Thankful Halloween

Buddy, Sam, Merci

We've been thinking about what to be thankful for this week. Well, we are thankful for many things, but we couldn't figure out what to post. And then we remembered we're having a warm spell in between cold. So we decided this week we would post on how nice it is to have fur siblings to curl up with when the weather is nippy. (Yeah, it gets nippy in the house too.)

There are so many furries - and humans too - who don't have a home or warm bedding, let alone love and  companionship. Yes, we have much to be thankful for.  What about you?

We realize today is Halloween but we're not into wearing costumes and Jan won't let us beg treats from strangers, so we'll just wish you all a fun time tonight.

Merci

We're going to link up with PepiSmartDog's Thankful Thursday blog hop.

And This N That Thursday blog hop at the 2BrownDawgs.

Winner and Halloween Safety

Sam:  Hey, Sam, Merci and Buddy here -

Merci: * taps Sam's leg*  Excuse me, Sam, but you forgot Rusty.

Sam"  But Rusty isn't a dog.  He just came along in case there were cat treats.

Merci: Nevertheless, he's here; he needs to be acknowledged.

Buddy:  What these two are taking the long way around to say is that today we announce the winner of the coupon for the free can of the new Iams Shakeables treats for dogs. 

Rusty:  Yes, the woofies went to Random.org to choose a winner.  It picked #6, and that number was assigned to Ruckus the Eskie from the blog  of the same name.,  Hey, Ruckus, as soon as you send us your mailing address, we will get the coupon off to you.

Buddy:  Hey, Rusty, I was supposed to make the announcement.

Rusty:  I'm sorry. You were all busy trying to cajole Jan into some more treats.  I didn't think we should keep entrants waiting.  Especially since Cameron has been waiting patiently to give his news.

Cameron:  Hey, I have a PSA announcement for you today.  Halloween is fast approaching and we know a number of blogs are hosting a party for all their blogging furry friends, so we thought we would help you all get safely through Spook Day. Actually, this information might be more helpful to your humans but we think you should know what they are planning to do to keep you safe.

Don't be fooled by the title.  These tips are for dogs AND cats. We Feline Funny Farmers would take offense at being left out, but you must understand the infographic was made for a dog site but appropriated ... um, I mean appropriate for all furries.

This is as large as it gets on this blog, so if you would like to see it in print large enough to actually read, we will direct your little paws to 8 Tips to Keep Your Dog Safe and Stree-Free This Halloween.

This infographic was created by The Uncommon Dog.com and used with permission.

Now go party and have fun with all your friends and know your humans have your back. 

Jumpy is in Charge

Buddy: The cats had a turn posting Friday, so we get to do the Sunday Smile today.

Merci: We all agree this is a great video.  We don't want Jan to see it, though.  She'll get ideas.

Sam:  And you know how humans are when they get an idea.

Merci: She will think this dog is so cute she'll want us to be just like him.

Sam:  We don't want to have to break it to her she just couldn't train her way out of a paper bag.

Buddy: Yes, it's we furries that train the humans and then we let them believe it's the other way around. Watch the video and notice how well Jumpy has trained his human who hasn't a clue Jumpy is in charge.  :)


If the video doesn't play, click here.

We are joining the Black & White blog hop hosted by Daschshund Nola. 

Life With Lulu ... er, Loulou

Percy:  Hey, it's Friday, my favorite day of the week.

Cameron:  Why is that?

Cyndi:  Because it's interview day.  We get to post another kitty interview.

Micah:  And we have another good one today.

Rusty:   Yes, and she came all the way from France to talk with us. 

Percy: We are privileged to feature the lovely tuxie Loulou from the Living with Lulu blog.  We know you will enjoy her interview, Living and Laughing With Loulou, exclusively at Mousebreath, the ezine for cats by cats.

Cameron: Loulou, we don't know why we have this mental block about your name.  It's so easy to remember and to spell.   We're sorry we keep spelling it Lulu.  We understand you answer to either spelling but we want to acknowledge you by your correct name..

And today is the Pet Parade blog hop #12 at Rascal & Rocco's. 

No Fish or Nip Shakeables

Buddy:  As you know we love to eat and we're always open to taste testing edibles, so we were salivating with anticipation when Pam & Oskar from Pet Blogs United asked for volunteers to try the new Iams Shakeables.

