New "Give Litter" Campaign and Our Chaser Contest Winner!!

World's Best Cat Litter™has launched its newest "Give Litter" campaign and voting will be running through Monday.

It would be wonderful if you would get involved and vote in this worthwhile cause.  Share it with your friends so they will vote, too.  Even if the shelter you vote for isn't near you, you'll know that you'll be helping kitties who really need it!

Here's the link to the voting area of the website:
http://www.worldbestcatlitter.com/givelitter/

World's Best Cat Litter also has a Facebook page where there is a voting area:
https://www.facebook.com/worldsbestcatlitter/app_450722531630543

And now for the news you've been waiting for!  We've had some wonderful entries in the contest this week to win a copy of CHASER Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words by John W. Pilley with Hilary Hinzmann, published by Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt who are providing the winner's copy of this wonderful book.

I wish everyone could win a copy but, alas, no such luck.  Only one winner could be chosen. And that winner is:

Hombre McClanahan

Please contact me via my Website: http://www.darlenearden.com.  There is a link there to contact me directly. I will e-mail you the form that you will have to fill out for the publisher so they will send the book directly to you.  Congratulations!

Positive Training and A Special Contest!

Dear Readers,  you know me well enough by now to know that I only subscribe to positive training. I see no reason to break the human-animal bond.  On the contrary, I believe in building and solidifying that bond.  Whether you particular companion prefers to work for treats, toys to play, there is a positive reward to suit every pets.  

I was in a rather upscale pet supply store tonight picking up food and special fortified treats when I was horrified to see a woman checking out with a prong collar.  I don't know which was worse: the fact that she bought it or the fact that this allegedly enlightened store sold such an item.  It made me sad.  I wanted to leap across the counter and pull it out of her hot little hands.  I wanted to save her dog and their relationship.  I often do try to convince people to try something else, something better.  This was not my night.  You just can't win them all, no matter how hard you try.

We'll be talking more about positive training in future blog posts but right now I want to tell you about a try exciting contest.

If you remember, I had the pleasure and the honor of reading an advance copy of Chaser, Unlocking the Genius of The Dog Who Knows A Thousand Words.  Chaser's relationship with his owner, Dr John Pilley, is quite special and I deliberately slowed down my reading so that I could enjoy every single moment, every word in the book.

I'm excited to announce that the Publisher, Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, is allowing me to give away a copy of this book to one winner in the United States.  I can't wait to share this wonderful book with a lucky reader! Chaser works for play and to see positive reinforcement at work, to see the intelligence of this dog at work, is a joy beyond description!

Here's how you can enter to win a copy  Just leave a message on this blog post by Friday, November 22nd.  That's it.  One winner will be chosen and will, hopefully, have the book by the holidays.

What do you have to lose? If you love dogs, love dog training, this book is right up your alley!

So, enter and Good Luck!

Paws for The Philippines

Winter is Coming

Rain relaxes in a Polar Fleece Coat

Cold weather brings its share of problems for pet owners.  Keeping pets safe and warm indoors is critical but we all know that dogs are usually walked outdoors to do their business and get some exercise. It's also important for them to stay warm. 


Small dogs and those with no haircoat or body fat are particularly susceptible since they lose body heat quite rapidly and will need a warm coat or sweater to help protect them from the elements.  

Rain Models Polar Fleece Coat with Velcro on the Back

Rain Lounging in a Polar Fleece Coat

I recently received a Polar Fleece dog coat from PetSafe to test.  Most of us who live in a cold climate are very fond of Polar Fleece since it's so warm. But how would it work on one of our dogs.  Well, that depends upon the dog.  I handed the coat over to my friend, Linda Aronson, to test on one of her Havanese.  The caveat here is that her dogs are in full show coat so they have lovely, flowing coats.  The Polar Fleece coat velcros on the top for easy-on, easy-off, a nice feature.  But how would it work with a long-coated Havanese?    Here's what Linda discovered:

"The coat is nicely designed and well made.  The sizing is a little off as the size 16 was a good fit for length on my Havanese who typically wears a size 14 coat.  If possible try the coat on before purchasing.  The coat is easy to put on and take off and has plenty of room for the dog to move about without restricting movement or for deep chested dogs.  Having the closure along the back is a good idea, and it is easy to hook up without trapping hair, but I had to readjust to get the velco perfectly aligned, despite first attaching the tab of velcro at the neck end and matching the neck ends.  Still, readjustment was fairly simple.  Polar fleece would mat the coat on a long haired dog quickly, but for dogs that have lost coat due to surgery or illness or for those naturally short haired dogs that feel the cold this would be a warm coat either alone or under a waterproof outer coat for wet and snowy weather."

So there you have it. An independent review along with some nifty pictures of Rain modeling the  coat.  I think for those whose dogs have shorter hair, this would be a very worthwhile coat to consider for your dog's winter outings.  



 NOTE:  PetSafe sent the coat for me to test. I passed it along to Linda Aronson for testing on her Havanese. We received no compensation other than the product to be tested and the views expressed are our own.

Petfinder is Having a Contest!

I think a lot of us know at least one person who has found their dog or cat through Petfinder. They do such a good job of showing available pets n various shelters across the county. Calling attention to them is always a pleasure.  A good reminder that they are there 24/7, doing what they do best.  

Photo by Claire Clayton

There are a lot of ways to acquire a new pet.  You  can go to Breed Rescue, or you can find a truly ethical, responsible breeder, or can go to a shy shelter. If the latter is your choice, then Petfinder gives you a way which you can view all of the available pets at local shelters before you leave home.  Then you can drive over and see them in person, get acquainted, and see if one is the right one for you and your family.

Petfinder's new contest is Adopt a Token, to celebrate the launch of MONOPOLY's new token - a cat! They are working with Hasbro on this contest that can make you and your favorite Petfinder Adoption Group a winner!  

Photo by Mary Slaney

Here's how it works.  Search Petfinder's site for dog and cat profiles to find the Cat and the Dog's profile pages. There is a profile for each and once you find it all you do is click on the link "Click to Enter Sweepstakes." You can enter every day through November 30th. Using what you already know you can use the pet filters to find the profiles.  

Petfinder will be dropping hints on https://www.facebook.com/Petfinder, http://www.pinterest.com/petfinder/ and https://twitter.com/petfinder so be sure to check for the hints.

Here are the Prizes:

ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive a life-sized replica of the Cat Token, a $250. gift card for the Petfinder adoption group of the winner's choice.

50 FIRST RUNNERS UP will each receive one MONOPOLY Empire board game.

50 SECOND RUNNERS UP will each receive one MONOPOLY classic board game featuring the Cat and Dog tokens.

Additionally, for everyone who purchases the classic MONOPOLY board game from either http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/monopoly-game?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=petfinder or http://www.petfinderfoundation.com Hasbro will give a dollar for every purchase!

What a great way to celebrate the holidays and help homeless pets!