Black Friday deals Part 2: For the DogMothers

In my last Black Friday post, I gave you the details on Black Friday deals for the doggies!

This Black Friday post is for the dogmoms. It is brought to you by two black dogs but focuses on those products that keep your house clean and keep you sane (we all hate dog hair, dog smell and paying too much)!

Dyson vacuums: the dog hair remedy

I was definitely one of those anti-Dyson people for many years. I wanted to believe there was a vacuum aside from Dyson that would pick up all the hair. I've owned around 8 vacuums since getting Ares (almost 5 years ago), I was so stubborn I have even played vacuum repair man (replacing belts and such). From Hoover to Dirt Devil, I've spent as low as $50 and as much as $175 and alas I had to throw in the towel. Who wants to spend $650 on a vacuum? I sure don't. I imagine all of the makeup I could buy with that money! But, truth be told, Dyson is the only solution if you have carpets and shedding pups.

Rumor has it WalMart will be selling the original Dyson for $199 on Black Friday. I have yet to find actual confirmation of this but if it's true, that is the LOWEST price out there.

For your own Dyson - costing between $229 (original) to $499, this great website tells you where to get them! Priced at $299 at BB&B!

So fresh and so clean: Stopping the dog smell

If you work as much as I do and have a touch of OCD, maintaining candles or buying ions of Febreeze don't really do the job. To keep your house smelling like dryer sheets instead of wet dog, I am a huge fan of Bath and Body Works WallFlowers. You plug them in and they gradually release the scents of your choosing. This Black Friday, you can get 4 Wallflowers for $20 or 6 for $24! I highly recommend!

Everyone loves Jerky: why aren't you dehydrating?

Who isn't TIRED of the chicken jerky recalls? Dogs love it but it seems every dog treat manufacturer has led to horror stories of death by jerky. I decided to take matters into my own hands a few years ago. I bought a Ronco dehydrator and have been making them homemade chicken jerky ever since. Buy some chicken breast, slice it thin and put it in the Ronco and leave it overnight. It really is that easy. And, you can make your hubby some super awesome beef jerky (I've made a number of variations). Right now you can get the 5 tray Ronco Dehydrator for just $39! Bags of jerky (that will probably be recalled at some point) cost half that; why not save some money!

Protecting your Assets: Save your Furniture

If you don't have leather and have big dogs, well you should BUT if you don't, you've got to protect your sofas and you've got to have an easy way to eliminate the odor. Couch covers are the way to go - they are easy to wash and didn't require hours or hundreds of dollars of our money. But, is it just me or are they pricey?

• Get one at Bed, Bath and Beyond this Black Friday! If you shop early, you save 20% on your entire purchase (6:00 AM - 12:00 PM, in-store).
• Overstock has Love Seat couch covers for less than $58!

Black Friday Sale from 2 Black Dogs!

From your two favorite Black Dogs; posts in their honor that save you $$!

Ares (right) and Onyx (left) - two bookends!

This is post 1 of 2 for dog-deals! This post will focus on Black Friday sales for your dog's needs. The next post will be for the Dog Mothers - all of the great products that keep your house DogMother-approved and fresh!

Please note that while I will give you the details on where to get my preferred products first, I will also share links to Black Friday sales that are a bit more universal!

Black Friday specials on my Favorite Things

1800PetMeds: A time sensitive sale

While most retailers give you the BEST deals the day after Thanksgiving, 1800PetMeds is running sales now; their prices will increase on Black Friday. Most of us know 1800PetMeds as the go-to site to get our doggy prescriptions (for boo-boos and illnesses) at a low price. But, they have a lot of other great products and right now you can get my favorite joint supplement on sale!

Cosequin: the best of all the joint supplements I've tried! When you have large breeds (like my buddy Ares, the German Shepherd) a hip and joint supplement is a MUST. Incorporate early and make sure you look for your own measure of results. If there is a supplement out there I haven't tried, please share it with me - I would be glad to give it a go!

SALE: Cosequin DS Plus MSM - Save $10 on a 60 count bottle ($33.24) or Save $20 on a 132 count bottle ($63.64)



Orthopedic/Memory Foam beds for your dog: a must have for large breed owners. The first time I


Make sure they lay on surfaces that
don't hurt their hips and elbows!

bought my 100+ pound German Shepherd an Orthopedic bed I spent over $60. These beds are important for big dogs. Aside from the calluses they can get on their elbows from laying on hard surfaces, it is important to keep them from laying their hips on the hard ground too! Problem is, these beds are quite pricey! If you have kids, a mortgage and an unappreciative employer, buying a pricey dog bed is hard to justify.

