Sometimes I like to find a nice sunny spot to dose in for an enjoyable afternoon nap.
Afternoon naps are simply the best, but as I slowly begin to awake….
…I come face to face with the lens of a camera!
Frankly it’s a bit creepy!
And I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather awake to a big bowl of dog cookies! 
Disclaimer : This is a sponsored post and giveaway brought to you by Eclectic Hound.
My new friends over at The Eclectic Hound sent me over this adorable martingale collar to take for a spin.
Now Martingale Collars are all the rage right now, but did you know that they were originally designed for sight hounds, such as greyhounds and whippets, whose heads are smaller than their necks and can easily slip out of traditional buckle collars.
The same can be true for Dachshunds and more and more trainers recently have been recommending them for dogs of all breeds and sizes because of their safety.
Designed to slip over your dog’s head, this collar from the Eclectic Hound should then be adjusted so you can fit 1 -2 fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck.
The martingale loop, which functions by gently tightening around the dog’s neck when pressure is applied to the leash, makes it so your dog can’t back out of the collar.
The Eclectic Hound Shop has so many fun collar designs it can be hard to decide which one to get (or get them all!), but ultimately I chose this preppy alligator design, because I’m pretty sure it makes me look extra tough. Or preppy I guess depending on how you look at it!
So if you’d like your dog to look preppy and tough at the same time too, you can save 15% off your next purchase at The Eclectic Hound with code AMMO15.
And now for the best part…..
ONE LUCKY WINNER will receive a COLLAR OF CHOICE from The Eclectic Hound! (winner can choose style (martingale or buckle), width, size and fabric pattern)
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 8/5/14 12AM EST. Open to USA residents only. Only one winner. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. Good luck! *To all our international readers, we have some fun giveaways coming up soon that will be available to ship worldwide…so stay tuned!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by The Eclectic Hound, but all opinions are my own!
P.S. Don’t forget, today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a DoggieLawn!
Disclaimer : This is a sponsored post and giveaway brought to you by I Brake For Yard Sales.
Recently my new friends over at the Etsy Shop, I Brake For Yard Sales, sent me one of their handmade Blanket Dog Beds to take for a spin.
What makes this bed a little different than your average dog bed is that it has a super soft and snuggly blanket attached to the handmade wooden frame so that your dog can dig around and get extra comfy (or burrow to their hearts content!).
And not to worry, the fleece blanket easily unsnaps from the wood frame so you can wash it should your pup decide to go to bed with muddy paws! It even comes in lots of fun colors (I opted for the Gray).
It comes in two different sizes for the big and small dogs (but custom sizes are available by request) – I enjoyed lounging in this 17″ x 19″ x 6″ bed.
And since I’m an expert digger and burrower, I figured I’d show you just how “bed fluffing” is really done….
Perfect!
As I fluffed and readied my new Blanket Bed for an afternoon nap I began to draw a little attention.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to spend my afternoon snoozes fending off the farm cats who are now eyeing my comfy sleeping spot!
You can fetch your own Blanket Dog (or apparently cat) Bed from Etsy! And you can even save 10% with coupon code Ammo1.
And now for the best part…
One Lucky Winner will win a 17″x19″x6″ Handmade Blanket Dog Bed in BLUE!
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 7/22/14 12AM EST. Open to USA residents only. Only one winner. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. Good luck!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by I Brake for Yard Sales on Etsy, but all opinions are my own!
P.S. Don’t forget, today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a Ruffwear Roamer Leash!!
Over the 4th of July weekend I packed up my ponies and headed north 5 hours to New York!
After so many pit-stops I was fully expecting to end up in the big apple, but instead I ended up in the middle of nowhere at a horse campground!
I unpacked my ponies and tucked them in for the night….
…and pitched my tent for yet another fun weekend of camping!
I may or may not have hogged all the sleeping bags in the night. At least I was comfy!
When I awoke the next morning it became apparent that my ponies had made the long journey to New York to compete on a dog agility course! (at least that’s what it looked like to me)
It had a teeter totter….
…and some sort of porcupine looking things…
…and chickens? Ok well maybe it was the advanced dog agility course, which would explain why I’ve never seen any of these obstacles at my training classes.
Regardless my ponies were super brave and attempted each and every one of these challenging obstacles over the weekend!
I had a relaxing weekend watching them perform from the comfort of my favorite seat in the car. I even had my portable fan going to keep me cool.
