#ChewyInfluencer Two Weeks in and I'm Feeling YOUNG

Does this PLAYFUL mug look like that of a NINE YEAR OLD pug? Even the white hairs look more like MILK spots than age spots. I tell ya, most days I really do not feel my age. And why, you ask? I guess I would have to say GOOD GENES. But it is more than that because as everyPUGGY knows, you ARE what you EAT.

What I am eating lately is The Honest Kitchen Grain Free Chicken Recipe. As I reported before, this is a basically a RAW diet in a dehydrated form. And I am using it as a TOPPER for my grain-free KIBBLE. To be honest, I think I could it it straight up. It is THAT GOOD!

What I have noticed is that after my ritual licking the bowl IMMACULATE, I am not hungry at all. This is huge and something Mommy #2 looks for in a food. If I am still hungry when I am done eating, then the food is lacking in something. This does NOT MEAN I won't still beg. 

Begging is a whole 'nother ballgame

World Class BEGGER

Mommy says I am too dirty to tell if my COAT is better after eating this food. It is always soft so that isn't a test. But it is currently DULL AND DIRTY so after my Saturday bath, we will know the verdict. She does say my eyes are BRIGHT as ever and my skin looks fresh and dewy, like a PUPPY.

All the other signs of a not-too-digestible-food, like BELCHING and FARTING are almost non-existent. I do occasionally pass a little gas. . . but hey! We all do! So it appears I am doing very very well on this FOOD. And even Molly, that picky Maltese, likes The Honest Kitchen Grain Free Chicken Recipe! She had it STRAIGHT UP with no kibble and it suited her just fine.

My energy levels are normal - let's face it, PUGS are not known for being over active. In spurts we are. IN SPURTS, like after a bath. But I did grab a toy the other day and SQUEAKED it all over the downstairs. Granted, the timing was bad as it was during the Dancing With The Stars elimination. But the point is, I was feeling GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY and that is the way a 9 year old pup should be!

So there you have it. My INTERIM report. I'll check back in a couple of weeks when I complete my Chewy.com 30-Day Challenge.

** I received a month's supply of the product free of charge from Chewy.com in exchange for my ALWAYS honest and NEVER paid for review. All opinions expressed in A Bowl of Noodles belong to me, Noodles the Pug, alone.

Jade Can't Be Bothered

This is Jade, our BIRD SIB. We are not sure if Jade is a girl or a boy. Odds are she's a girl as that is the dominant gender in our household. But we don't mind either way.

Jade is in the dining room where there is a lot of light and I think she likes (I prefer to think of Jade as a she) it a lot. In fact, before moving to the dining room, Jade was in the family room and it is a lot darker there. Although by the glass French doors, it was still not sunny at all in that room. So Jade was quiet except early in the morning when the sun comes up. That is NOT true anymore. Just turn on a movie and Jade will not stop "singing."

Jade has been with our family for over 5 years now. . . in fact, I think Jade has been with us more like 10 years. Time flies, unlike Jade. Even with the cage open Jade does not fly out. I think she did once and didn't like it much. So now when the door is open, Jade sidles up to the corner of the cage and just sits there.

Jade likes PLAIN seed only and loves loves loves millet berries. That is all. There is a PLAIN cuttle bone just above Jade's head and against the back wire, but she never bites at it. It might be too high and Jade doesn't bother to climb there.

That is Jade. If it isn't easy then she cannot be bothered to seek it out. . . not CUTTLE BONE, not FOOD, not anything.

You see, Jade maybe is a lazy bird. But she is also kind of getting on in years so maybe Jade doesn't bother because she is older now.

This is Jade HIDING from the camera. She closed her eyes and pretended that the HUMAN was not there. I might take this one and add it to my repertoire. Sometimes I wanna pretend that SOMEONE or SOMETHING is not there. It could be useful.

So there you have it. This is our bird sib Jade. A character, to be sure. . . but a pretty cool one at that.

The Fall Wind Bloweth

Folks it is HOT here today
It is HOT and windy here today
The FIRE danger is high today
It is Fall here today
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes today
Means it's Fall today
But it is HOT here today

What is GOING ON?

