Golden Retriever and Poodle Dog Jewelry Gifts at ForLoveofaDog

If you have an Golden Retriever or Poodle dog lovers on your holiday shopping list, you need to see my dog breed jewelry at For Love of a Dog.

Each piece is unique, handmade and like no other.  Perfect one of a kind Christmas gifts sure to please your favorite dog lover.  

Snag some bargains in my huge sale and you'll even get free standard shipping to US addresses.  But, you'd better hurry.  Some dog breeds are already sold out and there will not be more available in the future.

Shown at top is my Golden Retriever dog jewelry collection.  This happens to be one of my favorite dog breeds, so I've always had more selection in this one.  Right now you'll find: 8 bracelets, 2 pins, and 6 necklaces.  The Golden Retriever pendants and Christmas ornaments are sold out.

Shown above is my Poodle dog jewelry collection.  Currently available: 10 necklaces, 1 pin and 1 Poodle puppy bracelet.  Right now there's still some variety in colors of dogs, including white, buff, blonde, chocolate, grey, and black.

Remember, each piece is one of a kind and will not be made again.  In fact, For Love of a Dog is closing, so there will not be more made at all.

Shop For Love of a Dog Jewelry now!

Golden Retriever Dog Jewelry | Dog Lovers Holiday Gifts

It probably will come as no surprise that at For Love of a Dog we love Golden Retrievers.  If you love this wonderful dog breed or are Christmas gift shopping for a Golden lover, be sure to fetch our Golden Retriever dog jewelry.

At For Love of a Dog you'll find handmade necklaces, bracelets, pins, pendants and more in the Golden Retriever dog theme. Yes, even black Golden Retrievers.  Like this black Golden Retriever paw print bracelet.

Almost every piece is unique and one of a kind, so shop now for best selection.  Shown here are just some of our personal favorites.

The Golden Retriever dog bracelet shown at top includes fat tigerseye gemstone beads and faceted crystal rondelles.  They look fantastic with the amazing handmade two dimensional (flat on back) Golden Retriever dog charm.

Shown below is a one of a kind Golden Retriever Woof dog bone necklace. The Golden Retriever puppy dog pendant and the WOOF dog bone are hand sculpted porcelain.  The pendant can easily be removed to wear solo as a pin.  So versatile!

Another brooch option is this Golden Retriever dog pin.  Lovely sculpture details in this two dimensional head study.

Shop For Love of a Dog Jewelry now for best selection.  Be sure to check out the other dog breed jewelry and mutts dog jewelry for unique gift items for the dog lovers on your holiday shopping list.  You can snag some great bargains in our items on sale including a Golden Retriever dog leash holder.  Remember, free standard shipping to US addresses and cute gift box packaging at For Love of a Dog Jewelry!

My Beautiful Boy | Wordless Wednesday

The Daddy recently informed me that I'd been favoring Rudy and Rosie with photos lately.  

OMD, can't have that!  So....

My beautiful boy, Jeffie.

My Shelter Dogs | Wordless Wednesday

Jeffie - Golden Retriever / Border Collie

Rosie - Golden Retriever and ?

We celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month every day here at Talking Dogs!

Rosie and Jeffie are my two shelter dogs these days.  I found both of them on Petfinder, yet neither had photos posted there.   

In Jeffie's case, his brother's photo was on Petfinder to represent all three puppies.  When we arrived at the animal shelter, it was Jeffie who captured my heart.

In Rosie's case, she was a solo puppy and there never was a photo posted.  We adopted her within 36 hours of her being listed there.   They say timing is everything!

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!

No Electricity? Nap!

The rain began Saturday about noon.  It soon changed to sleet.  We woke in the middle of the night to no electricity.  It made Sunday an...interesting...day.

Rosie had the right idea... Nap!

Body heat.  Its a good thing!

This is not the blog post I intended to write today, but Mother Nature had her own ideas!

There's a New Dog Girl at Talking Dogs!

 Meet Rosie.

I've been trolling Petfinder and Petango lately, tempting myself.  Actually, a few weeks ago, the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri posted an older dog that I absolutely fell in love with, but she was already adopted when I called.

The Dog Daddy prefers adopting puppies and I really couldn't argue with that.  After all, I'm a woman with perpetual puppy fever.

When I saw the Petfinder listing for this puppy, something in my heart told me:  this is the one.

No photograph, but they said she was black, which was pretty much a requirement for me.  And they said she was a Golden Retriever / Labrador Retriever mix.   My heart dog, Lucy, was the same mix and, at least in my opinion, the closest thing to perfection.

So, on Friday off we went to Dogwood Animal Shelter to adopt this precious girl.  One look and it was love at first sight.

Warning:  You are going to get very tired of hearing about this pup.

Jeffie hasn't been quite sure of the new addition, but just Sunday morning Rudy discovered that she's FUN!  Of course, my video camera would not turn on so I could capture Rudy and Rosie doing their play bows and their game of tag.

