Pet Companies Give Back To Pets and People In Need

You've gotta love companies that Give Back!  I'm always happy to learn about companies in the pet industry that give back to help both pets and people in need.  Two such companies are Natural Balance Pet Foods helping the visually impaired and Bayer Animal Health supporting the Pet And Women Safety Act are two companies that are very passionate about pets and their people!  They both give back in unique and wonderful ways.

Icy and Phoebe rocking the Red Carpet at the BlogPaws Conferece. Thanks to Natural Balance pet Foods for sponsoring the Red Carpet event.

The founder of Natural Balance Pet Foods, famous actor Dick Van Patten, was not only extremely passionate about pets he was also passionate about Guide Dogs.  He admired how much these dogs helped to empower people who were visually impaired, and he wanted to lend his support.

Natural Balance has donated over $6 million to organizations that help people who are blind or have low vision.  One of those organizations is Guide Dogs For The Blind.   Guide Dogs For The Blind has a large network of trainers, puppy raisers, donors, and volunteers.  They prepare highly qualified Guide Dogs to serve and empower people who are blind or have low vision.  Guide Dogs For The Blind relies entirely on private funding and volunteers, they receive no government funding.  Their services are provided Free to recipients.

“It takes an average 251 volunteers to help a single puppy become a Guide Dog” – Guide Dogs For The Blind

Thank You Natural Balance for your generous support of Guide Dogs For The Blind! 

LIMITED INGREDIENTS.  UNLIMITED DOG.

Leaders in Limited Ingredient pet food, Natural Balance has just introduced a new High Protein dog food that contains 32% protein.  The average level of protein in most pet food is 23 – 28%.  Their High Protein dog food is made for active dogs, and contains no grains and no potato.  Icy had the chance to try this new food at the conference, where she gave it a resounding Paws Up!

Icy dug in & loved the NEW Natural Balance High Protein food!

Icy pretty much loves all of Natural Balance's food and treats!

Mark your calendars, September is National Guide Dog Month!  Natural Balance will be celebrating  NationalGuide Dog Month, will you?  

PET AND WOMEN SAFETY ACT (PAWS)

From the same company that brought us Bayer Aspirin, Bayer Animal Health is a leader in animal health, bringing us products like Seresto, K9advantix, and Advantage/II.  They're also a huge supporter of the Pet And Women Safety Act (PAWS).

There are currently no laws that protect the pets of domestic violence survivors. Although the pets of domestic violence victims are often abused as well, many domestic violence shelters do not accept pets.  This often leaves pets in peril, and at the mercy of abusers.

Pets are often used to terrorize and psychologically control domestic abuse victims.  Many victims of domestic violence will not leave a terrible situation because they fear for the safety of their pets and cannot bear to leave them behind.   Knowing this, Bayer has lent their considerable support to the Pet And Women Safety Act (PAWS), and has asked that all of us support it too.  

🐶 More than 4 million women in the U.S. are assaulted or beaten every year, that's one every 9 seconds!  

🐱 Approximately a million animals are abused every year because of domestic violence that occurs in their home.

🐰 71% of pet owning domestic violence abuse victims entering shelters have reported that their pets were threatened, injured, and even killed by their abuser.  Abusers commit these acts out of revenge or in order to psychologically control their victims. 

🐻 According to The Hill, 1 in 4 women has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime, and domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness. Intimate partner violence is estimated to cost the US economy $8.3 Billion per year, through medical costs and lost productivity.

🐺 Pet owning women in domestic abuse situations often feel trapped, especially since so few domestic violence shelters accept pets.  This often causes these women to remain in the abusive situation.

These are terrifying and unacceptable facts.  No One should have to choose between leaving an abusive situation and the safety of their beloved pet.  PAWS strives to make accommodations for the pets of domestic violence victims more available at domestic abuse shelters. 

By supporting the Pet And Women Safety Act, you are providing protection to all survivors of domestic violence, including their pets. Please help protect domestic violence survivors and their pets. 

RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE NEED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS TO ACCEPT PETS

You can help victims of domestic violence AND their pets by doing 3 simple things:

1.  Learn about the Pet And Women Safety Act (PAWS).  

2. Let your official representatives know that you support the PAWS Act and that you'd like them to continually support it too.  

3. SHARE information about the PAWS Act to help raise awareness about the plight of abused women and their pets in domestic violence situations.

It's important to support this critical piece of legislation and help abused women and their pets escape to safety!  

There certainly were tears when Trish, a former victim of domestic abuse, shared her story of survival during Bayer's BlogPaws Conference presentation.  Thanks to Noah's Animal House, a full service boarding facility on the grounds of the largest women & children's shelter in Nevada, Trish was able to escape an abusive situation without having to leave her beloved pets behind.  When she talked about how much it meant to be able to have her pets with her, there wasn't a dry eye in the house!

Thanks to Bayer for supporting the Pet And Women Safety Act (PAWS) and for being a great conference sponsor!

It was great fun meeting the folks from Bayer Animal Health at the BlogPaws Conference!  I'm grateful to them for supporting such an important initiative, and I'm happy to lend my support as well.  I signed the petition and reached out to my local representatives from the PAWS web site to let them know I support the PAWS Act and that I'd like them to support it to!  

Are you familiar with the Pet And Women Safety Act (PAWS)?  Are you familiar with Guide Dogs For The Blind?  Please let us know in the comments!

SUMMER SAFETY TIPS FOR DOGS

Summer Time, Summer Time, Sum... Sum... Summer Time!!

It's Summer, the time of year both pets and their people look forward to all year.  It's the time of year dogs don't have to beg their people to take them outside, their people are begging them to go outdoors!

Along with all that fun outdoor activity comes a variety of dog safety tips we've packed away in the closet of our minds for Winter storage.  I haven't thought much about all the Canine safety tips for  Summer, those important pet safety measures I follow in Summer, until now.  

Icy and Phoebe love going to the beach!

I've unpacked those important safety tips for dog owners from my mind's closet and jotted them down so they're top of  mind as my dogs and I enjoy the great outdoors from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  Here are my top Summer safety tips for dogs, most of which apply to dogs, cats and other pets you may bring along on outdoor adventures.

SUMMER SAFETY TIPS FOR DOGS

THE BEACH

I can't write about safety tips for dogs in the Summer without starting with the beach!  Dogs love the beach and so do their people, but it's important to keep dogs safe. There are some potential dangers for dogs at the beach.

➤ Dehydration is the first thing to worry about.  Bring lots of water along and make sure your pet stays well hydrated!

Take dogs to the beach before 10am or after sunset when the sand is cool.  Sand can easily scorch your pet's paws!  Be careful as you walk across asphalt or concrete parking lots, it can burn your pup's sensitive paws too.  You may want to carry your dog or put some pet booties on him.

The beach can be a great outing for you and your dog.  Here are some additional Beach safety tips for dogs.

TRAFFIC, NOT JUST CARS BUT PEOPLE TOO!

➤ Not only do you always need to be careful of your dog and car traffic, but in Summer watch out for Bicycles, Skate boards, and other things that keep people, especially kids, on the move along sidewalks or in parks.  Many dogs are afraid of skate boards and bicycles and will bark at or chase them as they whiz by.  This can be a danger to your pet as well as the person riding by them.  Try to get your dog used to bikes and skate boards, or any other contraption that might zoom by.  Create a positive association with these items and the people riding them for your dog, perhaps using some training exercises and treats.

➤ Speaking of kids, not every child knows how to properly approach or interact with a dog.  Don't be afraid to tell the child to wait until you know a parent is nearby or that the kid knows how to approach and interact with dogs.  As a Therapy Dog handler, I am always aware of this.  It's amazing but some kids have never been taught how to properly pet or treat a dog. I've had kids' hands get really close to Icy's eyes or mouth and I have to instruct them how to pet her, gently and along her side.

Icy is always running through the bushes & rolling in the grass in our yard.

FLEAS BITE, TICKS SUCK!

