Susan Joy Clark

Dog Product Reviews, It's a Doggy Dog World

Review of Three Doggy Products — Bowl, Toy, Pet Stain Cleaner

Panting dog in the park? Aggressive chewer that destroys his toys in seconds? Smelly dog mess on the carpet? There’s a product for that.

I do not make any commission off the recommendations in this post, and the reviews are my honest opinion. Although, at the time of this writing, my sidebar announces that I’m an Amazon affiliate, that is not currently true. (I need to edit that.) These products were not purchased from Amazon. I bought the first two at Petco, and the third directly from the seller.

Good2Go Collapsible Silicone Dog Bowl

I have a doggy care business, offering several services such as boarding/day care or house sitting (alternately,) dog walking and pet drop-ins. I have not needed to purchase a lot of products for the business, as most owners provide me with everything I could need for their dogs. I did recently buy a few helpful products however.

When spring came, I wanted to take my boarding or day care doggies on longer walks in the parks but thought I should be able to provide water for them in the warmer weather. I purchased the collapsible bowl above.

It did work really well. One factor in my selection was the pretty blue-green color. It’s soft, lightweight and, of course, collapsible. You can carry it flat, clipped to your leash, and pop out the bowl at the time that you need it. It was certainly not as unwieldy or heavy as it would be to carry a more traditional kind of bowl. I carried it once clipped to the leash and, at another time, clipped to a drawstring backpack in which I carried a couple of bottles of water. Here, you can see one of my doggos took advantage of it during a “rest stop.”

There are similar products, so I’m not sure if this works better or worse than its competitors, but I did like the product.

Bark Super Chewer Love Heart Toy

I do keep a few toys at the house for visiting doggos. I had been keeping quite a few personal toys for a regular dog “client” that the owner had purchased, and when another dog visited, he was very interested in the novelty of the new toys I had at the home, including ones that belonged to that other dog. But I saw he was an aggressive chewer and had to hide them, so he wouldn’t destroy toys that the other dog’s owner had purchased for her dog.

Hating to disappoint him, when he came the next time, I bought this chew heart which said it was appropriate for aggressive chewers — in other words, not easily destroyed. It seemed the right size for a small dog also.

It’s an interesting toy. You can see it’s labeled as a fetch toy but is not a ball. It does bounce, and because of the facets on it, bounces in a funny, wobbly way. This doggy loved it, and the doggy in the first photo, also loved it. He liked to alternate playing fetch with this and one of his favorite balls. It also squeaks, and I’m happy to say that after a few days of play, it has quite a few visible teeth marks but is not destroyed, cracked, peeled, or otherwise, on its way to being destroyed.

I also liked the cute heart shape, of course; although I realize that the cute shape of a toy has more to do with human enjoyment than doggy enjoyment.

Furry Freshness Pet Stain Spray

So, I’ve had a few little pet accidents in the house: poo, pee, vomit, diarrhea … you name it, ugh. After a while, my brother, who owns three dogs and is on the cusp of starting a dog breeding business, recommended Furry Freshness spray to me.

Unlike with other carpet cleaners, you don’t need to scrub or blot with this cleaner. You only saturate the spot with spray and then let it evaporate. I’ve tried the product a couple of times and really like it. In a recent incident, though I didn’t witness it, I surmised that a little doggy scooted his dirty and itchy hindquarters on the area rug below, a rather special hooked rug that was purchased on a visit to New England.

I was able to use a wet rag to remove some of the dried poo from the rug. After that, I just soaked up the area with the spray and left it. This is the corner of the rug that was affected, and you can see there’s no stain. I have no “before” picture, as I was not anticipating or planning this post at the time.

Info on the product says it is not recommended for wool rugs, but I did use it on this rug which is likely wool, with no bad consequences. It looks as good as new. Still, I thought I would share the company’s recommendation. I’m really glad my brother let me know about this cleaner. You can purchase Furry Freshness cleaner here.

