Social Pet Saturday: Guinea Pig Edition

Hi everyone - welcome to Social Pet Saturday. This week, I've got lots of cute stuff from our small furry friends that I think you'll enjoy. Plus some other goodies! If you haven't read some of the things mentioned below, be sure to check them out! 

Help Your Kids Learn About Animals - Visit the Library!

I'll admit that it's not always easy finding activities to entertain my kids during the summer. It's super hot outside here in Texas, so unless the activity includes water and shade or air conditioning I'm not interested. Lily and I like to visit the local library during the summer. It's free and fun.

One of Lily's favorite things is animals. She loves learning about them, reading about them, drawing them, and being around them. Visiting our local library is the perfect way for her to learn more about animals and pets.

Today, I wanted to share some stuff we found at the library that I thought was pretty cool. The first thing is a puppet. I've actually never checked out a puppet from the library. I'm not sure how many libraries offer these. This one is the "Pack Rat". It's a rat, just like Nibblet! Who better to share your stories and secrets with than a furry friend?

Toby & Max Now Offers Jewelry for the Cat Lover

If you hadn't noticed yet, Pawsitively Pets has been sponsored by Toby & Max Jewelry for several months now. You can see their cute little ad in our sidebar. Since I haven't talked about Toby & Max in a little while now, I thought I'd let you all know that they now offer a couple of new jewelry pieces for cat lovers!

You see, in the past Toby & Max mostly offered jewelry for dog people. Here's my beautiful "Wonderdog" pendant necklace from them. 

The back says "my dog is my".

In recent months, they've included some whimsical pieces to their collection which are perfect for cat lovers. Oh - and did I mention that ALL of their dog and cat pieces are on sale for 20% off through Sunday? Here are some of my favorites from their Cat Lovers collection. 

New VetIQ Pet Products Review - Minties and Hip & Joint Soft Chews for Dogs

Shiner wanted to share some awesome new doggy products she got to "taste test" last week. The new products are from a company called VetIQ - the maker of Minties and some other great pet products. When VetIQ asked if Shiner would like to try out a few of their new products, she jumped at the opportunity.

We received a package of Minties to try out. Minties are dental chews for dogs that "helps clean teeth, promote fresh breath, and helps control plaque and tartar. The treats are made with mint, parsley, fennel, dill, and chlorophyl which are all natural breath fresheners. Minties are also wheat free, gluten free, soy free, corn free, have no artificial flavors, and no animal by-products. They are made in the USA.

Wordless Wednesday: Kitchen Helper

This is Shiner laying in the kitchen while I'm cooking dinner. She's the clean up crew...

This job is tiring... 

When are you going to need my clean up crew skills, mom?

Giveaway - Fill Your Litter Box With the World's Best Cat Litter

Today I have a very special surprise for all of my feline friends and readers. Do you remember when Honey Delite was staying in the barn and got to try out some of World's Best Cat Litter that she won from our friend Cody? If not, you can read all about it here.

I like the way this Forest Scented clumping formula smells! 

Both Honey Delite and I loved the Forest Scented clumping formula from World's Best Cat Litter. It smelled great, wasn't dusty like other litters, and Honey Delite was more than willing to use it. Their cat litter is all natural and made from whole-kernel corn. It's naturally absorbent and is "pet, people, and planet friendly".

Tallulah Belle - Adoptable Cat in Round Rock, Texas

Did you know that June is Adopt-a-Cat Month? What better way to celebrate than by welcoming a furry feline companion into your life! Today I'm sure a special little kitty named Tallulah Belle. Just look at that sweet little nose! And she has beautiful torbie & tabby colors and markings. Gorgeous!

Social Pet Saturday: Beat the Summer Heat

Lots of fun things happened this past week including a couple of  "holidays". There was Take Your Dog to Work Day, Dog Party Day and the first official day of summer. Did you celebrate any of these days? I work from home, so Shiner helped me out with some very important treat taste testing and other fun things which we'll be talking about later on next week.

Professional Grade Bird Photography – Tips From a Photo Pro

Birds are beautiful animals, especially when in their natural habitats. I see many great photos on other blogs of all types of birds and have even tried my hand at capturing a few of them on camera myself. Of course, I'm no pro. For those who really want to take bird photography to the next level, here are some tips on bird photography from a professional photographer. 

Photo by Patrik Panda

While bird photography and bird watching is a hobby for many, serious bird photography has many aspects that you must take care of to produce useful images. Birds are a subject suiting fine art best, but bird images are also in good demand for commercial purposes if you’re looking to possibly sell your images. Here is a checklist to keep in mind when photographing birds to get technically perfect shots:

Cartoon Your Dog - Shiner Gets Her Own Cartoon Portrait

A few weeks ago, Mollie & Alfie helped with the "Save Leo Campaign" and sold some raffle tickets for a few fabulous prizes for a good cause. One of the prizes was a mouse mat from their shop of handmade goodies. I bought a few raffle tickets and ended up winning a mouse mat! I was very excited because many of our friends have been cartooned by Mollie & Alfie's mom and they all look great. Here's what our mouse mat looks like -

Looks just like me! 

