Ciao, Hound

The Best Dressed Pets

2011-07-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

DianaDesignsNY carries a unique line of fashion for your pooch OR kitty: sweaters, skirt-ters, costumes, dresses and more; designed with the comfort of the pet in mind, and made with lots of love and attention to detail.

All of her sweaters are made from ULTRA SOFT, hypoallergenic yarn, with no constricting sleeves or leg straps, and a short front for potty area.

This one is a truly unique brightly colored sweater.
Super soft in bright turquoise and 2 shades of bright purple. There's also a mutli colored "boa feather" yarn across the middle of the back shoulder area, and the bottom area of the sweater.

This is a sleeveless, crew neck sweater that is light to medium weight, and is super comfy. Short front for potty area. Dog's shoulder harness can be accessed through the sweater.

All of her dresses and vests are fully lined.

"I WUFF YOU" harness vest with cute puppy dog print.

This vest has been made to look like a shirt/vest combo with a pointed collar sticking out the top of the vest, and an open shirt out the bottom.

She also does the most amazing custom work!

Custom WEDDING outfit for your dog - prices vary by size and number of pieces. She just finished outfitting an entire wedding party with a dress for the bride and 2 different colors and styles for the maid of honor and the bridesmaid as well as tuxes for the groom and groomsmen.

Click on the photos to go to the items.

Diana is one of the original members of the Petsjubilee Team on Etsy and is one of the most loving, caring, generous people you would ever want to meet!

She has a full time job with a minimum 4-hour commute each day and spends all of her free time working on orders. She just loves it. Any idea you can come up with, Diana can make a reality. She is truly an inspiration to me!

A portion of all of her sales goes to charity. This month, she's donating to the ASPCA.

Visit her shop: http://dianadesignsny.etsy.com AND
Visit her other shop: http://StylinDogsBoutique.etsy.com,
where she lists premade and ready to ship clothing, plus dog and cat toys, hats and more.
Her blog: http://dianadesignsny.blogspot.com

For Dachshund Lovers

2011-07-05T03:14:00.000-07:00

Sassysashadoxie for everything Dachshund

Dachshunds are a very special breed. They're extremely loving, devoted and smart, and have the ability to turn their humans into doxie crazed fans. So for those of you touched by a dachshund and/or appreciate a talented artist, Sassysashadoxie is the shop for you!

Athena with the help of her little dachshund, Sasha run this wonderful shop on Etsy. They began in August, 2008 making items featuring Sasha. Their magnets, bookmarks, cards, tags and stickers are still extremely popular (or pupular, as Sasha would say).

This Proud To Be An American Dog Dachshund combo set includes 2 blank greeting cards and a sheet of 20 round stickers as shown in above photos.

Through the years, Athena has developed her art to include drawings. The attention to detail is amazing. You can look at one of her drawings and see something new each time. I just love them. They're gorgeous, unique and bright and always cheer me up when I'm feeling down.

This "Bobo Takes A Dive" drawing features one black and tan wiener dog who is dropping his favorite toy "Bobo" in the fish bowl. In this drawing, there is so much going on with all the little details. A raccoon is sneaking into a shed out the window. A cat is looking out the window. A fish is quite disturbed by this intrusion in his bowl and so much more.

Just recently she has begun to develop collages incorporating a new love of papercutting. This is one of my favorites:

"A Dachshund In The Backyard collage card. The card is about 5.5 inches by 4 inches in size. It features a black and tan doxie looking out the window of his house and a red wiener dog in the backyard. There are butterflies on side borders.

Click on the photos to go to the items.

Athena runs Dachshund Team on Etsy and is one of the original members, and a creative source on the Petsjubilee Team on etsy.

Their shop is all about spreading dachshund happiness to others. They aim to please, and all orders come with a very generous surprise package. They also make custom printed items with your pet's pictures just convo Sassysashadoxie to arrange the details. I personally have ordered custom tags to use as 'thank you's' in my orders, and round stickers to put on the outside of packages to develop branding.

Athena was my very first customer in 2008, and we still maintain a friendship to this day. Her artwork enhances my house and her bookmarks are peeking out of several books. I love her shop and you will, too.

Visit her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SassySashadoxie
Her blog: http://sassysashadoxie.blogspot.com/

Doxie Transport

2011-06-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 11, 2011
We started out around 8:30 am (I woke up at 6 so I had time to do a few things before the doxie transport got underway). Elisabeth, the foster mom and coordinator texted me that they would be arriving about 15 minutes early, and Lauren called to say that she didn't hear her alarm. I called Beth and she wasn't dressed yet :( I took a deep breath, told Elisabeth, 'ok', told Beth to hurry and told Lauren to meet us at the pick up place. We actually ended up having enough time to grab Tim Horton's on the way :) We all met up and we all fell in love with Rosie, immediately! Here is a puppy who is being handed off to a bunch of strangers, and she couldn't care less. She immediately came to us, gave us kisses, snuggles and happy tail wags. We talked about just taking her home and calling Lyn and saying, we couldn't let Rosie go, but Elisabeth frowned upon that, so we put Rosie in her little crate and set out on our little adventure.