#Chewyinfluencer What Molly Wants is What Molly Gets

This is Molly and she is a good girl. I cannot ask for a better sister than her because she is fun but mostly lovable. Unless she doesn't want to be. Then all bets are off as to how she will act. But mostly, she is a good girl.

She is also a lot more delicate than me. Part of this is her breed mix - Maltese we know for sure. It makes her a little more delicate and particular especially when it comes to FOOD. Actually, that is the main point I am making here. She is PARTICULAR ABOUT HER FOOD!!! She won't just eat a comestible because it IS comestible. Oh no. She needs to like the SMELL. She needs to like the SHAPE. She needs to like the TEXTURE.

THIS is what makes Molly a good test subject. Unlike me, she won't eat anything. Unlike ME, she won't consider any kind of food "good" just because it is food. She SCRUTINIZES the Chewy.com monthly newsletter every time looking for the RIGHT item to review. Snacks - meh. . . Vitamins - nah . . . Chewie Bones - nope (not enough teeth) . . . can you envision what I am saying? This month - SEPTEMBER - she decided to try a new (to her) canned food by Purina: Pro Plan Savor Adult Grain-free Chicken & Carrots Entree

The PLUS for her is the grain-free formula and the addition of carrots. She likes carrots but cannot crunch them very well any more. This food seemed to be the answer to her DILEMMA.

So we ordered the food for her and it arrived IN TWO DAYS!!! Gotta love Chewy.com and their swift deliveries. Even back in the day when it was less than swift, it was always reasonable and welcome. 

Pugsonally, I could sit here all
day waiting for a package from
CHEWY.COM

So about the food. Molly LOVES it. Well, mostly she LOVES it. She tires of it about halfway down the can and refuses to eat it at all. So the human SERVANTS have to come up with something ELSE for a day or two and then REINTRODUCE the food to her. This happens every time we get food from a large can. ME? I'll eat it no prob. Molly goes "MEH!!"

Here's what she LIKES about Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Grain-free Chicken & Carrots:

1. No Grains to upset her tummy or give her itchies
2. Lotsa Protein, Vitamins, and Minerals so she doesn't have to POP A PILL
3. It's a complete diet FULL of real meat and real vegetables . . . Enough Said
4. Nothing artificial, food-wise, to upset the balance of this delicate FLOWER of a girl
5. Relatively low calorie to maintain her SVELTE form and still keep her muscles and joints ready for running

This is EXACTLY what Purina ProPlan Savor Adult Grain-free Chicken & Carrots LOOKS like! See the bits of cooked carrot? No mistaking that for anything else! And the little pebbles of cooked chicken? It is just the right size for Molly to NIBBLE. Because THAT is exactly how she eats - she NIBBLES and picks out tiny bites and. . .

It DRIVES me CRAZY.

But this review is NOT about me.

After eating this food for 3 weeks, Molly has not changed a lot other than running to the dinner area and begging like there is no tomorrow to be fed. She has plenty of energy and is not biting or scratching any more (or less) than usual. After spending most of the summer dealing with Moose and Pablo, I can say FOR A FACT that girl dogs scratch a lot less than boy dogs. But that is neither here nor there.

We like the Purina Pro Plan food and if it came in smaller cans it would be better for Molly. She is just odd that way.

We give this food an EIGHT PAWS UP approval - we hold off on a SEAL of APPROVAL because of the can issue.

**We received a case of Purina Pro Plan free of charge from Chewy.com in exchange for our honest opinion. All opinions are ours ALONE and we are not paid for writing our reviews.

Sunshine is a Tiny Tiger #chewyinfluencer

How does a house cat become a TIGER? Well it takes many things, for sure. Probably the most important way a house cat becomes a TIGER is by EATING the right food. This is what Sunshine the Cat set out to do THREE weeks ago when she asked Chewy.com to try Tiny Tiger Chicken Recipe Grain-free Pate Canned Cat Food. And I have to say, she has certainly taken this mission to heart and come out of it WELL ON HER WAY to being a FULL BLOWN tiger and not just a Tiny Tiger. Not size-wise, of course. That would be along the lines of Steve Rogers becoming Captain America - and THAT would require a secret serum, not just good-for-you food.

