Monday, November 30, 2009

Cyber Monday Sale

Today is Cyber Monday...the Monday after Thanksgiving.  Let the online shopping and sales begin!

After holiday shoppers have spent the Friday after Thanksgiving in brick and mortar stores snapping up bargains, they go back to work on Monday and shop online. Hence, the name Cyber Monday.

At CloudK9.com the coupon code for Cyber Monday is: twitter12   for free shipping on purchases of $25 or more.  Valid until Tuesday December 1, 2009.
For international orders, email us for our discounted shipping rates on international orders of $25 or more.

Enjoy the countdown to the Howl-idays!
Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Friday, November 27, 2009

Black Friday

We all know that Black Friday starts the Howl-iday shopping season.  It's a time for super savings, special bargains, and stores opening as early as 3 AM so shoppers can grab that special bargain.

But...do you know where the term "Black Friday" actually comes from?

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving...and the meaning is based on accounting terms. It is the time when merchants go from "being in the red" (which signifies a loss) to "being in the black" (which signifies a profit).

Let the howl-iday shopping begin!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!
[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving

We all have much to be thankful for...no matter what the current economic situation is.

Just a few things I am thankful for:

* My family (both 2-legged and 4-legged family members)

* My friends (those I have know for many years, and new friends I have met online through my website, twitter, etc.)

* The freedom we have in our country

* The marvelous online communications tools which allow us to meet others with similar interests from around the world, and communicate almost instantaneously

* The many great folks who help those in need (both people and animals)

The list could go on and on...  What are you thankful for this year?


Carole
 
PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Free Rice to Feed the Hungry

As everyone is getting ready to fill their stomachs on Thanksgiving, it's a good time to think about others who are not as fortunate. There is a wonderful site called Free Rice. http://www.freerice.com/

I love this site because it: 
*helps to feed the hungry,
*costs you nothing and
*helps you learn! 

There are many topics from which to choose.

ART: Famous Paintings

CHEMISTRY: Chemical Symbols (Basic) / Chemical Symbols (Full List)

ENGLISH: English Grammar / English Vocabulary

GEOGRAPHY: Identify Countries on the Map / World Capitals

LANGUAGE LEARNING: French / German / Italian / Spanish

MATH: Basic Math (Pre-Algebra) / Multiplication Table

For each answer you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated to the UN World Food Program to end hunger.

It's win/win for everyone! Check it out!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Photo and Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

What Food was Served at the First Thanksgiving Dinner?


I love food and recipes, so my curiousity about the dinner for the first Thanksgiving lead me to do some online research.  I discovered that what was eaten at the first Thanksgiving may not have been what we actually believed.

The website http://www.oyate.org/resources/shortthanks.html provides the following information:

Deconstructing the Myths of “The First Thanksgiving”

by Judy Dow (Abenaki) and Beverly Slapin

Myth #9: The Pilgrims and Indians feasted on turkey, potatoes, berries, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and popcorn.

Fact: Both written and oral evidence show that what was actually consumed at the harvest festival in 1621 included venison (since Massasoit and his people brought five deer), wild fowl, and quite possibly nasaump—dried corn pounded and boiled into a thick porridge, and pompion—cooked, mashed pumpkin. Among the other food that would have been available, fresh fruits such as plums, grapes, berries and melons would have been out of season. It would have been too cold to dig for clams or fish for eels or small fish. There were no boats to fish for lobsters in rough water that was about 60 fathoms deep. There was not enough of the barley crop to make a batch of beer, nor was there a wheat crop. Potatoes and sweet potatoes didn’t get from the south up to New England until the 18th century, nor did sweet corn. Cranberries would have been too tart to eat without sugar to sweeten them, and that’s probably why they wouldn’t have had pumpkin pie, either. Since the corn of the time could not be successfully popped, there was no popcorn. (12) See Plimoth Plantation, “No Popcorn!,” http://plimoth.org/library/thanksgiving/nopopc.htm, and “A First Thanksgiving Dinner for Today,” http://plimoth.org/library/thanksgiving/afirst.htm.

(I have added bold in the text above for emphasis.)

Hmmm....after looking at the "menu" I'm glad I'm eating modern day Thanksgiving food!

Carole

Monday, November 23, 2009

Cold, Cold, COLD!

The weather is getting colder in many part of the country.


Please remember your four-legged friends and (if they don't live inside already) bring them inside when the weather gets cold.

Also be sure to keep pets away from anti-freeze which is toxic!

Stay warm and safe.

Carole

Friday, November 20, 2009

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in only one week away! So it's a good time to think about what we're thankful for.

Next week, I will post some of the things on my list.

What are You thankful for this year?

Carole
Here is a nature picture of a wild turkey to go with the Thanksgiving theme.

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!


[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

How Popular are "Dog" Tweets?