I sent pictures to Lyn and we texted almost the entire trip. I could tell how excited she was that the trip was underway.

We stopped at a rest area so that Rosie could piddle and have some water and a cookie and of course we all played with her and took more pictures. She eats cookies so funny. I broke off one piece, she took it in her mouth and then I was breaking off another piece and she dropped the first one to "help" me; ate that one and then the first one. This went on for several bites. It was just so adorable.

Back in the crate and in the car, we could hear her little tail wagging (she did this the first part of the trip, too) and she sounded so excited, like she knew this was an adventure. She was in the seat next to Lauren and would lick Lauren's hand through the crate door.

When we arrived in Columbus, Lori and her mom were already waiting for us. We handed Rosie off after a few more pictures and then they were off. The girls and I decided to hang out in Columbus for awhile. We went to a nearby restaurant for an early lunch - it was 11:00 am by this time. I was so sad to have let Rosie go. You all know that I truly love Velvet to pieces even though I kid about her being so unloveable; but Rosie kind of made me wish I had a loving dog :( So that of course put the idea back in my head again of getting a little brother or sister for Velvet. One who would love me, not just my ability to serve food and bake treats.

After lunch we went to a little shop that had really unique items amongst a lot of lotions, serums and make up. We hung out there for a long time and the girls both purchased a substantial amount. At checkout, Beth realized she was overcharged. One of the items she had that was $10 was on her receipt as $20. The manager wouldn't correct it. She said $10 was under their cost. Well, where we come from, if an item is marked wrong, the store honors it no matter what. They wouldn't, so Beth stood her ground and returned all of the items she was going to purchase! I was very proud of her. She stayed calm and matter-of-fact about it. The manager was clearly upset about it, yet she still didn't offer to sell the item for the amount it was marked. Bad business. We would've ordered from them in the future from their website because we liked the store so much, but not now.

Next, we headed out to find The Container Store. If you're unfamiliar with this particular store, you really should check them out, at least online. I really wish I had thought of this concept. An entire store of items to put other items in! They have containers for things I didn't even know I needed containers for! Lauren, who is the organized one of our group, has bought from them in the past and was just on cloud 9 to be in their store and be able to purchase without paying shipping. Beth, was in need of new luggage for our upcoming trips and also loves office supplies, so she was in seventh heaven, too :) We watched a presentation on how to more efficiently pack for a trip and thus reduce the cost of checking luggage. If you stayed for the entire presentation, you could enter to win a store gift certificate. Well, you'll never guess who won ... ME!

I was so excited to win something! We must have been there for several hours because when we got back on the road it was after 3:00. I didn't have a map from this area, so Beth said we'ld just wing it. She got us back out onto the right highway, and we were off.

Here are the pictures for the story so far plus one video that I'll explain later.

Part 2

So we were driving down the highway and having a really good time when Lauren got a call from John (Beth's boyfriend). He had just gotten home from work and found several inches of water in the hallway between their two apartments and it seemed to be coming from Lauren's apartment. So, Lauren called Rob at work and he rushed home to find that the hose to the washing machine had split and there was approximately 3 inches of standing water in their apartment. We drove home as fast as possible. The carpet in both apartments was drenched. Lauren called their insurance agent who said they would send someone out in a few days and told her they don't cover the carpet or the walls; that's up to the landlord. Rob had been dealing with the maintenance man who told him the landlord's insurance wouldn't cover it, that it was up to them. Finally, we got hold of the property manager who hired the guy they use to clean their carpets to clean up this mess. He showed up several hours later with his drugged out girlfriend. The equipment he had was not meant for this type of job, so it took forever and was not very efficient. He didn't have a clue as to what he was doing. During all of this, we had been taking turns holding Julia on a leash. I thought I would try to take her to my house for a while. The last video you saw (mostly heard) was me trying to introduce Velvet to Julia. It was a disaster, so I took Julia back home and left Velvet howling out of control. After about 6 hours of dealing with this disaster, we were all exhausted, tired and hungry. I went home. Rob, Lauren and Julia stayed at a pet-friendly hotel and Beth and John toughed it out at their apartment. We've spent today trying salvage items from Lauren and Rob's apartment. Because the job wasn't done right, now everything is wet, the walls, their clothes, furniture. Beth and John's apartment and the outside hallway smell like mildew because the guy did an even less efficient job on their place. Its just so devastating. I feel so horrible for them. Beth and I are set to go out of town tomorrow, so I hope they can get this resolved soon. So what started out as a wonderful, fun, adventurous day, turned into a horrible nightmare.

