Love It: Custom Pet Shop Portrait of Bean!

A few days ago my mailbox was filled with one of the best packages that I have ever received IN MY WHOLE LIFE!  The package was a small square box with the word 'yay' stamped on the side.  This was enough to get me to jump up in the air and literally shout "YAY!"  From stalking other dog bloggers, I knew exactly what was inside my exciting box as soon as I saw it.

Photo via Yellow Brick Home

Ohhhh, yes!  Inside my itty bitty package was an itty bitty custom portrait of the one and only itty bitty Bean!  I ordered my custom portrait back when Emily at Our Waldo Bungie shared her portraits of Turk and Rufus (and so kindly offered a 10% off discount to The Pet Shop).  At that time I had been majorly lusting over my very own custom portrait of Athena, but I knew that I wanted to order it specifically for a special occasion.  The time was right, and I planned Athena's portrait to arrive around her one-year gotcha day.

If any of you have been on the fence about ordering one of Kim's custom pet portraits from The Pet Shop, I urge you to click this link right here and get your custom order placed!  Seriously, I am ECSTATIC about how perfect Athena's portrait turned out.  Every time I look at it I have to pinch myself because it's just so beautiful.  When I ordered the portrait I knew that Kim would work her magic and produce an amazing product, but I had no idea that it would be SO absolutely perfect.

Not only did Kim capture Athena's personality, but she also showcased her brindle fur and made it look soft enough to touch.  Every time I look at the portrait I am stunned at how well Kim painted Athena's pouty bottom lip, her little white feet, her signature collar and flower, as well as her floppy pittie ears.  The attention to detail is amazing.

An added bonus to our order was that Kim and Scott brought Athena's portrait along with them to an event right before shipping it off to us.  Athena was on display for all to see what amazing work these two do!

Photo via Yellow Brick Home

So if my ranting and raving still hasn't persuaded you to order your very own custom pet portrait, then you might want to check out some other custom portraits that have been commissioned by other bloggers so that you can see more of Kim's amazing work:

Adventures of a Dog Mom: Boomer & Dottie
Our Waldo Bungie: Turk & Rufus
Oh Melvin: Melvin & Jake
And Foster Makes Five: Gaige
Love and a Six-Foot Leash: Chick, Bug, & the Fosters

Is it just me, or is Athena's custom portrait the spitting image of her?

Love It: Peach Industries' Park It Mat and Travel Bag (and a Giveaway!)

************************THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED************************

B and I are the kind of dog owners who think that our dog is our child and therefore should go out and about with us to as many places as possible.  This means that in a typical week, Athena will go on one or two "special" outings whether it be to the local pet store, to the coffee shop, or even out to lunch with us.

Recently the very talented designers at Peach Industries contacted us and asked if we'd like to try out their new Park It Mat and Travel Bag.  Of course we responded with a "YES!" because we absolutely love taking Athena around town with us and we knew that the Park It Mat and bag would make our outings even more enjoyable!

Park It Mat & Travel Bag

When we received our goodies in the mail, we noticed right away that they are very high quality items made with only the best materials.  Both the mat and the bag are made using 100% cotton fabric and all materials are sourced in the USA.  The Park It Mat measures 21.75" by 34.25" which is a perfect size for a range of different sized dogs.  Athena fits perfectly on her mat and has lots of wiggle room to reposition herself.  Not only is the mat machine washable, the bottom is water resistant!  That's such an awesome feature for us because the weather can often be unpredictable here in the Pacific Northwest.

I love that the bottom of the mat is a black fabric so that it will always stay looking brand new and we don't have to worry so much about where we lay it down.  The top of the mat is made with a beautiful charcoal gray fabric and has a neat vintage Peach Industries design in blue ink (they have three different styles/colors to chose from including Vintage, Classic, and Tulips).  One of the most unique features of this mat are the corners which are specially sewn to prevent them from curling up.

As if the Park It Mat isn't cool enough, we also had the pleasure of testing out the Travel Bag which is specifically designed to hold the Park It Mat and all of your dog's necessities.  The mat folds up neatly and fits in the back straps of the Travel Bag for easy access wherever you and your pup may be.  There is quite a bit of room inside the travel bag and was even a perfect fit for my laptop AND all of Athena's things.

Out and About with the Park It Mat

Over the past couple of weeks we've put the Park It Mat and Travel Bag to good use by bringing it along with us on our most recent beach trip and all around Portland.  Since using the mat, I've noticed such a difference in how Athena acts on our outings.  When we used to ask Athena to lay down on the ground outside at a restaurant or at a coffee shop, she would get uncomfortable quickly (really though, who likes laying on hard concrete?) making us cut our outings short.

