mygofer.com is an online shopping service designed with the busy pet owner in mind, making it easy to browse and shop a “virtual aisle” for your pet needs. Think: online personal assistant for pet parents. Pet supplies, such as dog food, toys, and treats, are handpicked from local stores and then picked up or delivered to the you within a matter of hours. Pickup is available within hours at Kmart and the pickup service is absolutely free. When you arrive at the store, simply drive to the designated curbside pickup location and mygofer will bring the order out to the your car. Alternatively, mygofer also offers same day home delivery, even as late as 9pm and on the weekends too.
Shopping is perhaps my least favorite chore. I hate parking, standing in line, hauling things out to my car. I love their features such as list center, scheduled orders, and personal shopper along with savings options like Shop Your Way Rewards, refer a friend, savings center, and GoPass. I'm grateful for an easier, more affordable, and more convenient way to stay stocked up.
mygofer.com is offering two nice prizes for our August contest. A runner up gets a $10 gift certificate and the grand prize winner gets $25 to spend at mygofer.com To enter, use our Rafflecopter:
It's a shame that so many pets end up missing during these summer months. Between the fear of fourth of July fireworks, incidents at boarding facilities during family vacations, and accidents during outdoor excursions, the summer months hold a lot of potential risks for pets becoming lost or injured. It can be something innocent--the in-laws come for a visit and forget to close the gate. Next thing you know, you're spending your vacation trying to locate a lost pet.
The Wag'n Rover Respond'n Mobile Emergency kit has thought of just about everything to help in the event of a pet emergency. Whether it's quickly printing missing pet posters or providing caregivers or emergency responders with crucial info, they're prepared. And they're giving you a shot at this preparation too! One family can win a kit including:
vehicle and home alert decals
pet owner information and contact forms
printable lost and stolen pet posters
pet sitter and boarding forms
Use our Rafflecopter to enter by liking us on Facebook, Following us on Twitter or telling us about a time when you could have used a mobile pet emergency kit.
For those of you with cats that like to spend part-time outdoors, it can be tricky letting them in or out as they need to. That's why we're excited to see this new advancement from SureFlap: a cat door that recognizes your cat's existing microchip. Your cats come and go, while the raccoons and mice stay locked outside. From SureFlap:
"What makes SureFlap unique is its ability to read a cat’s existing veterinarian-inserted microchip to allow a cat to enter a home. This is accomplished through SureFlap’s integrated microchip reader, which can recognize the unique identities of up to 32 cats...Simply set the product to the “learn” mode and allow the cat to pass through the door...guaranteeing access only to the cats that go through this process."
As my little neighborhood has about 30 outdoor cats that roam from house to house, this would be ideal for keeping it just your house cats in your house. Kitty can go play with her pals and be home in time for dinner!
SureFlap is currently compatible with FDXA, FDXB and Avid Secure/Encrypted Chip. These chips can be implanted at your vet or local humane society, and serve as an permanent ID in the event that your kitty becomes lost. The door can be installed in doors, windows or walls, and glass mounting. Batteries last an entire year and notify you when they're running low, so your kitty won't be locked out.
Keeping a cat's weight down can be really tricky, especially if your indoor/outdoor cat can't get out as frequently as she might like. We've got a great giveaway for one lucky feline that likes to explore the outdoors as she sees fit.
To enter for a chance to win the SureFlap ($149.99 retail)
Then, go to the Embrace Pet Insurance Facebook and post a photo of your cat enjoying the great outdoors. We'll pick one photo at random to win.
Photos submitted during before 9/5/11 will be considered for entry. Winner will be contacted by Embrace for prize fulfillment. Embrace staff and families not eligible to win. Must not have won within last 90 days.
Finding a quality pet friendly hotel isn't always easy, but we just came across this list of luxury accommodations compiled by Visa Signature. Some of these places include chef prepared meals, dog walking services and grooming. It offers a lot of affordable options, as well as some pretty fancy digs, including the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland (right).
Besides, if your credit card features the "visa signature" across it, you're entitled to the following:
• Guaranteed best available rate • Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available • Complimentary continental breakfast • 3PM check-out, when available • VIP Guest status • $25 food or beverage voucher • Free in-room Internet or Valet parking
Fresh Step®'s version of feline Star Search is coming to a close. You've got just a little more time to enter your kitties video into Fresh Step®'s CatBox Channel on YouTube for a chance to be featured in an upcoming commercial.
Don't have a cute or funny cat video, but need a kitty fix? Check out some of the best videos. We're cracking up watching Pugsley in Action, Coco Puff and his toy, and the sassy Pearl Cat. Which video is your fav?
In full-disclosure, this post is part of a sponsorship campaign with Clorox’s Fresh Step Cat Litter’s YouTube contestin coordination with Lijit Networks, Inc. I received compensation for these posts, but the opinions expressed here are my own. I also run third-party advertisements through Lijit, compensated on a CPM-basis. The Monetary compensation derived from these posts will be donated to a Feline Charity, on behalf of Embrace Pet Insurance. :)
Embrace covers pets travelling throughout North America, soit's not uncommon for us to hear that pets are seeing numerous vets for varying conditions. Whether you take your pet to the local specialist, the state veterinary college, or the emergency vet while on vacation, it's a good idea to have your pet's records handy. Know when those x-rays were taken, what the results of last year's blood-work was, or the name of your pet's medications-just in case!
