A dog blog featuring dog products, toys, collars, clothes, treats, and more

The Mutt Pack

Matt from The Mutt Pack sent us a sample of his new dog "closet door" organizer for dog stuff.

As you can imagine, Bliss might be a little spoiled, and we may have a couple of dog things laying about. You know, a toy or two, a treat here and there. And, of course, she has a lot of grooming needs, so we have all that stuff to organize. Oh, and the "regular" dog stuff like poop bags, food, and everything that goes along with that.

Previously, I had stored a few items in a "travel bag" (a promotional bag I received from somewhere), little-used items in a plastic tub, and often-used items sitting on a shelf. With the Mutt Pack, I can store most of her items in an organizer that hangs from the closet door, all visible and in easy reach. It certainly didn't fit all of her stuff, but it made a good dent. And if we decide to flee the apartment in a hurry, the whole thing folds up suitcase style and we're on our way.

This is a new product for Matt, and he is really open to suggestions to make it better. A few things I found:

1. It makes a really wonderful closet organizer, but as a travel bag, it might be too big for one dog. Perhaps if I could zip off the bottom section, it would be the perfect size for travel.
   
   
2. It would be great if the pack came in different colors/patterns, and maybe even allowed for monogramming or embroidering her name on it.


3. The included hooks were flimsy. I know the idea was to make them malleable so they could be customized to one's door, but I'm really impatient and didn't want to follow the directions carefully enough to make them work. I already had a hook on the door, so I used that instead.

All in all, this is a great start for a product that is really useful as-is, but as Matt makes little tweaks here and there, has the potential to be an indispensable accessory for all dog owners.

Thanks Matt!

The Mutt Pack
$49.95

Sojos Peanut Butter Honey Dog Treats

I came across these Sojos dog treats online in my search for new things to put on this blog, but then found them at the new dog boutique that opened in our neighborhood (more on that later!), so we were able to give them the ol' Bliss taste test.

Sojos specializes in healthy, natural food for dogs, and these treats are baked daily. Made with peanut butter, eggs and honey, they are now wheat- and corn-free. They smell really good. Very peanut buttery. I wanted to taste one myself.

Oh, and I love the packaging. Of course I do. Bright colors and polka dots? Please. Sold.

How did Bliss like them? Let's see:

I would say they are Bliss approved.

Sojos
$6.50

Gulpy Dog Travel Water Dispenser

I've been needing a way to carry water for Bliss on longer car trips, and the collapsible bowls are just a little too awkward for that purpose. Then I found the Gulpy water bottle. It's basically a water bottle with a plastic, flip-out attachment that serves as the bowl. You flip it out, squeeze water into it, and voila! Water bowl! I was a little skeptical; Bliss tends to shy away from plastic items (except, perhaps, a treat-filled Kong) and anything remotely unusual looking. Frankly, I thought she'd be scared of the thing.

But when we went on a car trip and I heard her panting in the back seat, I whipped out the Gulpy and presented it to her. She didn't hesitate and got a nice drink of water. Success!

(But isn't "Gulpy" kind of a weird name? I mean, doesn't that encourage bloat? Maybe they should call it "Sippy" or "Lappy." Or maybe I'm overthinking this.)

Muttropolis
$10.99

Lulo Luscious Lemon Spritzer Cleanser

The very nice people at Lulo sent us this marvelous cleansing spritzer to try out. Bliss, being a Keeshond, doesn't require much bathing; just a regular brushing will do nicely.

I've used powder shampoo in the past to help clean her fur between bathings as I was afraid spray cleansers might mat her fur. I was pleasantly surprised when the Lulo product went on very lightly, and it smelled lovely - not overly perfumey at all.

I gave her another spritzing halfway through (double-coated breed and all), and her coat is nice and soft. The spray also helped control static, which is a problem when brushing double-coated breeds.

It's several hours later, and I can still smell the spritzer if I put my face right in her fur, but otherwise I can't smell it. I think a light perfume in this scent would be welcomed; I really like the fragrance and would like it to last longer.

Lulo is based out of New York, and pride themselves on using the highest-quality ingredients that are, of course, dog-friendly. Thanks, Lulo!

