The Bobby Bed!

The nice people at Bobby Bed (www.bobbybed.com) recently sent us new beds for Bear and Momo! Bear got a large Bobby Bed (in gray), while Momo got a medium Bobby Bed (also in gray).

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Bear’s Bobby Bed

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Momo’s Bobby Bed

The beds are rolled up, vacuum-sealed, and packaged into long boxes, so they take 24-48 hours to fully decompress after you open them. The covers of the bed come out slightly wrinkled because of the packaging, but it’s nothing a bit of ironing can’t fix!

We’ll break down the two main components of the bed:

The Mattress

The outer frame of the Bobby Bed sits slightly higher than the central mattress of the bed, making for a comfortable chin/head rest. The central mattress consists of a layer of egg crate memory foam on top of a layer of high-density foam. Super comfy!

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The mattress of the Bobby Bed (egg crate memory foam + high-density foam)

The Covers

Surrounding the mattress of the Bobby Bed is the inner lining and the outer cover.

The inner lining of the Bobby Bed is made of a waterproof material. This is one of our favourite features of the bed. We’ve owned dog beds with washable covers before, but they weren’t waterproof - this became an issue whenever one of our foster dogs had an accident that leaked through to the mattress of the bed, leaving a bad smell that wouldn’t go away. We can definitely see the waterproof lining coming in handy in the future!

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A waterproof lining surrounds the mattress of the Bobby Bed

The outside covers of the Bobby Bed have some impressive features. They’re scratch-proof and bite-proof, so they’re perfect for diggers and chewers. They’re also anti-bacterial, mold-resistant, and mite-resistant. The covers aren’t made of the softest material, but that’s probably what makes them so resilient!

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The outer covers of the Bobby Bed

Overall, we’d highly recommend the Bobby Bed for any dog/dog owner. It may be pricier than some other dogs beds, but its durability and washability makes it well worth the price.

The Bobby Bed comes in gray or beige and is available in 3 sizes. Go to www.bobbybed.com to learn more and use the code bearmo10 for 10% off your order!

P.S. Check out this fun little video we made with Bear and Momo’s Bobby Beds!

Coast Chilliwack Hotel: Bear and Momo’s First-Ever Hotel Stay

Last month, Bear and Momo went on their very first road trip! We made our first stop in Chilliwack, BC. The city is surrounded by mountains and outdoor recreational areas, making it an ideal place to go explore with your pups. There are numerous scenic places just a short drive away from Chilliwack, including Cultus Lake, Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park, Harrison Hot Springs (pictured below), and Othello Tunnels.

During our 2-night stop in Chilliwack, we stayed at the newly renovated (and very pet-friendly!) Coast Chilliwack Hotel by APA in Downtown Chilliwack. Since the hotel is located right downtown, we were able to get food and go shopping (for us and the dogs) with much convenience. There’s even a Save-On Foods right across the street for guests who wish to purchase food and other items!

Upon entering the hotel, we were greeted by Coast Hotel’s friendly (and dog-loving!) staff. Bear and Momo both received plenty of praise and pets from them. We were assigned a room on the top floor with a stunning view of the mountains. Guests who stay on the other side of the hotel get a gorgeous fountain view of the lily pond, which we checked out while on a walk with Bear and Momo. Both of them really enjoyed taking a stroll by the pond - they were especially curious about the ducks and geese that hang out there!

Our stay was extremely comfortable, for both humans and dogs. The room was clean and quite spacious, even for our 80-pound Bear. After our day outings to nearby parks and attractions, we were able to rewind and relax in our room with complimentary Starbucks coffee and Tazo tea (which our housekeeper kindly restocked on the second day). There was also an indoor pool, hot tub, fitness centre, and sauna at the hotel, but we didn’t end up using those amenities.

During our stay, we also ordered room service from the hotel’s signature Prestons Restaurant + Lounge (located beside the lobby). We highly recommend their Prestons Burger with fries. So delicious!

All in all, Bear and Momo both enjoyed their very first overnight stay at a pet-friendly hotel. Thank you Coast Chilliwack Hotel by APA for the wonderful stay.

Start an Emergency Pet Fund with Varo Today!

Owning a pet is expensive. From veterinarian care to food expenses to grooming, it can really add up and make a dent in your pocket. When it comes to vet care, some prefer to purchase pet insurance, while others (like ourselves) prefer to set money aside into an account for emergency pet expenses. Anyone with a pet knows how much vet bills can cost, whether for a routine exam or for an emergency. For example:

• Annual dog vaccinations = up to $100

• A simple physical exam + basic blood test = up to $300

• Routine teeth-cleaning = up to $1000

• A couple of overnight stays at the local animal emergency clinic = up to $2700

4-month-old Momo visits the vet for the first time!

According to the AKC, the first year of pet ownership can cost up to $2000, and that’s without any sort of medical emergencies. For those of us who have never won the lottery nor inherited millions of dollars, we believe it is absolutely necessary to have some money saved up for if/when your pet has an unexpected medical emergency.