➤ Another danger pets face even more so in Summer (as well as Fall) are fleas and ticks!  Dogs love to run through bushes and tall grasses, swim in lakes and ponds, and lay in the dirt and wet sand.  Although they're a threat all year long, with Summer comes an increased risk of fleas and ticks.  Protection against fleas and ticks is an important aspect of pet health.  Tickborne diseases like Tick Fever (Anaplasmosis) can really make your dog sick!  There are many ways to keep your dog protected against fleas and ticks. I use Bravecto, an oral flea/tick medication, all year long to protect Icy and Phoebe.  

OTHER DOGS 

➤ Unfortunately, people often don't adhere to rules about keeping their dogs on leash.  Despite the fact that a park, campground, or hiking trail may have warning signs that all dogs must be leashed, there are always people who violate the rules.  This is one of my personal pet peeves.  I don't bring my dogs to off leash areas, other than one local dog park where I know many of the people and their dogs.  I'm always wary of loose dogs in public areas, and the all too familiar "Don't worry, he's friendly!" line that people who insist on letting their dogs run loose spew out.  You never know how any dog may react to your dog and vice versa.  Just like people, every dog is an individual and every situation is different.  

Make sure your dog has solid Leave It! and Emergency Recall training skills.  Be aware.  Please don't bring a reactive or skittish dog into an off leash area, it's so stressful for them.  Please keep your dog on leash if you're in an area where that is the rule.

THE GREEN GREEN GRASS & PESTICIDES

➤ Around here, it seems like gardeners are out nearly every day mowing, pruning, fertilizing and applying those nasty Pesticides!  Those dreaded tiny yellow signs on lawns that warn you dangerous pesticides have been applied make me cringe.  In fact, we got a letter last week from a company that sprays for mosquitoes.  Apparently, our neighbors are sick of the blood sucking mosquitoes we have in our area and have hired reinforcements.  The letter "recommends" that we keep our pets indoors for one hour after they have sprayed at our neighbor's house!  They also advise keeping our doors & windows shut during and after they've sprayed.  They plan to spray twice a month through September!  We do not look forward to that.

Phoebe loves to smell all the flowers in our yard and in other peoples' yards

WILDLIFE AND OTHER CRITTERS

➤ Wildlife is also out in droves all Summer long.  Critters from raccoons to squirrels, moles, deer, rabbits, frogs, birds, coyotes, opossums (yes, an opossum is the same thing as a possum!), and who knows what else may end  up in your yard, at parks, or on hiking trails!  

We had a possum that hung out behind our garage at night and Icy was so curious about him.  I worried because if cornered it could try to scratch your dog's face.  I didn't let her spend more than a couple of moments out there at night.  

Some wildlife may be aggressive and can potentially carry diseases. If your dog bites a wild animal, she could get infected with Leptospirosis or other diseases.  If your dog or cat gets bitten by any wild animal, you should call your Veterinarian right away.  

Keep these safety tips for dogs and other pets in mind as you enjoy the Summer!!

Do you know of any other pet safety tips for Summer ?  Please leave us a comment & share, we always LOVE hearing from you!

Essential Social Media & Blogging Advice From The Pros

Another amazing BlogPaws Conference has come and gone and I'm putting into action the valuable Blogging and Social Media advice and tips I came away with.  I'm amazed at how much helpful information was packed into just a few days!

There is so much Learning packed into a BlogPaws conference! If you didn't get there this year, start planning now for next year.

Since many of you were unable to attend the BlogPaws  conference, I'd like to share some of the blogging and social media tips & learnings from Keynote Speakers, and Working Sessions.  As always, there was a TON of knowledge to absorb, so I'm breaking it into 2 or 3 posts to make it easier to digest.  I know you'd do the same for me if you were there and I couldn't make it, so here goes!

THE MOST RETWEETED PERSON IN THE WORLD

Although he spoke on the last day of the conference, I'm starting off with Keynote speaker Jay Baer who talked about what he calls Youtility, or How To Build A World-Class Personal Brand By Being Hyper-Useful.

