With Halloween just around the corner, things have gotten quite spooky around my house. Over the weekend my mom and dad held their annual Halloween party, and while you’ll still have to wait just a bit longer to see my homemade costume for this year, I couldn’t help but get into the spooky spirit!
Pretty scary right?
My mom told me that all the ghouls and ghosts come out at night to haunt little puppies who do naughty things during the day.
I might just start hiding under the covers now! Eek!
Disclaimer: This review and giveaway is brought to you by Sleepypod.
One of the benefits to having a small dog is the ability to easily travel with them. So when Sleepypod, makers of all the things necessary to travel with your small pet, offered me up the chance to test out their Sleepypod Air Travel Bag and Sidekick Bike Rack I couldn’t wait to get riding!
The Sleepypod Air has all the bells and whistles needed for a comfortable and safe travel experience for your pet. The Air can even be used to safely transport your pet in the car (by attaching the bag with a seatbelt), and is also airline approved. It comes in 5 yummy colors (jet black, dark chocolate, orange dream, glacier silver, and strawberry red), I chose the orange dream color because I thought it might reflect the light/sun more (I thought black might get hot if I was biking in the sun), and plus, who doesn’t love some color!
The Sleepypod Air is also an airline approved bag that can easily adapt to under -seat storage requirements set by different airlines. The Sleepypod Air is a great bag for Dachshunds as it is one of their largest travel bags. The ends of the bag can compress from a length of 22″ to 19″ and all the way down to 16″ so it can easily fit under airline seats when needed. It even folds up completely flat when not in use (so once you reach your destination it won’t take up much room in your own suitcase).
Now I haven’t tested the Air in the actual AIR, but I decided for my first adventure with it I would take it for a spin with the Sidekick bike attachment designed to work with several of Sleepypod’s pet carriers.
Before setting out on my maiden voyage bike ride I had to help Mom and Dad install it. The Sidekick is designed to be a stable base to hold a Sleepypod pet carrier on your bike.
We followed the handy directions on how to install the Sidekick and with a little supervision from yours truly I was soon ready to take it for a spin. It helps to note that it works best on bikes that contain additional eyelets on the front wheels, but have no fear if your bike doesn’t have any (mine didn’t either), Sleepypod sells additional attachments to make it work on ones without them.
Once installed on your bike the Sleepypod Air easily attaches to the rack with a few buckles that are already included with the bag.
Now I’m a bit on the large side when it comes to fitting comfortably into the Air. Weighing 18 pounds I’m a bit over the recommended weight limit for dogs of 15 pounds, but I was still able to lay down in the bag and I could even turn around in it if I really wanted to.
When it came time for my first bike ride Mom and Dad weren’t sure how I would like it. If you know me, then you know I’m not exactly thrilled about being in confined spaces like crates. But for a few weeks leading up to my ride Mom had been hiding treats in the bag around the house to convince me that it wasn’t a scary place to be.
So when I was finally zipped inside and off on my ride I was quite comfortable. The mesh lining on top of the bag is quite see-through and breathable so it helped me feel less confined. I didn’t even mind when mom made a few quick turns with the bike.
Check out the video below of me enjoying my first few rides with the Sleepypod Air and Sidekick.
Since I’m a larger dachshund my weight was a little hard for mom to handle on the front of her bike (making steering a little more difficult), but I told mom she needs to start lifting weights anyway! I’m sure you could probably install the Sidekick on the back of a bike too, making it much easier to ride with a little bit heavier of a dog. I may end up helping mom install mine on the back of our bike – just so she stops complaining that her arms are sore after our bike rides…..what a wimp!
I can’t wait for the many more bike rides that are sure to be in my future with the Sleepypod Air & Sidekick!
And now for the best part…
ONE Lucky WINNER will WIN a Sleepypod Air!
(winner chooses color)
Here’s HOW TO WIN:
For this giveaway I will be using, Rafflecopter. We only use the information you provide to contact the winners and we never share it – so not to worry. Winners will be chosen at random and you will be contacted via e-mail to claim your prize. All the winners will also be announced on this blog post once the giveaway ends on 11/5/13 12AM EST. Open to US Residents Only. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. Good luck!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Sleepypod, but all opinions are entirely my own.
Mom is always on the lookout for interactive treat dispensing toys for me. She “claims” that I sometimes get the crazies at work and likes to give me something to keep me occupied while she’s busy helping customers. Don’t tell her, but I totally get the crazies just so I can get said treat dispensing toys. I train my humans really well (I should write a book)!
So when I came across Orbee’s new toy, Snoop, I was immediately intrigued. Snoop is a translucent and squishy toy with a deep crevice that conceals treats. For an even tougher challenge you can even insert one of the Orbee-Tuff balls (also stuffed with treats) into the center.
