Rich in color, each Autumn day is a gift.

It's that time of year again, time for fairs, pumpkins, apple cider and beautiful Fall foliage.  Autumn is our favorite season, and it's definitely my favorite time to head outside for pictures with the collies.  There is just something about the colors of Fall that compliment the collies. Autumn decorations and colors seem by design to frame the collies and highlight their beauty.

And the cooler Autumn temperatures suit the collies, as both the smooth and rough collie are double-coated.  I can see their joy and relief in the change in temperature, as they are more active,and greet each day with wagging tails and games of tag.

They are enjoying the cooler weather so much that they are reluctant to come inside!  They love being outside, and going for long walks, which means they are encouraging me to get outside more.  And as soon as the leaves start changing color, we will be heading out on long hikes, to take in all the stunning foliage here in New England.

Even Pumpkin kitty is hanging outside with us, and she even wanted to pose for some Autumn pictures.  She watched me photographing the collies, and came over to join in the fun!

Before long the snow will be blanketing the ground, the bare trees will be glistening with ice, and the air will be bitter cold.  So each day of Fall we celebrate the season with gratitude, and try not to take a single day for granted.  Dogs are great at reminding of us to live in the moment, and enjoy every second we have together.  And Autumn, with it's glorious burst of color, is truly a celebration of life.

So from the collies and myself, we hope you are spending as much time as possible outside, enjoying the weather and the gorgeous scenery with your four-footed best friends!

Abby wanted to ask, "What is your favorite thing to do in the Fall?"

Taste of the Wild canned dog food

Even though the weather has been unseasonably hot, Autumn is officially here.  And the new season means it's time for the collies to do a review.  The collies are members of the Chewy Influencer Program, which means that every month our friends at Chewy.com send us something new to review!

 We were excited when the box from Chewy.com arrived, and the collies all gathered around, eager to see what was inside.  I could see the happiness in their eyes, and in their wagging tails, when they realized that it was a case of canned dog food!  They like their dog food, a dry kibble, but they LOVE canned dog food!  

Now we won't give the collies just any dog food, it has to be a product we trust.  So  I took a look at the nutritional label of the canned Taste of the Wild, High Prairie Grain-free dog food.  And I was happy with the ingredient list, as it's packed full of real meat, and not meat by-products.  We feed a grain free kibble, that contains bison and lamb, so we liked the Taste of the Wild High Prairie variety, as it contains Beef, lamb, Bison and venison.  It also contains superfoods like sweet potatoes, blueberries and raspberries!

Ingredients

Beef, Lamb Broth, Vegetable Broth, Lamb Liver, Dried Egg Product, Potato Starch, Potatoes, Bison, Roasted Lamb, Roasted Venison, Peas, Ocean Fish, Guar Gum, Tricalcium Phosphate, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Inulin, Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Raspberries, Choline Chloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

This is definitely a food I feel safe feeding to my collies.  Check out these key benefits:

• Grain-free complete and balanced formula can also be fed as your pet’s sole diet
• Contains bison, lamb and venison for a blend of quality animal protein sources to meet the needs of your special dog
• Formulated with potatoes and peas as an excellent sources of nutrients, and highly digestible carbohydrate sources.
• Supplemented with highly nutritious ingredients such as tomatoes, blueberries and raspberries, to deliver antioxidants to help give your friend a healthy lifestyle
• Made right here in the USA!

The collies give Taste of the Wild High Prairie, grain freed canned dog food four paws way up!  They loved the taste, and were begging for more.  So if you are looking for a tasty canned dog food, you should give this one a try!

The collies were sent this product for free, they did not receive any compensation for barking about this dog food.  

This is a blog hop!

Wordless Wednesday - the arrival of Autumn

As Summer fades away,

we turn and welcome Fall!

Books for dog lovers...

Dogs make me smile, and not just my own dogs, all dogs have this effect.  When I am out running errands, or returning home from work, and I see a dog taking a walk with his or her person I have to smile.  So I can understand why so many residents at Nursing homes are excited when they see me walking down the hallway with my collie, Ryder.  I recently read two books that show just how deeply dogs can create positive change in peoples' lives.

The first book, Rescuing Finley, was written by Dan Walsh.  This book was very heartwarming, but you have to get past the first few chapters, which help set up the story.  The main characters are a young woman in a correctional facility, a veteran with PTSD, and a special dog called Finley.  This book did have me in tears a few times, but they were happy tears.  While it is a work of fiction, service dogs really can help soldiers suffering from PTSD, and they have made profound changes in the lives of inmates participating in training programs.  I highly recommend this book, and plan on reading it again sometime in the future.

The second book, Finding Riley, was also written by the same author, Dan Walsh. In this book, the main character is a dog named Riley.  He is the best friend of a little boy, and becomes lost during a family vacation.  As a dog lover, you can't help by worry about the fate of this little dog, but Dan Walsh does not disappoint the reader.

I really enjoyed both of these stories, and I can't wait to read his next book in this series.  While they weren't short stories, I flew through them in a matter of hours.  If you give them a try, please come back and let me know what you think!

