Cube Dog Takes Over Your Phone!

Thank you to Cube Dog for sponsoring this review. For more information about Cube Dog please visit the Facebook page or download it on iTunes.

Do you remember those key chain pets that were so popular back in the late 1990s? I was in college when they were all the rage and I got one as a gag for Christmas that year. Little did that gift giver know that I would play with that thing until the battery died. And no, my "pet" did not die. I kept it fed and watered, thank you very much. 

Today, I would feel foolish with a little electronic egg hanging on my keys, but I still like having something to play with/distract me when I'm waiting at the doctor's office or for the car to be serviced or for my plane to board. It never fails that when I start a game on iPhone, I get called back and of course I was having the best game ever only to be interrupted. Now I have my Cube Dog.

A sponsored review, I know, not like me. But when I had the opportunity to try out the new iPhone/iPod 4 app called Cube Dog, I knew there were several of you dog lovers out there who would love to take a cute cube pup along with you. It's not like the electronic pets of 1997. Cube Dog allows you to create a pup, play with it and - this is the coolest part - take pictures of your Cube Dog right where you are! 

Here's how it works. You create a 3-D dog using a set of cubes and options for you to choose from. It's super easy and you can even change the color of your little friend. There's a store where you can buy other Cube Dog parts to add to your pallet, but I felt like I had plenty to choose from. Once you have your pup looking like you want, you can play with him or her. 

Your Cube Dog can do lots of tricks. My favorite is that it can call you from it's own iPhone. Seriously, your screen looks like you're getting an incoming call and I was highly confused when it first happened. Of course you can rub it's belly and play fetch with it. The responses are really cute and made me smile - which is exactly what I need when I'm waiting in an airport for hours on end. 

My favorite part of the Cube Dog app is the ability for you to take pictures of your pup right where you are and send them to Twitter, Facebook or e-mail to friends. Pinky, my Cube Dog, spent some QT napping with Seka and seems to have the hots for Emma. 

This app would be a lot of fun for kids of any age. If you can block access to the store, I would before handing your iPhone or iPod 4 (with camera) over to your child. It's too easy to access the packages to buy and you may end up spending money that you didn't anticipate because your son or daughter wants his or her Cube Dog to hide in a coffee cup or have round ears. 

Oh, did I mention that you do not have to feed, water or play with your Cube Dog to keep it happy and healthy? So there's no threat of doggie loss. It is simply a fun distraction that you can take with you on the go. I can't wait to see the pics of where your Cube Dog shows up.  

Check out Cube Dog on Facebook to enter into a cool contest during the week of June 6 - 13. Check out this YouTube video for more details about the app, which is free right now in the iTunes App Store.

While Cube Dog provided me with the app to review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Cube Dog, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Just Like Home

My girls are pretty spoiled. I work from home, so they don't really know the word schedule. Their crate time is non-existent. Nothing is off limits, except the cats' room. They have dog beds, but prefer to use our king-sized place of rest. They eat raw food. Enjoy a marshmallow before bed and the occasional gourmet dog biscuit from our favorite pet bakery. Basically, their lives are the doggie equivalent of an episode of MTV Cribs.

So when we go on vacation, and I cannot figure out a way to bring the girls with us, I have a handful of resources I turn to to care for them. I'm picky. Very picky. So picky that the closest kennel I use is two and half hours away from my home. I typically tour the space. I interview the care taker(s) - this includes the kids who feed them, let them out and clean up after them if necessary. If I see or sense an angry teenage boy might have access to my girls - the facility is immediately off my list. I want to see where they sleep. I want to see where their food is kept. I want to know they are comfortable feeding raw. I must see that the outside play space is clean (no poop). I look for care takers playing with and loving on the other dogs. I look to make sure my girls will have little, preferably no, contact with other breeds. I check to make sure the facility has the ability not put my girls near a constant barker. If possible, I ask for references - and I call them.

Basically, I approach this like I would if I were picking a day care for a six week old baby.

We vacation in Florida at least once a year and I have a fabulous twitter/blog friend, Stefanie, that keeps the girls when we are near the Tampa area. Unfortunately, she lost her oldest greyhound, Macy (godspeed sweet girl), just two days before we were to drop our girls off. It didn't feel right to interfere with this household in their time of grief. Stefanie recommended Just Like Home Pet Hotel (JLH).

There was no time for an interview, walk through, or references. We were already there enjoying the David Island Dog Beach and taking over the local LaQuinta. After a call with Joanie at JLH, I felt good, but this control freak was a bit out of her comfort zone. I had to throw caution to the wind and remind myself that if I wasn't comfortable when we dropped them off, we would just take them with us and figure it out when we got to Fort Myers.

