Goodbye sweet friend

We haven't know you for a long time, but your funny posts, and your kind comments on our blog will be missed.  We were so saddened by your loss, we just couldn't believe it.

Graphic by Ann of Zoolatry

For those who haven't heard, Blogville has lost an incredibly sweet and handsome boy.  Easy has crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge, and we will all miss him.  There have been so many losses in recent months here on Blogville, and each loss touches us all.  Good bye to our dear friends Easy, Teach, Ciara, Rory and Natasha, we miss each of you!  Hopefully you are all playing together at the Rainbow Bridge.

Cats and kittens love getting presents!

The collie cats here, and guess what?  We were sent another thing to review this month!  We are really feeling the love from Chewy.com this month!  Now we know, this is mainly the collies' blog, but every so often we get to stage a coup log on and voice our opinions.  And if there is one thing felines are known for, it's our strong opinions.  (Well, that and our intelligence, refined taste and beauty)  So what did our cat loving peeps at Chewy.com send us?  They sent us some Temptations Mixups Surfers Delight and a Snacky Mouse!

The Tempations Mixups Surfers Delight contains three flavors, salmon, shrimp and tuna!  With three yummy flavors we couldn't stop purring!  Have you ever met a cat that didn't love fish?  We are definite connoisseurs of all things fish!

And check out the Key Benefits:

• No artificial flavors for an amazing taste your cat will love
• Crunchy outer shell helps to control tartar and support dental health
• Under two calories per a treat these little goodies make the perfect snack or reward that can be given daily
• 100% nutritionally complete and balanced for adult cat maintenance
• Treats come in a convenient lock and seal pouch or tub for maximum freshness

That sure sounds great to us, and to our Mom!  And there are other varieties, take a look HERE!

And don't forget the Temptations Snacky Mouse, it turns snacktime into playtime!  It's an interactive toy, that gives us our Temptations treats as we play! Can you say F-U-N?

Did you know Christmas and Chanukah are right around the corner?  We think these would be awesome gifts for your kitties this holiday season!  So what are you waiting for?  Today is Cyber Monday, so log onto Chewy.com and show your own kitties some love!

We were sent these items in exchange for our fabulous opinions, we were not paid any of the green papers for this review!

Because our dogs deserve to be rewarded for all they do...

We have a lot to be thankful for, including have been chosen by Chewy.com to review some of the products they sell.  Last month we were sent Wellness Core Pure Rewards Grain-free Beef Jerky Bites. Now it's obvious that the collies can't read, but they have come to recognize the Chewy.com boxes when they arrive.  Knowing that the Chewy.com boxes contain yummy treats and fun toys, a certain collie, who shall remain nameless, decided to help himself.  He chose the Beef Jerky Bites, and he ate the entire package of treats, without sharing with anyone else!

Since he ate them before I could get any pictures, I ran out and bought another package.  We brought them over to my Mom's house, and we shared them with my Mother's senior collie, Chase.  He loved them just as much as Ryder that other nameless collie.

We also had Miss Scarlett entered at a dog show this weekend, so we brought the Wellness Core Pure Rewards Grain-free Beef Jerky Bites with us and my daughter used them as bait in the ring.

And I was glad I had them, as they were the perfect "reward" for Scarlett when she won Best of opposite sex to best of variety!  I think it's safe to say the collies found these treats to be very delicious, but as a label reader, I was more concerned about the ingredients.  I was happy to see that not only are these treats grain-free, they are also free of meat by-products, artificial colors or preservatives. 

Ingredients:

1. Beef, Dried Chicory Root, Lecithin, Salt, Dried Cultured Whey Product, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract Spearmint Extract.

So if you are looking for a healthy treat, that can be used in training or as a training reward, you should give these a try.  If your dogs are anything like my collies, they will love these!

The fine folks at Chewy.com sent us these treats for free, we were not compensated for this review in any way.

What can I buy my dog for Christmas?

Today we wanted to discuss a product made by Health Extension, a maker of holistic dog and cat food, as well as treats.  Health Extension is a company that strives to provide quality, healthy foods and treats.  According to their website, they never use by-products, gluten, wheat, corn, soy or  artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.  And their foods are made entirely in America, which is something we always love to see!

