Why I Love Getting the Mail - #Chewy

Most of you know that I, Cinnamon, test out products and write about my experiences. And, you know, I do get paid for those posts and disclose that. I buy food, toys and vet visits with those checks and appreciate getting to test products very much!

But today, what I am telling you is from my heart... not from my pocketbook. No one asked that I talk to you about Chewy.com. I just decided I have to tell you about their customer service and great packages I receive right on my front porch... in record time.

This all started when my owner got a huge coupon from Chewy.com in the mail. She looked at the savings and thought it was worth trying. So when she ordered she got the coupon discount, another discount for putting our food on auto-ship and then got free 2 day shipping because the order was over a certain amount. So in effect, I got a 30 pound bag of my favorite food and two toys for less than $30. Amazing.

Here's Francesca trying to get into our Chewy's shipment. Back, Francesca, Back!

 So that was nice, but what we then found out is that real people answer the customer service line and, unlike many businesses, they actually provide service. We had ordered Hill's Ideal Balance Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food and two bags of my favorite treats, Hill's Science Diet Jerky Strips with Real Beef. But it wasn't coming soon enough. We were almost out of food. So the nice customer service people moved up our shipment. Since it was over $49 we got free 1 - 2 day shipping.

So this time, our owner screwed up again. We were planning to go to the Doggie Country Club for a whole week and our food wasn't scheduled to be delivered until we had left. So we found out that you can change your ship date right online. And it works! In two days, at 4:30 p.m. exactly, there was a thud on my front porch. Francesca and I ran to the door with our tails wagging.

FedEx came through again.
Here's our big box. We're so excited!

Our owner opened the door and there it was... a nice big box with the huge sack of food and two bags of treats. We were so excited!

Chewy's has become our favorite online source because they have all kinds of products, deliver on time, deliver intact boxes with no damage and make things easy. Oh yes, the prices are amazing.

I can't wait until next month to see what we get!

Love, Cinnamon

Hot Day: Excuse to go off my diet BIG TIME!

It was so hot. Francesca and I were just laying around. I got on my iPhone and checked my twitter feed. And there it was! @SheridansVanWa was tweeting that they were giving away free doggie cones! FREE! And then I found out they were just up the street from us.

So I begged my owner to drive me up there because it was too hot to walk. We saw it... Sheridan's Frozen Custard. Now I had never tried a frozen custard or even an ice cream. My owner told me it would be full of calories. But I didn't care. IT WAS FREE!

Here's the shady patio at Sheridan's

So I ambled up to the nice shady patio and looked over the menu. They had everything that people would like and more. But I was concerned about my weight so I hoped the dog cone was something simple! I wasn't sure how to eat it either.

Here's their menu of sweet delights!

So we talked to a nice lady who brought out the dog cone, a simple cone, for ME! I got confused and didn't know what to do. But I soon found out! You lick the frozen custard... carefully. I got the hang of it and pretty soon it was all over my mouth! When I got down to the cone, she let me bite and chew that. YUM!

Here I am getting my FREE cone. Do I bite it?

So then it was time for my owner to buy her dessert. She selected chocolate. Dogs shouldn't have chocolate. She said it was very, very good.

I finally figured it out. You LICK it! I LOVE Sheridan's!

So that was a great thing to do on a hot afternoon. I think I'll go take a nap now!

Oh yes, they give out free dog cones every day so head on over to: 14389 SE Mill Plain Blvd. in my town, Vancouver, USA!

Love, Cinnamon

Rainy Day Treats for Halloween: And Tricks!

Well, we got our treats early. This is how we did it!

It was raining outside and so we couldn't go to the dog park. Yeah, we knew that but we decided to pace around and bug our owner. We kept looking at her expectantly. We stood in front of the door and barked to go out and then turned around and came back in again.

So by noon, she got a little tired of us and decided to do errands AND LEAVE US AT HOME ALONE! Well, Francesca said we should get into some mischief. But I said we should just go take a nap. So that's what we did.

