Pet Product Reviews - "Come Back, Como: Winning the Heart of a Reluctant Dog,"
Autumn is here are and what could be better than snuggling with a really good book. if you're looking for a book, and you love dogs, I found the perfect book for you.
"Come Back, Como" by Steven Winn
What if the family dog loves everyone in your family but you? Steven Winn, author of "Come Back, Como: Winning the Heart of a Reluctant Dog," takes a humorous look at one father's relationship with a dog who wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him and the lessons he learned about love and families.
About Steven Winn:
Award-winning journalist and fiction writer Steven Winn was a staff writer at the San Francisco Chronicle. A former Wallace Stegner Fellow in Fiction at Stanford University and a founding staff member of the Seattle Weekly, his work has appeared in publications from Good Housekeeping, Parenting, and Parents, to Sports Illustrated, AARP magazine, the Utne Reader, and the National Lampoon. He has appeared on 20/20, the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, A&E Biography, and NPR.
About the book:
Based on a beloved ten-part series in the San Francisco Chronicle, the tender and hilarious story of one man's uncommonly rich experience with a dog who wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him
Meet the Auther via this video here:
Steven Winn wanted a dog for his family--for companionship, for laughter, for holidays together, and stories to tell. But when his daughter fell in love with a scraggly, man-hating terrier mix named Como from a local animal shelter, Winn got far more than he'd bargained for. Traumatized, single-minded, and clever, Como was bent on breaking Winn's sanity, his bankbook, and his heart.
COME BACK, COMO is the story of a unique journey: one man's valiant quest to win the love of a truly one-of-a-kind dog, a creature usually thought of as man's best friend. With humor and pathos, Winn describes the exasperating but ultimately rewarding effects Como had on his family, the ordeals he and his dog endured together, and the greatest lesson Como taught him: that loving a dog can somehow make us more human.
For more information, interviews with Steve Winn and tour dates go to: http://dogtime.com/come-back-como.html
If you think your product can pass the Secret Shopper Test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com
Pet Product Review - The Humane Society Prize Not Fighter Tee
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Shop Humane Domain, The official online store of The Humane Society of the United States, has great gift ideas for all occasions and all your pet-loving friends and family, as well as pet essentials such as leashes, food bowls, scratching posts, and more. |
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Here is a story that I heard happened not far from me in New York City. A wedding couple foolishly thought that realeasing albino doves at their wedding was a sign of love, prosperity and best wishes. No people! Its the sign of stupidity. Albino Doves that you find in pet stores are not wild and can not take care of themselves. In most cases these poor birds end up scared and starving or the meal of preditors.
Lucky for some benevolent bird watchers, the birds in New York were saved and now being nursed back to health. Here is the full story from the New York Post:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07282009/news/regionalnews/tragic_doves_left_at_altar_181723.htm
Remember people, animals are living creatures and never to be used as props or for entertainment. Just ask Mr. Vick.
Pet Product Review - Evanger's Pet Food Not to FDA Standards
Every so often I read a fellow product review or news from another blogger. Here is a blog post from a very reputible blogger www.PetsitUSA.com/blog. ; 1 year ago they let us know that Evanger's the maker of low acid canned pet food was not meeting the FDA standards for botulism. Well surprise, surprise, here they are again, after repeated inspection not meeting those standards again.
What gets me is I see their glossy ads in Dog Fancy and Animal Fair. Their prices are premium so you would think their products are too. Don't take the risk with your dog. Here is a copy from PetsitUSA.com:
FDA suspends Evangers temporary emergency permit
More pet food news, this time it’s regarding Evangers pet food.
June 12, 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today it was suspending the temporary Emergency Permit issued to Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc.
Evanger’s, operating in Wheeling, Illinois, deviated from the prescribed process, equipment, product shipment, and recordkeeping requirements in the production of the company’s thermally processed low acid canned food (LACF) products. The deviations in their processes and documentation could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.
In April 2008, Evanger’s was issued an “Order of Need for Emergency Permit” after the agency determined that the company had failed to meet the regulatory requirements to process a product that does not present a health risk. In June, 2008, FDA issued Evanger’s a temporary Emergency Permit. During inspections conducted between March 2009 and April 2009, FDA determined Evanger’s was not operating in compliance with the mandatory requirements and conditions of the Temporary Emergency Permit.
“The FDA is stopping Evanger’s ability to ship pet food in interstate commerce,” said Dr. Bernadette Dunham. “Today’s enforcement action sends a strong message to manufacturers of pet food that we will take whatever action necessary to keep unsafe products from reaching consumers.”
In order for Evanger’s to resume shipping in interstate commerce, the company must document that corrective actions and processing procedures have been implemented to ensure that the finished product will not present a health hazard.
Botulism is a powerful toxin that affects the nervous system and can be fatal. The disease has been documented in dogs and cats. Signs of botulism in animals are progressive muscle paralysis, disturbed vision, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and progressive weakness to the body. Death is usually due to paralysis of the heart or the muscles used in breathing.
While FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is responsible for regulating all human and animal LACF processing, FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has authority over animal feed and foods. The two centers are collaborating on this enforcement action.
From the FDA website: FDA Suspends Temporary Emergency Permit of Pet Food Maker
I blogged about this last year, when the FDA first ordered the temporary emergency permit for Evangers.
Pet Products Review - DogTime.com Pet Insurance Center
Every pet owner knows that one of the greatest pet debates of all time is "Should I get Pet Insurance? or Should I not?" There are so many questions and now so many companies. The choices can be totally overwhelming. The terms completely confusing. And the policies and prices vary greatly from state to state. So what is a pet owner to do? Up until now there has been no destination where a pet owner can find all of the information she needs to make an educated choice on Pet Insurance.
Lucky for every pet owner DogTime.com set up the world's first online Pet Insurance Center. http://dogtime.com/pet-insurance/center/home
I guess you can call DogTime's Pet Insurance Center the ultimate pet product review in that it compares pet insurance companies and pet insurance policies in one place. It's easy to find being one of the tabs on the top of the www.dogtime.com website homepage.
The DogTime Pet Insurance Center Home Page
The home page is the actual center. You will see
- a description of the center
- a flash movie of the GRID that will link you back to the GRID page
- the latest 5 articles posted to the insurance center articles section
- the latest comments made made about pet insurance on the bottom of the page
- the “Ask An Insurance Expert” widget from which users can ask questions and the answers are posted for all to see
- A fun poll that lets people vote yes, no, don't know if they have pet insurance
Insurance PolicyGRID page
The GRID is certainly the epicenter of the DogTime Pet Insurance Center. Users will be able to compare 41 different insurance plans from 13 insurance companies.
Users can also share their own experience with these companies by using our comments feature.
Articles section
The DogTime editorial team will post pet insurance related articles in this section. The articles home page will display the latest articles posted and will allow users to navigate to any article ever posted within the DogTime Pet Insurance Center Each article title on the articles home page will link to the article page on which users will be able to share their opinion about the article.
Ask An Expert section (AAE)
Users will be able to ask questions about pet insurance. Those questions will be forwarded to pet insurance experts by the editorial team. Once we get the responses it will be posted
Within the AAE section and will also display in the AAE widget throughout theDogTime Pet Insurance Center.
All in all, check it out! leave comments! Tell DogTime how it should be improved, and what Pet Insurance company success and nightmare stories you have. And if you have a product you think will pass the Secret Shopper Test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com