Travel Stix has a solution for the unexpectedsituations that seem to pop up. The Travel Stix is an ultra-thin wallet USB, the size of a credit card.You can load it with the pre-planned documents about your pet's feeding, daily routine, medical care, and more. Or, upload your vet records, and keep them handy. So the doggie daycare, boarder, groomer, or vet can have instant access to your instructions. The card will fit right in your wallet, but can be read on any USB drive. It could save you from needing to fill out excess forms, or paying for duplicate treatments during emergency visits.
Travel Stix is giving away a free Travel Stix to one lucky pet parent. Just post a comment on this post, and tell us where your pet is going in 2011. You'll be entered into a random drawing.
And, if you're an Embrace policyholder, I'll even pre-load your policy documents onto the Stix for you! Bonus!
Comments submitted on this post during the month of March 2011 will be considered for entry. Winner will be contacted by Embrace for prize fulfillment, so please use your e-mail when leaving the comment. Embrace staff and families not eligible to win. Must not have won within last 90 days. One entry per household.
It's crunch time-here's a few last minute gift ideas:
Send the gift of Nulo, complete with a special note to the recipient. Free shipping and a free pack of treats on any order over $50. (Lyger strongly recommends these treats!)
The gift of security, with Embrace Pet Insurance. Call (800) 511-9172 and our customer care folks will work to make sure the policy is a surprise to the recipient. Rates are low, and flexible. We're here until 9pm ET on Thursday 12/23.
Donate! Donate to your friend or family members favorite pet charity. Pick a breed specific rescue, a local charity, or a major shelter program, like Best Friends.
Personalized coupons: give someone the gift of some free dog walks, or a voucher good for mid-day potty breaks. It's good for the busy pet parent that has everything, but time.
Gift certificates: Pick up gift certificates to the local groomer, pet boutique, or daycare.
Thanks to Ohio Rottweiler Rescue for the photo of Babe and Franky
Our Nulochallenge starts next week, and we've been trying out the web-based tools that will help me track my dogs' progress. I setup profiles for each pet, including starting weight, their ages, and body score. (The tools are free, all you have to do is setup a profile.)
The tools are pretty handy, such as the body score, visual tracking bar. Slide the bar, and the image gets "fatter" until you found where your dog fits in the Body Score range. Here's Tahlula's score, based on what she looks like from the side and above:
Once we start the program, we'll enter activity levels, track weight loss, and our milestones will appear as we gradually approach our weight goal. If you've ever used Weight Watchers online tools, it's surprisingly similar. The only feature I hope to see added is an option to take measurements, instead of weekly weigh ins, simply because it's hard lifting a big fat dog into the car for a weekly vet trip.
We placed our order for the dry foods. We'll be testing out the Lamb & Brown Rice formula (great for sensitive Shepherd tummies) and the Salmon & Brown Rice formula (which includes Tahlula's favorite-Tomatoes!) Because the food ships directly from the warehouse, no sitting on retail store shelves for months at a time. We can even setup an automated shipment, so we'll never run out.
There are wet foods and treats available too, but we're starting off with just one food switch for now. And, don't forget that Nulo offers cat foods too-you can follow the progress of cats like Disco. We'll post the list of all participating pets and their blogs next week.
Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for our participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. We are happy to be a part of this awareness campaign, however, all of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.
I've been in denial about my dog's obesity for a long time now. Despite the fact that people have called Lyger "Twinkie" and someone once asked if he was pregnant, I thought it was just "fluffiness". And poor Tahlula was so emaciated (58 Lbs) when we adopted her, that it felt cruel to withold food from her. But her history (and breed) made her appetite that much more intense-and before long she'd eaten her way to 90 Lbs! People teased me about my fat dogs, yet I think I am still in denial about how bad it was.
Earlier this year, my vet's tech had an intervention. During a checkup, she told me that Lyger looked exceptionally healthy for a 10 year old-except he was overweight. Hearing it from a professional made it seem like a much more real problem. And it suddenly became clear to me: my pet's weight was putting pressure on their old arthritic hips, causing pain and lameness. In hindsight, the obesity was even a major factor in Tahlula's ACL tears a few years back.
So, we started feeding them the weight-loss formula kibble made by Kirtland (Costco). It was affordable, the dogs liked it, and it worked! Both dogs started to lose a little weight, and no one seemed famished.
Then, in the summer, when I dropped the dogs off for a week of boarding, the boarder was surprised by how much I was feeding-nearly 2 cups per meal. So even though they were on weight management food, it wasn't fully effective. So that was intervention #2-and it really worked!! Tahlula has even dropped enough weight that we were able to wean her off of her hip pain medications!!
Now, we're at intervention 3: Nulo. Nulo is partnering up with several bloggers, in an effort to better promote pet obesity awareness. Starting next week, my pups will start the 90-day Nulo trial.
So, as with any good weight management program, we have our before:
Lyger is at 60 Lbs. Tahlula is 80 Lbs.
Tomorrow, I'll explain a bit more about the how the Nulo program works, and the weight loss support features that are available to help pet parents.
“Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for our participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. We are happy to be a part of this awareness campaign, however, all of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.”
