Wellness Tru Food

Any food with pumpkin is almost always guaranteed to be super yummy and good for me. I tried Wellness TruFood Tasty Pairings with Chicken, Pumpkin and Beef and I love it. 

Sojos Good Dog Apple Dumpling

Who's a good dog? I'm a good dog so I am lucky enough to try these Sojos Good Dog treats from Chewy. Sojos Good Dog are the perfect treats for tiny dogs like me.

Book Reviews

If you have been following me on Instagram you may have noticed some of my posts feature books that I am currently reading. My human loves to read and has been reading since she was little. I think that everyone should make reading their hobby. I want to share my favorite books and give a short review for each book. My book reviews for this month will be for The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Martian by Andy Weir and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

Nutro Ultra Oatmeal & Pumpkin Biscuits

It's the month of October so it means we will be seeing a lot of pumpkin this month! My human feeds me pumpkin everytime I have a sensitive tummy so I know pumpkin is good for us fur babies. Nutro Ultra All-Natural Biscuits offers different flavors such as Salmon & Sunflower Oil, Wild Blueberry & Pomegranate and my favorite Oatmeal & Pumpkin.

Pet of the Month: Hank - August

Our featured August Pet of the Month is Hank. He is a 3 year old mutt (part beagle and spaniel) and was rescued at the age of 6 months. 

Friendship Collar: Hipster Pup

Friendship Collar has a collection of different collars and bracelets to match furry babies with their humans. These collars are a great way of showing the bond between pets and their humans and at the same time look fashionable while doing so.

Therapy Dog Volunteer: Vi at La Jolla Village

As some of you may already know, I am a registered therapy dog. I used to volunteer at libraries but my back was hurting a couple of months ago so I had to stop for awhile. I received an email from Therapy Dogs International that Vi at La Jolla Village is looking for therapy dog volunteers. When my back pain went away, my human contacted Glory, the lifestyle manager and we set up a date and time for the tour and meeting. When we got to the facility, Glory showed us around the Care Center. There are different levels of care provided, from those that need basic assistance with their daily routines such as getting ready in the morning and taking in their medication to those that need more help because they have Alzheimer’s and other loss of mental & cognitive functions. Glory showed us the patient’s rooms, dining area and activity area. After the tour, my human submitted all the forms requested and we gave Glory the dates that we can volunteer. We can only go on weekends so we set up a time for 11:00 am.

Waiting area at the Care Center.

Lounging area.

Advantage Flea & Tick Treatment Shampoo

It's flea season everyone. How do you keep your fur babies free from fleas? I have been using the Advantage shampoo available at Chewy.

Pet of the Month: Timmie - July

Hello! July has been such a busy month so here is another late post for the Pet of the Month. Our July Pet of the Month is Timmy. He is 11 years old and you can follow him on his Instagram page. 

Greenies Grain Free Dental Chews

As you may have noticed, my tongue is always sticking out and it makes my breath stink sometimes. I am always on the lookout for any dog product that can make my breath smell fresh so I was very happy when I received my Greenies Grain Free Dental Chews from Chewy.

Pet of the Month: Kirby - June

Hello everyone! Sorry for the late post for the Pet of the Month. Kirby is our June Pet of the Month and you can follow him on Instagram for more pictures.

 

 

Petco Foundation's 7th Annual Hope Gala 2015

I was invited by Petco Foundation to attend their 7th Annual Hope Gala and takeover their Instagram account. They asked me to take pictures of me enjoying the event. I wanted to look presentable so I went to Petco and was able to find a tux. 

Petco Foundation Hope Gala

The 7th Annual Petco Foundation Hope Gala is the foundation's biggest event of the year. It will be on June 20, 2015 at the Grand Manchester Hyatt in San Diego.

I love helping out the animal community in my own little way so I was happy that I was invited to do a takeover of Petco Foundation's Instagram account and report live from the Hope Gala. I will post pictures of the event where you will be able to see me have a good time. 

Dan Cohen, morning anchor on CBS News 8 in San Diego will Chair proceedings at the event. 

Chewy

My human loves to shop online and she always tries to find good deals whenever she can. We are so happy we found out about Chewy. Chewy has 300+ of the best pet brands available on their site. They have everything from pet food, pet bowls, shampoo, collars, beds, etc.

My welcome package from Chewy!

Limited Edition Speedy Socks

I started a campaign with Bakdrop to create limited edition Speedy Boy socks. The campaign started on May 8, 2015 and will end on May 26, 2015. The socks will only be made if we reach the goal of selling 20 socks. More than 20 people bought the socks on the first day we launched the campaign so the socks will definitely be made. Yay!