When our owner got home she had some things in a bag... light bulbs, batteries and... CHEWS! She went to Mud Bay and bought us some chews. We were so excited.

She took the tags off and handed them to us. There was one for each of us. I thought it was some sort of bone so immediately headed for the door and wanted to go outside and bury it. She saw that it was still raining and didn't let me out. Francesca took hers and immediately started chewing on it After a while of staring mindlessly out the sliding glass door, I decided to do what Francesca was doing and have a good chew!

Here I am going at the chew

So we spent the greater part of the afternoon chewing and enjoying the Halloween treats. It wasn't until I looked at the label I remembered something. These treats were unusual. They were Bully Sticks . I reviewed them once. They are good and all but when you think of what they really are...  IT IS A HALLOWEEN TRICK! Look them up for yourself. (I haven't told Francesca. She'd freak out!)

For those who can't guess what they are, I spell it all out in my earlier article.

Love, Tricky Cinnamon

Cinnamon and Francesca score a bite from Feast Portland

Here I am getting ready to call the Humane Society
because I feel so neglected this weekend.

I've been complaining about Feast Portland because my owner is writing about it and goes to many of the events. This has been going on for three days now and isn't over 'til it's over Sunday evening. So Francesca and I are feeling more than a bit neglected. After all, I like festivals where there are PET VENDORS. This is definitely a PEOPLE VENDOR affair.

She's been eating her way through the bounty of Oregon and beyond and, until the other night, WE DIDN'T GET A THING! So imagine my surprise when our owner arrived home at 8 pm with something wonderful in her purse.

Turns out her favorite sandwich at the Sandwich Invitational was Chef Aaron Barnett's quail and bacon sandwich. Chef Aaron is the Executive Chef at St. Jack.

Chef Aaron didn't know he was making a sandwich for me too!

She liked it so much that she brought one home. She was going to have it for a late night snack. But when she looked at our sad, pleading eyes, she gave in and divided the sandwich up for Francesca and I.

Doesn't this look good? Well, it was!

Let me tell you. IT WAS A GREAT TREAT. So now, I am not feeling so badly about Feast Portland. Tonight is a new event, Smoked! I'll bet there will be plenty of meat there. Will she bring some home for us? I hope so!

Feast on!

She Went to Central Oregon and FORGOT the Dog Treats!

I have my sources.

This has been quite a week. I attended Spring Camp at Running Pond Acres boarding ranch in Washougal Washington. Why? My owner went to a conference and writing trip in Central Oregon. Now, I didn't mind so much because I got to run free in the play yards and meet new friends, BUT...

My dog contacts in Bend clued me in that she went to Zydeco Kitchen in Bend, enjoyed their Barbeque Shrimp and Filet Au Poivre and even dessert. She had so much fun with her writing friends that she, apparently, forgot all about me.

Here's the shrimp appetizer at Zydeco. Looks good but I'm waiting for the dog treats!

You see, Zydeco Kitchen offers "Lady's Homemade Dog Biscuits." Since the restaurant is held in such high esteem (my Bend friends tell me), I thought that the treats would be extra good. I was looking forward to seeing my owner AND THE ZYDECO DOG TREATS.

But no, she forgot to get some for me. SHE FORGOT!

I guess I will have to talk to the folks down there and arrange a dog trip to the area. After all Bend is one of the most dog-friendly towns in Oregon! It is a well-known legend among Bend locals that they  have one of the highest per capita dog populations anywhere in the world with 49 percent of Central Oregon residents owning a dog.

They love dogs so much they even have a dog mural!

In fact, Dog Fancy magazine claimed Bend as DogTown USA in 2012 and runner up in 2011. With over 40 restaurants ready to accommodate ME for an alfresco dining date, a plethora of dog friendly businesses and events, more than 51 miles of urban trails in town, and over 13 off-leash areas in city parks and National Forests, Bend, Oregon is literally a paradise for man and woman's best friend. (from the Bend Visitor's Guide).

