Wag Reflex

'Get Your Licks on Route 66' Tour

Summer is in full swing, the sun is shining and the weather is hotter than ever -- calling for one thing, a road trip. Most dogs would agree that summer is the perfect time to crack the windows and go for a drive!

The pet lovers at The North Shore Animal League America and FIDO Friendly Magazine hit the open road earlier this summer, but this wasn’t any old vacation. A national pet adoption tour, Get Your Licks on Route 66, traveled the entire length of Route 66, from California to Illinois. The tour focused on raising awareness of the plight of homeless pets, promoting and increasing pet adoption, as well as raising funds for animal shelters. Like any other road trip, there were many rest stops, food breaks, and cat naps!

The tour hit the open road and visited the following stops:

Date        Local Shelter Partner                                          City                                
6/6           City of LA Dept. of Animal Services              Los Angeles, CA
6/10        Second Chance Center for Animals                 Flagstaff, AZ
6/13         Animal Humane Assoc. of New Mexico                Albuquerque, NM
6/14          Santa Fe Animal Shelter& Humane Society      Santa Fe, NM
6/17          Amarillo Panhandle Humane Society                 Amarillo, TX
6/20          Best friends of Pets                                      Oklahoma City, OK
6/21          Animal Rescue Foundation                                  Tulsa, OK
6/24          Joplin Humane Society                                     Joplin, MO
6/27          APA of Missouri                                               St. Louis, MO
6/28          Illinois Humane                                               Springfield, IL
6/30          Kent County Humane Society                    Grand Rapids, MI
7/1           South Suburban Humane Society                    Chicago Heights, IL

Most importantly, the Get Your Licks on Route 66 focused on placing lovable pets into stable households. BISSELL, a Get Your Licks sponsor, understood that for many dogs and cats, this was a trip of a lifetime. A pet life was saved with each adoption into a permanent, loving home. We were glad to see many stop by and fall in love with a new furry friend!

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.

Meet the BISSELL Family Pets

Just like any other member of the family, we are all very proud of our pets. Every pet has its own quirky behaviors and unique personality traits, and we love to show them off.

At BISSELL, we’re proud to announce that a new line of products will soon feature our employees’ family pets on the packaging. Being the proud pet parents that we are, we’d like to introduce you to a few of these members of our furry family.

Meet Lucky, a Siamese/Tabby blend who was rescued by Audrey (PC Technical Support Specialist) in a mall parking lot during an eventful shopping trip 8 years ago. The cat scurried right into Audrey’s arms and the two have been best friends since. The furry cat now feels right at home with Audrey as he loves to talk about his day, just hang out, and cuddle up as Audrey’s pillow when watching TV.

While Lucky may prefer to take it easy, Phelps is an outgoing feline who wasn’t at all camera shy for his BISSELL photo shoot. Beth (PR and Marketing Events Manager) and Adam (Sales Manager) adopted Phelps from the Humane Society after he was rescued from a river. Because he survived such a difficult swim the name Phelps seemed to fit perfectly! Oddly, he now loves water and comes running when he hears the faucet.

Next, we’d like to introduce Dexter, a Bull Mastiff Mix adopted by Kristin (Consumer Services Assistant) at just 2 weeks old. Without a mom, Kristen wasn’t sure Dexter would make it. Now he is almost 3 years old and full of life and slobber. Dexter loves to chew on rawhides and play Frisbee. He also loves a good TV show and will sit still for 20 minutes to tune in.

Like Lucky, Phelps and Dexter, our four-legged friends can be quite the characters. But most pet parents would agree -- that’s why we love them! More employees’ personal pet stories are available at www.bissell.com.

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.

Golden Retriever Wins 2009 BISSELL MVP Contest

The votes have been tallied and the results are in. Last Thursday BISSELL honored its grand prize winner in the 2009 BISSELL Most Valuable Pet (MVP) Photo Contest with a local presentation and photo shoot.  Taking the top spot out of nearly 40,000 entries was Norman, a golden retriever from Columbus, Ohio.

Norman’s “foster mom,” Tara Driscoll, selected 4 Paws For Ability to be the recipient of the  $10,000 grand prize donation.  4 Paws For Ability is a local service dog program, and the prize was intended to offset the cost of a seizure dog to assist two special needs children in Tara’s community. The two boys, ages six and eight, have been in need of a seizure dog for several years but the $14,000 price tag has hindered their family from obtaining one. To help the boys, BISSELL donated an extra $4,000 on top of the $10,000 grand prize, which covers the full cost of the seizure dog.  Tara, the boys and their mother were surprised when BISSELL unveiled the extra donation, and everyone is looking forward to the fall when the boys will receive their special helper.

