Embrace Pet Community blog

Dogs Incorporated Personalized Pet Art Giveaway

***UPDATE - CONTEST CLOSED.  Winner: Doreen***

Dog lovers seem to have an affinity for all things dog. They don't just adopt a pup, they embrace a lifestyle. I discovered this soon after I adopted my first dog, Henry, almost 4 years ago. My first purchase? A dog bone frame to hold my handsome guy's photograph. My house is now littered with items that label me a dog lover. I wouldn't have it any other way!

One area that hits especially close to home is breed specific memorabilia. You can't drive down the highway without seeing an "I love my Great Dane" or "Chihuahua on Board!" bumper sticker. While at a friend's house this weekend, I noticed a "Protected by Pug" decal on her back door (I'm sure that's scaring away a lot of potential intruders!). And while I don't have purebred dogs myself, I can't help but find myself attracted to Rottweiler and Beagle merchandise! It's just another way of showing off that we love our pups.

Dogs Incorporated has capitalized on the breed craze with their personalized dog art. Their adorable pet prints come in over 60 breeds and feature saying like "A Dalmation rescued this family" and "Life is better with a Beagle."  When you order most available prints, your choice is personalized with your pet's name.

As I mentioned in last month's giveaway, our Rottweiler mix, Kramer, has often experienced second child syndrome. This is also true when it comes to photos and Rottie themed items around the house. With that in mind, I asked for the "All you need is Rottweiler love" print. Check out the photo to see just how cute it looks on our office wall! I picked the background color to compliment my bright orange walls, and while this print doesn't offer the option of personalizing with your pet's name, it fit the space perfectly.  The only thing you might want to notice is that the 8x10 print does come with a white border so expect to see that if you put the photo in an 8x10 frame like I did.

Would you like to win a print for yourself? Dogs Incorporated is a giving one lucky winner a dog print from their "shop by breed" or "shop by collection" categories. Entering is simple, check out our Rafflecopter widget below for all the details!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Choose Your Purrfect Howloween Adventure

Halloween is probably the very best holiday at the Embrace Pet Insurance offices.  Both staff and our furry friends dress up and celebrate. Below check out photos from Halloween 2011 at the Embrace office while you read up on creating the best Halloween experience for your favorite furry little monsters. 

Our friend, Sarah Sypniewski, is one half of the fabulous team at Bark Pet Photography and Ninja Dog Concepts.  She has some great suggestions for a spook-tacular Halloween:

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The holidays are bearing down, with Halloween leading the way.  Before the months of festivities begin, it’s a good idea to think about how your pet would best enjoy them.  Not sure if (and how) Fluffy wants to be included in your parties and events?  This handy guide will help you figure out just what to do with your pet so you all can have a “purrfect Howloween.”

DRESSING FOR THE OCCASION

Does your pet like dressing up?  Start thinking about a fun “couples” costume now!  Just remember to keep it safe--make sure the fit isn’t too tight that it cuts off circulation or too  loose that it trips your pet up.  How about Dorothy and Toto, Santa and a reindeer, hotdog and ketchup, or Little Bo Peep and her sheep?  Call some friends over for a small gathering and see which pet-human pair takes the top prize! 

If your pet’s into costumes and likes going out on the town, check out your local rescue groups or pet businesses to see if they have any pet-friendly events going on and go strut  your stuff!  If he’d rather just hang at home, you can still dress up and hand out candy to Trick-or-Treaters together!  One word of caution--be careful with that door.  Maybe keep a leash on, just for extra safety.  If your pet is super anxious about the doorbell or is a big flight risk, it might be best to keep him in a secure room until you’re done passing out candy (although, you better make it up to him later with a special treat!). 

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL

What if neither of you want to bother with outfits or Trick-or-Treating?  Well, you can “hide” by keeping your porch light off, cranking up the volume on a scary movie, and snuggling up together on the couch.  Perhaps you could even pull a recipe for a Halloween pet treat off the Internet to make for your furry friend!  And if you really want to become invisible, pack up your fluff ball and hit the road - set out on a daytrip to the local arboretum or apple orchard for some pet-friendly leaf-peeping and fruit-gathering, try a moonlit hike in the evening, or make a true getaway for a few days and explore a resort that welcomes pets and invites you to unplug.  A great site I found for this is here.

SPECIAL CONCERNS FOR BLACK CATS

And one more thing--if you’re the parent of a black cat, you’re on double-duty over Halloween.  It’s terrible, but true: people are cruel, and black cats often fall victim to pranks and abuse during this time.  Don’t leave your black kitty outside alone in the days--even weeks--on either side of Halloween.  And maybe you can love on him a little extra, just because you’re extra thankful for such a handsome, black kitty in your life.

