Showing posts with label yorkie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yorkie. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

BzzAgent: Hills Science Diet Small & Toy Breed Dog Food Pt 2

So, I mentioned earlier this week that I was doing a BzzAgent survey for Hill's Science Diet Small & Toy Breed Dry Dog Food. Well, today I went out at picked up a bag (comped by BzzAgent/Hill's Science). If you remember, I have a 2 year old Yorkie who we currently feed the Eukanuba Yorkshire Terrier Formula kibble.

**The Hills Science is 4.5lbs vs the 7lb Eukanuba bag on the left.**


For starters, the Hill's Science Diet food comes in a resealable bag - which is nice, since we have to use a clip to keep our Eukanuba closed. The only draw back is that the Ziploc-like seal opening is so small that we can't use a scoop/cup to put food in the bowl but would actually have to take the entire bag to Jimmy's bowl and pour it.



Well, after putting the food out Jimmy seemed to like it - which made us happy because he's quite picky. He's free fed so we didn't expect him to demolish the bowl, but he ate for about 3 or 4 minutes.




But then it went downhill from there. About thirty minutes after being fed, Jimmy ran under the couch and started whimpering - which makes me think that the Hill's Science Diet didn't agree with him. Since about almost 7pm my poor furbaby has been very lethargic - nothing has motivated him to get up - so he must have a stomach ache. I know for a fact he's sick since as I type, I'm eating a bowl of pasta and normally the sight of human food is enough to energize him to beg for scraps while we eat. No begging tonight - he's been laying on the couch resting.

**Poor Jimmy has been whimpering for the last hour and a half...**



Verdict: I'm kicking myself for deciding to try out this product. I'm not saying that Hill's Science is a bad product because I'm sure that this isn't the outcome for everyone else. But I should have considered the old saying "if it ain't broke...". Jimmy Choo has been eating Eukanuba since he was 2 months old with no issues whatsoever. There are some foods that don't agree with him and ultimately when it comes to buying food (much like with babies), it's a trial and error. But at least I didn't have to come out of pocket. Although, the product is fairly cheap - $8.99 for a 4.5lb bag from PetLand (at least that's the price here in the Bx...)

So, now I'm feeding my pup a little plain white rice to calm his stomach which he is responding to. And now he's resting in his bed...I did this test because I thought it would be a graet alternative, but to be honest, when it comes to your pet's food (much like if you have children) don't go messing around unless you absolutely have to. -_- It's one thing to do a cosmetics review, it's quite another to mess with my pet's tummy - especially when the poor thing suffers as a result of it.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

BzzAgent: Hills Science Diet Small & Toy Breed Dog Food

As many of you know, I'm a BzzAgent. I get to test out new products and services for free in exchange for offering my opinion on them and spreading the word to all of you readers out there in cyberspace. So I have two upcoming BzzReports that I need to do, one for Cover Girl & another one for Hill's Science Diet - the pet food company.

Well this post is about Hill's Science Diet. I just got my BzzKit for the program, and unlike normally where the product is delivered directly to me, this time, I've been given a coupon to redeem for a free bag of Hill's Science Diet Small & Toy Breed dry dog food.

A bit of background info: I have a Yorkie - Jimmy Choo. He's just over 2 years old, about 6.3lbs and is somewhat of a picky eater. Since my boyfriend and I got him when he was just two months old, we've been feeding him Eukanuba kibble. Of course, we give him other things too (Mighty Dog and the occasional treat of chicken, rice, cheese or turkey), but the Eukanuba kibble is the mainstay.

 **Our Jimmy Choo...in a rare moment of inactivity**




At first we gave him the Eukanuba Puppy Lamb & Rice Formula but then once he was a year, we switched to Eukanuba Yorkshire Terrier Formula. The Yorkie specific formula is specially created to address the nutritional needs for not just Yorkies but a few other toy breeds as well as addressing the special needs of their coats, dental care and probiotics for healthy digestive tracts. So, I can't really complain with the Eukanuba formula, it's been good so far.

 **Our current dry dog food of choice. You can't see the green sticker (hidden by the clip) but it lists that the food has probiotics in it. **



But when I saw the offer on BzzAgent, I had to give it a try. However, our Jimmy is a picky eater, so it will be interesting to see if he likes this new formula from Hill's Science Diet. But, I just refilled his bowl this morning (we free feed our pup) so, I won't be able to try out the Hill's Science until probably Tuesday when Jimmy finishes what's in his bowl right now.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

A Multi Post Day! Part 1: Yorkie Email Scam Update

So, last week I created a post talking about a scam email I received offering a Teacup Yorkie from Africa that was available "for free". Of course, it was a scam. After posting my angry rant, I did a quick Google search and found that:

1. It's not new - they've been doing this for a while
2. It's called the "Cameroon Puppy Scam".

Unfortunately, much like those scammy emails asking people to cash checks or accept wire transfers from Iraq War soldiers or some deceased person in a war torn country, this scam preys on the gullible person who throws caution to the wind even when an offer seems too good to be true.

Anywho, this update is because I didn't realize how much of a response that I would get from posting my reaction to the scam! I'm glad that there are people out there willing to do a little research and not accept something at face value. Apparently, quite a few Internet savvy people also received the scammy email - some who are active PetSmart users and others who aren't. As long as we continue to speak out and inform others about fraudulent activity like this, we ensure that one less person becomes the victim of a scam like the Teacup Yorkie/Cameroon Puppy Scam.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Putting Douchebags on Blast...

