It's Aging Pets Appreciation Month (Instagram Contest)

I was asked if I would do a blog post on Aging Pets Appreciation Month. I guess that would be a good idea. We'll all get old some day. But right now I am just comfortably middle-aged. You know... 6 is the new 3, right?

So August is for those pets who are not puppies and kitties any more. They are the pets that really appreciate a nice walk, a romp on the beach or being petted. They are the calm, sweet pets that often go un-adopted. But they are sometimes the best company. I ALWAYS get along with older pets. Now Francesca is another story. She's a young whipper snapper!

If you have an "older" pet, here's your chance to win a $50 gift certificate. Now is your pet’s chance to shine for all the world to see: Enter the #SeniorPetsContest on Instagram and your pet might win one of three $50 gift cards to shop at PetSmart. This contest ends August 16th, so hurry!

I found out about this from BlogPaws, my social media marketing company. I'm not entering because I'M NOT OLD!

Love, Cinnamon

Wordless Wednesday: Francesca is the Laziest Thing!

Here is Francesca taking yet another nap.
She doesn't think she needs to work or learn.
She just does anything she wants!

Getting Creative with Food #InspiredbyCrafted Dog Food

I’ve been telling you about Hill's® Ideal Balance® Crafted foods for dogs… you know the company that makes small-batch gourmet foods for ME! Well now I find that my owner has taken tips from Hill’s and is now making some creative, locally sourced, extra-special meals for herself!

She started out by going to the Vancouver Farmer’s Market and getting farm-fresh produce and healthy proteins like wild salmon from Alaska. Then she’d bring her finds home and figure out how to make something new for her dinner. This became her creative outlet.

My owner likes to be creative
with veggies from the garden

Now she grows her own broccoli, tomatoes and zucchini in MY BACKYARD. I have to be careful not to knock over the plants when I’m chasing squirrels with Francesca!

Here I am at the Farmers Market
checking out the Salmon

It isn’t just something new going on at my house. More Americans are choosing foods with an eye to nutrition, natural and locally sourced ingredients, and sustainable preparation processes. They’re not just considering those factors for their own plates, either – they’re thinking about them when it comes to choosing pet food, too. And that is where Hill’s Crafted foods come in.

Small batch means that Ideal Balance™ Crafted™ is made just the way my owner would cook things… one very special batch at a time. At Hill's Crafted they create unique recipes in small batches using high-quality proteins, wholesome vegetables and ancient grains. They know where their ingredients are sourced. It's the stuff that's good for me. And when you provide your dog Hill’s Crafted foods, you’ll know that their diet is well-balanced. And, although my owner would never admit it, Hill’s foods look about as good as her people food!

Now tell me, doesn't this look as good as any people food?

Since we're getting all artsy and creative here, how about new dog bowls to go with the new foods? Here's a video that gave me a great idea!


The new Hill’s® Ideal Balance® CraftedTM products are available at pet specialty retailers and online at Amazon etc. The dog product line (Dry, wet, treats) is already on shelves in PetSmart, as well as all of the products for cats. At Petco, Ideal Balance Crafted dog products appeared in April.  Here’s a Coupon for $7 off a Crafted Product so you have no excuse. Get out there and try Hill's Crafted products!

These are some of the Hill's Crafted foods I tried. I'm always up for taste testing foods!

You can also purchase Hill’s Crafted products online at Pet360.

Love, Cinnamon

This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Ideal Balance® CRAFTED, but Coonhound Tales only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

The New Seasons Dog Wash Experience: At least it was for a good cause

I WAS TRICKED! Stinky Francesca needed the bath… not me!

Here's the New Seasons Community
Event Coordinator getting things ready for
the BATHS!

All was well at noon when my owner put Francesca in the car and headed over to New Seasons Market for their dog wash event. Usually New Seasons is a place we go for grocery shopping. But today, there was a special event taking place. It was a benefit for The Pongo Fund.  The Pongo Fund is a food bank for pets. When people can’t afford food for their table, they can’t afford food for their pets either. Enter The Pongo Fund. They work for the day when no dog or cat goes hungry because their families cannot afford to keep them fed. They have provided more than 8,000,000 meals to date. They serve Portland and Southwest Washington where I live.

I was glad to see Francesca go. She was stinky and I needed a break from her. So once the garage door closed, I went to my cushy bed and drifted off to sleep.

I heard that when Francesca got to the event, she saw the wading pool and stepped right in (dumb dog!). But then the New Seasons folks started putting water on her and shampoo too. She gave everyone a pitiful look but she had no out. She was getting a bath or else!

Here's Francesca giving everyone a pitiful look.

There were treats there too! The Portland Pet Food Company makes their pet foods in small batches using local ingredients. They had dog biscuits and “topper” food that you find in the frozen food pet section of New Seasons. Francesca said she loved the biscuits and that made the bath time much more tolerable.