So what are you going to do to make your Halloween spooktacular this year?  Post your plans (or pawsome things you’ve done on Halloweens past) in the comment box below--we’d love to hear them!  Also, be sure to share this article with other pet-loving friends!  Have a safe and happy “howl-o-day”, everyone!

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Sarah Sypniewski (www.sarahsypniewski.com) is a writer and entrepreneur living in Santa Monica, CA with her partner Kim and a pack of rescue pooches who like to hog the furniture.  When she’s not hustlin’ like the rent’s due tomorrow (aka running the businesses she owns with Kim - Bark Pet Photography and NinjaDog Concepts, a lost pet logistics service), she’s writing all about it.  Her blog, Sarah Leaps, was recognized as Freshly Pressed by WordPress in August 2011.  Her first book, Dog Photography For Dummies (Wiley), was released in November 2011 and her articles can be seen in places like CityDog Magazine, The Bark, and Pawsh.  She’s currently editing a non animal-related title for Wiley, due out in December 2012.  Despite these credentials, she still can’t seem to get a place on the couch - and she’d have it no other way.

Woof Friendly Wineries

The Embrace team is already talking about where we'll do our next happy hour and I think that dilemma just got solved. VetStreet.com just posted a list of 8 Wineries That Have Gone to the Dogs and one of them, The Winery at Wolf Creek, just happens to be in the vicinity of the Embrace HQ.  

Have you ever hit up a pet friendly bar or winery?  How did your pet enjoy the outing?  

 

Decorating with Dog Kennels and Beds

This discussion over at Offbeat Home sounded a little familiar:

My husband and I have two rather large (a pit bull and a bull terrier) and rather old dogs. They have a huge disgusting futon pad on the living room floor they lie on, and drool on, and shed on, and eat dog treats on. And two large kennels against the wall that they lay in. I would like to get rid of both things, but since the dogs are old, they have things like arthritic hips, and one dog really DOES need the kennel because he can't be trusted to not eat things in the house he shouldn't. My husband says the dogs need comfy things to lie on, and as we have laminate floor in the living room, I'll grant him that point.

How on earth do I give the dogs their "comfy spots" without making it look like the living room revolves around pets, not people? -Laurel

This is an issue in our house too.  Kayden adores his crate, but we've stashed it next to a stand up piano to try and hide it.  Still, it's pretty uggo.  We don't lock him in, so really all he needs is a cave.  Perhaps I need to try something like this:

The disgusting futon was a little familiar too.  Tahlula had her own futon and yes, it was foul, but it's hard to kick an old dog off her beloved bed, unless you can offer them an upgrade.  Personally, I love our cheap cedar stuffed bed from Costco--it's one of the few beds that hasn't started to stink after a few months of use.  But, if you can get creative and find cedar stuffing and sew or stuff a decorative pillow, you'd have style and function, which is what most of us are lacking.

What creative solutions do you have for keeping dog crates and beds from yukking up your home?

related posts:

Pet Dreams
Replacement bed filling
Unbox the Bed

More from Pretty in Ink

I've gotten so many comments and compliments on my Pretty in Ink Pit Bull Sugar Skull necklace that I just had to sign on to share that they've launched a second Sugar Skull Pit Bull.  This one has a more submissive, demure face.

By the way, they also have Day of the Dead Cats in both black and white.  

I wear my piece regularly.  It's lightweight, colorful and comfortable.  I just might need to contact Pretty in Ink about a custom piece one day.

Giveaway: Remembrance Planting Kit from Let your Love Grow

    Hard to believe it's been over 8 months since our Tahlula passed.  I still have those moments when I forget she's not here.  I was petting Kayden last night and absentmindedly checked his neck for the cyst that she'd had.  The loss of a pet, no matter their age, or how long you spent loving them, is a heartbreak.

    The only thing that seems to help the grieving process for me is to find little ways to pay tribute, which is why I like the idea of the Let your Love Grow kit.  This planter kit contains an organic mixture that you mix with your pet's ashes to fertilize a remembrance planting.  No matter how long ago your pet was cremated, you can use the ashes to fertilize a garden, plant a tree or shrub or perennial, so that your pet's legacy lives on.

    I remember the one day that Tahlula escaped from the yard and I found her with her face poking through the neighbor's peonies, grinning ear to ear.  Those big pink flowers would be perfect for her tribute plant.

