Hello Humans. Miss Diva here!

Recently, Mom went out and bought a whole bunch of awesome play stuff for Dizzy and I from Ren's Pets. One of these toys was a ball thrower that really lets me race my sister for those tennis balls! We found a huge soccer field right by our house, and we take Mom there every weekend.

A couple weekends ago though, I hurt my foot on something while bolting across the field. While it wasn't truly that bad, I made SUCH a fuss about it that a worried Mom took me to the vet. The vet poked and prodded, and eventually determined that I was being a "big diva" or something (I stopped listening when the thermometer came out). Mom mentioned that now she had an owwie though.. in her wallet!

Well, because of where my owwie was (right between my toes), the vet gave mom some white, hard things to help keep any infection away. Well let me tell you Humans, those things taste AWFUL! Mom tried everything, but short of forcing them down my throat, I was not having it!

Then Mom surprised me when she came home from work with these cool treats called Greenies Pill Pockets, and I love this special treat that only I get now (Nana-na-na Dizzy!). Maybe Mom felt bad about giving me those hard yucky things so she's making up for it with these little soft treats!

They taste SO good and come in three different flavours (Chicken, Hickory Smoke and Peanut Butter like I got), so I don't even chew them! Mom tells me that they have versions of these treats for Cats in Salmon and Chicken too, and "allergy formulas", so if Dizzy is ever good enough to get these treats, there are versions for her (because mine are too yummy to share!). All are made from 100% natural ingredients, and come with some kind of taste-guarantee that persuaded Mom to buy them (100% satisfaction guarantee for parents and pets, or your money back!).

OH!, I think it is actually treat time now. Okay, Bye Humans!

Mom's Notes:

Hello fellow pet-lovers! As you have probably guessed, Diva is still getting her pills hidden in these little soft treats. They make pill-time easier, and I avoid that dejected whippet-face from having to force a pill, or searching the carpet for where she spat out the expensive little white circle each time!

Greenies Pill Pockets are the number one veterinarian-recommended choice for giving pills, but available at places like Ren's Pets Depot too (which help my poor Diva-drained wallet!). The allergy formula that Diva mentions is a Duck and Pear formula, with all pill pockets available for either tablet or capsule sized pills.

But SHHH! Don't tell Diva!

Now you can be your pet's First Aid Responder! The thought of our pets getting hurt is not something we like to think about, but being properly prepared on how to help your pet if they are injured can go a long way! With the nice weather finally here, everyone is taking their pets to the park, the cottage,  camping… If something happens you may not be able to get your pet help right away. Having the right tools and knowledge will help prevent your pet's injury from getting worse.
Walks 'N' Wags is the longest standing pet First Aid program in Canada, and is internationally recognized. They offer a variety courses to prepare dog and cat owners for emergencies. The instructors are experts from a variety of different emergency professions such as firefighters, nurses, First Aid instructors, animal specialists, and veterinary technicians … plus their courses are fun and informative!
RC Pets has teamed up with Walks 'N' Wags to create a First Aid kit for pet owners! Now you can be prepared no matter where you are! The kit contains essential First Aid items including latex-free gloves, First Aid tape, scissors, gauze, saline solution, antiseptic wipes, an instant cold pack, a variety of bandages, an emergency blanket, PLUS a pet First Aid manual so pet owners can know how to respond in emergency situations.

Responding quickly is the key to any medical emergency. With the proper resources and knowledge you can help comfort your pet and possibly even save some money on wet bills!

Every situation is different, make sure to consult your veterinarian in an emergency.

Freeze-drying treats, or "lyophilization", preserves all the goodness by rapidly freezing, then at an extremely low temperature the water is turned into vapour. This means water and ONLY water is removed, leaving all the life-giving nutrients where they should be!

Orijen has made a line of freeze-dried treats and claim that they offer a taste experience your dog will love! Judging by the amount of drool, I'd have to say my dog is proof!

These freeze dried goodies come in 8 different formulas(Original, Regional Red, Tundra, Lamb, Duck, Boar, Bison, and Beef) that include 100% pure, natural meats and nothing else! They have 4-5 ingredients and thats it!

100% meat, 100% natural, 100% fresh ingredients! No preservatives, no fillers, no chemicals, no grains, NO JUNK! Just everything your carnivore companion wants and needs!

Orijen is known for their quality, Canadian-sourced ingredients. They are located in Alberta and the only use fresh ingredients that they find in their region. If you haven't had a chance to look at their website I would recommend checking it out You will find photos and biographies of the farmers that they use to create the quality product you can trust!

