GrouchyPuppy® Blog | Dog Lovers Source

Vote for Grouchy Puppy in Bay Woof's Beast of the Bay Awards!

Shameless promotion in the name of birthday wishes. Grouchy Puppy has been nominated for a Beast of the Bay Award by Bay Woof readers. In case you are from out of town, Bay Woof is the San Francisco Bay Area’s monthly newspaper for people and their dogs. We’re nominated in the Best Dog Blog category.

My birthday is this week, and I would love it if you’d consider voting for Grouchy Puppy in the fourth annual Beast of the Bay Awards. And for our (mine and Cleo's) global and national friends — after the first page, if you want, go ahead and go straight to #43 Best Dog Blog and choose Grouchy Puppy.

The final ballot is available online until midnight on Friday, February 10, but please don't wait until the last minute to vote. Besides, voting is really easy, something you can do during American Idol commercials, or before bed.

 

Thank you!! 

Celebrate Wood River Valley Idaho Pets Photo Contest

via www.mtexpress.com

The parameters are simple: The photo needs to illustrate how much your pet loves to live in the Wood River Valley. The photo must contain a pet, may contain a person and should be taken somewhere in the Wood River Valley or surrounding area. When submitting the photo, include a short description explaining how the photo represents your pet's enjoyment of life in the valley.

In addition to being a cover boy/girl, the winning entrant will receive a $50 pet-related gift certificate, depending on his/her species. The contest closes on Friday, Jan. 27, at 5 p.m.

Baywoof's Beast of the Bay Awards 2012 - Nominations until Dec 31

Baywoof's 4th Annual Beast of the Bay Awards - Nominations are here! This is a contest to vote on everything dog and dog-centric in the San Francisco Bay Area! Over forty categories such as: Best View with a Dog, Best Online Web Advice, Best Yappy Hour, Best Canine Cause.

Grouchy Puppy would love to get your vote and be nominated for #43 Best Dog Blog on the ballot entry form. The four most-mentioned nominees will appear on the final ballot. The deadline for nominations is 12am on December 31st! Thank you for your support!

Giveaway: Hartz Angry Birds Dog Toys Gift Pack

Our dog Cleo has always loved squeaky toys. Now that she is older and having trouble with her vision, she takes great pride when she finds one and makes it cry for mercy. While I was at BlogPaws, Hartz Pets gave me an advance selection of their new Angry Birds pet toys.

When I got home, Cleo picked one from the bag, and months later that green rubber squeaky pig ball is still one of her favorite toys. Because we like to share our good fortune with others, last month we took most of the other toys to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. It was a great experience.

Give Fearlessly. It is the season for sharing, and I wanted to offer a fun holiday giveaway for readers, one that lets you give fearlessly. Hartz very kindly put together two special sets of Hartz® Angry Birds® dog toys just for you!

Two lucky winners will receive four (4) Hartz® Angry Birds® dog toys, enough to keep and share - it's up to you, and your dog(s). Some of the toys include:

Holiday Giveaway + Family Fun = Grouchy Puppy Joy

We love the holidays and the season for sharing. This year, we have a very special holiday giveaway starting in three days! It involves giving fearlessly, dog toys and fun family moments. Here is a clue:

 

Spread the Grouchy Puppy message: Give Fearlessly | Influence Positively

What a senior dog can teach you about life

I'm happy to be again contributing to the Pet 'Net Adoption Event 2011 sponsored by Petside.com. This is the fourth year Petside is linking bloggers together celebrating pets as part of the family, and encouraging adoption. This is the first year Petside is in a partnership with Iams on a social media donation campaign, but more on that later. 

This year the event follows a recent celebration of my dog Cleo's sixth year with us. She is now truly experiencing her golden years. And her obvious aging is cause for some adjustment on my part, because she is my first senior dog.

As a Baby Boomer, with my own signs of aging, I have been learning a lot about life with every passing year from my senior dog. As of this year, I am now the Editor-at-Large for LIFE+DOG magazine, writing on a monthly basis much longer pieces than my average blog post. Dogs played a part in my childhood development, and now an old dog is helping me at this later stage of adult life. All of these ingredients have me sitting at my computer, with Cleo nearby, contemplating our time together and what it has revealed. 

Last year I wrote about how adopting a dog can be a gift, and it is still true. Cleo is a treasure and rare dog. Adopting a dog opens your heart. I've found I'm now more receptive to the rollercoaster of life because of my experiences with Cleo. What is also true, is that a senior dog can teach you a lot about embracing the life we have, savoring the small accomplishments, and enjoying a good nap.

Giveaway: Awkward Family Pet Photos Book

They say love is blind. Many of us with dogs, knows this is true. You might be shocked at how many photos I have of my dog Cleo, which are also out of focus. But, I keep them because I can still how cute she is in them.

Awkward Family Photos. Our Christmas card includes our dog - she is part of the family - and I plan to keep working on taking that perfect family picture, if it kills me. I'm grateful for digital photos, because you can imagine how many embarrasing photos are deleted.

But how about the photos that don't get deleted? How many of you have cringed yet couldn't look away from AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com??

