I’m home, my puppy is home, and my husband is home. We’ve all missed each other.

Ollie is spending the weekend with my parents while my husband is working and I am in Chicago for Blogher. He thinks he owns the place when he walks into their house and he seems to have made himself very comfortable this morning. Here he is lounging around with their dachshund, Mister Floyd…

If you’re on Twitter, make sure to check out Ollie as the featured pet on Petco’s Twitter page! And follow me for lots of Ollie pictures and updates!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ollie!

By my calculations, he’s eaten 23 pillows, 5 birth control pills, 4 comforters, 1 sponge, 1 book of checks, and 1 shoe in his three short years. After all that, we’re still taking him to the doggie bakery this weekend to pick out some special birthday treats.

My favorite yogurt is Fage Greek Yogurt – with a little bit of honey – and judging by the yogurt on Ollie’s nose, it’s his favorite, too. He never turns down the opportunity to lick the cup.

And the clean-up licks.

Sometimes I wonder if Ollie knows how good he’s got it. Food and water are always available, treats are plentiful, he gets lots of love and exercise, and he has a warm bed to sleep in every night. There’s so many animals that don’t even have their basic needs met, when our dog has his own blog!

The sheer number of stray dogs and the cruelty they encounter is heart breaking and one way to help make sure these animals receive the medical attention they deserve is to make a donation to the World Society for the Protection of Animals. Their organization provides mobile clinics stocked with supplies and medication to treat abused animals and actively lobbies government officials to pass legislation outlawing animal cruelty.

The WSPA works with over 900 organizations in 150 countries to help raise the standards of animal welfare around the world. The WSPA is active in fieldwork, animal welfare campaigns, education and training, as well as disaster assistance and sanctuary funding.

For a small donation of only $14 you can become part of their Animal Rescue Team and help save stray dogs and other animals from unnecessary cruelty. Your money will fund emergency relief, rehabilitate animals, education children and communities, and support legislation to outlaw animal cruelty.

I think Ollie can give up $14 a month worth of treats to do some good for his fellow dogs, don’t you?

Our apartment complex added a really nice dog park a few weeks ago (more to get the dogs off the tennis courts than as a good deed for furry friends, I suspect) and we took Ollie for the first time on Friday. I thought he’d be beside himself in a big grassy area with no leash, but he stayed close and only ran around when we threw the ball. He spent more time walking around the perimeter peeing on every fence post than he did playing!

For the first six months that we had Oliver, every time we gave him a bath he squealed like a piglet. He came from very humble beginnings, and I don’t think he had ever had a bath before we brought him home. I felt so bad when it was time for his weekly bath, but we kept to a routine and now he likes baths so much he just sits down in the tub and lets us give him a good scrub.

I’m glad he finally warmed up to baths, because not only do routine baths keep Ollie smelling great, they also keep his coat and skin healthy. Dogosuds® is a great dog shampoo available at Dinovite that does much more than give your dog that “new dog smell.” Dogosuds® contains 100% pure oils that are gentle on sensitive skin and have natural, healing properties without added chemicals or perfumes. It also is a natural flea deterrent – which is fabulous because I know I hate putting a flea medicine on Ollie every month – and can get rid of that nasty skunk smell if your dog just can’t resist chasing those potent little critters!

If you dog is itching, scratching, or just plain stinks, Dogosuds® comes in several different varieties – essential oil, lavendar, mint, and unscented – and gets nice and sudsey and rinses off easily so you can give them the luxurious bath they deserve!

If you have a dog, I’m sure at least one window in your house or car has what we call “nose art.” It’s when you’re inquisitive little dog smears his wet nose all over a window, creating streaks and smears. We think it’s endearing, but sometimes you have to pull out the window cleaning products and give your pup a clean slate for their next piece of nose art.

Now, if your dog isn’t 12 pounds like ours and you need some serious cleaning products, Hygeine Supplies Direct is where you need to go. You can also buy water heaters, pet supplies first aid kits, pest control products – just about anything you can think of for your home or business.