Artisinal Food for Fido plus $300 GIVEAWAY! #InspiredByCrafted

This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Ideal Balance™ Crafted™, but My Pit Bull Friend only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Don't you just LOVE Giveaways? Well we have an amazing one for the special dog or cat in your life that you won't want to pass up so Keep Reading!

For the last couple of months, Bentley has been reaping the benefits of a new and improved lifestyle #InspiredbyCrafted. Ever since she started her new diet of Hill’s® Ideal Balance™ Crafted™ dog food, things have been on the up and up in all departments of life, and mine too. Not only is she eating healthier food and staying active but I too have been inspired to eat healthier and be more active with her; I've even gotten my family members involved in this new healthier lifestyle. We've been going on more walks and outings to the dog park as well as monitoring her daily activity with a special app on my phone.

Being consciously aware of what I feed Bentley has made me do a double take on the things I eat as well. When I learned of all the healthy ingredients in Hill's Ideal Balance Crafted dog food, I knew that it was time to ditch her old dog food that contained corn and stick with this more balanced option that features Ancient Grains and thoughtfully sourced Proteins.

The things that I love about the Hill’s® Ideal Balance™ Crafted™ dog food are that it is:

• Made in small batches

• Made in the USA

• Contains Natural ingredients

• Contains No wheat, corn or soy

• Contains No artificial colors, flavors or preservative

• Available in Grain free varieties

The small batches means that Ideal Balance Crafted dog food is made just the way you would- one very special batch at a time. As a matter of fact if you didn't catch one of my last blog posts, I showed a recipe I tried out that was actually inspired by some of the very same ingredients as is featured in Ideal Balance Crafted dog food, like the Ancient Grain Quinoa.

You can check it out recipe here: Ancient Grains for Your Dog and You #InspiredByCrafted

 

Now here's the best part, YOU have a chance to win a $300 gift card to PetSmart to purchase your very own Ideal Balance CRAFTED products for your dog or cat!

GIVEAWAY RULES

This Giveaway is hosted by the BlogPaws Professional Blogger Network and sponsored by Hill's Ideal Balance CRAFTED. There is no purchase necessary in order to be eligible to win and is void where prohibited. This Giveaway is open to anyone that resides in the United States and is over the age of 18. Employees of Pet360, Inc., Hill's Pet Nutrition, PetSmart and their immediate families are ineligible. This Giveaway will be open from 6/9/2015 to 6/30/2015 at 11:59pm ET.

Winner will be notified on or about Wednesday 7/1/2015 and will have 24 hours to respond to the email before forfeiting their prize.

The $300 gift card to PetSmart will be mailed to the winner approximately 4-6 weeks from acceptance.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

"Puppy Transit" A Children's BOOK (Win a Free Copy!)

Puppy Transit is the story of a boy named Freddie who finds an abandoned puppy named Denver on a cold rainy night. He discovers that the puppy is homeless and takes him in. From there on out, Freddie learns what he needs to do to care for a dog. The two form a team and even start their own business driving other dogs around on their very own transportation system rightfully named the “Puppy Transit.”

Puppy Transit is children's book written and illustrated by by two sisters, Susan and Nancy Wu. Their inspiration behind this book began with their very own dog – Denver.

Meet Denver the Inspiration behind Puppy Transit!

The sisters adopted Denver, a Siberian Husky and German Shepherd, in March of 2014. Until then their only real experience owning a dog was limited to their special stuffed animal dog, Pupo.

“The idea for Puppy Transit started partially because we are crazy dog ladies. Our previous experience with dogs was limited to this:”

The sisters with their first dog Pupo, a stuffed animal dog!

This book teaches compassion for animals, responsibility, and a drive to help others. The Puppy Transit was created by Freddie and Denver to take dogs to and from work.

“Since Denver is neither small nor a service animal, he is not allowed to ride the bus. But wouldn’t it be awesome if all dogs were allowed to take the bus?!  Thus, Puppy Transit was born. We wanted to create a world where dogs with different jobs could commute to work and back home.”

If you would like to win a FREE COPY of the book keep on reading. We are holding a Contest on our Instagram page. Here's how to enter:

CONTEST RULES:

1. Follow all hosts:

@puppy_transit

@mypitbullfriend

@carterandtoby

@ziggythehavanese

@fenwaythelabradoodle

 

2) Like this Instagram post ---> "Puppy Transit Contest"  and tag 1 of your friends in a comment.