We first discovered this company at a local Pet expo.  We were attending the event with a few of our collies, so that we could participate in the "Meet the Breeds."  As we were wandering around the building checking out all the vendors, we were stopped at the Health Extension booth.  The representative told us about her products and she offered Ryder a sample of their Health Extension Bison Bites.  To say that Ryder devoured those treats does not adequately describe his reaction, he LOVED them.  He loved those treats so much, he kept stopping by the booth every time we passed by their table.  So we are very excited to do this review, to help others discover these fantastic treats, and this great company.

Health Extension Bison Bites are made with 100% all natural, free range Bison, sourced and made in the USA. So for those pet parents looking to keep your pets on a limited ingredient diet, you will be happy with these treats as Bison is the ONLY ingredient!

Ingredients:100% Free Range Bison

Guaranteed Analysis:

• Crude Protein, Not Less Than 70%
• Crude Fat, Not Less Than 5%
• Crude Fiber, Not More Than 8%
• Moisture, Not More Than 15%

Now when you open the bag of Bison bites the first thing you will notice is that these treats have a strong scent.  But they are made from 100% Bison, so that shouldn't be a surprise.  And that smell is very appealing to dogs, it always starts my collies drooling.  They all love these treats, from our youngest pups who are 6 months old, to our seniors who are 10 and 11 years old.  Even our pickiest collie loves them, and comes running when she hears the bag opening.

You can find these treats and Health Extension's other products at many of the smaller pet supply stores and you can find them at Chewy.com.  The collies give these treats their highest rating of 4 paws up.  They think your dogs will love getting these drool-worthy treats as a gift this holiday season!  In fact, they want you to remember them whether you are out fighting the Black Friday crowds or if you prefer cyber shopping, because dogs love getting gifts too! (especially edible ones!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

A collie's work is never done!

Thankful collies on Wordless Wednesday!

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving!  So we are making a list of what we are all thankful for:
comfy beds
snuggles on the couch
yummy food
and being in a family that loves us!

What cat food should I feed my cats?

So many of us spend countless hours researching what foods we should feed our dogs or cats.  Fortunately, there are companies like Chewy.com that ask Bloggers to review the products they sell.  It gives us a chance to do some of the research for you, and to let you know what we think.  Now obviously there is no perfect food that will be good for every cat or every dog, many pets will have unique diet needs, based on their genetics, age or history.  You should always read food labels and consult your veterinarians before making your choice if your pet has any diet issues, allergies or ailments.

But if your cat doesn't have any dietary restrictions or allergies, then keep reading, because our kitties are taking over the collie blog to do a cat food review!  Chewy.com sells many different varieties of cat food, and today we are lucky enough to be reviewing one of them.  This month the folks at Chewy.com sent us Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Thanksgiving Day Dinner, the kitties sure were excited when they heard they would be getting their very own Thanksgiving Dinner made just for cats!

They all gathered around, impatient to try out this new food.  And as you can see, they "Gobbled"this food right down!  They loved this food, and they were soon begging for more!

I was more concerned about what ingredients I was feeding my four-footed friends.  So I took a look at the ingredients and key benefits.

Ingredients:
Deboned Turkey, Turkey Broth, Deboned Duck, Chicken Liver, Peas, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Dried Potato, Sweet Potato, Carrots, Cranberries, Organic Alfalfa, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Carrageenan, Cassia Gum, Guar Gum, Powdered Cellulose, Sodium Phosphate, Salmon Oil, Minerals (Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Glucoheptonate, Sodium Selenite). Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate), Taurine, Choline Chloride, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Yucca Schidigera Extract.

Key Benefits
Grain-free recipe
Added vitamins and minerals
No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
Great for all life stages

I love that this cat food is grain-free, and has no artificial flavors or preservatives.  And looking at the ingredient list, I love to see healthy ingredients like deboned Turkey, duck, sweet potato, carrots and cranberries listed.  I do wish that Merrick would remove the Carrageenan from the ingredients, as it is linked to gastrointestinal disease, but most canned cat or dog food contains Carrageenan.  It is a very common ingredient, as it is used to thicken the food.  Because it is the only questionable ingredient in an otherwise healthy food, we will definitely be feeding this cat food to our kitties again!

