Walks & Harnesses

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness Review: Months of Daily Walks With a 45 lb Rescue Dog
Dog Harnesses

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness Review: Months of Daily Walks With a 45 lb Rescue Dog

Months of daily walks with a 45 lb rescue dog, plus the honest downsides of the PetSafe Easy Walk.

PetSafe Easy Walk vs a Back-Clip Harness: Which Is Better for Pullers?
Dog Harnesses

PetSafe Easy Walk vs a Back-Clip Harness: Which Is Better for Pullers?

I ran both harnesses on the same dog for six weeks. One changed our walks, the other just held the leash.

10 Reasons a Front-Clip Harness Helps Stop Leash Pulling
Dog Training

10 Reasons a Front-Clip Harness Helps Stop Leash Pulling

Hands-on notes from a home with a rescue dog and an indoor cat, plus what to look for if you are ready to switch.

The Walk Changed When I Stopped Fighting My Dog's Leash Pulling
Dog Gear

The Walk Changed When I Stopped Fighting My Dog's Leash Pulling

One owner's honest account of switching from a collar to a front-clip harness, and what actually changed on the sidewalk.

How to Stop Your Dog Pulling on the Leash With a Front-Clip Harness
Dog Training

How to Stop Your Dog Pulling on the Leash With a Front-Clip Harness

A step-by-step plan for teaching a front-clip harness to work, written from six months of daily walks with a rescue dog who used to drag me down the street.

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness: The Honest Pros, Cons and Fit Tips
Dog Gear

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness: The Honest Pros, Cons and Fit Tips

After five months of daily walks with a 45-pound rescue dog who used to drag me down the sidewalk, here is the honest truth about the PetSafe Easy Walk Harness, including the fit issues nobody puts in the product listing.

Cat Water Fountains

Veken Cat Water Fountain Review: Living With It for Months and One Indoor Cat
Cat Care

Veken Cat Water Fountain Review: Living With It for Months and One Indoor Cat

Months with the Veken 95oz fountain and one picky indoor cat: setup, noise, cleaning, and whether Pepper actually drank more.

Veken Fountain vs a Plain Water Bowl: Does Your Cat Drink More?
Cat Care

Veken Fountain vs a Plain Water Bowl: Does Your Cat Drink More?

A hands-on comparison from a home with one picky indoor cat and one thirsty rescue dog. Does the Veken fountain really get a cat to drink more, or is a plain bowl just as good?

10 Reasons a Cat Water Fountain Is Worth It for Indoor Cats
Cat Health

10 Reasons a Cat Water Fountain Is Worth It for Indoor Cats

Ten reasons a moving-water fountain helped our 9-year-old indoor cat drink more, plus the honest downsides after ten months with the Veken C1 Classic.

My Cat Ignored Her Bowl Until We Tried a Fountain
Pet Hydration

My Cat Ignored Her Bowl Until We Tried a Fountain

Hands-on notes from a home with a rescue dog and an indoor cat.

How to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water With a Fountain
Cat Care

How to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water With a Fountain

Five steps that got my 9-year-old indoor cat drinking noticeably more water, using a Veken fountain I still run daily.

Veken Cat Fountain: Honest Look at Noise, Cleaning and Filters
Pet Supplies

Veken Cat Fountain: Honest Look at Noise, Cleaning and Filters

A straight-talking, long-month look at the Veken cat fountain, from a home with a picky indoor cat named Pepper and a nosy rescue dog named Bailey.

Chew Toys & Enrichment

KONG Classic Review: A Year of Chewing With a Mixed-Breed Rescue
Dog Toys

KONG Classic Review: A Year of Chewing With a Mixed-Breed Rescue

Twelve months of daily stuffing, freezing, throwing and washing. What held up, what wore down, and whether the KONG Classic earns its place in a house with one hard-on-toys rescue and one very opinionated cat.

KONG Classic vs Other Rubber Chew Toys: Which Lasts Longer?
Chew Toys

KONG Classic vs Other Rubber Chew Toys: Which Lasts Longer?

A former vet clinic receptionist compares the KONG Classic against three popular rubber chew toys, with six months of notes from a hard-chewing rescue dog.

10 Reasons a Stuffable KONG Toy Keeps Your Dog Busy
Dog Toys

10 Reasons a Stuffable KONG Toy Keeps Your Dog Busy

Ten reasons a hollow rubber toy with a little kibble and peanut butter became the most useful tool in our house, from a former vet clinic receptionist.

How One Rubber Toy Fixed Our Afternoon Chewing Problem
Pet Supplies

How One Rubber Toy Fixed Our Afternoon Chewing Problem

Hands-on notes from a home with a rescue dog and an indoor cat.

How to Stuff a KONG for a Bored Dog (and Freeze It)
Dog Toys

How to Stuff a KONG for a Bored Dog (and Freeze It)

A former veterinary clinic receptionist shares the stuffing and freezing method that keeps her 45-pound rescue busy for a solid hour.

KONG Classic Honest Review: Sizing, Durability and Mess
Dog Toys

KONG Classic Honest Review: Sizing, Durability and Mess

An honest, hands-on look at the KONG Classic after months of daily use with a 45-pound rescue dog: what holds up, what makes a mess, and which dogs should skip it.

Scratching Posts

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post Review: Six Months With an Indoor Cat
Cat Furniture

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post Review: Six Months With an Indoor Cat

Six months with the SmartCat scratching post, from a home where a nine-year-old indoor cat had claimed the couch. What held up, what wore down, and who should buy it.

SmartCat Scratching Post vs a Cardboard Scratcher: Which Do Cats Prefer?
Cat Furniture

SmartCat Scratching Post vs a Cardboard Scratcher: Which Do Cats Prefer?