Iams Shakeables

Merci:  This is what they look like - soft and meaty bite-size triangles for dogs.  They come in 3 flavors: Clucky Me (chicken), Un-Baa-Lievable (lamb), and Gobble ‘Em Up (turkey). We wanted to try a different flavor, so we chose the lamb.  Iams named them Shakeables because we're supposed to come running when Jan shakes the can.

Sam, Merci, Buddy & Rusty

Sam:  We've been waiting and today Jan came outside and finally shook the can.  We responded.

Merci:  Hey, wait a minute, there are only supposed to be three taste testers.

Rusty:  I'm an honorary woofie.  And when Jan shook the can, there was no megaphone announcement the treats were for woofies only.  Any furry within hearing range was invited. I responded.

Sam & Rusty

Sam:  Me first, me first, me first.  

Rusty:  *sniff, sniff*  No fish or nip.  Guess I'll pass.

(Merci) Buddy helping himself

Buddy:  What?  You were feeding Sam a treat.  I helped myself.  What's the problem?

Sam & Buddy

Sam:  You want to shake the can again, Jan?  Maybe some treats will fall out for us.

Merci & Sam

Merci:  How did we like the Iams Shakeables?  We think they lived up to their name.  Jan shook the can.  We responded.  We taste tested.  We approve.  

Buddy:  The reason Jan waited until yesterday to let us try them is because we were waiting on a video commercial to be released so we could include it in our post.  It was created by Andrew Grantham who is known for his viral video hit, “Ultimate Dog Tease."  If you haven't seen it, take a minute to do so.  It's hilarious.

His video for Iams is called Punk'd Puppy.  You'll enjoy this.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Iams says:  "Through December 31st, for every view or hashtag (#ShakeItForward) share, Iams will donate a bowl of food to pets in need at select nonprofit  animal shelters across the country--up to 250,000 bowls of food—through our Bowls of Love program!"  We're not sure whether that means on Twitter, on Facebook or on both sites, but we wanted to let you know.

UPDATE from petcarebev: Hello everybody! I work at Iams and just wanted to clarify that you can share #ShakeItForward on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For every hashtag share, we’ll donate a meal to pets in need (through Dec. 31). Thank you for helping #ShakeItForward!

And one more thing.  Iams has provided us with a coupon for a free can of Shakeables to give away. We're sorry but we can only offer it to those who live in the United States.

If you would like to win the drawing for the coupon, just leave us a comment telling us you would like to enter.  The giveaway will end at midnight EDT, Saturday, October 26th.  A winner will e chosen via Random.org and the winner will be announced on Monday, October 28th.

(Any dog wanting to enter the giveaway but is unable to leave a comment, you can use the contact form in our sidebar or email us and we will enter you.)

Iams provided us with a can of Shakeables to taste test.  We were not paid for this review and any opinion expressed is purely our own.

We are always grateful to you, our readers and friends, so we're joining PepiSmartDog.com for today's Thankful Thursday.

And also This 'N That Thursday hosted by 2 Brown Dogs.

Test Dummy Stuffies

Percy

Percy:  Hey, woofers, here's some news that will interest you.  It's about dogs.

Merci:  Oh, you're right.  This is interesting.

Buddy:  Yes, it would be interesting for anyone who travels with a pet.

Sam:  Jan has a safety harness for you, Buddy, because you lean on your elbows on the back of the front seat and jump around whenever you see something that excites you.

Merci: You don't jump around, Sam, but since anything in the car can turn into a projectile in a sudden stop, you' should wear a vest with "Lethal Weapon" written on it.

Sam:  The only reason you behave, Merci, is because you're too short to see over the head rest, so you have no idea what is going on.

Buddy:  Well,  this conversation would be a whole lot more meaningful if we still had a car.

Merci:  I agree. But we can be good canines and share the information with those who do have one.  This could help save a life or three. 



The Center for Pet Safety has a video showing Subaru testing dog car restraints and you might want to watch the video to see how the tests turned out.  Hint:  We're glad they were not using real dogs. We feel for the "stuffie" that broke its neck in the interest of protecting dogs everywhere.  (Before you freak out, it's a stuffie.  A stuffie can not break its neck.)

We found the video fascinating because we've often wondered how these companies can afford to wreck so many cars to test their safety. Rather than prattle on, we're just going to let you watch the video and see for yourself how it's done.

Just click the link for the video --
Study Shows Many Pet Car Safety Restraints to be Unsafe.  

How opportune. As we were putting this post together, we came across a very short story on making dog dummies for crash tests.  Pet safety nonprofit makes dog dummies for crash tests.