Good news! A few retailers are selling them between $20 and $30 this Black Friday. Not a glamorous gift but something you should purchase while they are on sale!

1. True Value: $19.99
2. Ace Hardware: $19.99
3. Overstock.com: $29.99

Dry food: There are only 2 dry foods I would recommend to any DogMother and thankfully (for me as well) one of them is on special for Black Friday!

Nature's Recipe: Lamb and Rice

At PetSmart, you can save $10 on a large bag of Nature's Recipe dry food. The mention is in page six of their ad!

Nature's Recipe is my favorite dog food for my two dogs. I have tried every quality and price point of dry food and have found this dry food to be my favorite - it has never been recalled and I typically spend about $40.00 on a 30 pound bag. For the price, you can't really beat it.

Yes, I've tried Blue, Canidae, Halo, Organix, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Natural Balance, Taste of the Wild, Diamond, Rachel Ray, Wegman's brand, Trader Joe's Brand, Purina Pro, Merrick etc, etc, etc.

The only other food I would recommend is Wellness CORE - though when I reached out to Wellness to get details on a possible Black Friday sale, I did not hear back!

*Please note I did NOT receive any compensation (monetarily or product-wise) for these recommendations. The opinions are 100% my own

National Retailers and Doggy Deals for Black Friday!

 PetCo: Black Friday Flyer

• Entire Stock of Good2Go Winter Coats for dogs: 50% off
• Entire Stock of JW and Multipet Dog Toys: 50% off
• Brinkmann Pet Knife-Edge Mixed Print Dog beds: 50% off
• Entire stock of Burt's bees Natural Products for dogs: 50% off

PetSmart: Black Friday Flyer

• Dog Beds (Assorted): 50% off
• Stocking with Hill's Dog & Cat treats + Scratch Card (first 100 customers)
• Dog Holiday Accessories: 50% off
• Dog Holiday collars: 50% off

Stay tuned - I am working on getting you Black Friday deals on your favorite dog-odor eliminating scents, vacuums and cleaners!

Week 2: Monday Morning Pick-me-up!

You don't have to be a cat person to have a case of the Mondays. That's why I like to share some of my favorite dog photos/videos gone viral!

Paddy-cake-paddy-cake Bulldog!

I love German Shepherds and really want a third. But my second favorite dog, and maybe my next, are English bull dogs. This adorable video of a bull dog puppy dreaming is too cute. He claps his feet!

 

 

Have you heard of Dog Tube? If not, it's filled with videos of dogs doing completely awesome things! Like this amazing German Shepherd (you can't believe I would do a post without German Shepherds included, could you?

 

 

The video of a German Shepherd pushing a wheelchair!

Feeding the big and hungry!

I fully plan on giving you a detailed account of all the dry foods (good and bad) I've tried for Ares (pre-Onyx) and both dogs. But, in the mean time, he's my tried and true mixture.

Dry food:

Nature's Recipe Lamb and Rice
About $40 for a 30 pound bag at PetSmart

All the goodies I put in:

• I buy a big pack of chicken thighs each week (about $7). 
• I boil the chicken thighs for about an hour, twenty minutes.
• Once boiled, I save the broth (sometimes I add my apple cider vinegar here, but typically I put it in their water bowl daily).
• I put the cooked chicken thighs in a tupperwear container in my fridge.
• Cottage Cheese
• Flax Seed Oil
• Coconut Oil

Ares - 105 pound, male German Shepherd

Both meals:

• I pour the chicken broth in his bowl (about 1/4 cup) and add in a teaspoon of Coconut Oil, a table spoon of Cottage Cheese and a cap full of Flax Seed Oil. Depending on the glucosamine vitamins he's on, depends on what I do next (for tubed, I squeeze the dosage in - for the chewy kind I put in 3 and for pills, I hide two in cream cheese).
• Next, I take one chicken thigh and pull off the meat and put it in the bowl.
• I add 2 cups of the dry food and mix.

Onyx - 78 pound, female GSD/Lab/Border Collie.

Onyx has the same thing recipe but rather than 2 cups of dry, she gets 1 each feeding.

Many people ask why the cottage cheese and flax seed oil. Have you heard of the Budwig diet? Flaxseed oil and cottage cheese are a great preventative way to prevent cancer! All in all, I do a lot of reading on holistic pet care and am a big advocate of tried and true methods. While I 100% side with raw feeding (I've done it, it is amazing), I don't have enough freezer space to feed 2 dogs raw.


Add-ons:

• I usually split 1 raw egg in their food once a week (it works wonders for their skin and coat)
• If I cook, they benefit. Cutting the fat off of your chicken? Boil it and save it. Trimming a steak? Give them the fat from the steak raw. No cooking needed.
• Raw Tripe is a great add-on. It is very affordable. If they have it at the grocery store, I buy it and share it with them.