Pet of the Month: Stogie - May

Stogie is our Pet of the Month for May. Stogie is 1/2 Chihuahua and 1/2 French Bulldog. He is 3 years old and very smart! He loves people and loves making them smile on Instagram! He is training to become a registered therapy dog so he can visit people of all ages in the hospital and help them cope with whatever they are facing. He is also passionate about promoting animal adoption. 

You can follow Stogie on Instagram at MexicanFrenchieStogie for more pictures. 

Dog Beach: Ocean Beach

I've been living in San Diego for 5 years now but haven’t been to the dog beach yet. One day my human decided to take me to the beach during winter time here in San Diego. We left a little bit later than planned and the sun was going down but we decided to still check out the beach anyway. We went to Ocean Beach which is located at the end of Voltaire Street. They have a big parking lot so we didn’t have any problems finding parking.

Ocean Beach is known to be one of the first official leash free beaches in the United States. Dogs can run freely on the beach and surfers will be able to catch some waves. It's a pretty big area so you don't feel too crowded when you are there.

Therapy Dog Volunteer: Mission Hills Library

Did you know that reading to dogs can help children boost their reading skills? There are different libraries that offer this kind of program to help kids with their reading and also help with their social and emotional skills. 

Young kids are scared to make a mistake when reading. They feel embarrassed and feel like they will be laughed at. Having a dog program where kids can read to dogs changes everything. Kids will feel more at ease talking to a furry dog. They find comfort and enjoy reading to the dogs.

Volunteering at the library was my first volunteering job as a therapy dog. My human called Mission Hills library and asked if they were interested in having a therapy dog. The manager said yes so we set up a time and date for our volunteer session. They even made a flyer with my picture on it.



Pet of the Month: Papi, Chico and Chloe - April

It's time to introduce our Pet of the Month for April or should I say Pets of the Month? Meet Papi, Chico and Chloe. You can follow them on Instagram @Papi_Chico_Chloe. Their mom Merary wrote about her 3 lovely babies:

Dog Yoga Guinness World Record 2015

Sorry for the late post about this event. I've been too busy... sleeping.

On Sunday, January 25, 2015, dogs and humans participated in the dog yoga event hosted by San Diego Humane Society and Leash Your Fitness. They hosted this event to break the Guinness World Record for most dogs and people doing yoga together in one place. My human registered 2 days before the event and I was so excited to do yoga.

We arrived at Carmel Valley Recreation Center at around 9:15 AM. We went to the registration booth and signed up. There was no fee for the registration but the suggested amount for the donation was $10. While we were signing up, there was a girl from San Diego Humane Society who asked me if I was the Chargers fan that was featured as the last Weekly Fluff for 2014 on Instagram. Yup that's me. Go Chargers!

I'm scared. Will they ask us to do a handstand? 

Pet of the Month: Oliver - March

Hello everyone! It's almost the end of the month but it's not too late to introduce our Pet of the Month for March. Meet Oliver! He caught my attention because he looks a little bit like me. You can follow him on Instagram @goldenrule_chis. His mom Lara wrote a little bit about him.

Barking Beast Fashion Show 2015

I love attending dog events especially if it's an event that will benefit rescue dogs. I was very honored to be part of the Barking Beast fashion show that took place on Friday, February 20, 2015 at Westin San Diego. Tania Milberg of Barking Beast organized the whole event and it turned out amazing. It was only $20 to get in the event and it included a complimentary buffet and unlimited drinks (score!). Proceeds from the event were split among Rancho Coastal Humane Society, SD Humane Society, 2nd Chance Dog Rescue and Chihuahua Rescue of San Diego. 

I was one of the 4 celebrity dogs featured on the show. The other 3 dogs were Chopper the Biker Dog, Dozer the Surfing Dog and Faye and Mochi, the Ballistic Racers. The celebrity judges for the fashion show were Mike Costa (1360 Fox Sports), Maria Arcega-Dunn (Fox 5 News Anchor), Thomas Keiser (NFL Linebacker), Geena the Latina and Frankie V (93.3 Radio Hosts).

Amazon Birthday Giveaway

As some of you may know, February is my birth month and everything is going great so far. I felt honored to be one of the lucky animals chosen as part of Amazon’s Pet All Stars for Super Bowl.

My birthday is on February 28 and I am celebrating it the whole month. I am doing a giveaway with Amazon to celebrate my birth month. Starting today, 30 lucky friends can win a medium sized Kong ball. The winners are chosen randomly so everyone has a fair chance of winning a Kong ball. All you have to do is go to http://amzn.to/kongball and check to see if you are one of the lucky winners. Good luck everyone. My Amazon birthday giveaway will end on Monday, February 16, 2015.
 