Lulo Luscious Lemon Spritzer Cleanser
$12

Photo Stamps

Want to make your holiday cards extra-special? Put your pup on a stamp. Yes, these are real stamps and can be used as real postage. It's pretty easy to upload an image and turn it into a stamp; from start to finish took me about 5 minutes. This is the stamp I used on my holiday cards this year (Bliss the Red-Nosed Keeshond). I would imagine sending someone stamps of their own dog would make a great gift as well... Or send them stamps of Bliss. Because seriously. How cute is my dog?

Stamps.com
from $12.99 - $17.99/sheet of 20 (the price goes down when you order more sheets)

Greenies Dog Treats

I was apparently out of the loop on the Greenie front. All the dog owners I know would mention them in passing as if I was supposed to know what they were talking about, such as, "Well, Winston was acting up, but he just wanted his Greenie." So I looked into them. It turns out they're these green (hence the name), toothbrush-shaped treats that are supposed to help "brush" your dog's teeth. Oh, and I guess they had a problem earlier this year with them being not digestable enough, allegedly causing at least three dogs' deaths. So they reformulated them and are now ultra-digestable. If your dog merely looks at a Greenie it starts digesting.

I got a few for Bliss, and I have to say, she LOVES them. I hope they're actually brushing her teeth, too, because her teeth are getting pretty nasty. Go, Greenies, go!

PetCo
(Varies in price by size and number of units, but 18 "Regular" Greenies cost $14.39, if that helps.)

Comfort Zone D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Hormone)

Bliss is having a bit of a separation anxiety issue lately. We think the move caught up with her, and now she gets frantic at my departure. We've set up a little "doggie spa" in the kitchen when we leave in the morning, and have included D.A.P. into the mix. D.A.P. mimics the pheremones nursing mother dogs give off to comfort their puppies and it also helps with adult dogs.

I've been using it for about a week, and it seems to be helping. Case-in-point: Today when I got up, Bliss was anxious and clingy. If I left the house, even if someone was here, she'd whine; when I got home she'd cling to me. I sprayed a little D.A.P. on a bandana and put it around her neck; a couple of hours later, she seemed considerably better, and would leave my side to go sleep in the other room.

It comes in both diffuser and spray form. It's a little on the expensive side, but if it helps Bliss to be less anxious, I'll pay it.

PetSmart
$24.99 - $42.99

Booda Chompables Fleece Dog Toy

This is Bliss' favorite toy. She loves the fleece and she loves the floss. Her toy's name is "Ringo," (note the floppy hair and the star shape) and has seen better days. I've been looking in stores for a new Ringo, but have come up empty. Today, watching her sleep with Ringo cuddled next to her, I decided I'd better get her a new one before Ringo completely disappeared. It happened to Pete Best, you know. So, I hop online to find it, but how do you search for one? The tag had torn off a long time ago. I searched for "fleece," "floss," and "toy named after Beatle," but nothing worked. Finally, I ended up searching page-by-page through pet supply stores until finally, FINALLY I found it.

You know how some people keep a journal of wine or cheese so they can remember what they've tried and if they like it? I'm going to need one of those for dog toys.

Petco
$7.97

Kong Stuff'N Treats

I can't believe I haven't tried this stuff until now. Bliss has had a Kong toy forever, and she showed absolutely no interest in it... until I used the Kong Stuff'N Treats. I stuffed in one of those little cookie treats and added the peanut butter paste (think Cheese Whiz for dogs), and she has been going at that thing all day. No exaggeration. She's sitting here right now trying to extract every last morsel from the thing.  It makes the Kong all slobbery and gross, but who cares? She's enjoying herself. And that's what it's all about.

PetSmart
$7.99

Knotty Dogs Rope Toys

Bliss likes her treats. She is what they call "treat motivated." Usually she sits or bows or gives me a high-five or just looks cute to get a treat. But sometimes she needs to do a little more to earn the treat... like unwind the treats from a rope toy.

Knotty Dogs Rope Toys are rope toys wrapped around a savory treat. The chance to get a tasty, tasty treat entices your pup to chew on the rope toy. The rope toy flosses and cleans their teeth while they chew their way to the center.

I got this for Bliss at the Bay Area Pet Fair, not sure if she would like it. She usually likes the plushy or fleecy toys. I was surprised to find her actually chewing on this, trying, oh-so-gallantly, to get the prize inside.

It's like a box of Cracker Jacks. But instead of a box, there's rope. And no caramel popcorn.

Knotty Dogs
$5.99 - 9.99