I was recently sent a personalized calendar from Amigo365 to check out. Amigo365 creates desktop and wall calendars that can be personalized with a name, which more or less guarantees it’s one you’re not going to toss out when the year is over!

The quality of my desktop calendar is excellent, and very cute! It came in its own clear plastic holder and each month is printed on its own sturdy card.

They have several themes to choose from, and I particularly like the cat and dog ones, of course. You can enter your own name into the preview pane to get an idea of what your calendar will look like.

Each calendar is affordable at $15.99 each (last I priced them, impersonal wall calendars were around $20!), and you can use your pet’s name or company name instead of your own if you want.

Pet retailer PetsMart is voluntarily recalling seven of their Grreat Choice® Dog Biscuits.

The biscuits contain peanut butter paste made by Peanut Corporation of America, which has been the focus of an investigation by the FDA into potential salmonella contamination of peanut butter and paste made at its Georgia facility.

Though there have been no reported cases of illness due to the biscuits, they’ve been removed from store shelves and consumers are encouraged to return the biscuits to the store they bought them from for a refund or exchange.

The biscuits being recalled include:

• Small Assorted 32 oz., UPC 73725702900
• Small/Medium Assorted 4 lb., UPC 73725700601
• Small/Medium Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700605
• Small/Medium Assorted 10 lb., UPC 73725702755
• Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700638
• Extra Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700779
• Peanut Butter 4 lb., UPC 73725700766

[image: petsmart]

It’s no secret that I love pet stuff that doubles as furniture, or at least hides the pet stuff.

So, our two small dogs have been together now for four years and in only the last year or so have become comfortable enough to lay down and cuddle together, which is something I thought would happen a lot sooner than it did.

Anyway, we’re planning to take advantage of this development and get rid of the two small dog carriers that they sleep in every night and get something that will fit them both. Not only will it cut down on space but they’ll be able to keep each other warm as it gets cooler and cooler.

We were originally going to just go with a bigger carrier, until I started searching around and realized duh, it’s going in the living room next to the couch, what better to look for than something that’ll serve as an end table too?

I came across the crate pictured above and fell in love (we’d put a nice fleece bed in it with their blankets too, of course). As usual, the only problem is the price tag. Unfortunately, cute is usually costly, which means the search is back on.

[image: orvis.com]

Note: Merchant never provided prize.

Staying up to the minute with the latest fashion is something we all attempt for our own wardrobes, but now with The Heady Studio’s new line of upscale dog collars, you can also share that flair for fashion with your dogs and cats!

This fashionable canine accessory is meant to make a statement for you and your dog. These chic collars will clearly say: my dog is my friend who deserves to be dressed in the finest designs!

With designs created by well-known jewelry designer Kevin Heady, the collars are hand fabricated in exotic materials such as genuine American alligator to custom boot and shoe standards.

I have one collar to give away!

To Enter:
Tell me about your pet’s fashion sense: Do you dress them up? Only put a jacket on them in cold weather? Or do they make do with just a collar?

* Contest closes at 5:00pm PDT on Saturday, November 1. Winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond with mailing information before a new winner is chosen.

* All current Bloggy Giveaways at The Food Bowl may be entered one time each. Good luck!

* 1 collar will be given away.

Many years ago after we’d first adopted Turbo, I did what everyone at that time was doing and made a webpage about him (admit it, you did too!). While searching for great things to add to the page, I came across a tutorial about toilet training your cat.

Well, there is now a gadget available that helps make the whole process a little easier. It’s called the CatSeat and the neat thing about it is that you don’t even need to use a toilet to get started.

With the old process you’d gradually raise a litter pan to the level of the toilet seat so the cat gets used to it, and then you’d have to find a bowl to fit under the seat, filled with litter, for the cat before eventually removing it when the cat got used to that.

The CatSeat is all-inclusive - no need to find bowls or use phone books and newspapers to raise up a litter box. The CatSeat even claims that once the cat gets used to going in the Seat, they’ll follow it to the toilet and use it regardless of needing to jump for it.

I’m not sure this would work for us at this point - my old, crotchety cats would probably have my fingers if I messed with their boxes!

[image: catseat product photo]

I love the idea of robotic or motorized litter boxes - it’s one of my least favorite chores. We tried a Littermaid years ago and were unimpressed - it was noisy and broke down completely within six months, but not before flinging poop and litter across the room randomly when it “cleaned.”

The litterbox above is called a Litter-Robot and if it looks big it is - it stands at 24-by-22-by-29 inches which would take up an entire corner in my house. If anything would definitely be a conversation starter, though!

The process seems simple enough: A sensor in the step lets the system know when a cat has stepped into the box, and is triggered again when the cat leaves, turning on a seven-minute timer. It then starts rotating, sifting the litter into a pocket while the kitty offerings get deposited into a drawer in the base. It then rolls back over and the litter comes out of the pocket and back to where the cats can use it.

I really love the idea of this - everything stays contained (unlike the Littermaid), there are no outside moving parts. I think the size and the price (approximately $330!) would keep me from giving it some serious consideration, though. Maybe after a few years we’ll find that they’re able to adjust the size and we’ll give it another look.

[image: product photo]

Timberwolf Organics brand dog food is voluntarily recalling two formulas from their line of pet food due to some customers reporting that their dogs are vomiting, have diarrhea, and are refusing to eat.

Only two lines are affected - the Dakota Bison and Ocean Blue with the following “best by” dates printed on the bag:

- Dakota Bison: best by date of February 12, 2009
- Ocean Blue: best by date of February 20, 2009
- Ocean Blue: best by date of March 8, 2009

If your bag is affected you can take it back to the store you purchased it from for a full refund.

[product images: timberwolf organics]

When I make dog treats for my dogs sometimes I like to go the extra step and use bone-shaped cutters (when I’m not in the mood I just roll the dough out and use a pizza cutter to make “nuggets“). These only really work on recipes that form a firm dough that can be rolled out.

The little one there in the center is the perfect size for our chihuahuas, and I’ve used the larger one on the left for my friends’ dogs. I don’t know anyone with a dog big enough for the largest size, but it doesn’t hurt to have it on hand!

I don’t remember where I got these, I think it may have been on Ebay for about $8. After a quick search you can find several sites online that sell single cutters or sets of different sizes, and some made from metal and some from plastic!

I love this! Furniture made with sisal for both cats and people - no more worrying about the cat scratching up the couch or coffee table. In fact, it’s encouraged!

It’s made by Cat Livin, who also sells other items from sleeping mats to live catnip.

What do you think? Would you furnish your home with your cats in mind like this?

[product image: cat livin]

You can get soda, food, and even movies through vending machines now, why not pet supplies?

Check out these pet supply vending machines made by Hey Buddy! They can be loaded up with balls, toys, Frisbees, flea collars, pick-up bags, leashes, vitamin-water, and treats.

They’re franchised out now, and you can see where a few have already been placed.

Have you seen any of these around?

[image: product photo, hey buddy!]