Never forget...

Remembering the 9/11 responders, and the search and rescue dogs, who gave so much...

New Blogger in Blogville and Thankful Thursday

It's Thankful Thursday, and we wanted to continue our new tradition of introducing you to other bloggers, as we are truly thankful for their friendship.

We wanted to introduce you to a new friend of ours, who recently started a brand new Blog, which also happens to be about collies!  Other Breeds are mentioned too, so it isn't only about collies.  If you have a second please pop over and welcome them!  Life in the Collie Army

And while we are celebrating Thankful Thursday, could you keep our friends over at Key West Collies in your thoughts and prayers?  They had to evacuate their home before Hurricane Irma hits.  We are thankful they got off Key West in time, but hope they stay safe and their home isn't damaged.

And last, I'm personally thankful for the laughter and love this Collie brings into my life each day.

Scarlett

Got stains?

We have puppies, and we have wood floors, so I jumped at the chance to review Nature's Miracle Hard Floor stain remover for Chewy.com.  Because puppies and even adult dogs have the occasional accident, and sometimes you aren't home to clean up the mess as quickly as possible, stains are the unfortunate result.

With a few stains on my floors, I was hoping that this would be the Miracle I have been hoping for, I figured it was certainly worth a try!

before photo

The directions are relatively simple:
Apply to stained area, making sure that Nature’s Miracle(R) Dual-Action Hard Floor Stain and Odor Remover thoroughly saturates all of the affected surface. Wipe dry with a cloth. No need to rinse with water. Repeat if necessary.


The bottle also advises that you try a hidden section of the floor first, to make sure it does not damage the wood.

We gave it a try, and then tried twice more.

Unfortunately, I didn't see any change in the stain.  But I am going to try a few more times, I am still hopeful.  So while I can't recommend this product for stain removal from wood floors, it didn't harm my floors.  And it does contain Nature's Miracle odor remover, which may help deter future accidents in this area, which is always a plus.  According to the company, the Natures Miracle dual action hard floor stain remover can also help remove odors from litterboxes and kennels,so it has other uses as well.

after photo

One thing I wanted to add, is that this stain is quite old, so maybe if you try this on a new stain it would be more successful.  

Nature's Miracle Dual Action Hard Floor Stain & Odor Remover attacks pet stains from urine, feces, vomit, and grease on hardwoods, concrete, pet kennels, litter boxes, and any other solid surface. Bio-enzymatic agents penetrate deep into the surface and get rid of stains and odors.

Key Benefits

• Odor-locking technology seeks out, traps, and works to actually destroys stain and odor matter

• Specially formulated to safely remove stains and odors from hard surfaces

• Safe for all hard floors and surfaces

• No rinsing necessary

• Safely works to eliminate new and deep-set stains and odors from sealed wood, ceramic tiles, vinyl, linoleum, brick, concrete and grout

We were sent this product for free, for our honest opinion.  Chewy.com did not compensate us for this review.

What is the best cat food for finicky cats?

Every month our awesome friends at Chewy.com send us a pet product to review.  Usually, we pick something for the collies, but this month the kitties were sent something to review.  Everyone knows that felines can be a bit finicky discriminating, so finding something that the kitties all enjoy can sometimes be a challenge.

Chewy sent the kitties Wellness Core Simply Shreds, in the chicken variety.  It is a wet food topper, that actually makes your cat's dry food much more appetizing, so cats who aren't happy with a dry kibble diet are more excited by mealtime.

The Wellness Core Simply Shreds contains just three ingredients, chicken, chicken broth and water.  I love seeing dog and cat foods that contain limited ingredients, as less is often more!  Less ingredients, means less fillers, and more protein.  Plus, with broth and water as two of the three ingredients, we are actually helping our cats stay better hydrated!  Since we have one cat who has had urinary blockages, we are always concerned with his water consumption, as the more water he drinks the less risk of future blockages.  This food topper may actually help him stay healthy, and that makes me very happy!

Check out the Key Benefits:

• Provides a boost of pure protein and hydration with just three ingredients—lean chicken, chicken broth, and water.
• Lean protein helps maintain healthy muscle mass while chicken broth helps keep your kitty hydrated and supports urinary health.
• Unadulterated, low calorie protein source with no fillers, grains, or starches, so it helps support a diet similar to that of your kitty’s primal ancestors.
• Convenient tear-away pouch makes it easy to top dry food or wet food, or give as a side dish or high-protein snack.
• Proudly made in the USA with no grain, meat by-products, wheat, corn, soy, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

We added the Toppers to our cats' dry kibble, and they loved it.  The smell must have been highly appetizing to them, as I barely kept them back long enough to get a picture.  I also appreciated that unlike some stinky cat foods, this food reminded me of chicken soup.  This is a cat food topper that I highly recommend, and one that I will be ordering more of in the future.  You can order some for your cats by clicking right HERE.  The Wellness Core Simply Shreds also comes in Beef, tuna, shrimp, salmon and mackerel varieties.

We were sent this product for free, for our honest opinion.  We were not compensated for our review.