Watch the AKC National Championship on Animal Planet on New Year's Day

This post is sponsored by Royal Canin. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Royal Canin's sponsorship of the AKC National Championship, but To Dog With Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Royal Canin is not responsible for the content of this article.

Looking for an alternative to Bowl Games this New Year's Day? Then mark your calendar for  Monday, Jan. 1, 2018 at 7 pm ET. That's when the AKC National Championship Dog Show presented by Royal Canin™ will premiere on Animal Planet. An encore of the special will air at 11 p.m. ET.

A few weeks ago we attended the event live in Orlando and we can tell you it's an event you won't want to miss!

This is one of the most prestigious dog shows in North America, and the largest, with more than 8,600 entries so there's no shortage of extraordinary dogs. 

Oy with the Poodles already! Seriously, the Poodles as well as all the dogs were truly magnificent!

AKC National Championship by the numbers

• Dogs from 50 states and 44 countries will vie for Best in Show
• The AKC National Championship celebrates its 17th year
• The show offers the biggest monetary award in the word of dog sports -- more than $150,000
• A record number 8,600 entries represent all 190 AKC breeds

This show pup reminded me of Rocco Havanese, though this beautiful pup is a Lhasa Apso, ready for the ring

Actor and dog lover Jerry O'Connell serves as this year's guest host, joining co-hosts, sportscasters Jason Knapp and Sam Ryan and AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo. As part of the telecast, O'Connell will take the Animal Planet audience on a behind the scenes look at the largest dog show in the country, including highlights from each competition category, including agility, dock diving and Best in Show.

Dock diving pup!

We can't wait to see the show on New Year's Day. In the meantime, check out lots of photos and videos on live.royalcanin.com.

And don't forget to tune in to Animal Planet at 7 p.m. ET on New Year's Day for the airing of the AKC National Championship dog show.

This Corgi's ready to rock 'n roll in the show ring.

8,600 Things to Love About the AKC National Championship Dog Show

Havanese line up at the AKC National Championship

This post is sponsored by Royal Canin. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Royal Canin's sponsorship of the AKC National Championship, but To Dog With Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Royal Canin is not responsible for the content of this article.

Last weekend we traveled to Orlando for the AKC National Championship Dog Show presented by Royal Canin™ and we had a terrific time!

If you've never been, this event is one to put on your not-to-miss list... for about 8,600 reasons. That's because as the largest dog show in North America, the AKC National Championship boasts 8,600 entries from around the world. And that means you'll have no shortage of dogs to drool over and puppies to pet!

Here are our top five reasons to attend!

1. Dogs, dogs, dogs and more dogs!

The Orange County Convention Center venue is HUGE, so picture the biggest space you can imagine  (this one is more than 1 million square feet!) and no matter where you look there are dogs, dogs, dogs!

There are dogs competing in conformation with all 190 AKC recognized breeds entered and this year a new event was created for puppy show dogs. The inaugural National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes is a competition for purebred dogs aged 6-18 months, showcasing the future stars of the show ring!

Additionally, we loved seeing all the performance dogs competing in agility, obedience, rally and dock diving, and all the dogs at Meet the Breeds... more about that below!

It's a paradise for any dog lover!

Looking out over an agility ring at the expansive venue, and this is just one small part of it!

Impressive Toy Group Puppy Stakes lineup

2. Performance Dog Sports

This is one dog show where you get to see nearly every dog event all under one roof. I put in LOTS of miles running from event to event because I didn't want to miss a thing.

In addition to the conformation events, I camped out at the AKC Agility Invitational rings (of course!) and spent some time watching obedience, rally and dock diving dogs. 

So many amazing talented dogs!

Harry the Bichon competes in the AKC Agility Invitational

3. Meet the Breeds

One of our favorites, Meet the Breeds is a terrific way to learn about so many different dog breeds. With more than 160 breeds represented we could have used another week -- at least -- to meet them all!

This is a great way to talk to breed representatives and learn what dog is best suited for your family. And it's your chance to pet all the cute pups!

This is Lucy, an adorable Lagotto Romagnolo puppy. The breed originates from Italy and since the 19th century has been bred to hunt truffles!

4. The Shopping

With over 100 vendors, this is a dog lovers shopping paradise! You'll find everything from jewelry to dog beds to toys and treats, and even a special dog walking jacket.

Check out this jacket from Let's Go Design, complete with poop bag dispenser, treat pocket and reflective piping!

The camera flash makes the reflective areas glow. And the belt even doubles as a leash!

5. Education

Whether you're looking for a new activity to participate in with your dog or want to learn how to keep your pup a healthy weight, you'll find it at the AKC National Championship.