With fresh "biologically appropriate" ingredients, it would be a shame to lose all the nutrients with a typical cooking preservation process. To prevent that from happening the people at Champion Petfood have freeze-dried these fresh raw meat ingredients to ensure that the nutrients and delicious flavour are locked in!

Hello Humans! It's (your favourite) Dizzy Dog!

So, Mom's started this juicing diet thing. It's a very noisy machine (louder than that horrible thing she pushes around to clean up my hair), that she throws yummy fruits into each morning. She ends up with a cup of interesting-smelling stuff rather than having all of that wonderful bacon, eggs and toast stuff Diva and I beg for. She explains it as some sort of "get healthy" phase. Perhaps in honour of her going healthier, she took sister Diva and I to Ren's Pets Depot for a look at new healthy things for us too!

They had all sorts of cool things this trip that Mom got, like an Interactive Feeder for me (because apparently I eat my food too fast), some neat ball throwers that Diva is going to LOVE, a back seat Kurgo cape thing to keep Mom's seats clean when we go to the park to play, and these healthy treats that smell just like Mom's morning fruits...

They're called Fruitables, and there are a whole bunch of all-natural flavours in two sizes, like Blueberry, Banana, Apple and Cranberry. OH! and this new flavour that I just LOVE called Crispy Bacon & Apples.. Mmmmm! I was the best girl ever to make sure the Treat Lady gave me extras!

Each crunchy little oven-baked candy is free of wheat, corn, soy and all that artificial stuff (so this means I can have them with my allergies!) and smell GREAT! The Treat Lady also  told Mom that each treat has less than 9 calories, so Diva and I will be able to maintain our drool-worthy figures!

Mom picked up a few treats for us to try, but I'm sure we can convince her to head back to Ren's soon for all the flavours!

Okay, Joke time!

What do two bananas do when they meet each other?
A Banana Shake!

Does your dog eat too fast? Do you want to make meal time more interactive and safe?

I have had a few dogs in my lifetime, and they all went through that inhaling food stage. The faster they eat, the less they chew, and this can lead to choking. When they swallow their meal in just a few seconds, they also gulp and swallow air, which in some breeds can lead to discomfort, gas, vomiting or bloat. I have a friend who had a frightening experience with her Golden Retriever who food bloated from eating too much food too fast...

The Golden's X-Ray when taken to the vet shows all the full kibble bits in her stomach, blocking their passage through to the intestines

The Golden's X-Ray after the kibble and gas started to move through the intestine. The dark black is all the gas built up

The poor girl couldn't get comfortable, had a hard-as-rock stomach the size of a beach ball, and was making all those pained noises that make us as owners melt. A very expensive vet bill later, a much happier Golden is home again with my friend.

While this is one of the worst things that could happen from eating too fast, I know that none of us want a "surprise" to clean up a few minutes after dinner everyday (GROSS!). So, how do you get them to slllloooowww down?

Making the food less accessible is an option. Creating obstacles to prolong the eating period will force your dog to stop gulping air. Obstacles also force your dog to solve a problem and hunt for their food. Sometimes we just focus on taking our pets out for walks for their physical health and forget about exercising their brains too. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exertion. Using interactive games will keep them content, slow your dogs eating habits and improve their mental health!

Northmate is a new company who aims "to create better lives for pets." Can't argue with that! They have come up with a new product to make meal time interactive!

The Northmate Green Interactive Dog Dish is the perfect solution for a dog that eats too fast or if you are just looking to make meal time interactive! Check out this video to see for yourself!

This feeder allows all dogs, small and large, to hunt for and push out their food between the many blades of grass. Plastic and dish-washer safe, you'll be making meal time safer and much more fun with this innovative new product!

It’s no secret cats shed, but are you aware of the causes and dangers of hairballs?

“Because cats groom themselves with their tongues, they naturally ingest some hair in the process,” says veterinarian Shelby Neely, also known as “The Cat Doctor.” According to Dr. Neely, most of the hair will pass though the intestinal tract, but some remains in the stomach. Over time, as more is added, a hairball develops as the hair becomes dampened by bile and other digestive fluids. “Fortunately, by reducing the amount of hair your cat ingests, hairballs can be prevented.”

Below are signs and symptoms of hairballs in cats and when you should seek veterinarian attention:

• Ongoing vomiting, gagging, retching or hacking without producing a hairball
• Lack of appetite
• Lethargy
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

One simple way to help prevent hairballs in cats is to groom your furry friend regularly. For your go-to grooming solution, use FURminator’s deShedding tool for cats! The deShedding tools, available for cats with long or short hair, are easy-to-use and effectively reduce hairballs – keeping your cat healthier and happier.

