We Have a Winner! Rescue Me, Maybe by Jackie Bouchard Book Giveaway!

Congratulations to 

Ashley Matthews!

She was selected at random by Rafflecopter from 490 entries

as the winner of our 

Holiday Gift Guide for Dogs and Dog Lovers Book Giveaway and will receive

a signed paperback edition of Rescue Me, Maybe by Jackie Bouchard.

 

 

Thanks so much to everyone 

who entered our giveaway!

Want to make sure you know about all of our giveaways?

Fetch our Talking Dogs Giveaway Page 

or our For Love of a Dog Giveaway page and follow us on Facebook

You'll be the first to know about our next giveaway!

Right now we have another pawsome giveaway to celebrate the holidays! 

Enter the December For Love of a Dog Jewelry Giveaway!

 

 

ENTER NOW!

Stay alert! We'll be celebrating the holidays

with another December giveaway in the 

Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers at Kol's Notes!

 

Of course, you don't have to wait for a giveaway 

to enjoy a piece of my handcrafted jewelry!  

Shop For Love of a Dog

for barking good holiday gifts for pet lovers! 

 

Time for Dog Treats | #WordlessWednesday

Rosie had some nice party manners at Rudy's party.

Jeffie looks like he was afraid he might lose a treat turn or something.

The birthday boy, Rudy, was a little wild, too!

 The birthday party hats didn't last long!

Without the hats, good doggie manners returned

Enter Rudy's Birthday Giveaway HERE

New Fetch Dog Lover Jewelry at For Love of a Dog

The other day I was outside playing with my dogs and I suddenly gave myself a mental kick.  Why in the world haven't I done some fetch and flyball dog jewelry, I asked myself.   I set about remedying that right away.  Here's a little peek at just of few pieces.

Shown above is a fetch dog bone bracelet with black based raised daisy lampwork beads, fat jet black faceted crystal rondelles, plus a sweet paw print lobster claw clasp.  Of course, the focus is on the hand stamped dog bone and porcelain tennis ball.  Oh!  And that hand carved black onxy gemstone heart because your dog is star... right?!

A variation on the theme, but this time in a yellow and pink color scheme, plus a a Heart my Dog charm dangle.  Fetch more photos and info here.

If your dog is a Flyball star, celebrate with this fun bracelet.

Not a fan of bracelets?  How about a fetch dog bone necklace with a cute three dimensional porcelain tennis ball.   Shown is a gold fetch necklace and below is one in copper.  Sorry, the silver sold out as soon as I added them to the For Love of a Dog website. 

Be sure to check out all of my new jewelry to see all the FETCH themed dog bone bracelets and necklaces.   Remember, most of my jewelry are one of a kind pieces, so if you see something you like snag it now!  Shop now with a 10% discount on your entire order (which all come with free shipping to US addresses) with this code:  FLDNEW

And be sure to enter our June Giveaway!

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

Jolly Ball Giveaway | Happy Birthday Rudy

 

If you follow Talking Dogs blog, you already know that Rudy loves his Jolly ball.  It is, by far, his favorite dog toy.  More than once, someone has seen a photo of our dogs with a Jolly ball and asked about them.

Actually, we have more than one Jolly ball at our house because all three of our dogs love them.  Yes, eventually the ropes give out in one way or another, but it is very easy to slide in a new piece of soft cotton rope (purchased at any hardware store) and tie two knots.

Though we simply call them Jolly balls, their real name is Romp-n-Roll and they're made by Jolly Pets.  With the rope through the middle, they're barking good for interactive games like tug of war, keep away and fetch.  

These low density balls are resistant to punctures (even our oldest has zero punctures in 7 years of rowdy retriever play.)  They're made of non-toxic material, too.  They come in 3 sizes:  4.5", 6" and 8"

Perfect to play with your dog solo or with more than one dog at a time.  Rudy and Rosie love to play with a Jolly ball together.

