Welcome to the Febreze™ School of #Petiquette

Keeping your home smelling fresh and clean is a challenge - especially when you have a house filled with kids and pets (and, let's not kid ourselves, husbands, too).  As a graduate of the Febreze™ School of Petiquette, I have mastered the art of eliminating stinks and stenches that you humans have a tendency to become "noseblind" to.  Keep reading to enroll in the Febreze School of Petiquette and learn how to conquer noseblindness and make sure that your home is always guest ready!

This post is sponsored by Febreze ™ and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about #Petiquette but I (Daisy the French Bulldog) only share information that I feel is relevant to my readers. Febreze is not responsible for the content of this article.

Hello, and welcome to the Febreze™ School of #Petiquette - it is an honor to have you here. I am your instructor - you can call me Professor Daisy - and I plan to educate you about proper Petiquette so that your home is always guest ready.  So get your pencils ready, there may or may not be a pop quiz.  Just saying.

A bacon a day keeps the vet away.  No, an apple a day.  I totally meant apple.

Lesson #1 - Noseblindness

"Noseblindness" is a common condition experienced by humans. Essentially, "Noseblindness" occurs when a human can no longer notice the stench in their home.  And by stench I mean pet stink.  Or cooking stink.  Or garbage stink.  Or whatever type of stink your human can no longer smell.  To put it nicely, the human becomes accustomed to their surrounding smells  Here's an example to help drive the point home:

I was minding my own business, rocking on with my Toast socks on, when suddenly I smelled it.  Pug stench.  UGHHHH.  Pug stench is THE WORST.  Clearly my humans didn't notice the stink because they were relaxing away breathing in the stink that is our pug.  I am ashamed to say, my humans were not practicing proper #Petiquette.  And my humans had clearly become noseblind.  Such a sad story.

So, what's the problem with a noseblind human?  Well, students, let me tell you that a noseblind human can lead to a potentially awkward and stinky experience for house guests.  No one wants an awkward and stinky house guest experience.  No one.  How can we cure noseblindness?  Well, this leads me to lesson number two.

Lesson #2 - Keeping Your Home Guest Ready with Febreze

There is only one known cure for noseblindness:  Febreze.  Two of my most favorite Febreze products to help alleviate my noseblind humans' symptoms are Febreze Air Effects and Febreze Fabric Refresher.  Now would be a good time to take notes.  Write it down.  Do it now.  

Help those that suffer from noseblindness.

Let's break it down to the facts:

• 49% of Americans say that they dread - DREAD - visiting homes with pets because of the smell.
• 48% of Americans say that they could make out someone's home simply by the odor alone, particularly if someone has a pet.
• 24% of Americans feel that pet smells are the most offensive within a home (second only to the smell of garbage) [sidenote:  my human brother is OBSESSED with garbage trucks.  I am a professional garbage sniffer.  And pet stink is way worse.  Way.  Worse.]

Thinking twice about your own home now?  No need to panic.  Febreze can solve it all.  Here are some great tips on how you can use Febreze to combat pet smells in your house: 

• Febreze Fabric Refresher instantly (yes, you heard me, INSTANTLY) removes odors from fabrics, and can be used daily to freshen your home.
• Febreze Air Effects eliminates odors in your home's air and can be used anytime and anywhere to remove pet odors or simply to freshen up the smell of your house.  Top tip:  store plenty of Febreze Air Effects in consistently stinky areas of your home (i.e. kitchen and bathrooms).

See?  Not so hard to make your home guest ready with Febreze! 

Lesson #3 - Some more #Petiquette Tips

Here are some more examples of how Febreze can help you cure common pet odors and keep your home guest ready:

(Not So) Hidden Smells:  some pet odors have a funny (well, not so funny) way of ... reappearing when you least want them to.  We all know that you can teach your beloved pet not to jump on guests or eat their shoes, it's impossible to teach your pet to leave the room to pass gas (believe me - I know this from experience).  When your guests are on the way and your pet won't abandon their bully stick, Febreze Air Effects can save the day with its instant odor removal abilities, leaving behind a light, fresh scent (instead of Fido's farts).

Cozy Couch - do you love to spend your Saturday nights snuggling on your couch with your awesome pet?  (Don't worry, my humans do, too).  If so, you'd better keep some Febreze Fabric Refresher on hand to instantly remove any "dog smell" (in our house it's pug stench.  I'm a french bulldog so I don't fall into the "dog smell" category.  At least that's what I think.) from your couch fabric and pillows.  With the odor gone and the light, fresh scent remaining, your couch-sitting guests will have no idea that they are stole Fido's secret snuggle spot.

