When I was growing up, I was always surrounded by animals.

Shannon & Donder, taken many, many years ago.

My childhood memories include caring for a wide variety of animals.  So many times my parents would take to a pet store or zoo. Each time I would connect with a critter of some sort. It upset me seeing them in confinement, knowing how limited they were in what they could do, how helpless and innocent they were. I would do my best to tell them that they would be okay and that I would send them love even when I wasn’t near by. I swore that they understood.

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WOW!  So many gorgeous, hilarious, unique and precious photos were entered into BocMeow’s first pet photo contest!

It was INCREDIBLY hard to choose only 3 photos but that’s what a contest is about, right?  The judges spent the last 2 days going over every picture in detail; considering the quality, the originality and how it made them feel, i.e. did they immediately laugh, were their heart strings immediately pulled…you get the idea

It was a TOUGH decision and we send a HUGE thank you to all who participated.

You made this a fun contest and we are honored you took the time to enter.

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!!!

Drum roll please….

And the winners are……

1st PLACE-What a BEAUTIFUL picture, tells a story without saying anything at all.

2nd PLACE-AWWW...can you feel the love? We can!

3rd PLACE-Hilarious! This cat is obviously a comedian :-)

I would like to personally thank the people that donated such generous and high quality prizes to BocMeow’s 1st pet photo contest.  Your support made this contest possible-thank you, thank you, thank you so much!!!

If you are a pet parent, the following pet loving people are worth your time to get to know. They will be of benefit to you and your fur/feathered kid in many ways so please take the time to check out their websites.

Thank you to:

Nadine M Rosin, pet parent author of The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood and holistic care advocate for pets.

ProbioticSmart.com, an incredible online store that specializes in all natural pet supplements.

Animal Communicator Janet Roper of Talk2theAnimals.

Reiki Fur Babies specialize in healing energy for you and your pet.

Ingrid King, author of a true story about her and her feline teacher Buckley’s Story.

Dr. Kim Bloomer a veterinary naturopath who can guide you towards natural care for your pet.

ShopMolld an online shop that specializes in customized accessories for you and your pet.

My name is Jasmine. I recently had surgery for hip dysplasia. I am only 1 years old! Please read my story to see if I'm the right girl for you!!!

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Hey there Pet Parents!

Meet Miss Molly Dee!

Miss Mollyd has a blog! Check it out here.

Molly’s mom is INCREDIBLY talented and is the owner of a cute little online shop called ShopMollyd.

You see that collar Molly’s wearing in the photo? Molly’s mom made it!

In addition to customized dog collars, Molly’s mom makes customized purses, tote bags and other accessories.

Check out this customized pet portrait on a pendant!

Can you picture your fur kid on a pendant or key chain? ShopMollyd can help you with that!

What BocMeow really loves about ShopMollyd is that they support animal rescue!!!

With every purchase from ShopMollyd, YOU SUPPORT RESCUE!!!

Want to learn more about ShopMollyd?

Become their fan on Facebook here

Tell them BocMeow sent ya’!

Health-it’s that thing that determines our quality of life.

We may not think about it as often as we should. We may abuse it more than we should. When we exercise and eat healthy, we feel great. When we eat junk food and don’t leave the couch, we feel bad. That’s the great thing about being human. We have the ability and the power to control what we consume and how we exert our energy.

Why is it then, acceptable to believe the advertisements about how “xxx” brand is the “balanced meal” for our fur kid?

Why shouldn’t we question what we are feeding our pets? As pet parents, the quality of our fur kid’s health is important. However, there are countless brands of dog and cat food out there. How do we know which one is the best? It’s so confusing.

It shouldn’t be confusing.

Whether we’re buying the cheap brand of food for our fur kid or the most expensive brand, we are quite possibly causing more harm to them than good.

Since we are aware of what is healthy for us, isn’t it time we start becoming aware of what we are feeding our pets?

Isn’t your fur kid’s quality of life as important as yours?

Well, let the confusion end today.

Meet Dr. Kim Bloomer, a veterinary naturopath and author of Animals Taught Me That.

Doctor Kim & Shadrach

Dr. Kim is also a proud pet parents of many dogs. It is through her love of animals that led her to share her knowledge on how to care for animals naturally.

Please take the time to look at Dr. Kim Bloomer’s website to learn more about her knowledge on natural pet care.

If you are a pet parent that wants to improve the quality of your pet’s health, but just don’t know which direction to go, Dr. Kim is the person to talk with. You can schedule a pet nutrition consultation with Dr. Kim here.

You can also get some great information from Dr. Kim’s dog Shadrach, as he has his very own blog! Check out his most recent blog post here!

Remember, our fur kids rely on us for their quality of health.

Think about it. How much sense does it really make to throw some kibble in a bowl and consider your pet well fed? Would consuming processed food every single day make you feel alive and keep you thriving day to day? After talking with Dr. Kim Bloomer, you’ll have a better understanding on how important proper nutrition will increase your fur kid’s quality of life! Don’t forget to tell her you found out about her from BocMeow!

I have a Pekin duck. His name is Klaus von Duckers.

He’s not your typical duck. He’s my duck and he’s a part of my family.

