Owensboro Bark In The Park 2014

Last Saturday, we participated in the Bark In The Park event here in Owensboro 

Photo provided from Staci Scott

BW- Haircut Needed

I need a hair cut. I am starting to look like a chunky monkey BOL!

#LIGHTFORPETS My Tribute

Today is the day that people worldwide who love animals unite to light a candle for shelter pets. These are the pets who have lost their lives waiting for homes that never came, are waiting now for a home of their own and some are on a short turnover list, others are seniors who may only have a few months to a few years left.

I light my candle for my friends from the Owensboro Humane Society who never got their chance. 

For Nadia, Rocky and Tank. 

The humane society was their final home. They received love from the staff and the volunteers but they never got the chance of a home of their own.

I light my candle for the Gunner's in the world. They are older, they have so much love to give but they are overlooked every time. 

Gunner is still available.

Please consider adoption. 

Adopted pets seem to be more ready to please and they know that you saved them. 

If you can't adopt...Foster

If you can't Foster....Sponsor

If you can't Sponsor..Share

Everyone can do something.

Share those posts from your local shelters 

Sharing saves lives.

For more information you can visit 

Remember Me Thursday

You can light a candle virtually 

Light a Candle

WW-#WigglebuttsgoHollywoof Previews

I'm so happy

AmyJo looks fabulous. 

I am in heaven

Love my friends 

#ThrowbackThursday of Poodale on a Plane

Tomorrow at this time I will be on a flight flying to the Hollywoof event that I have talked about all week. Since this is Thursday ,I thought I would share #ThrowbackThursday photos of me flying in the past. 

Funny thing is ,I am flying on the same airline,  have the same vest, same collar, same brown paw and am wearing a Seresto collar. 

BOL! I sure don't change much. 

There will be no blog post tomorrow since I will be traveling but 

if you would like to see photos of my journey and follow me to Virginia

please like my 

Facebook page

& 

Twitter

Have a pawtastic Thursday!!

Packed For #HollyWoof!

We're packed for Hollywoof! 

Ma says no we aren't and Scooby isn't going. 

That just took the smile off his face.  Poor guy. 

Maybe next time Scooby

We Found Our Dresses at David's Bridal !

Yesterday, I wrote that I was headed to a fundraiser for OBG Cocker Spaniel Rescue at the end of the week and how I had to find the pawfect dress for this special occasion. You can read that post by visiting the link below. 

I am headed to #Hollywoof, baby!!!!! 

We have looked high and low for dresses that we all could wear but after searching for months we had almost given up in finding what we wanted and was starting to look at what each of us could wear. 

We decided to give it one more chance and head over to Evansville, Indiana to see what we could find. Evansville is around 45 minutes or more depending on traffic from our house. Sarah had the day off and Ma was having a good day with her MS  so we got up early and left. 

It was a beautiful day. All week long we had grey skies and drizzle rain but today the sky was blue, fluffy clouds dotted the sky and the temperature was just right. 

*Please note that David's Bridal does NOT allow pets in the store nor do they have dresses or clothing for pets ,I am a medical alert service dog for my Ma. If you want to take your pet with you so they can give their approval to your selection of dress, please call the store in your location.* 

We arrived at David's Bridal. I know you probably wonder what we were doing at a bridal store but David's is much more than just bridal gowns. They have a large assortment of bridal gowns, wedding party, mother of the brides/grooms dresses, prom and more.... 

The one thing they also have an assortment of is evening wear. 

They have dresses that are appropriate for #WigglebuttGoHollyWoof occasions, cruises, dinner at a black tie event any type of special events.

As you see they have a very large selection of bridal gowns. Any size, any style, any length. Your dream of what you want to look like as a bride can be found here. 

David's Bridal have a large selection of bridal party gowns. They have short styles, long styles, glitter, soft colors, any color , any style, any size. 

There are many mannequins with dresses on to let you see how some of the dresses look on. Sometimes its hard to know what a dress will look like when its hanging on a hanger. There were so many styles to consider that it was hard to choose. 