Since we're celebrating Rudy's birthday today, we're offering you a chance to win a Jolly ball for your dog!  Sorry, due to shipping costs, only those with US shipping addresses are eligible.

One lucky winner will receive a Jolly ball in the size they choose.  Enter now via the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* The Jolly Pets Romp-n-Roll ball dog toy in this giveaway will be purchased by me for the winner.  I've received no compensation - financial or otherwise - for this blog post or giveaway contest. 

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

Jeffie was a Cush Dog

Jeffie was a Cush Dog.  Not familiar with the term?  You can read about it in a guest post from the Dog Daddy here.  Its sort of along the lines of an heir and a spare.  

A Cush Dog provides a cushion, a soft landing, when the loss of another dog makes you feel you've hit rock bottom.

I resolved years ago to never be without a Cush Dog.  When my beloved Benji died, Sherman was my Cush Dog.  I was heartbroken and the very best comfort to be had was from Shermie.  In fact, that's when the Dog Daddy's no-dogs-in-the-bed rule was first broken.  As I cried myself to sleep, I hauled Shermie into bed (on only my side, of course) and we grieved together.

In 2006, it dawned on me that I had a problem.  Tucker and Lucy had become senior dogs and they were only 6 months apart in age.   Okay, I also will confess that I had the puppy fever.  

I almost always have the puppy fever, but in this case, I had another good reason for beginning the process of adding another dog to our family.  I needed a Cush Dog.

My hunt began.  As I surfed Petfinder and read the newspaper ads, I waited for that feeling.  The one that tells you this is the one.  

There came a day when there was a lemon yellow, Lab looking puppy that called to me.  When called, the shelter told us that Joe had 2 siblings with him, his mother was a Golden Retriever, and they'd been picked up as strays.  Joe was the only one listed on Petfinder.

Gary took off work early that day and off we headed to Dogwood Animal Shelter to adopt Joe.

Joe turned out to be a very pushy, dominant personality, pup.  The Dog Daddy was smitten, but I found it hard to imagine Tucker and Lucy being too thrilled.  As we played with all three of these puppies in the shelter's puppy room, it was another of the puppies that began to work his way into my heart.  

"Stevie," as they called him, was much more Golden Retriever in appearance, and much more laid back than Joe.  And, every once in awhile, "Stevie" talked to me with little puppy grunts.

I had a feeling that "Stevie" was the one and thank dog I did!

Dog names are important to us and the name "Stevie" was rejected.  After much discussion, this puppy was named Jefferson.

You can see the resemblance, right?

My very favorite memory of Jeffie's puppy-hood is a sort of mental collage of all the early mornings we spent together. 

I'm an early riser and Jeffie is a spring puppy.  Sunrise would find us together outside.  Sitting on the back porch steps, we enjoyed birdsong and the smell of flora and grass.  Jeffie might be in my lap or he might venture off to playfully explore the world nearby.

 

It was a deliciously sweet time of life.

Very fitting for my sweet boy, Jeffie.

We're celebrating Jeffie's 7th birthday all month long here at Talking Dogs.  Did you get the invitation to his party?   Have you entered to win some Monkey Earrings from For Love of a Dog and a "monkey" (dog toy) for your dog?  

C'mon!  Join the party!

Celebrate Jeffie's Birthday with Monkeys: Enter now!

 

Hey!  So glad you got your invitation!

Thanks for coming to our gala celebration for birthday boy and talking dog, Jeffie.  Jeffie is celebrating his 7th birthday and we're going to party the whole month of April!

You read that right:  the whole month of April!  We have lots of fun planned including Jeffie puppy photos, stories about Jeffie, birthday party photos and giveaways every single week!

So, let's get this party started!

To kick things off, today we have a giveaway!  

One lucky Talking Dogs reader will win something 

for their dog and something for themselves!

At our house all dog toys are called "monkeys." And Jeffie loves monkeys!

One of Jeffie's favorite monkeys is a furry water bottle toy.  So, the first part of today's giveaway is a Skinneeez Big Bite dog toy.  Jeffie loves the crunch and crackle of the water bottle inside, plus the flopping action when he gives it a good death shake!

