Welcome to the Week’s Review of Canine Social Media
Welcome to this Special Feature on the DoggieU K9 Blog for an update on this week’s dog-related media and social media from around the world. There are so many stories. Here we will share some of the best stories this week.
Enjoy & share them.
Traveling around the world with her German shepherd on a motorcycle.
Jess S. and her beloved dog Moxie have been cruising along together, now, 10 months into an epic bike trip that will see them travel across around 90 countries throughout Central America, North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. 
It certainly isn’t a typical sight to see a motorcyclist riding along the road with a German shepherd dog on the back of their bike. Â Nearby onlookers do double takes while drivers reach for their phones to take a photo “almost causing accidents because they’re trying to get the shot,” says Jess.
Jess and Moxie have been on the road since last March, when they set off, along with Jess’s husband Greg, who rides behind them. Jess says “I am always in the front. I want to go through the obstacles first.”
Once she finally felt at ease on a motorbike, the couple, went on an eight-month long motorcycle trip together from North to South America. A few years after they moved to Guatemala, and Moxie came into their lives. “She picked me 100%,” Jess says, recounting the moment she first laid eyes on the canine while viewing a litter of German shepherd puppies in a  neighboring towns. “She was there at my heels just waiting for me to love her.”
While both Stone and her husband were determined to include Moxie in their travels, she explains that she “didn’t want to have a sidecar or a trailer or something that was going to really change the dynamic of riding,” now that Moxie was finally comfortable on a motorcycle. They quickly began designing what would later become the K9 Moto Cockpit, a motorcycle dog carrier they manufacture in Guatemala, along with a range of outdoor dog gear, through their company Ruffly.
After deciding that she and Moxie were ready for another big adventure, Jess reached out to global nonprofit Girl Up — a girl-centered leadership development initiative — and the GoRUFFLY Around the World adventure was born.
“Obviously I wanted to travel the world,” says Jess, who aims to raise $100,000 for Girl Up’s global empowerment projects. “But I also wanted to show people that you can do it with a big dog.”
Being able to take Moxie on this particular trip has made it that much more special for Jess.
[Link to more pics] [Link to GoRUFFLY]
PetSmart Searches for First-Ever ‘Chief Toy Testers’
The company that states it will do Anything for Pets, PetSmart, is on the search for one dog and one cat to fulfill the very important role of Chief Toy Tester. The requirements? Vast experience in play, a knack for toy testing and an advanced palate for sampling an array of culinary treats. The chosen feline and canine Chief Toy Testers will be responsible for ensuring pets nationwide are in the know about the best pet products PetSmart has to offer while also earning $10,000(USD/human).
The Chief Toy Testers will participate in numerous PetSmart product unboxings as well as appear at a variety of PetSmart events as a celebrity VIP (Very Important Pet) throughout their one year in the role. As connoisseurs of the latest and greatest pet commodities, the cat and dog Chief Toy Testers will ensure new toys and treats are assessed with the utmost consideration while also managing their pet parents as they post their pet’s official product findings to social media platforms.
While playtime can cut into daily napping for some four-legged friends, the chosen canine and feline Chief Toy Testers understand the gravity of providing their fellow furry companions with information on the best new products PetSmart has to offer. Ideal candidates possess:
- A nose for sniffing out the tastiest treats, paws for toy product play and a perfect tail wag (or wave) when appearing as a VIP at PetSmart events
- The ability to direct their pet parents to capture the most compelling video footage and content for social media as they analyze their product findings and demonstrate their uses
- Human pet parents who can commit to a one-year partnership contract on their pet’s behalf
- Toy and treat product deliveries
- Quarterly salon treatments
- Celebrity status as a VIP (Very Important Pet) at PetSmart events
- $10,000compensation
- Tail-wagging rights only granted to PetSmart’s first Chief Toy Testers
Some wonderful dog situations from Social Media
Click to enlarge pics and for slide show view
[Link]