Pet Blogger Hop

2010-07-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Frau - continued ...

2010-07-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Meet my new Grand-Kitty

2010-07-02T18:10:00.001-07:00

Frau
(rhymes with brow (I think))

Meet Frau, my new grandkitty. She's just 2 months old :)

Heather Mitchell

2010-06-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

This portrait of my adorable Julia was commissioned by me for my son-in-law's birthday. The artist, Heather Mitchell is a member of the PetsJubilee team on Etsy and is so very talented! I sent her several photos of Julia and explained what I wanted (for instance, I wanted Julia's face and her ears up, which I could never get in one shot. If she looked at me, her ears were down. If she looked away then her ears were up. She is camera shy.) and Heather put them together to make this wonderful, unique gift. She sent me several work in progress scans to make sure it was what I wanted, and I never had to change a thing. My son-in-law and daughter were so surprised and thrilled. I wish I would have gotten a picture of him opening it. Heather also draws people and does portraits in almost size with multiple subjects; really, whatever you would want. She's also recently added cards to her shop.

This is the portrait as it appears in Heather's Etsy shop:

You can also find Heather on facebook and twitter and watch her works in progress.

Velvet's Little Store

2010-06-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'm slowing starting to stock Velvet's Little Store, my accessories and supplies shop on Etsy. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook for all the updates and please heart my shop if you have a chance.

Another picture of Julia, my grandpuppy

2010-05-20T05:04:00.001-07:00

COCKAPOO DOG SLATE-HAND-PAINTED-MADE TO ORDER

2010-04-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

AngelPupCreations

My Life as a Beagle

2010-04-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

I was born a poor lil huntin' dog in a small town in Ohio. It was so small it had a "Now Entering" and "Now Leaving" sign on the same post. I not very good with geography, and I was so very young, that I do not remember the name of the tiny town, but we call it the "Daisy Hill Puppy Farm".

When I's was born me and my brothers and sisters and my real momma lived in a box. I didn't like the box, so I figured out how to get outta there pretty fast. I is ALWAYS and forever hungry, so I figured, why not chew on these here walls?! I nibbled and I chewed and you know what? It really wasn't very bad; kinda bland, could've used a little sugar or honey or sumfin, but I'm not too terribly picky. My human daddy says I eat anything, rusty nails, broken glass, and bark offa tree. After a lil while, I had a pretty descent sized hole in them walls and me and my brothers and my sisters escaped. We had such a good time running around a really BIG box! The big box had cushy furniture and soft rugs and oh so many things to chew on! Lol, I miss those days.

Dog Bone Placemat

2010-04-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

CodysCloset

RARE STERLING SILVER TEDDY GRAHAM CHARM

2010-04-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

BeadieAndThings

Make A Blanket for SPCA Rescue Animals

2010-04-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

If you can sew, please consider making a blanket for this worthy cause.

More information here:

http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=3941

Dachshund Pocket Pawtector Stickers

2010-04-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

SassySashaDoxie

Hearts and Pups Flannel Boxers

2010-03-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Gear4Guys

Did you know...

2010-03-30T03:11:00.000-07:00

...it is estimated there are 400 MILLION dogs in the world???

That's a lot of furbabies!

* from Coppinger, Ray (2001). Dogs: a Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution. New York: Scribner. p. 352

Hubby Stuffed Dog Bone Squeaker Toy

2010-03-29T04:55:00.000-07:00

StylinDogsBoutique

Blog Giveaway

2010-03-26T05:16:00.000-07:00

Enter the Etsy Beagle Street Team's "Dog Tired of Winter" Blog Giveaway. Its really easy to participate. Just visit the entries and comment on which is your favorite. You could win a beautiful handmade origami Gift Card set by DogsRule.

Stop by and enter before its too late. Go to: http://etsybeagles.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday, Miss Sophia!

2010-03-16T04:49:00.000-07:00

Miss Sophia enjoyed a wheat free version of our Baby Bundt cake for her special day. It was peanut butter cake with carob icing drizzled over the top, and although it took a long time to get there, it looks like she enjoyed it very much.

I want to thank her mommy who runs Jenniebgoode on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/jenniebgoode) for sharing this wonderful picture with us. Stop by her shop and have a look at some beautiful, handmade collars!

