed him and let him roam the streets in the hope that Bobby will not return. That's when Bobby came to our house looking for food. We fed him and when we walk Beckham, Bobby followed. We thought he couldn't find his way home and we took him home but his owner said that they let him out to do his business!

One day in November 2010, while driving to the shop, we saw Bobby lying by the roadside. We stopped to check and found that he had fought with some other stray dogs and was knocked down by a car. We got a vet, Dr Chia, to come and help and Bobby was taken to Dr Chia's clinic. Bobby has been bitten on his back from his fight with those stray dogs and suffered a broken right hip bone and a dislodged front left leg from the accident. He was not able to stand.

Bobby has been in Dr Chia's clinic for a month and all this time his owner did not even look him up. It must have been a "good riddance" to him that he can be rid of Bobby now! Bobby is now living with us and he is getting better each day. He will walk with a limp but other than that he is in the best of health. We are not too sure but we guess he is just about a year old. We are planning to neuter him but Dr Chia said to give Bobby a little bit more time. We hope somebody will give Bobby a loving forever home as he is a good boy though a little playful but he is still a pup after all! - By Santa and Cindy

Bobby lives with Santa, Minnie and the girls and if you are in Malaysia and interested in Bobby please leave a comment on Santa's Blog.
If you have a shelter or foster animal that you would like to have featured, please contact us at PBU at Comcast dot net.

Wordless Wednesday - My Personal Space Heater

BlogPaws & Barkworld, Have You Gone?

I'm lucky enough to be going to Blogpaws in August this year, I don't think Oskar will be coming with me, a fact that he is very upset about.

Anyway, I wanted to reach out and see who had been to Blogpaws and who had been to Barkworld.  My sponsor, Nature's Variety, and I are interested in knowing the differences and similarities from those of you who have experience.

If you're going to either this year, let me know so that we can make sure and meet up! 

Nature's Variety Free Sample Coupon

As you may know Oskar & I recently went on a search for the best quality dog food for Oskar.  I'm glad to tell you that we found what we believe to be the best possible food for him, Natures Variety.

After trying out many samples from manufacturers of high quality dog foods Oskar made his choice clear!  We've even accepted a sponsorship from Nature's Variety to attend Blog Paws!

Nature's Variety want's you to see what all of the talk is about by letting you try a free Trial size bag (.75 lb) bag of either Instinct Raw Chicken or Instinct Raw Beef Medallions, with a $5 in-store purchase.  If you’ve ever thought about raw food for your pet, here’s a great opportunity to try Nature's Variety raw for FREE!

Click here for the coupon.

Go to the Nature's Variety Instinct Raw product page to find out more about this fantastic product, and stay tuned to Pet Blogs United for more great information on Nature's Variety!

Talkie Tuesday ~ A Lucky Dog Dog Walking

Today we are talking to Stacey Harmis from What Up Dog blog and A Lucky Dog dog walking service.

So Stacey, how did you get started with A Lucky Dog dog walking service?

My friend and I were walking dogs for another service and decided it would be better for us to go out on our own. Thus, A Lucky Dog was born.

How many dogs do you usually walk on a given day or in a week?

Usually 3-5 on a daily basis.

Tell me about some of your regular customers.

I love them all! Rocky is a typical Chihuahua, in that he is very loyal to one of his owners. If the owner is at home when we come, he has to stay out of sight so that Rocky doesn’t become aggressive. Otherwise, he’s a real mush! Avery and Carly are beagle “sisters” who are very sweet. Avery, especially, is a real snuggler. Carter and Finn are Cavalier “brothers” who are adorable. Finn is a puppy and Carter is almost a year old. Finn does everything his big brother does! It’s too funny! Mugzy is a boxer puppy who is full of life and a real cuddlebug as well. I’m having so much fun with him! Last, is a young couple who foster dogs who are brought up from kill shelters in the south. It has been so heartwarming to see these wonderful dogs get a second chance at a happy life!

Have you had to deal with unruly dogs, that didn’t know how to walk nicely? Do you train them to do so?

We have a “magic leash trick” we learned from one of our clients. First you clip the leash to the dog’s collar. Then you wrap the leash around the dog’s chest directly in back of the front legs. Then pull the leash under the part where you started on the dog’s back. When you walk the dog, the leash automatically tightens around the dog’s chest if he pulls. 99% of the time the dog will walk nicely. It’s magic!