No, I am referring to her VIM, VIGOR and VITALITY which has increased to TIGER SIZE since eating Tiny Tiger Chicken Recipe Grain-free Pate. Keep in mind that Sunshine is a 16 year old CAT! And she is now running around Casa de Noodles like she is a KITTEN! She even jumped ON THE COUNTER and ate my BREAKFAST! That was totally unacceptable behavior, granted, but nonetheless quite a feat for a SENIOR CAT.

Tiny can

Tiny package

So what is it about Tiny Tiger that is bringing out the T-I-G-E-R in Sunshine? I think we need to look at the ingredients to get the FULL picture.

Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Liver, Meat By-Products, Fish, Natural Flavor, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Added Color, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Taurine, Salt, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Nitrite (To Promote Color Retention).

Caloric Content
1,120 kcal/kg or 95 kcal/3oz can

No GRAIN because cats don't need grains. No CORN or SOY because cats don't need those either. Instead, take a look at the underlined ingredients! All you see there is MEAT and MEAT and PROTEIN. That is what a healthy cat CRAVES and that is what a healthy cat NEEDS.

So by eating Tiny Tiger Chicken Recipe Grain-free Pate Canned Cat Food, Sunshine is giving her body what it needs to reach TIGER STATUS.

And taste? She is LOVING it. Really and truly - she RUNS to her bowl at meal time and if there is no Tiny Tiger in it, she ROARS!

Now if only she would stop hiding around corners and POUNCING on me when I walk by. . .

We at Casa de Noodles give Tiny Tiger our beloved

** We received one case of Tiny Tiger Chicken Recipe Grain-free Pate Canned Cat Food FREE of charge from CHEWY.COM in exchange for our honest review. We were not paid for our review and all opinions expressed on this blog are the property of NOODLES the PUG.

Sorry To Go Missing In Action. . .

I realize I have not been in Blogville as much as I normally am. I blame it on my Mommys, plain and simple. You see, they are my THUMBS and without them, the blog does not get written. So what happens when they are too busy MOVING back to university and doing all the errands leading UP to that event? My posts become the last thing on anypuggy's mind.

But NOW it is done. Mommy #1 has returned to university and classes have resumed. Mommy #2 has less driving around to do now and more time to devote to ME and my BLOG. So beginning today, we are returning to a more regular schedule of writing and witticism.

That's really ALL I had to say today and I HOPE you all understand. Look for a review by ONE OF US tomorrow.

BTW, my heart goes out to all of you affected by Hurricane Florence and the resultant flooding. My COUSIN is in Ft Bragg in North Carolina and she said the stores are all out of some necessities like MILK and BREAD - AND - all of the major highways are closed because of water so she can't go out of the area to look for supplies. And she is on BASE which is relatively safe and unaffected. Imagine if she were in TOWN? So

Be SAFE my furiends and listen to the authorities when they tell you an area is OFF LIMITS. They have their reasons.

To help those affected by Hurricane Florence, you can contribute to the RED CROSS here

HURRICANE FLORENCE

I Like To Challenge Myself and Others #Chewyinfluencer

HEY! Psst!!
I don't want to alarm you BUT something, not the USUAL, is at the door! I am not sure I should open it. It looks all big and BULKY!

Oh! Wait!

Looks like ANOTHER CHEWY.COM 30 day Challenge has found it's way to Casa de Noodles. And I am so excited about it. Generally speaking, I have the best time learning about new (or new to me) products. This time it is all about ME and what I like to eat. Molly has another food she is trying (the usual 2 week trial) and will talk about it next week. Sunshine is ALSO reviewing a new food and she too will be ready to OPINIONIZE the following week.

But for ME here is the TALE. I will be trying 30 days of Honest Kitchen GRAIN-FREE CHICKEN RECIPE.

Honest Kitchen, for those who don't know, is basically a RAW diet but is presented in an easy to use and easy to store dehydrated format. The food is rehydrated as you go along. So it is slightly less convenient than a canned food or kibble BUT a lot more convenient than a standard RAW diet.

Some of the things I am looking for which are characteristic of a RAW diet are:

• Improved intestinal efficiency - which means less belching
• Improved FUR - a shinier coat is always a good thing
• Healthier skin - less itchies as we move into the drier FALL and WINTER seasons
• Cleaner TEETH - for puggies who struggle to KEEP their teeth clean and healthy, this is a plus
• Higher energy levels - yeah, right! Not counting on that one
• Smaller POOPS - I know it will make SOMEONE happy but I pugsonally don't care

Mommy has decided to use HK Chicken Recipe as more of a topper with perhaps an occasional meal. We will see. I expect if it is used as a topper then the benefits would be less. So as of SEPTEMBER 15 2018 I will be eating Honest Kitchen Grain-free Chicken Recipe and we will SEE who has the UPPER PAW come October.

