Petstages announces…CRUNCHCORE

Petstages proudly announces the launch of CRUNCHCORE™ chew toys. This patented design provides a crunchy layer that surrounds a durable core. For hours of crunchy fun, CRUNCHCORE™ toys are the perfect solution for dogs that love crunching water bottles but become frustrated and lose interest when they collapse after chew.

• Crunch sound that dogs love
• Durable inner core keeps shape
• Great for dogs that love to chew
• Available in four sizes

Thank you, Petco! Petstages is pleased to be recognized as Petco’s Innovation Partner of the Year.

At the 2012 Petco Partner Summit Vendor Awards Ceremony held November 8th in San Diego, Petstages was awarded “Innovation Partner of the Year” by Petco. Petstages will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2013 and strives to bring creative solutions to the marketplace. “Firsts” from Petstages include toys developed for specific stages of life, TPE, mini breed toys, catnip infused, stuffing free, nighttime for cat and, most recently, DOGWOOD Durable Sticks. Petstages is honored to receive this special recognition from Petco and looks forward to continued launches of unique solutions for the pet industry.

Rules for Good Tug

When played by the rules, Tug of War can be a fun and natural outlet for energy and provide great exercise for your dog. Use the following guidelines when playing tug with your pet:

• Never play tug with a dog that shows any aggression
• Use only one toy for Tug of War and keep it out of reach from your dog unless you are playing with him. This will help to prevent your dog from becoming possessive of the tug toy.
• The owner must always initiate the game of tug
• Teach your dog to release the toy on command by using command such as “drop it” or “give”, then give a treat reward to reinforce the release behavior
• Failing to release the toy stops the game. Do not chase your dog for the toy. Ignore the dog, and do not play tug again until some time has passed, and you can once again initiate a new game of tug.
• Enforce the rule that your dog or puppy’s mouth must stay on his side of the tug. Any contact between his mouth and your hand should end the game.
• Do not lift your dog off the ground or dangle him using the tug. This can result in injury.
• Children who can not enforce these rules should NOT play tug with a dog at any time, and all children should be supervised at all times when playing tug with a dog

The Trip to Arizona

Greetings, Green Magic Mightie Mouse & Mr. Big Squeak Gator Followers!

We recently returned from a trip to the Ol’ Wild West and we wanted to share -  A few months back, we decided to take a trip out to Arizona.  We went from being pampered at the Scottsdale Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch, to the Grand Canyon for some sightseeing, and off to Sedona for more breathtaking views – and got stuck in a pack of prickly pears! (We wish it were the other way around!)

There are so many places to visit out there, so we’ll skip right to the pictures!

Ahh, beautiful Scottsdale! What a fine day!	We met a couple of characters in Old Town
Another Character we met in Old Town	We made it to the Hyatt Resort & Spa – Gainey Ranch for some R&R
We were pampered by the pool!	There was a beautiful rock display at the Hyatt, we decided to bask in its beauty!
We met a new friend named Fletcher!	He loved carrying me around and making me squeak!
He almost kidnapped me, but I told him we had a lot more siteseeing to do!	We stopped by the Montezuma Castle Monument on the way to…..
THE GRAND CANYON!!
I then chipped my tooth with excitement!
Mightie Mouse and I, dangling our tails off the edge of the rocks. The thrill sure felt intense!!	We both fell into a spikey plant. That hurt, but not as much as what happened later in the week…
Later that week, we made a trip up to Sedona, this is some beautiful country!Miss Mightie Mouse and I were balancing atop a Cacti!
Every single of one of those prickly pokes hurt! But guess what,my Squeak Chamber still squeaks!
Our last pit stop in Sedona, near the Pink Jeep Tours.We almost went on one!

Freezing Pet Toys?!

I’m learning so much in my new role as a puppy parent! I recently adopted a 12-wk old pointer mix from the Animal House Shelter in Huntley, IL.  We adopted our cat, Zuri from them a couple of years ago and we know that they’re a great, well run organization.  Here he is:

Our new puppy, Chief!

I knew that I had a lot to learn about raising a puppy and the whole family was excited to jump in and do their part!  I knew that housebreaking was going to be a challenge, but I was sure surprised by his unbridled energy!