Ciao, Hound

Fun Photo Game - Tag, You're It

2010-03-04T03:45:00.000-08:00

Christie at http://www.bloomingwildflowers.com/ just tagged me in this fun photo game...

The rules of this tag are:
1. open your first photo folder
2. scroll to the tenth photo
3. post the photo and the story behind it
4. tag five or more people

This is my picture:

Frozen Fog

This photo doesn't really have a story except to say that it hasn't been altered at all. I woke up one morning, stepped outside to find everything covered in frost and a blue hue. It was very eerie, yet peaceful.

I'm tagging:

Art & Sew Forth
For The Love of Wiener Dogs
Giupetto / Gianna Tails
The Double Dipped Life
Jewelry by Solange

And the winner is...

2010-03-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

Kelly of AngelPupsCreation s!!!

Congratulations, Kelly! You won some homemade dog treats from CiaoHound.

I know this video is very dark, but I got this idea from MsAnomaly (Linda) for choosing the winner. I put a treat in the middle of all of the names and the first name off is deemed the winner.

Thank you so much for everyone who entered! I really enjoyed reading all of the comments. We'll do this again really soon. Thank you also to SassySashaDoxie for this great idea for our blog!

What Am I Thinking???

2010-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

Post your ideas on what Velvet is thinking for a chance to win some delish Ciaohound treats! I'll announce the winner Tuesday evening (3/2/10).

My Grandpuppy Julia and Her New Coat

2010-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've been so remiss in sharing pictures of my new Grandpuppy! Her name is Julia and she had a rough start to life. Now she's living with my daughter and her husband and is so grateful for all of the loving and attention that she receives. She is truly a loving companion, full of life and excitement. Last week we ordered this beautiful custom made fleece coat for her from my dear friend, Diana of DianaDesignsNY. It is absolutely a perfect fit! She made the coat in record time and worked with us on fabric options, customizing the pattern for Julia's unique figure :) We love it so much! Thank you, Diana!!!

I'll upload the video shortly.

Blog Giveaway by the Beagle Street Team

2010-02-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

The Beagle Street Team on Etsy is having a Blog Giveaway!
Enter to win by visiting
the Team Blog.

You could win a pouch similiar to this one by KookyHandBags.

You'll have to hurry, though. The giveaway ends this Saturday, February 6th at 11:59 pm. EST.

For complete rules, go to: http://etsybeagles.blogspot.com/2010/02/etsy-beagles-hearts-and-hounds-team.html

The Big Green Monster On Wheels

2010-01-29T03:56:00.000-08:00

Sasha, the wacky little wiener dog here. Miss Shari and Velvet wanted me to blog for you all today on her blog so let me get my paws a typing.

Today's "barkpic" (or topic for the humans out there) is the giant green monster on wheels that comes once a week and takes my precious garbage away. Why is it that the humans won't let us puppers get into all the good leftovers in the trash can? I think I have discovered the answer. It hit me while I was out going potty yesterday. The big green monster on wheels that comes once a week makes a terrible roar when it is devouring our garbage that mommy just leaves on the side of the road and then it goes on to the neighbors and on and on. Well you gets the idea. So I thought about it. Why would so many humans feed this monster all that good garbage? The only reason I can think of is that the humans have to feed it all their garbage so it won't eat us puppers! So, please, doggies out there try your hardest not to get into garbage cans. We don't want that big green monster eating us!

Woofs and doxie kisses to you all! Sasha.

And the Winner Is...

2010-01-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

Diana of DianaDesignsNY!

Congratulations, Diana on winning a dozen Peanut Butter bones from MiasMunchies!

Thank you, MiasMunchies for donating such a wonderful prize!

We'll have another blog giveaway in about 2 weeks, so stay tuned :)

MiasMunchies - Blog Giveaway

2010-01-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about this. I know blog giveaways aren't new or anything, but this is my very first one, so its new to me :) I want to introduce my fellow PetsJubilee team members and the great products that they offer on Etsy. This week, I'm featuring:

MiasMunchies

MiasMunchies is giving away:

ONE DOZEN PEANUT BUTTER BONES!

These Peanut Butter bones are sure to be a hit with your canine.

These bones are approx. 1.5 inches long.

While these treats are all made with wonderfully yummy ingredients- they are made for your dog.
All of our treats are pooch approved!

HOW TO ENTER:

MANDATORY 1st Entry – Visit MiasMunchies' shop on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/MiasMunchies) and leave a comment below telling me which item in her shop is your favorite.