Jay Baer who has been known as "The Most Retweeted Person In The World among digital marketers".  He's the President of Convince & Convert, a consulting firm who has helped some of the world's most iconic brands use technology to retain customers and win new ones.  Brands like The United Nations, Nike, 3M, and Oracle.  He is also a NY Times best selling author of five books.

I could immediately get why Jay is one of the most Retweeted people in the digital marketing space.  I started following him on Twitter as soon as he was announced as a BlogPaws speaker. Right away I found content that was valuable and relevant to me as a blogger.  I've shared much of his content, like this really interesting article about the FTC "crashing" the Influencer party.  Can you say FTC DISCLOSURE ?!?  Might that be relevant to us Pet Bloggers & Social Media Influencers?  Heck, Yeah!

BE MORE RELEVANT TO YOUR AUDIENCE

My Twitter example is a perfect lead in to Jay's key message, which is that We Need To Be More Relevant to our audience, because.....

Relevancy magically creates time and attention - Jay Baer, Digital Marketing Expert

Jay's magic formula?

USEFUL = RELEVANCY = ATTENTION = $$

 THE BIG LIE

Jay pointed out a somewhat painful truth.  We tell ourselves that "our audience is just too busy to read our content" and that's how we justify not having enough action on our content.  But that isn't the case.  It's not that people are too busy, it's that our content isn't relevant enough! They'll find the time to read our content if it is relevant enough.  We should strive to be "massively useful" to our audience.  I realize that if I want to promote my blog on social media I need to be more useful and relevant in the content I'm producing.

4 DIMENSIONS OF YOUTILITY

Jay went on to explain the Four Dimensions of his Youtility model:

1. Solve Problems your audience has.
He said that Specificity creates Relevancy and cautioned us about the dangers of being too broad with our content topics.  "You won't be as relevant if you're not specific", he warns.  I know I need to take steps to stop trying to be all things to all people in the pet space and focus on the one or two areas I can be most relevant.  It's not an easy thing to do! Jay suggests we begin each day by asking ourselves "How Can I Help?" and build relevant content from there.

2. Be Consistent, STOP random acts of content.  
More is not always more and every audience has a "breaking point".   Another concept he introduced that resonated with me was to "Think like a TV station and create SHOWS, using a consistent theme and timeframe".  He suggested creating consistent Shows, and episodes of those shows.  One of the examples he shared was the Dog Rescue Stories produced by Positively Woof.  

3. Atomize Your Awesome
Release content on various channels, in similar ways. You need to be in the places where your audience is.  He shared these surprising facts:
  
😕 The Daily time spent READING in the US is 25 minutes per day.
😕 The Daily time spent WATCHING online video in the US is 72 minutes per day.
😕 People visit 39% fewer web sites than they have since 2010.

The message was clear, Repackage your content and share it across multiple channels!

4. GET PAID
This was another one of my favorite points.  Like many of you I'm often asked to work without getting paid, which frustrates me.  Jay assured us that "It's OK to get paid!".  He shared a quote that a respected individual once shared with him:

"There's no need to be nervous when your heart is in service"

I love that!  Getting paid for the work we do doesn't diminish our passion or our message when we ask to be paid for our work.  Jay pointed out that "If you get paid you can do more for your audience by creating more content, more videos... more everything!"  I wholeheartedly agree!  I would also add that when we get paid it allows us to Give Back even more to the causes each of us is most passionate about.  As bloggers and social media influencers, Jay reminds us that our role is to "Connect companies with their future customers".
  
A big Thank You to Jay for sharing his valuable insights with us!  I highly recommend following Jay's advice. 

Onward to SEO Help

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) For The Beginner and SEO For The Advanced Blogger sessions, presented by Jill Caren, of 2 Dogs Media.


Jill Caren is the founder of 2 Dogs Media, a New Jersey based web development and digital marketing agency named for her two beloved dogs Ginger and Riley.  Jill has been featured in publications such as BusinessWeek, Search Engine Watch, and CIO (Chief Information Officer) magazine.  She also gives back through her social goods website, CharityPaws which helps animal rescues and charities raise funds with positive inspired apparel for animal lovers!