What made you decide to start blogging about your experiences?

I love to write and I usually see the funny side of life. Plus I have lots of time to think while I’m walking all these dogs so it was a natural evolution. I love to take and ordinary experience and put a humorous spin on it.

Does Wally, your Westie get to go with you on any of your walks?

Of course!! He has a lot to say about it if he’s left home; usually he give me the guilty eyes! He’s also the Director of Socialization for A Lucky Dog. He’s in charge of socializing all the puppies and rescue dogs that I walk and he takes his job very seriously. He gets paid in cheese too which he also loves!

Do you ever have any of those comical movie moments, when the dogs seem to be walking you, or you end up tied up in a bunch of leashes? There have got to be some comical moments that you can share with our readers.

So many! Once I locked myself out of a client’s home and had to find an unlocked window to crawl through. I was sure someone would see me and call the police, but I lucked out. After that I learned to keep my keys on a lanyard around my neck at all times! Another time I didn’t know there was a hole in the poop bag. It was full and I was carrying it in the same hand as the leash which means it was bouncing off my leg with every step I took. At the end of the walk I looked down and the poop had leaked out of the bag and onto my leg with every bounce. Gross but funny!!

Stacey, thanks for sharing your stories with our readers!

Stay tuned for a great coupon later this afternoon here on Pet Blogs United!

Modern Cat Review & Giveaway!

Here's a great one for the kitties.

Moderncat is a fabulous Etsy store with modern, stylish, and well priced cat toys.  They sent us a selection of toys for Chloe & Moe to try out & I have to say that they are a big hit!

Now Chloe & Moe give all of these toys a paws up rating, but their favorite is the Modkicker Catnip Toy.


Chloe is in love!

 

Moe has a turn

This toy has held up for weeks and still has a great catnip kick that the girls love.

Now for the great news!  One of you lucky kitties can win your own modkicket catnip toy for yourselves.

Mandatory Entry:
Visit ModernCat and tell me one thing you really liked from their shop.  Come back here after you visit and leave a comment on this post with your favorite item.  (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

Extra Entries:
Follow Pet Blogs United with Google Friend Connect.  (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

Follow Pet Blogs United on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway.  Leave you Twitter name in your comment.  (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

This contest is open internationally!  The contest ends on 2/24 at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

Good luck!

Mr. Mews Cat Detective ~ Featured Blogger

This week are are delighted to introduce you to the lovely Mr. Mews.

Mr Mews Daily Post is a photo diary following Mr Mews, his friends, and his potential enemies.  He is a cat of sophistication, culture and wit-you won't find cute baby talk here or animals in "compromising" situations.  While the cast of characters is still expanding, here are some major players:

Mr Mews, the main character is a retired gentleman who is from a bygone era.
Quigley is Mr Mews' friend and sidekick.  Though he is a bird and argues with Mews on occasion, they are good friends.
Horst is a dog from Bavaria.  While he has befriended Mr Mews, Quigley is skeptical of Horst.
Mrs Snodgrass is a priss who lives in the building and rarely "blesses" the denizens with her presence.

Here are 3 of their favorite posts:

Mr. Mews Gives Mrs. Snodgrass One Last Chance

Mr. Mews Explains The Weather

Quigley Returns From His Travels To A Country Divided

Please stop by & give Mr. Mews and company some PBU comment love!

If you would like to be a Pet Blogs United Featured Blogger, please send an e-mail to PBU at Comcast dot net.

Pet Emergency Sign Giveaway

I still have several pet emergency signs available for anyone in the US who wants one.

Click here for the original post to get all of the details.

Foster Friday ~ Jack

Hi everyone! It's Jack here. My foster mom wanted me to introduce myself here on PBU. I'm a handsome, smart, and loving Border Collie mix. I'm about 4 years old and in search of a forever home. I'm the perfect medium-sized dog because I'm full grown at 45 pounds. Since I have herding dog in my blood, I'll have lots of energy into my adult years. Frankly, I'm the best of both worlds—a mature dog with spunk! Did I mention that I'm also house broken and crate trained?

What am I looking for in forever home, you ask? It would be great to find with an active family with dog experience. Because I have a typical Border Collie personality, my "person" needs to be both firm and patient with me. I definitely need a large yard with a tall fence because, between you and me, I have an instinct to chase squirrels and birds. A dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do!