A tweet came through about the 500 most frequently used words on Twitter.  While the article is from June 2009, the findings are interesting.  The numbers are compiled by the lexicographers of Oxford University Press, and are based on a sampling of 1.5 million tweets.

Of course, no surprise that the most frequently used word is "the" used 407,614 times. (Why...I have used the word "the" 5 times already in this blog!)  Next was "I" (used 401,053 times)

What is interesting for dog lovers, is that "dog" was in the top 500!  "Dog" was near the bottom of the list being used 3,414 times and was ranked 479 out of 500.  More interesting is that "dog" (3,414) is used even more than "mom" (3,322).

So keep on Tweeting about dogs...it's a popular topic!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!


[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]
Link to original article:
 http://techland.com/2009/06/08/the-500-most-frequently-used-words-on-twitter/#ixzz0XMYF1lRE

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Old Dog in a Locket Poem


Today, a poem I found. Have a tissue ready....

Old dog in a locket,
That lays next to my heart;
I will always love you,
As I did right from the start.

You were right beside me,
Through the darkest of my days;
It was your kind and gentle nature,
That made me want to stay.

Now I hold you in my arms,
Your breath still warm against my hand;
Our hearts still beat together,
And I wonder if you understand.

Through the hours that I held you,
Before the light did leave your soul;
I knew a way to keep you,
Forever in my hold.

I snipped the hair from around your eyes,
So I would always see;
The beauty that surrounds me,
Even in times of need.

I snipped the hair from around your ears,
So I would always hear;
Music in the distance,
To quiet any fears.

I snipped the hair from across your back,
To bring me strength in time of need;
And the power of your essence,
Would always be with me.

I snipped the hair from around your heart,
That beat in time with mine;
So I would know that love would find me,
At some distant time.

And so, your life slipped out of mine,
On a quiet Spring-like day;
But I knew that a part of you,
Was always here to stay.

Old dog in a locket,
That lays next to my heart;
I will always love you,
Even though we had to part.


by Heidi Stamm

Click Here View Our Cloud K9® Handcrafted Locket Necklaces

Carole

Monday, November 16, 2009

Here Comes the Sun

A rainy overcast day, so I am looking for a little sunshine!  What I found is a great picture of a sunflower on a sunny day. Makes me feel warm just looking at it!

I usually try to use my own photos or take photos to meet my needs, but when I can't, I have found a nifty little site with free stock photos.

It's called Public Domain Photos. http://www.public-domain-photos.com/  The site says they have 5,000 photos!
They don't have photos to meet every need, so you may not always find what you're looking for, but they have a nice assortment, and lenient rules for using the photos!

Hope you enjoy the photo site!
Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!


[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday the 13th

Are you superstitious?  Do you have triskaidekaphobia…The Fear of Friday the 13th?

It is amazing how many superstitions there are. It's interesting, too, how many are related to animals.  Here are just a few:
Do you think black cats are unlucky?

Does a horseshoe bring you luck?

Is a ladybug lucky?

Or do you believe that a rabbit’s foot is a good luck symbol? 

Paisley, our rabbit, is showing her rabbit’s foot to bring you some good luck…
However, she is keeping her foot with her, thank you very much,
as she is rather attached to it!

Whatever superstitions you believe or don't believe…here’s hoping you have a safe and lucky Friday the 13th!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Text and Rabbit Photo Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Today I Reveal the Amazing Phenomenon of How a Parakeet Changed Colors Overnight!


When I was about 5 years old, the neighbors in the house behind us had a pet parakeet.  It was a pretty blue parakeet and the three kids in the family enjoyed watching it, and letting it fly around the room.

One day, the kids told me that their parakeet had changed colors overnight!  That’s right, it changed from blue to green overnight!  Could that even be possible?  Well, as proof, they showed me the little bird sitting happily in its cage.  To my complete amazement, the little budgie was now green!  Wow!  That was incredible!  In my 5 short years on the planet, I had never, ever heard of such a thing!

I ran home to tell my Mom!  At the end of the story, she had a knowing look on her face, but didn’t say a word!  Well, now I understand that the same phenomenon that allows children to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy allows them to believe that their sweet little bird changed colors overnight.

Behind the scenes, the frantic parents knew the truth.  When the little bird went to that big parakeet cage in the sky, one of them raced to the pet store for a replacement bird, only to find that none of the little winged creatures was blue (which was a far rarer color back then).  The only available parakeets were green.  Rather than tell the kids the awful truth, the story of a bird changing colors overnight would smooth over the situation with “no ruffled feathers” so to speak.

Ahhh! If only life were as simple as when we were 5 years old!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Dogs of War

Veterans Day
With the utmost respect and appreciation, today we honor our veterans and military for protecting us, and allowing us to live in freedom!

Since this blog features dog and animal themes…today, we also salute the Dogs of War.