Now that we have the Park It Mat, Athena will lay at our feet for however long we ask.  She LOVES having her own place to lay and observe her surroundings.  No longer is she wiggling around to get comfortable, but she's now able to actually relax and enjoy our outings.

Canine-Friendly Dining

The Park It Mat is perfect to bring along to canine-friendly restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops.  Lately we've been spending a lot more time outside of our local Starbucks and on restaurant patios while Athena lays at our feet and enjoys the outing.

Picnics at the Park

We've also brought the Park It Mat along with us to the park where Athena is learning that the park isn't just for playing with her ball, but can be for relaxing with a snack too!

Group Training Classes

The Park It Mat has also come in handy during our Canine Good Citizen class and at flyball practice to teach Athena that her mat is her place to settle.

Park It Mat & Travel Bag Giveaway

The possibilites are endless with the Park It Mat and Travel Bag as to where you and your pooch can go for an outing!  The kind people at Peach Industries want to give one lucky Pitlandia reader a Park It Mat and Travel Bag of their very own (in your choice of design!).  If that isn't cool enough, they are also providing a runner-up winner with one of their Leash Keepers for conveniently carrying a pet-safe deterrent spray while out on walks.

Here's how to enter the Peach Industries' giveaway:

• PRIZE FOR WINNER: One Park It Mat and Travel Bag in the design of your choice (see the design options here)
• PRIZE FOR RUNNER-UP WINNER: One pet-safe deterrent spray Leash Keeper (see them here)
• PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The Park It Mat, Travel Bag, and Leash Keeper are all made by Peach Industries in the USA!
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post and tell us which Park It Mat & Travel Bag you'd like to win.  Example: Athena would love to win a Vintage Park It Mat & Travel Bag!  You can earn BONUS entries if you do the following and let us know what you did in your comment:
• Like Pitlandia on Facebook (if you already like us, just tell us!)
• Like Peach Industries on Facebook
• Share this giveaway on Facebook
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Saturday, June 15th 2013 at 9pm (Pacific Time) 
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One 1st prize winner (Park It Mat & Travel Bag) and one 2nd prize winner (Leash Keeper).
• PRIZE VALID FOR: Citizens of the U.S.
• GIVEAWAY INFO: One entry per e-mail address is permitted (make sure to provide me with an e-mail address if you don't set up a Blogger or Google+ account).  If you submit your comment using your Blogger or Google+ account, make sure that your e-mail is visible on your profile.  If you're not sure, just leave your e-mail address in your comment, please!  The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Saturday, June 15th, 2013 as an update to this post (after 9pm PST). I will also email the winner on the 15th for information on how to redeem their prize.
• NOTE: Peach Industries provided us with the Park It Mat and Travel Bag, but the views of their products are our very own!

Congratulations to Brittney for winning a Park It Mat & Travel Bag 

and congratulations to Abby from Doggerel for winning a Leash Keeper!

Love It: Scout and Zoe's Treats (and a Giveaway!)

************************THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED************************

Having a pooch with allergies means that I spend most of my time in the pet store reading and examining dog food and treat labels.  I'm especially always on the hunt for treats that have limited ingredients, are grain/wheat/corn/soy free, made in the USA, and have ingredients that I can actually pronounce.  So, when Scout & Zoe's founder Cindy Dunston Quirk contacted me and asked if Athena would like to try some USA made chicken jerky and sweet potato treats that are especially made for dogs with allergies, I knew that we had to give them a try!

Scout & Zoe's chicken jerky and sweet potato treats

Scout & Zoe's Chicken Jerky:

I know, I know, just hearing "chicken jerky" is scary with all of the recent deaths linked to chicken jerky manufactured in China.  But, Scout & Zoe's is doing chicken jerky the right way for our beloved four-legged kids.  There's nothing to fear with these amazing chicken jerky treats!  Not only are they made in the USA, but they are also made from USDA grade A boneless, skinless chicken breast that also happens to be human grade.

Finally we've found some chicken jerky that is 100% safe for Athena and that she thinks is ever so tasty.  And get this, the ONLY ingredient in Scout & Zoe's chicken jerky is CHICKEN BREAST!  There are absolutely zero preservatives in these healthy treats which makes me love them even more.

