The 7th Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

It's that time of year again to participate in the Pet Blogger Challenge!  I'll admit, 2016 was not a stellar year for us - lots of changes and the loss of my Mom - I almost didn't want to join this year.  ...but, I'm hoping to find some good in 2016 and am definitely looking forward to 2017!

When did you start your blog and, for anyone who is just seeing it for first time, please provide a description of your site. Would you say your blog focuses more on sharing stories with your readers, or providing a resource for your audience?

We started How Sam Sees It in July of 2008.  It's hard to believe we are fast approaching our 9th Anniversary!  Our main goal was to entertain folks with silly photos and stories about our beloved pups, and I feel we have stayed true to that.  We've showcased a few products, but the main theme of our blog is the story. 

What was your proudest blogging moment of 2016?

I've always liked a good detective novel, and this years Furry Friday Mysteries was exciting for me!  It picked up a story line we started back when Sam was still with us, and tied it in to include both Harlow and Ramble.  We look forward to bringing it back in 2017!

Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)

I'd have to say, by far, my favorite blog post this year (....and I don't have many to chose from!) was our introduction for Ramble.  Bringing the Nekkid Dog into the household presented challenges, and for the blog, introducing him and capturing the character of each pup was huge!   http://howsamseesit.blogspot.com/2016/06/have-you-met-new-guy.html


Year after year, one goal that we all seem to share is that we want to reach more people. What one tool did you use or action did you take this year that had the most impact on increasing traffic to your blog?

Unfortunately, 2016 wasn't our year to increase traffic to the blog, or keep up on any of the 2016 goals.  Forward to 2017!

Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? (Please include a link.) Have you noticed any themes across your most popular posts?

Sadly for us, the post with the most traffic was my tribute to my mother, who passed away after a lifetime of struggling with medical conditions.  If you wish to read it, here is the link:  http://howsamseesit.blogspot.com/2016_08_01_archive.html


What blog do you find most inspirational and how has it influenced your blog? (Please include a link.)

Haha - this has got to be the most difficult question of them all!!  I've had the honor of reading and being friends with some of the best bloggers out there - I think it would be impossible to list everyone who has had some influence on my blog.  ...but thank you all! 


What is one thing your readers don’t know about you or your pets that would surprise them?

Hmmmm....  I'm pretty open about the ups and downs of owning our silly pups.  I suppose it could be that Harlow can be shy around strange men, Ramble is still not perfect on potty training, and Monty has a huuuuuge fear of firecrackers.  Our pups aren't perfect, but we don't expect them to be - it wouldn't be any fun if they were!

What is something you’ve learned this year that could help other bloggers?

I've struggled with answering this one - can I have a pass?  In all honesty, the blog slipped down the list of importance this year.  We had a major life change, a major death...  Probably the only thing I've learned is that it is okay to take a break.  Life comes first.

What would you like to accomplish on your blog in 2017?

Definitely want to post more!  ...and post more stories!  I miss being able to be a little bit silly and creative at the same time!

Now it’s your turn! You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there a question you’d like answered, or an aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

What would folks like to see from our blog?  More reviews?  More stories?  More photos?  


Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with us over the years!  We love every comment we receive!

Snow days....

Our pups are experiencing their first snow days here in Washington - or mainly just heavy frost days with one true snow day, but they don't know the difference!  BOL!  Ramble makes quick appearances outside to play, but it seems Monty and Harlow are embracing this new frosty wonderland we've moved to.

This is frost, not snow....

Super Harlow Take Down!

I think she's playing the innocent puppy here....

...and Monty fell for it!

It's okay - he gets his revenge!

She would later claim she slipped....

Harlow often accompanies me in the big pasture, mainly because her recall is pretty stellar.  Monty likes to harass the neighbors dogs, and we are pretty sure Ramble would freeze before he gets too far.

She was truly made for snow!

Seriously happy princess!

Ramble has an amazing supply of sweaters - thanks to the kind folks who rescued him and loved him first - and he comes out when he is properly suited up.

They keep busy out there!

She's after me, da Momma!

Monty - distracted by driftwood...  Sigh....

The pups have really enjoyed this change in weather!  While I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit, I think they are all hoping for more snow!

Wordless Wednesday - Pouty Princess Edition

First Chewy.com Review for 2017!

We were recently given an opportunity to review Stella & Chewy's SuperBlends Grass-Fed Beef Recipe Meal Mixers Freeze-Dried Dog Food from chewy.com.  We've tried other Stella & Chewy products and our pups have always loved them, so I was interested in seeing how all three pups would react to the Meal Mixers.

Noms?

The pups were all intrigued from the minute the bag was opened - via an extremely easy open pull strip!  A scoop was provided to make measuring easier as well as different options on feeding. 

LOTS of fine print!

We tried the first option with the first feeding - mixing a scoop dry in with our pups kibble.  Unfortunately, Monty and Harlow saw through this and carefully picked out the mixer and ignored their kibble.  They are used to having a spoon full of Merrick's mixed into their kibble each night to help convince them to eat everything.  For our next try, I mixed it with a little warm water and let it soak for a few minutes.  I found that one scoop (1/4 cup) mixed with water was the equivalent of how much canned food our pups get divided among them.  Success!  Meals were scarfed in a record amount of time, bowls licked  clean, and pups were asking for more!

Da Princess approves!

