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.

4 Simple Ways to Help Shelter Pets #AdoptaShelterPet

This sweet pup Cassie is available for adoption at Havanese Rescue

This post is sponsored by BlogPaws. I am being compensated to support Adopt a Shelter Pet Month with an educational post, but To Dog With Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. BlogPaws is not responsible for the content of this article.


October is Adopt a Shelter Pet Month at BlogPaws, and today we're sharing some simple ways you can help your favorite shelter and shelter pets while they are waiting for their forever homes. Even if you can't adopt a pet, there are plenty of things you can do to help that don't take a lot of time or money.

Organize a neighborhood pet food drive

This was one of the very first initiative organized by the Be The Change for Pets movement developed in the early days of BlogPaws. And, it's something you can replicate in your own community, collecting food for a pet food bank or for a local shelter.

You can get some inspiration from the Be The Change Pet Food Drive we participated in 2010 and read about how we did it here. With the help of our generous neighbors, we collected 230 pounds of food and donated it to our local pet food bank.

Donate items for pet rescue fundraisers

Silent auction for Havanese Rescue

Many pet rescue groups raise money by holding fundraising event with silent auctions. Those funds may be used for reasons like getting rescue pets the medical attention they need to help make them more adoptable.

Think about items you may already have that can be donated for shelter fundraisers. You may also consider donating a service you offer or a product you make.

For example, at some recent shelter fundraisers in my area I donated a K9 Fit Club class for up to four people and their dogs!


Donate your special talents

If you have photography skills, shelters can often use great photos of their pets in order to better promote them for adoption. Happy looking pets stand a much better chance of getting adopted than a sad pet behind bars.

Contact your local shelter to find out if they have any special needs that matchup to your talents.

Adorable, happy dogs at a pet adoption event

Walk for your rescue

Every time you go for a walk you can raise money for your favorite rescue group. Apps like ResQwalk, allow you to track your miles and raise money for the rescue of your choice for every mile you log. And, while you're raising money for your rescue, you're also getting the benefit of some healthy exercise for both you and your dog!

Do you have any other ideas for helping support animal rescue groups?

Fit Dogs at #Blogpaws!

When were at BlogPaws a few weeks ago, we had lots of fun meeting up with some our FitDog pals.

We took a few early morning walks and also had some time to play in the PetSafe dog park! Here are a few of our favorite photos.

The first morning we were there, we woke up super early from the time change and while we were out walking at 6 a.m., we ran into Dolly the Doxie, Sugar the Golden Retriever, and Bailie and Emma from My GBGV Life.

Look how nicely the pups posed for us!  From left to right,  that's Dolly, Rocco, Sugar, Emma and Bailie.

Take a look at this crew!

Wow! We managed to get six dogs and a cockatoo to pose at the same time!

From left to right, that's Gretel and Chester from You Did What With Your Wiener;  Rocco; and Leo the Cockatoo, Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley from Cascadian Nomads. We had so much fun visiting with them all!

Next it was off to the PetSafe dog park area. Rocco loved meeting Cardiff, who's human is the awesome Dr. Patrick Mahaney.

Cardiff and Rocco

 Rocco whooped it up with some toys from PetSafe!

Rocco

Rocco took an immediate liking to Wilhelm. I think he was one of Rocco's favorite new pals at BlogPaws!

Wilhelm from Cascadian Nomads and Rocco

PetSafe also hosted a fun Yappy Hour where we learned about its fourth annual Bark for Your Park nationwide contest. One U.S. city will win $100,000 and four other finalist cities will be awarded $25,000 each to build an off-leash dog park in their community.

Fun times at the PetSafe Yappy Hour at BlogPaws

From May 7 through June 7, anyone within the continental U.S. can vote for his or her city online at www.petsafe.net/barkforyourpark. In order to advance to the finals, each community must complete their application by finding a home for their dog park and encouraging their civic leaders to support the park.

Based on the information provided by each city, PetSafe will confirm the availability of land, civic leader support, population size and total number of votes to select 15 finalist communities, which will be announced June 13.


For more information, visit www.petsafe.net/barkforyourpark or check out the online video to learn what’s new for this year’s contest.

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Zooeyia: The Health Benefits of Pets in the Family #BlogPaws

While we were at BlogPaws last weekend we had the opportunity to learn more about HABRI -- the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative.

One of the cool things that HABRI is doing is awarding research grants to study how the human-animal bond benefits people.  They recently announced their first five grants -- totaling $250,000 --  that include studies about using animals to help autistic children and improving human heart health through dog walking.

HABRI has also launched HabriCentral.org, an online hub and great resource for human-animal bond research. Check it out when you have the chance. There are more than 20,000 entries including journal articles, books, white papers, videos and more about the relationships between humans and animals.