Awkward Family Photo?!

If you've never given a friend an awkward family photo birthday card, you're not a very good friend. I took this photo last year around Christmas time and think it makes the perfect Awkward Dog Family Photo!

A little history on my two. In the back is Ares, he is a full-bred German Shepherd. I got him for my now husband as a Valentine's Day present. I sought out Shepherd breeders online and took my hubby (then boyfriend) over to the breeder's house as a surprise (he always wanted a German Shepherd) and Ares picked him! Ares turns 5 on December 4! We brought him home when he was just 10 pounds and he was a breeze. He was potty trained (I mean held it for 8 hours while I was at work) at 12 weeks old. He can do tons of tricks and, although he started as a Daddy's boy, he is definitely a Momma's Boy now.

And then there is Onyx...the smaller dog in the front. I was never a big dog owner but Ares was such an amazing animal we decided to expand our mini-family. We wanted to do a good deed so we sought a GSD in need at a rescue (this was before all the GSD-specific rescues existed on Facebook and such). We went out and met Onyx - her name at the time was Libby. She was about 8 months old and pulled from a kill shelter with her brother (who, oddly enough is a blonde color). She weighed 30 pounds and had a severe cut around her neck because her puppy collar had stayed on too long.

Onyx came home with us (positive story: I convinced a good friend of mine to adopt her brother). Onyx was not potty trained (as we were told) and had probably all of the worst habits an animal can have...many of them we have worked on. Turns out, Onyx is German Shepherd/Lab/Bordie Collie...she now weighs 78 pounds (she has a big appetite). Almost 4 years later and boy oh boy has Onyx kept our hands full.

Onyx stories to be continued...

Pay it forward! NJ Shelters - what to donate.

Dog enthusiasts consider their animals as family members. They sleep on orthopedic beds, get home-cooked meals and share our furniture with us.

You can keep reading, I won't go Sarah McLaughlin-homeless-puppy-commercial on you. Instead, I am here to help you help the dogs who don't have the spoiled lives ours do. If you're in New Jersey, helping those dogs is quite simple - especially since I am providing you a list of what to donate and where!

Camden County Animal Shelter
125 County House Road
Blackwood, NJ 08012

According to Fox 29 Philly, Camden County Animal Shelter is in SEVERE need of pet food. Grab a few cans or a 10 pound bag of dry food at your grocery store and drop it off. Let's all be honest here, the $10 you spend to help their animals could go to far worse things.

Burlington County Animal Shelter

35 Academy Drive
Westampton, NJ 08060

I have a soft spot for the BCAS. Many of my childhood pets were adopted from there and if there is one thing I can say with certainty, it's that this shelter is always very crowded. What does this mean? It means if you know a good rescue organization or run a foster, reach out - they NEED you! Like CCAS, they also need supplies - food is always needed in a shelter like this!

According to the Friends of Burlington County Animal Shelter website, "There are many ways you can help the Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter, including walking dogs, playing with cats, grooming the animals, posting pictures and bios of the animals online, fundraising, planning events, and, of course, donating money."



Monmouth County SPCA
260 Wall Street
Eatontown, NJ 07724

If there is one thing to be said about the Monmouth County SPCA it's that they bring a happy vibe to all that they do. Their facility is clean, the staff is friendly and they use social media to make all of their pets very adoptable.

One thing they ALWAYS need (aside from food and treats for their pets) is linens. Gently used, clean linens for their adoptable animals! This is so easy and FREE. Comforters that you don't use for beds anymore have a better place than tagging along with you to the beach! Donate them. While you are there, check out the place. It's one of the few shelters you can enter without feeling horrible guilt if you leave without a new addition to your family!

If you are in NJ, NYC or Philadelphia and know of a shelter in need, contact me! I will add them in. As pet lovers, we are all in this together!

A Monday Pick-me-Up!

Achieving virality is the holy grail of the internet. Bloggers, Facebook enthusiasts, journalists and businesses all seek to come up with that next viral content - whether it's a video, photo or clever ploy.

To help with your case of the Mondays, we picked our favorite pups gone viral.

Sergeant Shepherd


Boston Magazine shared this photo of Tuco, a potential police dog for the Boston Police!

With Veteran's Day upon us tomorrow, there's no shortage of amazing tales of Soldier dogs. Thank you Soldier dogs (and Soldiers) for our freedoms. One of our favorite K9's in training recently achieved virality!

