Remember Me Thursday® Shine a light on orphan pets waiting for forever homes

The Fluff Dog Crew is excited to be a part of the "Remember Me Thursday Awareness Movement." We want to get the message out to everyone to talk about pet adoption, especially on Thursday, September 28, 2017.

Personally, I came into the realization of how important pet adoption is only in the last couple of years.  Now that I am more aware, I have become very passionate about helping educate other pet lovers on the importance of rescue/adoption and assisting to find fur babies find their forever homes.

How can you help too? Join us, along with individuals and pet adoption organizations around the world in over 180 countries unite to be the voice of orphaned pets. Use the hashtags, #RememberMe Thursday and #RememberTheRescue with photos of your rescue pet. Post to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to be entered in the #RememberTheRescue contest!

Check out RememberMeThursday.org for more ways to get involved!

Follow Helen Woodward Animal Center on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenwoodwardanimalcenter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwac/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HWAC

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC673jWZ8p7ogo2xnEyrbVkg?sub_confirmation=1

"We have a bandana for that!" Part3: KoaBear Bandanas

Siouxsie in our first KoaBear Bandana.

We first were introduced to KoaBear Bandanas after winning a contest on Instagram. I hadn't really had the crew wear bandanas before. I never saw any locally or even online that I really loved. KBB was the first bandana brand that we connected with.

Lucy and Molly in matching KBB bandanas and bows.

KBB was started in January 2016 in Maui, Hawaii. Creator, Tina Timboy uses her own fur baby, Koa, as her main inspiration for her designs.

KoaBear, CEO of KoaBear Bandanas

Mr. Koa

KBB specializes in custom made bandanas ranging from casual to formal wear. Most bandanas are reversible too! We love having the option of two different prints on one bandana, it gives you more bang for your buck!

We love donuts!

We typically go for the "original style" that just slides onto a collar. KBB also offers a "bib style" that has a Velcro closure, perfect for pets that do not wear a collar.

Bib style bandana with matching hair bow.

If your fur baby likes to be on the formal side, the Fancy Paws Collection is where it's at! 

Hawaiian Fancy Paws Collection pieces.

These are so cute for the furry gentleman in your life!

Below are a several more designs my crew wears on a regular basis and for holidays.

Halloween is our favorite time of year!

Personalized "ugly Christmas sweater" bandana.

Candy bandana and matching bow.

Kawaii inspired on our little "derp" cutie.

You can check out all that KoaBear Bandanas has to offer at the following:

Website: http://koabearbandanas.biz

Instagram: @koabear_bandanas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koabearbandanas2017/

From Puppy Mill Survivor to Spoiled in Suburbia: Meet Molly the Shih Tzu

Our family had never rescued before. All of our dogs had come from breeders. Some we learned later were not reputable to say the least. After being so involved on social media for a while, we were learning that the stigma of rescue and shelter dogs weren't always accurate. There are instances when best intentions don't work out, but we kept seeing so many happy stories. We found that so many wonderful fur babies had adapted and flourished when they became part of a family with love and care. We began following SASS Rescue on Instagram after I had researched for a Shih Tzu rescue here in Ohio. The work that they do for these dogs is incredible. My mother and I literally fall in love with a pup every week! I already had two dogs and was unable to have another at the time when we first saw Molly. After seeing her photo, we had to figure out a way to adopt her. She was a puppy mill survivor, age unknown, with a sweet little tongue that stuck out all the time due to her lack of teeth.

Molly went to live with my parents, brother, and Lucy their Brussels Griffon in October 2015. She was very shy and timid, but eager to embark on her new life. She still makes great strides to this day. She has become such an affectionate and sweet little girl. She loves her cozy beds and blankets, she dances for her meals and enjoys things that the first several years of her life she was deprived of. Rescue dogs are not less than desirable or irreparably damaged. They can and will become wonderful companions and family members if given the time and patience to allow them to thrive.

Our family is so grateful to SASS Rescue for all the love and hard work they put into these amazing pups.

Brussels Griffon Cutie: Meet Lucy!

Lucy is a dog that makes me giggle at just a thought of her. Spindly little drumstick legs, a lady beard and a mean mugging underbite all adds to the quirky charm of this little monkey dog. Lucy is a 6 year old Brussels Griffon with the most expressive eyes I have ever seen and a loyal companion to her doting mom.

