Friday, July 29, 2016

Keyboard & iPhone Hacks to Make Life Easier

   This is not the usual post for me but I was showing someone an iPhone hack the other day and thought that it'd be nice to share. If you're like me, the keyboard and iPhone do things that I never dreamed possible. When I was a child, an abacus was considered high tech! This means the things that are possible to do with today’s computers and iPhones still boggle my mind.
   There are a few hacks that I have learned over time that I thought you might like to know. If you have any others, please share them in the comments below.
   I know there are many things available on the keyboard but these are the ones that I use the most often. Feel free to pin or print this list. I have it tacked to the bulletin board over my desk.
Keyboard hacks

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Smart Pet Parents Choose Einstein Pets Dog Treats


7 varieties of Einstein Pets dog treats with a blue plate full of the biscuits
Barking from the Bayou,LLC received samples of Einstein Pets Dog Treats in exchange for an honest review. We only review products and services that we use and believe will benefit our audience. Einstein Pets is not responsible for the contents of this article.
   If there is one thing that the Bayou Boys look forward to, it is trying new and delicious treats. As you can imagine, when we were invited to review Einstein Pets™ Dog Treats, they howled with excitement. It could be the variety of flavors, the crunch or the fact that they are all-natural but Bentley and Pierre LOVE them!
Bentley: “If you will give me a moment, I am currently working on a formula to decipher why these treats are so delectable.”
Pierre: “Don’t strain your brain, toss me a Cha Cha Coconut treat and I will show you why I love them.”

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

The Wild Wild West With the Bayou Boys

   Bentley and Pierre loved their time in the southwest at the BlogPaws™ conference. They stayed indoors most of the time due to the excessive heat but to hear them tell it, they were back in the Wild Wild West!
Bentley: “Hey Pierre, what do you say we rustle us up some grub? This cattle round-up has given me a hankering for some rattlesnake stew.”

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

How to Increase the Chances of Getting Your Lost Pet Back Home #LostPetPreventionMonth

   Disclaimer: Barking from the Bayou. LLC, (mkclinton.com) was asked to participate in PetHub’s 2nd annual Lost Pet Prevention Month. We are not being compensated for sharing this information. We feel this is important and useful to our readers. PetHub is not responsible for the contents of this article.
   July is Lost Pet Prevention Month and I can’t think of a better time to share some tips for keeping your best friend safe. Did you know that 1 in 3 pets will be lost during their lifetime? As scary as that statistic is, it pales in comparison to the fact that only 2% of cats and 20% of dogs are reunited with their families. Those are heartbreaking numbers. What can you do to increase the odds that your pet will find its way back to you?
Here are a few tips to help
Purple and yellow collar from PrideBites with Bentley monogrammed
·        Make sure your pet is wearing a collar. Many people will not try to help a dog or cat without a collar because they assume it is a stray or feral.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Is Your Veterinary Hospital Accredited? #AAHADay

   Let me ask you a question. Is your veterinarian an accredited member of the American Animal Hospital Association? If your answer is “no” or “I don’t know” there's no reason to panic, you are not alone. As many as 60% of pet parents assume their veterinary clinic is accredited when it is not. Many others have no idea what an AAHA accreditation means. Up until 3 years ago, I fell into the first category. Luckily, I met the AAHA representatives at our BlogPaws™ conference in Las Vegas 2014. Allow me to share some of the information that made me return home and change veterinarians.
AAHA Accredited Hospital Day logo with dog and kitten
What is AAHA?
   The American Animal Hospital Association has been recognizing outstanding veterinary hospitals for over 80 years. These accredited hospitals hold themselves to a higher standard. This means that your pet is receiving care from a hospital that has passed the highest standards of veterinary excellence.
Pet parent with Basset and his veterinarian
Photo courtesy of University Veterinary Hospital 