This Skinneeez Big Bite is a caramel colored bear.  A plastic water bottle is covered by a soft, furry covering that looks like a bear.  A Velcro opening lets you replace the water bottle when needed.  Or you can simply remove it and enjoy this toy as a flat, no-stuffing critter.  It's about 18" long and lots of fun!

Continuing our monkey theme, the second part of today's prize is a pair of hand crafted For Love of a Dog monkey earrings!

Pretty dog-gone cute handmade lampwork monkey heads are three dimensional.  The dangles are fat scarlet red artisan lampwork hearts. Whoa... cute!   They're on french hook earring findings, but that can be changed to clip-ons.

Details:  One lucky person will win both the Skinneez Big Bite dog toy AND the For Love of a Dog monkey earrings.  Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter.  (Sorry, open to US and Canada residents only.)

Disclosure:  The Skinneeez Big Bite dog toy was purchased for this event (retail value: $7) and the For Love of a Dog earrings were created by me especially for this event (retail value: $30.)  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dog Mom Jewelry Bracelet Give Away

We're celebrating a birthday!

No cake;  no candles.  
However, there's a gift for one of you!

As many of you know, my mom passed away earlier this month.  

Today, February 26, is her birthday.

I decided to celebrate with a giveaway and a special sale at For Love of a Dog.

When you visit For Love of a Dog, you'll see that my Dog Mom jewelry is on sale, plus some specific dog breed jewelry, too:  Pit Bull, Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, Beagle, Dachshund, Fox Terrier, Lhasa Apso (Shih Tzu.)    These are the breeds of dog that were my mom's special life companions.  Maybe they're yours, too.

A Dog Mom bracelet seemed appropriate for this giveaway.  This one is in her favorite colors:  purple and red!
  

This is a one of kind piece of dog lover jewelry that I created specially for this celebration.

The focal is a hand crafted purple porcelain dog bone with DOG MOM hand inscribed.  The dog bone is surrounded by a variety of chubby artisan lampwork beads in shades of purple and lavender.  Pale lavender core with purple raised dots, a looping scroll design, and a drum rondelle.

The clasp is a silver heart with paw print lobster claw.  To finish things just right, I added an artisan lampwork heart that is nicely fat and scarlet red.  

A $75 value, this chunky bracelet will be re-sized to the winner's wrist measurement.

This give away is open to residents of the US and Canada (sorry, International friends!.)  There are lots of chances to win:  tweet every day (10 chances per day are possible), follow For Love of a Dog / Talking Dogs on Twitter, and comment on this blog.

One winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter.  That winner will need to respond within 24 hours or an alternate winner will be chosen.  Questions? Contact me:  sue (at) forloveofadog (dot) com 

A note about Raffflecopter:  if you're using the Chrome browser you may get a malware warning which is sometimes triggered by Rafflecopter.  There is no malware here!  AND sometimes you may need to refresh the page and let it load fully before the Rafflecopter will appear correctly.

Enter now!  

And be sure to check out our special sale at For Love of a Dog! Fetch dog jewelry on sale now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Dog Take Outs: Congratulations Dog and Cat Lovers!

Congratulations to these lucky six winners in our Good Dog Take Outs dog and cat treat giveaway!

1. Saki A
2. Heather P
3. Kelly Ann T
4. Lisa B
5. Gizmo
6. Tiffany A

We need to hear from you soon or alternate winners will be chosen!   

Please send your shipping information and let us know which two varieties of Good Dog Take Outs you'd like to receive.

Thanks to everyone who entered!  Follow the For Love of a Dog Talking Dogs blog for more fun giveaways in the future!

*Winners were chosen at random by Rafflecopter.

Good Dog Take Outs Treat Giveaway

We have good news for you!

Remember our product review of Good Dog Take Outs pet treats?  Well, now six lucky pet households can give them a taste test, too!