  

One of the things that made David's Bridal unique was they have plus size Mannequins. They also have a large selection of plus size dresses whether its bridal dresses or special occasion dresses. This was why they stood out to us because sissy Sarah needs a fuller dress and other stores we had been it didn't have dresses that younger crowd could wear. They have many styles for many ages in plus sizes. So whether you wedding party or the bride themselves is a size 0 and up, they have the dress for you. 

The staff was so helpful. They asked about the event and general idea of what we wanted and they showed us the sections where we would find those style of dresses and they let us shop.. in peace! They came by to answer questions, make recommendation and to see if they could help us find something unique but they weren't overly helpful, if you know what I mean. 

We have visited some stores where the sales people stayed with you the whole time, pulling dresses, telling you this dress would be better than that one etc. and sometimes that is being too helpful. 

When they asked what are budget was they didn't gawk at us. They told us what their current specials were and unlike other stores they didn't try to get us to bust our budget. 

We seen some brides find their special dresses and they said Yes to their dress :)They got to ring a bell when they found their perfect dress! 

When I went to the bathroom with ma  I overheard a bride's mother talking to her daughter about how she loved the store too. She said it was refreshing that they were not trying to get the bride to buy a dress that was out of their budget. One bride did spend a little more for her dress than she originally wanted but her perfect dress was on sale and it was $100 over budget but she looked like an angel in it. She would look absolutely breathtaking on her special day. The dress was $300 off so she still got an excellent deal. 

So if you are looking for the perfect dress whether its a bridal or a special occasion, check out David's Bridal.

Visit their website to find a store near, look at their selection, get inspiration for your special day. 

We got our dresses and we couldn't be happier. 

Thank you David's Bridal and staff for the wonderful shopping experience. There are not too many stores that when you tell them a poodle needs a dress will help you find what you are looking for. I appreciate your staff. 

Now Ma just has to tailor my dress to fit me like it should. 

Stay tuned to see how she does it.

*I was not paid nor asked to do this review of David's Bridal store. We had a wonderful shopping experience and wanted to tell my readers about it. I , Carma Poodale, only share information that I feel my readers would be interested in. I actually asked the staff if it would be okay to give the review. I can not guarantee that David's Bridal has your size in stock. *

I Am Going to #HollyWoof!

Ma's favorite cookie 

On Friday the 19th I along with Ma and Sissy Sarah will be boarding a plane to fly to Dulles airport to attend the Wigglebutt's Go HollyWoof event on the 20th at the Olde Towne Pet Resort in Sterling, Virginia. This is a SOLD OUT event!! 

What the dog, is a Wigglebutt Warrior? 

The Wigglebutt Warriors is a fundraiser that was created in 2013 by Carol from Fidose of Reality, Darlene Bryant and Dexter, a cocker spaniel to help Cocker and Cocker mixes in need from the OBG (Oldies But Goodies) Cocker Spaniel Rescue,Inc. OBG is a 501(c)3 organization who rescues Cocker spaniel and Cocker spaniel mixes and has them vetted (vaccines, spayed, neutered, gives medical care if needed) then assist them in finding forever homes of their own.  

What is Hollywoof? 

HollyWoof is the name of the fundraising gala happening in Sterling, Virginia at the Olde Town Pet Resort on Saturday the 20th. This is a glam, glitzy, Hollywood style event. We will be walking the red carpet along with 100 guests. This is the pets Oscars night. There will be dogs, cats, and even ferrets at this event along with their pawents. They will be all dressed to the nines. The event will have media and the paw-parazzi will be there. 

There will even be WIGGY AWARDS!!!! These are like the Oscars for pets! 

There are 8 categories for the Wiggy Awards

1. Best Dress female dog
2. Best Dressed male dog 
3. Most Charitable dog 
4. Best Rescue Story
5. Cutest Mutt 
6. Best Wiggle butt/tail shake 
7. Any species other than dog 
8. Wigglebutt of the Year 

*whispers* I am in the running for some of those categories.