I even got to pack in some tanning during my weekend in New York. And before I knew it we were on the road again headed back home to Pennsylvania.
And the good news is, we only got one flat tire on the way home! (not to worry, I’m an expert at changing tires).
What sort of adventures did your dog have over the 4th of July weekend?
Check out some more photos from my weekend adventure on the Painting Pony Blog.
This past Saturday was the official start of summer.
To say I’m thrilled is an understatement! I’m ready for backyard cookouts, trips to the lake, beach adventures, swimming, ice cream (the dog friendly kind), camping, and everything that comes with warm summer months.
But most of all I’m excited for summer sun bathing in my backyard!
What does your dog love most about summer?
P.S. My summer sign was cut at my mom’s frame shop – and you can order custom words and numbers from me and my mom in our online shop if you’re interested.
Seeing as how I work in a frame shop, it was about time that I came up with a special mat for all the dog lovers out there!
With the help of the computerized mat cutter at the shop (and a little help from my mom too), I designed this Dachshund shaped photo mat!
It’s perfect for collaging photographs of your dog into, or even one giant photograph.
Or you can simply frame and hang it as is!
You can fetch this 11 inch x 14 inch photo mat in a variety of colors for $35 from my etsy shop, Flying Hero.
What pictures would you put in it?
Disclaimer : This is a sponsored post and giveaway brought to you by Sleepypod.
After checking out the Sleepypod Yummy Bowls a few weeks ago Trooper and I are back to share another Sleepypod product – the Clickit 3 Point Safety Harness.
Now if you’ve never heard of the Clickit, you mainly need to know one thing. It’s the HIGHEST rated dog restraint for the car in a crash test performed by the Center for Pet Safety last fall and the only 3-point car restraint for dogs on the market. Now that’s saying a lot!
You can check out more about what makes Clickit so safe here.
Trooper and I of course always wear harnesses and restraints when riding in the car and we’re sticklers for making sure that all passengers (dogs included) are buckled up, so we were excited to test out the Clickit.
Now the Clickit is designed to not just be a car harness, but also a walking harness too. You’ll notice though because of the width of the chest piece that it’s much more suited for walking bigger dogs in, as it was a little too wide for me to go for an average walk in. If you have a very small dog Sleepypod recommends using one of their travel carriers to restrain your pet safely in the car. I was teetering on the cutoff to being too small for the Clickit, but I was relieved when the extra small seemed to fit me properly.
P.S. you’ll notice in the above picture that mom forgot to tuck in the straps after she adjusted them for me. She realized later that you can tuck all the access webbing into the harness so it looks nice and clean.
Now what makes the Clickit different from other car harnesses is that the back has a unique criss-cross design so that your dog is safety belted into the car in 3 separate points. The top collar part has a ring for attaching ID tags or a leash for walking.
All those straps may look complicated to put on your dog at first, but it’s actually quite simple to attach. You can check out this handy video from Sleepypod on how to put it on your dog.
Before Trooper and I could set out on our maiden voyage mom had to attach the included tethers to the latch anchors in the backseat of mom’s car. (Latch anchors are installed in any car manufactured after 2003, but even if your car doesn’t have them you can get them installed.)
So Trooper and I loaded up in the car and got ready to travel safely!
With the Clickit you attach the tethers to each of the side rings, and run your car’s seatbelt through the criss-cross on the back of the harness. This gives your dog three points of attachment, and makes sure that they would stay put in the event of a crash.
Trooper and I both had no problem laying down in the backseat for our ride. Here’s a fun video of our first voyage with our Sleepypod Clickits:
You can also watch this on youtube.
Trooper has been wearing his Clickit every day in the car for the past month, and loves it!
Now some of you may be wondering about my booster seat, which has always been my preferred method of travel in the car….
Now while Sleepypod can’t recommend using the Clickit any other way than it was designed (for the best safety), I just couldn’t give up riding in my Booster seat! So mom attached one of the tethers to the seatbelt inside my booster seat.
And then hooked the tether to the criss-cross in the back of the Clickit. While it’s not going to be as safe as attaching with the 3 points, I just couldn’t give up riding in my Booster – but mom still believes this harness is much safer in the car than the standard walking harnesses I used to use.
Mom plans to maybe add a metal ring to the harness (by sliding it through the webbing) to make attaching the tether easier in the future.
So if you are looking for the best way to keep your pet safe in the car I highly recommend the Sleepypod Clickit. Because you can’t put a price on being “too safe” with your pet’s life!
