Puddles

Hill's Pet Nutrition's Legacy of Disaster Relief for Pets

I am entering Hill's Fabulous Blog Contest that I learned of at BlogPaws2013. No compensation has been received for this post.

On May 8, 2013 Hill's Pet Nutrition announced its first-of-kind National Disaster Relief Network to help pets during emergencies. It was intended to be leading up to National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day on May 11 and also helps educate pet owners on what they can do to keep their pets safe when disaster strikes.

On May 20, 2013 an EF5 tornado descended upon Moore, Oklahoma destroying everything in its wake, killing 24 people, including 7 children, and leaving hundreds of pets in need.

Hill's Oklahoma relief began within two hours of the disaster. On May 24 Hill's activated its Disaster Relief Network. As a result Hill's has already shipped thousands of pounds of dog and cat food. In the coming weeks the company is planning a convoy of food, pet supplies and other items to support stricken families.




Hill's timely announcement only days before a natural disaster struck was coincidental. But the company has a legacy of involvement in disaster relief for pets beginning as far back as Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

• 2012 Hurricane Sandy: Hill's provided relief to pet owners by partnering with area shelters, PetSmart Charities and Petco, and the Red Cross to donate and distribute 103,000 pounds of pet food.
• 2011 Joplin, MO: Donated Science Diet® pet food to help feed pets arriving at local shelters.
• 2010 Japanese Tsunami: Provided support to tsunami victims through coordination with parent company Colgate-Palmolive. Hill's Japan donated several tons of pet food for pets in need.
• 2010 Gulf Coast Oil Spill: Hill's joined forces with the American Veterinary Medical Foundation and animal health company Merial to support more than 90 veterinary clinics and shelters to provide pet food and medical care to pets of affected Louisiana residents.
• 2007 California Wildfires: Hill's worked closely with relief organizations in California to help feed dogs and cats affected by the wildfires by donating 25 tons of Science Diet® and Prescription Diet® pet food distributed through local veterinary clinics.
• 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Hill's donated 100 tons of Hill's Science Diet® and Prescription Diet® pet food to feed displaced pets to veterinary clinics, Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams, veterinary schools and other locations where homeless pets were receiving care or being housed. Hill's team of veterinarians also donated their expertise to the rescue efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

As pet owners we uses several factors in deciding what food to buy our pets. But how many of us use knowledge of Hill's Pet Nutrition's National Disaster Relief Network or a company's community involvement in helping animals in need? These could easily become factors due to recent disasters and calls for help.

Bingo No. 3!

So excited that we got our third Bingo before Park Day 2.0 comes to an end! In case you don't remember, Gizmo and Finn's Park Day 2.0 is all about enjoying the outdoors with your dogs! 

While at BlogPaws2013 last week I met a Boston Terrier at the outdoor dog park playing with a Frisbee. I didn't catch his name but he sure was having fun, and he wouldn't share!

Thanks so much to Gizmo and Finn for encouraging us all to enjoy the outdoors with our dogs! I hope we win one of the great prizes too!

Love Dolly the Doxie (mix)

xoxox

Bingo No. 2!

Well, Park Day 2.0 is coming to an end soon! In case you don't remember, Gizmo and Finn's Park Day 2.0 is all about enjoying the outdoors with your dogs! I was able to get a few more squares and have another bingo! 

On Sunday at my park, visit my post Bingo! to catch up on the other squares, I took a second after running zoomies to smell the flowers.

 

Then, one of my BFF's, Zoe, spotted a squirrel! She considers herself the queen of our park and no squirrel is safe when she is on her walk! Watch!

Thanks again to Gizmo and Finn for organizing Park Day 2.0. The Lady I rescued and I have had a great time! Don't forget, there are prizes to be won too! I hope I win this time!

Love, Dolly the Doxie (mix)

xoxox

B&W Sunday: Puddles

This week we had some pretty bad storms. As usual the park was all flooded. Because of the weather no one was around so the Lady I rescued let me off leash. Its very unusual for me to walk in a puddle but I couldn't resist a drink of water.

What? I'm not suppose to drink from puddles? Now you tell me! When we got home dad found a big hole in the windshield of his truck. A branch from a nearby tree had blown off and fell on it. Poor dad! Speaking of dad's we are posting again a picture of my grandpa that I never got to meet. He is going off to war and saying goodbye to his beloved dog.

On this Memorial Day let's not forget that the holiday isn't about going to the beach or having a barbecue but about remembering and thanking those that fought for and gave their lives for our freedom.

Love Dolly the Doxie (mix)

xoxox

I'm joining the Black & White Sunday blog hop hosted by My Life in Blog Years, Dachshund Nola, and You Did What With Your Weiner.

Professional Product Review: 1st Attempt

It all started yesterday afternoon when the Lady that I rescued noticed a piece of my nose scraped off. When she asked dad about it as usual he claimed it didn't happen on his watch.

After that the Lady I rescued proceeded to go over our day to see if she could recall how this could have happened. Since it had rained all day keeping me indoors that was the first clue. The huge bag of swag we had just brought back from BlogPaws was the second clue that arose. Jones Natural Chews, our neighbors in Rockford, IL, products were in the bag! Thinking it would be nice for me to have a treat, and keep me busy for awhile, she gave me one of their bully sticks. Also, being busy doesn't mean chewing, its me looking for a place to bury the stick. First there's my bed, a chair in the living room, and lastly, mom caught me dragging it out of the laundry on the floor in her closet.

Perhaps I haven't made the connection between the Jones Natural Chews and a Professional Product Review clear yet? When I bury things I bury them with my nose. I will scrape it along whatever surface there is over, and over, and over again.  Got it?

