Oprah adopts from PAWS!!

We were so excited to hear that Oprah, a fervent anti-Puppy Mill advocate and everyone's favorite TV show host, adopted a rescue Cocker Spaniel from Chicago shelter PAWS!

Last year Oprah lost her beloved Cocker Sophie (right) to kidney failure at age 13. According to reports, last weekend she and Stedman went to PAWS for a tour and were enamored by a litter of Cocker Spaniel puppies. The name of the puppy is going to be revealed on Oprah's show tomorrow. So exciting!

Congratulations on the new addition, Oprah!

Here is some more information on PAWS: PAWS Chicago (Pets Are Worth Saving) is the city's largest No Kill humane organization, focused on alleviating Chicago's tragic pet homelessness problem. Since PAWS Chicago's founding, the number of homeless pets killed in the city has been reduced by more than half ―from 42,561 pets killed in 1997 to 18,969 in 2007. PAWS Chicago envisions a No Kill Chicago and that dream is within reach because of important lifesaving work that is being done every single day.

PAWS not only handles adoptions, but they also have a low cost Spay/Neuter program, low cost veterinary care & pet food pantry for those in need and they're helping to pass the anti-Puppy Mill law in Illinois! They're a great organization that's helping make the lives of dogs in Chicago better.

Sabrina & Ollie, Service Dogs Extraordinaire!

My friend Veronica sent me some great photos of her two dogs playing with our wool eel toys and Simply Fido Organic Toys!! Ollie (left) is a 11 month old Standard Poodle. When Ollie isn't chomping on wool toys or playing with his sister Sabrina, an 8 year old Pittie/ Weim mix, he's Veronica's SDIT (Service Dog in Training).

Ollie is taking over for Sabrina after many years of service. Here is the lovely Sabrina in her bling collar from us!

What is a Service Dog? A Service Dog is a dog that is trained to help a handler with a LIFE LIMITING DISABILITY and the dog must be trained to help mitigate that disability. In Ollie's case, he's trained to alert Veronica to panic attacks, then to lean onto her and help ground her throughout the attack. I hear a lot of people who want to pretend that their dog is a Service Dog just so they can take it on a plane for free (or because it's too large to fit underneath a seat) or be able to take it "everywhere." Not only is it WRONG, but in most states, faking a Service Dog is illegal and can result in hefty fines and even time in jail! Service Dogs, which include Psychiatric Service Dogs (like Ollie), Guide Dogs (for people with sight impairments), Mobility Assistance Dogs (for people with mobility and balance problems) have to be trained to help with their handler's disability and have to be trained to behave in public. For more information on Service Dogs, visit www.psychdog.org or www.deltasociety.org


Here, Sabrina goes for a ride in her bike trailer, available by special order! Simply Fido Organic Toys are tough enough to take a tugging from two large dogs!!