If you want to learn more about me and my adventures, head on over to my foster mom's blog at dogfoster.blogspot.com.

So, what do you say--me, you, forever friends? You can fill out an adoption application at http://www.njcattitude.org/. The rescue will adopt out to NJ and parts of NY and PA.
Maybe you know someone who could give Jack to a good home?

New Blogger Alert ~ Awaiting Angel

We are glad to introduce you to Awaiting Angel.  Here's what Melissa has to say:


Darcy

Gabriel

How I came to start blogging about my pets is kind of funny. I realized I was taking so many photos of my pets and posting them on my personal blog and I was telling so so many cat stories. Finally someone posted on my blog and told me she didn't want to know so much about my pets! LOL and I'd seen a few cat blogs so I decided to start a blog just for my kitties.


Darcy

A bit about my pets; Darcy is a 5 year old Maine Coon. She suffers from some kind of bad allergies, we're hoping that moving into our new house with no carpet will help ease some of her allergies. She gets allergy shots also. She's healthy besides that but sometimes she looks so sick and miserable with her allergies. Gabriel is almost 6 months old. He's a moggy and a little spit fire. We had to get him soft paws because he was clawing us up trying to play. He will hide under the sink in the cabinet and as soon as someone walks by jump out and grab your leg! He's a lot of fun. We put a deposit on a Bengal from Grace on High Bengal's and are waiting for our newest baby to bed born. My blogging also takes away my anticipation to see my new baby lol

I also figured I could give a place to give reviews. Especially among my pet loving friends.

And that's about it in a nutshell :)

Gabriel

Stop by and check out Awaiting Angel today!

Newman's Own Organic Review & Giveaway

I've been on a quest to find higher quality food for Oskar, once I found out that the Iams that I have been feeding him is not as high-quality as I originally thought.

I contacted several top of the line pet food companies, and we have got many reviews to share with you, but we thought that we'd start with a brand that everyone knows and loves, Newman's Own Organic.

We were sent out a complimentary Pet Pack from Newman's Own Organic and Oskar was thrilled when it arrived.  Look at all of these goodies.

We received a bag of their Premium Adult Dog Formula kibble, cans of their Chicken & Brown Rice Formula and Organic Beef for dogs.  The Organic Beef for Dogs is grain free.  The first ingredient in all of these products?  Chicken or beef.  We also got a package of Chicken & Rice Snack Sticks and Premium Peanut Butter Dog Treats.

These are all made with certified organic ingredients, like peas, brown rice, carrots, and free of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides and chemical additives.

As if that wasn't enough, Newman's Own Organics contacted us and asked if we'd be interested in trying their new line of New Zealand Ranch Style Dog Treats, featuring New Zealand organic lamb or organic beef.

The treats, baked in small batches, carry the USDA organic seal, as they are made with 95% organic ingredients. They are available in four flavors: Lamb & Sweet Potato, Beef & Vegetable, Beef & Barley, and Lamb and Barley. The breakable, scored biscuits come in a 10oz. re-sealable pouch with a suggested retail price of $4.49.

Like all of the Newman's Own Organic products Oskar loved these biscuits!  He'd tell you himself, but he's a little busy.

Now to the giveaway!

You know that cool Pet Pack that I pictured at the top of this post?  Newman's Own Organic would like to send one to one Pet Blogs United Reader!  You can choose either a dog pack or a cat pack.

Mandatory Entry:
Follow Pet Blogs United with Google Friend Connect and tell me in a comment if you would like a pack for a dog or a cat. (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

Bonus Entries:
To be completed only after the mandatory entry is done.

Like Newmans Own Organics on Facebook. (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

Like Pet Blogs United on Facebook.  (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

Follow Pet Blogs United on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway.  "#Win a Newman's Own Organic Pet Prize Pack at Pet Blogs United http://tinyurl.com/4s2tafw"   Leave the link to your Tweet in your comment.  (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

Contest open to US states residents only, no PO Boxes as this will arrive via UPS.  Leave your e-mail address in your comments, so that I have a guaranteed way to contact the winner.  Contest will end on 2/20 at midnight.  The winner will be contacted by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond before a new will be chosen.