Soon she was home… dripping wet. My owner put her outside in the sun and came to get me. I awoke from my nap wondering what was up. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN MY OWNER PUT A WET LEASH ON ME! Oh oh! I was headed to the car. Where was I going?

Here I am looking like a drowned rat!
(But the New Seasons guy was really nice!)

We drove out of the neighborhood and down to New Seasons. I saw the Portland Pet Food display and figured it was a pet product show. I downed a biscuit when the man asked me if I would like to try their freshly frozen dog food. WOW! It was good. It tasted just like people food.

I was getting ready to go into Mudd Bay to pick up some treats when I spied three wading pools.

The people at the event motioned for me to get into the first pool. I didn’t want to because I only wade in creeks and rivers. But my owner TRICKED ME and put me in the pool. Out came the pitcher and shampoo and before I knew it I WAS HAVING A BATH. Grrrr. I was clean. It was only Francesca that needed a bath.

Well the New Seasons employee didn’t over-do the water and shampoo so I was in the rinse pool rather soon. I got dried off with my fluffy warm towel and headed out to the car. It was a warm day so I dried off rather quickly. Francesca has longer fur than I do so she needed lots of time in the sunny back yard.

So once I got home after BEING TRICKED I ran and played in the back yard and rolled in the grass. I have to admit it was nice being so pretty and clean.

And I have to say I felt good about my donation to hungry pets through the Pongo Fund. I found out about them through Clark DogPaw, the wonderful group who provides me with dog parks throughout Clark County.

I’m tired and dried off now. I think I’ll take a nap!

Love, Clean Cinnamon

Charity Dog Wash Today in Vancouver, WA

Francesca stinks! She plays hard at the dog park and rolls in the dust and mud. She gets dog slobber all over her. She really needs a bath! (but I, Cinnamon, don't). So I was happy to see that today is the day for the Pongo Fund charity dog wash. This non-profit helps beed pets of owners in need.

Well, Francesca is in need of a bath! You might want to go over to New Seasons too!

And, New Seasons is right next to Mudd Bay where we get TREATS! This sounds like an excellent opportunity all around!

Love, Cinnamon (who doesn't need a bath)

New Dog Park BFF

Here I am with Francesca

Well,  the drama continues at the dog park. People with little dogs bring them into the big dog section. People complain if dogs play with their dogs. It goes on and on. But there is a silver lining to all of this. There are really nice dogs and really nice people there too!

The other day Francesca found someone that liked to play with her. Her name is Susie and she is a real cutie.

She knows better than to play with me because I am too good to play silly games with pups!  But she's just right for Francesca, who is also silly.

They run like the wind, pretend they are biting each other and then wrestle in the grass. They are pretty tireless! And, the best thing is that they are fairly matched.

Here's a picture of Susie with her ball.
Francesca likes to steal the ball and play keep away!

My New Favorite Treat: Wild Salmon Chews (Discount Coupon)

No more rawhide for me!
These are the real deal!

Last night, after a very hot day, the sun went down and we were in the mood to play outside. Francesca and I played balls for about ten minutes and then thought, “Gee, I’d like a treat!”

So our owner went looking in her “treat closet” (she calls it the pantry) and found a bag of treats she had ordered with her own wild salmon filets a couple of weeks ago. 

Little did I know that these would become my absolute favorites!

It took me awhile to get my salmon skin chew
undone so I could enjoy it to the max.

The treats were bone-shaped chews made entirely of naturally dried wild salmon skin. Francesca and I got really excited when we saw them. We sat for our treats and then headed to enjoy them on the cool green lawn.

They were delicious… not like other treats. These were real. These were healthy. They were from Canada. And, they reminded me of fishing in Haida Gwaii when I got salmon jerky as a treat. They were that good!

I, Francesca, ate mine faster than Cinnamon did!

Since they were dried, it took us a while to chew on them. It turned out to be a really great evening. So, you can get some too! They are available from Vital Choice Seafood. Be sure and use our coupon for a discount by clicking on this link:

Enjoy 10% off your first purchase with Vital Choice by using the code: VCAFINT during checkout.

Look for the chews under the Gifts, Samplers and Pet Treats tab on their website.

Here’s a bit about my new favorite treats:

100% Wild Salmon skin*

Natural source of omega-3 fatty acids and lean protein

No byproducts, fillers, or rendered materials

No nitrites or other preservatives or additives

No artificial coloring or flavoring

Product of Canada

Dogs need omega-3s, too!

  

Each re-sealable bag contains three individually wrapped chews. Store sealed at room temperature. No freezing or refrigeration required. Now this is a problem. Francesca had one and I had one. So now there is just one left. I guess our owner needs to order two bags at a time so the numbers come out even!

Francesca watching me, Cinnamon, out the
window because I took longer to eat my treat! She's
saying "I wonder if Cinnamon will leave part of it
for me!"

*Note: Chews are best enjoyed by pets outdoors or on washable surfaces, as they may shed scale particles. They can also impart a fishy smell and traces of oily residue to textured surfaces such as carpets or sheets.