March 1, 2017
How To Find Your Dream Dog
In How To Find Your Dream Dog, bringing a new dog into the household should be one of life’s happiest events.
About How To Find Your Dream Dog
Bringing a new dog into the household should be one of life’s happiest events. The process always starts with excitement and high expectations. Too often, though, it ends in disappointment. The new puppy wakes everyone three times a night, gnaws on furniture, piddles everywhere, knocks the children down. The new adolescent dog is too wild. The new adult dog growls at your neighbors. And where did all this dog hair come from?
Most people spend hours researching a new mattress, days researching a new car, and weeks researching a new home or job. Yet for a new dog, a companion for the next 10-15 years, the most they do is visit the nearest shelter or pet shop and buy whatever looks cute and appealing. It’s no wonder they end up disappointed.
Whether you are looking for a purebred puppy or a charming mixed-breed, the type of dog you bring into your home matters. A quiet owner will struggle to keep up with a high-energy labrador mix, for instance, while an active outdoor family will be impatient with a snoozy bulldog. And finding the right kind of dog means becoming the right kind of owner—a task that takes some forethought and planning.
How To Find Your Dream Dog is here to fix the disconnect of dog ownership. It walks you step-by-step through the process of choosing the right type of dog for you—not only exploring the canine qualities that can determine your perfect puppy, adolescent, or adult dog, but also assessing your lifestyle to make sure you’re a good match for the dog, too. The book also looks at good (and bad) sources for finding healthy and sound pet dogs, gives guidelines for evaluating individual puppies, and warns of some red flags to watch out for during your dog search. With this guidebook in hand, you can be confident that the next puppy or dog you bring home will be the right companion and friend for you for the rest of its days.
?Dixie Tenny is a Certified Training Partner with the Karen Pryor Academy of Animal Training and Behavior. During her 30+ years spent working with people and their pets, she has seen again and again how mismatches between dog and owner can create “behavior problems” that never would have happened if the right dog had been matched to the right owner in the first place. She wrote this book to help puppy buyers and dog adopters start out on the best possible foot with their new pet dogs, and stay on that path for years to come. If you’re a true dog lover then you may have considered owning a doggy daycare. If you haven’t already considered it, you should definitely check it out!
My Thoughts
When we purchased our dog we knew we wanted a small breed due to the size of our home but other than that our decision was mostly impulsive. My husband came home with a dog for Valentine’s Day to surprise me and our son! While it was a great decision in the long run, the first months were very hard. I spent nights laying on the floor with her not sure how to comfort her as she cried at night.
I loved how this book started out, explaining about there is a perfect match between dog and humans but you need to know and learn what it is. Those cute little puppies can have different temperaments and grow up to be quite differently. Understanding your needs, expectations and the breed personality is so important. It will save you and the dog heartbreak as well as unnecessary dog drop offs at shelters.
This book gets down to the nitty gritty on everything you need to know about buying a puppy or older dog. She doesn’t sugar coat the hard parts but instead makes you understand the commitment that this will be. She helps you figure out what breed matches your lifestyle and expectations as well as your home life. She teaches you about what to watch out for in breeds and where the best places to purchase a puppy is from.
How To Find Your Dream Dog should be a must read book for all individuals and families who are looking to expand their family with a dog. This should never be an impulsive decision, instead a lot of research, thought and meeting the animal should go into place. She takes all the guess work out of this for you – and you can tell she knows what she is talking about!
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.
Rating: 4/5
About the Author
Dixie’s professional credentials include trainer certifications from the prestigious Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior, and the Association for Pet Dog Trainers. Dixie formed her own business, Human-Animal Learning Opportunities, LLC (HALO) in 2013. HALO hosts continuing education seminars for dog trainers.
Dixie has lived with a wide range of dogs over the years including mixed breeds, Australian Shepherds, Welsh and Cairn terriers, and more. While in Seattle, Dixie raised a labrador puppy for Canine Companions for Independence, Inc. (CCI). Currently Dixie lives with a Beauceron and an elderly Papillon, as well as four cats. When not doing things related to animals, she reads widely, enjoys the company of her three grown children, follows baseball and English Premier League football, and travels the world.
The Giveaway!