Scout & Zoe's chicken jerky taste testing

Athena thought the chicken jerky was absolutely amazing!  She's actually never had any type of jerky before, so this was a very special treat for her.  I love how large the pieces of chicken jerky are and there are quite a few stuffed into the two ounce bag.  The jerky is also very easy to break into smaller pieces to use for training treats because we all know how hard we make Athena work for her food ;)

The humans and the pooch in this household give Scout and Zoe's chicken jerky two thumbs and four paws up!

Scout & Zoe's Sweet Potato Treats:

Ohhhh, how Athena loves sweet potatoes!  This girl went gaga over Scout & Zoe's sweet potato treats and even did some extra special tricks to get her hands paws on the yummy goodness.

Like Scout & Zoe's chicken jerky, their sweet potato treats are also manufactured in the USA and are made from USA grown fancy sweet potatoes.  The only ingredient you'll find on this bag of treats is SWEET POTATOES!  Once again, these treats from Scout & Zoe's have no preservatives whatsoever and are the epitome of canine treat perfection.

I love the size of the big round pieces of dehydrated sweet potato treats that come in the two ounce bag.  They are the perfect snack to give Athena for what we call her "bonus treats" that she gets for doing extra special things like "go to your crate," and "trade."  These sweet potato treats are also perfect for breaking into smaller pieces to use for our daily training sessions.  We've found that Athena enjoys a piece of sweet potato just as much as she does a piece of cheese (but sweet potatoes are healthier...woo hoo!).

Scout & Zoe's Antler Chews:

Not only does Scout & Zoe's sell delicious doggie treats online and in retail stores across the US, they also have quite a variety of natural antler chews to choose from.  Antlers are wonderful for dogs who crave something to chew on throughout the day and are also filled with healthy minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.  The antlers over at Scout & Zoe's are naturally shed elk antlers from the USA.

Scout & Zoe's so kindly agreed to give away the large elk antler that you see above to one lucky Pitlandia reader!

Here's how to enter the Scout & Zoe's Antler Chew giveaway:

• PRIZE FOR YOU: One large Scout & Zoe's naturally shed elk antler made in the USA.
• PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The large sized antler is intended for dog's 30-50 pounds.
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post and tell us what your dog's favorite thing to chew on is (maybe it's an extra tough toy, a 12" bully stick, or even an antler).  Example: Athena loves to chew on Scout & Zoe's elk antlers!  You can earn BONUS entries if you do the following and let us know what you did in your comment:
• Like Pitlandia on Facebook (if you already like us, just tell us!)
• Like Scout & Zoe's on Facebook
• Share this giveaway on Facebook
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, June 7th 2013 at 9pm (Pacific Time) 
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE VALID FOR: Citizens of the U.S.
• GIVEAWAY INFO: One entry per e-mail address is permitted (make sure to provide me with an e-mail address if you don't set up a Blogger or Google+ account).  If you submit your comment using your Blogger or Google+ account, make sure that your e-mail is visible on your profile.  If you're not sure, just leave your e-mail address in your comment, please!  The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Friday, June 7th, 2013 as an update to this post (after 9pm PST). I will also email the winner on the 7th for information on how to redeem their prize.
• NOTE: Scout & Zoe's provided us with all of the tasty treats that you see above, but the views of their products are our own.

Congratulations to Christina for winning the Scout & Zoe's elk antler!

Love It: STAM Grain-Free Treats (and a Giveaway!)

************************THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED************************

Have you heard of STAM before?  If not, you're in for a treat (hehe)!  STAM is a grain-free dog treat manufacturing company located right here in Portland, Oregon.  Athena thinks that STAM treats are absolutely delicious and we love them because they are free of grains, dairy, eggs, meat, glycerin, soy, yeast, whey, and GMO.

Athena is reenacting the supermodel photo featured on her bag of STAM treats

STAM treats come in a variety of tasty (and healthy!) flavors including peanut butter and blueberry, banana and coconut, as well as pumpkin and clove.  They also offer supplemental treats such as a digestion boost and an anti-inflamatory boost.  Athena's favorite is the banana and coconut!  Not only does STAM make great treats, they also donate 10% of their profits to animal sanctuaries.

Athena thinks the banana and coconut treats are the bomb-dot-com!

Athena loves STAM!

As if the amazing ingredient list wasn't enough, STAM's packaging is the best out there!  That's because each and every bag comes with a photo of a STAM dog model on it.  All dogs are worthy of STAM stardom and can have their face on bags of STAM treats if their personal assistants parents simply e-mail a photo to the people at STAM (stam@stamtreats.com)!

