Never Forget the Fallen & the Heroes

 

Did you watch Hero Dogs of 9/11 last night on Animal Planet?  Search and rescue dogs (and their amazing human handlers) continue to amaze me.  Their selfless acts and their determination are unmatched.

 

I shed several tears at the end of the show last night... Rest in Peace dear sweet Sirius.

 

And, Rest in Peace to the nearly 3,000 people we lost on 9.11.01 ... and to the many search & rescue dogs who have since crossed the Rainbow Bridge. 

REVIEW: Halo Healthsome Dog Treats

Halo Healthsome Natural Dog Treats

Where to Find: Chewy.com

Our friends over at Chewy.com had another yummy treat for the Lapdogs to try this month, Halo Healthsome Natural Dog Treats. 

We received a bag of the Well-Being, Chicken & Cheese variety.  These antioxidant rich treats are designed to help your dog look and feel great - inside and out - by supporting a healthy immune system.  In addition to protein rich chicken and Parmesan cheese, the crunchy round cookies also contain great fruits and veggies, including cranberries, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, peas, apples and parsley. 

Healthsome Well-Being treats are not only grain free, but also free of artificial flavors & colors, as well as added sugars.  That translates into a truly healthy treat with nutritional calories - not empty calories!

Made in the USA, Healthsome Well-Being treats are easily digestible, natural, high-quality treats that I really feel good about giving to my dogs.  Apparently, the feeling is mutual when it come to my dogs eating them... after their initial taste test, all four dogs lined up for seconds!  They certainly loved these crunchy, yummy smelling bites.  Zeus and Lola both officially say they are Woofy De-Lish!

The Lapdog household will definitely be adding Healthsome Well-Being Chicken & Cheese treats to our regular rotation!  You can order some for your favorite 4-legged cheese hound over at Chewy.com (and the Lapdogs aren't ashamed to say they'd love some from Santa this year if anyone has connections to the big guy).  As always, Chewy features free 1-2 day shipping on orders of $49 or more, so feel free to stock up (or, say, help Santa with his Good Dog list this year)!

Disclosure: Chewy.com sent a bag of Halo Healthsome Chicken & Cheese treats to Lapdog Creations, free of charge for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

REVIEW: Dog Songs

Dog Songs

by Mary Oliver

Hardcover: 144 Pages

Publisher:  Penguin Press, HC (October 8, 2013)

Author Mary Oliver and her poems have been beloved by her loyal readers for years.  Her poems have come to mean so much to so many - some read them through illness or loss, some use them for meditation, and others simply return to them over and over again, like an old friend, for inspiration and comfort. 

Mary's dog poems, often called "Percy Poems" after one of her beloved dogs, provide a special window into her world.  Dog Songs is a collection of some of these cherished works, along with many new poems.  The collection truly shows Mary's relationship with the furry companions who have warmed both her heart and her home over the years.

The poems in Dogs Songs will evoke love and laughter, as well as heartache and tears.  Readers will not only have the pleasure of meeting Percy, but many others as well. 

"The dog reminds us of the pleasure of the body with its graceful physicality, and the acuity and rapture of the senses, and the beauty of the forest and ocean and rain and our own breath.  There is not a dog that romps and runs but we learn from him"

Truly one of those books that you will pick up again and again, Dog Songs is the perfect gift for any dog lover / parent / rescuer on your list.  I've had the pleasure of my advanced copy for several weeks now and find myself perusing it over and over.  I've shed a few tears, but I've also laughed, nodded and smiled with joy countless times.  Dog Songs captures the unbreakable bond between human and canine in a beautiful, expressive format.  Grab a copy of your own today...

About the Author: Born in a small town in Ohio, Mary Oliver published her first book of poetry in 1963 at the age of 26. Over the course of her long career, she has received numerous awards. Her fourth book, American Primitive, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1984. She has led workshops and held residencies at various colleges and universities, including Bennington College, where she held the Catharine Osgood Foster Chair for Distinguished Teaching. Oliver currently lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Disclaimer: Penguin Press sent a complimentary copy of Dog Songs to Lapdog Creations for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed in the review are my own.

Black & White Sunday: Here Comes the Sun

Happy Sunday!  You'll have to excuse the fact that the second shot is not black & white, however I thought this one needed a bit of color for the full effect.  Enjoy the sun... 



Grain-Free Dog Food On a Real World Budget

Everyone wants the best for their pets, especially when it comes to what we put in their food bowls everyday, but shopping for the "right" dog food can be a real chore these days.  It can take weeks, if not months, to research and check out all of the options out there.  And while some people may not like to admit it, price is a factor.  We simply want the highest quality food that we can afford.  

