JasperandZoe.com  wishes everyone a healthy and happy new year!  To help your four-legged friends start 2012 on the right paw (pun-intended!), take 12% off all orders this month using code “2012″ at checkout!  So tell your family and friends, and use the code over and over again throughout the month before it expires!

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Woof -

JasperandZoe.com

Didn’t get exactly what you wanted for the holidays or want to get something more and special for your four-legged best friend to kick start the new year?  Visit www.Jasperandzoe.com and take 25% off everything, including sale items!  Just enter code “HOLIDAY25″ at checkout for the savings.  Hurry, sale ends January 2, 2012!

As always all orders ship for free and a portion of the sales goes to ASPCA to support the fight against animal cruelty.

Happy new year!

As always, all orders ship for free and a portion of the proceeds go to support ASPCA’s fight against animal cruelty.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We decided to add Merrick to our products, because it fits with our philosophy of providing high quality, all natural treats to our four-legged best friends. Merrick’s innovative and unique treats have been given to pets by the owners that love them for over 10 years now. Merrick prides itself on being a leader in the treat industry, starting with the highest quality cattle, and a lot of imagination.

One of many Merrick treats our Jasper loves, which we are confident your dogs will love too, is Merrick’s bones and bully stix.  They are smoked, cooked, natural, stuffed, wrapped, plain and meaty.  They come in all shapes and sizes, just like our four legged friends.

  
And ears.  Really?  Yes, ears!  They are a favorite among many dogs.  Jasper can’t get enough of them.  Dogs of all sizes and ages enjoy packing these things around the yard.  Merrick ears come in smoked or natural flavors and are available in lamb, beef, and even pork.  Merrick’s natural ears will keep your dog entertained for hours on end.  you will keep them out of trouble as long as you keep these original Texas treats on hand!

The Flossies Spiral Chews still turn dog’s heads.  These are the bestsellers.  This is the one treat Jasper always treasures.  The Flossies help fight plague build up as well.  This is just one example of many of Merrick’s all natural products that are fun for the dog while being healthy at the same time.

We hope you will enjoy the Merrick treats as much as we have, especially Jasper!

From your family at JasperandZoe.com

Have you ever wondered why your dog makes those strange muttering sounds at the dinner table? Or why he lays his ears back when confronted with a stranger?  Dogs speak to us, but in a different language. Unfortunately, there’s no Rosetta Stone DVD to help us learn “dog talk.” So, instead, we must analyze it ourselves, keeping it in context, avoiding asserting our own interpretations, and remembering that dogs were once wild animals.

The best way to start is to look to the dog’s ancestor, the wolf. Wolves live in packs and dogs do the same with other pets in the household and their humans. There must be a leader of the pack and that leader should be you. And to be an effective canine leader, you need to know what your dog is trying to tell you.

Dogs communicate in many ways with each other, using verbal cues, body language and facial expressions. They also try to communicate with humans using these methods. Humans, of course, communicate with dogs with commands and phrases. Dogs can learn hundreds of human sounds but they can’t string them together. Thus, the need for short commands such as “Sit!” and “Come!” Many of our communication tools are lost on dogs, such as sarcasm (to indicate frustration) or closed body language (to indicate you’re uncomfortable) or a look of surprise. So, to enhance our communication with our canines, we must learn to get back to the basics and speak “dog.”

Dog Body Language/Facial “Expressions”

Confident and Relaxed

• Stance – erect
• Tail – wagging slowly
• Ears – pricked up but with a relaxed look
• Eyes – small pupils
• Mouth – closed or slight parting of lips

Fearful or Anxious

• Stance – lowered
• Tail – tucked under
• Ears – down
• Eyes – a wide-eyed look with the whites showing
• Mouth – panting

Aggressive

• Stance – rigid
• Tail – straight up or out behind, very rigid
• Ears – pricked up
• Eyes – intense, focused stare
• Mouth – lips are pulled back and some teeth show
• Hackles – this is a line of hair that starts at the base of the neck and runs down the shoulders. It is raised if a dog is feeling aggressive and lowered if he is relaxed.

Fear-Aggressive

• Stance – dog is pulled into himself
• Tail – tucked completely under
• Ears – lying down
• Eyes – wide-eyed and trouble focusing
• Mouth – lips pulled back slightly or heavy panting

Relaxed

• Stance – lying down or standing without any alertness
• Tail – up and wagging or lying naturally
• Ears – at their normal state, depending on the breed (A Terrier’s would be up but relaxed, a Hound’s would be down)
• Eyes – normal pupil dilation, focused but not staring
• Mouth – open and lightly panting or closed

Dog Verbal Cues

The Howl
This is an attempt to locate someone, perhaps you or the dog down the street. When you leave for work, it’s very possible your dog howls in an effort to get you back. When one dog starts howling in the neighborhood, usually many others join in – it’s sort of like a conference call.

The Growl
This means “back off.” You’ll see a dog growl when another dog gets interested in his food. Your dog may growl at a stranger he doesn’t like or he may growl at you when you try to take his toy away. It’s actually a very effective way of communicating and actually signals that you can probably negotiate that toy away. When a dog is in an aggressive stance and silent, there is the most danger.

The Grunt or Mutter
This is usually to indicate that your dog wants something. It’s an interesting sound because it’s almost manipulative – your dog knows if he barks, he’ll get into trouble but the more subtle “grunt” might get him wants he wants. It is also heard when dogs greet other dogs or humans.

The Whimper
Dogs whimper when they’re anxious or hurt. Sometimes they figure out that they get attention when they whimper and use this to their advantage.

The Whine
This indicates frustration. They are in a sense “complaining” about something.

The Bark
There are many different types of barks. A high pitched bark indicates excitement and happiness. A low pitched bark indicates aggression and is possibly a threat. Dogs bark to get attention, to respond to other dogs, to indicate that they’re happy, and to alert their human to a problem. Unfortunately, your dog may detect a “problem” that you can’t see or hear, such as a siren miles away or the neighbor’s cat hiding in the tree outside the window.

Remember when Lassie sprinted off down the road to find help because Timmy had fallen into a well? Through her verbal cues and body language she was able to lead the rescuers back to the disaster scene. By understanding our dogs’ language, we can better communicate with them and avoid common misunderstandings. And you can be assured that your dog isn’t going crazy when he’s muttering to himself all the time.

(Source: Dogster.com)

We know you work hard for your money.  As tax day approaches, let us at JasperandZoe.com help you lessen some burden by reminding you that shopping with us is always tax free!  Plus orders always ship for free. For deliveries to pooches in California, where normally California tax is assessed, this weekend through tax day April 18, everything to California ships tax-free!  How sweet is that?  Shop with us today and tell your friends!

Woof, woof –
Your friends at JasperandZoe.com

We are pleased to share that the dogs were picked up after the video was filmed and are in care of a local shelter.

If you would rather donate veterinary supplies and/or medicines, the items that are being requested by World Vet are the following: De-worming medicines, vaccinations, fluid replacements, wound treatments, and cages. Donations of these items can be shipped to: World Vets headquarters, 802 1st Ave N, Fargo ND  58102

JasperandZoe.com is supporting the cause.  For every purchase you make, we will double the amount in donation to World Vet.  No codes necessary as this is not a promotion but a humanitarian effort to help the animals.  Thank you for your help.