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 28, 2017
The Hottest TV Shows Rounded Up on DVD with Shout Factory
My kids love their favourite television shows and to be honest it brings back great memories of when I was a kid. My siblings and I would spend hours together on the weekend and sometimes after school enjoying our favourite shows together. Shout Factory has released some of the top rated television shows during the month of February on DVD.
Here is the Hottest February TV Show DVD Round Up:
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Exploring the Crystal Empire
My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Exploring the Crystal Empire is coming to DVD on February 7, 2017 in the U.S. and Canada from Shout! Kids in collaboration with Hasbro Studios.
Join Twilight Sparkle, everypony’s favorite studious princess, and her very best friends – Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike – as they explore the wondrous arctic kingdom, the Crystal Empire! Old enemies return and new friends are made in this collection of episodes that will have you exploring the Crystal Empire with magical adventure!
Episodes Include:
- The Cutie Re-mark, Part 1
- The Cutie Re-mark, Part 1
- The Cutie Re-mark, Part 2
- The Crystalling, Part 1
- The Crystalling, Part 2
- The Times They Are A Changeling
Littlest Pet Shop: Pet Stars
A pet star is born! On February 14, 2017, buddy up with Blythe and her superstar pet pals with Littlest Pet Shop: Pet Stars on DVD from Shout! Kids, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios.
Sinister king cobras, comedy festivals, pet hotels and a monkey on Mars?! It is all here, as Blythe and her best friends – Russell the Hedgehog, Pepper the Skunk, Zoe the Spaniel, Minka the Monkey, Sunil the Mongoose, Penny the Panda and Vinnie the Gecko – share one outrageous adventure after another in The Littlest Pet Shop: Pet Stars!
Episodes Include:
- Heart Of Parkness
- Standup Stinker
- The Secret Recipe
- A Night At The Pawza
- Sue Syndrome
Transformers Rescue Bots: Protect and Explore
Get ready for big adventures and rescues in the great outdoors! Transformers Rescue Bots: Heroes of Tech will be released on DVD on February 21, 2017 from Shout! Kids, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios. Featuring five episodes that the whole family can enjoy, this DVD is priced at a suggested retail price of $14.93.
When a mysterious iceberg is spotted off the coast of Griffin Rock, it brings both danger and the interest of an old nemesis. On a nature hike, the Rescue Bots team will have to battle escaped snakes. And when the Burns family is stranded at sea by a swarm of jellyfish, the Bots must control miniature souvenir replicas of themselves. Enjoy these adventures and more in Transformers Rescue Bots: Protect and Explore!
Episodes include:
- Tip of the Iceberg
- Buddy System
- No Place Like Dome
- Thieves Like Us
- The New Recruits
Now my Canadian and American readers can now enter to win a prize pack that includes all three of the above mentioned DVDs! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!
Disclosure: I received copies of the above mentioned DVDs. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 28, 2017
Beauty of the Beast Book Review
In Beauty of the Beast, we have the world’s most enchanting and timeless love story—retold with a dark and realistic twist.
About Beauty of the Beast
Reclusive and severely scarred Prince Adam Delacroix has remained hidden inside a secluded, decrepit castle ever since he witnessed his family’s brutal massacre. Cloaked in shadow, with only the lamentations of past ghosts for company, he has abandoned all hope, allowing the world to believe he died on that tragic eve twenty-five years ago.
Caught in a fierce snowstorm, beautiful and strong-willed Isabelle Rose seeks shelter at a castle—unaware that its beastly and disfigured master is much more than he appears to be. When he imprisons her gravely ill and blind father, she bravely offers herself in his place.
Stripped of his emotional defenses, Adam’s humanity reawakens as he encounters a kindred soul in Isabelle. Together they will wade through darkness and discover beauty and passion in the most unlikely of places. But when a monster from Isabelle’s former life threatens their new love, Demrov’s forgotten prince must emerge from his shadows and face the world once more.
My Thoughts
Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my all time favourite stories. A story of seeing past the outside to see the true beauty that lies within a person’s soul (and not to mention full of adventure, mystery and even some scarier parts).
Beauty of the Beast is a beautiful tale of two incredible individuals who have faced difficult moments in their young lives. Adam was once a young Prince, destined for much glory – handsome and so full of potential! One night changes his life forever – leaving him more than just emotionally scarred, he wears his scars on his body now too. He is full of anger and hurt, his years of living alone and hiding from the world that hurt him has taken its toll on him. He has forgotten how to trust, how to love and how to even treat people with kindness.