The youngest police dog ever! We took this photo of Tuco, from Boston Magazine. Breaking Bad fans out there (myself included), yes his name is Tuco as in Tuco from the show!

A German Shepherd had to make it in today's post, how could I resist as the owner of two much larger cuties!

Now, it's Teddy Bear time.

Believe it or not, I once owned a Shih Tzu. Though I prefer larger dogs now, you can't deny their cuteness and the air of independence they possess. This video of munchkin, the teddy bear Shih Tzu melted the internet this week. If you haven't seen it, it's time.

You're welcome DogMothers.

Household items all DogMothers need to have in their homes!

There are some items I absolutely swear by. All DogMothers need to have them in their pantry. They are inexpensive and can be purchased at your local drug store, grocery market or Target!

Ares, my 5 year old, 100-pound German Shepherd

• Apple Cider Vinegar: This is one I absolutely SWEAR by. I've seen dogs of all breeds have negative skin reactions to Frontline and other anti-flea medications. Pick up some ACV (apple cider vinegar) and get on a regular routine. Put one teaspoon per day in your dogs' water bowl and you will never see a flea again. I've lived in heavily wooded areas, Florida and the damp state of NJ. Bonus use: take a paper towel, dip it in some warm water and put some ACV on it. Dab it on the dog's hot spot twice a day and the hot spot goes away (in 24-48 hours in my experience).
• Castor Oil: When shedding season comes around (twice a year for German Shepherds) it seems that the combination of their natural oil, dirt and hair follicles opening causes sebaceous cysts. They are usually round and a little squishy (like bird eggs). The first time Ares had one I admittedly freaked out and took him to the vet. I cannot help diagnose your dog's cyst but I can tell you that taking a cotton ball dipped in castor oil and blotting it on sebaceous cysts has fast results.
• Coconut Oil: Admittedly, I jumped on this bandwagon but the results are undeniable. Put a teaspoon of it in their food every day and you will see their coats start to shine and glow! For picky dogs I recommend melting the jar, putting in their favorite protein (boiled chicken or chicken broth) and putting it in the fridge or freezer to harden - make treats out of it!
• Hydrogen Peroxide: Aside from being able to force vomiting (in case your dog gets into something bad) there are other great uses for it. For instance, kennel cough. I can attest to the fact that you can cure kennel cough with hydrogen peroxide - there is a formula, however, that requires some honey and warm water - check it out here.
• WoundSeal powder: One of the things about having lively dogs (retrievers, shepherds, border collies, etc) is that they will have incidents. My rescue dog has had quite a few of her own. Most recently she sliced part of her ear in a way that could not be fixed by a vet (I recommend seeing a vet first if your dog has a wound) I ran to CVS and spent a little too much money on human wound care and the one thing that absolutely helped was the WoundSeal powder. I was able to stop bleeding with it until we saw a vet (that didn't have a solution). It was our go-to product for 48 hours. We applied it twice and a week later she successfully healed, though she does have a scar!

I am not a vet or a doctor so I can't guarantee your dogs will have the type of results mine have but after years of "incidents." I have tried most things and always prefer to look to a natural, household treatment. If nothing else, I urge you all to get your own ACV and castor oil; those two have been tried and true in my house!

One of my go-to sites is Earth Clinic - they have a way of crowdsourcing solutions to dog problems that allows you to see which have had success and which haven't!

A blog so shiny and sparkly

It's new. I decided to come back to the world of blogging. It's been a few years but it's not my first rodeo. I don't have any kids just yet but I do have two large dogs. One, a german shepherd named Ares that I got when he was 8 weeks old. He's loving, protective, silly and the biggest cuddler in the whole world.

And the other dog, Onyx, a shepherd/lab/border collie mix we rescued when she was 9 months old. We wanted another shepherd and her rescue predates all of the great full-bred adoption resources that flood Facebook. We found her on Craigslist and she has turned out to be the good deed that should somehow result in life-long good karma. She chews, digs, runs away, protects her food with all her will and has good and bad months. She is almost 4.

All in all, I am a jack of all trades. I'm told I'm a great writer but mostly I know I was meant to do something with medicine. I love naturalistic resources and have found great ways to keep my dogs happy, healthy and well adjusted (despite the hand I was dealt with Onyx).

I know a lot about cooking, I love watching terrible TV series, I have spent more money on make-up than I care to share, I love hockey and know more about it than most men and I was raised to only buy American cars (for better or worse). I am partially psychic (though without consistency), I can learn most anything (except sing or draw) and I often have great opinions and poor delivery.

If you want to know about the trials and tribulations of being a Dog Mother like myself, are seeking good advice about make up or are amused by the ramblings of a writer then you, my friend, have found the right blog.