But the best part was Joanie herself. She was warm, welcoming, and genuinely loved the dogs. She has a great fabulous pre-arrival paperwork. It asks questions like, what the dogs like to play with, their potty schedule, food schedule and their preferred sleeping location. It stormed almost every day there, but Jonie was comfortable with catering to a thunder phobic dog and even called me a couple of times to let me know that everything was ok. She would text me photos during their stay so I could see them. Joanie teared up when we came to pick them up. Seriously - this was exceptional care.

So if you are driving to the Tampa area and want to bring your pup along for part of the ride, call Joanie. And if Animal Planet wants to do a doggie cribs t.v. show - I know who I will nominate first.

Breed Bead

For Christmas last year my mother gave my sister and me a Pandora bracelet. I know, we were a bit behind the times, but it has been fun buying beads for various holidays and special occasions. I'm really not sure what I will do when I have to start thinking about what I will buy for gifts after their bracelet is full. Start another one I guess?

I love my bracelet and the bead selection is nice, but my biggest complaint is their depiction of dogs and cats on their beads. Honestly, they look like Japanese cartoon characters. In fact, it is hard to determine what animal the bead is supposed to represent. The dog, pig, cat, and hedgehog all look way too similar if you ask me.

So today I was lurking around Etsy and I found an amazing polymer clay artist who creates realistic, breed specific, beads that will fit your Pandora bracelet. Nancy Richardson's work is beautiful and soulful. Whether you like the realistic coloring of your favorite breed, or the artistic take on a dog's spirit, you can tell that Nancy has a special connection with her subjects. Sadly, she recently lost her heart dog, Lena and made an amazing piece for her. My favorite of her current offerings - besides the greyhound pendant - is this Great Dane bead set.

I hope she will offer a greyhound bead set soon. If not, I may have to commission one (or two). My bracelet is aching for a new addition.

Viva La Greyhound!

Yep, I've neglected the blog once again. Life has gotten in the way and I've not made time for my online baby. Maybe I can make it up to the "Interworld" by sharing this website promoting dog and cat world domination

Obey the Purebreed has so much fun stuff that you will find yourself browsing through breeds you don't even like. And this site is more than just cool, propaganda-inspired artwork. The writing is great on each breed page:

"The Greyhounds might at times appear lazy, but the Department of Homeland Security has reason to believe that they are simply storing energy, so that when the time comes, they will be ready to launch their world domination plot. 

When the Greyhounds take over the world, will you be spared as one of 'the lucky ones?'"



So do yourself a favor, head over to Obey the Purebreed and prepare for the inevitable with some awesome SWAG.

QVC Wanna Be

I've always wanted to work for QVC as on-air talent. I think it would be so much fun thinking of ways to make anything from light bulbs to porcelain dolls interesting, entertaining and necessary. I watch QVC regularly when I'm home alone (which is a lot) and their hosts fill my quiet house with a friendly, knowledgeable voice. If they ever needed a pet specialist, I would so apply for that job!

So, when the fine folks at the FURminator, contacted me to take a sneak peek at their new deShedding tools that you can use in the bath, I jumped at the chance to produce my own QVC-esque review of their product.




Now, I've never used any of the FURminator products. I have greyhounds, and we all know that they shed minimally. Well, that's what I thought until I threw them in the bath tub and used the TubNub on them! This rubber grooming tool helped to remove enough hair to cover another greyhound! And for those of you with black greyhounds, the TubNub helped me rinse Seka totally clean of all the soap residue, which causes the flakiness that you typically see the day after their bath. This is a bath miracle in and of itself, since I've tried everything (including apple cider vinegar) to stop this next day flake fest.





The deShedding Shampoo and Solution smell awesome and helped Roxy stop the constant, annoying itching she goes through this time of the year. I totally believe it is the combination of the Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids in the Shampoo and the Aloe & Oatmeal in the Solution that has put an end to the itching. Getting rid of all that dead hair that was floating around in her undercoat had to help too!

Putting an end to their spa evening, my girls enjoyed getting a quick dry with the FURminator's Microfiber towel. While the size is a tad small, it does a lot of work, soaking up a ton of water. I think this would be a great towel to keep in your car if your dog likes to take a dip in a local pond. This towel can soak up all the unwanted water before your pup jumps back in the car, and the bright green towel doesn't take up a lot of room in the trunk, like that old beach towel you've been carrying around.

So, now that I've got my taste of QVC-like fame, I'll do more product reviews from time-to-time. I've got to figure out how to position my web cam so Roxy and Seka can get in on the action as well. I wish I had kept the out takes so you could have seen Roxy interrupting me with her own reviews. Maybe next time we'll do a blooper reel.