Like most Griffon's, Lucy is the true definition of a "Velcro" dog. What does that even mean, you may ask? Well, she is obsessed with her mom and has to be near her or to be able to see her at all times.

Lucy is not a fan of strangers, or really anyone outside of her immediate family. Lucky for me, I'm her #2 favorite person! I refer to myself as her "sisfur"/best friend and she loves coming over to my house to visit. With me she is quite affectionate and loves giving smooches and having me massage her.

My favorite trait of Lucy's is her human-like emotions. She is very empathetic to the other dogs and people around her. She seems to really sense when compassion is needed. My first Shih Tzu Lola suffered from Chronic Renal Disease. Lucy would always lay next to her to cuddle and place her front "arm" over Lola to comfort her like a human would do.

When Molly was first adopted, Lucy took her under her wing, per se, and immediately showed Molly the ins and outs of her new life. Molly's transition from a puppy mill survivor to a loved member of her family was greatly influenced by Lucy.

My family had never encountered a Brussels Griffon or knew much about them before Lucy. We have come to adore this interesting little breed and now follow many on social media. We have also attended Brussels Griffon meet ups here in Ohio the past two years.

You can find out more about Brussels Griffons through the National Brussels Griffon Rescue.

Andis Trim N’ Go: Paw Grooming Tool

I do all of the fluff crew’s grooming myself. I am not a trained dog groomer, but I am a licensed cosmetologist and am a hairstylist as my career.

That being said, Molly is a puppy mill survivor. My mom adopted her from SASS Rescue in Urbana, Ohio in October 2015. Molly took a long time to get used to being bathed and groomed. Now she is actually the best behaved for her grooming sessions out of all four of the crew.

The only aspect of grooming Molly that I hadn’t been able to master was getting the fur off her paw pads and in between her toes. Molly’s paw pads are extremely sensitive and would bleed anytime I attempted to clean them up with trimmers. I resorted to just cutting what I could with scissors.

Here is a before shot of her paw pad:

Last week I had picked up the Andis Trim N’ Go while at the BlogPaws conference. It’s cordless, operates with a “AA” battery and fits nicely inside my palm. I was pleased that it runs very quietly, which is a huge help for grooming a nervous dog. I went to work on Molly’s paws with the trimmer. It cut through the fur with ease and Molly was much less nervous than any other time I have tried to do this. This was the first time all of her paws were shaped up and free of excess fur. I believe that each time I use the Trim N’ Go, Molly will become more and more comfortable with having her paws groomed.

After shot of Molly's paw:

Update: I have currently used this tool on Molly three times and am still getting great results!

BlogPaws Conference 2017

I attended my first BlogPaws conference before having an actual blog. I was on the fence about starting one mainly due to my feelings of anxiety about not knowing how or where to begin.

The whole crew modeling Koa Bear Bandanas. Bijou's hair bow: PawPawRazziReady.

Until now, I have considered myself a “microblogger” since my main platform is Instagram. At the moment the @fluffdogcrew account has exceeded 58k followers. I enjoy taking photos, reviewing products and engaging with those who follow the account. I just knew that there was more to do! More opportunities to show who we are and to discuss topics more extensively that I am passionate about.

Bijou learning about blogging.

BlogPaws was held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this year. I went on my own, no fluff dogs in tow. I was excited to meet a few of my favorite Instagram friends in person for the first time while there. I had the opportunity to network in person, a lot of different pet companies and learn about all the products they offer.

 Marla @loveakasha, Alison @sarcastic.dog and me.

Most of the sessions were for seasoned bloggers and were totally out of my wheel house, but even those were ones I found to be beneficial. Being pushed out of my comfort zone really inspired me to go bigger. My goals became more apparent and I wanted to come back to BlogPaws 2018 with a lot more experience and knowledge.

Dr. Buzby, Alicia Halloran @odieseyes and me.

The conference was great being with so many other people who are passionate about animals. I found the instances where I was just having conversations during meals and other down times to be the most rewarding. Being about to bounce off ideas, talking about personal experiences and both giving and receiving advice was priceless.

I purchased my ticket for the next BlogPaws being held in Kansas City, Missouri in April 2018. That leaves me about 10 months to get this blog of ours up and running. I look forward to being to keep learning to ins and outs of blogging from here on out.