SEO DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SCARY

I'm the first to admit, I need a lot of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) help, and quite frankly sometimes SEO scares the heck out of me! For the first time, I attended an SEO presentation that didn't utterly confuse and frustrate me.  The last SEO class I went to left me confused and frustrated.  

2DogsMedia is named for Jill Caren's two dogs, Ginger and Riley.

At the conference, I pushed myself to attend Jill Caren's Beginner SEO session, and although it wasn't completely easy-peasy I was able to follow along quite well. I was surprised that I actually understood a lot of it!  I was so pleased with the Beginner session that I ended up staying for Jill's Advanced SEO session as well, and it was great! I was sure I'd be completely lost in the advanced session but I actually got a lot out of it. 

HOW SEO IS DONE

Here are some of the tips on how to grow your blog traffic and how SEO works that resonated with me the most.  I see myself definitely being able to implement many of these suggestions:

Jill started off by saying that Step 1 should be finding out what your audience wants.  She then discussed growing your blog traffic & audience organically for FREE. I'm all about free, so I was listening pretty intently!   Here are some of Jill's recommendations:

⇝ Have your own domain and host it elsewhere.  Having a secure site is also important, not just for the obvious security reason but also because many brands don't like to work with blogs or web sites that are unsecured. 

⇝ Jill is a huge proponent of Google's WebMaster tool to monitor and analyze your blog's performance.

⇝ It's critical that you have good Title Tags and Meta Descriptions, as these impact Click Through Rates, and therefore they impact your Google ranking.  Include keywords in your Title Tags.

⇝ Compile 10 - 15 keywords or keyword phrases to utilize in each of your blog posts.  Keywords are so important!  Jill made a few suggestions on where to find keywords, one of which is using a tool called answerthepublic.com.  It helps you find what questions people are asking about your topic, which you can then translate into keywords and phrases.  Try to place keywords in the beginning of your post if possible. I tried it and I loved this tool!  It's pretty easy to use and kind of fun too.

⇝ She also suggested simply using Google search to find keywords. Enter your topic into Google search engine and see what populates beneath the words you've typed in.  Also scroll down to the bottom of the page to see what other related search phrases pop up.  Another easy way to find keywords! I use this simple method all the time now, it works very well. I've done my due diligence and added keywords throughout this post using these 3 methods, let's see what happens!

⇝ She advised having breaks within your content and using H1 and H2 header designations.  This is another easy one to implement!  As you can see I've done that here.

⇝ Another important thing Jill talked about was site speed.  If your site is slow to load, you will not rank well!  It should only take 1 - 3 seconds to load, if it's more than this there may be a number of things slowing your site down.  She suggested using GTMetrix.com to assess the speed of your site and look for ways to improve it if needed.  I tried it with my blog and my speed is 8.4 seconds to load my 3.62MB blog page size - Yikes!!  Apparently I've got some landing page redirects, and broken links.  I've got some work to do to improve my site speed! Google is probably dinging me for this, big time.

Jill posted the full SEO Session Overview from her BlogPaws SEO sessions on her web site; 2DogsMedia  It's a great recap of what she covered in both the Beginner and Advanced sessions.  You can utilize her overview as a recap for those who attended either of the sessions, or as a starting point for those who were unable to attend the conference or her sessions.

I have since put many of Jay and Jill's advice into action for my blog and it's definitely made a difference.
  

Post BlogPaws Conference High

THE AMAZING BLOGPAWS CONFERENCE IN MYRTLE BEACH WAS A WHIRLWIND OF SEEING BLOGGER FRIENDS, MEETING SPONSORS & LEARNING!!

This was Icy & Phoebe's second conference!

At the BlogPaws Nose to Nose awards dinner with Kristin Avery of The Daily Pip and Denise Yoder-Gruzensky of Denise's Dog Dish.  It was such a beautiful event!

The best part about the BlogPaws conferences is seeing our blogger friends in person & hanging out together!  In this photo I'm with Kristin Avery of The Daily Pip, Robin Mudge of Playful Kitty, and Nose to Nose WINNER Susan Nation of Talent Hounds - Congrats Susan!  Congrats to Kristin for being a FINALIST in two categories as well!

