Thank you for your patience over the past few days. I became completely consumed with an unexpected volunteer project to help a shelter and was entirely too drained to post here. I missed you all greatly and am happy to be back.

Today’s giveaway, our final holiday 2012 giveaway, is the ‘piece de resistance’ valued at $300! It is a custom 11 X 14″ pet painting by Kari of Pet Portraits. These pieces are so intricate and unique that I thought it best if Kari explain here style and approach…

How would you describe your artistic style?
My artistic style, that’s a tough one! I try not to over think it, my pet portraits are almost exclusively commissioned so there has to be a more realistic and representational element to them than some other work I do but I try to keep them as loose and expressive as possible, my goal is not to re-create the photograph I work from but to give the recipient a fun and sometimes quirky representation of their pet. Definitely colour and texture play a big part.

Calling all cat lovers! Today’s Pawsh Holiday Giveaway is for you! Presenting the Sky Scratcher — a revolutionary cat scratching post that resembles the Empire State Building! Impressed? We were!

It’s eco-friendly, challenging for cats and offers your decor the beginning of a mini-skyline! There is no glue or adhesives used in this product, meaning if your feline friend goes to town on one part of the tower, it can easily be replaced for continued use!

The Sky Scratcher has been praised by design experts such as Apartment Therapy and the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair and Pawsh loves it too! Most importantly, however, your cat will adore this fancy toy!

To enter to win all you have to do is….
 
COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST! Tell us a story about something unfortunate your cat has scratched in the past (for example, my childhood cat insisted on scratching the bathroom door before we got him a scratching post).

For an extra chance to enter, simply post a photo of your cat on our Facebook page! It’s always a pleasure to see your furry faces!

Contest entries for Giveaway #9 close at 10pm tonight and the winner will be drawn at random (again, once ALL entries have been properly tallied and accounted for). The winner will be announced on the blog on Monday when we introduce Giveaway #10!

GIVEAWAY #8 WINNER: We’re going to announce giveaway #8 winner on Monday as well (sorry!) There were so many entries we haven’t been able to tally them all yet and want to be sure to do it right! You guys are awesome! xo

Photos by WSPA/Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

{by Michelle Cheung} Shopping for that friend who delights in spoiling their dog? Or maybe that person is you? This holiday season the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) thinks you should get your paws on Really Wild Gifts.

In nearly every part of the world, people and dogs live happily side by side, but in some communities that bond is being tested. Sadly, every year 20 million dogs are brutally killed and the fear of rabies is often used as the excuse. That’s why WSPA is calling on governments to stop culling and to start running mass dog vaccination projects – the only solution proven to control rabies. 

Through the Collars Not Cruelty campaign, WSPA is working with communities to set up vaccination clinics. WSPA vaccinates dogs and gives them a bright red collar so the community knows they are safe.

Since the launch of the campaign last year, WSPA has been working with the Bangladesh government to vaccinate tens of thousands of dogs, and they are now rolling out programs in the Philippines and Indonesia. Amazingly these red collars have become symbols of safety, life, and hope.

By sending a Really Wild Gift you can help us create a world where collars, not cruelty are winning the fight against rabies. So why not give a gift this year that lasts fur-ever? All he needs is our red collar and you, please visit reallywildgifts.ca today!

Thank you for supporting and sharing this guest post from WSPA today. Pawsh is honoured to welcome WSPA into our ‘Giving Back To Helping Paws‘ program — an initiative that donates ad space and/or blog space on Pawsh to reputable organizations working tirelessly to help animals in need.

The first photo in this post is a dog called Miko; his life was saved by one of WSPA’s red collars.