Sarge the COP and the Crabby Girls

Percy:  Hey, have you guys seen our guests for today?

Cyndi:  Yes, they were here just a minute ago.

Sam:  I saw the Crabby Girlss wandering  off .  I think they were looking for wardrobe and make-up.

Rusty:  Oh, that's why Sarge was blowing a whistle and barking orders at them.

Merci:  I don't think they were paying any attention to him, though.  Um, we don't have wardrobe and make-up here, do we?

Micah:  That was a whistle?  I thought it was my stomach rumbling in stereo. 

Cameron:  I hope he rounds the girls up soon.  Jan said she'd feed us as soon as we finish here.

Buddy:  Oh, here they are.  Just in time.  I am about to faint from hunger.  Now we can turn this post over to Sarge

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Hey Blogville! Wow, this is such a fun series and I'm really excited that Jan's Funny Farm furiends agreed to let me introduce myself to all of you.

Sarge the COP

I am Sarge and I'm a dog.  I was adopted from a shelter and am basically a mutt.  I'm built like a shepherd, have fur like a yellow lab, but I'm smaller than both of those breeds.  Yup, mutt!  BOL    Oh, yeah, and I have a spotted tongue!  That's my trademark and most unusual trait!    You can share my life with me at Sarge Speaks Out.

Actually, you'd get more than you bargained for because I share my blog with three hermit crabs.   That's right!   Please no jokes.  ahem.   Yes, I share my territory with the Crabby Girls, Beachnut, Oceana and Shelldon.  We have lots of fun adventures and try to pawticipate/clawticipate in many of the happenings in our world.

The Crabby Girls from Sarge Speaks Out

 I also manage the Blogville Community Calendar  where I try to keep everyone up-to-date on all of the goings on in our community.

I have been serving for many years now as Blogville's Chief of Police, first under my cousin Mayor Frankie and now under Mayoress Madi.  My department has hosted a Safety Week, solved several crime capers, and remodeled the local police station.   I came to this job because my Dad is a retired law enforcement officer and he taught me everything about this line of work.  He's my inspiration and I have loved every minute of being Blogville's top COP.    I am also a drummer and used to play in a group called PawsBang.  We had a lot of fun rocking out.  I'm an outdoorsy pooch and love canoeing, swimming, chasing my beloved stick and bashing small woodland creatures when they invade my territory.

The Crabby Girls consider themselves quite the socialites and usually post weekly on Crabby Mondays.  They are always trying new adventures in their crabitat like golf courses, dinosaur theme parks, racetracks, and gardens.   Beachnut, Oceana, and Shelldon (The BOS girls) also have their very own steel drum band called Surf Jammers.  They are available for parties and dances and really know how to belt out the calypso tunes.  They definitely add some creativity and variety to my life and they love their blog friends.

The BOS (Beachnut, Oceana, and Shelldon) Girls

Well, that's pretty much the basics of me, my crabby girls and my blog.  I am so very lucky to have all of my blog furiends and I hope to meet even more of you so we can share our adventures together. Grr and Woof, Sarge, COP

Sarge the COP

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Micah: Hey, Sarge, that was great. You nailed it without a rehearsal.  Now we can all grab a bite to eat.

Cyndi: Before we go, we should remind readers they can visit Sarge and the Crabby Girls at Sarge Speaks Out.

Sam:  Okay,  that's a wrap for this week's Meet & Greet.  Let's go taste the chicken in the kitchen.

Cameron: Psst, you can be featured in a meet & greet.  Just send us a write-up about you and your blog and a couple of photos.  

Sweet Daisy Pup

 Hey, the cats had a turn with another Friday interview, so it's our turn.  What do you mean, who are we?  You don't recognize us in black and white?  We're Sam, Merci and Buddy, of course!  And have we got a sweet post for you today!

We just love a story with a happy ending.  This one is a true story about a rescued pup with a broken spine who could neither walk nor lift her head.  They call her "Daisy, the little pup who believed. "

This inspirational video had us smiling through tears.  We're sure you will be doing the same. 

So grab some tissues and meet Daisy, our Sunday Smile for the week.  And have a great day.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Whiskered Whiskeratti

We are so glad we got to interview the Whiskeratti so we could get to know them better.  Toby and Leia are fun cats.

We don't want to give anything away, so we'll just steer you to their Mousebreath (the ezine for cats by cats) interview, The Whiskeratti Cats, Toby and Leia.

