Raise a Green Dog!: 11/1/08

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Turkeys can be our friends!

At least if they don't annoy us too much :)

It's Johann's Howling Howliday Giveaway!

We can hardly contain ourselves - Mum and I are hosting a new photo contest/giveaway on our website to ring in the Howlidays. It's called Johann's Howling Howliday Giveaway!

And the best part? I get to play Santa!

So what is Johann's Howling Howliday Giveaway? It's a photo contest and all you have to do is submit your photo, Mum and I will put it up on the website, and then people and pups can come to the site and vote! And the best part is they can vote as many times as they want for your pic. All the instructions are on the site.

Putting together the giveway has been loads of fun. This past week, Mum and I have been contacting lots of new friends we've met over the past year at companies that have all kinds of cool products, foods, treats and more, for us pups. We got an incredible response and have loads of super cool dog stuff for prizes for our contest/giveaway, and more is on the way! Some of the goodies have already arrived in the mail, and many of them are Green!

Here's all the cool stuff that's already arrived. Have to tell ya, Mum had to pull out the cheese to keep me out of the giveaway loot!

We sure want to give our biggest thanks to the companies that have donated so far:

Dr. Harvey's donated some of my favorite treats - Power Patties.
Paw Naturaw provided us with some of their awesome raw, dehydrated pup food.
PetSmart is donating a Furminator Essentials kit valued at $100.00.
GollyGear is giving some lucky pup a $25.00 gift certificate.
RockStarPooch.com provided us with a really cool dog tee.
Sew Crazy Dog Lady is giving away a custom collar, and they're not just for small dogs, they specialize in big dogs too!
Chimpfeet provided us with some super cool holiday dog toys.
Rachael Ray is giving us a paw print stocking filled with Rachael Ray Nutrish dog foods and treats.
Hachette Book Group gave us their Indognito book to add to one of the prize packages.
Canine Earth is donating a bottle of their new Organic Coconut Mint Cleaner and spray.
Petside.com provided us with some cool two-legger tshirts and dog tags.
Clean Run is donating three $10 gift certificates.
Aim To Beginn, LLC - an Official Vick Dog Chew Toy.
And that's just the beginning, we've got new giveaways coming in nearly every day!

The contest officially opened on our website Sunday and we already have some cool buds with cool pics entered.

We sure hope that you'll enter too! Just find the cutest, funniest, or howlingest, howliday photo and send it to me, ASAP. The faster you get your pics in, the more votes you can get!

Once you enter and want folks to come and vote for you, put this button on your site to remind them! Just right click the button, save on your computer, put it on your blog or site, and link it back to the contest page.

Google

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Turn off and unplug what you don't use!

Did you know that all those unused appliances plugged into your wall are using up electricity and money from your wallet? Money you could be using to get your pup a new toy, or some yummy treats!

According to Planet Green:

Though it's known by a laundry list of names-phantom load, idle current, vampire power and wall wart are the most common-this "phantom energy" all does the same thing: sucks extra energy from the grid into your home when you aren't looking and you don't need it.
Many gadgets, electronic devices and appliances draw power even when they're switched off or not in use, just by being plugged in, and though it may seem trivial, it can add up over time.

So what can you do beyond going around and unplugging everything when it's not being used?

Green Planet goes on to recommend several things to cut the cord on 'phantom power'.

One is purchase smart a Smart Power Strip. This power strip not only acts as a surge protector for your appliances, it also completely turns off any appliances connected to it when shut down.

Another is to utilize a Kill-A-Watt detector. This device is placed between any appliance and its outlet, and measures energy use by the kilowatt so you can calculate consumption patterns, assess appliance efficiency when the appliance is off or on.

You can also install a Green Switch in your home. With the flip of just one switch you can substantially reduce home energy consumption. They say the average home installation can be done in about an hour, utilizing wireless technology.

So, take a few steps, and help save energy, and your budget! Google

Monday, November 10, 2008

Energy saving tricks you can teach your green dog!

Dogs can save energy too! How? By turning off a light switch, recycling those cans, putting the newspaper in the recycle bin, and more.

How your pup can help you around the house and help reduce your family's carbon footprint is unlimited by your imagination!

Before you get started teaching your dog these wonderful and helpful tricks, we recommend that you watch this video of an overview of clicker training. Clicker training is a wonderful way to help your pup learn - easily, effectively and with loads of fun. Just ask me, I love my clicker!

Here are a few ideas of great things you can teach your dog to do to help save energy:

Using what you learned in these 'tricks' there is much more you can teach your pup, like...

Pull a drapery cord to close those drapes or blinds and conserve energy
Close the outside door when your arms are full of groceries and save on heating and cooling costs and energy
Retrieve junk mail and other item, and put in recycling bin
Pull the recycling bin out to the curb for pick up
And, loads more...

Here's a great video of just some of the tricks that Service Dog Tauri, the Pit Bull, can do. He's got his work down!

It's incredibly rewarding to watch your dog learn, and discover new talents and tricks. Remember to make it positive, make it a game, and make it fun!

Photo courtesy of: Australian Government, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Visit their page for some energy saving tips.

Google