Did you know that more than half the dogs in the U.S are considered either overweight or obese? With the help of smart nutrition and a fun activity, you can help keep both you and your pup happy and healthy! 

In addition to learning more about Royal Canin at the Royal Canin booth, we loved the demo ring, which offered information and demonstrations on scent work, trick dogs, disc freestyle, fly ball and more! So many great activities to try with your pups. We're working on a few of them now with Rocco!

Miss the event this year? Not to worry. You'll find oodles of poodles fun videos and photos at live.royalcanin.com and then mark your calendar for the telecast on Animal Planet on New Year's Day at 7 pm ET with a re-air immediately following.

Jenny and her Bull Mastiff catch a ride after showing. See you next year!

A great dog show and day surrounded by dogs always leaves me smiling. Have you ever attended this show or any dog show? Let us know in the comments below!

Sparkle's Birthday Splash Bash and Fido + Fluffy's #FreebieFriday

Rocco and pals do some log balancing while the other party dogs play in the river

Last weekend we were invited to help our Instagram pal Sparkles the Diva celebrate her 7th birthday at a super fun splash party! We all met at Whitewater Creek on the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, a great place where dogs can run off-leash and splash around in the water that stays shallow for a long way out!

Sparkles outdid herself with the party planning... there was yummy cake for the dogs from Taj Ma-Hound Bakery, fabulous party prizes and hours of fun splashing around in the water with friends!

The doggie cake and cookies. Rocco says they were scrumptious!

Of course there was lots of picture-taking going on and we had so much fun hanging out with our Atlanta Instagram pals in person!

Rocco with Sparkles, the birthday girl!

Rocco with Instagram pal Sheepish_Addie!

Thank you Sparkles for a great party! 

Now it's time again for  Fido + Fluffy's  Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!

Check out the goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below. You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.
If you're a blogger with a pet-related giveaway, be sure to link up! Please link directly to your giveaway, not to your home page. We post a new blog hop every Thursday afternoon at 4 pm ET. 
We hope you enjoy the Fido + Fluffy's Freebie Friday blog hop that we co-host with DogTipper and CatTipper!

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet products to be offered. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Roc on the Rocks

Rocco hikes the Iron Hill Trail at Red Top Mountain State Park in Georgia

We had so much fun hiking last weekend, including this stop at Red Top Mountain State Park.  We hiked the 3.8-mile Iron Hill Trail which follows the shores of Lake Allatoona much of the way.  It was surprisingly peaceful given the holiday weekend and we highly recommend this dog-friendly trail!

Hike On!

Today we're joining the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

#VCAPets get social! #BlogPaws

I am a BlogPaws Conference Sponsored Blogger on behalf of VCA. I am being compensated to help share information about VCA® Animal Hospitals with my readers and fellow Influencers.  Neither VCA or BlogPaws are responsible for the content of this article.

Welcome to the VCA booth! #vcapets #woof #dogsofinstagram #cupcakes #toys #ponytail #welcome #healthypet

A post shared by VCA (@vca) on May 18, 2017 at 12:17pm PDT

Are you a VCA pet? If you are, you probably already know how much the VCA veterinarians at VCA® Animal Hospitals care about your health and well being. 

But what you may not know about is the joy all the folks at VCA feel when they see your furry face. 
That's why they love sharing photos of all of you (with your permission, of course!) on Instagram and Facebook!

How cute are these #VCAPets?!!

@conor_dog prepping his summer base at the beach! #vcapets #woof #healthypet #dogsofinstagram

A post shared by VCA (@vca) on May 25, 2017 at 10:13am PDT

Nothing to see here. Just a kitten BURRITO! #vcapets #kittens #catsofinstagram #meow #purrfect #instalove

A post shared by VCA (@vca) on May 4, 2017 at 11:42am PDT

@mrbobabear was not too pleased with his allergies this weekend. #vcapets #woof #allergy #season #healthypet #frenchbulldog #instalove

A post shared by VCA (@vca) on May 8, 2017 at 9:26am PDT

Follow the #VCAPets hashtag and you'll see even more adorable pets.  As cute as these all are, as you probably know, it's all fun and games until someone winds up with a cone on their head!

So it's also super important to know that VCA is dedicated to advancing the science of veterinary medicine and that means that the health of all pets is a top priority to VCA. You can read more about what we have to say about VCA here.

In the meantime, go get your dose of cute and take a look at all the cute #VCAPets!

Follow VCA on social for pet tips, vet tips and cute photos of #VCAPets!

Follow VCA on:
Facebook -- VCA Animal Hospitals
Twitter -- @VCAPetHealth
Instagram -- @VCA
And learn more at VCAHospitals.com

We had the chance to hang out with the nice folks from VCA at BlogPaws and had a terrific time! Just remember, no matter how cute your furry face is, your best accessory is your great health!

