Dog Product We Have To Bark About

* Weekly installment of animal companion products we use and love!

Oh Paw Plunger - we love you so. Especially after 22 inches of snow melts over 5 days and there appears to be no grass whatsoever in the back yard. I tried it all dear Friends of Fiona and let me tell you this baby rocks. Gone are the baby wipes, The Shamwow, and rolls of paper towels poised at the doggy door to keep muddy paws from invading indoors. You simply fill the Paw Plunger with warm soapy water and plunge. The massaging bristles inside take off the most caked on mud in one swipe. (maybe two if you have setters) The Paw Plunger comes in various sizes to accommodate any size paw. It comes with a lid to carry to the dog park or have in your vehicle post hike, it will save you from muddy paw madness. We got ours at In the Company of Dogs, but many specialty dog shops also carry this product and a quick internet search this morning found Amazon to have the best pricing.

You can thank me now.

Dog Product we have to Bark About

* This is the start of a weekly feature showcasing an animal companion related product we adore and just have to bark about to all who will listen!

We love to share dog related Etsy shops that meet our picky standards of high quality hand made products.

We are proud to say all the dogs here at the Lucky Fiona studio wear these awesome customized hang tags from Sofa City Sweethearts!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sofacitysweethearts?ref=seller_info

This gorgeous tags have met the setter challenge of

looking pristine on our Lucky Fiona collars after much rough and tumble play and the occasional puppy chomping. (thanks Pogue) They come in a dizzy array of patterns and shape combinations and can be customized to suit every taste. It is so important to have an ID tag on your dog, don't just rely on micro-chips to get your dog home to you. Since Pogue is deaf we wanted a tag to announce this without a pity-party, and the above tag did the trick. (Hello my name is Pogue and I Am Deaf) We always suggest having your cell phone on a tag as well as you

r home phone. Anybody that has had to go search the neighborhood for an escaped dog can attest having the phone number of the phone on your person is key to quick reunions.

We have found Carrie who lovingly runs this adorable shop to be super as far as customer service is concerned. Stop dilly-dallying, check out Sofa City Sweethearts and tag your dog with some style.

Snow It Goes

"It's as if you are in quicksand and the same final 15 seconds of tragically getting pulled under keeps replaying."

This is my description of this winter.

Sure it was all magical and beautiful in December. (see photo of Alex and I smiling like fools on Christmas Eve at the dog park as we enjoyed the first few inches) We still had the holiday trance going on back then. But here in the light of February you kind of see things how they really are...frozen. I can't fully see the cul-de-sac in front of my house, the snow pile blocks us in like a prison wall. Trips to the mailbox have become hazardous expeditions requiring full winter gear, a keen sense of balance and treaded shoes. Giant Evil Icicles have become Angry Birds ready to clonk you in the head the moment you try to escape the house for even a minute. The dogs are even over it. Sure it was fun running and sliding into the powder the first few times, but when DogDad had to snow blow the deck and part of the yard to even get out the door the snow became less frolic worthy. It's hard to frolic in 20 plus inches with a frozen layer on top, it just is. The back yard which previously hosted hours of ball playing and romping as been diminished to a 6X8 trampled potty patch. No magic there folks. Just some hard yellow snow. Sigh.

If the non-stop snow and ice are not enough to keep you housebound, don't forget the arctic air! I mean how are you supposed to even get out of bed when the day time high in Chicagoland is 6 degrees? Don't forget the wind chill that make it feel like -21! Thank goodness for bones and chew toys. I see the dogs systematically gnaw away to get some energy spent and I wish there was a human equivalent. So far I bake, and that does not bode well for how my jeans are fitting.

Am I getting old? Or I am just really cold? The Winter Wonderlands of my youth don't seem so appealing anymore. All I do know is I wish I could fast forward the rest of this month and have March be here already. How will you find me? I'll be the crazy lady in the deep thaw chewing on a Kong toy counting the days till I can check the mail in flip flops again.

HALF OFF Everything in the shop Blizzard Sale!

Blizzard Sale!

Chicagoland is under a State of Emergency due to 20 plus inches predicted by the weatherman! Yup, they are calling it the 2011 Blizzard. What to do? Well, we hope to be stuck inside sewing. TODAY ONLY - 50% OFF Everything in the Etsy shop. That's right, collars, leashes, cat collars, 1.5 & 2.0 Extra wide width upgrades, martingale upgrades, gift certificates...heck...even COLLAR OF THE MONTH subscriptions.

ALL 50% off today Feb. 1st. only. Put code BLIZZARD into the Etsy coupon code box to discount your order at check out.

Don't forget those Valentine styles - last day available in the shop!

Questions prior to ordering? Sure! Email: info@luckyfiona.com