Remember every loose hair brushed is one less to swallow.

So here we are the first day of Spring..FINALLY!  Why is it that winter is always the longest season?  We never wish for Summer to be over....unless you're a Snowman I guess.

So with Spring comes National Specialties.  I think as a breeder it is very important to attend your National Specialty in Canada and the US if you can.  We try to go every year if at all possible.  National Specialties are truly a special event especially in the US given the grandeur and entries.  The Collie Club of America spans over a week and will have an entry of approx 800 dogs.  It begins with herding trials over the first weekend and then conformation; jr handling and obedience begin and take place over 4 days.  Included in the show is a highlight of the top dogs from the previous year as well as judges seminars and breeder seminars.  What better way to hone your skills then to learn from the pros!  I have been very fortunate to have attended many National Specialties in Canada and the US and we are looking forward to next year even before we leave!

I read an article years ago before attending a National and the writer made the suggestion that you focus on learning one thing when you are the at National.  So pick a topic whether it be how your breed is presented? How are feet trimmed? Heads trimmed? etc... It can be very overwhelming for a "newbie" to attend a National with so many beautiful dogs.  It will help you to take something away if you decide to focus on one thing at a time.  One year I decided that I was going to look at how people trim feet.  I was amazed at how many different ways this was done.  Doing this also helps you to re-evaluate what you are doing.  Are you happy with the way you trim?  Could it be done differently to show off good feet? Adjusted for a dog who's feet aren't as tight as they should be?  Sure it can!  Its a matter of learning how to do this effectively, again watching the pro's is the best way to do this.

So in 2 weeks time we will make our way to La Crosse Wisconsin for the CCA.  We have 1 dog entered in the Smooth Open Bitch class with an entry of 14 in her class.  We were absolutely thrilled with her 4th placement in the 6-9 month puppy class last year and hope to do as well if not better this year!  We will see what we can learn.  I haven't picked an area of interest yet but I will.

I hope you too will have an opportunity to attend your National Specialty and can learn as much as possible about the breed you love and cherish so much!

Wish us luck!

Cdn Ch. Colwick LongAcre Maui Madness (AKC ptd) HIC ~ Maui

Hi Everyone! It's me, Dizzy!

As most of you know, I have some pretty bad allergies. Mom always jokes that I'm allergic to everything, including myself! It's true that I can't have all the great things my sister Diva does because of all my food allergies, and the changing seasons always mess with my skin too to cause what the vet calls “the itchy-and-scratchy cycle”.. It itches, so I scratch it, and then it gets itchier because it's been irritated, so I scratch more... -Sigh-.. Humans, it sucks!

Well, recently I was itchier and scratchier than usual. It was all I could focus on! Even my ball had lost its appeal! Mom took me to the vet and through discussing everything, we all decided to change my food. After a long process of doing so (Mom took almost 2 weeks to fully convert me to this new food), I am almost completely better! It's AMAZING! We switched to yummy salmon and rice food, and added some salmon oil and omega pills to my food for added effect. YAY for Salmon! Not only that, but now my Golden hair is even more beautiful than it usually is too!

The only downfall to switching over was that my Mom would whine about my breath when I would go to kiss her! She kept teasing me about how “fishy” it smelled - blame it on those omega pills! I tried eating sticks and stuff outside or sucking on my stuffed toys and bones to fix it, but Mom didn't seem to like my breath any better from that either (go figure!). Even with those awesome antlers to chew on, Mom said my teeth were still getting rather grungy too.

The solution? PetzLife Oral Care!

Mom brought a little bottle home (she got the spray) and every day I get a couple sprays of it. We haven't been using it long, but she says my breath smells better already (and Diva will wrestle with me again!). This cool stuff is designed to “eliminate plaque, remove tartar, reverse gum disease and freshen breath immediately; all without the need for brushing” according to Mom. We're still on the beginning stages of using it, so I get more right now than I will in a couple weeks, but the idea is that it kills all that bad salmon breath bacteria so I can kiss Mom again!

So fellow friends, if your Human is making teasing comments about your stick-breath, nose out this stuff on your next trip to Ren's! It's available in a spray or a gel and will leave your breath peppermint-fresh!

So, to tie into this whole experience... Are you ready for my joke?!