There will be dinner for those in attendance and its a true Hollywood style fashion event. 

I am also a Hollywoof sponsor along with other wonderful companies and blogs.

List of sponsors

With all the glitz and glamour that this event offers and in true Hollywood style that is designed with what are WE going to wear?? 

I have some dresses but I don't have NOTHING that would be appropriate for Hollywood so that meant only one thing.

SHOPPING!!! 

I have been visiting my favorite stores every week for 2 months but I couldn't find nothing to wear. If I found a dress, ma and sissy couldn't find one. We stressed about this for months! 

We finally found our dresses!Come back tomorrow to see the dresses.

 Last minute, ma still has to tailor mine and we LEAVE THIS WEEK! 

This week I will be blogging leading up to the event! 

Please make sure you follow me on Facebook for updates. I will share photos and such on our travels. 

If you have an Instagram account and want to keep up with the event 

please follow the Hashtag ‪#‎WigglebuttsGoHollywoof‬ 

Make sure you are following these Instagram feeds

Fidose Of Reality 

or me,

Carma Poodale

You can also follow the hashtag on Facebook and Twitter.

Many of us will be posting during the event. 

I can't wait to see everyone and have all those bachelors at my paws. :)

Seriously, have you ever seen Garth in a tux???

Can you imagine how handsome Harley will be??

The attendance list is amazing!!

BW-Squirrel

This is mama squirrel. She is a squirrel I won't chase.

 When she sits up on her back legs , you can tell she has milk. 

Ma says soon she will bring the babies to our house.

 She is one of our squirrels we have watched grow up.

 Eat up mama squirrel.

Thank you to our host of the B/W Sunday

Dachshund Nola
&
Sugar, the Golden Retriever

Fashion Friday- Get Started with Dog Clothing

Welcome to FASHION FRIDAY!!! 

I am a poodle who likes to wear clothes. I have to have something on such as a bandanna in the summertime and in the cooler temps I love to wear my shirts and jackets. When the weather gets too cold or too hot , I wear my boots to protect my feet. I am a service dog so most of the time when I am out and about, I wear my service vest. Service dogs are not required to wear vests or ID but my vest clearly states that I am a medical alert dog and it stops retail personnel from running after us yelling "Sorry that dog isn't allowed in here!"

When I am at home or in a pet friendly place I like to wear other types of clothing but have you ever noticed that there isn't many options for large dogs like me? Sure you can find an occasional shirt and plenty of bandannas but most of those cute dresses you see online are made for the extra small to medium dogs. If you are beagle size or smaller ,you get all the cute fashions and if you are a toy breed , you have the world of fashion at your paw. There are many companies that will custom make outfits for larger dogs but the price can be steep. Its like comparing Kobe beef to cold cuts. I have checked into having some dresses made and they can range anywhere from $250-$650!! Just a simple dress can cost $65-$75! Now that is fine for some people but this poodle can't afford that. So where do I find my clothing? 

Nothing to wear

Sometimes I get lucky and find it at a major retail store like Petsmart. They occasionally carry shirts in my size. I wear a large to a extra large depending on the clothing. When they have my size clothing it sells out really quick. This tells me that there is girls and guys my size out there that want clothing too. 

 There are some to consider when introducing your pets to clothing.

 One thing pet parents have to remember is that not ALL pets enjoy clothing.

 It does take time to get used to wearing shirts and hats and even boots but if after a few times of allowing a pet to wear a shirt if they still act scared or uncomfortable in it, then clothing isn't for your pet.Maybe start with a bandanna to get them used to having something besides a collar on.  I have heard over and over from people that their pets would be ripping that shirt or bandanna off after a few minutes. Those are the pets that don't enjoy wearing clothing. 

