Eco-Friendly Dog Stuff!

I know. Can you stand it? I love that face. Erika took this picture and many more when she came by for Bob's headshots. She's such a great photographer... check her out at Eye Spy Candids.

So we went to the Holiday Pet Bazaar last weekend. Our friend Connie was there. She works for the RISPCA and asked us to stop by. We were happy to! Connie had some stockings stuffed with treats for the shelter animals, so we bought one for a cat (Goldie) and one for a dog (Rocky)... from Dave and Gruxy, of course :)

There were lots of tables set up with doggie stuff... home made sweaters, dog treats, crafty stuff. Alysha from Furry Friends was there as well. We chatted about the upcoming comedy show, Stand Up for Animals, to benefit the Providence Animal Rescue League. I'm looking forward to it... should be fun! More info can be found on the Furry Friends website.

Alysha had some eco-friendly Kong type things from Planet Dog at her table. I had seen them at Whole Foods, and Alysha told me all about them... minty smelling, recyclable and non-toxic. The boy loves it... he gets it before we leave the house every day and it keeps him busy for a long time!

We also got some great smelling waterless shampoo!!!! This stuff is so great... it smells like kiwi melon. It actually cleans, too... it doesn't just cover up doggie smell with heavy perfume. It's made by Happy Tails, it's all natural, the bottle is made from post consumer resin, and the labels are made without using trees!

I leave you with these thoughts...

• If you have a dog in your life, these are some great gift ideas for them and/or their owners.
• If you are thinking about adding a pet to your family this holiday season, please consider a rescue. There is something very rewarding about adopting... offering a warm home, consistency and lots of love. I feel like they know they are being rescued. I really do. I'll never forget the car ride home with Grux the day we picked him up. He curled up on my lap and just slept the whole way home. He wasn't scared at all. He's such a happy, loving dog. As much as we give him, he gives to us back...

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Swheat Scoop Natural Cat Litter

I bet you didn't know we had a cat, too. Well, we do and his name is Dave. He's only the coolest cat in town and he's just so handsome. Bob and I adopted Dave just a few months after we met, when he (Dave, not Bob - heh) was only 8 weeks old. We're both madly in love with him and he... well, he's madly in love with his pops. Not so much a mama's boy. Which is ok, because Gruxy's attached to my hip... just the way I like it ;-) How do Dave and Gruxy get along? We're working on it.

As you can imagine, Dave has his own set of needs - like a clean litter box that isn't full of chemicals. We've been using Swheat Scoop for about a year. We tried different types of litter - clumping, non clumping, Feline Pine, etc. The Cleaner of The Box (not me - I'm a lucky gal, aren't I?) reports that Swheat Scoop is the best so far... non smelly, less tracking.

But... in the spirit of using/buying less stuff, I think I want to potty train Dave. As in... train him to use the toilet. I'm totally serious. He's an indoor cat and so we have not choice but to use a litter box, and although we found a great litter... I just don't like having to keep the box.

I know you're laughing. I know.

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Less Chemicals for Pets, Too

We went down to Narragansett today. Bob got a hankering for Iggy's that couldn't be denied and we ate too much chowder and clamcakes. Our plans to have dinner at Antonio's had to be rescheduled. After that lunch, there's no way we would have been able to do both!

After lunch we went to the Point Judith lighthouse with Grux. He had so much fun down by the water... but his hound instinct is intense. He was all about the birds. He's not ready to be off leash so that was kind of a bummer for him :(

On our way home, we stopped at Psychic Kitty holistic pet center in South Kingstown. The owners are sisters and they are dedicated to offering different brands of organic pet food and treats, as well as leashes, collars, toys, topical treatments and gifts.

So after poking around for a little while, we got Gruxy a cool new hemp collar from The Good Dog Company and some toothpaste and a toothbrush. I love the little guy... but his breath is fierce. So as we're checking out we mentioned to Carolyn, one of the owners, that we're trying to help him with his "situation". Carolyn made a couple of suggestions - one of which kept Gruxy occupied for the better part of an hour.

Bully sticks. Any idea what this is? It's a frickin' dried bull penis. I'm not kidding. Google it if you don't believe me. Carolyn said dogs love them and they really help with teeth cleaning. The normal size is about 3 feet long. Again... not kidding. We got a smaller one for Gruxy, obviously. The dog could not be distracted from it. He ATE the whole thing. I would have loved to have been able to take it away from him half way through but he wasn't having it. Lesson learned - get the big one and give him smaller pieces. I can't even believe I'm trying to figure out the best way to serve my dog his bull penis.

Apparently, I'll be making monthly trips to see Carolyn.

For more info on Psychic Kitty, click here for an article in the Narragansett Times.

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