The Writer's Dog

Petey Curls Up with a Great Magazine

2019-08-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Do you like to curl up with a great book or magazine, and relax? My dog Petey does! Here he is curling up with the new issue of Simply Pets magazine.

Petey relaxes with Simply Pets.

You're going to find a lot of great stories in Simply Pets, and guess what else? Petey wants to be sure that you know that there's a wonderful book review on The Dog in the Dentist Chair featured in the magazine, too!

I'd say we're in good company...don't miss the rest of the list of inspiring animal books, movies and music, too. Simply Pets magazine is a great lifestyle magazine for people who love pets and animals, chock full of helpful tips, great stories and positive news. The magazine can be found in retail stores near you, Barnes and Noble bookstores, and by subscription, print and digitally.

Custom socks featuring your own pet!

2019-05-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, if you're like me, no outfit is complete without cute socks, right?
And, how much cuter can it get than socks that feature your own dog's face on them?
Well, to answer that question, check it out!

Recently Socksery offered to send me a pair of custom socks to review. How could I refuse? The process was simple. I sent them images of Ernest and Petey, chose my sock size and color, and their custom sock designer worked his/her magic.

These are really nice quality socks. Not some cheapo socks that will fall apart them minute you wear them. The fabric has a unique feel--the website describes the fabric as "a blend of high performance yarn." They don't feel soft like cotton, but they don't feel at all uncomfortable either. In fact, when I tried them on, they're very comfortable. They aren't as stretchy as some socks, but are shaped to fit your foot at the heel and toe. I ordered a medium and it fit my size 8 1/2 foot just fine. If your shoe size is much larger, I'd suggest a large.

There are more than a dozen colors to choose from too. I ordered the teal green with hearts. You could also get a design with paw prints and dog bones.

The editing of the photos and reproduction onto the sock is excellent. I love the way they used both dogs faces, and included Petey's cute necktie. The lines are clean and the execution is quality.

I thought I'd try the socks with all my golden retriever clothes. What do you think? Stylish?

Okay, maybe not ALL TOGETHER.

I'll be sure to wear my special Socksery socks when I'm out walking the dogs, on a book signing tour, and to any fun event when I want to show off my pups! I'm also going to keep Socksery in mind for holidays, birthdays and thank you gifts. You can check them out at Socksery. And they're offering readers a 20% off discount with the code SOCK20!

FULL DISCLOSURE: We were provided one pair of custom socks in exchange for our honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion. Opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

Movie Review- Life in the Dog House

2019-03-18T11:57:00.000-04:00

Recently my husband and I watched Life in the Dog House. I wasn't expecting it to touch me as much as it did.

I tend to be skeptical about movies I haven't heard much about, figuring that they weren't "popular" for a reason. This movie, however, was totally worth watching and even elicited quite a bit of emotion from a dog lover who thought she'd seen it all.

Life in the Dog House tells the inspiring stories of Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta and the work they do at Danny and Ron's rescue. I've often asked people involved in dog rescue how they are able to keep going, with all the abuse, neglect, heartbreak and endless need of homeless animals. Danny and Ron clearly reveal the toll it all takes on them, yet they do not come off as arrogant or superior because of it. They just want to help as many dogs as they can. To that end, they've turned their home into a shelter, living with more than 70 rescue dogs at a time, eliminating all private space and private time.

You might think that house would be chaotic and stinky. It can get noisy, and there are constant staff and volunteers in and out of every room. But Danny and Ron have a strict schedule of feeding and cleaning. And there's lots of cleaning. The floors and bedding are washed every day and the sprawling house looks orderly and, they say, doesn't smell. They've turned every room into a space for dogs--the dining room, living room, sun room, spare bedrooms, and lots of outdoor areas for them to run. They have an organized system for feeding, medicating, and cleaning. I was impressed to note they feed super premium dog food, not just something less healthy but more affordable.

Danny and Ron were stars in the horse world, and still make their income training horses.They always bring adoptable dogs to the horse shows, and that is where they find homes for most of their dogs. They often go to a shelter intending to take 5 or 6 dogs scheduled for euthanasia, and end up with 15 or as many as they can fit in the van, because they are so moved by their sad eyes and hopeful looks.

There are some moments in the movie that aredifficult to watch. Once they brought an old friend in to the vet to say goodbye, and I had to look away as they showed the injection and the dog going to sleep, because it was too sad. The horrors of puppy mills are clearly shown, and this too was gut-wrenching. And this scene, shot from a drone-- the back of a kill shelter where two employees swung bag after bag after bag of black garbage bag-shrouded bodies of euthanized dogs into the back of a truck, drove to a nearby grave and dumped them all into a massive hole. A lot of dust in my eyes at that point. Danny and Ron don't blame the kill shelters though. And they don't preach or shame or hit their audience over the head screaming their message. They bring the real problem right back to the community and individuals-the problem is pet overpopulation, and the solution is to get cats and dogs spayed or neutered.

The dogs were cute, the dogs were needy, the dogs were sweet, but what really got me is the dedication of these two men, who to date have rescued more than 11,000 dogs!

Watch the video trailer here.

crunch crunch nom nom True Acre Foods treats #ChewyInfluencer

2019-03-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

Looking for a wholesome treat for your dog?

Since we are #ChewyInfluencers, Chewy sent us these True Acre Foods baked biscuits to sample. I'd never heard of this brand before, so it was fun to try them out. Here's what we love:
1. crunchy
2. mini size--we give our dogs a lot of treats during the day so we must have mini size ones, or they would be getting too many calories. (they have other sizes if you prefer.)
3. manufactured in the USA

True Acre Foods dog treats do contain wheat, so if your dog is sensitive to that you might want to try something else. Other top ingredents are meat and bone meal and animal fat. Petey does fine with wheat, but Ernest needs wheat-free food. So Petey got to be the taste-tester. And he loved them! So take it from Petey, they're a yummy treat.

Full disclosure: Chewy sent us one box of treats in exchange for our honest review. This in no way influenced our opinion. Opinions here are 100% my own.

A visit to Chewy Pharmacy #chewyinfluencer

2019-03-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Ernest and Petey decided to visit their friendly Chewy pharmacy to stock up on some Interceptor heartworm preventative.

Petey and Ernest get their medications from Chewy.

Here they are checking out their medication. The Chewy pharmacist is helpful and friendly!

The Chewy Pharmacy is always open!

There is no need to leave your home to get your dog's medication. The process is easy with Chewy.

1. Log in to chewy.com
2. Click on Pharmacy
3. Select the medication you need.
4. Order
5. Type in your veterinarian information and Chewy will contact them for you.
6. Wait a few days and your medication will be delivered to your door.

Here's your Interceptor boys!

There is a huge selection of medication, from flea and tick to heartworm to arthritis to ear and eye care to many others. Check out Chewy Pharmacy and see if they have what you need.

Full Disclosure: We are Chewy Influencers. We were provided with one package of Interceptor in exchange for our honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion. Opinions here are 100% my own.