 

One Winner will be chosen at random and announced via Instagram on June 10th 2015. The winner will receive a Free digital copy of the book. 

Share this with anyone that would Love this.

Good Luck!

Whistle: The App That tracks Your Dog's Activity !

Whistle is the new innovate dog monitor that tracks your dog's daily levels of activity and rest. Whistle features a device that slips on to your dog's existing collar and is tracked onto an app that you can download onto your smartphone. Once you've downloaded the app, you sync the device to your phone for your dog's data to be collected 24/7.

Once you're synced it's time to make a profile. Simply answer a few questions about your dog and you're ready to get started.

The next thing you want to do is your dog's activity level. I have Bentley's set at 40 minutes a day at the moment but this can be changed anytime you like.

The Whistle app shows you peaks when your dog is active and it even shows you a timeline so you can see the detailed breakdown for yourself. You are able to see when and for how long your dog has rested as well. The best thing is that you have 24/7 access to your dog's profile now matter where you are. That means that you can check up on your dog during your lunch break at work or while your on a business trip you are able to see if your dog's caregiver has been providing adequate amounts of play and walks.

I have been using the Whistle now for almost 2 weeks and I was able to see how Bentley's activity changed on a daily basis. She reached her 40 minute goal 4 out of 7 days the first week. This tells me that she is less active on days when I am gone most of the day.

I also noticed that Bentley likes to run around the backyard late at night. The blue peaks represent her activity levels and on this particular night she was active between 12 and 1 am. I always thought that she slept throughout the night but now I know that she most certainly does not. 

Overall I am quite please with the device and the app. First off I must say that I found the actual device to be sturdy. I thought for sure that it would come off with rough play with other dogs but it didn't budge. It is also waterproof which is great because it rained and Bentley likes to play in water.

Another plus is that the battery life is great. It lasted 9 days off of the first initial charge and the app notified me as soon as the battery started to get low.

I feel that this app has actually helped me to better understand my dog. I see that since she is much less active when I am not around (which I thought was the complete opposite), I can make up for it and take her on longer walks.

By helping her hit her activity goal I can also help myself reach my own. I can specifically track our walks together throughout the week. This is great and can be a great motivation to those needing a little boost to get active. This way you can be active with your dog and it is beneficial for the both of you.

You can click this link to go directly to the Whistle website and get your own for 15% with an exclusive coupon code we have gathered just for you.

Just type " BENTLEY " at checkout to receive the discount!

Tell us how much you like Whistle in a comment !

Ancient Grains for Your Dog and You #InspiredByCrafted

This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Ideal Balance® CRAFTED, but My Pit Bull Friend only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Ancient Grains have been on the rise as of recent and it's no surprise why. They are packed full of nutritional value and can be used as an alternative to gluten in human and dog food.

Quinoa has been touted as a superfood in the food world because of its many health benefits. One cup of cooked Quinoa contains about 17-27 grams of fiber which is much higher than other grains. It is also very high in protein and can lower blood sugar and triglyceride levels.

Since I want the best for my family, I'm always on the hunt for healthy food and snacks and that goes for my pets too. When I discovered that the Hill’s® Ideal Balance® CRAFTED line has Ancient Grains in their dog food I was ecstatic because it's nice to see dog food with the same ingredients you would see in high end human food.

Hill’s® uses quality ingredients like thoughtfully sourced proteins and vegetables and in distinctive flavors like quinoa to create unique flavorful recipes. Their dog food is made in small batches made just the way you would make it if you did it yourself.

I became inspired by this Artisan Crafted dog food that I watch Bentley enjoy daily and decided to make a healthy meal for my family with some of the same ingredients and came up with a nice little recipe for Stir Fry Quinoa.

 

Quinoa Stir Fry with Grilled Peppers and Chicken

Ingredients

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped                                                                                                                                                        1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp mild red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
4 oz cooked chicken breast, sliced
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime                                                                                                                                                                                                1 large egg, beaten

Directions

Cook the quinoa in a rice cooker, or on the stovetop according to package directions. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly. Add the garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the red pepper flakes plus the black pepper.

Remove vegetables from the wok and set aside. Return the pan to heat, and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the quinoa and egg, and stir-fry to cook the egg, 30 seconds. Return the vegetables to the pan along with the chicken, scallions, soy sauce and lime juice. Stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

Serve hot, or at room temperature.