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Bedtime with BeCo Pets

Barking from the Bayou, LLC received a medium BeCoPets donut bed in exchange for an honest review. We only share products and services that we enjoy and believe our readers will appreciate learning more about these products. BeCo Pet Products is not responsible for this post.
Westie sitting in a BeCo dog bed
   Pierre has had his fair share of beds in his five years. When he was a puppy, he usually killed them or de-stuffed them within the hour. When he moved in with us, he promptly decided that he should sleep in our bed. Lately, he has wanted to sleep on his dog bed next to Bentley. His bed was nothing fancy, so when BeCo offered to send me one of their eco-friendly Donut Dog Beds, I requested one for Pierre's size.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

The Secret Life of Pets and PetSmart Are Tail Wagging Fun

   It has been at least a year since I began anxiously waiting for The Secret Life of Pets movie debut. Let me be upfront with you and say that I LOVE cartoons or as they call them now, animated movies. There aren’t many Disney, Pixar or DreamWorks movies or songs that I can’t recite verbatim. When my daughter was young, we read the books and then watched the movies. It’s just a guess but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen The Little Mermaid and Beauty & the Beast more than 587 times. I can’t imagine a time when I won’t enjoy laughing and getting lost in the magical world of animation.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Summer Safety Tips for Dogs

Me: “Bentley! Pierre! Y’all come here. It’s time to remind everyone of some important summer pet safety tips.”
Bentley: “We prefer the term ‘furry family member’ safety tips and we are ready to roll.”
Westie playing with toy Toxic Waste sour candy container
Pierre: “I always like to start off with a stern warning about toxic waste. Avoid it at all cost. That is some nasty stuff.”

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

BeCo Pets Eco-Friendly Products at Mealtime

   Have you heard of BeCo Pets? They are relatively new here in the United States but have been doing great things since 2009 across the pond in Britain. As a matter of fact, they are one of the biggest designers and manufacturers of eco-friendly pet products in the country! I recently connected with a representative from BeCo Pets on Hubba. He was kind enough to send me many of their products to try at no charge in exchange for my honest opinion about them. I looked through their website and found some amazing pet products. It is no wonder they have won awards such as the 2015 PetQuip Award Gold for Marketing Project of the Year and Silver as the Exporter of the Year. They are now available in 43 countries.
BeCo Pets logo

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Do You Talk To Your Pet?

   How many times a day do you have this conversation?
Your spouse/child: “Did you say something?” 
You: “I was talking to the dog.” 
   I am not ashamed to say that this scenario is played out between Bentley, Pierre, my husband Skipper, and myself several times a day. We both speak to the dogs just like we talk to each other. No squeaky voices, no baby words. We speak to them as we would any other member of the family. Does that make us weird? I don’t think so, but then again, I’m the one carrying on conversations with a Basset Hound and a Westie.
The question is, “Do our dogs communicate with us?”  We offer the following proof.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

A Letter From A Shelter Dog

Hiya friend!
   You don’t know me but I’ve seen you many times before. I see that sympathetic look in your eyes when you have come to my shelter's Adoption Days. Surely, you recognize me. I’m the non-descript six-year-old dog with kind of shaggy brown hair. The sign on my kennel door says I am “Male-Mixed.” I’d prefer “Sexiest Dog Alive” but they didn’t confer with me before they posted the placard. I usually give the camera my good boy look, but I’m sure the sparkle of hope no longer shines in my big brown eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that I ended up in a no-kill shelter. I’ve heard the alternatives are pretty dismal. How did a great guy like me end up in a place like this? Let me tell you my story.
 

Friday, July 1, 2016

Figo for Fido #PetInsurance

Figo Pet Insurance

*We are being compensated for helping to spread the news about Figo Pet Insurance and Figo Pet Cloud. Barking from the Bayou, LLC only shares information that we feel will benefit our readers. Figo Pet Insurance is not responsible for the content of this article.
Westie and Basset playing veterinarian with a teddy bear
   Do you have an insurance policy for your pets? It is something that I have hem-hawed over for years. I know there are so many reasons to insure my dogs, but I have still hesitated. I remind myself that I don’t like bills, it has always been easier to bite the bullet and pay my veterinarian for services rendered at the time and there are so many choices of pet insurance that it is intimidating for me. A policy for both the boys is expensive but not when I put it in perspective. It seems the more advanced veterinary science gets, the higher those vet visits cost. It only takes one diagnosis to wipe out your savings.