After determining how I scraped my nose, the Lady I rescued then came up with the bright idea to try one of the great products we had been given. In our bag we had a sample from Vetericyn of its Wound & Skin Care. Well, I had a wound didn't I? It's the perfect opportunity to try a new product and do a Professional Product Review!

After reading the teensy instructions on the bottle and learning that it was safe to use around the nose, mouth, and eyes a plan evolved. The plan was to wait until I had crashed on the couch for some evening TV viewing. First step is to get a picture, right? After she nearly made me blind from the iPhone flash she pulled out a bottle and proceded to aim it at me. At that point I knew I was in trouble, what is she going to do? Well she sprayed something wet all over my nose! So I did what any normal dog would do, after first trying to get away, lick it off. Which I did a few times. That's when she realized it wasn't too smart to think that the product would just stay on my nose and heal the scrape.

Lesson learned. Don't attempt a product review when the product can be licked off in a second.

Love Dolly the Doxie (mix)

xoxox

What I Brought Back from BlogPaws!

We're back from BlogPaws2013! Its great to be back in Blogville! Me and the Lady that I rescued have been gone for a few days. We missed reading and commenting on some blogs but are working on catching up. In case you missed it, we were first time attendees (Newbies), at BlogPaws2013 in Tysons Corner, VA. We have been very busy preparing for and attending the conference.

At BlogPaws2013, we saw, heard and learned so much its overwhelming! To help us get organized, and not forget all the great information and ideas, we thought we would put a post together to share with our readers what we brought back from the conference. Besides swag and business cards!

• Putting faces with names: By far the best part! Meeting GloGirly in person (and Waffles Too & Katie On-a-Stick) and all my other blog pals -- priceless!
• Guest blog: Stay tuned! 
• Wordpress: Excited to learn that WordPress is THE place for "professional" bloggers. Another stay tuned for a whole new website!
• Sole proprietor: The Lady learned that what she is doing is legal.
• Professional product review:  Using my voice is humorous and original. Winning! 
• Copyright: Add copyright protection for my blog, also watermarks to photos.
• Assemble your assets! As a social media consultant for a pet products business the Lady has access to numerous resources for blogging.
• Social media priorities: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest. 
• Transport rescue: Our niche? 
• Never stop learning: Needs no explanation. See you at BlogPaws2014!

Here are some special accomplishments applicable to just me:

• Ride in the elevator without laying down: This is huge! I am no longer scared after the door shuts and we start to move.
• Less shy: I got very used to strangers coming up to me. Its not so bad, I even did tricks in the lobby! 

Look at me on the red carpet in front of all the puparazzi! Fearless!

Love, Dolly the Doxie (mix)

xoxox

Wordless Wednesday: Sweet Home Chicago!

BlogPaws or Bust!

Bingo!

Hi! Dolly here! Finally, the lady I rescued and I got bingo on our bingo card! You may recall that this is all for Gizmo and Finn's Park Day 2.0. Its been a lot of fun playing, and a bit of a challenge! Let's see what I did:

Finding a park 10 minutes from our house was easy! Just at the end of our block is Dickinson Park. Its a very nice little park nestled in an intersection of side streets lined with Arts and Crafts historic bungalows. It has a fun playground that recently underwent a total renovation. It is named after a founding family that built a brick mansion-like home along the park. 

Another park near our home is what I call "my park." It is the park I have been going to since I was a puppy. I live in the city so it is an urban park. Portage Park is very famous, it is 36 acres in size making it he largest park on the northwest side of Chicago. Portage Park came into being in 1913 and is a reference to the route that ran along what is today Irving Park Road that had once been used by Native Americans and fur traders to "portage" their canoes between the Des Plaines and Chicago Rivers.

On Sunday I had the most fun of all! Mom took me into the city to Lincoln Park! This park is really famous, it has a zoo, lagoon and is surrounded by one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city. It is just on the other side of Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan. Normally I wouldn't get to go to Lincoln Park because its at least 30 minutes from our house, depending on traffic, but I went to meet new friends! Rocco from To Dog with Love was visiting from Atlanta, and Sugar, from Golden Woofs! Sugar the Golden Retriever, lives on the north shore, so we all got together to meet before BlogPaws2013. We got along great! Sugar loves to play ball and run, Rocco is still a puppy so he loves to play, and I love to do both so we got along famously! I had a blast! Lots of interesting art and sculptures, modern and historical, surround the area so I checked out this one!

We really should do a separate blog post just on Lincoln Park, but we are getting ready to go to BlogPaws2013 so this will be our last blog post before the conference. Until then, enjoy my photos from a great day with new friends!

Love, Dolly the Doxie (mix)

xoxox

I'm Game for Park Day 2.0!

Sunny spot in my "park"yard!

Well, I haven't been in Blogville much lately and it's all the lady that I rescued's fault. She has been pretty busy taking an online web design course and working on our new look. Please let us know what you think of it!

So we have missed a few blog hops lately, but Park Day 2.0 is something not to be missed. My blog pals Gizmo and Finn came up with the idea to build on the success of the original Park Day. This time, instead of the lady's not so bright idea of us going on a hike in the city, we have to fill in a bingo card with certain places or things to do, and take pictures of everything we complete. Here's my card:

You can see that there are a lot of fun new things to try, and some that I do everyday, like Spot a Squirrel. So stay tuned to see my progress! I have until June 2nd to get Bingo so maybe I'll get to do some of these things on my exciting trip to BlogPaws2013. Oh, and did I mention there are great prizes?

Love Dolly

xoxox