And now for the best part….
ONE Lucky WINNER will WIN a Sleepypod Clickit!
(winners choose size + 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 6/24/14 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 a sponsored post by Sleepypod, all opinions are my own.
P.S. Don’t forget today is the last day to enter my Lasso Leash Giveaway!
I hope you all had a wonderful memorial day off of work, and since we’re all just getting back into the swing of things I thought it would be fun to kick off the week with a contest!
Our friends over at Ruffwear have started a new campaign called My Dog is My…. so we’ve teamed up with them to hold a little contest to find out what your dogs are to you!
Every dog is special to the people that love them, let’s find out what your dog is to you!
How to Enter:
First you can download and print this My Dog Is My sign and fill it in with what your dog is to you. [DOWNLOAD]
Then simply upload a photo of you and your dog with your sign to Instagram. Make sure to hashtag it with #mydogismy and #ammoruffwearcontest and also tag my mom’s instagram account in it @kyleydiluigi (that way I can find your photos easily).
From Coworker, to Farm Helper, I’m a lot of things to my mom.
What you win!
We will choose our favorite submission to win the following from Ruffwear:
– 1 Quencher Bowl (medium)
– 1 Flat Out Leash
– 1 TurnUp Dog Toy
I can’t wait to see all of your photos! And if you want to find out more about Ruffwear and their My Dog is My project you can check out the link HERE.
Contest rules:
Only one winner will be chosen. You must upload your photos to instagram and hashtag them with #mydogismy #ammoruffwearcontest and tag @kyleydiluigi You may upload as many photos as you like. Contest ends June 10, 2014 at 10 am EST. Winner must be located within the USA. Winner will be contacted on instagram to claim their prize. Prize must be claimed within 48 hours or it will be forfeited.
This contest is sponsored by Ruffwear
Disclaimer : This is a sponsored post and giveaway brought to you by Purple Possum.
My new friends over at Purple Possum recently sent me this beautiful navy and white Dachshund Scarf to review. I guess technically it’s for my mom, but when I spotted how soft and big (70 inches x 37 inches) it was I knew I would be able to find many uses for it!
So since sharing creative ways to wear a scarf is all the rage, I figured I would come up with my list of 9 Ways to Wear a Dachshund Scarf (on your dachshund).
#1 The Snoopy: this classic look channels your inner Snoopy, all that’s missing is the flying dog house!
#2 The Nomad: Hiking though the desert, no problem when you have this fancy scarf to keep sand from flying in your ears!
#3 The Rambo: Bad guys beware, I may be wearing a woman’s scarf, but I’m pretty tough!
#4 The Body Builder: Create the illusion of a muscled physique (or in my case protect your already huge muscles from scaring everyone off) in this classic strong guy look.
#5 The Rapunzel: Save all your fallen toys that tumbled off the bed with this totally functional look!
#6 The Fort: Not technically a “look” but you can always use a good fort blanket!
#7 The Nightmare Fighter: Never be scared at night again when you have a whole army of dachshunds to hide under in the midst of scary dreams.
#8 The Lady Killer: All that’s needed to pull this off is a fancy scarf and an adorable wink that makes all the ladies swoon!
#9 The Naptime Companion: Never be lonely again on your afternoon nap with this cuddly use for your scarf.
I could on and on as there are tons of uses for my new Dachshund Scarf from Purple Possum, but I figured you’ll probably want to come up with some of your own looks too!
You can save 15% on your own Purple Possum Dachshund Scarf (or anything in their shop!) with code AMMO15
And if scarves aren’t your thing, Purple Possum also carries backpacks, purses, jewelry and more! They ship to the USA & the UK and you can use the coupon for anything in their shop!
And now for the best part….
THREE Lucky WINNERS will win a Purple Possum Dachshund Scarf
Here’s HOW TO WIN:
For this giveaway I will be using, Rafflecopter. Winners will be chosen at random and you will be contacted via e-mail to claim your prize. Don’t worry, we never share your information! All the winners will also be announced on this blog post once the giveaway ends on 5/13/14 12AM EST. Open to USA or UK 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 Purple Possum, but all opinions are my own.
Hi Friends! I just thought I’d hop on in today to wish you all a Happy Easter!
I hope the Easter Bunny brought you lots of fun goodies in your basket!
And most importantly I hope you have an egg-cellent day with friends and family!
I know I sure will be!
Happy Easter, xoxo,