Yep, I'm goin' to this place!

And then there is Sunriver with trails, the Deschutes River, chipmunks and squirrels galore.  (Don't get me started)

After my nap, I'm going to read the Central Oregon Visitors Website and take notes. And when I go, I'll be stopping in to Zydeco Kitchen for sure!

Love, Neglected Cinnamon

Who Gives Out Treats in Vancouver: Dick Hannah Honda

On my way to the car appointment

Some day I am going to write an article about all the places that give out treats. But today, I was really surprised. We went to Dick Hannah Honda here in Vancouver, WA for a service appointment for my car.

We drove up and immediately a young woman came out to greet us. Of course she noticed me and said how cute I am. But then she said. "We have treats!" Right then and there my ears perked up. I was so surprised. TREATS AT AN AUTO PLACE? Now this is really good!

So she went in and got me a little square treat. I gobbled it down excitedly. And then another woman came up to see me. She petted me but didn't give me another treat. Drat!

And then the service adviser came up. He was all business and didn't give me a treat or a pat.

So I am making a mental note to add Dick Hannah Honda to my list of "places that give out treats." We walked home after we dropped the car off so all in all it was a very good morning!

Thank you Dick Hannah Honda. You really are all about "nice!"

Best Bully Sticks: Cinnamon experiences a new treat and learns a naughty word

Here I am chomping down on the Bully Stick

I'm on day 3 of reviewing products from Best Bully Sticks. They sent me a big box of things I'd never seen before. I have to tell you that they are habit forming. This afternoon after our walk I just stared at the Best Bully Sticks box until my owner got the message. It was time to try another treat! 

But first, I promised to tell you what I learned about the Bully Sticks. The day I got my box I saw the plastic bag with the sticks. I really didn't know what they were. They looked like pretzel sticks or maybe rawhide. But they weren't.  I tried one and loved it. I was so in to chomping down on it I didn't even read about the sticks until yesterday.

Maybe I shouldn't have read about them but that's part of doing a professional review, right? Ok houndies, here's the scoop!

It seems like bully sticks are named that because they come from bulls. Here I just thought it was a cute name. I read further and found out they are made from a certain part of the bull. What part, you may ask? Well... er... the boy part! I, being a cultured urban coonhound girl, am not even sure I should be writing about this! Ok, here it is... the sticks are made from a bull's penis. Yikes! I said IT. And I learned a new naughty word... pizzle (it's an old English word). It is the same thing! 

Here's what they say about it on the website: "Bully Sticks are 100% Beef Sticks Dog Treats and dog chews that are made from the pizzle or penis of the bull. Pizzles have historically been used for different purposes from walking canes to medicinal powders, and even eaten in their raw or cooked form by humans in parts of the world today."

So does this bother me? Yeah it does but I certainly don't want any of these treats to go to waste, do I? So I'll just forget what I read and continue to enjoy the stick.. No matter what they are made from. So if you want to know more... here's a video. You'll notice Avrum skirts the issue of what the stick is really made from. But he's reassuring. It's good stuff and it's safe for me.

Now on to today's treat. This was round and kinda chewy. The label said it was a Pork Scroll Puff. I ripped it up and downed it in no time. So what the heck is a puff? Pork Scroll Puffs are simply made from the pig's inner ear and contain no preservatives or artificial flavoring. You know, I didn't need to know that (at least it isn't made from pork boy parts!.)  I just like to eat them.

This was really good. The only downside is that I ate it fast.

Suffice to say everything in my gift box was excellent. The only thing I would recommend is that you talk to the people at Best Bully Sticks before ordering. Let them know if you have a strong chewer like me so they send you tougher products. They have about everything including antlers.

I hear they have an auto ship program and I can tell why. I'd love to have one every afternoon. It would give me something to look forward to on those boring rainy days.

Note: As is common in the pet blogging industry, the writer was provided with complimentary products for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, Cinnamon believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest.