Wordless Wednesday: Shade is Delite-ful!

Now that it's been much hotter outside, Honey Delite is spending her days underneath this old truck where it's nice and shady. The truck is almost never driven, so she is not in danger under there. She has a nice view of the nursery barn and the people that come and go. She even comes out during the day when people are around to snack on her cat food. 

Happy Wordless Wednesday! 

Pets to Make You Proud – Churchill’s Dog Boot Camp Competition

Do you think your dog has what it takes to be a member of the military? Today, I'd like to share a fun competition for dogs that is sponsored by Chuchill Insurance. If you think your pooch has what it takes, I encourage you to enter the contest! There are some great prizes to be won. 

Photo via f/orme Pet Photography

It’s not uncommon for a pet owner to think that their furry creature is capable of anything – but even the most optimistic of us might hesitate when asked the question: ‘could your pet serve its country?’

A new TV series called Animal Heroes has been helping to answer this question, showing audiences some of the most inspirational and dedicated animal companions currently serving alongside human handlers in the British military.

It’s been a real delight seeing how these animals work, especially when the risks are so high, and seeing the amazing attachment which soldiers have to their companions throughout the process is particularly heart-warming. Naturally, such a show does make you curious and questions of ‘could my pet achieve the same results with the right training’ are bound to circulate.

Happy Father's Day to All the Pet Dads

Today, we'd just like to wish all the dads out there a great day. Hoping you get to have a nice relaxing day with your kids, whether they are human, furry, feathered, or scaled. Here's our daddy with his furry and human kids. 

The rat daddy wasn't too "thrilled" about the idea of me keeping a rat, but he finally said OK. Now, Nibblet and the rat daddy get along great! 

Social Pet Saturday: Contest Results

Remember a few weeks ago when Shiner asked you to vote for her in DogTime and CatTime's May Day Play Day video contest? We want to thank everyone who voted, shared, or even wished her luck in the contest. You guys are awesome and we appreciate your support!

Unfortunately, Shiner did not win the contest, but she did come in second place! She was up against some other great pets, including the winner - Odilia a blind kitten that many of you may know. Congratulations to cute little Odilia from the blog Tails from the Foster Kittens! Here's her video, which is super cute ~ 

Seed Mixes for Pet Birds are Nutritionally Deficient

Budgie or Parakeet. Photo via Cordelia Naumann

When it comes to pet birds, many pet owners are not aware that the seed mix diet they are feeding their bird is nutritionally deficient and lacking in vitamins in minerals. Well, why do the companies sell them? Why does the label say it's fortified with vitamins and minerals? The pet store sells it... All of these are common responses.

So if seed mixes for birds are nutritionally deficient, what else are you supposed to feed them? If you're an expert on birds, you may be able to formulate a nutritionally complete diet for your bird by cooking and preparing meals for them daily, which is great. For everyone else, there's pellets. Pellets are about as nutritionally complete a diet is for birds these days. 

Sugar's Furry Friend

Today, I bring you a special book review and guest post from a very special little person. Recently, I won a contest at Golden Woofs - Sugar the Golden Retriever's blog. It was for a copy of a children's book written by Sugar's mom - Maria Rosalyn Acero. The book is titled "Sugar's Furry Friend" and it's about Sugar's friendship with Fred the chipmunk throughout the seasons. It's based on a true story.

Shiner with our new book. 

Reptile Visitors

I've noticed that we have been getting a lot of reptile visitors lately. 

This frog has decided our fish pond is the perfect place to cool off during the day. I even saw him in my daughter's inflatable swimming pool one afternoon.

Why Do Some Pets Have Different Colored Eyes?

Cat with heterochromia iridum.
Photo via Laura

I'm sure you're seen pictures of cats or dogs with gorgeous colored eyes. You know, the ones with one blue eye and one green eye and whatnot. Have you ever actually asked why some pets have different colored eyes? It's a condition called heterochromia iridum. In most cases, it's just genetic and isn't harmful to the pet.

Heterochromia occurs when melanin is not distributed equally among both of the irises. Melanin is what gives color pigment to an animal's skin, fur, and their eyes. Many animals have blue eyes when they are babies. As they grow older, melanin will begin to distribute in their irises. This is the time when an animal will show signs of having heterochromia.

Social Pet Saturday: Giveaways Galore, Tasty Treats, & Kitten Seeking Forever Home

Welcome to another edition of Social Pet Saturday - hope you're having a fabulous weekend so far. I'm never so sure what to say in my intro's to these posts so I'll let this pup take it away...

Nibblet the Rat Takes on Extreme Sports

I'm sure most of you are aware of the fact that I have a pet rat - Nibblet. If you didn't know, now you do! :) Some people, I know, just can't grasp the idea of keeping a rat as a pet but domestic rats are actually highly intelligent and clean animals. In fact, I think Nibblet stays cleaner than my dog. Rats are so intelligent that they can be taught to do tricks, just like a dog. They are easily clicker trained.

