Doctor Recommended: Elevated Dog Bowls

How would you like to have to eat hunched over a bowl? Or how about trying to get a drink of water all hunched over? If your pet doesn't eat out of an elevated bowl, that is what your pup (or cat) is doing everyday. Not only is it uncomfortable to do, but it is also harder on the digestive system. By using a raised/elevated feeder, which is designed to provide food and water at the correct height, you can help prevent and alleviate any problems. That is why Merlin's Bark Products has its own line of elevated dog bowl feeders and also elevated cat bowl feeders.


Veterinarians actually recommend raised bowl feeders for dogs and cats since they help alleviate problems the pets might have with arthritis, neck and back problems, and also with digestion problems like megaesophagus and other conditions that make swallowing painful and difficult. Since elevated feeders are sit up higher, everything goes down the throat a little easier.

Elevated bowls also help keep pets eating areas cleaner. They help keep the food and water in the bowls and not dribbling all over the floor. Have you ever noticed pups "dripping" water all over the floor whenever they lift up their head up after taking a drink? Using an elevated bowl can helped stop the "lake" from forming around a pup's water bowl when they are getting a drink. A lot of pets like to play with their food and water dishes too and having raised bowls stop pets from doing that.

Elevated dishes don't just benefit members of the animal kingdom, they also benefit pet owners since they no longer have to bend over as far to pick up their pet's food and water dishes. Sounds like a win/win situation to me!

I'll be barking to you later!

The Biden Puppy!

Did you hear the exciting news? Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be moving to Washington D.C. with a German Shepherd puppy! Check out this CNN news story about the lucky little puppy:


Biden beats Obama in puppy race

(CNN) – While the country is fixated on what kind of dog President-elect Barack Obama’s family will get when they move into the White House, his Vice President-elect Joe Biden quietly picked out a puppy of his own last week.

Biden’s wife, Jill, promised the future VP a dog if he and Obama got elected. Biden found the as-yet-unnamed pup, a three-month old male German Shepherd, in a breeder’s kennel in southeastern Pennsylvania, the area’s Daily Local News reports.

Biden revealed his wife’s pledge on Election Day, telling reporters flying with him to Chicago that she had first promised him a dog if he was elected president, and when his primary bid failed, if he was elected vice president. Mrs. Biden even taped pictures of dogs on the seatback in front of Biden on the plane, according to the report.

“I’ve always had a big dog my whole life, even the time I was a kid. I’ve had German Shepherds and Great Danes and Labs and Golden Retrievers,” Biden said on November 4. “So with Barack inquiring about would I be willing to get vetted, Jill said, ‘I’ll make you a deal: if you get the vice presidency and get elected, you can get a dog.’

“I know what kind I want, I don’t know what kind I’m going to get yet,” he added before reiterating that the ticket hadn’t won yet.

Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander said the vice president-elect had owned three German shepherds in his life, “so he’s familiar with the breed and its personality.”

“He’s excited to bring it home when it gets a little older and has promised that his grandchildren can name it after the New Year,” Alexander said.

Biden was reportedly accompanied to breeder Linda Brown’s kennel by New Castle County Police K-9 coordinator Mark Tobin, who will train the puppy for the next six weeks before delivering it to the Bidens when they move into the vice presidential residence in January.
Brown told Delaware’s News Journal that the puppy is “the pick of the litter.”

Tobin added, “He’s well-tempered, people-friendly and social…It’s just a happy-go-lucky puppy.”

Elevated Bowls for X-mas!

It is time to get your orders in for Merlin's Bark Products' elevated dog bowls, cat bowls, or any of our other great handmade pet products if you wish to have them under your tree in time for Christmas. If you are interested in doing a custom order make sure you get your order in by this Friday (December 12th) so we can start production and ship it out to you in time for the holidays.

3-Inch High Elevated Cat Bowl

6" High Elevated Dog Bowl

Items are going fast, so make sure you get your orders in soon. I'll be barking to you later!

The Magic Sleigh!

I am so excited about my Christmas tree this year! Thanks to The Magic Sleigh the tree is full of beautiful corgis! The Magic Sleigh sells the most wonderful handmade porcelain dogs, cat, angels, unicorns, and other fantasy figurine ornaments and sculptures.

Here are a couple of the awesome corgi ornaments that are proudly hanging on my tree this year:





Not only does The Magic Sleigh make the most wonderful corgis in the world. But her store is also full of other wonderful pet ornaments too - but for obvious reasons I find that the corgi ornaments are my favorites.

So check out The Magic Sleigh and find the perfect ornament for your tree too.

I'll be barking to you later!

Gingerbread Dog Treats Recipe!

Recently, one of Merlin's Bark Products workers whipped up a couple batches of doggy cookies for a charity event. The cookies are totally irresistible and I felt that it was my doggy duty to share this delicious recipe with everyone so other pups can enjoy the cookies too.

Gingerbread Dog Treats
Ingredients:
1 cup molasses
4 tablespoons honey
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
6 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger or one tsp. of dried powder ginger

Directions:
Combine the molasses, honey, water, and oil in a medium bowl. In another large bowl mix the flour, the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Combine well. Divide this dough in four sections and roll each piece into a ball, wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 – 5 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll dough out into 1/4 “ thickness. Cut dough with a cookie cutter into gingerbread men or other fun shapes. Bake 10 – 15 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges and firm.


Carob Frosting
Ingredients:
Carob chips
Vegetable/Canola oil.

Put about 1/4 (or less) of a cup of carob chips in a small cup/bowl. Drizzle a little of the oil on top (just a tad) and mix it to make sure all of the chips are lightly coated with the oil. Microwave for around 30-45 seconds. Stir the chips and it should form a frosting like paste. If the chips are not melted enough you might want to microwave it again for a couple of seconds. Carob chips will burn if you overcook them. After the chips are in a frosting like state you can just frost the cookies.

I'll be barking to you later!

MBP's 4-Day Gobble Gobble Sale!

As the CEO of Merlin's Bark Products I am pleased to announce that I have taken an additional 10% off the original purchase price of all of my in stock items from November 28th thru December 1st! That means all of our:

elevated dog bowls,

elevated cat bowls,

pet toy boxes,

and birdhouses, bird feeders, and squirrel feeders can now be purchased for 10% less. Sounds like a great deal to me!

I'll be barking to you later!

Yappy Happy Pups for the Holidays!

Recently, I blogged that I would be barking about some of my top Etsy gift recommendations for pets, pet lovers, and pet owners for this holiday season. The first item I would like to bark about is this custom made indoor doghouse from YappyHappy


Made for the smaller pup (up to 15lbs), this doghouse can even be ordered with a battery operated chandelier ready to switch on and off. Talk about living the pampered life!

Don't think you have time to get a custom order done and under the tree by the holidays? Never fear, YappyHappy has a mini Starbarks house for your small yapper ready to go out the door upon order!



While I might be a tad over the weight limit for either one of these houses, I think they would make the perfect gift for some lucky pup this holiday season. YappyHappy also has custom dog tags, pet mats, and other cool items available too - so take a couple minutes and check out their shop. You might just find that "must have" gift item for this holiday season.

Well, I need to get back to planning Merlin's Bark Products 1st after Thanksgiving Day sale. I'll be barking to you later!