I put a 32-inch sisal post and a flat cardboard scratcher in front of my picky 9-year-old cat for a month. She made the choice clear, and it says a lot about what most cats are really looking for.

10 Reasons a Tall Scratching Post Saves Your Furniture
Pet Supplies

10 Reasons a Tall Scratching Post Saves Your Furniture

A tall scratching post gave Pepper a full stretch and saved our couch. Here is why it worked, in the order I noticed it.

My Couch Was Toast Until We Bought the Right Scratching Post
Scratching Posts

My Couch Was Toast Until We Bought the Right Scratching Post

One cat, one couch, and the scratching post that finally ended the war.

How to Stop Your Cat Scratching Furniture With a Scratching Post
Cat Care

How to Stop Your Cat Scratching Furniture With a Scratching Post

A former vet clinic receptionist walks through the five steps that stopped her indoor cat from shredding the couch, using a tall sisal post.

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post: Is It Worth the Price?
Cat Furniture

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post: Is It Worth the Price?

An honest, hands-on review of the SmartCat scratching post after six months with a nine year old indoor cat and a 45 pound rescue dog.

Orthopedic Dog Beds

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed Review: Months of Nightly Use
Pet Supplies

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed Review: Months of Nightly Use

Six months of nightly use, more than a dozen washes, and one cat who has claimed the corner. Long-term notes on the Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed from a home outside Columbus, Ohio.

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed vs a Regular Stuffed Bed: Is Foam Worth It?
Dog Beds

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed vs a Regular Stuffed Bed: Is Foam Worth It?

Six weeks with Bailey on the Bedsure orthopedic bed, and six years of watching dogs sleep on regular stuffed beds. Here is the honest difference.

10 Reasons an Orthopedic Dog Bed Means Better Sleep for Your Dog
Dog Beds

10 Reasons an Orthopedic Dog Bed Means Better Sleep for Your Dog

Ten reasons a supportive, washable bed changed how our restless rescue sleeps through the night, from a home with one dog and one very picky cat.

The Night Our Rescue Dog Finally Slept Through
Pet Beds

The Night Our Rescue Dog Finally Slept Through

A personal story about a restless rescue dog, an orthopedic bed from Bedsure, and the first full night of sleep our whole house got.

How to Choose the Right Dog Bed Size for a Medium Dog
Dog Beds

How to Choose the Right Dog Bed Size for a Medium Dog

Five steps to match a dog bed to your medium dog, from a former vet clinic receptionist who learned the hard way with her own 45-pound rescue.

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed: Honest Pros, Cons and Washing Notes
Dog Beds

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed: Honest Pros, Cons and Washing Notes

Six months with the Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed in a house with a rescue dog, an indoor cat, and a washing machine that has seen better days.

All Reviews

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness Review: Months of Daily Walks With a 45 lb Rescue Dog
Dog Harnesses

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness Review: Months of Daily Walks With a 45 lb Rescue Dog

Months of daily walks with a 45 lb rescue dog, plus the honest downsides of the PetSafe Easy Walk.

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness: The Honest Pros, Cons and Fit Tips
Dog Gear

PetSafe Easy Walk Harness: The Honest Pros, Cons and Fit Tips

After five months of daily walks with a 45-pound rescue dog who used to drag me down the sidewalk, here is the honest truth about the PetSafe Easy Walk Harness, including the fit issues nobody puts in the product listing.

Veken Cat Water Fountain Review: Living With It for Months and One Indoor Cat
Cat Care

Veken Cat Water Fountain Review: Living With It for Months and One Indoor Cat

Months with the Veken 95oz fountain and one picky indoor cat: setup, noise, cleaning, and whether Pepper actually drank more.

Veken Cat Fountain: Honest Look at Noise, Cleaning and Filters
Pet Supplies

Veken Cat Fountain: Honest Look at Noise, Cleaning and Filters

A straight-talking, long-month look at the Veken cat fountain, from a home with a picky indoor cat named Pepper and a nosy rescue dog named Bailey.

KONG Classic Review: A Year of Chewing With a Mixed-Breed Rescue
Dog Toys

KONG Classic Review: A Year of Chewing With a Mixed-Breed Rescue

Twelve months of daily stuffing, freezing, throwing and washing. What held up, what wore down, and whether the KONG Classic earns its place in a house with one hard-on-toys rescue and one very opinionated cat.

KONG Classic Honest Review: Sizing, Durability and Mess
Dog Toys

KONG Classic Honest Review: Sizing, Durability and Mess

An honest, hands-on look at the KONG Classic after months of daily use with a 45-pound rescue dog: what holds up, what makes a mess, and which dogs should skip it.

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post Review: Six Months With an Indoor Cat
Cat Furniture

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post Review: Six Months With an Indoor Cat

Six months with the SmartCat scratching post, from a home where a nine-year-old indoor cat had claimed the couch. What held up, what wore down, and who should buy it.

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post: Is It Worth the Price?
Cat Furniture

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post: Is It Worth the Price?

An honest, hands-on review of the SmartCat scratching post after six months with a nine year old indoor cat and a 45 pound rescue dog.

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed Review: Months of Nightly Use
Pet Supplies

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed Review: Months of Nightly Use

Six months of nightly use, more than a dozen washes, and one cat who has claimed the corner. Long-term notes on the Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed from a home outside Columbus, Ohio.

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed: Honest Pros, Cons and Washing Notes
Dog Beds

Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed: Honest Pros, Cons and Washing Notes

Six months with the Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Bed in a house with a rescue dog, an indoor cat, and a washing machine that has seen better days.

Gear notes from a real dog and cat house

One short email a month: what we tested, what lasted, and what went back.