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Dogs are awesome companions. They get us up off the couch and enjoying the outdoors, they cheer us up, help us out and improve the quality of our life. In return, all they want is TLC and healthy food & snacks. That's not too muck to ask, is it? 

I was instantly sold when I read about these made in Canada dog treats, "...the benefit of treat giving with the ultimate peace of mind." Perhaps this statement from BioSnax regarding their functional and healthy treats for dogs resonated with me as that is how I feel about feeding myself and my family. Frankly, it shouldn't be anything but the same for our canine family members, should it?

According to Patricia and Nick Grillo, co-founders of Northern Biscuit Bakery, it started with a bag of Canadian flour, fresh beef liver and a real picky dog. They soon discovered that tasty and healthy treats begin with fresh and simple ingredients. They are passionate about finding the freshest ingredients supplied from local mills, growers and suppliers. This company is also committed to their community in another way: they work with their local Community Living Ontario to employ intellectually disabled people to affix the labels onto the bags.

 

I was the lucky one to receive some samples and even though I have not had a dog in my family for sometime now, I couldn't resist the opportunity to go far and wide to visit with some new and old puppy friends.

 

Merf is a lab cross who used to be my pup once upon a time. Now she lives happily on a big ol' farm in southern Manitoba with a great family. She chases rabbits, visits neighbors, receives lots of love and hangs out in the shop with the guys. We brought Merf a bag of BioSnax's Shiny Coat, which contains the omega fats from both flax and chia seeds to aid with dry skin and promote a silky smooth coat. I made the mistake of giving the bag of treats to my girls and before I knew it, Merf had eaten the better part of the bag of treats! Probably not a bad thing for a dog who enjoys spending a lot of time out doors in these cold dry winters.

 

This is Benny and he is a middle-aged city pug. Benny enjoys bones from the butcher, barking at dogs through the window, visiting his beagle cousin and hanging out with his human. I sent Benny the Fresh Breath BioSnax treats a combination that contains parsley, myrtle and Atlantic kelp all of which help with freshing breath, detoxifying and getting rid of bacteria. Benny sniffed and nudged the treat but to no avail, he was simply not interested. I guess we can't win them all, maybe future tries will change Benny's mind.

 

This is Aksel and he's just an awesome northern elkhound lab cross pup. He is quite affectionate, will jump all over you, adores running and if you open the door he will be gone in a flash! Aksel needed a little Zen in his life so I brought him the Calm treats from Biosnax. Calm is filled with chamomile to soothe as well as the amino acid trypotphan found in turkey. Aksel's human sent me a message stating Aksel loved the treats. He also said that he noticed the calming effect it had on Aksel and will be looking for the product the next time he is at the pet store.

The final bag from BioSnax is the hip and joint treats. This treat features New Zealand green lipped mussels tart cherries and glucosamine all to help build cartilage, reduce inflammation and ease the effects of arthritis. I thought of giving the final bag away to another dog, but l couldn't help but keep it. You see, I keep a few in my bag and when I come across a pup I pull out the treats and the information to share with the owner and pup. I mean, how could I not tell everyone about this great Canadian-made treat from a great Canadian company! 

What kind of treats do you give your dog?

Image credits: Northern Biscuits Bakery, willowcat, Benny's human, Aksel's human

Sallazzo!  I love the name of these Canadian-made, oh so comfy, slippers! I was thrilled to receive some of Sallazzo's slippers for me and my family, as they will keep our feet warm during the chilly Manitoba winter.

Speaking of family, Sallazzo (Big Star Sandy Shoes Inc.) is a family-run company manufacturing dance, fitness, gymnastics and everyday footwear since 195,9 when they vowed that their product would be not only the best on the market but hygienic as well.

In 2006 Sharon Albers bought the company and started to create these fabulous, sassy comfy slippers.

Sallazzo is a company who values quality products, attention to details, teamwork, and being all-Canadian. The rewards come from their satisfied customers, as seen in these awesome customer testimonials. Here are some of my favourites;

 

• "Dear Sallazzo, My 26 year old daughter has Down syndrome and has strange little feet, child size 13 and odd shaped as well. Whenever she would go to a wedding or party where dancing was happening, she would end up taking off the 'party shoes' and dancing in her bare feet, which in her words, was 'gross cause people spill stuff you know', and she is right, because we could never find a flat that fit her and stayed on her weird little foot, until now that is!!! Thank you Sallazzo for making a little flat that is comfy and stylish! Lauren is looking forward to taking hers for a test dance at a wedding this weekend!!!" 

• "I have been wearing my slippers everyday for 3 years problem free. When they get dirty I just pop them into the wash and they come out looking brand new!"

 

 

 

 

There are several reasons to wear Sallazzo, besides being comfortable and looking cute:

• This super comfortable footwear can help people with diabetes that need breathable footwear that protect their feet from cuts and other injury.
• They are great for the airport; you will not have to remove your Sallazzo footwear at security checkpoints and can wear them throughout your whole journey.
• People living with Downs Syndrome can often experience a orthopaedic problems. Sallazzo slippers can fit around any shape foot comfortably and fashionably with its elastic free stretchy nylon material. 
• Use them for dancing the night away whether on an evening out or your wedding day!
• Non-slip leather sole for safety, great for everyone!