If your pet doesn't mind the clothing but becomes uncomfortable a hour later take the clothing off. A few hours later or the next day put the clothing back on your pet. Its the part of getting used to the garment that is the hard part. Make sure to praise your pet for wearing the clothing. Tell them how fabulous they look. 

Consider safety. Tight clothing or too loose clothing can cause a falling hazard. You must make sure the clothing can not choke your pet or cut off circulation. Yes this can happen. Loose fitting clothing can cause a pet to trip. You don't wear shoes that are too small or too big, do you? Of course not. You want to make sure the clothing item fits properly. A shirt should lay against the body. Sometimes a shirt will hang 1" away from the body when the dog is standing. This is okay as long as when they walk the shirt doesn't get near his legs. 

The dog should be able to move freely in the clothing. When you first put a shirt on allow the dog or cat to walk around to see how it fits. Allow them to sit, lay down or even roll to make sure they can move freely. 

With me being a poodle , I can go from my sleek summer cut to fluffy winter coat. With the thickness of my hair my clothing tends to fit different. This means that my clothing can be too tight for comfort in the winter. Those shirts get put up until summer. Shirt too tight is uncomfortable and constricting. 

Dog clothing can be just like human clothing and not be a one size fits all. One company may advertise a large but in reality its just large enough to fit a Cocker Spaniel but another company's large may fit me, a standard poodle. The best way to find out what size your dog is to measure them. 

To measure your dog you will need a flexible tape measure. 

Have the dog stand up on a flat surface in a natural stance

• Measure around the chest - start measurement about a inch behind front legs
• Measure the neck- Make sure you leave room for your fingers looser than a collar
• Measure the length. Start from inbetween the shoulders to the base of the tail

This will give you a  idea of what sizes to buy. 

Next time on Fashion Friday we will talk about where to buy clothing and I will share some tips and tricks on getting the right fit. 

Until then get those measuring tapes out and get those measurements. If your pet is not used to clothing try getting them to wear a bandanna. 

Always praise them for keeping the scarf on. Give a treat (chickyum is a great treat) 

Tell them how cute they look. 

The more they know you are happy with their look the more confidence that will give them. 

Happy Friday!!! 

WW-Feeling Fabulous Fashions

Feeling Fabulous

I love clothes. I love to dress up. I love to shop. I don't leave the house without wearing a scarf, shirt or in the winter a jacket but being a big dog , I sometimes have problems finding fashions for me . I know other big girls and guys have the same problem. I am often asked where I get my clothes. I see a lot of clothing that I would love to wear but are always made for the smaller dog but never made for standard poodles , like me. Big Dogs CAN look cute in clothes just like smaller dogs!!!

Thanks to my friends Kim from Keep The Tail Wagging   and  Christie from Life with Beagle for discussing with me about ideas of what I want to talk about on this blog and encouraging me to go for it. I will be starting a new series on my blog that I hope you will enjoy.

One Friday's a month I will be discussing fashions for dogs especially those who are hard to fit aka big dogs. 

Stay tuned for 

Fashion Friday

I will be sharing my tips on where to buy clothing, some sewing projects even my ma could do so I know your mom can do them too and how to dress a large or extra large dog. The coat I am wearing in the photo above was made by ma. Don't worry, I will include tips for the small and medium dog and maybe even cat fashions too. I will also be adding fashion tips about things I love like nail polish. I always have my nails painted purple. 

I hope you come back on Friday to see what I have to talk about.

I hope you enjoy the segments.

If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact me. 

Wednesday's Wags!  

Today is Scooby Doo's BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday Scooby Doo!! 

Today is Scooby's 8th birthday! 

We will be celebrating all day but I also wanted to say Happy Birthday 

to some of my pals who are also celebrating this week. 

Oz the Terrier is turning 10

Snowy Westie celebrated his birthday

Zee from Zee and Zoey celebrated his 9th birthday

Emma the French Scent hound is turning 8

I hope I haven't forgot anyone but if I did, please add your name and site so that we can say

Happy Birthday to you also.