More photos soon.  The really good news is that Rosie, at least so far, shows no indication of being Amish or in any Witness Protection Program! 

Right now I have to work on my New Year's resolution:  work less; play with pups more.

Book Review: The Love Dog by Elsa Watson

This book should come with a warning.  

My review copy of The Love Dog by Elsa Watson arrived just a few days ago when I was multi-tasking:  shipping For Love of a Dog orders, baking a few holiday goodies, wrapping Christmas gifts, and so much more.

I made the mistake of opening the book and reading the first paragraph.  

From that point on my day consisted of juggling my to-do list with reading another chapter or two (or more) until I reached the end and sighed with satisfaction.

It is a dog-gone good read.

Here's the plot synopsis of The Love Dog from the publisher:

Fired from her job as a paralegal, Samantha Novak is in trouble. When Telltale, a Hollywood tabloid, asks her to write an expose on the reality television dating show, The Love Dog, Samantha is thrilled. She’s always dreamed of being a writer, and the fat paycheck won’t hurt. After being recently left at the altar, she’s not too keen on love either.   

Hired as the canine star’s handler, Samantha finds that digging up dirt on set is harder then she thought. 

Apollo, the show’s star, is a sweet golden retriever who takes his job as the “love dog” very seriously. He only wants to help couples fall in love and make everyone on set happy. Mason Hall, the show’s producer and leading man, is down to earth, charming, and... very attractive.

If Samantha doesn’t reveal to the world that the reality show isn’t exactly “real,” her new career will be over before it starts. But when she falls in love with Apollo and Mason, will she still have the heart to expose The Love Dog’s dirty secrets? 

This charming story is told from the point of view of Samantha Novak AND from Apollo, the "love dog."   I wasn't sure I would enjoy the first person narrative told from the dog's point of view, but I fell in love with Apollo immediately.  Truthfully, he reminded me a great deal of my own sweet dog boy, Jeffie, and I found his portion of the story delightful.

From Chapter One:

Popcorn?
Check.
Fuzzy slippers?
Check.
Skeptical attitude?
Double check.
I plopped down next to my sister, Cassie, and clicked on the TV just in time to see a graphic of a giant pink heart—made out of tiny paw prints—materialize on the screen. Schmaltzy music poured out of the speakers. The screen flashed with a close-up of a beautiful golden dog, while over its head formed the words we’d been expecting: The Love Dog.

This light hearted, humorous, romantic romp of a book made me laugh and smile, plus shake my head at some of the human beings!  A perfect read this winter while you're snuggled up with your own furry best friend, The Love Dog would also be a wonderful dog lover gift.

For those of you who are like me and worry about the animal characters - absolutely no harm comes to Apollo.

About the author, Elsa Watson:

From 1996 to 1998, Elsa Watson served as Peace Corp Volunteer in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, where she began writing novels, all in longhand.  She now lives on an island in Washington State with her husband, cat, and two dogs.  Her short work has appeared in the Writers Journal, Snowy Egret, and Renaissance Magazine.  Elsa is proud to live by the motto:  any day on which you pet a dog is a good day.

Elsa has always enjoyed speculating about what the dogs might be thinking, which led to her novel, Dog Days, and e-novella, A Christmas Tail.

The Love Dog (A Tor MM Original; $7.99) will be on sale to the public January 29, 2013.   ISBN 978-0-7653-6809-6  336 pages.  Available from all major book sellers.  I received my copy as an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.  You can pre-order The Love Dog at Barnes and Noble and Amazon now.

I'm pleased to give a very enthusiastic recommendation for The Love Dog by Elsa Watson.  Be sure to come back to Talking Dogs tomorrow for a chance to win a copy of Dog Days  (Elsa Watson's previous novel)!

Talking Dogs Christmas Photos: Wordless Wednesday

 

Rudy is at the back door because he heard the camera turn on.  Believe it or not just a moment before he was nicely sitting in front of the Christmas tree.  

Neither of my boys ever like to have their picture taken.  I used to think they were Amish, until my friend, Kristi, informed me she was sure they're in the Witness Protection Program.

 

The camera dings; the dogs race to the back door.  In this photo Jeffie has already removed Rudy's reindeer headgear.

 

Honest.  These are the very best photos of Jeffie in his reindeer headgear.  He HAS to be in the witness protection program. 

 

Don't let Jeffie fool you.  There is nothing of interest out in the back yard!

 

I managed to catch a face shot!  

Rudy is not amused.  

The jig is up! He can now be recognized!

Mutts Rule | Guest Post by the Dog Daddy

Jeffie and the Dog Daddy

 Today we have another guest post by the Dog Daddy at our house.  He was inspired by National Mutt Day.

MUTTS RULE!

