My husband had been shooting ideas to me about wanting a German Shepherd for a couple of months prior to Bones living with us. I kept telling him "No, they are too big" and "Our house is too small for a big dog right now." I had hoped that this would be some motivation to work towards getting a bigger house, maybe something out in the country. When the idea of Bones coming to stay with us came up, I figured it would he the perfect opportunity for him to see just how small our house was for a big dog.  He took a little getting used to, a few of us got knocked down, cups swiped off the coffee table by a tail, food at nose level on the counter stolen, and the trash has been raided several times. All of these issues weren't even on our radar because Koda was so short and so little, but Bones, has brought EVERY possible thing to light that a BIG dog could.

After a few months, Bones' owner asked us if there was any way we would be able to keep him. My husband and I decided that there was absolutely no way that we could tell him no. My plan had BACKFIRED! Everyone in my house, including me fell in love with the BIG dog. He has his own fluffy Doggie Bed that he lays on at night, he's been Vet checked, new food to help him gain more weight, new toys, and a whole BIG family that adores him. 

 

Koda aka Your Majesty Kodalicious is my AKC Registered Male "Black" Toy Poodle, although with age he is sprouting some grey in his top knot and around his mouth. He was born in March 2018 and I was able to pick him up and bring him home in June that same year. I almost didn't make it to Ohio to pick him up as one of my tires blew on the way there. A kind man stopped when he saw me on the side of the road and changed the tire for me so I could make it to a tire repair shop. I called and let the breeder know I would be late but was still determined to make it after a new tire was put on my vehicle. Thankfully, we (ALL THREE KIDS AND I) made it safely and uneventfully there and back after our tire fiasco. 

 I used to joke that I should have named him Tax Refund, because I was able to purchase him with part of my refund that year. He is still intact and I am ever so hopeful that one day I can find a Female Phantom Toy Poodle to be his mate. Probably pipe dreams, but never the less a dream. Koda isn't my first Toy Poodle, I had another Black Toy Poodle years ago in my twenties. His name was Razi and the reason I fell in love with Toy Poodles. Sadly one day I let him out to potty and he never came back to the door. I want to assume maybe someone saw this pretty poodle by the road and scooped him up, however my worst fear was that either a hawk, owl, or coyote snatched him up. 

Home just doesn't feel like home without a Toy Poodle around now. 

Koda came to me at a time in my life where I was learning to be on my own, where I was truly lonely and trying to find my way. He was the perfect little companion and has continued to be just that every day since he arrived home. Because I was in an emotional state when I brought him home, especially the next few months afterwards, he naturally seemed to pick up on the role of a comforter. Believe it or not he can sense if someone is upset, whether its anger, anxiety, or depression and is drawn to that person and wants to be there for them. I didn't realize he was like this until my husband and his daughter moved in. He knows he is MY dog, but he is perfectly happy sharing his comforting skills with whomever needs him the most at any given time. And for that, I am SO thankful. He has definitely outdone any expectations I had of him.

For a "little dog" he isn't too yappy, snappy, annoying or mean. Little dogs tend to get a bad wrap, but he is pretty chill and friendly with both humans and other dogs for the most part. He does tend to be a pickier eater and it has been a real struggle finding a food and treats that he really likes. He doesn't know many tricks, but will sit when asked. He LOVES balls and will fetch and bring back a ball, but once he is tired, he is done and the ball means nothing to him any longer. He loves to sleep on fluffy things and prefers to sleep in bed with me whenever possible.

I tend to take a lot of photos with Koda, as you will notice on my instagram account. He is the perfect little model and seems to love to have his photo taken. Dog brands seem to admire him as well and I was contacted by Buddy Bandana a while back to have us try our their products. Koda loves his bandana, this is the first one he hasn't tried to chew off. The photo above displays our matching bandana and scrunchie from @officialbuddybandana!  To get your very own matching pet bandana and scrunchie or headband visit http://www.thebuddybandana.com and enter discount code Newcomer to get 40% off and free US shipping!

I hope you have enjoyed learning about my little guy and have a great day dear followers!

If you have read through my blog or even made it over to my instagram account, you have noticed I'm a little bit of an animal lover. Okay, maybe little is an understatement. Currently, our pet family includes a Toy Poodle (Koda), a German Shepherd (Bones), a Chicken (Survivor), a Duck (Samuel L. Quackson), a Beta Fish (Winston #2), a Syrian Hamster (Pocahontas), and 9 Degus (Ruby, Rita, Rosemary, Patron, Pyrite, Pepper, Phantom, Pascal, and Pharaoh). 

I am currently waiting on mail for our dogs and degus. (I know, I know FAQ, What is a Degu? ) Our dogs, Koda and Bones were asked to be brand ambassadors for Pack Leashes and I am SO excited to get their new collars in the mail! Maybe it's cheesy, maybe it's not, but I couldn't help but get them matching Bow Tie Collars and a Lead with Carabiner. I'm going to keep it our color/pattern selections hush hush until the box comes in! 

While I'm waiting to unPack our new goods, you can jump on over to Pack Leashes and scope out all the cute accessories that they have available for the furball in your life! AND before you get sticker shock, if you choose to make a purchase use our special discount code RURALPUP20 to get 20% OFF your order! Supporting a company like Pack Leashes is a no brainer for us! Pack Leashes is a great company that provides quality products with a 30 days money back guarantee, no questions asked! They ALSO donate 2 MEALS for hungry shelter animals for every order! 

