For years I thought a shedding dog just meant a house full of hair. Then my neighbor handed me a brush I almost didn't try.
A grandmother's real six-month test of a double-sided deshedding rake on Duke, my nine-year-old golden retriever with a heavy double coat and some stiffness in his hips.
Two tools, one goal: less hair on the couch. Here is what I found after running both through a full shedding season with my Golden Retriever, Duke, and my shorthaired cat, Patches.
A weekly deshedding brush session means less dog hair on the couch, the carpet, and my grandkids' clothes. Here is what actually changed once I started using one.
For years I thought a shedding dog just meant a house full of hair. Then my neighbor handed me a brush I almost didn't try.
A simple, honest routine for using a deshedding brush so hair stops piling up on your couch, your black pants, and your grandkids' socks.
A candid look at what this deshedding brush is really like on a nine-year-old golden retriever's thinning coat, plus why it never worked out for my cat.
A grandmother's real months-long test of a slow feeder dog bowl on a nine-year-old Golden Retriever who used to empty a full bowl of kibble in under a minute.
Two different ways to slow a dog down at mealtime. Here is what actually happened when I put the Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl up against a Nina Ottosson puzzle feeder with Duke, my nine-year-old Golden Retriever who eats like the bowl might be taken away any second.
If your dog treats mealtime like a race against the clock, here is why a simple slow feeder bowl made such a difference for Duke, and might for yours too.
Duke could empty a full bowl of kibble in under a minute, and half of it came right back up on my kitchen floor. Here's what finally changed that.
A step-by-step routine for introducing a slow feeder bowl so your dog eats calmer, slower, and with a lot less mess on the kitchen floor.
Not everything about this slow feeder bowl made the highlight reel. Here's what nobody mentions before you buy the Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl, from the kibble on my floor to the smell in the grooves.
A grandmother's real year-long test of the Bedsure orthopedic dog bed with Duke, my nine-year-old Golden Retriever, including how the cover holds up to washing and what changed in his mornings.
Two beds, one stiff-mornings Golden Retriever. Here is what changed, and what didn't, when I put the Bedsure orthopedic bed up against Duke's old cushioned bed.
Duke is nine now, and the mornings used to be the hardest part of his day. Here is what changed once we switched him to a proper orthopedic bed.
A personal story about watching an aging dog struggle to get comfortable, and the bed swap that made a real difference.
Five simple steps to set up a supportive resting spot for a stiff, aging dog, and what your vet should look at first.
The stuff nobody mentioned in the glowing five-star reviews, from the new-bed smell to the sizing chart that doesn't tell the whole story, after months of this Bedsure bed living in our house with Duke and Patches.
A grandmother's real several-month test of the Rocco & Roxie enzyme stain and odor remover, tested on actual accidents from Duke, my nine-year-old Golden Retriever, and Patches, my orange tabby.
My grandmother used vinegar and water on every pet mess for as long as I can remember. Here is what changed when I put the Rocco & Roxie enzyme cleaner up against it in my own house.
After a year of real accidents from an aging dog and a strong-willed cat, here is why an enzyme cleaner earned a permanent spot under my kitchen sink.
A personal story about a stubborn old urine smell in the carpet that nothing seemed to fix, until this enzyme cleaner did.
A step-by-step method for finding, saturating, and actually breaking down old, set-in pet urine, not just covering it up for an afternoon.
Nobody hands you the fine print when they recommend an enzyme cleaner. Here's what I had to learn the hard way with the Rocco & Roxie spray, my stiff-hipped Golden Retriever Duke, and a curious tabby named Patches.
A grandmother's real months-long test of the EHEYCIGA five-step dog stairs with Duke, my nine-year-old Golden Retriever, including whether stairs built with smaller dogs in mind could actually hold up under a seventy pound senior.
Duke can still climb, so the stairs won our bedroom. Here is the honest, room-by-room case for when a ramp is actually the smarter buy.
Duke is nine now, and the leap onto our bed stopped looking easy a while back. Here is what changed once we added a set of dog stairs to his corner of the bedroom.
A quiet Tuesday night, one bad jump, and the small change that gave Duke his spot back.
A patient, step-by-step way to teach an older dog to trust a set of dog stairs, so climbing onto the bed stops being a leap of faith and starts being just another part of his evening.
No sugar coating. Here's what the box doesn't tell you about assembly, the weight limit, and whether a nine-year-old Golden Retriever can actually use stairs built for small dogs.
A grandmother's real six-month test of a double-sided deshedding rake on Duke, my nine-year-old golden retriever with a heavy double coat and some stiffness in his hips.
A candid look at what this deshedding brush is really like on a nine-year-old golden retriever's thinning coat, plus why it never worked out for my cat.
A grandmother's real months-long test of a slow feeder dog bowl on a nine-year-old Golden Retriever who used to empty a full bowl of kibble in under a minute.
Not everything about this slow feeder bowl made the highlight reel. Here's what nobody mentions before you buy the Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl, from the kibble on my floor to the smell in the grooves.
A grandmother's real year-long test of the Bedsure orthopedic dog bed with Duke, my nine-year-old Golden Retriever, including how the cover holds up to washing and what changed in his mornings.
The stuff nobody mentioned in the glowing five-star reviews, from the new-bed smell to the sizing chart that doesn't tell the whole story, after months of this Bedsure bed living in our house with Duke and Patches.
A grandmother's real several-month test of the Rocco & Roxie enzyme stain and odor remover, tested on actual accidents from Duke, my nine-year-old Golden Retriever, and Patches, my orange tabby.
Nobody hands you the fine print when they recommend an enzyme cleaner. Here's what I had to learn the hard way with the Rocco & Roxie spray, my stiff-hipped Golden Retriever Duke, and a curious tabby named Patches.
A grandmother's real months-long test of the EHEYCIGA five-step dog stairs with Duke, my nine-year-old Golden Retriever, including whether stairs built with smaller dogs in mind could actually hold up under a seventy pound senior.
No sugar coating. Here's what the box doesn't tell you about assembly, the weight limit, and whether a nine-year-old Golden Retriever can actually use stairs built for small dogs.