December 2nd is National Mutt Day, which has led me to think about the dogs I have loved. Almost all of them have been mutts. 

My definition of a mutt is a dog that is of mixed breeds.  Sometime you don’t know what breeds are involved.  Sometimes you can figure it out as the dog matures.

Whether it is true or not I have always felt that mixed breed dogs are better because they blend the attributes of two or more breeds and are generally more  interesting.  

When I was a child our family had a farm dog named Prince. I would guess he was part hound and part German Shepard and who knows what else. As an adult my first dog was a Cockapoo, part Cocker and part Poodle. Max was a great dog but I lost him when my first wife and I divorced. 

Since I met Sue we have had many dogs and they have become more and more an important part of my life. When we met, she had Benji.  He was part Doberman and part German Shepherd. 

Benji - Doberman Pinscher and German Shepherd

 Together we adopted Sherman, part Lab and part something else.  

Sherman - Labrador Retriever and who knows!

 After Benji's death, we adopted Spanky, part Lab and part something else with a curly tail!

Spanky - Labrador Retriever and ?

Then Lizzy, a pure breed Border Collie joined our family.  

Sherman, the Dog Daddy, and Lizzy - Border Collie

Tucker showed up at our farm and stayed. He was the biggest mystery. We think he was part Lab and part Chow and who knows what else.

Tucker - Labrador Retriever, Chow and ??

Lucy was a product of an "opps" litter.  Her daddy was a black Lab and mama was a Golden Retriever.  

Lucy - Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever

When we adopted Jeffie all we knew was that his mother was a Golden Retriever. As he matured, we decided that his father had to have been a Border Collie.  He has some classic Border Collie markings and behavior, but he is golden and white.  If you look closely you will see that he has one ear that resembles a Golden Retriever and one ear looks more like a Border Collie.

Jeffie - Golden Retriever and Border Collie

Our most recent family member is Rudy, the product of another "oop" litter.  His mother was a Yellow Lab and his father was believed to be a neighboring chocolate Lab.

Rudy - Labrador Retriever

I love mutts. 

I also love dogs.  All dogs. 

Some of my favorite things are watching are dog shows and agility trials. Most of those dogs are pure breed and I love to see them.

But, when I come home ...

I want to see my mutts.

I celebrate DOG DAY every day!

National Mutt Day is December 2

Now here's a holiday I can really appreciate!  

Today is National Mutt Day!

National Mutt Day is a day to celebrate the many wonderful attributes of mixed breed dogs and facilitate their adoption from shelters.  It was created by pet lifestyle expert and animal welfare advocate, Colleen Paige and sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation. 

At Talking Dogs, we'll be celebrating with our mutt, Jeffie.  He's a Golden Retriever and Border Collie mixed breed dog we adopted from Dogwood Animal Shelter.

Here are just a few suggestions for your celebration of National Mutt Day:

• Adopt a Mutt from your local shelter or rescue organization.  
• Volunteer at your local shelter - walk or play with some mutts.
• Have a National Mutt Day party and invite all your friends and their dogs.
• Join the National Mutt Day Facebook page and post photos of your Mutt.
• Spend some quality time with your mutt - take a walk, play with a new toy, try some new dog treats.
• Fetch www.NationalMuttDay.com for more ideas

The best way to celebrate National Mutt Day?  

 

Love your Mutt!

Golden Retriever Dog Jewelry Gifts

Our Jeffie can tell you: at For Love of a Dog, we're partial to Golden Retrievers.  That's why you'll find such a big selection in our one of a kind Golden Retriever dog jewelry and gifts.   

Shown at top is a Golden Retriever dog lover bracelet with turquoise, amethyst, and purple magnesite gtemstone beads, combined with turquoise crystal rondelle beads.  Charms include a sleek silver heart, a silver three dimensional dog bone, and an artisan Golden Retriever dog charm.  This charm is two dimensional (flat on back) and created by hand casting resin in a mold made from a hand carved sculpture, then hand painted.  Lovely details and true to AKC dog breed standards.

Shown above is a one of a kind Golden Retriever dog necklace.  The pendant is a hand sculpted porcelain Golden Retriever that can easily be removed to wear solo as a pin.  In addition to the picture jasper gemstone beads, I included a cute hand sculpted porcelain WOOF dog bone.

My Golden Retriever dog Christmas ornaments make barking good gifts!  Perfect for a Christmas tree or to display all year round. 

I haven't forgotten that all Golden Retrievers are not golden!  Shown above is a black Golden Retriever dog pin.  Lovely sculptural details in this great way to wear your special dog close to your heart.

This is just a very small sample of my Golden Retriever artisan jewelry.  Fetch For Love of a Dog for unique, one of a kind Golden Retriever dog lover jewelry.  You'll find Golden Retriever dog necklaces, bracelets, pendants, pins, earrings, and much more.  Because my handmade items are one of kind, shop early for best selection.

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