Enter and WIN! Help your Dog Stay Active

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED

The winner is : 

Rick Weitzel of Fort Collins, Colorado!!!

  Win Steadfast^® Joint Supplement 

   a highly recognized animal health company

Winter does not give our humans the opportunity to run, visit the dog park and take long walks with us dogs like they do in the summertime. Sometimes when we’ve been in the house for a few months our humans notice that we have slowed down a bit. Maybe we’re not getting up or down easily or we have trouble getting in and out of the car like we used to. It happens to so many of us. In fact researchers estimate that at least one in five dogs suffers from poor joint health. 1 in 5?  Yelp!  Joint issues affect dogs of all sizes and ages, large breeds, small breed, young and old.  My 16 ½ year old joints have been on joint supplements for years. Hey how do you think I got to this age?  Well, here’s YOUR chance to WIN a safe and easy-to-use formula to support your dog’s joints, so you can continue to play together.

Steadfast^® Canine is a unique formula for dogs specifically designed to support normal mobility and ease discomfort. Two proprietary ingredients work in combination to provide complete support of healthy joints, hips, cartilage, bones, tendons and ligaments. NEM® is a whole-food matrix of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and amino acids. TêlaFIRM®, an advanced micro-ingredient system of chelated minerals, is designed to support normal bone remodeling. Steadfast Canine is available in chewable tablets and in formulas for both large and small dogs.

The supplement is made by Arenus^®, an animal health company that combines both science and nature to develop innovative health and nutrition products for dogs. Arenus has passed rigorous quality audits and has earned the right to display the National Animal Supplement Council’s Quality Seal on all its products. This seal informs consumers that the supplements they purchase for the animal members of their family come from a reputable company that adheres to the highest industry standards.

How To WIN!

1. Visit Shop Arenus and select the Steadfast formula you’d like to win.
2. Leave a comment below on this blog with your choice of the Steadfast formula and why you’d like to win it.
3. For an extra chance to win, follow the @ArenusPet Twitter account and let us know you followed in your comment below. And Like us on Facebook.

Contest length: This giveaway ends Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at noon EST. The winner will be announced here on MUTTerings And Things. One winner will be selected at random among all entires via Random.org. This giveaway is open to readers in the US only.

Finally a Contest Us MUTTS Can Compete In!

We are halfway through the big Big BIG Dog Show at Westminster. All of those beautifully coiffed, brushed, clipped,combed, trained dogs representing the best of the best of their breed.  This photo is an example of a beautiful new breed entry for 2012, the Xoloitzcuintli.


Yawn........ we see them every year.  But what about us MUTTS?


As anyone who’s befriended one us mutts knows, we’re generally intelligent, friendly, even-keeled pooches. Most of us are well trained people-pleasers who are just as likely to lead you across obstacles to get Timmy out of the well as our pure-bred cousins. That said, there hasn’t been anywhere for us to display our quirky cuteness and abundant skills until recently.

For years American Kennel Club dog shows were the place for only pure bred pooches to strut their stuff but just one year ago this month the AKC opened its agility and obedience competitions to us MUTTS!  Now, as part of their Canine Partners program, mixed breeds and their human partners all over the country are participating in all kinds of events like AKC Rally, Agility, Obedience, and a fun new event called Coursing Ability.

While each club’s participation in the AKC Canine Partners program remains voluntary, for over a year now AKC clubs all across America, long the upscale country club of “purebreds only need apply”, have been opening their doors to all dogs and the humans who love them. Mutts have been entering, and sometimes winning over their full-bred competitors, in American Kennel Club-sponsored shows. Can you believe that? ROFBOL!

Humans aren’t really fond of change it seems. They sometimes find the same 'ol same 'ol so comforting that change can be a very long process but, with Agility the fasting growing AKC sport, I see this year’s growth of mixed breeds competing in AKC clubs as just a paw in the door. In fact us mutts can now apply for the AKC Therapy Dog title too! Someday us MUTTS will be allowed to compete in all events.  So, if you’re an all American dog, ask your human to check out the AKC Canine Partner Program, get involved in competitive dog sports and help foster dog equality.


As for me, I'm seriously thinking about starting the Eastminster Dog Show for us mutts and mixes. Purebreds could not qualify to enter our show. BOL!

While you're here why not enter your email for my monthly drawing for a chance to win an Up Country Inc product for your dog or cat. Just go to the top of my blog and enter for the contest.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter. I tweet as @GotMutt who woulda thought?

Makeover Monday

You've heard of humans humanizing their pets too much? Well I don't think that's a problem because that's how we roll in my house! BOL! But some pets are REALLY spoiled and their humans go crazy wild! Mom can we go crazy wild here?  Mom? Mom? Mom-mee? Can you hear me now?


Don't forget Westminster is on tonight. I love watching it because it just confirms to my Mommy how special mutts really are!

Dog Gone Genetics...

Did you know these two are closely related?