As he ran around the house chasing the boys, the cat and everything else that moved I couldn’t believe that he would pick up and chew any and everything that he could get his mouth around.  At one point, I found one of the larger cat toys with some small spots of blood.  I was worried that he had cut his mouth somehow, but then realized that he was just teething.  There are a lot of great articles on the web about puppy teething, but I knew then what I needed to do.  I was off to find the best way to comfort the swollen gums of a chewing puppy that was finishing up his teething.

Petstages to the rescue!  Petstages makes a couple of great products to address the teething issues of puppies and keep older dogs cool during the summer.  I chose the two toys shown here:

Petstages Cool Teething Stick

Petstages Cool Teether

I took both toys off the card and had to give them up quickly to get checked out and carried around for a while.  After he moved on, I picked them up and decided to try freezing them.  I’m not sure that I knew exactly what to expect, but I thought that the toys would hold more water.  I guess that a block of ice is not exactly what we’re shooting for here.  When I removed the toys from the freezer a couple of hours later, it was so neat to see that they were cold, but not rock hard.  Boy, the dog just loved them!  He immediately carried the toys to his spot by the door and worked on them until they were back to room temperature.  I’m no doggie mind reader, but it certainly looked like it was very soothing to have the cold toy in his sore mouth.

Kudos to Petstages for coming up with a product with a purpose – to help a teething puppy!  I can’t wait to take these outside and try them out this summer!

All About Zuri!

Zuri joined our family about 4 years ago.  We ventured over to the Animal House Shelter in Huntley to pick out a cat to bring into our home.  The whole family made the trip.  We went into the cat room and sat down to see which cats would like to play.  Right away Zuri came over to be pet.  She was so sociable.  She curled up in our laps right away and helped to make our decision very easy.

Zuri has a pretty good life for a cat.  The vet says that, “she eats to live, she doesn’t live to eat,” so Zuri stays petite at 7lbs.  She sleeps most of the day, but is always interested in knowing what everybody is up to.  She will usually follow you in to a room and then find a place to curl up and snooze while you go about your day.  Her favorite resting places are a particular chair in the dining room and  a recently installed window perch that allows her to soak up the sun and nap during the afternoon.

We had a new addition in November last year that definitely changed Zuri’s quiet world.  We adopted a puppy and ended up with a great big ball of energy constantly running around the house. (not that the kids are particularly quiet).  Chief, the puppy, and Zuri are not what I would call friends.  She is easily able to outrun him, so sometimes I do think that they’re kind of playing, but they haven’t had any high-five moments at the end!  Let’s just say that they tolerate each other.  Zuri always appears after Chief is put in his crate for the night, so she knows when she can peacefully nap some more.

When it comes to toys, Zuri’s favorite pastime is knocking things off of tables or counters.  Any toy that rolls is great fun.  She loves her Wiggle Worm, and the new Run and Roll really gets her excited as she tries to figure out which way to go next!

Energizing Toys for Cats

Stay tuned later this week for more details about our Product of the Week & giveaway!

Because cats often find themselves at home alone, they may become bored and inactive, needing help to find appropriate entertainment to stay energized.  Toys that stimulate the senses will awaken her curiosity and prompt her into activity, reducing boredom and inappropriate behaviors.

Catnip, sound and motion can all draw and keep kitty’s attention.  Petstages’ Energizing Toys excite the senses of scent, sight, and hearing to arouse and keep your cat’s interest!

One of our favorite energizing toys, (with added dental health benefits, too!) is our ORKAKat Wiggle Worm:

The ORKAKat Wiggle Worm is uniquely infused with real catnip to attract and keep kitty’s interest.  Its textured surface helps promote dental health as the bumps in the toy massage gums while kitty chews, and the floppy shape adds movement and is fun to carry.  The ORKAKat Wiggle Worm material is durable, and non-toxic allowing for fun, energizing play!

ORKAKat Wiggle Worm

Another fun set of toys we’ve recently released are our new Earth-Friendly Catnip Felt Mice and Catnip Felt Friend.  Both are made of recycled felt, and contain catnip inside to attract kitty and entice her to play!   The Catnip Felt friend is the perfect size to hug, kick and wrestle, with a loud crinkle sound inside to keep kitty interested!

Catnip Felt Mice

Catnip Felt Friend