Grain free dog food is certainly associated with high-quality, however far too many folks completely over look this option because they associate grain-free with high costs.   

Enter Diamond Naturals Grain-Free - affordable grain free dog food!  Made with high quality ingredients, Diamond Naturals Grain-Free provides everything your dog needs for good health at a price tag designed to not blow your budget!

Though dogs have adapted to a domesticated, omnivorous diet over the centuries, a protein-based diet free of grains more closely mimics their ancestral beginnings. Dogs are able to digest grains, but their bodies don't break down grains as efficiently as they do proteins and fats. This is why a diet free of grains and made with limited protein sources is an excellent option for all dogs, but especially for those with food sensitivities.

Diamond Naturals Grain-Free line features three protein-rich formulas:

• Beef & Sweet Potato
• Chicken & Sweet Potato
• Whitefish & Sweet Potato

The first ingredient in each healthy recipe dog food formula is the animal-sourced protein - beef, chicken or whitefish.  Sweet potatoes provide complex carbo-hydrates designed to keep your dog's energy up all day long.  Added fruits & vegetables provide a source of natural antioxidants to help keep your dog healthy.  Natural fiber ingredients such as prebiotic fiber help to support a healthy digestive system.  And a healthy, shiny coat is supported with a blend of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids from fishmeal, flaxseed and either chicken fat or canola oil. 

Best of all, all three of the Diamond Naturals Grain-Free formulas have been designed for all stages of a dog's life!  When you have a multi-dog household, this can be an important factor to consider when choosing a dog food.  And with Diamond Naturals Grain-Free affordability, you truly can feed all of your dogs the best food possible!

I truly appreciate the Whitefish & Sweet Potato formula, as not all dogs can have dog food with meat proteins.  I currently have dogs on a fish formula and while a little chicken fat added does not affect them, I have friends with dogs on fish formulas who absolutely can not have any chicken or beef in their food.  Diamond Naturals uses canola oil in their fish formula and no other animal fat.

Now, back to that budget.  While so many other grain free options come at an elevated price tag, Diamond Naturals Grain-Free offers the same affordably priced, high quality product as Diamond Naturals regular formulas.  Pretty awesome, right?  Finding affordable grain free dog food really does not have to be a lengthy project when you know what to look for and where to look!  Check out the Diamond Naturals website to locate a dealer near you.  You can also check out their Facebook page.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Diamond Naturals. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Diamond Naturals Grain Free dog food, but Lapdog Creations only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Diamond Naturals is not responsible for the content of this article.

REVIEW: Watercolor Dog Portraits

Watercolor Dog Portraits

Where to Find: San Martin Arts & Crafts

As a reviewer, we have the pleasure of getting to try a lot of products that we might not otherwise discover.  When it comes to dog related items, it's usually toys and treats, however this time I was given the opportunity to review a watercolor portrait of one of my dogs!  I've always wanted to have my pack painted, so this was right up my alley!

Juan from San Martin Arts & Crafts asked me to send him some clear photos, preferably head shots, so that he may take a look and see what would work best.  Of course, a Mother can never choose which child to spotlight, so I opted to go by age and sent him a few photos each of Zeus and Lola.  Within a few days, Juan replied back letting me know that he really liked two particular photos - one was of Lola and one was of Zeus.  He said he would start painting and get back to me soon... which meant the suspense was on.  Which of my senior babies was he going to paint?

Five short days later, I received another email from Juan with a scan of Lola's portrait attached.  He indicated that he was very happy, and proud of it... and asked if I liked it.  Um, did I like it?  No sir, I loved it!  Oh my... it was absolutely amazing and I could see why Juan was so proud of his work!  The scan of the portrait is what you see above.

Juan then sent the watercolor portrait to me.  It was extremely well protected and packaged, arriving in pristine condition.  And, it looks even more stunning in person!  I just have to get to the store to get the perfect frame for it.

Juan paints mostly watercolors of animals and landscapes, and as you can see, does a wonderful job with custom pet portraits.  You can actually see the photos of Lola that he used to paint the watercolor here (bonus - I only sent a couple of those to Juan, the others he actually researched my blog to find).  If you're looking to have a painting made of your furbaby, look no further!  And, if anyone reading this is ever looking to surprise me, please know that I would love nothing more but to have the rest of my babies painted by Juan.

Thank you, Juan, for the beautiful watercolor of my baby girl and for allowing me this opportunity to share your work with my readers.  The watercolor is a special piece of artwork that I will cherish forever.  Now, to go get that frame...

You can also find Juan on Pinterest, Twitter, and Etsy.

Disclosure: I was sent a watercolor portrait of Lola, free of charge, for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Foster Failure - and proud of it!

Happy September... let's get wordless!