The Dogs With Blogs 2012 Calendar is now on sale in the DWB Cafe Press store. All profits from the sale of the calendar will be donated to Assistance Dogs Australia.

Check out the 2012 DWB Calendar HERE.

 Sentinel® Spectrum Tasty Chews are an all-in-one treatment that protects dogs from fleas, worms and heartworm that is backed by a 100% product guarantee*. They come in a convenient tasty chew made from real beef, and unlike spot-ons there’s no chemical residue left on your dog’s coat, so dogs and their families can happily play together. Plus there’s no worry if your dog wants to swim and get wet!

Just one Sentinel Chew every month gives a dog the protection they need and deserve against fleas, worms and heartworm.

Fleas are no longer a problem as Sentinel kills them before they become adults. It’s formulated to stop the flea life cycle by preventing flea eggs and larvaefrom developing into adult fleas. 

Additionally, Sentinel prevents the dangers of heartworm, which can be easily spread by mosquitoes and can lead to heart failure in your dog.

Sentinel also protects your dog and your family from intestinal worms, including tapeworm. Worms can cause diarrhoea, weight loss, and can be transferred from animals to humans with potentially fatal results.

The Sentinel range caters for every size of dog – from the smallest dog breeds and puppies weighing up to 4kg, to the larger dog breeds up to 45kg. You can even treat puppies from 6 weeks, breeding males and females and pregnant and lactating females, when used in accordance with label directions.

The unique 100% guarantee means should any dog happen to suffer a flea or worm infestation after their owner has used the product in accordance with the label instructions, then Novartis Animal Health will do everything possible to resolve the problem. All at absolutely no cost to the owner*.

Sentinel provides the all-in-one protection your dog deserves against fleas, worms and heart worm, ensuring a 100% Tail Wagging Guarantee.

*Based on the SENTINEL SPECTRUM 100% GUARANTEE. To be covered by the guarantee, Sentinel Spectrum Tasty Chews must be given according to the product instructions on the pack and pack leaflet. See our product leaflet for more details.

Now, I really cant take anything away from Micro Chipping, because it is always with the animal. Even if the dog slips its collar off, they can still be identified. However, I NOW see Micro Chipping as a secondary or “Back Up” means of identification. For INSTANT pet identification (with no need to take the animal to a vet or shelter to have the chip read) you cant beat FurCode.com High Tech Pet ID Tags.

Once you receive the tag, you log in to your web page on Furcode.com (Its VERY friendly and easy to navigate), type in your dogs details, upload a picture, and within 5 minutes, your done! The next step is to put the tag on your pooch’s collar, and your set to go play!

My initial thought on the QR Code (Quick Response) was that it might not mean anything to a “non-techie” person, but it is definitely a technology that is going to grow and become more main stream, no doubt, due to its speedy and simplistic approach to finding required information effortlessly. To my surprise, until i tried it, I didn’t realise just how quick and effortless it is! If your out walking, or driving, and you see a doggie who is obviously lost, you don’t even need your computer to help them! There are QR Code reader apps available for pretty much ALL smart phones now, so you just scan the tag with your phone, and you can deliver the pup straight back home in minutes! How COOL is that!

What really makes Furcode’s special in my opinion is the unique web address that comes with every tag. This means that if you don’t have a smart phone with a free QR Code reader app, you can still help immediately by going to ANY computer with an internet connection, and viewing the dogs profile page by typing its unique web address/ID Number into any web browser. 

Now, if your doggy busts out, whomever finds them can look at their web page, and contact you IMMEDIATELY

You might be thinking “doesn’t an ordinary dog tag do that?”, and the answer is yes, but that’s all it does. What if your doggy is hurt, and needs vet attention, but is allergic to specific medication? By logging on to the dogs web page, the person who finds it knows instantly not only who owns the dog, but who it’s vet is, allergies, dietary needs, medications, conditions, vaccinations, and a swag of other important information that can keep your doggy safe and alive.

What if your home phone breaks? Or you are out of town? If your pooch is wearing a Furcode Tag when he/she escapes, you can ALSO be contactable via your Mobile/Cell, other alternate phone numbers, via email, Facebook and Twitter! You could even add a phone number of a nearby friend! Imagine trying to jam all of that onto a regular tag!