With the holiday season upon us, it is important to make sure that your house is always guest ready.  Eliminate the worry and stress and stock up on Febreze products.  Believe me, your guests will thank you!

Want to learn more about proper #Petiquette?  Download the full curriculum here and visit the following links:

http://www.febreze.com
http://www.facebook.com/febreze
http://www.twitter.com/Febreze_Fresh
http://www.youtube.com/user/febreze
http://www.instagram.com/ToastMeetsWorld

Feel like you're ready for the pop quiz?  Alright, here's the question - leave your answer in the comments!

       What is the only known cure for noseblind humans?

Want to earn some bonus points?  Share this post with your friends!

#TastyTuesday: Dog-Friendly Cinnamon #Pumpkin Bread with "Caramel" Topping

So, technically, it's fall, which can only mean one thing:  PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!  The (slightly) cooler weather (I mean, really, I'm sweltering down here in Florida) and all of the fall decor inspired me to whip up a new recipe in the kitchen:  my dog-friendly Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread with Caramel Topping.  This recipe is not only dog-friendly, but it is also sugar-free and dairy-free and actually quite tasty for humans, too!  So sit back, relax, and let's get our pumpkin on!

Clearly I am not a veterinarian - although sometimes I play one in my photos - I am a French Bulldog!  If you are unsure about feeding a particular food to your beloved pet, please contact your veterinarian or pet health professional before trying this recipe.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Next, gather your ingredients.  You will need:  flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, honey, 1 can of pumpkin puree, water, and apple juice.  You will also need some time.  Literally, this recipe takes a bit of baking time so plan ahead, friends!

Combine the flour through the water and stir to combine.  Here is what the consistency should look like:

With your human's help, transfer the mixture to a loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Start watching the loaf around 25.  Mine took about 32 minutes of baking time total - but everyone's oven is a little different.  Keep an eye (and a snout) on it!

Once the pumpkin bread is about finished, start the "caramel" topping (the pumpkin bread must cool a bit before you can pour the topping over it).  This is actually really easy.  Pour one cup of apple juice into a saucepan and simmer for about 40 minutes until reduced to a honey-like consistency.  That's it.  Just make sure to watch the reduction towards the end so it doesn't burn.  Here's what mine looked like right before I took it off of the stove:

OK, so now the awesomely fun part.  After the pumpkin bread has cooled somewhat, drizzle the "caramel" topping all over that beautiful, delicious, fall-scented, pumpkiny-loaf of goodness.

 Don't mind my human's finder in that picture.  I had to ask for her help.  Drizzling without thumbs is NOT easy.  But I digress.  KEEP DRIZZLING.  Make sure you cover that beautiful pumpkin bread with all of that "caramel" topping.  I even broke out a basting brush to make sure I got it all covered.

So, only two steps left:  slice it...

...and EAT IT!  Umm, waiter, please bring me my Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread with "Caramel" Topping immediately.

OK, that was fast.  Excellent service at this establishment if I do say so myself!

PUMPKIN BREEEAAAADDDD!!!!!!

I'd love to stay and chat, but I really must finish the entire loaf of pumpkin bread that I just baked.  So, instead, I will leave you with my recipe.  Enjoy!

Dog-Friendly Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread with "Caramel" Topping

Ingredients

1 c. flour 

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon (you can add more or less to taste)

1 tbsp honey

1 15 oz. can of pureed pumpkin

1/2 c. of water

1 c. apple juice

Directions - Pumpkin Bread

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, honey, and pumpkin.  Then add water 1/4 c. at a time.  Stir to combine.

2.  Transfer mixture to a loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Allow loaf to cool completely before handling/ removing from loaf pan.

3.  Drizzle "caramel" topping (directions below) over loaf.  Slice and serve!

Directions - "Caramel" Topping

1.  Put apple juice into a sauce pan and simmer for about 40 minutes or until juice has reduced into a honey-like consistency.

#DogsInPoliticsDay: Proposed Legislation Could Make it Legal to Save Dogs from Hot Cars in Florida

FINALLY - a story out of Florida that does not include some drunken man and his shotgun texting the police and riding an alligator down I-75 to confront his ex (and second cousin) because she stole his last beer.  In honor of #DogsInPoliticsDay, I wanted to discuss a pending law in Florida that could really benefit and save the lives of many dogs.  The Florida Senate is now reviewing the Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety Act (P.A.W.S. Act).  Ultimately, if approved, this bill could become a law that "permits individuals to use reasonable force to remove animals under certain circumstances." Fla. SB 200 (2015).  