  

The BlogPaws Blogging & Social Media conference culminates in celebration at the BlogPaws Nose to Nose awards dinner!  Congratulations to all the award winners and the 56 finalists as well, you are all WINNERS!! The official final list of award winners will be available on 5/26/17.

With my husband John, Icy and Phoebe at the Nose to Nose awards reception

Icy wore the animal print skirt I made for her to the BlogPaws Conference Nose to Nose awards event.

Icy and Phoebe on the Red Carpet!

Did you attend the BlogPaws conference in Myrtle Beach? Tell us in the comments!

A Dog Gets Ready To Dazzle At Yappy Hour

PHOEBE IS READY TO SPARKLE AND DAZZLE AT THE BLOGPAWS CONFERENCE!!

SHE JUST LOVES THE SPARKLE ON TOP AND THE CUTE RUFFLES ON THE BOTTOM OF HER DRESS.  THE TOP IS GLAMOROUS WHILE THE BOTTOM IS KIND OF "BEACHY", PERFECT FOR MYRTLE BEACH, DON'T YOU THINK?

REST UP BEFORE ALL THE GREAT YAPPY HOURS AT THE BLOGPAWS SOCIAL MEDIA & BLOGGER'S CONFERENCE, PHOEBE, ALL EYES WILL BE ON YOU!

DO YOU LIKE PHOEBE'S YAPPY HOUR DRESS? LEAVE US A COMMENT AND LET PHOEBE KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF HER NEW DRESS - AND PLEASE  LOOK FOR US AT THE CONFERENCE IF YOU'RE GOING!!

Tulip Festival At The Park

LAST WEEKEND WAS THE TULIP FESTIVAL IN OUR TOWN PARK.  THEY PLANT THOUSANDS OF TULIPS ALL AROUND THE PARK EVERY SPRING.  IT'S A GLORIOUS DISPLAY OF COLOR, MAKING IT EVEN LOVELIER TO WALK AROUND THE LAKE AND ALONG THE PATHS.  I GAVE YOU A PEEK AT ONE PHOTO IN OUR WORDLESS WEDNESDAY POST, TIPTOEING THROUGH THE TULIPS. NOW I'LL SHARE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS OF PHOEBE'S DAY AT THE TULIP FESTIVAL.

I love this photo of the lake with the swans swimming serenely along, and pretty tulips lining the water's edge.  These two swans make a nest every year and have babies, it's so sweet!

Phoebe sits and contemplates life among the tulips.

The tulips are everywhere, around the lake and along all the pathways!  There are tons of different varieties and colors of tulips!

Phoebe is posing on one of the decks around the lake.  A couple of fountains help aerate the lake to keep it clean (you can see one in the background).  There are not only swans that call this lake home, but ducks, geese, fish and turtles all live in harmony on the lake!

So we never forget, the park created this 9/11 memorial to commemorate the attacks of September 11th, 2001.  Many people in our town work in the Wall Street area.  This memorial honors those in our community who lost their lives in the 2001 attacks in New York City.  The vertical steel pieces of artwork that line the walkway to the memorial fountain were constructed of steel that came from the World Trade Center.  The fountain is at the end of this walkway, but I wanted to be respectful and not disturb the people who were visiting it so I don't have a photo of that.

PHOEBE LOVED HER DAY AT THE TULIP FESTIVAL.  THERE WERE SO MANY NEW SMELLS AND PRETTY FLOWERS, DOGS AND PEOPLE TO MEET & SNIFF.  I HOPE YOU ENJOYED HER PHOTOS!  

IS YOUR DOG ENJOYING SPRING BLOOMS?  LEAVE US A COMMENT AND SHARE!

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

Phoebe was tip toeing through the Tulips this weekend.  The park near our house had their Tulip Festival.  

Phoebe enjoys the beautiful tulips at the park!

I'll post more pics of the Tulip Festival on Friday!  CAUTION: Tulips can be toxic to pets, so don't let your dog eat any part of the plant!

THIS IS THE BLOGPAWS WORDLESS WEDNESDAY BLOG HOP!!