#ShedHappens: Be Prepared for a New Pet with a Welcome Home Kit from @Swiffer and @BarkBox

As the holiday season approaches, parents everywhere are scrambling to find the perfect gift for their little ones.  But while parents are waiting in lines and dealing with holiday crowds, many animals are waiting in shelters for their forever family to find them.  Welcoming home your child's first pet this holiday season is guaranteed to create a memory that will last a lifetime for your child, and with Swiffer® and Bark & Co. by your side, you can be ready when #ShedHappens.

This  post  is  sponsored  by  Swiffer® and  the  BlogPaws  Professional Pet  Blogger  Network.  I am helping  spread  the  word  about  Swiffer  but I, Daisy the French Bulldog,  only  share  information that I  feel  is  relevant  to  my  readers.  Swiffer  is not responsible  for  the  content  of  this  article.

8 week old Daisy napping with her human brother.

Don't let cleaning concerns prevent you from bringing home a new furry family member this holiday season!  Throughout December, BarkBox and Swiffer are teaming up to provide free Welcome Home kits to pet parents who adopt from participating shelters to help prepare them for when #ShedHappens.  Watch what happened when I received my very own Welcome Home kit from Swiffer and BarkBox:

Seriously, one of the most exciting days of my life!  I felt like I was in my own Swiffer commercial!  OK, enough about me.  I know you are wondering what is in that beautiful box.  Well, wonder no more!

The Welcome Home Kit Includes:

• Swiffer 360 Dusters
• Swiffer Sweeper refills
• Coupon for a Free Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit
• Coupon for a Free Febreze product
• Bark toy
• Bark treats
• A sample of Fresh Pet food and a coupon for a future purchase
• A Welcome Home booklet to help you start your journey as a pet parent

The Welcome Home booklet is amazing (OK, let's be honest, so are the treats); it gives great tips about involving your children in the pet parenting experience and the basics of becoming a pet parent.  Did you know that animals help develop character in children and also help to create a kind and compassionate home?  It's true!  Just ask Dr. Aubrey Fine, a renowned child development and pet expert.

I, personally, am a firm believer that pets help a child's development - I witnessed it first paw!  I helped encourage my youngest human brother to talk.  Not to brag or anything, but "Daisy" was among his first words.  And it was the only word he said for months.  But, it was expected.  It was love at first sight for my human brother and I.

8 week old Daisy playing with her human brother.

With 4 million dogs in need of a home, December is the perfect time to welcome a furry family member home for the holidays.  In fact, Swiffer and Scott Foley recently hosted a live media event to find forever homes for shelter pets.  They were able to find several dogs forever homes during the event!  I mean really, how could you not love that face?  (OK, Scott Foley isn't so bad either...just saying).

 

OK, OK, you talked me into it.  Here's another photo from the "paw"some event:

 

With kids in the house it is normal to worry about keeping the house clean without any pets adding to the problem; but, with Swiffer products, it is really easy to keep up with the mess.  With three dogs (and two little humans) in my house (oh, and a turtle), we know a lot about messes.  Swiffer has made it so easy for us to keep our house clean and pet-friendly at the same time. 

Let's be honest, without Swiffer our house would very likely have dog-hair wallpaper (I'm blaming my pug sister); but, with a quick swipe of the 360 duster or the Swiffer Sweeper, the dog hair is gone and stays gone! It's so easy, even I can help with the dusting.  I had to buy a new outfit first, of course: 

So, no need to worry about the mess - Swiffer has you covered.  That means that you can make this holiday season the most memorable one yet for your children by heading to a local shelter and welcoming home a new furry family member.  If you adopt from a participating shelter, make sure that you post a photo of you, your new pet, and your Welcome Home Kit and tag it with #ShedHappens.  My human and I have our holiday jammies ready to go - can't wait to see yours!

 Want to learn more?  Check out Swiffer's website here.  You can also find out more on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.