Best Bully Sticks: More Than Just Sticks

Today after my adventure to the park, I checked out my Best Bully Sticks box and chose another treat to try. Now, I'm serious about testing treats, so serious I allow myself only one per day.

So today it was Beef Trachea. Actually, being an Urban Coonhound, I really don't want to know exactly what these chews were but it was kinda obvious. The main thing I wanted to know was that Best Bully Sticks products are are bacteria free and safe for dog’s consumption. And their website confirms this. NO PRODUCTS FROM CHINA ARE USED. Believe, me I checked on that!

Here I am really getting into this chewy treat. I hate to admit it, but I ate the whole thing!
Don't worry. It's safe!

So I carefully checked out this unwrapped product and figured how to chew on it. I started with one end and once I started ripping and chewing, I just kept going until IT WAS ALL GONE! Now, Best Bully Sticks recommends that a dog be supervised when ripping into the sticks and products so that they eat them slowly and don't choke. I was pretty careful but my owner watched me just in case.

One thing we both found out as my owner unwrapped the Trachea, was that it doesn't smell. It is dried and not greasy. It's like other chews but we know it is real and carefully dried. According to Best Bully Sticks, Trachea are high in both chondroitin and glucosamine (These naturally occurring agents have both been proven as effective in promoting healthy joints in dogs).

I am really getting into these treats. In fact, I am beginning to feel like a real "Paleo Dog!"

Tomorrow, I'll tell you what Bully Sticks are made of! You'll never believe it! And, I'll try one more product from my gift box.

Love, Cinnamon

Note: As is common in the pet blogging industry, the writer was provided with complimentary products for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, Cinnamon believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest.

Cinnamon Gets a Package in the Mail

I knew it! I knew it! Earlier today we got a package in the mail and I knew it was for me. Unfortunately we had to wait to open it after my owner got back from the dentist.

All that while I wondered what it might be:

- A kitten?
- A puppy?
- A toy?
- New Food?
- Snacks?

So we just got to open my package. On the outside it said "Bully Sticks." So is that a toy? Or something to scare bullies away with?

Here I am opening MY BOX!

Slowly I opened the box and explored the note cards and three packages. IT WAS TREATS! I LOVE TREATS!

I was told I could open just one package to start with. I have to fully review each item so one at a time is the best way to do it.

So I asked for the sticks. WOW! I love the sticks. I can't wait to tell you all about them and try the other things too!

Here I am savoring the sticks. These are great. I can't wait to tell all
and try the other treats that came in the Best Bully Sticks box

Love, Cinnamon, the Happy Dog!

Coon Hound Meme: Treat?

Funny! But it makes my paws look tiny!

Are Your Dog Treats Safe?

Here I am getting healthy treats at the Country Cousins' house.

I am a great fan of DOG TREATS and just assume that if my owner gives me a treat it is safe. Sometimes a man at the dog park hands out treats but they are the hard biscuit type treats and I assume they are safe. But I don't know for sure.

I just gobble up any treat they make!

But wait! I was on the Internet this morning and read this article on the foundanimals.org website. It was titled Dog Treats: Made in the U.S.A. It got my attention because I remember the scare awhile back that involved jerky dog treats made in China. So this got my interest.

The author, Kimi, did a rather good review of the pros and cons of dog treats and reviewed some healthy snacks she recommends. She enlisted the help of her 12 year old Westie (that's pretty old) named Yuki. Yuki reviewed some treats that are all made in the U.S.A. with natural ingredients and, she admits, are available for purchase on the website, adoptandshop.org

Here's a pile of MY TREATS!

There were some treats there I had heard of and some I haven't heard of. But I was relieved to find that my Zukes treats were on the list. I also like Sojos treats which are pretty healthy. Sojos products are made from scratch with REAL ingredients. No fillers, no preservatives, and no artificial colors or flavors. I lean toward the grain-free treats.

Here's Yuki and Kimi's full article.