And we'll be joining Rascal & Roscoe for the Pet Parade blog hop  #11. The Friends Forever blog is the featured favorite this week.

Painting Cyndi and Cameron

Mom Lou of HH & the Boys (Bugsy & Knuckles) finished painting all of us kitties.  Earlier, she did Rusty, Percy and Micah.  Tuesday she posted the finished portraits of Cyndi and Cameron.  We Funny Farmer Felines are all immortalized on canvas now.

We hope the woofies aren't too jealous. We'd ask Jan to paint them but ... well, you don't even want to ask Jan to paint your bookcase unless you want your wall painted too.

Cyndi by Lou

Our lovely medium-hair calico Cyndi.

Cameron by Lou

Our handsome tuxedo boy Cameron with the long white whiskers.  He looks a bit thoughtful in this pose, just as he does in the photo Lou worked from. 

A kindness from another is always something to be thankful for, so these portraits are our Thankful Thursday post of the week.  What are you thankful for this week?


Buddy:  Oh, and Jan has a thankful.  For starters, she didn't have a heart attack.  Yesterday, while we were walking her, she stopped to talk to someone.  After a while I got bored, so I took off my harness. (You'd think she'd learn.  I was half out of it when she stopped to talk to someone else the night before.)  Jan looked down and there sat Merci and Sam  - and my empty harness.  She whipped around and there I was sitting behind her chewing on my leg.

You'd think she'd learn.  The night before I was half out of my harness before she noticed. Well, it's boring standing around while she talks. I don't want to go anywhere - unless a bicycle or a squirrel comes along - but she's supposed to be paying attention to us.  She tightened up my harness when we got home.


Whoever you are - cat, dog, bun, guinea pig, stop by PepiSmartDog.com today or sometime this week and join the TT blog hop. 

And the This 'N That blog hop at 2 Brown Dawgs Blog..

A Few Dozen More

Buddy, Merci, Sam ...  waiting

Merci:  Good morning.  Can you tell what we did during our walk last night?  (Hint:  Those little strips on the cement are not leaves.)  You can probably guess by the droop of Sam's shoulders and the sad look on his face. He's so impatient when it comes to taste testing!

Tucker Klassic Kellis Chicken Breast Jerky

Buddy:  Yes, you guessed correctly.  We stopped for treats.  Jan insisted readers might want to see something besides the leaves in our yard, so we had to stop and pose with the treats.  Pose, mind you!  It took forever for Jan to get ready for the taste testing pictures.

These treats are Tucker's Klassic Kellis Chicken Breast Jerky for dogs.  And they sure do smell good.  When Jan opened the bag and started to cut open the individual packs to prepare for our walk, the cats came running and Percy tried to steal one.

They are individually wrapped for freshness and convenience and need to be refrigerated after the bag has been opened. 

Buddy, Merci, Sam ... waiting

Sam:  * drool*  Please, Jan, we've been waiting for elebenty twenty-six and a half hours!  I can smell it but you won't let me taste it.

Buddy, Merci,  Sam ... tasting

Chomp, chew, nom, nom,  Hey, that was good.  Can we have another?

Buddy, Merci, Sam ... tasting

Mmmfff, chew, mmmmmmm.  One more?

Buddy checking empty packages for leftovers.

Buddy:  No?  Why not?  They won't spoil our dinner.  Honest!

Sam complaining the treats are gone

Sam:  Jan, you should have brought extras for me.  I'm a big dog.  A few dozen more wouldn't spoil my appetite!


We all found these treats to have an appetizing smell and a yummy taste. Tucker chicken breast jerky treats for dogs are natural and sourced from the U.S. and Canada with no grain, gluten or by-products.    

We were sent a sample package of the treats to taste test and review, but we received no other compensation.  Any opinion expressed is strictly our own. 

Meet & Greet Carlos

Cameron:  Today our Meet & Greet features Carlos, a handsome black cat from Finland.

Rusty:  We're sure you'll like him.  He's quite a character.

Buddy:  Yes, he is definitely a character. We turned our back for 30 seconds and look where Carlos is..

Carlos kitty

Sam:  Hey, we don't have to climb up there to talk to him, do we?  I'm a bit ... um, large and bottom heavy.  Climbing isn't my thing.

Cyndi:  Hey, Carlos, come down from there.  We want you to tell us about your blog.