As many of you know, I am a former MUTT. When my female human had my DNA done a few years ago, they said I was so far in the mix that not one breed stood out. They saw traces of Akita, Chow Chow, Poodle and ShihTzu. In person most humans think I'm a Terrier of some sort. In fact several actually asked if I'm a Giant Westie! BOL! The DNA people didn't see any Terrier! Huh? WTD (What the dog)? So that's why I'm a former mutt. Mom and I created the first all encompassing breed for mutts. I am a part of a breed!  I'm a GenChan®! That's short for the genetically challenged dog and I certainly am !

So I saw this article on NPR and it pretty much amazed me. It says that us dogs, like the two in the photo, are not far apart genetically at all. Us dogs were all created from a very few dogs from waaaaay back when.  Well whoever they were let's toast to our ancestors big or small with good or bad breath! BOL!

While you're here reading, make sure you are entered into my monthly contest to win an UpCountry Collar or Lead of your choice! Just go to the top of my blog and enter your email address.

What do LOST Dogs, QR Codes and Happy Pawrents have in common? LOTS!

While watching my favorite TV channel, Animal Planet, awhile back I was double doggy surprised to learn that, of the 6 to 8 Million animals that enter a shelter, only 12% of us Mutts and Purebreds make it out (and only 1% of cats… glad I am not one of those fluffy critters). The story got even worse, 50% of my friends who don’t bust out of the joint are euthanized. Now, that’s a big human word that means, “Go to sleep forever.” Now I love a good nap, but I honestly can’t afford to sleep forever, I don't want to miss a chance to hear the fridge open up and run into the kitchen to give puppy eyes to my Mommy. 

So I was so happy to hear the human inside the TV box talking about a cool new way to help keep us Mutts out of the joint.

First off, lets address something most humans just don’t understand; some of us canines really enjoy playing a good game of doggy-hide-in-seek. The truth is, we aren’t trying to upset our furless amigos, but it is just too much fun watching them freak-out and panic when our leashes are empty…  Let’s face it; most two leggers don’t know how to walk themselves.

But back to fixing this troubling pet problem; the human inside the TV box talked about a new company that is using QR codes to reunite pets and humans. According to the tech-mutt who lives next door, “A QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones.” Great, high-tech-doggy tracking without a painful micro chip injection!

Instantly, I began sniffing my way through the web to find this new company, PetHub.com. I learned that not only are these QR codes effective, but they are kind of a cool fashion statement.

Once I get my new QR tag in the mail, I am going to coax my favorite legger into playing a game of hid-in-seek. I can’t wait to scamper off and hide-out for awhile, then find a interesting smelling stranger with a smartphone who I will nudge to scan my collar… you see, by scanning the code my favorite mutt lover will get an email on her cellphone with my GPS location… then she will pick me up and think she won the game (but she’ll never know how I let her win).

My Mommy says that this QR Collar thing is the perfect bridge for the most stressful time humans experience when their doggy gets away. Where are we between the time we escape and when someone picks us up and we can get our micro-chip scanned? The QR collar will get us home faster and calm the pawrents down.

What do you think?

Thinking Out of the Box - Building Cozy Beds for Dog Shelters

I took a rather loooong timeout from my Blog. First it was the holidays, then it was the after holidays, then it was just a dog's life getting in the way. You know 'stuff'! But I'm back with observations on this and that and happy to be here. BOL!

Thinking Out of the Box - Building Cozy Beds for Dog Shelters 

Us Mutts, and dogs in general, are amazing (IMHO), but sometimes we overlook the amazing efforts made by our human friends. My two legged Mommy use to be a Girl Scout and loves to recount her scouting memories and badges. While reading the newspaper the other day, I noticed my Mommy crying and my first canine instinct was to console her and lick the tears away, but I quickly found out that they were tears of happiness (you can tell by how salty they taste).

She read the story to me from the newspaper about how a 16 year old girl, Pamela Myles, from Southern California built and donated 25 dog beds as part of her Girl Scout award project. Well that hit me too; especially when Pamela told the reporter, "I feel like I could give some of my time instead of shopping or sleeping. Then I know (the dogs) will feel better at night ... they will be warm and cozy."

Every night (and a couple of times a day) I drag my paws into my own cozy bed and take a well deserved snooze, but there are many Mutts and Purebreds with no home, except their Animal Shelter, and their bed is a cold concrete floor. Well, because of people like Pamela, a few of my cousins will sleep a little bit better, a little bit warmer and feel a lot more loved in their comfy beds.

So my Mommy and I started sniffing around the internet, how do you make a dog bed? She found something called “YouTube” (makes no sense to me, WhoTube, PawTube, MuttTube) that had a great video by the Columbus Dog Connection on how to build an Elevated Dog Bed. So for this New Year’s, we are going to encourage folks to make and donate a few doggy beds (but, first we need to build one for me… Mutt-research you know). What a neat project that a 16 year old put together. I wonder what else we can do that makes us think out of the box to help shelters more comfortable? 


