Our Furry Valentines

Here are some of our favorite pictures that came along with the "Your Furry Valentine" submissions. It's definitely not hard to see why these bundles of love (and fur) are so adored!

Click on image to enlarge

barker & meowsky staffer falls in love

I have never considered myself a dog person. Dog’s always struck me as needy – always jumping all over you, licking every inch of bare skin, etc. But for years I’ve often said that if I were ever going to get a dog, it would be a long-haired Chihuahua (my good friend having one that was sweet natured and very quiet).

After living in Chicago for 2 years my career was going swimmingly and I had an apartment that I loved. In late December of 2006 I decided that the New Year was THE year that I was going to adopt a little bundle of joy.

After all of the holiday craziness was over I began browsing the websites of various rescue organizations throughout Chicagoland. My only stipulation is that I wanted a smaller dog, my apartment being less that palatial.

One day, I was browsing through www.pawschicago.org and saw a picture that caught my eye. This one:

"Mollie" in 2007

I showed everyone this picture. My boyfriend, my colleagues, I even sent it to my brother in Canada. Not everyone shared my enthusiasm - my good friend A.B. said she looked like a fear-biter. I checked the website at least twice a day, making sure that the little long-haired Chihuahua (named Mollie) hadn’t been adopted yet. Finally, I broke down and filled out the online adoption form and called to book an appointment.

I was so nervous that I asked Alice (Ms. Meowsky herself) to come with me and give her honest opinion. On a cold February day, Alice and I jumped into the car and headed down to the adoption center on 26th street.

Once we had checked in with the staff, they brought Mollie out for us to meet. PAWS has gotten her from Animal Care and Control, so no one really knew what her life had been like before she was picked up as a stray. The staff thought that she had had a litter of puppies, though she was only around a year old. She was so tiny and thin, her ribs being very prominent against her coat. I knew immediately I wanted her, there was only one problem. Like many strays, she had already bonded with the PAWS staff because they had treated her so kindly and given her so much love – she was very, very shy of me.

Luckily, little Mollie had an Achilles heel – treats! The staff gave me some treats and the next thing you know I was able to coax her onto my lap. I really wanted her, but decided that I would foster her first, to make sure it was a good match and that she could warm up to me on her own.

That evening, my boyfriend Joseph and I are discussing potential names. I had promised to let him choose the name, but I retained veto power. After tossing some names out that just didn’t work Joseph suggested a Spanish name – I didn’t love the name but said I enjoyed the idea of an exotic name, I thought a French name would be terrific. Then Joseph said “What about Soleil?” and we both knew instantly that this was the perfect name.

Soleil was a little tentative for the first night, though she did curl up next to me, but in the morning everything changed. She woke early and crept up onto my pillow and curled up right next to my head and that was it - we’ve been inseparable ever since.

Now, as her second birthday is rapidly approaching, she is happy, well adjusted and just a little spoiled, but despite all things I have given her I truly believe she has given me so much more. She is the light of my life and I am grateful every day to wake up with the Sun - even on the cloudiest day.

If you have any questions about adopting a dog, please feel free to send any questions to paul@barkerandmeowsky.com.

Soleil today - my little ray of sunshine!

Extra, Extra - FOX News reporter falls in love

My love affair with my white boxer, Rudy, started when he was just 6 weeks old. My sister is a vet and brought him home to me from her clinic. It seems there was a family who wanted to put Rudy to sleep because he was born all white and they figured he would have a lot of problems. My sister just couldn't do it and instead gave him to me. My sister put Rudy on my white bedspread and told me there was a surprise waiting for me in my room. It took me a few minutes to find him because he blended in with the bedspread he was so white!! Rudy could fit in the palm of my hand at the time and he was the most beautiful and sweet puppy I had ever seen. I fell in love with him instantly.

So... 6 and a 1/2 years later... Rudy can't even fit in my lap anymore. He is super tall and weighs about 74 pounds. Rudy got his name because he was born on September 11th - that day. I named him after Rudy Giuliani because I thought he did a great job on 9/11. I wanted his name to be something patriotic and Rudy's name fit perfectly. Rudy has been through so much in the past two years. He has had a total of 10 cancerous tumors removed, one ACL surgery and he has another knee surgery to look forward to in the next year... but no matter how stitched up he has been... Rudy always manages to keep his tail wagging. Some of my friends now call Rudy Franken-Rudy because he has so many scars he looks like frankenstein. To me... he is still beautiful!

I have lived in three different states with Rudy...my job requires me to move frequently. He is always ready to get in the car and move and he always adapts well to all of his new environments. Rudy really has been through everything with me... he is my buddy, my best friend and he is always by my side. I fell in love instantly with Rudy and if you ever meet him... you will too. We are always stopping by Barker and Meowsky... it's Rudy's favorite shop!

Tera and Rudy Williams
LOVE AT FUR-ST SIGHT!!

Share The Love Stories

barker & meowsky's 4th Annual
Your Furry Valentine Contest

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we can’t help but think of true love and love stories – especially those little sources of unconditional love, our own furry valentines. Throughout the year we’re privileged to hear from our customers stories of rescue, destiny and love at first sight and we want to hear more!

We want you to think back and remember the moment you realized that you and your furry friend were meant to be together. Was it love at first sight? Were you surfing petfinder.com and saw a face you just couldn’t forget? Were you in a shelter and saw a cat that you had to share your life with? Did your dog save you from a burning building? Did you find yourself living with a pet that slowly endeared herself to you over time? What is it that they do every day that makes you love them a little more?