Also wanted to give a shout out to Katie from Glogirly for her 9th GOTCHA Day! 

Spencer the GoldenDoodle is celebrating his 1 yr Blogiversity!

So many celebrations this month. 

So little chickyum

Make sure you are following all my pawsome pals.

Guess what we are having for dinner?? 

Any ideal what I have in mind?  

See what other friends are up to on todays 

BW-Play

Happy Sunday! 

I hope your weather is great today 

and your able to get out and play.

Thank you to our hosts 

#Seresto Collar Review and Flea Facts

Summertime means more time outside playing in the sun. More time taking long walks or hikes and more together time but its also a time for those things that make you itch....FLEAS

Fleas aren't only present in summer but all year long. They can be brought into your house by your pets, on your clothes or they can come through using the front door. Once they are in your home, they can lay eggs and when those eggs hatch you can have a infestation that is very hard to control. One thing that I have heard people say is that pets who swim in pools that have chlorine are less likely to get fleas. This is a myth.

Swimming doesn't prevent fleas but look  how fabulous I look in the water

Fleas don't care if you are a dog, cat, guinea pig or human. As long as you have blood they will feed off of you.

Some flea facts to consider:

A flea can bite its victim over 100 times in one day.

They normally bite over 400 times on the first day!! 

A female flea can lay 50 or more eggs a day, can you imagine a week of eggs in your carpet??
Did you know they have found flea fossils over a 100 million years old?? Can you imagine the size of a dinosaur flea? 
Fleas spend most of their time OFF of a animal. This means they are on your floors, furniture, shoes for most of the day.
When fleas hatch out of their eggs they are white and legless. Its similar to a larvae stage. 
Fleas do not like light spaces. They hide in 

 For people and pets this can cause sickness. 
I have seen pets brought into our humane society spay/neuter clinic that are infested with fleas. The eggs of a flea are hard and black. What you might think is a black scab on an animal could very well be a nest of eggs. Many times those animals who have a infestation will anemic.

Some of the disease that fleas can cause are discussed below.

Anemia-A condition from when the red blood cells can not produce fast enough to keep the body healthy. Fleas feed on blood. This condition can be risky to those pets who are older, smaller pets or those whose immune system is weak. 

Tapeworms-  Tapeworm infections are caused when your pet swallows a flea that has tapeworm eggs in it. The tapeworm can grow to several feet inside a pets small intestines and absorbs nutrition that the body should be absorbing. This can cause a nutrition deficiency , weight loss and weakness. 

Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)- This is one I know well because Scooby Doo suffers from it. Its called "drive the pawents crazy" syndrome. Some pets are highly allergic to flea saliva. One flea bite can cause a pet to itch and scratch constantly. 
With all the diseases and discomforts that fleas can cause , what should you do to prevent them. You can use topical solutions that are applied monthly or you can use the Seresto collar for up to 8 months of protection. 

We have been using Seresto collars for a few months now and have stayed flea free. Jenny Sue had her collar a few months before Scooby and I had ours. Her collar needs to be replaced. She has gotten about 7 months of protection out of it. 

Frequently asked questions:

Will I continue to use the Seresto collars?? Yes! 

Did you have any reactions to it? Jenny Sue and Scooby Doo both had minor irritation with the collars. They both  developed small red irritations on their neck but this went away after ma took the collar off for a day. The next day she put it back on but loosened it by one notch and they didn't have any more trouble. 

Would you change anything about the collar?? I would love if it protected me from mosquitoes also and if it came in purple. Maybe they will do this in the future

How long did it protect you from fleas and ticks?? Jenny Sue's collar protected her for almost 7 months. We are still protected since I got my collar and Scooby got his the same week in May. 

So how do you control fleas and ticks? 

No fleas here. He just wanted to be in the blog post. :)

This post is sponsored by Bayer / Seresto and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Seresto product, but I, Carma Poodale only shares information I feel is relevant to my readers. Bayer / Seresto is not responsible for the content of this article.