Now while I haven’t actually tried this toy myself, the design looks promising, and if they are as hardy as the Orbee toys I already own, then I’m sure they’ll last a lifetime! You can fetch your own Orbee-Tuff Snoop for $15.95.
Disclaimer: This review is brought to you by Glowdoggie.
You may remember me mentioning my pals (Hi Liela & Harriet!) over at Glowdoggie a time or two, as I am no stranger to their LED lighted collars. I own several in many of their varying colors (yellow, blue, red, green) that I wear daily on the farm, in my backyard, and even on nightly walks at this time of year, but did you know that they also make girly colors? Like pink?
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought it was the perfect time to show some pink around here, so I enlisted the help of my female friend, Shilah the Husky, to model one of Glowdoggies pink ultra collars.
Stunning, right?
I can’t say enough good things about the Glowdoggie product, they’re durable, waterproof, long-lasting (using batteries to keep them glowing), and bright.
And since this is MY BLOG, I couldn’t let Shilah have all the fun – so I broke out my Glowdoggie mini in yellow so I could get in on the photoshoot fun.
Shilah may be pretty in in pink, but I’m manly in yellow!
I’m pretty sure we could be super models, especially after I taught Shilah the Blue Steel look.
Well I guess that is until you see our outtakes, in my defense a bug flew in my mouth, and Shilah thought she saw a bird!
So if you are looking for something to keep your pet safe this fall and winter, make sure you check out Glowdoggie. I always wear mine on Halloween (or during Halloween parties) on the off chance someone “accidentally” lets me out (which MAY have happened before). But with the Glowdoggie I’m never hard to spot in the dark, which keeps me safe from cars and makes it easier for my family to spot me.
Glowdoggie Website
Glowdoggie Facebook
Disclosure: Shilah received a glowdoggie collar to use in these photos. All opinions are entirely my own and I truly love this company and it’s products!
Over the weekend I took my very first trip to the Fair Hill International Event, one of the most prestigious international three day events in the world, this is the ultimate test of a horse and rider. Through tests in dressage, endurance, and stadium jumping the horse and rider teams work together to show that they can compete in the most demanding and highest levels of equestrian sports.
But before I could attend the event, I had to go on my very first school bus ride!
Trooper tagged along with me on this adventure, and we were both pretty excited about taking the bus to the event grounds from the parking lot.
I can only imagine how exciting it must be to take the bus everyday to school! Those lucky kids! I even sang the wheels on the bus during the ride just to make it even more fun.
Once in the park I quickly made my way to the arena, because the real reason I came to the Fair Hill International was to cheer on my friends from the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team!
Made up entirely of Chincoteague Ponies (and the only one in the world), the drill team performs at events to choreographed music. It was great to see my friends again, as I had not seen them since I went to Chincoteague a few years ago so that my pony friends could frolic on the beach.
After I said goodbye to my friends I was ready to check out the other events at the Fair Hill International. (Above is me pictured with Misty’s Icicle, the only cremello colored pony in the Misty family line of ponies)
Of course my number one mission was to RIDE A PONY! But since most of them were busy competing I settled for this cardboard cutout of one instead.
And here’s what I would look like if I was a world class eventer like the riders that were competing at Fair Hill! Dashing right?
Next up I hit up the Dog Agility area, where they very nicely let me try a practice course – which was the first time I tried a course outside of my weekly classes at the Dog Training Center. I was a little distracted by all the smells on the course (and the fact that some of the obstacles seemed a bit different than what I was used to), but I did complete all the obstacles!
You may have heard my pal Trooper crying in the background of the video – he was utterly convinced that the course was going to eat me up if he wasn’t out there to protect me – or better yet, herd me around the scary obstacles. Oh Trooper, such a silly boy.
Next I headed over to watch some of the show jumping on the hill with the other dogs. You might not be able to tell from this photo, but almost every person came to the event with a dog. Great Danes, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Greyhounds, Jack Russells, Labradors, and I even spotted a few Dachshunds among them.
Watching the show jumping was quite spectacular as the horses soared through the air, but I have to admit, the Fair Hill International really wore me out!
I’m already counting down the days until next years event though!
Make sure you check out some more photos and video of the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team at the Painting Pony Blog.
Recently I helped mom come up with a button design for my etsy shop, because everyone loves a good button! You can put them everywhere – on your book bag, on your shirt, on your friends shirt, on anything you want!
Blindingly bright yellow and featuring my logo and favorite saying, “Adventure Awaits”, these buttons are now available in my etsy shop! And for the time being I’ll also be sending them out in every purchase from my shop too! It’s my little gift to you!
So buy a calendar, buy a card – I’ll send along a happy button to make you smile!
Disclaimer: This review and giveaway is brought to you by Chewy.
The Wellness brand is one that I totally stand behind, after all I do eat their dog food on a daily basis! So when my friends at Chewy.com sent over a bag of Wellness WellBites I was super excited to try a dog treat that not only tastes good, but is dog mom approved too.