For their keynote session at BlogPaws, the folks at HABRI brought in Dr. Kate Hodgson, DVM, MHsSs, CCMEP, who spoke about the One Health initiative and the impact of pets on human health.

Dr. Hodgson at BlogPaws

We thought Dr. Hodgson's presentation was fascinating and her points about how pets can help us live a healthier life resonated with us. Here's a taste of what she spoke about, and you can watch her full presentation in the video below. We highly recommend it!

The One Health initiative is dedicated to improving the lives of humans and animals through the integration of human and veterinary medicine.

In her presentation, Dr. Hodgson talked about One Health and why she developed the term Zooeyia, which derives from the Greek root words for animal (zoion) and health (Hygeia was the ancient Greek goddess of health).  Dr. Hodgson explained how she needed a new"scientific" sounding term for the idea of the human-animal bond so that physicians  would take her work seriously. Zooeyia is about the positive impact of companion animals on human health.

Some topics Dr. Hodgson covered included:

Pets can be catalysts for harm reduction, like helping people to stop smoking.

• When you tell pet owners about the dangers of second-hand smoke to their pets, it's an incredible catalyst to help them stop smoking

Pets can be motivators for healthy lifestyle choices and behaviors

• Pets can help SUSTAIN physical activity, INITIATE exercise and add enjoyment to exercise. 

Pets can be a therapeutic intervention to help manage stress, anxiety and depression

• Pets provide emotional well-being and decrease feelings of isolation. 

You can watch this entire keynote session here, starting with the introduction by Steven Feldman, Executive Director of the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative, and Dr. Hodgson's complete presentation  about Zooeyia and the health benefits of pets in the family. Dr. Hodgson's presentation begins at the 19:00 mark.

Enjoy! 

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Fido's Freebie Friday Goes to #BlogPaws: How to Help Pets with Bissell!

Welcome to another edition of Fido's Freebie Friday (FFF), the weekly giveaway blog hop for all things pet!

Rocco checks out the goodies in the BlogPaws swag bags.

Read all the way down for lots of great giveaways, but first we want to share what we're up to this week! 

Today kicks off the official start of BlogPaws 2014, the annual pet blogger conference that we've attended every year since the conference began in 2010. 

We're at the beautiful Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa, and last night we attended a special event hosted by Bissell for bloggers who arrived early.

There, we learned more about the Bissell Pet Foundation and enjoyed lots of tasty dessert treats! Did you know that anytime a pet product is purchased from Bissell.com, a donation in the amount of $1, $5 or $10 will be made to the Bissell Pet Foundation?!  That's right! Through purchasing those products you can help the Bissell Pet Foundation in its effort to raise money for the grants and contributions they award to charities dedicated to saving the  lives of homeless pets.

The gorgeous view from the Westin at Lake Las Vegas and the site of the Bissell party

The tasty dessert table at the Bissell party. Pups were welcome, of course!

We'll have lots more to share as BlogPaws officially kicks off today.

In the meantime, check out the great selection of this week's giveaways in the Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop below. You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.

Here's how to participate

The rules for Fido's Freebie Friday are super simple. Here's all you need to know to link up:

• You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an expiration date
• Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts with prizes for pet products or services, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Use your specific post url to link up.
• Or simply enter the giveaways that interest you for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4 p.m. ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing. Link up anytime during the week!

For more information, you can check out the help page. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog, DogTipper and To Dog With Love.

Happy (s)hopping!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog, Doggies and Stuff, DogTipper 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.

Surprise! We're Going to #BlogPaws

Rocco and I are headed to the 2014 BlogPaws Conference on Lake Las Vegas this week, thanks to a BlogPaws sponsorship, and we couldn't be more excited.

I've attended every year since the pet-friendly conference began in 2010, and this will be Rocco's second conference (he's 19 months old now!). We hope to see plenty of old friends and make new ones too. If you see us, please come up and say hi! 

We'll be checking out the conference events, exhibit area and sessions and we'll have plenty of photos and info to share for pet owners.

We'll let you know all about our trip when we get back, but in the meantime, your can see what we're up to at BlogPaws on our social media sites:

• Facebook
• Vine
• Instagram
• @ToDogWithLove on Twitter
• @RoccoHavanese on Twitter

If you're traveling to BlogPaws for the first time, here are a few helpful ideas of what to bring and how to prepare if you're bringing a pet!
7 Things You Should Bring to BlogPaws
Travel Bag Comfort for You and Your Pet
A Dog's Guide to BlogPaws
How to Prepare Your Dog for a Long Plane Flight

See you all in Las Vegas!

My trip to BlogPaws is sponsored by BlogPaws. To Dog With Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers and all opinions expressed herein are our own.

Wordless Wednesday: Photo shoot!

