We just had a really funny giveaway on our Facebook page, called You Gonna Eat That?

Here are the winners:

Karma, you pounded the pavement & got the most likes, earning a Fetching Tag for yourself (or your baby brother) – Congrats!

Hazel’s Choice was a shoo-in – or should I say Glue-in –  with a story that really stuck to our ribs.  Hazel thought that Gorilla Glue sounded pretty irresistible too, Echo! congrats!

Things got a bit more tricky in the Tagmaker’s Choice category.

The Tagmaker was especially taken with

Claire the Sod Swallower,

Ember, the Husky Defluffer,

& Butter-Lover, Dahlia.

Dahlia, you just greased past the others in the end – You get a Fetching Tag.

Thanks so much for entertaining us with your stories, and for those of you who had harrowing experiences involving veterinary intervention, we are so glad that your pets survived their own appetites for destruction!

Gladys will eat anything.

Here she sits pining for a homemade bread & butter pickle.

What’s the strangest thing your dog has eaten?  Was it yucky?  Was it even food?

Oh, really?

You’re trying to one-up us, now!  We smell a contest.

Post your dog’s photo & a brief description of the strangest thing he/she has eaten on our Facebook page.   Get your friends to like your post.

The entry with the most likes wins a Fetching Tag.   We will also give tags in Tagmaker’s Choice & Hazel’s Choice* categories.

True stories only, folks.

*hint for Hazel’s Choice:  Hazel loves anything with a flavor – it doesn’t even have to be remotely food-related!

contest expires Tuesday, 8-30-11 @ midnight, winners announced Wednesday, 8-31

Chuck,

you blew us away with your Trickiness AND your ability to campaign for the Likes!  You win the Most Likes category.  A Fetching Tag is yours for the taking. . .

While there were many wonderful balance tricks posted, Hazel ultimately chose between the following 3 tricksters for her Hazel’s Choice award:

She loved Quinn’s trick, because she too loves to lick a kitten.

She loved Spidey’s trick because she knows what it is like to be a small someone balancing a big something.

She loved Gator’s 2 ball balance because she loves big blue balls.

But mostly she loved Ozzie’s trick*, because it cracked her up.

Congratulations, Ozzie, you win the Hazel’s Choice award for Trick City V.

Watch your emails, folks, your prizes are coming. . .

*Yes, we know there were 4 tricksters mentioned in the Hazel’s Choice category, not 3.  She doesn’t count that well.

Once upon a time (all dragon stories start this way), Molly Monkeypants , Supermodel & Dog Park Diva, sent  a present to Gladys in the mail.

It was a blue dragon.  Gladys had always wanted a dragon of her very own, so she was quite pleased with the gift.

She & the dragon took many pleasant naps together

and they were never far apart.  Then, the one they call ‘X-Dog‘ came for a visit from the wilds of Cali-Fornia.

Ever the Southern hostess, Gladys shared her pillow & her delicious Chicken dinner & Liver treats.

She even showed her little visitor  how to milk a goat.

But then, the one they call ‘X-dog’ took the whole sharing thing a little too far. . .

Watching the X-Dog play with her dragon made Gladys’ eyes blaze with fury,

but the laws of hospitality prevented any retaliatory action.

If Gladys the Polite was the only dog of the house, our story would end here.

But she’s not.

And thankfully the other dog is bound by no laws of hospitality,

(or any other laws for that matter.)

The dragon was recaptured

and peace was restored.

The End.  (for now)

Once upon a time, we thought we rescued a young, skinny Boston Terrier.  Little did we know that this “second” dog would steal our very hearts, guard them fiercely & carry them so proudly. . .

We are so grateful to the rescue organization that not only took little “Patty” in when she was most in need, but in doing so,  gave her the chance to become our beloved (& world famous!) Hazel.

This contest gives you a chance to share more than your gratitude with your favorite rescue – you could win a spectacular prize for them!

Post a photo of your rescue dog (or cat, or horse!) & a brief description on our Fetching Tags Facebook page.  Did you save him from the mean streets?  Did you almost walk away?  Get a different dog? Just when you needed it most, did she come to your rescue?

Then spread the word – the entry with the most “likes” wins.

Wins what, you ask?

Why, the Grand Prize, of course.

Grand Prize:  15 custom tags* for the non-profit rescue of your choice + a tag for your own rescued pet

Semi-grand Prize (2nd place):  5 custom tags* for the non-profit rescue of your choice + a tag for your own rescued pet

And just to keep the competition lively,

Tagmaker’s choice:  You may not get the most likes, but something about your story captures the Tagmaker’s heart. . . do this, & you’ll win a Double Agent Collar – lovingly handmade for your rescued pet by Fetching Tags & Paco Collars.

Deadline for entry:  midnight, June 15th.  Winner announced Friday, June 17th

*This is the prize that keeps on giving!  Because our tags are so extremely durable, these foster tags may be handed down to the next available dog as each is adopted.  As you know, our  taglines are engaging & fun and can add that little “pick me!” spark to a dog awaiting adoption, as well as provide important contact info should they escape custody!

We made some standard issue “progress” at the farm in the last couple of weeks.  The kind that replaces trees & rich green spaces (& mud) with different shaped spaces covered in gravel (& mud).

We had to use these.

And if you’re thinking, wow, those are not so easy to use,

just try training your dog to do it.

Gladys, who just about has thumbs, caught on pretty quickly, but hated the noise that her digger made.  (She called it the digger – I know that’s not the real name!)

Hazel didn’t mind the noise from her pusher, but did have some trouble with her grading on her blind side.