These Wellness WellBites in Lamb & Salmon proved to be the perfect treat for me to take on the go.
Key Benefits
Mom loved that they were easy to tear off into tiny pieces, but not too soft that they crumbled in her pocket. And as a bonus they weren’t stinky or smelly so she wasn’t known as “the lady with a pocket full of dog cookies” everywhere she went.
I loved that they tasted yummy, and because they were easy to travel with – mom always had a pocket full of treats!
You can fetch your very own Wellness WellBites from Chewy.com! Also check out the entire line of Wellness, including dog food, treats and more!
And now you have a chance to win some super goodies from Chewy.com! Enter Below!
Don’t forget, today is the last day to enter my Rejuv-a-Wafers Giveaway!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Chewy, but all opinions are my own.
P.S. Thanks to all my pals at Chewy.com for sending me this happy little painting for my Birthday. I love it!
Halloween is just around the corner and while I already have my costume planned out I thought it would be fun to round-up some of my favorite costumes for pets – incase you still haven’t decided yet. So here are a few of my spooky faves this year!
What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
Unknown to me until recently there is this whole world out there of secret dog agility toys. Toys designed to encourage dogs to jump, run, and soar over the agility equipment. Toys that any dog would love – regardless of whether or not they love dog agility too.
So I convinced my mom that since I’m training so hard in my weekly dog agility classes that I MUST have some of these dog agility training toys. So mom purchased me a few goodies from Clean Run.
This jackpot and tug toy is designed to win over even the toughest of critics. I only use this one when I’m training, but it’s mighty mighty fun to “kill”.
These handy toys are called food tubes. Stuff them with a yummy treats (dried hotdogs were my choice) and then you can shake them to get your dogs attention and even toss them. The handy top makes dispensing them super easy (which is totally my kind of toy).
My favorite of the toys is the rip n tug treat dispensing ball. You put your dog’s favorite treats in the center, then velco it closed.
I’ve been having a blast playing fetch with this ball, then ripping it apart to grab my treats.
Now where exactly has this hidden world of dog agility toys been all my life! It’s a magical magical world, and as I’ve already told mom, I think I need to test them all now!
P.S. if you’re interested in dog agility and want to try the fun activity with your dog too, make sure you check out our sponsor The Dog Agility Shop, for great materials to make inexpensive DIY agility equipment for your own backyard.
Disclosure: I was not paid or perked to write about these toys or this company. I purchased these toys with my own monies, and simply wanted to share the goodness with all of you!
For those of you who follow me on Facebook I’m sure you have been on the edge of your seats waiting for me to share all my adventures from this past weekend at the Yuengling Oktoberfest event in Bethlehem, Pennyslvania.
Well after obtaining my special Puppy Pass (for VIP Dachshunds only) I was excited to attend my very first Oktoberfest!
I was super excited to see some fellow germans at the Oktoberfest – I felt right at home immediately!
I had fun touring around the event, everything smelled so wonderful, especially the sausages and beer!
I quickly began to make new friends – the german ladies loved me, what can I say I’m a handsome guy!
Even the children couldn’t keep their hands off me!
I had fun soaking up the culture, and after watching some german dances I was definitely ready for the main event – the Dachshund Races!
The Dachshunds came from all over to race, and there was even a few other super heroes in the mix besides myself!
I even got to meet one of my Facebook friends, Super Dash, who came sporting a bowtie his mom made him from my DIY Bowtie tutorial!
There were dachshunds big and small – some twice my size, some half my size, but everyone came for one reason – to race for the title of Champion!
With over 40 Dachshunds competing I knew it was going to be pretty tough to beat them all. But after winning a few of the preliminary heats I was pretty confident I could make it to the top. And after showing off a few of my favorite tricks I was clearly the crowd favorite to win when I made it to the final race!
Just watch what happened yourself….
If you had trouble telling what happened – it’s because mom’s camera skills were not so stellar. She said it was difficult to film me and call my name/shake cookies at the same time. Excuses, excuses.
Regardless, I won 3 preliminary heats, beating out some really fast weenies – and earning myself a spot in the final against 2 other super fast dachshunds. The final race was run and I came in at a photo finish with a dachshund named Tucker – who had me beat in size by a lot! So the judges decided to re-run the race, just me and Tucker.
I like to think I won that final race, but since it was so close to call the judges said Tucker won by just a nose!
Even though I didn’t win the coveted Champion title, reserve champ still came with some pretty nice perks. I got to take home this hand-blown glass dog bone from the ArtsQuest Glass Blowing Studio and these yummy handmade cookies from Whisker Biscuits.
Not only that but I also brought home not one, but two dachshund cakes from the Vallos Bakery! (too bad mom says they are only for human consumption).
Even though I can’t say I’m the Dachshund Races Champion it still feels pretty great to be Reserve Champion. After all, I am still faster than a speeding bullet!