Come back soon dear followers, as we reveal our Pack products!

You will notice I don't have a Freebie Friday up today, which I will go into more detail about later. Instead I have a Review and GIVEAWAY!

So, I was at the lake with my Women's Group from church, several weeks ago and we took a long walk one morning. As we were walking we came up on a man walking a little dog. As the dog turned around there was an instant "AWWWW" effect that came from all the women. Not only was he a cute little dog, but that cute little dog was wearing sunglasses, Doggles to be exact.


"Doggles ILS are the first and only protective eyewear designed just for dogs!  They are actually goggles for dogs, hence foreign objects, wind, and UV light. They are modeled after sports goggles.  They currently have 2 styles of Doggles, fitting dogs 3 pounds  to 250 pounds.  All models have flexible, snug-fitting frames, which have foam padding against the face; polycarbonate (shatterproof) and anti-fog lenses; and adjustable elastic head and chin straps to keep the Doggles securely on the dog. Doggles ILS feature patented wide nose bridge, deep lens cup, interchangeable lenses.
Dogs have a much wider nose bridge than humans, along with protruding eyes.  You need a goggle
designed specifically to fit a dog's unique face structure.People use them for various reasons; everything from medical conditions like Pannus, to keeping them safe while riding in a car, truck, motorcycle, ATV and even boats! They are vet recommended/approved and even used by military dogs! " - as stated from www.doggles.com  
 
After seeing Doggles on the little dog at the lake, I just HAD to find out if Doggles would work on our 75 pound Standard Poodle!  Doggles was kind enough to send me a pair to try out on our Poodle. We chose the Large Doggles ILS with a Shiny Red Frame and Smoke Lens.

After I adjusted the straps correctly, the Doggles fit him snugly and he was able to run around the yard and play as normal. He thought they were a little funny at first but once he realized they weren't coming off and he could still see, he was fine and went on with his normal business or running and playing.

Since the Large size is supposed to fit dogs from 50 pounds to 100 pounds I decided to put them to the test by sending them to work with our local Animal Control Officer and here is what the staff had to say!

"Kelsey! --- The doggles were a HIT! Not a single one of these guys even offered to take them off. They appeared to be very comfortable for the animals, and stayed on pretty well (for those whom it fit well! Lol) Very good product! (I’d pay $20 for them!!!) Thanks for letting us test them out for you!!!"

Check out the Doggles ILS on several of the Shelter Dogs! 


Blaize is an approximate 30-40 (current), 5 month old Lab/mix, male. Blaize enjoyed wearing the Doggles! He is working on leash training, but LOVES to be with people! He is just a very LARGE house dog! LOVES KIDS!!

Jersey is a Shepherd/Greyhound mix about 11 months. He is an approximately 50-60 pound Male. Jersey is a very sweet and docile boy. Still not 100% comfortable with walking on lead, but had a blast getting his photo shoot done! Quiet and well behaved. Good with kids, would do better with children over 5. (hyper)

Lacey is a Collie/Mix. She is an approximately 30-40 pound Female that is about 11 months. Lacey is a very well behaved and happy girl. LOVES to play and LOVES attention even more! Not your typical “working” collie, but would make a phenomenal family companion! LOVES KIDS!!!

Marco is a 3 year old Shepherd/mix Male. Marco amazed us when we took his photos! Very calm, quiet, gentle, loving, and obedient. Has great focus with handler, listens very well. Would make an amazing family pet, better in a home with kids over 10. (timid)

Okay so this is sort of a TRIPLE Review! I happen to be talking to a friend on Facebook and told her I was reviewing a pair of Doggles. I was in shock to learn that she uses Doggles for her dog, who knew! Here is what my friend Katie has to say about Doggles:

"Pictured here is Sir Francis Bacon in his Doggles ILS with metallic black frame and smoke lens. When driving, Beykee doesn't believe in the air conditioner. He feels that the windows should always be down and his head should be out. If I don't roll down the window for him, he whines and then resorts to licking the window until I cave and he gets the wind in his hair. I frequently take him on long trips, with most of the time spent on the highway at fast speeds. I worry about things hitting him. 
 I heard about the Doggles from a friend and decided to try them out. I feel much more comfortable letting him have his head out the window when he has these on, as they protect his eyes from dirt and bugs that might hit him. The only problem I have is that he has a pretty powerful shake, so he if shakes his head, the Doggles do come off his eyes and end up hanging around his neck, but that is an easy fix! Overall, I would give these 5 stars as they allow my dog to be happy while reassuring me that he is as safe as possible under the circumstances!"

Overall, as you can tell we were ALL impressed with Doggles! I think it is a great way to keep Man's Best Friend's eye safe! Check out the specs on Doggles and find out how YOU can get a pair for your dog!


Click here to see what My Rating means! 
Cost: Doggles ILS $19.90 per or the less active dog K9 Optics Sunglasses are $12.99   
Where to Buy: Online at Doggles.com
 
Like Doggles on Facebook! They have a monthly photo contest where readers can win any Doggles product of their choice! Instructions are posted on their website, here.



Do you think Doggles are the way to go for your Dog? How about winning a pair? Submit your information in the Rafflecopter form below for YOUR chance to win a pair of Doggles ILS!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Have a wonderful day dear follower and please remember to spay and neuter your pets!


 



Disclosure: Doggles provided me with a free pair of Doggles ILS to review for this giveaway. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions, except those comments identified as coming from another person, are my own based on my experience with the product. I, nor, Doggles makes any guarantees.