Rocco, left, learns to pose with his trick dog pals Preston Casanova, Norman Scooter Dog and Jasmine at BlogPaws.

Some folks thought Rocco and Norman were they same type of dog. Silly! The only thing they share is smarts... and cutes! Norman is a Briard, a French herding dog. Rocco, like Jasmine, is a Havanese, a descendent of breeds brought from Spain to Cuba where they evolved from pampered lap dogs of the aristocracy to companion dogs and herders of the family's poultry flock!

... the evolution continues as Rocco learns to be the next skateboarding dog!

BlogPaws: The Monday After

Rocco Havanese passes out after BlogPaws!

We're recovering from a whirlwind weekend at BlogPaws with so much information to digest and photos to download and sort through!

From the sponsors and exhibitors to the educational sessions there was so much to see and learn. And of course, one of the best parts of the conference was seeing old friends and meeting new ones! 

We heard there were about 500 attendees and more than 80 dogs! Wow! I remember the very first BlogPaws where Cosmo was one of very few dogs in attendance. This year, Rocco made his BlogPaws debut and I think he handled all the activity perfectly, especially since he's only eight months old!

We'll download all our photos to our Facebook page in the next few days, but in the meantime, here's something fun to watch! 

Almost every Monday night for that last four years or so, we've participated in the Twitter discussion/party called #Petchat, hosted by Elly @Petchat and Ron @PianoWeatherman. After all this time, we finally met Ron, Elly and pup Schmitty in person this past weekend at BlogPaws, and we had such a great time! Assisting Ron and Schmitty in the weather forecast, above, are some of the rest of the regular #Petchat crew!

Follow #Petchat on Twitter every Monday night starting at 8 p.m. ET. 

Another great thing about pet-related social media conferences, is that you don't have to wait a whole year to do it again. BarkWorld Expo is August 22-24 in Atlanta, and if you haven't already registered, you can register now for BarkWorld! You'll learn plenty from both conferences to make it worth your while to attend both of them. 

See you at BarkWorld and then next year in Las Vegas at BlogPaws! 

Wordless Wednesday: BlogPaws or Bust!

@RoccoHavanese and I are on our way!

Can't wait to see our old pals and meet new ones. Rocco will be eight months old tomorrow and he's ready to rock! 

We're fortunate this year to be sponsored by Purina, and they will be hosting two presentations on Friday we think will be worth attending! At 11 a.m. Arleigh Reynolds will host "The Link Between Diet and Domestication:  10,000 Years of Dietary Influences on the Canine Genome" and at 2 p.m., Brenda Bax and David Meyer  (of Adopt A Pet) will present "Pet Welfare in America." 

I had the pleasure of meeting both Brenda and Arleigh during a visit to Purina last October. 

See you at BlogPaws! Come by and give Rocco a pat (and a treat!) if you see us!

Wordless Wednesday: Packed for BlogPaws

We're heading to BlogPaws just one week from today and ONE of us is already packed! Whether you're a first-timer or an old-timer, here are a few posts to give you an idea of what to expect and relive some great memories!

7 Things You Should Bring to BlogPaws
Best of BlogPaws West
The Best of BlogPaws 2012
A Dog's Guide to BlogPaws

... And some traveling tips if you are traveling with your pet!
Travel Bag Comfort for You and Your Pet
How to Prepare Your Dog for a Long Plane Flight

Rocco and I will see you at BlogPaws!

Wordless Wednesday: Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

Whatcha think? Does Rocco have an uncanny resemblance to Rod Stewart?

Backyard Behavior: Dogs vs. Cats!

You never know who will show up in our backyard. Yesterday, neighbor kitty Patches perched herself overhead while Rocco was oblivious to her whereabouts.

Rocco did a little crouching and hiding of his own...

... and then burst into motion!

Zooooom!

Kitty Patches maintains her composure, peering out at the zooming Rocco.

Rocco strikes a pose (for a millisecond)...

And then he's off!

Zooooom!

Wheeeeee!

Meantime, Patches is nonplussed. Why, she wonders, am I still pointing a camera at her when I could be feeding her instead?

We're participating in the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. And if you're already planning  for your trip to BlogPaws next month, like we are, we dug up a few tips from last year that we hope you'll find helpful. 

Now let's see what everyone else is up to on mostly Wordless Wednesday.

Holiday Gift Guide for Pets #PawsGiftGuide

Happy Holidays! If you're looking for something unique and special for your favorite pet, here are some suggestions, brought to you by the BlogPaws Great Gifts for Pets Holiday Gift Guide. For even more suggestions, click on the badge on our side bar or click here for the full PDF guide. 

We think you'll find some great gift ideas for the pet or pet lover in your life!