Dogs have a long history of helping during wars.  Dogs have been used to fight in battles, possibly even as early as 100 BC.  Did you know that around 1798 even Napoleon added dogs to his militia?

Their Role
Given dogs’ intelligence and their willingness to work, the role of dogs has varied from fighting dogs, to guard dogs, to pulling carts with heavy equipment, to message carriers, to search and rescue, to detection work, and more.  These dogs have saved countless lives and served as companions during lonely times in battle.  In “The Lost History of the Canine Race” (1996) author Mary Thurston notes that “over 30,000 dogs served in America’s armed forces over the last century.” And dogs continue to serve in the military today!

Obviously, with such a long history, the praises of dogs in war could go on and on, but I will keep this brief and just select one point in time, represented by a vintage postcard from World War I.


An Example
This postcard paints a very detailed scene of the Red Cross Dog’s work circa WWI.

During World War I, the Red Cross trained dogs to search the battlefield for wounded soldiers and bring back a helmet or bit of clothing to alert rescuers that a stretcher was needed.

In this picture: The dog’s collar, with the familiar Red Cross emblem, indicates that she is a trained Red Cross dog. The dog (German shepherd / Alsatian) has a hat in her mouth which she is giving to a member of the Red Cross (as noted by his armband).  This will alert officials that a stretcher is needed for a wounded soldier.

In the background (upper center), a soldier is being carried on a stretcher to a Red Cross wagon.  (The wagon in the picture shows just how old this scene is!)  An injured soldier is being attended to by a Red Cross member (right side of image).

This postcard is titled “ein treuer Helfer” with translates to “a true helper.” I couldn’t agree more…a true helper!

We Salute You
To the all of the Dogs of War who unselfishly served in war to save and protect us, and our freedom, we salute you!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!


[Photos and Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Friday, November 6, 2009

Light A Candle

The Bad News and the Good News


The Bad News - Yesterday was a very somber day for America…and our thoughts and prayers are with all those directly or indirectly impacted by the tragic events at Fort Hood.

The Good News – There is an amazing number of people who are willing to help in any way they can.
"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." Saint Francis of Assisi

Yesterday, I retweeted some information about how to help those injured at Fort Hood by donating blood and literally within minutes the word was being spread again, and again, and again on Twitter! There is no way to directly measure the impact of these tweets. But who knows how many people, who wouldn’t have known, saw the information in those tweets and donated blood. Or maybe someone with a rare blood type donated blood because of these tweets. Whenever I post a tweet, I don’t know if even one person will read it, so I am greatly humbled by the number of retweets.

There is great power in online communication and people are willing to help!

“It is better to light a single candle than to sit and curse the darkness.”

Here are some ways to light a few candles to help Anipals (for Free and in 2 minutes or less!)

* http://freekibble.com/   Answer the trivia question and, whether you answer it correctly or not, several pieces of kibble are donated to feed shelter animals. A new question is featured each day!

* http://dogreatgood.com/    Use this as your search engine and they will donate to a variety of charities including animal rescue organizations and human service charities.

* http://theanimalrescuesite.com/    Visit this site and click on the purple button near the top of the page that says "Click Here to Give - It's Free" and sponsors will pay for food and shelter for rescue animals.

* http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=3&campaign=HAPPYAct3501
Sign the petition to allow up to a $3,500 tax deduction for qualifying pet cares expenses.
(Currently they have about 53,000 out of the needed 80,000 signatures.)

http://www.uniteddogs.com/stopkillingdogs/  1 Million signatures are needed to present the petition to South Korean officials so that dogs will not be eaten as food in South Korea.


* A simple Retweet to help raise food for an animal shelter (not sure of the deadline on this one):

>> Don't forget to RT this link http://bit.ly/nutrish - @Nutrish, each RT helps Etowah Valley Humane get up to 1 ton of Rachael Ray Nutrish <<

If you know of any others, please leave a comment and we will add them to this article.

Thanks to everyone!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Update on the Stop Killing Dogs Petition

It's been about a month since I first found out about the Stop Killing Dogs Petition which will be presented to South Korean officials so that dogs will not be eaten as food in South Korea! (Yes, dogs are eaten as food in South Korea!)

When I first signed the petition, there were about 225,000 signatures. Now, a month later, there are almost 300,000 signatures, so progress is being made!

However, the goal is 1 Million signatures before the petition will be presented to officials! So we have a way to go.

Each day about 5,000 dogs are brutally killed in South Korea to be eaten...so Please sign the petition and retweet this on Twitter.  Here is the link http://www.uniteddogs.com/stopkillingdogs/

It will only take about 15 seconds to sign the petition and it will mean so much to the helpless dogs!

I greatly appreciate each and every one of you who has signed the petition and retweet this information to spread the word.  It is helping!