A real advantage to Furcode is how easy it is to update if you move house, or get a new phone number. Unlike Micro Chips, theres no forms, fees or trips to the vet, just log in to your online account and make the changes – simple!

I recently run a few questions by the Furcode.com staff about your privacy and security. They have told me that the code numbers are randomly generated, so an “inclined” person cannot surf profiles by incrementing numbers sequentially. The profile pages are also written in such a way that they are “non-indexable” by search engines,  and the database is monitored 24/7, and securely backed up. 

If your still reluctant – TRY IT!  Grab your phone, download a QR reader, and scan this full size photo of a tag to see what it does!

If you don’t have a Smartphone, you can view this doggies profile page by surfing to it’s unique web page address as shown on the other side of the tag.

http://www.furcode.com/id/a6

If you have an iPhone, I can’t recommend “Scan” QR Code Reader highly enough. Its free, simple, and just works! You can check it out on iTunes HERE or on QR Code City’s web site HERE.

If you would like to leave a note, make a comment, or read others comments about the passing of our friend, please visit this Thread for Claudette in The Bone Zone’s Daisie Chain – You need to be logged in to write a comment.

We all know Claudette LOVED every one of her DWB friends dearly, so lets keep Claudette’s memory alive in the DWB community forever. Please, save the button below, and put it on your blog.

If you would like to link the button to a URL, you can link it to the thread celebrating Claudette in The Daisie Chain, on our discussion forums, The Bone Zone.

http://www.dogswithblogs.com.au/bone-zone/human-angels/claudette-hudson/

If you would like to make your own button, please do so, and share it in the same thread.

Join the forum discussion on this post

We are happy to announce that we can now accept your donations of photos for the Dogs With Blogs 2012 Calendar, and you can now also sign up for the 2011 Holiday Card Exchange.

To submit a photo of your dogs for use in the calendar CLICK HERE – Closes November 15. **FIXED**

To sign up for the card exchange CLICK HERE – Closes November 15.

If you would like a button to use on your site to help spread the word, please save the images below.

Please link your Holiday Card Exchange button here – http://www.dogswithblogs.com.au/2011-holiday-card-exchange/

Please link your Calendar button here – http://www.dogswithblogs.com.au/2012-dogs-with-blogs-calendar/

Join the forum discussion on this post

ALL at DWB wish our friend Claudette the best, and we hope you are feeling better soon!

If you want to view the poster full size, or save/print a copy for yourself, you can view the Hi-Res image HERE.

Join the forum discussion on this post

All you need to do is:
    •    Spay or neuter your pets – You may be able to afford one pet, but what happens when an unplanned litter shows up under the porch one morning? What do you do when your one puppy turns into four? Can you still afford to provide everything they need to be strong and happy? There are a lot of shelters that provide low cost surgeries, so get it taken care of early and make sure your pet costs don’t suddenly and exponentially increase on you.

    •    Prioritize pet supplies – Many pet owners go overboard when it comes to buying toys or accessories for their pets. While a few toys for your dog or cat are great, an overflowing toy box of unused items is not. If you feel you need to buy some specialty pet supplies, like doggie sweaters or self-cleaning litter boxes, buy high quality products that will last, and set a budget for these purchases that won’t break the bank.

    •    Stocking the necessities – You may be able to get by without a four-post doggie bed, but you will have to keep a healthy stock of food on hand. When you go shopping for your pet’s food, ignore the attempts to brand something as “premium.” This is not a legally defined or regulated term. It’s just marketing. Talk to a vet and find out what your options are for affordable, healthy food.

    •    Wash and groom at home – While there are a lot of great services out there that can skillfully wash and groom your pets, it’s on ongoing cost that you can easily avoid. You may think you don’t have the time or the ability, but there are a number of affordable pet supplies that you can use over and over again to keep your pets clean, happy, and healthy.

    •    Choose vets and meds carefully – Despite all our efforts, sometimes our pets will get sick or injured, and we have to make sure they receive the proper care. However, you still have some options – especially when it comes to medications and regular checkups. Call around and find out what the usual fees are for pet checkups and consider buying medications from supermarket pharmacies or large retailers who have a lower markup than most vets.
Taking care of our pets and providing a fun, safe environment for them should be one of our major priorities, and we can do it without emptying the bank account. With some carefully planning you can keep your pet’s costs in check while making sure they get everything they need.

This article is sponsored by petstore.com pet supplies.