You read that right.  Six lucky pet people will win their choice of two 4 ounce boxes of healthy, all natural, tasty treats!

Note that I said PET people.  Cat lovers rejoice because you can win Good Dog Take Outs cat treats!  

Good Dog Take Outs offers two selections for cats:

1. 100% Organic Catnip Treats
2. Cheesey Kat Nibbles

Dog Treats can be selected from the following flavors:

1. Mint Flavor
2. Peanut Butter Flavor
3. Grandmas Molasses Cookies
4. Original Flavor
5. Egg and Cheesy Herb

Good Dog Take Outs are handmade with simple, clean, wholesome ingredients.  They use no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.  Made in the USA by pet owners who care about the quality and safety of their treats, Good Dog Take Outs are a favorite of Talking Dogs. 

The Rafflecopter giveaway form below offers you lots of chances to win!  You can even tweet about this giveaway every day for extra chances!

Note:  Are you getting a malware notice?  We've checked and there's no malware here!  Sometimes the Rafflecopter will trigger a false warning, especially in the Chrome browser.  Please consider coming back with a different browser and entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tiny Confessions Pet Art Print Winners!

Drumroll please...  we have our winners!

Christy Oslund and Caren Gittleman have been selected by Rafflecopter as the winners of our Tiny Confessions art print giveaway.  Congratulations!

Christy and Caren will each receive one Tiny Confessions art print of their choice at artist Christopher Rozzi's shop on Etsy.


Tiny Confessions are handcrafted prints of original paintings of dogs, cats, and other creatures.  In addition to charming artwork, Rozzi provides a few secret thoughts and a few guilty admissions. 

Be watching for the artist's new book Tiny Confessions: The Secret Thoughts of Dogs, Cats and Everything.  It will be released May 7, 2013 and is available for pre-sale at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Indiebound now!

Note:  winners have been notified by email and must reply before Monday or alternate winners will be selected.

Tiny Confessions Dog Art | Product Review

Ever wonder what your dog is thinking?  Why is your cat looking at you that way?  Christopher Rozzi is providing some answers with his Tiny Confessions.

Tiny Confessions are handcrafted prints of original paintings of dogs, cats, and other creatures.  In addition to the very charming artwork, Rozzi provides a few secret thoughts and a few guilty admissions!  A wide selection is available at his Tiny Confessions shop on Etsy.

We think the confessions are pretty dog-gone cute!  The artwork is truly lovely.  The expressions on the dogs is what truly captured my attention.  Rozzie is a guy who pays attention to the details.   Some are hilarious, some are sweet, and all are simply "truth."

We were offered our choice of art print in exchange for our honest review and chose the Labrador Retriever at Tiny Confessions.  Available in tan, green, blue or pink, it includes the confession:  I have information pertaining to the whereabouts of your shoe.   Hmmm, Rudy must have been talking to Rozzi!

Our art print arrived very quickly, carefully packaged in a high quality plastic sleeve and non-bendable mailer.  It is an 8x10 inch print of an original painting with a white border.  

The image itself measures 7.75" x 9.75" and is printed on professional quality archival matte paper with archival pigment ink.  Plus, it includes the artist's original signature.  Retail price is $20 plus shipping.

Tiny Confessions also offers these art prints in a smaller size (5" x 7").  Either would make a barking good gift for any pet lover, especially for Valentine's Day!

We love our art print from Tiny Confessions and highly recommend them.

 Perhaps best of all, two lucky Talking Dogs readers will win their choice of Tiny Confessions art prints!  

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling us which print you would choose.  Then be sure to take advantage of the Rafflecopter form for some extra entries!


Christopher Rozzi is an artist, writer, and comedian living in New York City.  Tiny Confessions are his way of combining comedy with art. His new book Tiny Confessions: The Secret Thoughts of Dogs, Cats and Everything,  will be released May 7, 2013.  Published with Perigee/Penguin, it is available for pre-sale at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indiebound.