Thundershirt for Dog or Cats

As festive and fun as the holiday season can be, it can cause many pets to suffer from severe anxiety and stress. Thundershirt can help.

With its patent-protected design, the Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect. Anxiety experts believe that pressure has a calming effect on the nervous system and may release calming hormones like endorphins or oxytocins.

The Thundershirt for Dogs is available in sizes XXS to XXL, and is sold in Heather Grey, Blue Polo and Pink Polo. The Thundershirt for Cats is available in sizes S, M and L, and comes in Heather Grey. 

Price: Suggested retail price is $39.95. Both products can be personalized with custom embroidery for an additional charge.

Holiday Offer:

For a limited time, the company is offering a FREE personalized stocking and a squeaky toy for holiday purchases! Simply use code GIFT12 at checkout and be sure to type the name you want embroidered in the “Gift Notes” box.  Shop at http://www.thundershirt.com.

For more information:

Visit http://www.thundershirt.com

Follow on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @Thundershirt

Follow on Pinterest

FURminator deShedding Tools for Cats, Dogs and Small Animals

FURminator knows that the number one complaint of pet owners is shedding.  A FURminator deShedding tool for your dog, cat or small animal, can reduce shedding, improve your pet’s skin and coat health, and help hairballs disappear. 

Used and recommended by professional groomers and veterinarians, FURminator deShedding tools are guaranteed to reduce shedding better than any brush, rake or comb.  By reaching deep beneath the long topcoat to gently remove undercoat and loose hair they reduce shedding up to 90 percent. Tufts of hair that previously were on couches and scattered over the floor will be gone.

And you’ll be able to give a customized present with no guessing involved.  FURminator has products for a pet’s specific hair length, and body size. 

FURminator products are sold at pet specialty stores, professional pet groomers, veterinary practices and rescue organizations, and are also available online at www.FURminator.com.

Price: Suggested retail price is $34.99 to $72.99.

For more information:

About shedding solutions

About reduced allergens

Visit www.furminator.com

Call 1-888-283-1620

Jones Chews Rabbit Entrée

Jones Rabbit Entrée Jerky is a great treat for dogs with or without allergies.  It offers a different protein source made of USA all-natural rabbit and is naturally baked. This unique treat does not have artificial ingredients added.  It breaks up easily for training and is great for all size dogs. All Jones products are 100% grown and made in the USA.

For more information:
Find a retailer near you
Visit www.jonesnaturalchews.com

Follow on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @joneschews

Follow on Pinterest

DogPACER Treadmills

Offered in two sizes, dogPACER treadmills provide an exercise alternative for most any sized dog. The original  dogPACER, for dogs up to 179 pounds,  and the Minipacer, for small dogs up to 55 pounds, are made of strong but lightweight carbon steel, to withstand even the toughest workouts. The Minipacer was just named one of the year's top new dog products but the World Pet Association at Superzoo 2012.

Designed as a supplement to quality outdoor exercise, the dogPACER is a great way to keep your pup fit when the weather doesn't cooperate.    

The DogPACER folds up for easy storage. Open, it is 76.77 inches long by 27.16 inches wide and weighs 85 pounds. The Minipacer is 42 inches long by 21.5 inches wide and weighs 48.4 pounds.

Price: DogPACER retails for $499 and MiniPacer retails for $479. Both are available at www.dogpacer.com, online at various sites and in boutiques across the U.S. 

For more information:

Visit www.dogpacer.com

Follow on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

Follow on Pinterest

Cool Blue Dog Apparel's “Hip” New Hoodie Line

Just in time for the cooler temperatures, dog owners of shorthaired, smushed-faced breeds can take comfort that Cool Blue Dog Apparel has got them covered. Cool Blue Dog Apparel just launched a new hip hoodie line, perfect for keeping Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs and other hard to fit breeds warm, comfortable and in style!

To check out the Cool Blue Dog Apparel site and shop the online store visit: www.coolbluedog.com.

Price: $56-$58

For more information: 

Visit www.coolbluedog.com

Follow on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

ModaPet Food and Water Bowls

ModaPet is introducing the Cinnamutt and Green with Envy food and water bowls just in time for the holiday season. Its product line offers pet owners ergonomically correct, stylish and functional pet food bowls. Designed by Studio Girino, the word "moda" is Italian for fashion, the influence that drives the design of all the company's products.

Each bowl features BPA-free composites, is made of food grade polymer, is microwavable, dishwasher safe and extremely durable. The ModaPet bowls are also constructed with non-slip bases to help keep bowls in place while pets eat.

Price: ModaPet offers 11 unique bowl designs in suggested retail prices ranging from $14.95-$24.95.

For more information:

Visit  www.modapet.com

Happy shopping!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. BlogPaws compensated us for sharing these gifts with you, but you know that we only post items that we believe will be of interest to our readers!