Rocco loves his VCA tote and all the fun swag he bagged at BlogPaws!

And, by the way, those VCA cupcakes were delicious! #PetParentsDeserveTreatsToo!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogPaws 2017 Conference Sponsored Bloggers. The opinions and text are all mine.

Your Pet's Health is No. 1 Priority at VCA #BlogPaws

Rocco and his neighborhood pals get their zoomies on!

I am a BlogPaws Conference Sponsored Blogger on behalf of VCA. I am being compensated to help share information about VCA Animal Hospitals with my readers and fellow Influencers.  Neither VCA or BlogPaws are responsible for the content of this article.

When it comes to Rocco, there's nothing more important to me than making sure he's healthy and happy, so when VCA® Animal Hospitals offered to sponsor us for BlogPaws I got the zoomies was so excited!

That's because at VCA they feel the same way that I do... "where your pet's health is our top priority and excellent service is our goal."

We're lucky to have a VCA Hospital about five minutes from our house in Atlanta and even luckier that this location is open 24 hours. Let's just say that Rocco likes to "get into things" after regular veterinary office hours and having this specialty animal hospital right around the corner gives me lots of peace of mind.

Quality pet care is super important to us and we think it's great that it's important to VCA too, along with ensuring that each VCA hospital maintains its own culture.  So with VCA you get the best of a neighborhood veterinarian with all the resources and advancements in veterinary medicine that these hospitals are able to provide. That's because VCA's National Medical Board and Chief Medical Officer review every innovation in veterinary medicine, and when new procedures and products pass review, they become part of VCA's best practices for its entire family of hospitals.

VCA operates over 750 neighborhood animal hospital in United States and Canada and also has 65 Specialty Hospitals with over 525 Board Certified Specialists who provide services in oncology, dentistry, surgery, orthopedics, diagnostic imaging, stem cell therapy and more. 

Keeping Rocco healthy is our top priority... and VCA's too!

And, to stay on top of the latest advances, every VCA Veterinarian completes 30 hours of continuing education a year -- more than twice the industry standard.

With all these resources, VCA also has a great hub for pet information. VCA's Know Your Pet offers a vast library of helpful articles -- from information on medical conditions to behavioral training and more. Check it out and then find a hospital near you.

VCA for Good

Here's a really cool program that VCA has going on right now! From April 1 to June 30, all VCA hospitals across the U.S. are collecting donations for local companion animal charities through the VCA Charities Pennies for Pets program.

All funds collected during this period will go directly to the organizations chosen by those hospitals And in many cases, multiple hospitals are working together in their community to make an even bigger impact.

In all, VCA hospitals are raising funds for more than 80 animal organizations with a goal of $1,000 raised per hospital. We think it's an awesome way that VCA is using their network to help animal-related non-profits on a local level.

To find out what your local VCA Hospital is doing, check out this list. We were pleased to see so many worthy organizations are benefitting from this program in our Atlanta area!

For more pet tips, vet tips and cute photos of #VCAPets!

Follow VCA on:
Facebook -- VCA Animal Hospitals
Twitter -- @VCAPetHealth
Instagram -- @VCA
And learn more at VCAHospitals.com


This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogPaws 2017 Conference Sponsored Bloggers. The opinions and text are all mine.

Show Us Your #PetPraising Pics and Win With Purina!

This post is sponsored by Purina. As a #PurinaPartner I am being compensated for sharing this information about the #PetPraising sweepstakes.

Is your pet mostly naughty or mostly nice? While pet naughtiness certainly can be funny, hence the popularity of pet shaming posts, we think it's a dandy idea to celebrate pet praising instead! 

And Purina has come up with a way to do just that...  just in time for National Pet Month! So now, think of all the awesome ways your pets enhance your life everyday and snap a pic of your pet with your very own #PetPraising message just like Rocco is doing in the photo above! 

Purina is inviting pet owners across the nation to share their #PetPraising pictures on www.pureloveforpets.com. Every pet praising photo submitted through the website from April 26^th to May 24^th has a chance to win the Pet Praising sweepstakes.   You could win a professional photoshoot for you and your pet that will be featured on RealSimple.com! Very cool!

And don't worry about making a sign. If you'd rather, simply use the sign generator in the entry form on Pure Love for Pets.

The website also is a great resource for celebrating National Pet Month and learning about all the great new items Purina has to offer!

So what are you waiting for? Snap your pic and show us how your pet is #PetPraising worthy. Then don't forget to post it on Pure Love for Pets!

Rocco's a blur, he's so fast!...