Pet of the Month: Anthony - February

Our February pet of the month is Anthony. Anthony is a disabled dog and his daddy takes good care of him. Even with his disability they still like to help others. They recently raised money to buy toys for the sick kids at the hospital. Read his story below written by Anthony's dad:

Anthony Mater was born with an advance stage of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (LCP), a disease that results in abnormal deformity and disintegration of the hip joint as well as a degenerative bone disease. Researchers suggest that the disease begins with the blood supply of the head of the femur bone. As the blood supply is damaged, the bone dies off. The bone in the femoral head collapses and the cartilage coating of the femoral head becomes cracked and deformed, resulting in arthritis or inflammation of the hip joint, which causes pain and lameness.

Barking Beast Runway Show

Do you want to have a great time and help shelter pets at the same time? Tania Milberg from www.BarkingBeast.com is hosting a charity event to raise money for San Diego rescue organizations. Your donation of $20 will gain you free entry with complimentary dinner buffet & cocktail drinks. The event is from 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm and will have models walk on the runway with dogs available for adoption. The celebrity judges will be Mike Costa (San Diego Fox Sports Host), Maria Arcega-Dunn (Fox 5 News Anchor), Thomas Kesier (NFL Linebacker) and Geena the Latina & Frankie V (Chanel 933 Radio Hosts). Oh and did I mention that I am going to be part of the event as well? I am one of the 4 celebrity dogs that will make a special guest appearance on the show. To know a little more about the pets who will make appearances, check out this article by Tania Milberg of Barking Beast.

The event will be at Westin Downtown San Diego – 400 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101.  

Happy Dogs Dining Out 2015

Save the date! On February 4, 2015, more than 20 restaurants in San Diego are going to donate a minimum of 10% of their proceeds to 4 local animal rescue groups: Rancho Coastal Humane Society, Chihuahua Rescue of San Diego, Second Chance Dog Rescue and FACE Foundation. 

Getting a Dog

Are you thinking of getting a dog? There are so many things to consider if you want to get a dog. Most especially if it's your first time to take care of a dog by yourself.

Research a lot.

This is the #1 most important thing that you should do when getting a new dog. Take the time to read and gather as much information as you can. If you are thinking of adopting a dog, check the shelters around your area and ask about the dogs you are interested in. Try to get as much information as you can about their background and spend time playing with them. If you are interested in a particular breed, try to research about their qualities, life span, temperament, grooming, etc, you get the idea. Do not get a dog just because you find a certain breed cute. Do your research first.

Therapy Dog

A lot of people ask me how and why I got my therapy license. As some of you may know, I had my worst episode of IVDD more than a year ago. It was very stressful and emotional and I wouldn't have gotten through it without the help of my family, friends and even strangers. I am all better now and very grateful that I am healthy. My human thought that the best way we can give back to the community is by volunteering. She knows I bring so much joy to people when they meet me in person. She cannot remember how she knew about therapy dogs because we didn't know of any therapy dogs before I registered to become one, I guess it's just meant to be.

Pet of the Month: Romeo - January

The first featured pet is Romeo or known as @thefrenchromeo on Instagram. He also has IVDD like me and went through a lot of rehab treatments to help him get better. Read his story below written by Romeo's aunt.

In June 2013 Romeo was hiking in the Sierra's near Lake Tahoe, CA when he slipped down a steep trail and fell about 3 ft landing upside on his back on the hard granite rock. The fall didn’t seem to phase him. We seemed a lot more concerned than he did and he just got up and kept going. Two days later we took him to the vet because he was acting very strange and had a very difficult time moving his hind legs. They thought he may have had a head injury but soon figured out that he had actually blown a disc in his back and before long he became fully paralyzed. 

Pet Holidays

Everyone is familiar with holidays such as Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day but do you know that there are different pet holidays too? Below is a list of pet holidays throughout the year.

January

National Train Your Dog Month

Walk Your Pet Month

Adopt A Rescued Bird Month

2 - National Pet Travel Safety Day

14 - National Dress Up Your Pet Day

16 - National Penguin Awareness Day

22 - National Answer Your Cat’s Day

24 - Change a Pet’s Life Day

29 - Seeing Eye Guide Dog Day

February 

Spay/Neuter Awareness Month

Dog Training Education Month

Pet Dental Month

Responsible Pet Owners Month

Prevent a Litter Month

7-14 - Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week

14 - Pet Theft Awareness Day

20 - Love Your Pet Day

22 - National Walk Your Dog Day

23 - Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

24 - World Spay Day (Last Tuesday of February)

Valentine's Day.