I am looking forward to the day when there are 1 Million signatures...and you can help reach this goal! 

Please keep spreading the word! Together, we can make a difference!

Thank You!
Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The Black Cat and the Engineer

I am always intrigued with the ways in which anipals fit into peoples’ lives… whether they live on a ranch or in a highrise apartment building.  Joggers have dogs who enjoy running with them.  Ranchers have dogs which guard and herd their livestock.  Fashionistas, like Paris Hilton, turn tiny dogs into fashion accessories.

And so it is with my friend Scott, an engineer, and his black cat, Cashmere.  Like any engineer worth his salt, Scott loves all kinds of tools, gadgets and contraptions: from DeWalt Drills, tile cutting saws, air compressors and Rotozips, to high-tech kitchen doohickeys like automated soap dispensers.  It’s little wonder that Cashmere has become an automated kitty with gizmos and gadgets all her own!

Meet Cashmere

With all her high tech things, her cool place to sit is in an ordinary shoe box!

Reminds me of the holidays when little kids start playing with the cheapo box and wrapping paper rather than the ultra-expensive toy!

Slowly, but surely, every item for Cashmere has become automatic.





First, there was her water dish.

This high-tech bowl has constantly moving water. To me, it looks like a miniature toilet bowl the way the water swirls around in it. But, unlike a regular toilet bowl, this one runs on electricity.





Next was the automated food dispenser..sort of like a huge gum ball machine.

It is programmed to dispense a certain about of food at a specified time. The variety of settings is pretty amazing…from the number of meals per day, to the amount per feeding! This gizmo is the only one that’s battery operated. (I guess that’s so in event of an electrical outage, she won’t go hungry!)

Cashmere understands how it works…she even knows to wait at her bowl a few minutes before the food comes out!





 The most recent acquisition has been an automated litter box.

It is electric and has a motion detector that tells it when to use the little metal fingers to rake through the special litter and clean the box.

Each gadget has special instructions for how to get the kitty comfortable with how it operates, and Cashmere has had no difficulty getting used to her new cat contraptions. I would have guessed in a previous life, she was a Princess, but who knows? Maybe one of her incarnations has been as an engineer!


Please understand, these gadgets have NOT been a substitute for personal attention and love. Each evening, Cashmere sits with Scott to watch TV. Every night she sleeps in the bed with him. In fact, once, when she sprained her leg and couldn’t jump, he put the clunky cedar steps from his hot tub next to his bed so she could climb up to her spot on the bed. (He didn’t buy the special steps made for pets since this was just a temporary measure.)

Two Paws Up for Scott for saving homeless kitties before they went to a shelter. His first cat, Smokey, was a rescue from his college days. Smokey was living in the parking lot outside his apartment one cold Winter, apparently abandoned when someone left town at the end of the semester. He adopted Cashmere as a kitten from his vet’s office when Smokey was getting elderly.

All in all, I’d say this is one Black Cat that is pretty lucky!

I can’t imagine what the next gadget will be, but I am sure when Scott spots it, Cashmere will be the proud owner of the newest thingamabob made just for cats!

Know of any other automated gadgets for cats that Scott doesn’t own?

Do you have any special routine, activity or gadget that fits your pet to your lifestyle?

Thanks for stopping by...See you tomorrow!
Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Photos and Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com  All Rights Reserved.]

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

How You Can Win our Cloud K9® Handcrafted Pawprint Locket Necklace Or Business Card Case

Our Gift To You from Cloud K9®!  A Chance to Win!

It's easy to register to win our exclusive handcrafted Cloud K9® Pawprint Locket Necklace OR Business Card Case!

These are our exclusive copyrighted designs and favorites with our customers!                               


Just post your Twitter name in the comments section on our current blog for that day and you will be registered to win the prize. That's right! You can enter every day (but no more than once a day)...so at the end of a week, you can have 7 entries to win!

At the end of the month (November 30th), one name will be randomly drawn from all entries to win the prize. Winner will be announced on December 1st.  (The contest winner MUST contact us within 24 hours after their name is announced, or we will draw another name for the winner.)

You must post your twitter name on the blog for the CURRENT day, not under a previous day's blog posting. After Midnight, all entries for the day will be gathered and we will not check that post again...so if you post your Twitter name under a previous day's post, we won't see it.


You will need to be a follower of CloudK9 on Twitter so that we may send you a DM and find out which item your prefer (Pawprint Locket Necklace OR Pawprint business card case) and to receive your shipping info. *

Don't wait...start today! :-)

Have Fun!

Happy Howl-idays from all of us at Cloud K9® !

[ For additional information about the Pawprint Locket and Business Card Case click here. ]

[Designs copyrighted by Cloud K9® All rights reserved.]

(* If the winner is overseas, we are not responsible for delays in Customs or misdirected packages.)