How We Celebrate Our Dog's Birthday
Please forgive me dedicated readers (ahem, mom, that means you). I intended on writing and posting this earlier, so it was closer to Bean’s birthday. Then I got this funky eye infection (I’m still recovering, and have been wearing an eye patch, which is fitting for today ONLY, since September 19th is National Talk Like a Pirate Day, “yaaar”). It’s been hard to focus on the computer screen, and as soon as I’ve gotten home from work I’ve been drained. So, in essence, this is a medical excuse statement. Okay, now, let’s get back to the fun part of this post!!
Do you ever have those moments when you close your eyes, open them, and BAM eight years seem to have flown by? That is what has happened in the time Bean has been in our lives.
She was born eight years ago last week.
EIGHT YEARS!
She looks and acts like she’s a puppy, and most people think Yoda is the older of the two dogs when we are out and about together. She still prances when she walks, resembling an enthusiastic horse performing dressage. She still kisses people in the mouths on the first meeting. It’s all about making it to second base, as far as she’s concerned. She still snuggles in the crook of your knees in a tiny brown ball when we cuddle on the couch.
I wrote a sentimental piece about Bean for her birthday last year, and our story hasn’t changed, so I’m not going to re-type our origin and beginning years. I do love that post though, and it’s titled “When a Tiny Dog Changes Your Life.” If you haven’t heard about how our lives became intertwined, I would LOVE it if you stopped by and read that post after finishing this post.
We received products from Fruitables, PetHub and Tito's Vodka. We only share products we have tried and used and our opinions are our own. Also, this post contains Amazon Affiliate Links. If you purchase an item through the link, we'll make a small commission.
Oh, and important note, she’s still a Diva with a capital “D.” She’s accustomed to the finer things in life, since that’s all she’s ever been given. So, it’s not much of a surprise when she snubs things that are not considered up to par in her eyes. Many a treat, toy, and food offering have been left in the dust if they don’t pass her inspection. We created a monster, I suppose.
In order to help Bean celebrate her eighth year on this planet, we decided to feature some of Bean’s favorite things, and also give you an opportunity to win a special prize pack chock full of the items she loves so much! Full disclosure, some of the items in the list are things I, her human really love, and Bean could care less about. Since I’m the one in charge of this crazy blogging adventure, I’m including them. Also, Bean can’t read so she won’t know the difference.
FRUITABLES DOG TREATS
Dog treats are kind of like drinking beer. You may dabble, and try lots of different types out, but invariably, you wind up going to the tried and true classics that you’ve grown to love. For me, from a beer standpoint, that will always be Allagash White.
From a dog treat standpoint, one of our classics always winds up falling back to treats from Fruitables. Up to this post, I have never gotten a bag of treats for free from Fruitables, I think I just picked up a bag from our local pet food store when Bean was a puppy and have always had them on hand ever since. I say that, because as a pet blogger, I honestly could go the rest of my days on this planet without ever buying another bag of dog treats and still have at least 10 bags of treats at home at any given moment that we received for free. The fact that I purchase these treats regularly should say something.
I love their variety of treat options, especially in light of Bean’s allergies. I love their low calorie options. I love that they’re affordable and can be found in lots of places. I love how excited the dogs are whenever they are offered treats from Fruitables. In case you’re wondering, the Bison Skinny Minis are Bean’s absolute favorite.
PETHUB PET TAGS & EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KITS
Bean would survive in the wild for about less than 15 minutes, give or take 14 minutes (in other words, she’d survive for a hot minute). She’s a Diva, we’ve covered that in pretty much every post we’ve ever written. She has special food delivered to our home in pre-mixed packages, for goodness sake! It is with this information, that I am so thankful for PetHub.
PetHub helps lost pets and their humans reunite as quickly as possible. They do that with the help of special tags with barcodes unique to each tag. The code links to a specially made pet profile on their website. You can add updated photos of your pets to their profile along with any unique identifying information (like Bean’s gnarly looking scar, and crinkled hematoma ear, for example). If your dog is ever missing, you can instantly mark them as “lost.”
For a reasonable fee, you can also have instant notification, including GPS information when your pet’s ID is scanned and also send lost pet information to all local animal rescue organizations.
Both of our dogs have microchips, but I never let them leave the house without their PetHub tags on. If you’re curious why, read our guest post for PetHub “5 Reasons Why a Microchip isn’t Enough for Your Dog.”
PetHub recently released their PetHub Ready Kits, which include a tag, with access to the free online account. In light of September being “Disaster Preparedness Month,” this kit is key for families to be ready in the event of an emergency. It also includes: A Wallet Card & Keychain card that both link to your pet’s online ID, a Crate Card, which connects to your pet’s kennel and also links to their online ID, and a Window Cling that can alert individuals reporting to your home, like firefighters, how many pets and people are in the home.
TITO’S VODKA
Okay, you saw right through me on this one. Tito’s is a human thing. Although, we have gotten some pretty sweet dog swag that has the Tito’s Vodka logo on it. Pretty much all of the swag has been (or will be) given away, though, because we’re generous souls.
In all honesty, though, Tito’s is pretty amazing. If you don’t know much about their committment to helping animals, I’d love it if you read some of my prior posts that also include some fun Tito’s rescue stories and recipes to enjoy their vodka. I drafted a post for June where the recipe was called the “Slush Puppy” and for July the recipe was “The Fido Firework.”
NATURAL DOG COMPANY
As the owner of dogs who are brachycephalic, which basically means, their noses are smooshed in, we do regularly use products that help with their specific needs, although the products are helpful for any dog. We have been avid users of products from the Natural Dog Company ever since we learned about them, probably close to 4 years ago.
Their products are organic and vegan. They have ingredients that you can clearly read and understand on their label. I don’t fret if Bean licks Yoda’s nose or the other way around since the ingredients won’t mess with their tummies.
Here are the products we use regularly and why we love them. The Snout Soother is a balm that helps cracked, dry dog noses. This normally isn’t an issue for Bean unless it’s the middle of winter, but it’s a constant issue for Yoda. I know this is Bean’s birthday post, but he snuck in somehow. The Skin soother is a different balm that Bean is very familiar with. We use it on her all the time, especially when she has a rash from allergies. We have also used it to help massage her ear when she had a hematoma, which helped the hematoma reduce in size faster and did away with our need to resort to surgery on her. The PawTection stick is a waxy substance that helps to protect paw pads from getting irritated from surfaces by creating a barrier. While we use boots on Bean and Yoda in the dead of winter, Bean is prone to kicking them off like she just don’t care (because, she doesn’t). So I also use this product to keep her paw pads protected and to prevent cracking.
They have other products we haven’t used but I’m sure they’re equally as awesome as what I’ve just listed!
So, there you have it, a sampling of Bean’s favorite things in honor of her birthday! Now it’s time for YOU to be part of the party! Enter below for a chance to win a Birthday Prize Pack with tons of goodies from Fruitables, PetHub, Tito’s Vodka, and Natural Dog Company! Two winners will be chosen and we will probably throw in other stuff we love for fun too!