When it comes to my family, health is number one so I will continue to be #InspiredbyCrafted when it comes to making responsible choices for mealtime. The fact that I was able to prepare a meal inspired by Hill's dog food truly shows that they take the time to create some wonderful food that you won't feel bad about giving to your pet because it's made of the same foods that you can eat. Now that's what I call a win win situation!

Have you been #InspiredbyCrafted yet?

May Paw Pack Review with Coupon Code

We have been receiving Paw Pack for 8 months now and I can honestly say that it is like Christmas morning for Bentley every time she sees that pretty turquoise box. Believe me when I tell you that she knows exactly what it is and gets extremely excited to see all the goodies it holds within.

If you aren't familiar with Paw Pack, it is a monthly subscription box for dogs and cats. Why I love it is simple:

It contains quality products that are all natural, grain free, and Eco friendly.

This means I can get new products delivered right to my door each month and trust that they will be GOOD for my dog. They do all the research and put together a wonderful array of products in a pretty turquoise box (which I keep to store what I haven't used yet). I am a busy person so this is the perfect way to keep my dog happy and give her new treats and toys each month without even leaving the house!

This month is the May box and here's a look at what's inside:

The first thing that caught my eye in the May Paw Pack was this Freezy Pups ice tray. It was literally 93 degrees when I opened up the box and as you as all may or may not know, Los Angeles, especially the San Fernando Valley where we reside, gets pretty hot. I was so happy to see this and I know we will be getting many uses out of this.

The next thing that caught my eye was this delectable looking Canine Caviar Buffalo Paddywack. Fancy right? Bentley loves Buffalo treats so this is a no brainer. What made me happy to see was that the Buffalo used to make these treats were not treated with hormones or antibiotics.

Side note: If you aren't aware, the majority of animals that we eat are pumped full of antibiotics since it was proven that it causes rapid growth and because by using antibiotics, farmers are able to keep a large number of animals in very small and extremely dirty conditions. Basically, cows, for example, do not have free range and don't have the freedom to graze on grass, they just stand side by side in their own feces waiting for imminent death while being fed corn, hormones, and antibiotics. Gruesome I know but this is the reality.

These Cycle Dog treats are Grain free and 100% Beef and they come in a pretty color (I'm a girl, I like pink). I love that there is only 1 ingredient. It makes the task of looking through the ingredients list a burden I no longer have. Thanks Paw Pack for doing all the work for me. SCORE!

Bentley has had these Sliders treats before and she just loves them. It's actually pretty funny because she has a little routine that she does. She takes the treat sticks outside to her favorite spot in the backyard, under a tree, and quietly chews on them, reappearing only after she's done, with her tail wagging, ready for more. These have (or I should say lack) the 4 G's : Gluten free, Glycerin and GMO free . This is another healthy choice as a dog treat.

Doggy version of Popcorn but grain and gluten free! Need I say more? Yaky Charms rock!

Of all the toys Bentley has ever had, the ones that squeak will always be her favorite. The perk of the ears and widening of her eyes; it's like doggy heaven. This Ecolast ball is great because it floats and we will be doing some swimming since the heat is already real in Southern California folks.

If you have been looking for a monthly pet box subscription, look no further. I absolutely love Paw Pack and can't say it enough. They go above and beyond to find healthy treats and fun, durable toys. Paws down the best box all around. Don't take my word for it though, check out their Instagram to see all of the happy pups and kitties who get their Paw Packs each month.

If you would like to try Paw Pack you're in luck. We have a special promo code exclusively for you to take 10% off your purchase. Just enter MYPITBULLFRIEND at check out.

Have a Paw-some day,

Hulk, The Giant 175 Pound Pit Bull !

A Pit Bull named Hulk has been making headlines because of his massive size. At only 18 months he is a staggering 175 lbs and he may quite possibly be the BIGGEST Pit Bull in the World! Now that's an amazing record to hold.

This big boy is not meanie though. Here he is gentle as ever with his 3 year old human brother, giving him a ride on his back.

Hulk lives in New Hampshire with his family and is a great example a peaceful Pit Bull with his calm demeanor and loving soul.

Here is a throwback of baby Hulk in all of his cute, chubby, puppy, irresistible, goodness!

His family, the Grannan's, had this to say about Hulk "My hope is that we can stop ignorance and change people's minds about Pit Bulls in a positive way with all this attention".

Would you add a Pit Bull to your home after watching this gentle giant in action?