A couple of notes on using this product:

Product settles in shipping - the photo above is towards the end of the bag.  Definitely needs to be shaken/stirred to mix the fruit/blueberries better.  As it was, Harlow carefully picked all the fruit out of her kibble and deposited it on the floor. 

Cost - if we were feeding this per directions, the cost would be prohibitive.  For our three over 40lb dogs, we would go through one 16oz bag every three days - at $36 per bag at chewy.com - fed as I described above.  Normal price is $50 per bag - and this is using it just as a topper.  If it was a total meal, we would be looking at that daily.

Taste - we have amazingly picky eaters and this mixer was a plus for all of them.  Monty especially has been known to walk away from food he has no interest in.  He was more than happy to dive in and eat his kibble with this added in.

Ingredients - there is a long list of ingredients that make up this mixer, but the list starts with quality ingredients such as beef, beef liver, fruit and veggies.  While not a limited ingredient meal, it's definitely a higher quality product.

Made in the USA? - I think....  The bag proclaims "Crafted in the USA with the world's finest ingredients".  Not quite sure how to interpret that....

Strawberries, banana, blueberries, meat - what's not to love?

I think all in all, we give this product 5 out of 6 paws.  It's mainly the cost that would prohibit us from considering this in the future.  Thank you, chewy.com for letting us review this product!

Disclaimer:  How Sam Sees It has not been compensated for this product review. We received a product to review.  We have no connection with the brand and were not influenced in our opinions. Our opinions are strictly our own.

Happy New Year 2017!

Happy New Year, everyone!  We are wishing you a wonderful year full of good things, fun days, love and smiles! 

Baron's first time in snow!

My first snowman!  Harlow thought his hands were tasty.

They are plotting, I just know it....

Noms?

The white stuff brings out the pups in the pups.

A happy Ramble, warm in the house!

We are still here!

We will be returning!  After my Mom passed I needed a little time to get back into the swing of things.  I miss blogging, have a list of posts and thank you's I need to do....

Harlow wants you all to know that she has been very busy in our absence.  Here we are having a meeting to discuss the running of the estate....

She's a busy girl!

For my Mom

My Mom passed away on the 1st of August - not entirely surprising due to her poor health, but still not what we expected.  She was recovering in a rehab center in Arizona after open heart surgery, and while her recovery was slow, we were all fully expecting her to be released.  On the night prior, she fell and the fall itself caused complications. 

1975ish - the year I was born.

I think it's been hard for all of us (my three sisters) to adjust to this strange new reality where my Mom just isn't.  I listened to a message she had left me the day before, and while memory issues and general weakness were apparent, her voice sounded strong.  We were making plans for her to come live with us in Washington, as her health issues had gotten to the point she couldn't live alone anymore. 

I can never complain about my childhood.  My Mom was a tough lady - being German, living through World War II, and carrying her heritage proudly wrapped around her.  She became an American citizen in 1967 and loved her new country more than anything.  It was a defining moment for her.

The day Mom became an American.

Mom and Dad loved each other tremendously and stuck it out through many hard times. 

Note from my Dad to my Mom.  He was in the Army for over 26 years.

Even in the lean times, we had a home and love.  ...and in the not so lean times, we had animals.  I think Mom and Dad were miffed about my animal-loving ways, but never said no when I asked.  I even remember my Dad calling me one time and asking if I had had an orange cat yet, and when I said no, he told me to ask my mother if we could have another cat.  We had all kind of animals growing up - birds, chickens, ducks, rabbits, rodents, goats, sheep, dogs (Great Danes and Golden's) and of course all manner of horses.  Mom loved them all. As Mom got a little more frail, her dogs got a little smaller - Rosie was the last pup she had, rescued from the pound. 

Rosie

One of the toughest things to face for me, and I think I just need to fixate on something, is the loss of Mom's phone number.  My sister is handling Mom's affair, as she is still local, and we've decided to give Mom's number one more month before having it disconnected, just to capture any calls that might need handling.  ....but, this has been the number I've used to call home for over 25 years.  It has been the lifeline for so many things - when I wasn't feeling well in school and needed Mom, when I passed a college final, when the vet called to tell me that our beloved Golden Daisy passed away during surgery, when I needed reassurance during my first job, when my car broke down and I desperately needed my Dad to rescue me, the number Aaron called when we first started dating and I didn't have a cell phone, and the number I called to tell Mom Aaron and I eloped...  Even now, when I wanted to tell her about our new adventures in Washington, it was hidden beneath the familiar name "Mom" on my iPhone, but it was still there.  It was the number  I could reach out to share the highs and low of life and the security of knowing Mom was just a phone call away will be gone.

Mom and Sam.

Thanks to loving neighbors who helped to keep an eye on my Mom, and who were quick to jump the fence or give me a call, Mom was able to stay in the house my Dad bought for her 31 years ago, which was what she wanted more than anything.  After Aaron and I married, instead of finding horse property of our own, we kept my horses on her property and I made daily visits out there to feed and check on her.  Of course, I always brought a pup along, and Mom enjoyed seeing our Golden's as much as having company.

Mom and Harlow

When Daddy passed away 13 years ago, Mom sort of quit living.  She was lost with my Dad, and she was waiting to join him again.  My only hope is that they've found each other and Mom is finally at peace.

I love you, Mom.

Margarete Maria Sturm
June 19, 1942 - August 1, 2016