STAM treats hanging at Healthy Pets NW

Of course, when we heard that Athena could be famous with her face on dog treat bags, we e-mailed a collection of her photos right away.  If you order from STAM's online store, all you have to do is leave them a note in the comments section stating that you would like to see your dog's face on your bags of STAM.  Many local stores in Portland carry STAM treats, so we are always on the hunt for bags with Athena on them.  You can check the STAM website to find out where the closest retailer is in your area.

Our cover girl!

So, last week I placed my order on the STAM website and specified that I'd like to see my famous Athena on my treats bags.  This is what I received only a couple of days later:

Of course we had to get a few bags of treats for Athena too =)

Seeing as today is Memorial Day, my birthday was on Saturday, AND June 1st is Athena's made-up 2nd birthday, we are celebrating with a giveaway for one lucky winner to receive a bag of STAM treats with Athena's photo on them (in her favorite flavor) and a snack pack of her runner-up favorite flavor!

Athena posing with the giveaway prizes (sorry, cute dog not included!)

Here's how to enter the STAM Grain-Free Treat giveaway:

• PRIZE FOR YOU: One 8.5 oz bag of STAM grain-free treats (with Athena's picture on it!) in the banana & coconut flavor AND one 2.0 oz snack pack of STAM grain-free treats in the flavor peanut butter & blueberry
• PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: All STAM treats are free of grains, dairy, eggs, meat, glycerin, soy, yeast, whey, and GMO and are made right here in Portland, Oregon!
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post and tell us what your dog's favorite treats are.  Example: Athena will do anything for banana and coconut STAM grain-free treats!  You can earn a BONUS entry if you post a photo to our Facebook page of your dog working for their favorite treats!
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, May 29th 2013 at 9pm (Pacific Time) 
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE VALID FOR: Citizens of the U.S.
• GIVEAWAY INFO: One entry per e-mail address is permitted (make sure to provide me with an e-mail address if you don't set up a Blogger or Google+ account). The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday, May 30th, 2013 as an update to this post. I will also email the winner on the 30th for information on how to redeem their prize.
• NOTE: In no way did STAM compensate us for this post.  The views of their products are our own and we purchased the treats for this giveaway with our own money.

Congratulations to Hannah from Erie-sisti-Bulls for winning the STAM grain-free treat package!

Top 10 Food Dispensing Dog Toys

Food dispensing toys have become a big part of our lives since cutting Athena off from her food bowl cold turkey seven months ago.  Each and every morning, Athena eats her breakfast out of a toy and each and every evening, she eats her dinner out of another toy.  Depending on our schedules and Athena's need for entertainment, she might also receive a food dispensing toy filled with a snack during the day as well.  Since incorporating daily mental stimulation into Athena's routine, she has become a much more calm and relaxed dog.

Because we feed all meals out of food dispensing toys, it is important to us that we rotate the toys often to keep Athena entertained and challenged.  This means that we've accumulated a boat load of different toys.  While some of them have been flops, we have quite a long list of toys that we absolutely love and recommend.

We looked at our favorites and rated them using the following criteria.  However, Athena had the final say in the order of the top ten!

Here's our top ten list of favorite food dispensing toys (counting down to the #1 best toy!):

#10 StarMark Bob-a-Lot

Difficulty:  4 paws

Durability:  2 paws

Ease of Use:  1 paw

Storage Size:  3 paws

Price:  ($15.89 for size large)

The StarMark Bob-a-Lot was Athena's very first food dispensing toy.  As you can see from the picture,  it has many indents and scratches from Athena's teeth as she learned how to maneuver the toy.  Because this toy is made from such hard plastic, the scratches have caused Athena to get a few nicks on her nose that have now scarred.  We do love that this toy has two openings (one on the top and one on the side) and that the difficulty can be changed.  However, it isn't as easy to fill with food and it doesn't open up to allow for a thorough cleaning.

#9 Kong Satellite

Difficulty:  3 paws

Durability:  3 paws

Ease of Use:  1 paw

Storage Size:  3 paws

Price:  ($7.99)

We recently wrote an entire review of the new Kong Satellite (see it here).  We love its unique shape which provides Athena with a different experience than the usual "nose bopping" toy.  However, this toy is a bit difficult to fill with food and treats which also makes it tough to thoroughly clean.

#8 Kong Wobbler

Difficulty:  1 paw

Durability:  4 paws

Ease of Use:  4 paws

Storage Size:  3 paws

Price:  ($13.57 for size large)

We love the Kong Wobbler for how easy it is to fill with kibble because it unscrews at the middle.  This also makes it very easy to thoroughly clean.  The material of the Wobbler is excellent quality making it extremely durable.  A major downside to the Kong Wobbler is that there is no way to change the difficulty, meaning that this is a very easy food dispenser for Athena.