Shannon Benecke, owner of BocMeow Pet Care with her feathered kid, Klaus von Duckers.

Mr. Klaus von Duckers has a friend.

His friend’s name is Reiki. I know that Reiki is his friend because that’s what he told Animal Communicator Janet Roper.

Why would a duck have a friend named Reiki and why would he be talking with an animal communicator?

You see, in September 2009, Duckers was attacked by a dog. The dog bit a part of his bill off.  The vet said Duckers would be be okay, but I knew that he was in pain.

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Meet Cailey, a terrier mix puppy. Her approximate DOB is 3/12/09.

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BocMeow’s having a pet photo contest!!!

All pet parents are invited to participate! This is a wonderful opportunity to show off your furry and feathered children so don’t miss out!  You may submit photos now.

How long is the contest?

The contest is NOW CLOSED.  The last day to submit pictures is December 12, 2009.

RULES:

You must make sure the photographs you submit are photos that you have taken.

We will not accept any professional photographs and reject any responsibility for pictures that you submit to BocMeow’s photo contest due to copyright laws. We are only accepting photos submitted via our Shutterfly website.

We are judging photos based on quality, creativity, originality and of course cuteness.

Keep in mind that while we are judging your photos, we want our hearts to be melted and we want to laugh. This is KEY in having your photo be a winner! 

You may submit up to 3 photos per person.

These photos may be of the same pet and may include more than one pet as well as people (as long as the people in the photo are aware).

All photos must be submitted through BocMeow’s Shutterfly website.

If you don’t have a Shutterfly account, you will need to sign up in order to submit a photo to BocMeow’s photo contest.

To enter our contest, please click HERE.

Once you have an account with Shutterfly, simply go to “add photos”.

Be sure to FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS listed on our Shutterfly website before submitting your photo!

Prizes

Pet of the Month 2010: Twelve pictures will be chosen to be posted as “Pet of the Month” on BocMeow’s website for 2010.  The first, second and third prize winner will be a part of the twelve chosen. The “Pet of the Month” is a chance for your pet to be a star. You will have the opportunity to write a short bio about you and your pet. All who visit BocMeow’s website will get to learn all about your precious critter kid.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winner will each receive an autographed copy of Nadine M. Rosin’s book titled The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood, which is a must read for all pet parents.

1st Prize Winner:

BocMeow will donate $50.00 to YOUR favorite nonprofit animal rescue group.

A gift basket from ProbioticSmart.com filled with a variety of natural pet supplements ($100.00 value)

Holistic Consultation with Nadine M. Rosin, the author of The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood.

The holistic consultation will include discussing your choice of food, treats, toys and home products-thoroughly examining everything you expose your pet to. After explaining why some of those things may actually be harmful to your pet, Nadine will suggest possible alternatives and help guide you into creating the safest environment possible in your home. Nadine M. Rosin has been a student of alternative healing for over thirty years and a holistic bodywork practitioner since 1996. She cured her dog Buttons of cancer through holistic care. Buttons lived a thriving 19 years years. With the holistic consultation, you can learn how to help your pet live a long, healthy life like Buttons did.

2nd Prize Winner

A $50.00 gift certificate to Probioticsmart.com, which is an excellent source for all natural pet supplements.

An opportunity to speak with Animal Communicator Janet Roper to discover what your pet is thinking or why he/she has certain “bad” behaviors.

During the tele-party, you will have the opportunity to hear what your beloved pet has to tell you as well as tell them what you want them to know.  Learn more about Janet Roper’s tele-parties here.

A one of a kind Reiki pillow made by Reiki Fur Babies, for you and/or your pet.

What is a reiki pillow? It is a pillow filled with relaxing scented herbs and charged with two mental healings plus Reiki energy that lasts the lifetime of the pillow.

3rd Prize Winner

A unique, personalized pendant or key chain with a portrait of your fur or feathered baby made by ShopMollyd!

To see how beautiful this prize is, check out ShopMollyD’s website.

An autographed copy of Buckley’s Story, written by Ingrid King.

Buckley’s Story is about how one small cat made a huge impact on the author, Ingrid King. A loving story that portrays the human-animal bond, the bond that all pet parents know is connected by the soul of both beings. Another must read for all pet parents. Learn more here.

A skin-soothing aromatherapy for dogs by Dr. Kim Bloomer.

Dr. Kim Bloomer is a Veterinary Naturopath and is an EXCELLENT resource for alternative therapies when your pet is facing difficult health situations. Learn more about Dr. Kim Bloomer here.

ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PHOTO CONTEST, PLEASE CONTACT BOCMEOW!

I once had someone ask me during an interview if I ever saw a cat and dog cuddle each other during my care for them.

My reply, without thinking twice was “Yes!”. I thought it a bit odd that someone would ask me such a question. That same person then asked me if I thought society would accept such a thing! I thought “What?!” but said “Yes!”.  Bottom line, people embrace love, regardless what form it comes; but in our society we see more negativity in the media than positive. Well, the video below is the true depiction of love and if you’ve never seen a dog and cat cuddle, be aware-the video is quite graphic!

Dog and Cat in LOVE