Monday, January 8, 2018

GoDog toys are for tough chewers GIVEAWAY: Countdown to Christmas 2018

Happy New Year!

In December, I hosted a giveaway called Lulu's Countdown to Christmas.

I had promised giveaways from big companies.

I didn't deliver all those giveaways, and for that, I am sorry.

December 2017 ended up being the last month of my cat, Galadriel's life, and I became pre-occupied with her care. I tried to keep up with these posts but did a poor job of it. Serves me right for biting off more than I can chew!

But I owe you (and the companies I worked with) a couple more of these giveaways! So lets just start the countdown to Christmas in 2018, shall we?

Our first giveaway is a great product from one of our longtime supporters. We'll know you'll love it because Lulu and Jasmine do!

DISCLOSURE: All prizes and review samples in Lulu's Countdown to Christmas Giveaway were provided for free, but no other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

The great clothes debate: Does your dog need a coat?

It's the question every pet person has heard -- to clothe, or not to clothe your dog?

I admit, before I owned a dog, I came down firmly on the no clothes side. I even wondered if it was some form of abuse. If you haven't noticed, my opinion has softened somewhat.

But I know the question still remains among pet owners -- is dressing up your dog too much?

Now's as good a time as any to have this discussion -- because baby, it's cold outside!

Yes, even here in Florida.

Lows have been in the 40s and 50s every night. They may even get down to the 30s this week. Yeah, I know boohoo, right?

Well, I'm fine, thanks. It's the dogs you might want to be worried about.

They're willing to snuggle, it's so cold!
You see my dogs are southern dogs, and Lulu is a Florida dog. When Lulu and Jasmine are outside it's clear they are not used to the cold. Poor Jasmine especially shivers and whines outside.




Keeping warm and dry in jackets by Jelly Wellies (Lulu) and Buster (Jasmine).
If you have a dog who has short hair, a lean body type, is small or has a health issue, you should really consider getting a coat or a sweater.

What should you look for:
  • If you live in a snowy area, you may want to consider a water-resistant coat. 
  • You want something that covers the chest. The chest and abdominal area is your dog's core, just like it is on you. If you keep that area warm the heart can better pump blood to other areas of the body and help regulate temperature.  There area also has the least amount of fur.
    (Often in stores you see a coat that covers the back with a piece of fabric that goes across the middle. That's not as helpful when it comes to the cold)
  • Something that fits snug around the chest and waist, but not too tight. It should also give a little cover to the neck and down to the tail.
  •  Be roomy around the arm pits so the dog has plenty of movement.
If you've ever been to Pets Weekly.com, last year Stacy Mantle did a good write-up on coats for winter. It includes some of my favorite companies, like KumfyTailz and Thunderworks

You can find the Jelly Wellies and Kruuse BUSTER raincoats that Lulu and Jasmine are wearing above on Amazon.

So tell us below -- do you think dogs need coats when it gets cold?

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