Merci:  What?  I can't hear you.  No,  you don't need a megaphone. Just climb down.

Carlos kitty

Carlos:  Okay, guys, is this better?

Percy:  Yes, Carlos, this is much better.

Micah:  Now you can tell readers a little about yourself and your blog. 

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I'm Carlos, a handsome black (Finnish) cat in his early years. The Daily Cat blog is all about my intriguing life with my newly hired servants.

My staff consists of four members: the lady of the house (main caretaker), the big one, and two small ones. The big one and the small ones are mainly entertainers, but I can rely on them to feed me if the lady of the house happens to be somewhere else for a while.

I'm an indoor cat, and I'm fine with that. I have been outdoors sometimes during the summertime, but nowadays I just stay indoors. Luckily, I have a lively imagination, and I can easily pass my days though there aren't any other animal friends here with me. Except the fish...(I ALWAYS forget the fish.)   Before my staff got me, they thought an aquarium would be nice for the kids. Get real. What is the point in staring at food ... I mean FISH, that just float in the water? I could think of many other ways of making better use of the fish. I do have plans for those swimmers; one sweet day I think I'll be having sushi for lunch. (Please don't tell this to my staff though!!)

I'm a very social character. I like to be where everything happens. I follow the lady of the house everywhere, except when I feel like having a quiet time by myself. I also need to supervise the household processes very carefully, since there has been some room for improvement in many cases. For example the laundry process that I fixed a while ago. But hey, you can read all about it in my blog! It's updated daily (so far), and you're all invited! Welcome!

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Thank you, Carlos. We're going to have to pop over and check out the laundry process you fixed.  You can enjoy Carlos' humor and handsome face at The Daily Cat.

PS - We love his header.  Jan's jealous since she can't even draw a crooked line.

A Marketable Skill

Hey, it's us, Merci, Sam and Buddy.  We have a canine athletic video for your Sunday Smile today. 

What is a dog to do when there is no one to play ball with - canine or human?  Why, he plays catch by himself, of course!  And this dog in Japan has an interesting method of tossing and retrieving..

Yep, this guy is adept at entertaining himself.

And by the way, he's not a stray; he has a home. And a marketable skill.  He's definitely going to earn major bucks in the game of life.  :)


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Kitty Casting Call

Yes, we are doing another casting call for "volunteer" interview subjects.  Sorry, for Mousebreath we can interview kitties only.  (But any type of furry can be featured in our Meet & Greets.  Contact us for details.)

We had a great response when we did this a few months ago  It has kept us b-u-s-y!  Jan is supposed to be our file clerk but she couldn't keep all those interview email files categorized and kept getting us confused.  This time we want to fire her (again) and take care of everything ourselves.  So we'll need some help from any kitty who wants to participate so we aren't overwhelmed with alphabetical files in various stages of non-progress. (Believe us, that really does make sense!)

Don't worry.  The requirements are easy.  You already know the answers.

Drop by Mousebreath, the ezine for cats written by cats, and check out Toe Tapping Casting Call.  And then join the fun.

Rusty Contemplates

Rusty resting (sepia)

Hey, Rusty here.  I've been lying here contemplating my life and I've decided I have a lot to be thankful for.  I guess Jan will have to go on the list or she'll hide the keyboard. (Did I say that out loud?  Kidding, Jan!) My furry brothers and sisters, of course.  My own doghouse ... um, cat clubhouse.  Lots of good food and a roof over my head that doesn't leak.  Guess I should be specific and point out it's the roof that doesn't leak, not my head.  Not that my head leaks. It's a dry, handsome head on a big floofy body.

But I guess there's more to life than just looks, or things we can touch or eat.  There's health.  I won't even mention wealth.  The other Funny Farmers would be rolling on the floor laughing. And there are our blogging friends.

Yes, life is good.  So I think I'll lie here a while longer and do some more contemplating.  Wait.  Perhaps I shouldn't do it on an empty stomach.  Yes, a brain food snack is certainly in order.  If you'll excuse me, I'll just pop into the kitchen while you all pop over to PepiSmartDog's and join the Thankful Thursday blog hop.

What are you thankful for this week?

So Near So Far

Sam

We're going to join the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop, if we figure out how to do it today.  We're on a roll of mass confusion around here.  (In other words, we're not doing so well on figuring out directions lately.)  If we don't figure it out, Sam is going to be so angry because he wants his treat!


Okay, we finally found it but it was not easy!  This week's BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.