A Few Of My Favorite Things

 Hi everyone, and thanks for joining me for this episode of Val Talks Pets. On this episode, I was thinking I would share with you a few of my favorite things. These are a few things that I think have made caring for my fur babies run a bit smoother. So here we go. These are a few of my favorite things.

The Litter Locker: A Game Changer for Cat Owners

One item I have that helps with dealing with the kitty litter is a Litter Locker. A Litter Locker is kind of like a Diaper Genie that allows you to scoop your litter into a canister and lock it away. I have the actual brand Litter Locker, but there is also the Litter Genie and other generic brands that do somewhat the same thing.

The canister has a cartridge that goes in the top, which houses basically a long sleeve of plastic. Once you learn how to set up the system, you scoop the litter and open the top, put the used litter in and pull a drawer-type handle, and the litter falls into the sleeve. That is in the canister. When you want to dispose of the litter, you lift up the top and there’s a cutter within the canister, and you slice off the sleeve above the used litter.

Take that away, tie the bottom of the sleeve and start over. I know it sounds rather complicated, but once you do it, it’s quite straightforward. Why do I like my Litter Locker? Well, it keeps everything in one place, and it really contains odor. I have tried other containers for used litter, but rather unsuccessfully.

You know, those plastic sleeves, they put newspapers in? I’ve tried those. The width of those bags are not quite the width of a normal litter scoop, and I found I missed the bag more than I got litter into it. As for plastic bags, period, where I live, there is a ban on plastic bags, so you don’t get any when you go shopping.

So those are going by the way of the dodo. Bags that are compostable, that you put in the compost bin, are an option. However, for me, I would be wasting perfectly good compost bags going to garbage because we cannot put kitty litter in the green bins. Last option would be to just use dog poop bags. Now we use this method with our work cat, it just seems silly to have a bunch of poop bags full of cat litter hanging around until garbage day.

So for me, it’s the Litter Locker. It keeps everything tidy, easy to dispose all at once, and odor is locked down.

Nite Ize Light-Up Collar: Keeping Your Dog Visible

My next favorite item is Tundra’s Light Up. Disco color. A company by the name of Nite Izes has a few different products to allow your dog to be visible in the dark. They have a medallion that lights up that is attached to your dog’s collar, or a collar that you just push over their head. This is the one I like.

So this collar is a special tube of plastic where both ends are pushed into a plastic receptacle. The receptacle has a light in it, and the on button is on the outside to turn on the light. When you turn on the light, the tube lights up in brilliant color, and believe me, it can be seen from quite a distance.

I have the disco one, which means you can set the color to red, blue, or green statically, or you can have it cycle through the colors. The best part about this collar is that it is USB charged, no batteries. Tundra can walk up into our forest, foraging around in the dark, and we can see him no problem. The only small drawback, and it certainly may be only to a few dogs, is that Tundra likes to roll around like a crazy boy in the snow, and the tube has become dislodged from the receptacle.

He will come in minus his collar and I have to trudge out in the snow to find a bright red circle lying on top of the snow. So I make sure I give the tube a good push into the receptacle before putting it on him to go out, and that seems to really help.

So Nite Ize Light Up Collar, love it. Super visible and USB chargeable.

Doggy Bathrobe: A Surprising Success

My next item was one that originally was met with a bit of skepticism, not so much on my part, but hubby thought it was a bit ridiculous, but changed his tune. We give Tundra a shower in our driveway in the summer. We can hook up the hose to the laundry tub to get warm water, and this way he doesn’t feel claustrophobic in a tub.

We have taken him to a self-dog wash, and he was not a fan, so the driveway it is. After his shower, I towel dry him, and I have tried using the hair dryer on him, on a cool setting, to try and get him dryer. He tolerates it, but to be honest, it doesn’t really do much. Being part husky, his fur is dense, especially around his neck, and it just takes forever to dry.

So I thought he could benefit from a bathrobe. I had seen other big dogs wearing them. Good boy, Ali and Tatto always have videos of them leaving the dog wash, wearing their bathrobes. So I thought, Hey, this might be the ticket. I found a microfiber bathrobe online that came in extra large that was only $20, so I figured not much of an investment if it doesn’t work.

It basically pushes over the dog’s head and has a belly band to hold in place. Anyway, we gave Tundra his driveway shower. I towel dried him as best I could, let him shake and then put him in his robe. He wasn’t quite sure at first, but he went upstairs to his bed and hung out there with his stuffies for moral support.

About an hour later, I took the robe off to see how things had fared, and I couldn’t believe it. This dog was almost completely dry. The robe, however, was quite wet and full of fur. But the outcome was amazing and I took the robe outside and gave it a good shake a few times, and the fur fell out. I hung it on the line and let it dry.

This is when hubby said he thought my idea was a bit suspect originally, but wow, it actually worked.

So doggy bathrobe. Yes. Love it. Need an expensive one. Nope.

Elevated Feeders: Comfort for Dogs and Cats

Now my last item that I really like is actually something for both the dog and the cat. Tundra is a big dog, so when we got him, I invested in a raised diner or what is also known as an elevated feeder.

I found a wrought iron diner that was being discontinued, so I grabbed it for a good price, but it wasn’t cheap. It has two bowls that came with it that are rimmed with rubber underneath, so they don’t move around when he’s drinking or eating. I really think that raised diners are very beneficial for large dogs.

According to sandlabradors.co.uk, raised dog bowls make the process of drinking water easier. As the water flows easier down the esophagus, it also puts less strain on their neck, and if they’re old or suffer from any physical conditions, it can reduce the pressure on joints and bones.

Tundra’s Diner stands one foot high. He seems to be able to stand nice and straight while he eats without bending down, and I think it makes eating for him a lot more comfortable than having to bend down.

As for Rory, cats eat a bit differently. Often he will hunker down to eat and sometimes stand. For him, I have a slanted cat bowl that has ridges.

The tilted bowl also can help with strain and avoid spine issues or discomfort. Some people have noticed a reduction in their cat vomiting once they began feeding them with a tilted bowl. Digestion is definitely aided with this bowl.

Special eating bowls for the dog and cat? Yes! Digestion friendly.

Conclusion: Share Your Favorite Pet Products

So there you have it.

These are just a few of my favorite things. I would love to hear from you what you have for your pets. That is one of your favorite things. There are tons of products out there. So, what have you found that has made caring for your pets a little easier? Let’s share because, as I say. Knowing is caring.

Please Note…These are actual products that I have bought and use. I am not sponsored by any manufacturers or retailers.

Tagged as: dog accessories,  Night Eyes Light-Up Collar,  Litter Locker,  elevated pet feeders,  pet tips,  pet care,  doggy bathrobe,  cat litter solutions.