I cannot wait. . .

Dog Days of Summer - Doggone it and Goodbye

My how quickly the SUMMER goes by. Once upon a time we were waiting for the WARM days of Summer to come our way and now. . . THEY ARE GOING BY US in a flash. It is much cooler now and the days are a lot shorter. I find I take fewer and shorter excursions outside. Plus there are NO MORE strawberries to pick.

And on Friday my FURiends, Pablo and Moose, went home. I missed them almost immediately. They are good BOYS and we had a lot of fun together. Molly wasn't having it BUT I was very much enjoying their company. But I know their Maman missed them so much and is happy they are home again.

This coming weekend Mommy #1 returns to university which means Mommy #2 and I will be a DUO instead of a TRIO. That is gonna feel weird. It does every year.

On the BRIGHT SIDE, it is FOOTBALL and nearly HOCKEY season. So it is not ALL bad.

Bed Time With Guests

This is Pablo and Moose who are visiting until the weekend. Pablo totally would be on his own bed but it was soiled and needed to be washed. There are times the boys have shared that brown bed. Not this time. Moose settled in the middle leaving no room for Pablo. Finally Pablo gave up and laid on the ground. I am sure he was comfortable enough. With the thick fur he has he was likely a lot cooler sleeping on the floor.

I curled up in my Costco nest bed. No sharing here! It fits me just right and if I have my way, NO PUGGY other than me is allowed to sleep in it. So far only Sunshine the Cat has tried. We are all scared of her so no one argued when she settled in. But she didn't stay long before something else captured her attention and she was OFF.

Molly was upstairs with Cousin C. That is where she normally goes no matter what. She is so unsociable. I think GUESTS need to be coddled some and made to feel welcome. So even though I PREFER to sleep on Mommy #2's bed, I will happily pull up the floor and sleep along with my FURiends.

It's Wednesday and I got THIS to say

It's A Whole New World -- And It All Comes Down To LOVE

Mommy 1 and Mommy 2 just got new ears from Disneyland. They have been trying to score a pair (or two) since first hearing about them way back in, I dunno, A LONG TIME. But they are always SOLD OUT online and they were all SOLD OUT everywhere they went in Disneyworld. So what to do? Luckily, Aunt T took a trip down to SOCAL and Disneyland last week and Mommy 2 asked her to be on the lookout for them. She did AND she found them! Omipug my Mommys were so happy.

Why are these important, other than being RAINBOW and awesome? Well these ears are in support of the LGBTQ (etc) community and my Mommys want to show their support of the community. At the end of the day, it is all about LOVE. See the MICKEY GLOVES on the hat? They are symbolizing LOVE. That is really all that matters in this world. Because if there was more of it, there would be less of

• WARS
• CRIME
• HATE
• DISCRIMINATION
• EXCLUSION
• VIOLENCE

You see where I am going with this? So I challenge everypuggy to PICK THE CAUSE OF LOVE and support it wholeheartedly. It can only be a good thing.

Here are my Mommys in their hats

America Honors HER Workers With a DAY

I AM a Yankee Doodle Gal

Happy Labor Day to all of you. Today is a special day at Casa de Noodles - EVERYpuggy is home and it is NOT a weekend. It is Monday but it feels a bit like SUNDAY. I kinda like it because that means there are more LAPS available to snuggle on and extra COOKING being done that I can "help" with.

The only DOWN side of the day (and since it is attached to a weekend, it is an EXTRA day) is the television shows available. Daytime TV is droll. . . I mean really really yuck until about 3pm when "Ellen" comes on. I loves loves loves that show.

This is how I plan to HONOR LABOR and I hope it is exactly what ALL OF YOU are doing as well:

NAPPING!!!

PeeEss: Lulu went home on Saturday. I kinda miss her already. BUT Moose and Pable are coming for a week. I loves when they visit cuz they are funny boys.

This pic is from their LAST visit