Our good friends at
FIDO Friendly magazine asked Parental Unit and me to do a review of the December issue of their magazine, and in return...they graciously offered to give one of our lucky readers a one year subscription to
FIDO Friendly magazine! Please see the details for entering our give-a-way at the end of this post.
So... away we go! Here's the cover of the December 2010 issue to start us off. As you can see, the cover duo for this issue are "Glee's" Charlotte Ross and her pooch, Tyler-the interview centers on their devotion to helping animals in need.
It just so happens that Parental Unit wrote a short "destination piece" on
The Inn at Cedar Falls in Logan, Ohio, for this very issue (that we've already regaled you with), but it can't hurt to give you the link to that post again, now can it?:-)
boccibeefs.blogspot.com/2010/12/inn-at-cedar-falls.html
So are you're thinking that we might be a bit biased in our review since we actually appear in this issue of the magazine? Well, we really
are biased because we
love this magazine, but since we were not compensated in any way for doing this review, we'll just throw caution to the wind and tell you what we honestly think.
We have to admit that we hadn't heard of
FIDO Friendly magazine until last April when Parental Unit and I met Carol Bryant, the magazine's editorial and social media director at the first
BlogPaws conference, although it's been on newsstands for over a decade. Once we read our first issue, we couldn't imagine why we hadn't been faithful readers all along. The magazine's tag line is: "Leave No Dog Behind" and describes itself as "the travel and lifestyle magazine for you and your dog" that provides "a complete guide to Fido-friendly accommodations across the United States and Canada."
One of the things we noticed right away is the quality of the writing-Parental Unit considers herself a bit of a writing snob, but she was instantly impressed with the writers' skill at navigating the variety of topics covered in each issue-they take the reader form heartbreaking to hilarious with pitch perfect tone and style.
Speaking of great writing, don't forget to check out the magazine's blog, written by Carol Bryant. Let us simply say: this is the way a blog should be written. Check it out here:
blog.fidofriendly.com/
Now, let's take a few examples from this issue:
One article titled, "Fixing FIDO" reports on an international group of veterinarians, including Dr. Jeff Weber (Lassie's vet), who are being filmed as part of a documentary of the same name, as they spay and neuter dogs in Peru and other countries where having dogs as "pets" is a foreign idea. Interestingly, this piece is written by the producer of the documentary.
Another article on finding just the right dog for you and your lifestyle, details all the substantive decisions we must make when choosing a new family member, while another piece describes how a shelter dog rescued it's owner from an abusive relationship. There's the lowdown on how one man's vision for a dream dog park "shaped a community", and a woman's poignant journey of "loving and loosing Fido". Especially helpful are the additional resources that are provided with each article-so that if your interested in watching that documentary, you've got the website. If you need help removing yourself from abuse or recovering from loss, the information and contacts are right there.
On the lighter side (and there's always lots of fun), the magazine's issues alternate between photos of Fido's "tails" and "tongues" (You'll see a ton of tails in this issue, and
my tongue in the January/February issue, among many others). And each issue includes reviews of the latest pet products, and dispenses expert advice on training, care, and basically everything a dog owner needs to know.
Of course, a good part of each issue describes the plethora of places to visit and stay with your pooch. As more and more families include their dog in their vacation plans, this information isn't just helpful, it's invaluable.
Take this fabulous destination piece for example:
Here's the link to the online version of the December 2010 issue so you can see for yourself what we mean:
http://www.zinio.com/reader.jsp?issue=416143848&o=ext.
Now here's your chance to win a year's subscription to FIDO Friendly magazine! By the way, the winner can choose to receive either a print or online subscription. Just comment on this post sometime between now and Saturday January 15th, at 1:00 pm. EST. You must be an official Follower of this blog to win. If you could take the extra minute and follow us on Twitter and our Facebook Fan page, we'd appreciate it.
As always, we'll randomly choose one winner from among the comments, and we'll announce the results on Saturday afternoon. Good luck one and all!
How many of you travel with your pets? O.K., now's the time to fess up...how many of you have snuck your dog or kitty into a hotel room that didn't otherwise allow pets? According to this LA Times blurb posted just yesterday, 51% of pet owners said they'd bring their four-legged companion on every trip, if they could, and finding lodging that welcomes Fido or Fluffy is crucial to their travel planning. But here's the kicker: 25% of those surveyed claim they'd sneak their dog or cat in anyway. Hmmm...we think that establishments who still don't just allow, but welcome pets with open paws are missing some business!