From a personal standpoint, having some money saved up on the side was something that helped us when we first found out about Loki’s kidney issues, and continues to be something that we do in case we ever need it for Bear or Momo. As much as we hope we never have to dip into it, it’s simply a wise thing to do.

10-month old Momo visits the vet for a routine checkup!

Starting a Pet Emergency Fund doesn’t have to be stressful! - Bear

A great way to save up for the unexpected situations is by starting an Emergency Pet Fund with a Varo Savings Account. It ensures that you’re financially prepared if something happens to your pet!

Varo is an all-mobile bank account that is completely fee-free - this means there are no monthly maintenance fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no ATM withdrawal fees. Think about all the fees you’ve handed over to the big banks over the last year - it really adds up. In a Varo savings account, that whole amount could have gone to your Emergency Pet Fund instead!

Varo also offers fee-free, high-yield savings accounts that do not require a minimum balance. In fact, Varo pays one of the highest APY (Annual Percentage Yields) of any other bank in the US. The interest is deposited into the savings account on the first day of each month.

A quick comparison shows the huge difference in the yearly earnings (in interest) between a Varo account and an account based on the national average (other banks):

• For a savings account with $10,000 balance, Varo (with APY of 2.12% and 2.80% - accurate as of June 4th, 2019) will give a yearly earning of $212 and $280, respectively.

• For the national average APY of only 0.09%, you will get a measly $9 in one year.

Based on the interest rate alone, we think Varo is definitely the way to go for those who are looking to start an Emergency Pet Fund.

Varo also has tools available that can automatically deposit money from your Varo bank account into your Varo Savings Account to help build up your Emergency Pet Fund. They include:

• “Save Your Pay” - Varo takes a % (of your choosing) of your Varo Bank Account deposits and automatically deposits that amount into your Varo Savings Account.

• “Save Your Change” - Varo rounds up every transaction to the nearest dollar, and transfers the difference from your Varo Bank Account into your Varo Savings Account.

Another great perk that Varo offers is that you can get paid up to two days earlier with Early Direct Deposit money. No one likes to wait around for their paycheck to come in. The sooner your pay comes in, the sooner you can pay your bills, earn interest, and save for your emergency fund!

Join Varo and start saving towards your Emergency Pet Fund today! www.varomoney.com

*The Varo app is available on iOS and Android. They currently do not support joint accounts or business accounts.

This is a sponsored conversation written by us on behalf of Varo. The opinions and text are all ours.

Don-Ay: Pet Land

Italian game developer, Affinity Project, is helping Best Friends Animal Society save animals one tap at a time with the world’s first donation mobile game: Don-Ay: Pet Land!

The concept of a donation game is quite simple - people play the game, and a portion of the ad revenue (from watching short ads in the game) and in-game purchases gets donated. Being able to make donations through ad revenue means that people don’t have to pay a cent to make donations!

In Don-Ay: Pet Land, every time you watch an ad or make an in-game purchase, you earn D-points (Donation Points). D-Points represent the amount of real-world donations each player has generated for Best Friends Animal Society!

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How do you play Don-Ay: Pet Land?

Don-Ay: Pet Land is a free app available on the App Store and Google Play. It is an endless runner game combined with a virtual pet simulator. You start off the game by rescuing Pegi the dog (whom you can rename) from the dog pound. After petting, feeding, and bathing your rescue pup, you are ready to play in the dreamworld, which is the endless runner portion of Don-Ay: Pet Land!

The first dreamworld landscape is the countryside, where your pup flies across the level on a cloud, collecting as many coins as possible while avoiding obstacles. We find the endless runner portion of the game to be very easy and addicting to play, since you guide your pet through the dreamworld with a one-button control scheme.

More dreamworlds can be unlocked at higher levels, and more pets can be adopted when you accumulate enough coins in the game (such as a black and white cat named Silver). Also, you can buy outfits and food for your pets with the coins you earn in the game!

Adopt pets and unlock new dreamworlds as you progress in the game!

You can shop for outfits for your virtual pet!

All in all, we really enjoy playing this game. The virtual pet simulator portion of the game (where you can pet, groom, and feed your pet) keeps you coming back, the endless runner portion of the game is really fun, and the graphics are really cute! Being able to help animals in the real world by simply playing makes this game even better!

Your pet gets upset if you don’t bathe him/her from time to time!

There is a page in the game dedicated to Best Friends Animal Society, where you can find information about adopting an animal, as well as information on the work the organization does. The page also shows the amount of money that has been donated to the organization thanks to Don-Ay: Pet Land players!

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Who are Best Friends Animal Society?

Best Friends Animal Society is a nationwide (USA) animal rescue and advocacy organization. They have spay-neuter, TNR (trap, neuter, and return), pet adoption, and no-kill programs. The organization also runs the largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals in Utah, where they house approximately 1600 animals on any given day. Best Friends Animal Society is also dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, and has helped reduce the number of animals euthanized nationwide from 17 million to 1.5 million per year. They hope to reach their goal of reducing this number to zero by the year 2025!

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You can download Don-Ay: Pet Land to play (and donate!) here. Affinity Project has also expressed interest in including Bear and Momo in the game in a future update, which we are really excited about. Stay tuned!

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