#7 Buster Food Cube

Difficulty:  2 paws

Durability:  3 paws

Ease of Use:  2 paws

Storage Size:  2 paws

Price:  ($17.50 for size large)

Although a bit pricey, the Buster Food Cube is a hit with Athena.  She loves to swat this toy all around the house hoping for her kibble to fall out.  Unfortunately there isn't a way to change the difficulty on this toy, but it is rather challenging as is.

#6 PetSafe Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble

Difficulty:  3 paws

Durability:  3 paws

Ease of Use:  4 paws

Storage Size:  4 paws

Price:  ($13.74 for size large)

This toy has quite the kibble capacity and is unique in how its difficulty is changed.  Kibble is dispensed from either end of the egg shaped toy, and each opening has plastic prongs that can be cut out depending on how difficult you want the toy to be for your dog.  As of now, we haven't cut any prongs from the toy and it has remained EXTREMELY challenging for Athena (just the way we like it)!

#5 Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball

Difficulty:  2 paws

Durability:  3 paws

Ease of Use:  3 paws

Storage Size:  3 paws

Price:  ($9.71 for size large)

This treat dispensing toy makes it to the top five of our list because Athena is totally obsessed with it!  She probably loves it so much because it's a ball, but we love it because Athena not only receives mental stimulation, but she also physically exercises with this one.  The toy is fairly easy to fill, although not as easy to wash out.  Another bonus of this toy is that it is nearly silent when Athena rolls it around because of its soft rubber material (perfect for hardwood floors!).

#4 Kong Extreme

Difficulty:  4 paws

Durability:  4 paws

Ease of Use:  3 paws

Storage Size:  3 paws

Price:  ($14.03 for size extra large)

It's probably no surprise that the Kong makes it to the top of our list of food dispensing toys.  Athena would do anything to have a Kong a day to keep the doctor away.  What makes the Kong Extreme so great is its mega durability (for Athena anyway, I know some dogs have been known to chomp the tops right off of this toy!).  We usually only offer Athena a frozen Kong that has been stuffed with a Kibble mixture.  See the post we did on Kong stuffing recipes here.

#3 Ethical Contempo Tessa

Difficulty:  4 paws

Durability:  4 paws

Ease of Use:  3 paws

Storage Size:  3 paws

Price:  ($14.99)

At one point in time the Contempo Tessa was our number one favorite food dispensing toy.  As we've grown our collection, it has been surpassed by a couple, but still remains one of our favorites for its unique design and ability to change the difficulty.  We love that this food dispenser has two food dispensing chambers that make it that much more challenging for Athena.  It is also fairly easy to fill and clean.

#2 Kong Stuff-a-Ball

Difficulty:  4 paws

Durability:  4 paws

Ease of Use:  4 paws

Storage Size:  4 paws

Price:  ($10.07 for size large)

Yet another Kong product makes it to our top ten list!  This is similar to the Kong Extreme, but Athena especially enjoys its ball shape.  Our favorite thing about this particular Kong is how much food we can stuff inside before freezing it.  It's also easier to stuff than the Kong Extreme and less expensive =)

#1 PetSafe Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom

Difficulty:  4 paws

Durability:  4 paws

Ease of Use:  4 paws

Storage Size:  4 paws

Price:  ($16.10 for size large)

The Magic Mushroom is our number one favorite food dispensing toy!  Athena has loved this toy for many months and still has such gusto when playing with it.  As you can see from the above picture, the mushroom has taken quite a beating, but it is still in great working order.  Athena absolutely loves flinging this toy all around the house by carrying it around in her mouth (notice all of the teeth marks).  She also gets excited and will swat it around with her paws.  It's easy to change the difficulty of this toy and it's also easy to fill and clean.

But wait, there's more!:

Of course we don't only own ten food dispensing toys (because clearly we are food dispensing toy hoarders).  Here are a few more toys that we love, but didn't quite make the top ten:

Busy Buddy Twist n' Treat

Smarter Toys IQ Treat Ball

StarMark Treat Dispensing Chew Ball

Kong Genius Mike
Kong Dental Toy

PetSafe Busy Buddy Barnacle

Jolly Pets Monster Mouth

We also have a few toys that were major flops, but we'll save that discussion for another day!

Have you retired your dog's food bowl yet?  What are your dog's favorite food dispensing toys?

*All prices are directly from Amazon.com