JinglePets Studio Blog

Ok…I have to admit here that frogs don’t give me that warm/fuzzy feeling that most animals do. Of course there’s a long story in this but I won’t go there.  And, I further confess to spending a fair amount of time in the summer dodging frogs and toads whenever possible. There’s just something about the moist slap-smurrge sound when they land on our patio…..and then there’s all that unpredictable JUMPING!

But…I’m really beginning to miss the little buggers! With only 2 frogs and 3 toads making an appearance this year I am concerned enough to investigate. Found a wealth of info on the global frog crisis at Save the Frogs.

Photo courtesy of Sun Catcher Photos 

Startling headline from the STF website: “Frog populations have been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates, and nearly one-third of the world’s 6,317 amphibian species are threatened with extinction. At least 100 species have completely disappeared since 1980, and this is NOT normal: amphibians naturally go extinct at a rate of only about one species every 250 years!!!”

These little guys are in real trouble and desperately need our help…here’s HOW!

Now for some Frog Fun! If you live on the west coast you’re just a hop and a half away from the world renowned jumping frog competition at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. The 2008 champion was a frog named Skeeter Eater from Fresno, CA. The winning jump was an amazing 19 feet 3 ½ inches with Skeeter capturing the title for the second year in a row!

“Skeeter Eater” - Photo by Greg Kristapovich

Until next time…
A newly aspiring frog lover!   

Who can resist hearing what Mr. Twain has to say on almost any subject? How about one of his favorite topics…CATS!

(Photo from the Dave Thomson collection - photographer: E. M. VanAken 1887)

Twain’s personal space was knee-deep in cats! At one point his family boasted 19 cats. Being a writer by trade he naturally came up with some pretty zany names for them. A few of the family’s beloved kitties included, Bambino, Stray Kit, Appollinaris, Sour Mash, Blatherskite, and Zoroaster. We thought we would share some classic Twain quotes about cats:

“Ignorant people think it’s the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain’t so; it’s the sickening grammar they use.”

“Never try to teach a cat to sing. It wastes your time, and annoys the cat.”

“I simply can’t resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know, outside of the girl you love, of course.”

“Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”

“A home without a cat, and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat, may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove that title?”

I know the next time we need to name a cat we’ll think of Mr. Twain’s list of very peculiar and sometimes hilarious names.  Check out more info about this fascinating writer. 

Until next time…
The JinglePets Gang

Inspiration can come from just about anywhere and lately the weather has us dreaming of our favorite childhood games. If you remember how to play Red Rover…welcome to our world!

Of course the newest charm collar prototype doesn’t resemble a line-up of kids on a playground, but the name started our minds rolling. Grass, dogs, bones…BINGO……let’s call it Red Rover, make it an eye-popping red collar, and use multi-colored bone shaped charms!

For the new Red Rover charm collar we’re trying out a new kind of collar material. It’s actually two layers; the inner layer is webbing like many pet collars are made of, then the webbing is coated with a translucent layer of poly-vinyl. This coating gives the webbing a neon glow…very 3-D!

With the same durability as our ExtremeWear collars, the Red Rover collar material is water repellent, stain resistant and so easy to keep clean. We have a dedicated crew of test pilots for our collars. If they can’t destroy them…nobody can…Hi Miss Molly!

Valuable feedback comes to us from our test homes; are they appropriate for different occasions, rating the “wow factor” which is other people’s reactions to the collar style, and the all important question…just how much fun the new designs are for the pets!

Look for Red Rover Charm Collars on the JinglePets™ website sometime in the next 2-3 months.

Working our little fingers to the bone here…no pun intended!
The Studio Crew

He leaps 6 ft in the air, executes a mid-air twist, lands…does this several more times and then slings slobber in a 10 ft. arc! Such was our experience during the first session introducing our Dane to a Gentle Leader halter-style collar!

Rodeo Dog is born! Thank goodness there were witnesses or no one would have believed it! It was very much like putting a halter on a foal for the first time…they DON’T LIKE IT MUCH! This post is all about the nicknames we give our pets. Some of them are justly earned, some are assigned regardless of insult to dignity, some are silly, and some are just plain cute.

Our Dane’s list of nicknames:

Rodeo Dog – honestly earned and really wish we had it on video!
Muddy Man – earned in spades…no pun intended!
Buddy Man - always accompanied by a sigh of relief…we built a deck over the mud factory!
Big Stripey Butt – well……he’s big and a Brindle.
Stinky Butt – Origin not literal…we mostly use this one when he’s being heartbreakingly cute!
Sh-T Bird - and this is said with extreme love!