Extra Entries: Worth 1 entry a piece, please fill out a separate comment for each.
- Fan MiasMunchies on Facebook
- Fan Ciaohound on Facebook
- Follow MiasMunchies on Twitter
- Follow Ciaohound on Twitter
- Heart MiasMunchies shop on Etsy
- Heart Ciaohound on Etsy
- Become a follower of my blog
- Tweet the following for up to 1 entry PER DAY: Win a dozen Peanut Butter bones @lareese23 from @ciaohound at: http://www.ciao-hound.blogspot.com

A winner will be announced on January 24th, 2010.

Baby Jenna

2010-01-14T04:41:00.000-08:00

This is my son-in-law's sister's newborn baby, Jenna. Isn't she so precious????!!!

Thank you, Diana!

2009-12-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

I love my new toy! Thank you so much, Diana (StylinDogsBoutique)! The squeakers work great, and it goes really far when mommy and daddy throw it and it goes pretty with my fur.

Do You Have An AVON Lady?

2009-12-27T06:14:00.000-08:00

If not, then you can shop through my Avon Lady's store ... ( she's my daughter :)

Right now they're having a sale. FREE shipping on any order over $5. Use coupon code: WINTER5

Gianna

2009-12-26T05:44:00.001-08:00

This picture is from Diana of DianaDesignsNY. She made these adorable jumbo stuffed dog toys for her little ones. Visit her other shop, StylinDogsBoutique, for toys, hats and premade outfits.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T03:26:00.000-08:00

What am I thinking?

2009-12-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Post/comment what you think Velvet is thinking
for a chance to win a free gift.

Velvet would like to thank Sasha, a most talented blogger, and her mom, for this great idea!!!

Lots of treats

2009-12-13T08:47:00.001-08:00

I'm baking up a storm this weekend! Its so much fun and I enjoy it so much! Please let me know if you want anything for your special four-legged friend.

I'll try to post pictures later.

What's Bakin'

2009-12-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

Potato Pancake with Turkey - Allergen Free

The simplest recipe, but one my favorite meals ... turkey with potatoes! These are baked on a much smaller scale for your special dog. Great flavor, unique treat, a specialty for dogs on restricted diets.

My goal was to make them as allergen free as possible so that any dog on any diet would be able to enjoy a special treat. There is no wheat, egg, or dairy and of course, no sugar or salt.

Make a donation to the right of $10.00 to receive this as your "free gift". Click on the slideshow to see other available items for just $5 more (each). Email me with any questions: ciaohound@live.com.

What?!

2009-12-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

What would interest you?

2009-11-30T04:22:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to do some interviews here in the coming weeks. Being part of Petsjubilee on Etsy, puts me in contact with so many knowledgeable pet people. Whenever anyone has a pet question, there's usually at least 5 people who are able to chime in and have a solution.

If there is any pet related topic of interest that you would like to see here, please let me know, either by leaving a comment or emailing me at ciaohound@live.com.

Hugs for your Pup - Unique Dog Pillows by Ciaohound

2009-11-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

Do you speak dog???

2009-11-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

I came across this on another blog and just couldn't resist.

We're always talking about our pets in our Etsy forum and the topic came up...

Do you talk for your dog? Is it 'baby talk'? Do you do different voices? Share your pet talking info in the comments :)

We always talk for Velvet in a 'duh' kinda voice. I don't know why except she's forever tilting her head when we talk to her, like, 'I don't speak human; quit talking to me'.

The Straight Poop

2009-11-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know the answer ? ....

What is the criteria for finding the perfect spot to poop?

Velvet will spend forever circling around, then moving a little further away, then, wait no, maybe over here,... Not to be tooooo graphic, but sometimes she's pooping before she settles on a spot to squat! Its hysterical to watch, and I thought maybe someone might have some insight on the doggie mind :)

Leave a comment if you have any ideas on this.

Where Do Pumpkin Pies Come From?

2009-11-23T18:38:00.001-08:00

What's Bakin'

2009-11-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

Today I'm baking Carrot Cake for dogs. I've reopened my Etsy shop, so now, if you want any of my treats (see my Flickr photostream to the right) just email me at ciaohound@live.com or convo me and I'll post a custom listing for you on etsy, or you can donate here. I'm in the process of adding descriptions to the pictures on Flickr.

My new ciaohound shop features a conglomeration of recycled items. I've just posted my first two so far. There's a lot more to come.

I'm a work in progress :)

What's Bakin'

2009-11-06T03:35:00.000-08:00

Turkey Cookie - Peanut Butter flavored for Dogs

Your pooch will gobble this up! Human-sized cookies can be broken into small pieces for your special pup. Rich peanut butter flavor, fun shape.

Get a dozen of these 'FREE' when you donate $10 to Ciaohound. For any $15 donation choose a second item by perusing my Flickr pages (click on the photos to the right). Each additional item just $5.