So my point is... we dogs trust our owners to look after us and feed us only GOOD TREATS. So please tell your owner to read the article and keep up on the research. We deserve the healthiest, the best and the safest food and treats.

Healthily yours,
Cinnamon

Wordless Wednesday: I got a bone!

Alberta Street Fair: One Dog Friendly Event

When I lived in Santa Fe, most of the big events on the Plaza were closed to dogs. What do they think we'd do, bite someone? So my owner would walk me up the street and then we had to turn around when we saw the booths. I always dreamed of what might be for sale that I WOULD LIKE.

So here we are in the Portland, Oregon area and things are different. Yesterday there was a Street Fair in the Alberta District of Portland. That's in North Portland not far from The 'Couve which is where I live. Let me tell you, it was a welcoming place for dogs!

There was a Humane Society tent, a cat adoption tent and lots of dogs on leashes. There was even a cart from Barkin Bistro. Did you notice they have DOG BEER? (I much prefer a good Pinot). This is a mobile TREAT CART that goes to local parks and events in Portland. Here's their website so you can plan to take your dog to see them.

Let me tell you. This cart wasn't the only TREAT BOOTH for dogs at the fair. I think I might just become a Festival Dog!

Dog Park Diversions

There were lots of dogs and lots of smells today

I was warned. I was told that the Dakota Dog Park was really crowded on weekends. Now I've been there on weekends and it wasn't so bad. Well, it was raining, I have to admit!

So today, a Saturday, I went to Dakota Dog Park because I am still seething about the drama at Ross Dog Park over a week ago. Aren't I a typical girl? I hold grudges. I don't forget. But I might reconsider... when I'm ready.

So today I showed up at Dakota and the parking lot was full of cars. Most of them had bumper stickers on them.. paw prints, "My Rotweiller is Smarter than your Honor Student" .... you know the kind. There were families with little kids and people with three and four dogs. I knew it would be crowded but what I wasn't prepared for were the diversions.

Diversion #1: The Smell. You know me. I am a hound and I love to smell. But this was OVER THE TOP SMELLY. When I got in the gate, the first thing that hit me was the urine smell. I didn't know where to start. All the smells ran together. We finally got going on the path once I greeted a few dogs and their owners. And things were a bit better. But I had to stop frequently and sniff because there were so many new dogs there!

Here I am smelling the many smells.

Diversion #2: The Treat Guy. There is a guy that comes to the dog park with a big sack hung around his neck. I know him. He hands out treats... to his dog and to ALL THE DOGS. His dog seems to walk backwards just looking at his owner for treats. I don't know how the dog gets any exercise that way. I was trotting around the path minding my own business when I saw this guy throwing treats on the ground for his dog.

Of course that piqued my interest. I trotted right over and looked at the man expectantly. He threw me not one but two treats! And I didn't even have to sit for them! Free Treats!  So I decided to quit following my owner and follow THE TREAT MAN. He was kind of like a Pied Piper. He kept throwing treats and I kept eating them!

Finally my owner called me.... well, about 20 times. The lady with the man shooed me away knowing I wasn't supposed to follow them. I reluctantly turned around and followed my treatless owner.

So did I get much exercise at the dog park... nope! I only made it around the path once before we left. I wonder why?

I was GOOD at the Dog Park!

Here I am listening to my owner call me. Or was it the treat bag I was listening to?

Well, I decided I didn't like signs on me. I have fun at the dog park, but I don't like to go home and get shamed.

So today, my owner brought a tiny bag of two Paul Newman treats into the park. (You know, those yummy heart-shaped treats). That got my attention.

I had a wonderful time running and romping. I ran with a pack for awhile and then backed off when they got too rough and bayed at them. They call me the "umpire" when I do that.

So I ran down the hill and when we turned the corner to go toward the gate. I was soooo good. I came when I was called, got my leash clipped on and then got my treats.

So the big question is... did I train my owner or did my owner train me? :)