Wags and puppy kisses, Reba

Dogs Holiday Shopping at Bergdorf Goodman's Posh NYC Store

This holiday season us Mutts are moving up in society thanks to the efforts of one of New York City’s most posh shopping establishments, Bergdorf Goodman. The store known for fostering a Dog friendly environment (they offer treats in their second floor Shoe Salon), just released a new Holiday video, “Unleashed”, featuring a bunch of our four legged friends shopping for presents to give their human companions.

It’s a Dog's high-class shopping dream come true (and probably a two-legger’s dream come true too).

The video features Salty, an adorable black and white Mutt who steals the show with a performance that will warm the hearts of animal lovers everywhere. But it also showcases Purebreds of all types dashing across the store before it closes; going up and down in elevators, opening shoe boxes and even sniffing fine cigars.

The real focus of “Unleashed” is to encourage people to adopt more of our K-9 comrades by contacting the Humane Society of New York, an institution that has been helping animals since 1904.

In celebration of “Unleashed”, Bergdorf Goodman has also introduced the tag #BGDogs to be used with Instagram photo’s on Twitter (I think that is a something my human Mom checks way too much). By using that hash tag, BG customers and their Mutt amigos can appear on an interactive map of Manhattan. Finally, the internet is put to use for our kind, that is, besides my Mutt site.

Thank you Bergdorf Goodman for loving Mutts and keeping us in your Holiday thoughts.  Merry Christmas everydoggy!

Miracle Mutt Survives Three Weeks in a Rabbit Hole

Bilbo

Talk about dogged determination! Bilbo, a genetically challenged dog from the UK, was stuck underground for 20 days before finally making his way out. Of course, it comes as no surprise to us that this amazing dog is a mutt.

  

As this story explains, Bilbo was out for a walk with his family when he decided to chase a rabbit into a 10-inch-hole. Perfectly understandable! Unfortunately, though, he got stuck inside the network of tunnels and couldn't get out.

Firemen thought the tunnel might collapse if they dug into it, so the family was told they would have to wait for Bilbo to find his own way out. That day, and for weeks later, they tried to lure him out with food and other familiar scents, but he was obviously stuck, because none of that worked.

His family had given up by the time Bilbo finally emerged. Luckily they had plastered the village with "missing" posters. The person who found him recognized him from the posters and called right away to alert the family. Bilbo had lost a lot of weight, was caked in mud and had trouble breathing. Fortunately he has been gaining weight and is now nearly back to his full health!

So in this season of celebration we have decided to make Bilbo an Honorary GenChan®* because he exemplifies the definition of a GenChan and GenChan Standards. Additionally Bilbo has the gritty determination that every GenChan has and that is to never let anything get them down!  Read Bilbo's story here.

*GenChan - The first all encompassing breed for mutts and mixes. A humorous acronym for the genetically challenged dog.

Go Organic - The Safest Way to Fertilize Lawns and Gardens

Fall is the best time to get your lawn ready for the Winter and to give it a great head start on next Spring and Summer! So, we found these great green tips, from Raise a Green Dog to help you get your lawn in tip top shape to pop-up a pawsome organic and safe lawn next Spring!  Personally we've used fish emulsion to fertilize our lawns for 20 years. It works but click here for other terrific options.

Group brings pets home from overseas

I guess one could say why bring pets into the USA from overseas when we have so so many pets in shelters already who need rescuing. There is an argument on both sides and this story about a Delaware organization that brings dogs to the US to reunite with the soldiers they worked with makes sense of many levels. The bond the soldiers form with the dogs is special. Many of the stray dogs coming to the States have saved lives on numerous occasions according to the article. The pets make the transition from war to home much easier for the soldiers.  Good story to read and perhaps encourage someone in your town to start an Overseas Puppy Rescue.

Drawing WINNERS for June, July, August - Quick Open and see if it's YOU!

And the Winners are: 


June -  laddi1003@earthlink.net
July -   hucklebeary37@hotmail.com
August - Heartprints Pets
Congratulations! Click on the collars and you will link to the UpCountry Inc catalogue. Choose any quick release collar that you would like to have and make sure you choose the correct size for your dog or cat. Send your choice to Reba at rebamjr@yahoo.com by Friday 9/16/11.  Make sure you include your name, address, collar model number and name and size.


For those of you who did not win this time, please be sure you verify that you submitted your email address via the verification email that Feed Burner sent to you. 


Wishing you a barkin' good week!


Reba Messina
Pedigree/Medigree GenChan®


*Monthly drawings are awarded quarterly. Winners must respond to notification of their win within 5 days of notification, or by the date in the notification, in order for their prize choice to be included in the next company order. Drawing prizes sent to addresses within the 48 contiguous states only. Winners cannot win more than three times in one 12 month period. All questions regarding drawing rules should be addressed to customerservice@doggypaddleproducts.com .