So what do me and the girls think of our slippers??

 

We love them, and so do their friends! When my daughters' friends come over, someone always snags a pair of Sallazzo slippers to wear. I am not entirely convinced that we haven't lost a pair, they are so popular! I take them with me to the college so I don't have to wear my big winter boots all day. I adore that I do not feel the seams under my feet and truly forget that I am wearing them. When I look down and see the little bit of bling on the All dolled up model of slippers, I admit it makes me smile. My foot size is typically a nine and a half and I ordered a size nine in the slipper. It is a good fit though I may have been better with the 10. I suggest you measure your foot and compare it to Sallazzo's sizing chart for the best fit. You won't regret it... I promise! 

So when will YOU get a pair of Sallazzo footwear?

Images courtesy of Sallazzo and Andrea Willowcat. 

If you follow me on Twitter or through my personal blog, you may know that I suffered from strep throat for the past two weeks. I used to get strep throat all the time as a child, as I'm sure many Canadians did, but getting it as an adult is a whole different ball game. This past weekend, after finally feeling a bit better, I decided to pamper myself with a few products. There is a fantastic range of Canadian-made products to make you feel your best. enVy the anti-aging/wellness pillow is designed to keep the side and back sleeper in perfect spine and airway alignment and off their face. Perfect for TMD sufferers, those always waking up with neck pain and those with stuffed noses that need a clear path. I admit I always buy cheap pillows and it's just a waste because they make me feel terrible, give me a bad sleep and can ruin my whole day. A quality pillow is a must! Something that I just recently learned about, that is fantastic for your skin, is a sugar scrub. Buy Canadian First member Barefoot Venus makes Lilly Pilly Sugar Scrub. It smooths skin by gently buffing rough patches away and it also moisturizes, heals and smells fantastic. Another great way to pamper your skin is with Buy Canadian First member Golden Naturals skin care. Their Luminus moisturizer actually stabilize collagen in the skin and repairs tissue damage, giving a new lift to ageing skin. Using oils like avocado oil, which is rich in Vitamin A and pomegranate oil, this rich cream will revitalize you like no other and make your skin feel luxurious.

You can't forget to pamper those lips either, especially with our winters. A product that I absolutely love and use daily is FitLips. With no petroleum or parabens, this goop-free lip balm softens and smooths lips.  As I've mentioned in the past, the vanilla is still my favourite. The scent is very nice and light and perfect for my lips!

I'm ready to get back in the game this week after taking care of myself this weekend. How do you pamper yourself when you need a little pick-me-up?

 

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members enVy, FitLips, Golden Naturals and Barefoot Venus.

Many of you showed interest in the Kobo ereader that Beth reviewed last week. I recognize geeks like myself when I see them, so I'm happy to review the iPad for you, and introduce you to, yes, a Canadian alternative!

 

The whole 'Pad' phenomena is a bit confusing ... just when we were all excited about the big capabilities of the small iPhone, the iPad came out, in Canada, in May of this year. But what is it? Is it just a big old iPod? Technically, it is a tablet computer, and comes somewhere between a laptop and a smartphone. Does that help?

People who have tried the iPad, love it for reading books on, playing games and watching movies. It is also supposedly wonderful for displaying your photos on, reading email, listening to music, word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. Cool!

Some say that the book reading capabilities alone are worth the price, despite some drawbacks. Your book displays just like a, well, a book! The pages look like paper and make a papery turning sound when you flip them with a finger! Being able to read in landscape mode rather than portrait is a huge benefit as well and since the battery lasts for about 10 hours, depending on how fast you read, you could really make headway on War and Peace!

 

 

Here in Canada, our very own Research in Motion is getting ready to launch their Blackberry PlayBook, complete with a 7-inch screen, Flash-capable video and a front and rear high-definition camera.  This means that you can video conference right on it! It is 9.7 millimeters, and weighs a tiny  .9 pounds. In contrast, the  iPad is 9.56 inches (242.8 mm) x 7.47 inches (189.7 mm) and weighs 1.5 pounds (.68 kg) for the Wi-Fi model and 1.6 pounds (.73 kg) for the Wi-Fi + 3G model. Relatively hefty compared to the PlayBook. You can do all the same cool stuff on the PlayBook that you can on the iPad, just not yet.

  

RIM is planning to release the PlayBook  in 2011 which, at that time,  will only be able to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi.  Of course, RIM is planning on offering up 3G and 4G versions down the road. While the iPad starts at $499, no price has been quoted yet, for a new PlayBook.

So do you need one, especially if you already have a laptop and/or a smart phone? It seems that the key features of this type of computer are the portability and convenience. The touch screen eliminates the mouse and keyboard. They are light and manageable with one hand. You can carry them around easily. I don't know if I need one, but I sure would like one! What about you? Does it seem worth it or just something else people want for the cool factor?

 :: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members.

* Don't forget to comment on all three blog posts this week to win our Prize Giveaway!