Wags & Whiskers Wednesday

Happy “OH-MY-GOSH-it’s-only-11-days-til-Christmas!”

We are excited that so many of you have entered our first PAW-LIDAY giveaway!  The awesome dog lovers over at Ruff Wear sent us a Flat Out Leash to give to one lucky reader…and it’s SUPER easy to enter our contest.  (Literally as easy as sending a tweet or liking us on Facebook.)  You can enter as many times as you’d like until the contest is over on the 20th.  The more buzz we get around our giveaways, the more doggy loot companies will send us to give to you, and the happier you (our amazing loyal readers) will be!  And if you’re happy…we here at Wags & Whiskers are happy.

Take a moment to clear your mind of that long to-do list…and sit back and look at these adorable dog pics.

(We are hoping to do a holiday themed Wags & Whiskers Wednesday next week…so please send us those pics of your pooch in front of the tree or donning a Santa hat.  Email them on over to us – blog@wagsandwhiskershouston.com)

PAW-LIDAY GIVEAWAY – Ruff Wear Performance Dog Gear

If there is one thing I’ve learned from working with dogs, it’s that all leashes and collars are not created equal.  I’ve seen collar clasps snap, chains come loose, leashes chewed through.  I’ve heard more than my fair share of “We thought he was going to get that cat when he escaped!” or “How did she destroy ANOTHER leash?!”  So they plunk more money into another poorly made pet store product…and worse, they continue to stress.

Enter Ruff Wear to save the day!  From the moment I held one of their leashes in my hand, I could feel the difference.  (And not to brag, but I’ve held my fair share of leashes….one might even say I’m somewhat of an expert.)  Ruff Wear products are made  “For Dogs on the Go”, and they aren’t kidding!  Sure, they have extra durable, long-lasting leashes, beds, toys, collars, and bowls…but they also have cool things like dog life jackets, boots, packs, and harnesses.  If these products can stand up to hiking, swimming, camping, and mountain climbing, think of how long they are going to last you and your pup on those daily walks around the neighborhood.

Square Ball - $17.95

I found countless amazing products on this site.  One of my favorites was the SquareBall rubber dog toy.  The square shape is ingenious (and unique)  and sure to keep your dog guessing where the next bounce will take it.  It’s also durable and made for high energy dogs.  It’s also ADORABLE! (Yes, that is an important factor when I buy toys for Buffy.)

Otis - on one of his many adventures!

As most of you regular readers already understand, I need to know a company’s background before I give it my 100% support (by recommending it to you or putting it up on this blog.)  I want to make sure the people who are making the products and running the business are just as passionate (a.k.a. crazy) about dogs as I am.  Patrick Kruse, Ruff Wear’s Owner and Founder, definitely passes the test.  His Australian Cattle Dog, Otis, was the inspiration for many of Ruff Wear’s products and helped test gear items out in the field.  I have to admit, reading about Otis made me a bit jealous of his life….this dog went everywhere and did so many cool things (much more exciting than my own life!) Patrick’s focus is making products that will help you share adventures and experiences with your pooch….that’s a mission statement I can get behind!

PAW-LIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Flat Out Leash - $29.95 Or FREE if you win our PAW-LIDAY GIVEAWAY

The folks over at Ruff Wear were kind enough to send us one of their SUPER awesome Flat Out Dog Leashes to give out to a lucky blog reader.  I’ve tried this leash, and it is amazing.  It’s like three leashes in one: (1) Use it like a normal leash (2) This one is my favorite – clip it around you like a belt and you can walk HANDS FREE!  (3) Clip it around something fixed if you need to leave your pup for a minute or two.  GENIUS!

So you want a FREE Flat Out Leash???  Here are the super easy ways to enter our contest:

(1) Comment on this post. (Do you already have a Ruff Wear product?  Have you heard of them?  TELL US!)

(2) Tweet about us!  (Tweet about this blog or a link to this post…make sure to #PAWLIDAY or tweet @WandWHouston)

(3) “Like” us on Facebook

We will be accepting entries December 10- December 20, 2011.  Entries will be assigned a number in the order they are received and a  number will be chosen at random (by my trusty computer.) We will announce the winner on the blog and reach out to the winner however they submitted their entry.  Enter as many times as you like.

Good luck!  Happy PAW-LIDAYS!

PAW-LIDAY Deals….who wants to save some money?

