Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Sunday, January 8, 2017
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!
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!
Friday, January 6, 2017
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.
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.
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.
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!
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| This is frost, not snow.... |
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| Super Harlow Take Down! |
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| I think she's playing the innocent puppy here.... |
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| ...and Monty fell for it! |
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| It's okay - he gets his revenge! |
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| She would later claim she slipped.... |
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| She was truly made for snow! |
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| Seriously happy princess! |
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| They keep busy out there! |
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| She's after me, da Momma! |
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| Monty - distracted by driftwood... Sigh.... |
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
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.
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.
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!
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....
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.
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| Noms? |
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| LOTS of fine print! |
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| 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....
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| Strawberries, banana, blueberries, meat - what's not to love? |
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.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Happy New Year 2017!
Happy New Year, everyone! We are wishing you a wonderful year full of good things, fun days, love and smiles!
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| Baron's first time in snow! |
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| My first snowman! Harlow thought his hands were tasty. |
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| They are plotting, I just know it.... |
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| Noms? |
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| The white stuff brings out the pups in the pups. |
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| A happy Ramble, warm in the house! |
Friday, November 4, 2016
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....
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....
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| She's a busy girl! |
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