Nibblet doesn't really know any tricks, but that's simply because I haven't taught her any. She will come when I call her, however. She also learned how to jump onto my bed the other night. It's a pretty far jump that I've never seen her do, so I thought I'd record it and share it with everyone. (Nibblet's also been complaining that she hasn't appeared on the blog in awhile...)

Hobo Hudson is The Richest Dog in Town | A Book Review

Have you ever tried your hand at being an entrepreneur? I hope that everything worked out great if so, but if not maybe you can give it another try after reading The Richest Dog in Town: The Adventures of Hobo Hudson. The book is written by Hobo Hudson, a small terrier living in Florida with his mom and dad. He shares several short stories of how he came from rags to riches. It wasn't easy, but with hard work and dedication Hobo was able to become a successful business-dog.

I was absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to read and review The Richest Dog in Town! Hobo's life starts out rough, but he finally manages to find his perfect family and trains them to match his needs. He's also able to work out some compromises with his cat sisters, who also meow their own opinions in the book.

After getting settled into his forever home, Hobo becomes an entrepreneur and successfully runs several growing businesses. He's always looking for a good way to make a buck. He's a millionaire in no time! Running a business can be hard work and he does run into a few unfortunate events along the way.

Garden Tour

Tomorrow is "Gardening Exercise Day". During Memorial Day weekend, I spent most of my time outside fixing up my garden and I certainly did get lots of exercise planting it! I wish I had taken a before picture to share, because the changes are pretty dramatic... at least to me. I'm very lucky because I was just able to walk down to the nursery and grab some dirt from the dirt pile and then pick out whatever plants and flowers I wanted. It was free to me which also makes me a happy camper! Shiner also had a good time helping dig holes and sniff around.

I'm a good helper - honest! 

This is a full shot of the main garden. My daughter had already previously planted some things around the fish pond to the right and in front of those panels that need to be put up on the left. Our bathroom was recently remodeled so that's why they are like that. The tree in the very middle was overgrown so I trimmed it way back. Under the tree were some dead box shrubs. At first, I didn't think I'd be able to get them out, but my daughter tugged on one and it came right up! That bird bath in the shot is going somewhere out of my yard...

Choosing Heartworm Medicine for Dogs and Cats

It's the time of year when mosquitoes are out ready to make a tasty snack out of your dog or cat. That means that the risk of heartworms for your pet are more prevalent because mosquitoes carry heartworms. I decided to make a list of common heartworm prevention medications to help pet owners be able to tell the difference between all of them. I know it can get confusing when choosing heartworm medicine. There are so many different brands available today and they all do different things.

Please also note that I will only be going into the details about heartworm prevention in this post. Some products do provide protection from fleas and other parasites as well. I hope to do a similar post about flea prevention in the future.

Adopt a Feral Cat for Your Barn

My barn cat - Honey Delite.

June is National Adopt a Cat Month, so I wanted to write a little bit about adopting feral cats as barn cats. A couple of months ago, my dad asked me to find him some cats for his barns because we're having a bit of a critter (voles to be exact) problem around the property. We also have rabbits. That's how we ended up with Honey Delite.

I went to my local animal shelter's website and saw that they had a feral barn cat program. Turns out that many shelters offer very similar programs. Farmers and other property owners can adopt cats who are not suitable to live as a family pet to come and live in their barn. The cats, who would be otherwise euthanized, get to go live with the farmers and hunt mice and other rodents. 

Romeo - Adoptable Cat in Texas Needs Forever Home

This week, I am featuring a sweet kitty named Romeo. He was also in one of the front cages when I went to pick up Honey Delite from the Williamson County Animal Shelter, so he's been there for awhile now. I remember a young couple oooh-ing and aaah-ing over him while I was there. The man kept talking about how cool Romeo was, but the lady didn't seem convinced. Don't know what she was thinking! Romeo was a sweetheart!

Adopt me! 

Romeo is a 4 year old boy kitty that is neutered and is up to date on all of his shots. He is located near Austin, TX just outside of Round Rock in a kill shelter. He is also FIV positive so he really needs someone to look after him. FIV positive kitties can still live long and happy lives. Here is what the WCRAS says about Romeo on their website:

Social Pet Saturday: Graduation, Dog Tips, & Super Cute Cats!

Happy Saturday everyone! It's the start of summer over here at my house - yesterday was my daughter's last day of 2nd grade. Woohoo! Now she's graduating on to the 3rd grade. Speaking of her graduation, I've got something fun to share with you today.

Special Graduation Day Present

Our pal, Speedy, has a crafty mum. She just opened a shop where she sells handmade cards and other things. I decided to order a card from Speedy's Gift Shop for Lily's graduation. Rachel, that's Speedy's mum's name, was very nice and let me customize my card. Here's a picture of the design I choose -