Creative Life, Poetry

Aurora Blush, #Tanka Tuesday, #Diatelle

glow

of light,

peeking bright,

aurora blush

through pastel clouds, shines white,

in early morning’s stillness hush

illuminating fields so green and lush,

an early riser’s treat, nature’s light show,

at eventide, the sky wears a pink flush,

tints from a watercolor brush,

sky’s a glorious sight,

in awe, we gush,

whether night

or light,

show

This was written for Colleen M. Chesebro’s Tanka Tuesday, with the requirement of synonyms for both “dawn” and “twilight.” I keep experimenting with different forms that are acceptable for the Tanka Tuesday challenge, so this time, I tried a diatelle, which, according to Colleen’s site, has this syllable pattern, “1/2/3/4/6/8/10/12/10/8/6/4/3/2/1” and this rhyme pattern, “abbcbccaccbcbba.”

Creative Life, Poetry

The Reluctant Adventurer

I would really like to travel,

And I would like to stay at home.

I would like to have adventures

But don’t want to do them alone.

I would like to go exploring,

But I don’t like getting lost.

I would risk a business venture,

But I am fearful of the cost.

I relate to Bilbo Baggins,

Reluctant adventurers we.

A little worried of troubles

That I can or can not foresee.

In spite of all these worries,

In fresh waters, I dip a toe,

While stretching my parameters

As far and wide as they will go.

Just as I was ready to post, I noticed this quote and image in my WordPress Reader feed from Elena of Short Wisdom. It seemed so appropriate. Check out Elena’s site for other quotes.

This poem was written for the dVerse Poetics challenge, with the requirement that it had to include the word “risk.”

Creative Life, Photography

Lens Artists Challenge — Red — Large to Small

I saw some blogger friends’ entries for this photo challenge, and I thought I would join in and see what I can do. Patti Moed of Creative Exploration In Words And Pictures, in her Lens Artist Challenge, challenges us to choose a color and select photos of things in that color ranged from large to small.

Red is considered a warm color, but many of the red things in this post will cool you down, a nice thought in the heat I’ve been experiencing lately.

The above photo was taken at Applegate Farms in Montclair, New Jersey, a great place for ice cream made on the premises. I went there earlier in the pandemic in company with a French bulldog friend.

The above photo doesn’t give you much sense of size, but these baby ducklings were in a red plastic tub large enough to hold this small cockapoo doggy and his stylish red hoodie, with room to spare.

This refreshing cranberry spritzer was served to me at The Committed Pig Burger and Pancake House in Summit, New Jersey. I thought it looked so pretty in its Mason jar, but I am debating in my mind whether it is larger or smaller than the next item.

This peony from my garden was fairly large — larger or smaller than a cranberry spritzer? It’s hard to say as their shapes were so different and difficult to compare, and, of course, I never saw them side by side. Perhaps, if the peony was a cup, it would hold the spritzer.

And, now, we’re back to cool and refreshing things. The frozen dessert below was purchased at Sonny’s in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. It is a self-serve frozen dessert bar. You can find frozen yogurt, frozen custard, Italian ice or gelato you can swirl yourself into a cup. You can layer flavors and add toppings from a variety of syrups, candies, nuts, fruits and (one of my favorites) these popping boba that burst fruit juices into your mouth. The desserts are sold by weight. Any of the red things in this photo — the strawberries, raspberries, popping boba or red plastic spoon — are smaller than my peony for sure.

Creative Life, Flash fiction

An Escheresque Dream

I dreamed I was stuck in M.C. Escher’s Relativity. I walked down to the upstairs and then up to the downstairs, and when I was down, I was up again, so I walked up in order to be down again. I tried the straightest path, but the room — if it can be called a room — tilted like the scene where Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling. There were others there in my dream, walking as if gravity did not exist. I waved to a man on the ceiling, only to realize that he was on the floor, and I was on the ceiling. After a while, I wondered what was my destination and how I would recognize it when I reached it. And wondering, I heard someone say, “Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end.”

This was written for dVerse’s Prosery challenge, with requirements that it could not exceed 144 words and had to include the Jo Harjo quote, “Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end.”