Of course, we didn’t tell her that!  We just stayed out of her way. . .

Gladys & Hazel

by Marnie Jones

Bold Hazel owns her world,

she owns her joy, her destiny—

She grabs life by the horns

and lives with true tenacity.

Hazel starts with H for Home—

and Heart, and Harmony.

Hazel, dress-up diva, party crasher,

valkyrie.

Could there be a family that

needs more dog than you?

No, Hazel, impossible!

Though life’s more fun with two.

And so, not ’cause you needed her,

but ’cause she might be nice,

You added darling Gladys to

your gleeful, rompish life.

Gladys—who is Gladys?

Not a shrinking, quiet mousey—

Her true self, in the bull run,

can be playful, active, bouncy.

Still, she’s not the boldest,

nor the oldest, nor the boss—

She’s Hazel’s doting sister,

and lets Hazel call the shots.

Gladys—pretty, sleek and witty,

kitty-crazy baby,

The goats, the cat and Hazel

are your favorite lads and ladies.

There’s nothing like a nice cat butt

to fill your heart with joy,

‘cept the magic of your bull run,

or a quiet, loving voice.

Gladys starts with G for Gentle—

G for Glad, and Good—

Fine Gladys, tender sweetheart,

whose pure heart is understood.

Gladys—peaceful. Gladys—quiet.

Gladys—gentle, sweet.

To Hazel’s strength and confidence,

you lend tranquility.

Hazel—knowing. Hazel—loving.
Hazel—joyful, bold.

The two of you are perfect, though
you’re made from different molds.

Wiggle butt and Prickle face,

incredible and rare—

You’re special and beloved by

the many friends you share.

Thank you, Marnie, for the wondrous poem.  For those of you still unfamiliar with Marnie’s work, she is the FarmWife behind the voice of Fenway Bartholomule & the resident poet at Commissioned Poetry.  And yes, she can poetify your pet too!

Thanks so much for posting all of your tricks last week.  Hazel & Gladys were so proud to get tricky with you.

Honestly, we were overwhelmed by the number of great submissions, 84 tricks at last count!  Hazel & Gladys performed as many as we could catch on film.  Some of you lucked out – photos were captured of Gladys heeling off leash & showering, but it was worth the extra $10 in gift certificates  not to post photos of my rear in my green riding pants or the inside of our shower. . .

and without further delay,

Tied for 3rd place  ($15 gift certificates) are

Team Pagan, Sparky & Banjo with “When Sparks Fly”

Dante, with “Ring of Fire (with Hershey’s Syrup)”

and Shadow, with “London Bridges”, her jump over Scout

Our 1st runners up  ($40 gift certificate) are

Stella, who brought us the challenging handstand, for her trick “Animal Cruelty”

and our nemesis, Harvey, with the “Pizza Torture” trick.

(Gladys is so confused by the pizza trick at this point, that she refuses to even look at the slice. This is after we got her up to 2 seconds of holding the practice crust.)

And the Winner of the Trick City Challenge  & $80 Fetching Tags Gift Certificate is

Emma, with “Wine & dine me to the end of the night”, a feat of flatheaded balancing, that we just couldn’t match (yet!)

Congratulations, Emma!

Because we loved this contest so much, we will be starting an ongoing Trick City Challenge, so stay tuned on Facebook for that and thanks again for all the fun.

If you submitted tricks (with a return email) that Gladys & Hazel did not perform – the check’s in the mail – look for it soon. . .

This week, fur has flown during our Trick City challenge on our Facebook page.  Your dogs have pulled off some crazy & amazing stunts and we’ve definitely had to train overtime in order to duplicate them.  So, we’ve been working on this particular trick,

posted by Kate.

First, let me tell you that Gladys & Hazel both leapt at the opportunity to use the toilet.  Gladys has long been fascinated by both its form and its function and Hazel really prefers not to go outside in damp chilly weather.  So getting them to use it was no problem.

The problem is that we only have one bathroom and we cannot, despite our best efforts, teach Gladys to knock before she bull-dozes right in.  I guess we’ll have to install a lock that Hazel can reach. . .

Here’s the challenge announcement – make sure you read the fine print at bottom of page:

If your dog can do it, so can Hazel and/or Gladys.  If Hazel &/or Gladys can’t do your trick, you win.

What:  Post a photo of your dog doing a trick on the Fetching Tags Facebook page.  Post must include dog name, title of trick (clever titles are best) & your email address.  Make sure that you include this info, we will need it to respond to your challenge & email your prize!

trick defined:  This can be a photo of your dog doing anything that could be duplicated in a normal household or yard setting.  Tricks can be as basic (sit) or as tricky (backflip) as you can capture in a photo.  No dangerous tricks or tricks like dock diving (tricks involving things – like the ocean or stadiums) we can’t recreate here.

Where:  Like I said, on our Facebook page.

When:  Post your trick by Saturday January 29th at midnight.

Prizes:

1.  Each person who enters the contest by posting a pet trick photo, receives a $5 Fetching Tags gift certificate – enter as many pets/times as you wish, but only one $5 certificate per household.

2. If Hazel &/or Gladys can’t do your trick(s), or can’t be captured in a photo doing your trick, you get a $10 Fetching Tags gift certificate.

3.  Grand Prize winner,  for best trick that can’t be done by H/G, wins $80 certificate, runner up wins $40 certificate – to be determined by an independent judge.

The fine print:  Hazel & Gladys reserve the right to cheat, substitute props, and/or call on their cat, Preacher, or any other herd or flock members as trick stunt doubles.