I know what you're thinking - that the law is super vague and what constitutes reasonable force and why would you ever have to use reasonable force to remove Foofy from your neighbor's shaded patio.  Well, you are partially right - "rescuing Foofy" is not really the circumstance that this bill is aimed it.  This bill is aimed at rescuing dogs from unattended vehicles.  SAVING DOGS FROM HOT CARS!  This is wonderful news - no dog should ever have to suffer and die trapped in a car that has been baking in the Florida sun.

Here is a GREAT info-graphic from the ASPCA.

While this tragedy happens nationwide (and worldwide), it is a particularly common headline in Florida given the extreme heat that our state experiences during the summer (and let's not kid ourselves, spring, fall, and winter, too).  Most recently was the incident where a K-9 Officer left his two K-9s in his unattended vehicle at his home and the dogs died.  THE K-9 DOGS DIED.  How can someone have a profession as a K-9 officer and negligently kill their K-9 partners?  (I am pretty mad about this one).   Would these dogs be alive today if the P.A.W.S. act was in place?  Perhaps.  And here's why.

Under the P.A.W.S. Act, leaving a dog in an unattended vehicle would be a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida, punishable by one year in jail and a $1,000.00 fine.  I am pretty sure a "police officer" (and I use that term lightly) would think twice about leaving his partners in a hot car if he could go to jail for doing so.  I am pretty sure EVERYONE (well, not everyone - we are still in Florida, folks) will think twice before leaving their dog for "just a minute" while they go shopping for two hours at the mall.  Just saying.

I think this bill marks a huge step in the right direction for animal rights and welfare in the State of Florida.  Those of us that have a voice need to continue to push for legislation like this in all states and countries to ensure that animals are granted a higher quality of life.  So, in honor of #DogsInPoliticsDay, put on your best bow-tie and GET INVOLVED.  (OK, bow-tie is not necessary, just fashionably awesome).  Become a dog in politics (or a dog loving human in politics).  Oh, and if you vote for me, FREE BACON FOR ALL!

#TruLoveIs TruFood

This post is sponsored by PetSmart & Wellness Natural Pet Food and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Wellness TruFood, but I (Daisy the French Bulldog) only share information that I feel is relevant to my readers. Wellness Natural Pet Food is not responsible for the content of this article.

 

So, as most of you know, I am a French Bulldog and I love food.  I mean, I REALLY love food. It's true, I can't deny it.  But, loving food does not mean that I settle for just anything.  I am worried about my health and so are my humans - they want me around as long as possible (let's not kid ourselves, my humans probably wouldn't know how to function without me).  That's why I am always on the hunt for high quality, wholesome nutrition to satisfy my food cravings - but this time, I think I hit the jackpot!  I recently discovered Wellness TruFood Dog Food and I couldn't be more impressed. 

Wellness TruFood uses whole foods from farm, field, and sea, and includes amazingly powerful super-foods such as beets, blueberries, and cranberries - all of which help to support my immune system and also help me to maintain my girlish figure a healthy weight.  

TruFood also contains pumpkin -

-ginger, and turmeric, as well as live yogurt cultures - perfect for helping me to maintain a healthy digestive system (and therefore a happier human).   Impressed yet?  But wait - there's more!  Incredibly healthy foods such as chick peas, flaxseed, lentils, kale, broccoli, and green beans are all included in TruFood's grain free wet food, dry food, and treats.  With 70% more raw protein than most pet foods available, Wellness TruFood provides the natural vitamins, minerals, and nutrition that us dogs (and cats) need in order to thrive.  (Excuse me while I go get some TruFood - sorry, but you'll need to get your own, I don't share awesome food.)

Now that you need to go get your own Wellness TruFood because clearly I am not going to share any of mine with you, let me tell you where to find this awesome food:  PetSmart!  Head on over to your local PetSmart to grab some wet TruFood, dry TruFood, or Wellness TruFood treats for your beloved fur-baby.  Cant wait that long?  You can also shop online: http://www.petsmart.com/TruFood!  Remember, #TruLoveIs never having to say you're sorry providing your pet with the best care and nutrition possible.  #TruLoveIs TruFood Wellness!  And if you truly love me, you'll send some more TruFood my way.  #JustSaying

 

#TruLoveIs

Help me show the world what #TruLoveIs by posting a picture of your beautiful pet using the #TruLoveIs hashtag! 

Want to learn more?  Check out these social media pages:

http://www.facebook.com/petsmart

http://www.twitter.com/petsmart

http://pinterest.com/petsmartcorp/

http://instagram.com/petsmart

http://www.youtube.com/petsmart