Isabelle has had her own shares of pain. She lost her Mother, the woman her Father re-married was unkind and her daughters picked up their Mother’s behaviour. Her Father is very sick and will likely die at any moment. To top this all off she is being forced to wed a man she does not love just to save her family.
On a chance escape from her future, Isabelle ends up on the doorstep of Adam’s once beautiful home. For her Father, she pushes her way into his home. This is when things go both bad and good. The initial meeting spirals downwards when tragedy strikes the home (I can’t tell too much or it will give away parts of the book!). This tragedy first pulls the pair apart but then slowly brings them together. Adam begins to gain back some of his humanity and empathy, while Isabelle realizes there is a lot more to the man hiding behind his physical and emotional scars. Their journey to friendship is fraught with mistrust from others and one huge betrayal could separate the two permanently.
Beauty of the Beast is not just a simple re-telling of a famous story. Rachel uses it for her framework but builds upon in her own special way so that you don’t really know what to expect next. It definitely is a bit darker, full of pain but of happiness too. We learn that deep down inside we all need and want love, to be accepted for who we are despite what others may see on the outside. We are much more than our physical forms. It was a truly beautiful tale of love, hope, empathy, seeing the good that lies within each of us and trust. The ending of the story left my heart full of joy (and almost praying for a second part to see how they continue to grow as a couple!). Beauty of the Beast is a definite must read, that you will cherish over and over again.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing poignant romances that challenge the reader’s emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.
Imagining dynamic worlds and characters has been Rachel’s passion for longer than she can remember. Before learning how to read or write, she would dictate stories while her mother would record them for her. She holds a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances. Whether crafting the protagonist or antagonist, she ensures every character is given a soul.
Rachel endeavors to defy conventions by blending elements of romance, suspense, and horror. Some themes her stories never stray too far from: forbidden romance, soul mates, the power of love to redeem, mend all wounds, and triumph over darkness.
Her dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through her words.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 22, 2017
Wordless Wednesday: Family Day
We just celebrated Family Day here in Ontario and we spent the day at the waterfront throwing rocks, walking the paths and eating fish at Hutch’s. Here is a small glimpse at our day:
Please link up below so that I can visit you! Happy Wednesday.
February 17, 2017
Are YOU a Netflix Cheater?
Are YOU a cheater? Both my husband and I are very guilty of this awful habit on a regular basis. Whether it be late at night, when one of us is away at work or on a business trip. We just can’t help doing a little bit of Netflix cheating! (Pull those minds out of the gutter, of course we were only talking about Netflix – what were you thinking about??).
Do you cheat on your Netflix partner? Statistics show that you probably are, even if you are quite ready to admit it.
Statistics say that 37% of Canadians are Netflix cheaters when it comes to their favourite shows. While 76% of Canadians admit that they don’t mean to cheat, us Canucks clearly can’t help ourselves! I can say that I am one of those statistics and completely without shame when it comes to my cheating.
So how does Netflix cheating affect our lives? My husband is the type that usually waits until I fall asleep (which most of the time is well before he does) and he keeps on playing new episodes of some of our favourite shows (Luke Cage and Shadowhunters were two series he constantly watched without me). He never even hides his behaviour and doesn’t even try to move the episodes back when we watch it together again as he will start the series as the episode he left off on (or he just tells me what happens and spoils the surprise for me).
For me I am guilty of watching shows behind his back when he is at work and I am at home during the day because I am working a late shift. I was even more guilty when I was off after my gallbladder surgery, I passed my days watching our favourite Netflix series.
So who are the most guilty profiles? We fit in to two out of the three profiles.
Here is profile number one, The Long Distance Cheater:
Profile Number Two, The Sleepless Cheater (aka My Husband):
Profile Number Three, the Sorry Not Sorry Cheater (ME!):
We can clearly see that is far too easy to be a Netflix Cheater and here are some ways to make it up to your spouse when you have been unfaithful with your viewing habits:
- let them have a night out on your dime with the boys or girls
- take them out to dinner
- bottle of wine (always wins me over!)
- box of chocolates and flowers
- say sorry and admit to your cheating habits (honesty is important right?)
Are you a Netflix Cheater or maybe the victim of Netflix cheating? Tell me what shows are the worst culprits for cheating?
Disclosure: I am a #StreamTeam member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.