Talking Dogs was given a Tiny Confessions art print, plus two more for giveaway prizes, in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are those of Talking Dogs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrate Your Heart Dog Bracelet from For Love of a Dog

How would you like to receive this beautiful dog lover bracelet without spending a penny?  

You can!  

You could be the winner of this copper dog bone bracelet (a $60 value.)

For Love of a Dog is a proud sponsor of the Doggies and Stuff Holiday Gift Guide's Giveaway-A-Day.

Celebrate your heart dog in style with this one of a kind handmade dog lover bracelet.  Beautiful flamed, hand crafted copper dog bone focal is accented with gorgeous rose pink crystal rondelles.  Check out that adorable gold dog collar and dog bone toggle clasp!  Of course, there's a sweet gold heart dangle, too.

Fetch Doggies and Stuff to enter now!  You have until December 23, 2012 to enter.  There are lots of chances to win.  Good luck!

For Love of a Dog offers unique handmade dog lover jewelry and gifts.  Perfect gifts for any dog lover await you in many dog breeds, plus mutts, dog bone, dog mom and rescue themes, too.  Shop online now at www.ForLoveofaDog.com

Product Review: Rachael Ray's Nutrish Naturally Delish Wet Dog Food

 We love Nutrish Naturally Delish wet dog food!  And by "we" I mean both the canine and human members of our family.

Rachael Ray's Nutrish Naturally Delish is an all natural wet food for dogs inspired by the recipes from Rachael's kitchen.  You won't find any corn, wheat, soy or any nasty artificial junk in these wholesome doggie stews.  Using only tender chunks of real meat, veggies, essential vitamins and minerals, Nutrish Naturally Delish provides a nutritious and tasty food that we bet your dog will love.

Rachael Ray Nutrish Naturally Delish wet dog food stews.

Jeffie and Rudy were eager to give Naturally Delish a try, but first had to select from the four varieties sent to us for review:

• Chicken Muttballs with Pasta
• Savory Lamb Stew
• Hearty Beef Stew
• Chicken Paw Pie

Choosing took a bit of thought and sniffing.

Given Jeffie's Border Collie heritage, I thought for sure he'd pick the lamb, but he immediately chose the Hearty Beef Stew.  

Nutrish Naturally Delish Hearty Beef Stew - chunks of beef plus garden vegetables like peas, carrots and potatoes, all simmered in a yummy homestyle beef gravy

Jeffie thought it was... delish!

Rudy's a southern boy, so it was no surprise he wanted to begin his taste test with the Chicken Paw Pie.

Nutrish Naturally Delish Chicken Paw Pie - juicy bites of chicken with a medley of green beans and sweet potatoes in a savory chicken gravy.

Taste testing is extremely serious work for Rudy.

The boys loved Nutrish Naturally Delish and even ventured a bit of tandem testing.

There was no doubt that Nutrish Naturally Delish passed Jeffie and Rudy's taste test with all paws up.

We like this wet dog food for many reasons:

• All natural ingredients; no by-products, artificial flavors or artificial preservatives
• Fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for balanced nutrition.
• The packaging is convenient - plastic tubs come with resealable lids. However, it is not a good thing that these plastic containers are not BPA free.
• Made in the USA.  Produced by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition - a US family owned company for over 75 years.
• 100% of the proceeds from sales of all Nutrish go to help animals in need via Rachael's Rescue.  So far, sales of Nutrish have raised over $4 million.

Fetch a coupon and let your own dogs try Rachael Ray's Nutrish Naturally Delish wet food for dogs.  

Better yet, enter below to win a sample of all four varieties of Nutrish Naturally Delish.  One lucky winner will receive a press kit just like we received.  

The winner will be announced here on August 10.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Talking Dogs blog is being compensated for this review and did receive free sample products as a part of the Blog Paws team.  However, our opinion remains our own honest review of Nutrish Naturally Delish wet food for dogs.  And yes, that is one of the For Love of a Dog elevated feeding stations!

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