More to come...

What's Bakin'

2009-10-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I'm making peanut butter flavored, human size, halloween cookies for dogs. I'll post pictures when I have them. Let me know if you want any.

New Etsy Shop

2009-09-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Please visit this new Etsy shop called: Caes' Crafts

Beautiful, handmade scarves decorated and accented with ribbon!

What's Bakin'

2009-09-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins for Dogs -

The weather is starting to cool here and the leaves have begun to turn, making this the perfect time to begin baking these warm soft pumpkin mini muffins! Made with pumpkin, sweetened with honey and applesauce and topped with the wonderful aromatic hint of cinnamon, these muffins are sure to be a hit! Donate $10 this weekend and get a dozen of these special treats, shipped priority mail (included in the $10). For $5 more you'll receive 6 human-sized peanut butter flavored Halloween shaped cookies.

What's Bakin'

2009-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

A new feature by Ciaohound. Each week I'll post what special treats I'm baking for the weekend. Email me with any questions.

Carrot Cake for Dogs

This is from my "Crumbrulee" line of treats. Crumble them up and sprinkle on top of your pup's kibble to add variety to mealtime, or just offer them the bite sized portions for a special treat.

Chicken Bistro Bites for Cats or Dogs

Bistro Bites are bite-sized treats, perfect for a light snack or a SPECIAL reward.

ciaohound@live.com

September Pet Sampler Box

2009-09-17T03:47:00.000-07:00

Get yours now...only a few days left.

Visit the PetsJubilee blog to search for a coupon.

A Change of Plan

2009-08-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

Due to life changes, I'm going to have to take a different approach to my dog treats. I'm going to be really busy for the next several months and away from home here and there, plus, I have a whole room full of "work in progress" crafts that I need to get to. So, whenever I have a free weekend, I'll bake and post those treats here, beginning September 20th. If you're interested in what I'm baking, let me know. My Etsy store, ciaohound, will have my miscellaneous crafts in it, at least until things get back to normal. If you have any questions, you can email me at: ciaohound@live.com.

Thank you :)

Birthday #46

2009-08-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. I turned 46, (wow, huh?!). As I'm reading through my blog reading list, I'm seeing others have birthdays today, too. So happy birthday to all of you! Also, the lady who does the channel 2 weather in the mornings is having a birthday today, too; so Happy Birthday, Jamie.

Some birthdays are great and memorable, others we just try to muddle through.

I passed a church sign on the way to work today, "Have you made God smile today?" ... that made me smile, but my answer was, "probably not."

Found

2009-08-20T17:27:00.001-07:00

Just in time for Back to School, I came across these adorable bookmarks from SassySashaDoxie! You can never have too many. Check it out:

True Love

2009-08-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

The other day we were in the backyard cooking dinner on the barbecue when my husband noticed a very tiny frog (or toad - I'm not sure which) sitting on the patio. I decided to catch him (the frog, not my husband) and move it to the back of the yard so Velvet wouldn't discover it and decide that was dinner - yes, she's gross :)

So, I put the little guy in a bucket and passed beneath our large maple tree when I caught something fluttering about from the corner of my eye. It was a female cardinal. She was having a very difficult time flying. Up and down and all around, never getting very high in the air. I hurried past and knelt to dispose of the frog in a large bush. When I looked up, there was a male cardinal sitting there, staring at me. It was really kind of eerie. So, I turned quickly to go back toward the house when the female flew right past my face, then nearly hit the ground, then back up about waist level. I was startled having almost ran into her. When I had cleared the area where she had been flapping about, I turned and she was laying on the ground on her back, her chest heaving quickly like she was out of breath. I took a step closer and she was suddenly still.

It was so sad. I looked up and saw the male cardinal hopping from one branch to another still on the same large bush. He was flapping his wings. I went back to the house and decided to deal with it tomorrow; maybe the male would be gone by then.

My husband had seen the whole thing from his spot next to the barbeque and said that was probably best, just wait until morning. I went inside to finish with dinner things and looked out the window every now and then to find the male cardinal, sitting there on the lawn next to the female. My husband said he stayed there for at least 5 minutes before returning to his perch on the bush. We watched him watching her, lying so very still on the lawn.

I was so amazed. I had no idea that cardinals held this type of bond for their mates. I felt helpless. It was such a tragedy.

Soon it was nightfall and we could no longer see the birds in the distance.

The next morning, I awoke and took Velvet out for her morning constitutional. I slowly walked to the back of the yard to see the poor fallen cardinal and expected to see her husband still sitting there in the bush beyond where she laid, but when I got to the spot, I couldn't find her, and I didn't see him. It may be farfetched, but I imagined that she was so scared that she only pretended to be dead, and that her dear sweet husband was watching over her, giving her time to recouperate, waiting for the humans to disappear. And, when the time was right, she was able to fly away with him and escape harm.

