It was super hot and sunnyday at Meijer Gardens at the Innovation Michigan awards http://tinyurl.com/27jqk2w . One of the very best reasons participate in an expo, tradeshow is to meet other interesting people and to connect. One table by me was an interesting gentleman and his company was Ruwach Design http://spraylite.com/ruwachdesign/ . This company has a patent pending space heater that uses ion technology to reduce at a substantial savings. On this blistering hot day he stood by his black table to show his space heater oh holy irony! He was tall and had a tie on and brought his large model airplane. I wanted him to fly that airplane…On the other side of my table was Stryker Corp, http://www.stryker.com/en-us/index.htm with their Flyte Personal Protection System. This suit protects surgical staff and patient from infection during surgery. They had their patent out and framed and a great blue surgical dummy donning the whole Flyte suit. I couldn’t help but ask if they had been approached by Hollywood to use their suit in movies or shows and they said an earlier version was on Grey’s Anatomy. I said, “Oh man you need to get that clip and show it! Even if they got a still from the clip they should put it up. Stryker is a global company that has many innovative medical devices…they didn’t need my Grey’s Anatomy suggestion. Had a fun conversation about social media with Michael Yoder a social media strategist from Deksia, www.deksia.com and organizer of the Pink Slip Party http://www.pinkslipwm.com/home and Craig Clark from Clark communications, http://www.clarkcommunication.com suggested I should have candy bar “doody” (nod to the movie Cadddy Shack http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2009/07/06/caddyshack-movie-quotes/ ) out on the sidewalk to attract attention—Good One—“It’s in da hole!”

Ok the Chihuahua as a retirement gift went over…a cliff. I know, I know, you should (almost) never give a pet as a gift unless it is for sure wanted by the recipient. What was said, or not, doesn’t matter; the dog was not wanted. Luckily the parties had a contingency plan that my sister would take the new Chihuahua so that her Lola would have company. The new Chihuahua, Chica, is a fabulous deer headed Chihuahua dog, gorgeous with an even better personality. The two dogs are buds. The Retiree got a camera and other “stuff” and it was all good peeps.

Picked Cocoa up from his dog kennel, which happens to be his vet’s. He stunk. Not just the, smells like someone else’s perfume, more like….has he just rolled in his own dog poop. This annoyed me greatly to say the least. I ran him home and dumped him right into a bath and I was forced to use what I had on hand to shampoo him, which was very lucky in my case, it was a sample of NuHemp’s Botanical Omega EAZZ dog shampoo. The shampoo had a light fragrance and a nice lather. His coat turned out soft and there was no flaking. I was very pleased with this product and the other samples from the NuHemp line. My friends at Pet Supplies Plus (www. petsuppliesplus.com)had given me samples of the shampoo, dog treats, and Omega Sauce. Cocoa really enjoyed the crunchy peanut butter maple flavored (a Canadian company eh?) treats. I was surprised by this because they looked so dry and brittle, but he loved them and he wolfed down his food when I added the NuHemp Omega Sauce. So maybe if you invested in a huge amount of dog food that your dog is turning up his nose at, try squirting on a big of the sauce…it was a hit! I do not know about the many benefits of hemp for people and animals so I turned to NuHemp.com to learn more about the products. If you have a Pet Supplies Plus please look there for these organic products or try the NuHemp website, www.nuhemp.com.

Have you ever received more than what you were expecting? I had that delightful experience with PawLuxury (Pawlux.com). I purchased these products with my own money and I shopped them secretly. It was fun to open the box and I could see the care in the recyclable packaging and the extra samples of the peanut butter baked goods from Polka Dog Bakery (read the touching story about this bakery at Polkadog.com), and a Scooperbox along with my Woof Wild Natural Dog Balm and Zuke’s Mini Naturals, chicken treats.
Cocoa went nuts for Zuke’s chicken treats! After he had one he tried to grab my arm with his little paws. The treats were tiny and excellent for small breeds and for training. For larger breeds I would use a larger size treat, but would use these to help train. He also enjoyed the peanut butter dog biscuits from Polka Dog Bakery. These were a nice size for any size dog and he really enjoyed them. Next I tried the Woof Wild Dog Balm. I applied the balm to cocoa’s paws before having him go out. I noticed that his feet were a little dry, something I hadn’t check out before. He immediately walked on the couch with his newly balmed feet. They did not leave a mark! He also did not try to bite his feet or lick off the balm, so at least that tiny film of protection did stay put, not like the baby socks I tried. I felt a little better knowing he had some paw care before we went out in the snow. The smell of wild dog has light natural earthy smell, but I wish they infused it with a little lavender or lemon. I did like the smooth consistency of the balm. I would buy these products again. Cocoa seemed to enjoy the whole experience of having his paws rubbed with balm while nibbling on Zuke’s treats. I swear I could hear him whisper, peel me a grape!

This is the first time I’ve had a “small dog” and it is also the first time I’ve purchased a dog coat. Small dogs, like miniature poodles, are different creatures than the big hearty breeds. My daughter, Izzy, purchased this coat for Cocoa’s birthday at Chow Hound, a local pet chain, http://www.chowhoundpet.com/. The maker of the coat is Tops Pet Products in Topsfield, MA. and Casual Canine is the brand. This coat is a fleeced lined velvet-type coat that Velcros around the dog. It features reflective strips and has a small Velcro pocket on top, which is quite a bit of detail for about $16. I was leery of the Velcro, but thought we should try it. We love it! Easy on and off and the reflective strips really show up at night especially when there is a flash of light (from a camera or possibly head lights). The Velcro straps are easy to work with and do adjust nicely to the girth of the dog. For more information about this product, including sizes and colors check out this link.

http://www.kooldawgtees.com/K9_Dog_Jacket_Reflective_Stripes.html