Yes...this is a rant...

Okay so I was out on the town tonight when I got this random email. Someone had a Yorkie available for adoption - a teacup - but a Yorkie none the less. Now, if you know me, you already know that I have a Yorkie - but my furbaby is breed standard and pedigreed. He's a 6.3lb bundle of energy who loves to jump and play and who hasn't had more than a minor bruise or bump here and there from stepping on something suspect when going on walks - but more on that later.

Anywho, the reason this email goes into the "Put douchebags on blast" file (as I was told to do earlier this week lol) is because this email which I've posted below reads more like those obnoxious "Kind Madame please accept my wire transfer from the Ivory Coast for $15 Million USD and keep 10%" scams. What's really insulting is that this fictitious person is banking on the high demand for Yorkies to keep this scam going. But...let's see the email shall we? And yes, I included the email address so that if anyone else is contacted by this fraud, they can be forewarned:

From email address: Jacqueline Jones

To email address:
undisclosed-recipients:;

Subject: Little Yorkie for Adoption... Respond

Message:
Hello,

How are you today? I hope this e-mail reaches you in a good mood. My name is
Jacqueline Jones and I am a consultant gynecologist surgeon and oncologist
doctor, I work for different prominent hospital and me and my husband are giving
out this little puppy for free (Adoption), This little girl weighs 1.3Lbs at 9
weeks old & should be 3Lbs when full grown only. She is very friendly with
children she fit in both Palm of your hands. She is AKC/CERF registered puppy
.Adorable and sociable with great Personalities and very good bloodlines.

She is vet-checked, up to date on shots and deforming, and her health is
guaranteed. She was recently checked by a licensed Vet Doctor for heart, knees,
skin, correct bite, and eyes problems and there no sign of any problem. Bottom
and straight sides are tender, she is A.K.C and CERF registered and shots are
given up to date.

She will come along with Travel crate, AKC/CERF Registered Papers, Toys and Food
with her Birth Certificate, I used to reside in California with my husband but
after my son's death, I and my husband moved to Africa due to our work and we
have the puppy right here with us. The Yorkie is for free. You have to promise
me that you will take good care of her as she will be a New family member,
please if you are not going to take good care of the puppy, do not reply but if
you are going to take good care of her kindly reply for more details about her.
I await your urgent Response.

Thanks And God Bless

Jacqueline Jones.
Ok...the reason I posted this is - clearly this piece of crap email is a scam. Why? Well let's go through the red bold portions:

1. Undisclosed recipients: I don't know a Jacqueline Jones, so the fact that JJones@pets.com is sending a mass email is really suspect. I purchased my Yorkie from a reputable breeder I found on the AKC website. They would never just "give" a puppy to someone without properly screening them.

2. Different Prominent Hospital: Don't you know where you work?! Even if it's in the most remote location in Africa, all hospitals have names, even if it's just the name of a town. Plus the grammar is off in this email and the only reason it's so noticeable is because this writer tries too hard to come across with a formal tone - which only calls out the grammatical errors that much more.

3. AKC/Cerf Registered Puppy: By default Teacups are not breed standard and therefore frowned upon by most Yorkshire Terrier clubs (breed standard groups not meetup groups!). Teacups - as lovable as they may seem - are considered genetic anomalies, and aren't something that people should be trying to replicate as they tend to have more health issues than your "breed standard Yorkie". And PS...my breed standard Yorkie is 6lbs...if that's too big of a dog for you then you really don't need a Yorkie at all.

4. Shots & Deforming: it's "deworming" you douche...at least get the language down correctly

5. Guaranteed health: Let's be realistic, even if a puppy at the first vet visit appears 100% healthy, there's never a guarantee that as the pup ages that their health will always be 100% tip-top. A responsible breeder would use language saying that they've had the dog checked out by a vet and to the best of their knowledge, the puppy is healthy and more importantly that the puppy was bred from healthy parents with good blood lines. It might be semantics, but putting a guarantee on something that is so clearly impossible to guarantee is a red flag IMO.

6. The writer was in Cali and of course now lives in Africa with their husband: If nothing else in this email screams scam - this line should! How are we supposed to get said pup from Jacqueline? I would imagine it must be pretty expensive to ship a live animal from Africa to the US (or wherever). In fact, let's forget the fact that most commercial airlines won't let an animal on a flight that lasts longer than 12hrs (and it's definitely more than 12 hrs for a direct flight from NY to wherever in Africa).

This is where they'll hook some hapless person into paying for fictitious shipping fees only to find that "surprise!" there's no puppy and you're out the "shipping costs". In fact, I bet if you email Jacqueline, "she'll" very politely reply telling you that the puppy is on it's way as soon as you send them (via wire transfer/western union since there's no way to get money back once you send money that way) enough money to cover the cost of shipping.

Long story short - there's a sucker born every minute, but don't get caught by something this obvious. And don't hesitate to put these douchebags on blast. They're banking on society's high demand for Yorkies (Yorkies were the 3rd most popular dog breed in the US in 2009) as a way to exploit trusting people.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I'm going to a reality show casting Friday! :)

Yup, that's right I am! Hehe...

Normally I avoid reality shows for their overall cheesiness (sp). But this one is for dog owners who are social. Well I'm definitely social...and I have a dog! :) So, I will be going to a casting Friday with my Yorkie Jimmy Choo! I'll let you know how it goes! :)

And no...my hair isn't quite this big and curly anymore lol!