August Challenge

2009-08-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

PetsJubilee is having a monthly challenge that would encourage people to "step outside their box". The challenge is to create a 4 x 6 piece of artwork. Email a picture of it to petsjubilee@live.com before noon EST on Sunday, August 23rd. The PetsJubilee team will vote during the last week of August. Here's the catch: all entries must be donated to the Creative Center (see below).

This is the posting from a fellow Etsian who is coordinating this benefit:
From LennyMud:
"I am helping to run an event for THE CREATIVE CENTER-which is a great organization that brings the arts to children and adults who have cancer. You can read more about all the good work they do at www.thecreativecenter.org. They are holding a benefit September 24th in Manhattan which will be attended by several hundred supporters, including some celebrities like Liam Neeson, Vanessa Redgrave, and some well known local artists like William Weegman. Other Hollywood A-Listers are submitting "doodles" which will be auctioned off at the event.

My job is to collect 250 pieces of original postcard art (4 x 6) from emerging artists like yourselves or your team members. These will be given to people who purchase tickets for the event. Each piece will be displayed with the artist's name and info during the course of the event; it is a great way to have your work looked at by a lot of people and also to help others who are not as fortunate.

If you know someone who has been touched by cancer, this is a great way to honor them.

It can be any medium: acryic, oil, watercolor, sharpie marker, wood, cloth, photograph -- only requirement is that the 4 x 6 piece of art can be easily hung (does not require a frame though) and is, again 4 x 6.

Thanks so much!!"

TO PARTICIPATE:
Create a piece of artwork, 4x6.
Take a picture of it. Email the picture to petsjubilee@live.com before August 23, 2009. I'll email you the address to mail the original artwork to.
Mail the artwork before August 31, 2009.

The winner of the challenge will win a PetsJubilee Sample box.

Click here to see the entries.

Etsy For Charity

2009-08-12T02:45:00.001-07:00

Etsy for Charity (EFC) is a group of artists all fueled by the passion of helping the community with their crafts.

All items listed at EFC Shop are donated by Etsy sellers and they will be shipped direct from their country to you!

Sales proceeds (less shipping and other expenses) for this month will be donated to

EFC August Charity of the Month
American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org

Search tags for "efc team" for members of Etsy for Charity (EFC).

Check out our EFC Team Blog at http://efcteam.wordpress.com

Register at http://etsyforcharity.ning.com to be a member of EFC Team.

To donate an item to EFC Store, convo EtsyForCharity.

Break Dancin' Beagle

2009-07-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Velvet does this little "dance" every morning before breakfast.

Grab a coupon towards a Petsjubilee Pet Sampler Box

2009-05-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

These pet sampler boxes are so great! So many fantastic, talented artisans contribute wonderful samples each month to these boxes so you can sample items and try them out for a very small cost.

Please stop by and get yours today! If you put "$2blog" in the message from buyer, PetsJubilee will refund you $2 through Paypal! What a great deal!

Also, visit their team blog for information on entering their Pet Photo Contest! You could win a free mini-box and your pet's photo will be the team Avatar for the entire month of June.

National Food Month

2009-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

It turns out April is National Food Month, so to celebrate the great Etsians of Team EEAT are having sales and discounts on their scrumptious foods. Visit their blog for more information:

http://etsyedibleartsteam.blogspot.com/

In addition, I'm offering a 20% off sale through the end of April in my shop and 10% of all sales will be donated to Etsy for Animals charity of the month: Siberians needing owners. http://www.siberiansneedingowners.org

AND

10% will go to the victims of the earthquake victims in Italy. If you would like to make a monetary donation, this is their website: http://www.cri.it/donazioni/index.php?mode=form

I thought this article was fun

2009-04-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Its called "The Best Pet for Your Sign". It suggests pets based on your astrological sign. I'm a Leo, and my best match is a Siamese cat, according to the article. Unfortunately, I'm allergic, so I'll have to stick with my beloved beagle.

Visit PetsJubilee for some great deals!

2009-03-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wanted to try a homemade treat for your dog or cat but were afraid they might not like it? Have you ever perused the beautiful cards, tags and other paper goods, and thought, 'if I could just see one in person'? Have you ever looked through all of the fun pet toys, accessories, soaps and wondered if you bought a full size one, would you use it?

PetsJubilee offers samples and singles of a little bit of everything for your pet! It is such a good deal! Everything is high quality! There are coupons and gift certificates also, so you can try even more. Right now, there are about 28 different independant artisans who have contributed to the March sample box. You can also follow what's going on by visiting their PetsJubileebox blog.