Every year the entries make us laugh and cry - we are always touched. Last year’s poignant winning story described how one little beagle changed a couple’s life forever. Please stop by our store, or email your special story and pictures to us at blog@barkerandmeowsky.com. This year, along with barker and meowsky, we’re thrilled to welcome our celebrity Judge, animal expert Steve Dale, to join us in choosing a favorite story.

As always, we want to reward true love. The best story wins a $200 barker & meowsky prize package, 1st runner up wins a $75 barker & meowsky prize package and the winning stories will be published on our blog.

Good luck, and remember, you have a furry valentine so you’re already a winner! Every entry receives a coupon with a special valentine offer.
Thank you for sharing your stories with us!

Entry deadline is February 29^th, 2008. (Winners will be announced March 4th.) To read the stories of past furry valentine contest winners, click "furry valentine contest" in the archives.

About our Celebrity Judge : Steve Dale, a champion of the human-animal bond, pet expert and certified dog and cat behavior consultant, reaches more pet owners than any other pet journalist in America.

Steve writes a twice weekly syndicated newspaper column (Tribune Media Services), he’s a contributing editor at USA Weekend, special correspondent Cat Fancy, and host of two nationally syndicated radio shows, Steve Dale’s Pet World and The Pet Minute as well as Pet Central on WGN Radio, Chicago. Steve Dale’s website is a wonderful resource for all of us who love our pets: http://www.stevedalepetworld.com/

Interview with Jill Wenzel of Eagle Pack Holistic Select

The health of your pet is very important to us, which is why we carry only the highest quality food and treats on the market. Frequently, we invite representatives from our food and treat companies to visit the store and meet with our customers to answer their questions. With our new blog, we can now share the same information with everyone.

I recently sat down with Jill Wenzel, of Eagle Pack Holistic Select, to discuss what makes their food so unique.

What makes Eagle Pack Holistic Select different from other foods on the market?

Eagle Pack diets contain natural, human grade ingredients and the highest table quality meat meals, grains, and fats and oils available. You simply won’t see the same results with any other pet food at any price.

What is Meat meal?

Meat meal, as in Chicken Meal for example, is derived from chicken meat, not by-products. The 70% water is removed from the meat to form a concentrated protein meal. It is 91% digestible and 11-times more protein concentrated than meat.

When was Eagle Pack invented?

Invented in the early 1970's by 2 brothers who knew better animal nutrition leads to healthier animals who live longer.

Where is the product manufactured?

Mishawaka, Indiana - Made in the Midwest by ingredients raised and harvested in the Midwest.

What is the most common question you get asked?

Definitely, “should I keep my dog/cat on the same food/flavor forever?”

Answers vary by person. Some say you should never change foods because the animal will get sick. This is true if you are changing qualities of food, for example from a lower grade food to Eagle Pack, the animal won't get sick since we add Digestive Enzymes to help the stomach adjust. But if you are changing from a quality food such as Eagle Pack Holistic Select to a food found in big box pet/grocery stores, the animal can get extremely sick. Imagine yourself going from home cooked perfectly-portioned meals to eating fast food burgers every day. Most people wouldn't feel so good.

Eagle Pack Holistic Select is on the high end of the quality spectrum, we also offer Lamb, Chicken, Duck, Fish, Large Breed & Senior formulas for dogs and Chicken, Duck & Fish all with similar levels of fat and protein which can safely be alternated so the animal can have variety while getting the nutrition he/she needs.

What is the most important consideration when thinking about changing your pet's diet?

By feeding Eagle Pack Holistic, the most obvious changes will be in the coat, with Omega 3:6 fatty acids, the coat will shine and there will be a reduction in flaky skin. The Pre & Pro Biotics added for the immune system help keep the animal healthy and even heal from scrapes and scratches quicker.

Since the food is derived from quality meat meals, the animal will eat less since it is satisfying its need for meat protein and creating less waste.

Jill will be visiting barker & meowsky, and handing out samples & coupons of the many Eagle Pack products, on Saturday January 26th from 11am to 2pm. We look forward to seeing her then!

If you have questions, please post below in the comments section and we will do our best to get you an answer.

barker & meowsky a "Don't Miss"

barker & meowsky was recently named a "don't miss" location by American Way magazine in their "Know-It-Alls" column which invites local travel experts to list their favorite local destinations.

According to local Chief Concierge Sylvia Rollins of the Hotel Monaco (225 North Wabash Avenue), "One of her favorite streets is Armitage Avenue, which features...an upscale pet accessories emporium, barker & meowsky."

To see the full article, which also includes "don't miss" locations in Hawaii, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Toronto and Miami please visit http://www.americanwaymag.com/tabid/2855/tabidext/3610/default.aspx.

Cats and Canines in Christmas Clothing...

Finding the perfect outfit for that holiday party, or dress-up affair at the dog park, is essential. At barker & meowsky we know how hard you work to get your furry friends dolled up and we'd love to see the results. Please send us pictures, to blog@barkerandmeowsky.com, of your four-legged friends in their holiday finery and you may see them here on our blog.

As a special thank you from us to you - everyone who submits a photo will receive a holiday coupon to help you ring in the new year (in style) at barker&meowsky.com!