Why should you avoid a dog that eats nothing but garlic?
Because his bark will be worse than his bite!

Good Morning Humans, it's Miss Diva!

My sister and I have a friendly sibling rivalry when it comes to treats. She gets all of the special, single-ingredient cookies that won't irritate her allergies and smell AMAZING, and I get a host of other cookies that taste great no matter what they contain. When we go out and about (like shopping at Ren's) I get to taste every cookie the Treat People have while Dizzy can only have the special ones. Mom makes sure its fair though, as I can't have any of Dizzy's treats either – no matter how hard I try to convince her I -need- just a taste!

So, I though I'd share with you one of MY non-Dizzy treats: Dried Chicken Jerky Strips! Mom tells me these are all-natural dried chicken breast meat that make this delicious crunchy treat for me! Depending on which brand of treat you go with, you can get great added things like Glucosamine and Condroitin (like the ones Mom buys me!).

Chicken jerky treats can also have other benefits besides being SO tasty, like helping to scrape food from my teeth as I chew (and they're certainly chewy!), and providing some important nutrients.

High in protein, these treats are only ever meant for occasional treating as too much protein in our diet can be a bad thing! That makes these treats all the more special because I don't get them very often at all, and usually only broken off pieces when I've been a really, REALLY good girl. Remember Humans, all treats should only be given in moderation and never used as a food replacement – no matter how much we beg!

My Mom's (and my) favourite type of Chicken Strips are the ones from a company called Barnsdale Farms. She particularly likes these ones because they are made in North America, and I like them for the 1lb bag size they come in!

And of course, like always, I have great timing.. As these treats are on sale this week! Mom will be picking up a couple bags for sure, though it'll take me forever to get through them!

Aww, Dizzy's whining about not having anything to add to this conversation, so I guess I'll let her add a joke:

What do you get when you cross a dog with a vegetable?
A Jack Brussel Terrier!

Helloooooo Humans! Dizzy here!

It's winter! Have you noticed?! I love the snow! Diva, not so much.. but she doesn't have as warm a coat as my long Golden fur (even with her fancy Ren's jackets on)!

Mom and her friends play ball with me outside until their ears and noses go red. It's great fun for us all, though I don't quite understand why we have to stop after only a couple hours. Most of our new backyard is snow, but the walk to the front door becomes this awesome mud puddle. Mom and Diva jump over it, but I think it's more fun to run right through it! I am all about the fun of course!

So, after all this playing, Mom made me wait outside while she went and got a towel.. Apparently I was something called “muddy and soaked” (that must mean awesome!). Mom towelled me off a lot, but my bottom half still looked like a Chocolate Labrador, so when she finally let me bound into the house I immediately got locked in the bathroom. Even whining as loud and as frantically as I could didn't bring anyone back to me for what seemed like forever!

Mom did come back though and had a whole bunch of stuff that looked strangely like the items we see during bath time at Ren's... Then she picked me up and put me into our bathtub...

Sure enough, it was bath time for me – at home! Suds and soap and a lot of attempted escapes later, Mom finally said I was clean and smelled good. I got lots more towelling, with special drying attention to all those spots that can get itchy hot spots like behind my ears, my underarms and my belly. Next, my ears and whiskers got a good trim, and then my feet. Mom calls them “slipper feet” because I slip everywhere in the house when the hair between them is too long, but now I have Show Dog feet! I THOUGHT I was almost done when Mom brought out those scary toenail trimmers and did all my toes. Nothing bad or painful has ever happened, but I'm convinced that some day, something will. Mom calls me a worrier!

The last thing Mom did was bring out this noisy thing that buzzed on my skin. Since it's getting close to that time of year where mud puddles melt from the snow, Mom said she was going to try and make later cleanups quicker with this “clipper”. She buzzed this thing down along my belly a couple times and took off a lot of the hair there – it all happened really quickly too! I now have a nice and cool shaved belly that Mom says will be much easier to keep clean!

Mom let me free then, and gave me a brand new antler from Ren's to chew on for being such a good girl! I promptly “frog dogged” my belly on our cool kitchen floor and chewed away happily while Diva looked on all jealous-like. 

So now, the best joke EVER!

Why must you be careful when it rains cats and dogs?
Because you might step in a poodle!

Mom's Notes: Dizzy was actually a very good girl during her at-home bathing session! If you'd like to get started doing your own bathing at home, check out Ren's featured sale bundle of a Wahl Pro Ion Rechargeable Clipper with free 17oz Wahl Pure n' Clean Shampoo, on from February 23 until March 1!