Our Kitty’s list:

Little Stripey Butt – he’s considerably smaller than our Dane…and orange striped
Too Kitty – One of our friends kids couldn’t pronounce his name
TuBug – Who knows where this one came from…maybe a take-off on Tuvok of Star Trek fame?
His Royal Highness – “And don’t you forget it.” We live to serve!

Our nickname is list is considerably shorter:

Food-Pets-Treat Dispenser One - Mom
Food-Pets-Treat Dispenser Two – Dad

Hope you have a groovy week!
JP Food-Pets-Treat Dispenser One and Two

Note: The halter-style collar quickly gained popularity with our Dane boy because the Gentle Leader = walking with his Dad which he would rather do than eat!

No, it’s not the latest hottest Xbox game…and it’s not the name of the newest outrageous garage band discovered on YouTube.  Bumble foot is a serious, sometimes fatal, condition that affects millions of animals each year.    

After helping Carolina Waterfowl Rescue with a goose rescue on a golf course, Stuart’s Mom Samantha asked Jennifer (the director of the rescue group) and her daughter to look at some blisters on Stuart’s feet that had their vet stumped. The little girl immediately said, “it’s bumble foot!” 

Jennifer explained that bumble foot is a condition where sores appear on the feet and if not treated properly can result in a serious infection that can cause a bird to go lame, or worse, the infection can enter the bloodstream and be fatal.

The local resident who contacted Carolina Waterfowl Rescue for help rescuing the geese suggested they take Stuart to her home to treat his feet. She provided some first aid supplies and Jennifer went to work on Stuart’s feet. After draining the blisters, applying medication and bandaging Stuart’s feet, Jennifer suggested that Sam find an avian vet as soon as possible.

An online search led Samantha to Dr. Greg Burkett. 

Dr. Burkett is board certified and has an avian specialty practice in Durham, North Carolina. He is also a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV). During their first visit with Dr. Burkett he told Stuart’s Mom that Jennifer’s timely treatment of Stuart’s feet probably saved his life.

Oh yeah……so there IS a band called Bumblefoot…go figure!

The JP Crew!

So…we always tell folks we’re new to the world of cats although our cat adopted us 8 years ago. He is our first cat and has diligently taught us how to be the best kitty roomies a cat ever had!

We’ve found the number one cat rule is to live in the moment, each and every moment!

If you crave excitement and adventure on a daily basis…adopt a cat!

Fascinating Facts about Cats!

author unknown

 Did you know……

 A cat’s heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 100 to 140 beats per minute.

 Calico cats are almost always female.

If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you. If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed…Time to distance yourself from her!

Cats knead with their paws when they’re happy.

Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.

A cat will almost never “meow” at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans. The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak to you.

Cats get their sense of security from your voice. Talk to your cats! Cats know when you’re yelling at them (though they may not care).

Domestic cats are essentially loners. When placed in a group they develop their own hierarchy. As long as there is plenty of food on hand, a cat can learn to share its domain with other cats.

Pet-proof your house by looking for items that may be dangerous to cats. These include cleaners, antifreeze, and rat poison. Also, paints, wall paper pastes, and paint thinners can be toxic. The fumes from moth balls can destroy a cat’s liver cells. Use cedar in your closet instead…play it safe!

During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens.

Here’s wishing you a Happy Kitty Day!
The JP Studio Crew

We’ll be posting regularly about all kinds of studio projects and animal activities.

 The idea for JinglePets™ collars was born almost a year ago and it certainly has been a fascinating process. Tons of research, product development/testing and putting the collars out into test homes has resulted in what we think are some of the coolest pet collars around!

We’ve had a lot of fun working with our pet models designing the look and getting the fit just right for a variety of body types and personalities. We wanted to offer a collar design that would be just plain fun, which ended up as our Charm Collar series, but also wanted to create a sleek sophisticated style…Chainmaille weaves for pets and “The People Who Love Them!”

It has been very interesting to get the animals and pet owners’ reactions to our charm collars. In the beginning we thought the sound of the charms jingling might drive folks a little batty and sort of held our breath after the first few collars went out to test homes. We were delighted to discover that our test models and their families loved the sound…and so did their friends, their vet’s office staff, and even people out in public settings!

We’re very excited about donating a percentage of our sales to animal advocacy and rescue groups across the country. We’ll be featuring a group on the website every month at ”Featured Animal Groups“. We’ve selected 6 groups that cover almost every kind of animal that needs help and/or sanctuary. We hope you’ll visit our site as the animal groups change each month.

Until next time!

The JinglePets Gang