Go check it out!

Spay Day - February 24th

2009-02-22T17:03:00.001-08:00

Ciaohound will be participating in Spay Day on February 24th. Everything in my shop will be 20% off, plus receive 3 free doggie cookies with any order over $7.00 (after discount). Click here to visit Ciaohound.

Spay Day

2009-02-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

Spay Day - Tuesday, February 24, 2009
http://tiny.cc/spayday2009 http://tiny.cc/whyspay510
In shelters all across the U.S. 4 million dogs and cats are put down every year. Not forty thousand, not even four hundred thousand - but 4 MILLION! Imagine 4 MILLION innocent dogs and cats. Spaying and neutering helps keep pet overpopulation at bay. Let's team up to make a difference in the many lives of unwanted dogs and cats in the future!

EFA and EtsyVeg are teaming up to support HSUS' Spay Day 2009.
Please join us!

Meet Sal

2008-11-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

This is a convo from Carol, http://skinessentials.etsy.com
(She ordered several Allergen free items.)

""Sal"..."is a male half golden retriever half labrador retriever. Originally bred for Canine Companions For Independence to be a service dog, he was released at 1 year of age due to hip dysplasia. He tested with Delta Society with me and became part of a pet partner pet therapy team, and was certified to work in a therapy environment. He has done the following programs: Lions Club Reading Program, working with reluctant readers to help improve their skills; Thomas Kelly Elementary School working with the special needs, a.d.d and a.d.h.d children, White Rock Elementary School working with the at risk children. He has worked in several skilled nursing facilities with the elderly bringing them joy (and receiving lots of love and the occasional snack). Sal is 6 years old and lives happily with me in Northern California. He is by far one of the smartest dogs I have ever know. He can open most locked things (unfortunately) and will do any command for a Ciaohound treat!"

Testimonials

2008-09-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

***UNIQUE TREATS FOR VERY SPECIAL CATS AND DOGS***
Ciaohound dog and cat treats are baked fresh per order, made with human-grade ingredients and are taste-tested by me, personally. Visit http://ciaohound.etsy.com/.

from http://SassySashadoxie.etsy.com:
I gave Sasha some more of the treats today, and put the empty wrapper in the outside garbage can. She not only climbed two chairs, a table, but fell head first into a large garbage can. I heard a rustly, and went outside. When I pulled her out, she was still grasping the bag with Velvet's picture on it. Just thought you might want to know. Slightly, addictive to my dog I think. heehee.
She is fine, tried to get back in there again after I got her out.

from http://lizzeedee.etsy.com who owns a Doggie Daycare:
- holy moly do these smell GOOD! sez me AND the dogs! i have them out already, can't wait to share them with everyone! YOU RULE!
- i want one!!! maybe you should make some people cookies,too....i don't want to have to fight my hounds for these!
- awesome. just freaking awesome. everything smells GREAT!
-whoa, passed some out at school to test them? i was like the pied piper!!! even the picky dogs were drooling on my toes, and giving me big sad 'my-owners-never-feed-me' eyes!
-i got more good feedback about the cookies yesterday, one of my clients has this little game she does with her boston, and normally roxie is kinda like 'yeah, cool, treats.' but i guess the last time she did it, she used your cookies, so the next time, roxie was jumping allllll over her, like 'treats! cookies!!! i LOVE those!!!! gimmegimmegimme!!'.cool, huh? =] can't wait to see the halloween ones!

from http://justbakin.etsy.com/ :
Awesome!!!! Myself and my dog, Ginger, are very happy! Thank you so much for your high quality and fast shipping!! Will be back VERY soon :)

from http://wildwood.etsy.com/ :
you're the greatest---doggies love em!

from http://toyman10681.etsy.com :
they are great.both my dogs Loved them.i will def. order more,christie

from http://PenguinwareBoutique.etsy.com :
The puppies are soooo happy!!! They love the treats! Thank you so much for thank you for the super fast shipping! We'll be back!

from http://GemsandDolls.etsy.com regarding our new line of Guinea Pig treats:
THESE ARE THE BEST. My piggie went crazy! She was purring the whole time she had a treat. These would be great for training! My family and I had a great time giving these to her. We have a lot of great treats for her and can have fun again and again..Fastest shipping ..Great pckageing.

Princess loves them-more than anything else she tried. She loves both kinds. She was chewing and purring at the same time while eatting them. She was chewing so fast I will blame that on the photos. She finished her treat and started crying for more! Then she curled up on my daughters shoulder for a nap. It is a fun family experience.