The Furry Ones I’m Thankful For

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This post was sponsored by Nestlé Purina. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

They try my patience. They slip out of their collars and take off running. They wake me up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. They sit under the dinner table and lick my pants. I will NEVER fully understand my dogs. Never.

People think cats are hard to understand? Cat says, “Gimme me love, food, and water when I want it and leave me alone when I don’t.” That’s pretty easy to understand. I get that. I can even relate to that.

But dogs? At least my dogs anyway.

I do love them though. At least that’s what I told them this morning as I took them to the groomer for their haircuts.

Taking care of them is just one way that I thank them for being in my life. I make sure they have regular check-ups at the vet. I take them for at least one long walk a day. And I make sure I spend at least 10 solid minutes of play time every day (usually at bedtime when Layla thinks it’s the best time to play fetch).

If I were going to be home on Thanksgiving, they’d see my thanks in another way too. I’d break all the rules and make sure they had their fill of turkey (and they’d bug me until they made sure they had their fill of turkey). In between the cooking and the eating, we’d also spend time on the couch watching two Thanksgiving staples on TV that don’t involve football.

In the morning, we like to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where the appearance of Santa at the end officially ushers in the holiday season. And we also insist on watching the 15th annual National Dog Show Presented by Purina.

If you’re around a TV on Thanksgiving Day and you’re not a diehard football fan, turn on the National Dog Show Presented by Purina (Nov. 24 at noon in all time zones) on NBC. And while you and your dog are appreciating the fine canine form, snap a few memories and share them with Purina.

For every original post submitted through November 27 that includes @Purina and the hashtag, #DogThanking, Purina will donate one dollar to the Canine Health Foundation – up to $50,000 – to help further pet health research.

To give you a little inspiration on what to post, I wanted to show you how thankful I am for Roscoe and Layla (and how thankful I think they are for me even though I made them get a haircut today).

But the real photography fun came when Purina sent me a whole bunch of Thanksgiving props to get me in the dogthanking spirit.

And those are just the photos that were mostly in focus. Many ended up on the cutting room floor.

If you have a cute dog that you love, spend some time between now and November 27th thanking them by sharing your photo with Purina. And if you share soon, submitted videos, photos and posts may be shown during the National Dog Show!

Until then, Roscoe asks on behalf of all his canine friends that you remember them on Thanksgiving Day in some way, even if you don’t save any turkey for them.