These photos pop up in my Facebook stream from friends all the time. This hilarious site lead to a New York Times bestseller. The authors of both the site and book, Mike Bender and Doug Chernack, found that the pet photos quickly became the most popular and the most commented upon photos, so in June 2010 they naturally created AwkwardFamilyPetPhotos.com.

On November 1st, their new paperback book - a tribute to the unbreakable bond between people and their pets - goes on sale..just in time for the holidays!

And you can WIN your own FREE copy by entering our GIVEAWAY!

Kimpton Hotels Hosts Fifth Annual Howl-o-Ween Yappy Hour and Pet Costume Contest Oct 30th

 

Join Kimpton Hotels, San Francisco’s pet-friendliest hotel collection, on the grass carpet as they play host to the city’s cutest and spookiest pups, dressed in their best Halloween costumes.

Bring your fabulous four-legged friend to the Argonaut Hotel dressed in their funniest or scariest costume, for a chance to win a variety of prizes, while you enjoy a relaxing yappy hour and views of the San Francisco Bay. 

Benefiting the San Francisco SPCA, Kimpton’s Howl-o-Ween party is October 30, 2011 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Costume contest starts at 3:30 pm. 

San Francisco SPCA-sponsored DOGMA Street Fair Sept 24

Join the SF SPCA for a street party, San Francisco style

Saturday, September 24th

11am - 3pm on Octavia Street between Hayes and Fell

A San Francisco SPCA Event in Support of Pet Adoptions

Prizes include a special Advertorial on 7x7.com, $100 For any SF SPCA Services or adoption, 5 day ALL Day Play pass and $100 Spa Package at Wag Hotel, BBs Jet Set Pets Purrari Pet Throw, original Unround Hound Square from Novo Deco Jewelry, Happy Hounds Massage complimentary pet session, Chronicle Books pet books package, P.L.A.Y. Pet Bed, a Portrait Session from Nuena Photography and more!

Giveaway: Pedigree Goodies for you and your dog

Did you miss out on getting to BlogPaws in Washington DC last month? We know lots of people had to cancel out at the last minute and stay home with their dogs because of Hurricane Irene. We were fortunate enough to go and return with lots of conference swag thanks to the many sponsors. Because we know how much fun it is to collect samples and try out cool new products, we are sharing some of the goodies we brought home with you!

Our giveaway of conference goodies for one lucky reader has something for you and your dog! Cleo will keep her squeaky pig from the Angry Birds toy collection but I did put together a great sampler from Pedigree. 

Our prize pack includes assorted dog food samples and dental oral care from Pedigree, along with a cool travel mug, coupons, post-its and a cute Dogs Rule sticker - plus a special surprise gift.

The gift pack is a great way to try the newest dog food formula from Pedigree and their latest in Dentastix.

How to Enter

We have several ways to enter; The giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only! This giveaway ends at 12:01am EST on September 23, 2011. Good luck!

We are trying Rafflecopter for the first time. It is a new way to conduct contests and giveaways. Let us know if you have any feedback. Thanks!

DogTime Media Awards: The Petties 2011 Arrive 5PM EST

For all those who voted for Grouchy Puppy and Cleo to win a DogTime Media Award, we thank you. Whether we win or not, your support means everything. 

If we win, Rocky Ridge Rescue will thank you for the $1000 donation they will be getting. We love the underdog and their amazing Arkansas refuge has that magic touch when it comes to helping the underdog transform into a loved dog or other critter.

Very soon, 5:00PM EST you can tune into the DogTime.com Petties 2011 Awards presentation.

Cleo, our dog who is also a ham, will be following from home.

Get Your Fix T-Shirt Giveaway

Many believe that spay/neuter is the key for ending pet overpopulation. Cloris Leachman recorded a great spay/neuter ad for PETA. Over 60% of the dogs euthanized in the City of San Francisco are at least part pit bull, and in March the San Francisco SPCA began offering free spay and neuter surgeries for pit bulls and pit mixes, as part of an awareness campaign.

People everywhere are focused on ending the homeless pet population in creative ways. How would you encourage someone to spay or neuter their pet?

Launched earlier this year, the FiXiT Foundation seeks to find why populations are not spaying or neutering their companion animals. They initiated a case study in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, named “The Island Project,” to test out various incentive programs to entice pet owners to spay or neuter their pets. In March the foundation received a $100,000 grant from PetSmart Charities® to support this creative initiative.

Photo Caption Contest Time!

*Sleepy sweetness courtesy of @HWAC Helen Woodward Animal Center foster family for Petunia's Puppy Posse.

Photo Caption Contest Time!

So much puppy cuteness!! Here is a new photo from the latest litter being fostered for the Helen Woodward Animal Center. We had to share this week's adorable moment! As a foster blogger we're so proud of Petunia. These puppies are growing so fast, they're opening their eyes already!

Come on, join the Petunia Puppy Posse and add your funny caption to the latest photo...

Petunia's Puppy Posse Caption Contest Sat Jul 23

Petunia's Puppy Posse Photo Caption Contest For Saturday, July 23

Make us laugh! Submit your cute captions in the comments..