    We'd like to read your memorial tributes here and on our Facebook.  Use the Rafflecopter to enter and we'll send one winner a 6 in. container kit so that you or a loved one can create a living tribute to a companion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a Custom Caricature from Nikki Jeske

    We're an artsy bunch here at the Embrace HQ, so we're excited to announce a fun new contest: win a custom caricature from Austin, TX illustrator Nikki Jeske.  

    By day, she designs websites and social media identities for animal lovers, eco-aware bloggers, color-loving artists, and more. By night, she makes pictures of silly monsters and draws comics about puppies. She is passionate about what she does and loves to share those passions with the world.

    The winner will receive a custom marker-colored caricature (like those shown here) of their pet or favorite animal on 7x10 Canson paper.  The winner will be contacted to send in a photo of their pet or favorite animal so that Jeske can create a one-of-a-kind drawing.

    To enter, you get 1 point just for liking Embrace on Facebook and 10 points if you post the photo or image you'd like to use for the caricature.  (Please use your "Facebook name" when you sign in to the Rafflecopter for verification.) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crazy Cat Lady Board Game

While I prefer to be called a "pet enthusiast" there are plenty of gals out there that take pride in being called a crazy cat lady.  (Embrace CEO Laura Bennett has the coffee mug to prove it.)  Whether or not you're one of these feline fanatics, you're eligible to play The Crazy Cat Lady game, $16.99 at MentalFloss.  Try to collect as many cats as you can as you take your trip around the board. Some bonus spaces include "rescuing a grumpy old cat from the pound" or "kitten distracted by a bit of fluff".

Are you a crazy cat person? How have you collected your cats?

Spring Clean with Stomp 'n Go

Bissell is back and to the spring cleaning rescue with a sweet giveaway for April. They're offering up 2 prize packs of Stomp 'n Go pre-moistned clean up pads.

Sometimes we find the pet mess long after it's dried and the stain has set in, but the Stomp 'n Go pads remove even set in stains.  Muddy paw prints, accidents and spills don't have to be a big problem any more.  Just drop the pad on the spot, stomp and let it sit.  The formula will work its magic.

Their user reviews are so clearly the typical pet parents:

"My dog was having some issues and this pads worked magically!!"

"I was shocked to fined out how well the work in removing dog urine stains and smells."

"I purchased the "Stomp and Go" product in hopes it would help me with my new puppy stains. I didn't want to have to shampoo the whole carpet each time she had an accident while she was house training. I was AMAZED that the product did exactly as the advertisement said it would."

Now's your chance to test them out on your carpets.  2 Pet Parents will win 2 boxes each.  To enter:

Stop by our Facebook wall and tell us (or post a photo) about the worst mess your cat or dog has ever made.

We'll draw 2 names from all the entries and contact our winners in early May.

Contest details: Photos submitted to Embrace's Facebook wall during April 2012 will be considered for entry. Winner will be contacted by Embrace Pet Insurance for prize fulfillment via sponsor. Embrace staff and families not eligible to win. Must not have won within last 90 days. Good luck!

 

The Places Product Reviewing can take you: SpotBot take 2

Yesterday afternoon I was on my way to Aldi's but about two blocks before I hit my destination, I came across a stray Pit Bull running around in traffic. Concerned that her frolicking between cars was not smart, I did was most of us "dog people" do: I parked the car, put on my blinkers and got out. She made eye contact, I opened the hatch and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride. Girlfriend jumped right in my car.

I'll spare you the rest of the details, long story short, while I was in the shelter talking to the folks she had an accident. And then happy danced in it. And then jumped all over all of my car seats. It was like finger painting...but awful.

My first thought: Go get the SpotBot from the office. I'd just been reviewing it last month, so it was still handy. I took it home, loaded it with the oxyclean and water, and set to work with the hose feature. 2 hours of spraying and scrubbing and vacuuming later--but the SpotBot spared me a $150 car seat shampoo and helped me suck the water back up to get the seats dry so that it was ready to drive the next day. It only took two refills on the water reservoir to clean the entire fronts of all four seats.

It's one thing for me to test the SpotBot on a single accident on industrial carpeting. It's another to put this machine to the test on car upholstery, complete with grooves, crevices and embroidery. Rarely will I re-review a product, but this was one of those times when I realized just how much a lifesaver this little 'bot can be.

P.S. The shelter was only a short distance from where she was found and does not discriminate against Pit Bulls.  This dog will be in good hands until her owner claims her or until she's adopted to a new family.