Carrie, Pet Person

Can you believe Christmas is just a few days away? If you are like most households around the country you are probably scrambling to get the shopping done, prepping the house for out of town guests, having friends and neighbors over for a fun party or two, and trying to enjoy yourself above the hectic atmosphere of the week. While we are usually able to deal with the excitement, and sometimes anxiety, of the next couple weeks fairly well, don’t forget that our pets can pick up on everything going on around us.

During this time of year we fill our pets’ environments with all sorts of weird sights, sounds and smells. What may just look like a beautifully decorated Christmas tree to us may look like a tempting playground to the family cat. And all those colorful presents under the temporary playground? Well those are new tear up toys we’ve given to our dogs, and right at their level. All the yummy smells coming from the kitchen? How are even the most well behaved pets expected to resist? We’re the ones who have bombarded our pets with holiday temptations, so it isn’t fair to them to get upset if the cat bops around a bulb or the dog opens a gift a bit early.

It is important to include our pets in our holiday celebrations, just remember that with our fun comes more opportunities, unintentional of course, for our pets to experience some holiday bah humbugs. Just like in the workplace, think Safety First.

Here are some tips I’ve used and have come across to help make your pets’ holiday just as enjoyable as yours: Continue Reading »

Carrie, Pet Person

With nearly 63% of American households owning a pet, an estimated 873,000 households in Utah, it makes complete sense to say that pets are part of our families. We love our pets at Harmons and we love yours just as much. Last year I had an opportunity to teach a class during our Education Week on the pet category in our stores. What is a web person doing teaching a class on pet products? I wasn’t sure why at first myself, other than everyone knows how much I love my pets. What I learned, more than sales numbers and product counts, is what a value and convenience the pet aisle is to our customers who are also pet owners. In this new blog category I hope to provide insight on some pet products Harmons carries and address interesting or important pet points.

Little Monster Loki, age 11 1/2 - Loki is an extremely active (and stubborn) Beagle/Basset mix. She loves to run like her sighthound friends, even with her crooked feet, and does not act her age. She thinks everyone loves her and (in people terms) has an energetic personality.

Other than having a great pet section in our stores, I am proud to know that Harmons gets involved in causes and events that benefit pets in our local communities. We’ve worked with the Humane Society of Utah to offer Adopt-a-thons at our stores and we were the title sponsor of this year’s Canine Casino benefiting No More Homeless Pets. Tomorrow, Saturday, September 17th we will be hosting another Pet Adopt-a-Thon at 14 of our locations. If you are looking to provide a new forever home for a loving cat or dog, visit one of our stores 12pm-6pm (St. George 12pm-4pm). Anyone who adopts a pet will also receive pet bowls and a coupon for up to $35 of Purina pet food. If you already have a pet you can take advantage of our Love Your Pet Sale going on through September 25th.

What to show off your pet? Each post I will include a photo of a pet – dog, cat, bird, fish, lizard, or whatever else is a part of your family. Send me a photo of your pet and include your name, your pet’s name and age, and tell us something special about them. I will start off the first couple with my pets.

Thirty-five cats and dogs now have new homes thanks to everyone who adopted four-legged family members this past weekend. The Adopt-a-Thon, the third event held at Harmons stores, helped dogs and cats from the Humane Society of Utah find new loving homes. With the adoption of an animal, new owners received a $25 coupon for Purina products, 2 Purina pet bowls, a leash for dogs, a carrier for cats and a $25 coupon for Pedigree products.

We are also having a “Love Your Pet” sale through June 12th. We will have Purina Dog Chow, Pedigree Dog Food, pet dishes, pet water bottles, bones, leashes, beds, toys, cat food and cat litter on sale!

Mark your calendars – Harmons will be hosting another Pet Adopt-a-Thon on Saturday, September 17th.

Did you adopt a dog or cat from an adoption event at Harmons? We would love to see how they are doing today – send us a picture of you and your pet, let us know which store you adopted your pet from, and give us an update on their new life.