If you are looking for a great cat food to feed your kitties, or even just a special treat for the holidays, you should check out this food.  It's actually on sale at Chewy.com right now, and if you order it from them, they will ship it right to your front door!  Our kitties give Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-free Thanksgiving Day Dinner  our highest rating of 4 paws up!  Just click on the product name to check out this food for yourself.

The awesome folks at Chewy,com sent us this cat food, so that we could do an honest review based on our opinions.  We were not reimbursed in any way for this review. And because Thanksgiving is just a few days away, the kitties decided to donate some cans of Merrick Thanksgiving Day Dinner to the cats at our local shelter to make their Thanksgiving a little brighter.  And since they are all rescue kitties, they wanted me to remind you that there are plenty of homeless dogs and cats at shelters looking for their Forever homes this holiday season!

Smooths are collies too!

Whenever we take the collies for a walk, people stop us to talk about them.  Ryder, in particular, brings a smile to people's faces and his happy nature invites people to stop and chat for a while.  I'm sure it's because Ryder is a rough collie, and he reminds people of Lassie or of their own childhood collie, or both.  We have even had people stop their cars in the middle of the street to tell us how beautiful Ryder looks. 

The girls, being smooth collies, are less recognizable.  But their sweet personalities, pretty markings, and beautiful faces also have people stopping us to ask about them.  We have been asked if they were shepherd mixes or grey hound mixes.  Some people even ask us "why did we shave our collies?"  We then explain about the smooth coat, and many are amazed because they never knew the smooth coated variety of collie existed.  Smooth collies have the same body type as rough collies, they just have short fur.  While many claim the smooths are more energetic than the rough coated collies, there are laid back smooths.  

Children flock to collies, like bees to flowers, and the admiration is mutual. Not only are our collies careful and gentle with small children, they are fascinated by them. I can't count how many times they have spotted a child and dragged us over to say "hello." The children we have encountered seem to know that the collies love them, often wrapping their little arms around a collie neck to share a hug. (Which sets our collies' entire bodies to wagging in delight!)  It doesn't matter if the collie is a rough or a smooth, when they see children it's love at first sight.

Older adults often reminisce with us about their childhoods, and how they grew up with collies.  And many tell us about how they watched the Lassie TV show every week.  We have also heard many times that "you never see collies anymore."  It's so strange, with so many people loving this breed so deeply, that collies aren't more popular.  I think many people hesitate about getting a collie because they imagine their coats will be too much work.  But few realize that smooths are collies too, and their coats are much easier to care for. 

Some days, during our walks, it feels like we are accompanying celebrities on a goodwill tour!  They never seem to tire of making new friends.  Which is why we have begun attending AKC "Meet the Breeds" events with our collies.  It is a great way to educate people about this wonderful breed, that has captured hearts for generations.  And it's also a great way to promote the smooth collie, to make the public aware that there are two varieties of collies.

Here are some fun facts about collies:

• The collie originated in Scotland.
• The role of Lassie, the most famous collie, was always played by a male collie.

• Many collies dislike getting dirty, and some of ours even avoid stepping in mud puddles!

• Collies are one of the most intelligent breeds, which makes them easy to train.  But they are also sensitive, so only positive training methods should be used.

• Collies are talented and eager to please, which means they can compete in a variety of competitions – herding, agility, obedience, Rally, dance.  And they can also serve as search and rescue, therapy, service or guide dogs.

• Collies are “nosey,” and are always checking on their humans.  If they can’t be by your side, they can be seen peeking around doors, shower curtains or windows, to see what you are doing or if you need their “help.”  They need to be with their families, so if you want an “outside” dog, this is not the breed for you.

• Male collies typically weigh around 60 to 75 pounds, females are usually smaller and weigh 50 to 65 pounds.

• Collies come in four coat colors – tri-color, white, blue merle, or sable and white
• If you breed a rough and a smooth collie together, you can have both rough puppies and smooth puppies in the litter.  If you breed two rough collies together, you will only get rough puppies, as rough is a recessive gene.  If you breed two smooths together, and both the male and female have one rough parent , you can end up with a rough puppy in the litter.

We have had a few people recently comment, to ask about why some of the collies' coats are so short.  So we decided to share this post again, to explain the difference in coat types.  

Wordless Wednesday - Holly, our oldest collie.

Looking good for almost 11 years old!