Wordless Wednesday: Santa's Little Helper

Yogi Bear is ready for his first Christmas! 

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This is a blog hop. 

Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs by clicking on the image below.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Christmas is one month away!

 That means it's time to get your annual Santa photos taken with TAGS!

Date: Saturday, December 14

Time: 11:00a.m.-3:00p.m.
Location: Pet Valu (Kendalwood)
Cost: $10 and all proceeds go to TAGS

Please share this event with your friends by joining our Facebook event and inviting others!

We will also have a booth set up in the store that day with an 

adoptable dog or two, so be sure to visit!

Happy Holidays! 

Great Gift Ideas for Dog Lovers

CC Image courtesy of ]babi] on Flickr

With Christmas Eve just ten days away, some of you are probably finished shopping, have sailed right through wrapping and are now sitting by the fire admiring your Christmas tree, wondering what is taking Santa so long.

But let's face it: many of us are just starting! While everyone loves giving presents at Christmas, trying to think of the perfect gift can be stressful. Well, have no fear—TAGS is here to give you a list of great gift ideas for all of the dog lovers in your life.

But be warned—you might want some of these for yourself, too!

For Dog Lovers Who Love to Travel 

• Whether going to the cottage, a friend's, or the dog park, the seats in any dog lover's car can take a beating after one too many rides with a furry friend. While they might love their pooch too much to mind, they will definitely benefit from a pet car-seat cover. PetSmart carries several options on its website.
• Help keep a friend's small dog safe by gifting your friend with a doggie car seat! This design, which is available at Canadian Tire, is elevated so the pooch can look out the window, plus it has a harness for added safety.
• If you're on a budget, make homemade dog-sitting vouchers! While you might feel cheesy, the sentiment behind this gift will trump all others. No dog lover likes to leave his or her fur baby behind, but sometimes travel opportunities come up that don't suit a tail-wagging tag-along. Offer to dog-sit, and enjoy eternal gratitude. It will put your friend's mind at ease to know his or her pup is in good hands! 

For Dog Lovers Who Love Knick-Knacks 

Cat lady and dog lover vests!
CC Image courtesy of TheUglySweaterShop on flickr

With a knick-knack, paddy whack, give a dog a bone... If your friend loves ornaments, trinkets, and other collectibles, there are an infinite number of possible gifts for them! Look for a picture frame with paw prints, a dog ornament for the tree, or even a figurine resembling their dog. Pet stores, gift stores such as Hallmark and Carlton Cards, or even your local Wal-Mart are bound to have great gifts your dog-loving friends will dig.

For Dog Lovers Who Love to Read 

• A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
  This TAGS-tested novel is an engaging, heartfelt story told from a dog's perspective as he searches for his purpose over the course of several lives. His soul is reborn again and again, but he is able to retain memories from former lives, which he uses to help him in the next one. It's funny and at times sad, and it's written so aptly the reader can't help but wonder if it was actually written by a canine.
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
  Also TAGS-tested, this book tells the story of Enzo, a lovable mutt who is with his best friend and owner, Denny, through all of life's milestones. Told from Enzo's perspective, the story line captivates readers from the first page, and the writing style keeps them reading until the book is finished.
• The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs
  Culled from the pages of The New Yorker magazine, the writings and artwork in this coffee-table-sized book will delight any dog lover. In true New Yorker style, the fiction, poetry, and articles alternately entertain and inform—and often do both. Whether your friend is a literature lover or a dog lover, this book meets the bill.
• Keep the gift of Christmas coming all year long! Purchase a gift subscription for your friend to a Canadian pet or dog magazine. Since the first issue won't be delivered until after Christmas, considering buying a copy of the current issue and include a note saying that there are more where this came from! 

CC Image Courtesy of dickuhne on Flickr

Bonus Tip: For Dog Lovers Who Have it All

• Consider making a donation to a cause your dog-loving friend cares about, a topic we explored recently in this post.

Santa Photography Day in PetSmart

Thank you all who came and helped out or supported our charity on this rainy winter day! 

Mr. and Mrs. Claus with June Bug. June Bug is up for adoption!

Despite the weather, the Whitby PetSmart store was extraordinarily busy. A lot of people came to have their pets' holiday photo taken with us. We ended up selling 63 pictures! TAGS received half of the proceeds, which can go toward rescuing more dogs in need.

Many people were interested in our program, too. Our helpful volunteers were there to answer any inquiries. Thanks to them, no one had to wait long for their pictures, because our helpers were handling the printing of the photos, as well.

It was a great opportunity for us to let people know about our charity and what we do. Very often, we find new additions to our volunteer team during these events or even a potential new home for our dogs!

Kadein was also there. He's up for adoption!

It was hard not to believe Santa Claus exists because our Santa and Mrs. Santa made the dogs' day magical with their enchanting presence. 

For more photos, visit our Facebook group or Facebook page. 

Were you there to have your pet's photo taken? Leave a comment about your experience!

TAGS Event: Santa Pictures

Russell is ready for his close-up with Santa.

It's that time of year!

Riley is ready to sub in as a backup reindeer.

Every year in December, Santa Claws spends a weekend with TAGS at the Petsmart in Whitby and helps us raise some much-needed funds by posing for pictures with the pooches. All pets are welcome to have their picture taken with Santa. Santa, Mrs. Claws and their helpers will be at Petsmart between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for pictures on Saturday, December 8. 

 

A portion of each of the picture packages will be donated to TAGS by Petsmart and will go a long way to helping our dogs, whose only wish this Christmas is to find their fur-ever homes.

 

So, come on down to Petsmart this Saturday—unless you know you're on the naughty list, like Russell here!

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