Happy PAW-LIDAYS!!

Call me presumptuous, but I’m guess that you want to save some money.  ESPECIALLY at this time of year!  Let’s face it – we all buy our dogs and cats Christmas or Hanukkah presents.  Well, maybe not ALL of us, but I’m guessing if you are reading this blog you spoil your pooch just a bit.

So, we here at Wags & Whiskers came up with a great idea!  We call it PAW-LIDAY Deals!  From now until Christmas, we are going to be posting some amazing coupon codes to help save you money on all your pet needs (maybe we should say WANTS instead of NEEDS.)  In addition to saving you some cash, we will also be introducing you to some companies and websites that you might not have heard of.  This will give you the opportunity to find new products that you haven’t seen (at great prices!) while giving exposure to smaller, non-chain, dog-lovin’, all-around-amazing companies.  Win-win….or win-win-win (your dog wins too!)

Of course, what would a PAW-LIDAY promotion be without some FREE GIVEAWAYS as well.  We don’t want to say too much….but trust me, you are going to want to check back to see what we are giving away absolutely FREE!  (We aren’t even going to be annoying and charge you shipping.  We are talking 100% no cash out of your pocket!!)

We encourage you spread the word about these deals – email, Tweet, blog, Facebook, or (GASP!) just tell someone!  We also think you should “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter…that way you’ll hear about the deals and giveaways as soon as we post them. (Who knows, we might just have a special bonus for those who tag us on Facebook or who tweet about us with the hash tag #pawlidays.)

If you have any questions about any of the deals, feel free to send us an email at blog@wagsandwhiskershouston.com.  If you are a pet business (with fun, unique, safe, and wonderful products) email jessica@wagsandwhiskershouston.com for information on how to get in on the PAW-LIDAY fun!

Cute Dog Pics!

Back by pup-ular demand….cute dog pics!

(I am also still really loving Instagram!)

Have I also mentioned lately how much I love my job?

Also, don’t forget about ourcontest to win FREE DOG TREATS!

Oh…and if you would like your own pooch to be featured in a cute dog pic blog post, email us a picture at blog@wagsandwhiskershouston.com.  (Feel free to include a name and a bit of info on your supermodel pup as well)

YOUR DOG LOVES TREATS! (and we are giving them away FREE!)

We here at Wags & Whiskers – the blog, the dog walkers, and the bakery – are SO excited about our new dog treats!  No really, I don’t think you understand.  We spent weeks perfecting our recipes to make sure that the treats were nutritionally perfect and deliciously munchable.  After trial and error (and lots of big messes in our kitchen) we have put two varieties – Love Bites and Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bones – on Etsy for you to purchase.  We’ve had a great response from our current clients (who are the best in the world, thank you!), but we are now looking to expand to all of you (you being the dog lovers outside of the Houston/Cypress area!)

So here is what we are going to do: We are going to give out our treats for FREE!  Yes for FREE (no shipping and handling, no processing fees, no nothing!)  Absolutely FREE!  We do need your help, though. Here is what you have to do:

In the next two weeks (July 24-Aug 7) help spread the word about our new treats!  There are two ways you can do this:

• “Like” our brand-spankin’ new page on Facebook: Wags & Whiskers Houston Facebook Page.  Post something on your wall (just click Facebook button on the bottom of this post) for an extra chance to win!

• Tweet a comment, a link  to our Etsy page(http://www.etsy.com/listing/77815836/love-bites-dog-treats or http://www.etsy.com/listing/77814833/peanut-butter-pumpkin-bones) or a link to this blog post (just click that little birdie at the bottom!) Make sure to include @WandWHouston in your tweet so we can see what you have to say!

You can enter up to three times per day (if you want to like our page, write on our wall, and tweet!)  We will then assign each comment about our treats and each “like” a number (based on the order they were posted) and use a random generator to pick TWO winners the week of August 8th.  We will also select  (at least) 5 other people (depending on how many yummy treats we have!) to receive sample sizes of our goodies.  We will contact you (via whichever social media site you posted your comment on) to get the address where we should send these whisker lickin’ bites.  (and NO you will not then be on a mailing list where we send you loads of junk mail!)

If you have any questions about the contest, please email blog@wagsandwhiskershouston.com  Unfotunately, we can only ship within the United States.  (sorry!)

All right….who wants some FREE DOG TREATS?!