That afternoon, BISSELL’s new star shined under the lights at a photo shoot for the Pet Hair Eraser Upright Vacuum. Norman will be featured on the packaging, another perk of winning the contest.  However, Norman wasn’t the only top dog. This year the contest was expanded and more prizes were given away.

Kiely, a Border Collie mix, won second place spot and will be featured on BISSELL’s Pet Hair Eraser Vacuum. Kiely’s prize of $5,000 was donated to Glen Highland Farm, a Border Collie rescue facility.

Third place was awarded to Baloo whose $1,000 prize will assist the Suncoast Humane Society, a nonprofit which reduces a number of homeless animals.

Baily, an English Shepherd taking fourth place, donated his $1,000 prize to the National English Shepherd Rescue, the same organization from which he was adopted.

Last but not least, Gabby, a domestic long-haired cat, came in fifth place and will put her $1,000 prize toward PetFix Northeast Ohio, an organization dedicated to ending pet overpopulation.

Check out the winning photos and more information on the winners or become a fan of BISSELL on Facebook.

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.

Don’t Miss Puppy Bowl V

This Sunday, there’s more than one “big game” to watch If you’re a pet lover like us, you won’t want to miss the ultimate face-off on the gridiron: Puppy Bowl V! A pack of adorable, all-star puppies will take the field for two hours of romping, wrestling and even puppy penalties. Who can resist the cuteness factor of this annual Animal Planet game? And if you find them so adorable that you want to recruit one of your own, you’re in luck, because this year, all of the pups are from shelters, looking for a good home.

BISSELL is a proud sponsor of the game, especially the fun and feisty Kitty Halftime Show. The BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser vacuum will clean up the field before the felines take the stage. The adorable kittens will then show off their moves again this year while the puppies take a break in the locker room. Cat-lovers are sure to take a break from the big game to see them frolic and play. Just try to watch without letting out an audible “awww!”

Recruit some friends--human or man’s best--and join in the fun with some great “tail-gating” party suggestions from Animal Planet: http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/tailgate-party/tailgate-party.html

And of course, be sure to tune into Animal Planet on Feb. 1 from 3 to 5 p.m. ET/PT to get in on the action!

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.

Which Pet will be the Next BISSELL Box Star? You Decide!

Voting is officially underway for the 2009 BISSELL Most Valuable Pet (MVP) Photo Contest, which gives pets across the country a chance to be the next star of BISSELL packaging.  Now through April 7, 2009, thousands of pet lovers will vote weekly on their favorite pet photos and help determine who will earn the title of Most Valuable Pet.  The grand-prize winner will be featured nationally on a BISSELL pet product’s packaging. In addition, the pet’s “parents” will win the opportunity to donate $10,000 from BISSELL to the pet cause of their choice.

To help pet parents stack the deck in favor of their beloved pet, we’ve made it easier to do some campaigning! We’ve created a series of custom widgets that can be uploaded to blogs and social media Web sites to help win votes and promote a favorite pet.

Each of the top weekly vote-getters will receive their choice of one of the following pet cleaning products: Pet Hair Eraser® Vacuum, SpotBot® Pet Carpet Spot Cleaner, Lift-Off® Revolution® Pet® Vacuum or the ProHeat 2X® Select Pet Carpet Cleaner.  Those winners, along with the four weekly runners up, will move onto the semi-finals, from which the grand-prize winner will be selected. 

This year, we’re expanding the contest and giving away more prizes and featuring more pets on product packaging.  Four runners up will also be selected, and each will be featured on BISSELL packaging, Additional runners up prizes include a $5,000 donation to a pet charity for the second-place winner, and $1,000 donations for each of the third-, fourth- and fifth-place winners.  All of the top five winners will receive one of BISSELL’s pet-cleaning products.

BISSELL will be announcing the weekly winners and offering exclusive contest news through Twitter and Facebook.  Visit www.twitter.com/wemeanclean or become a fan on Facebook to receive these updates.

Think your pet has what it takes?  Enter your photo through March 27 for a chance to win!

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.

Cleaning Tips for Over-Fed Pets

The holiday season brings many food temptations--treats like chocolate, cookies and candy, as well as calorie-packed meals during every gathering with friends, family and co-workers. In our homes, these buffet-style spreads of food can also be tempting to our pets. While some foods can be very dangerous for cats and dogs, even foods that may be occasional “treats” for our pets can make them sick if they’ve eaten too much. If you’ve ever left out a dish of shrimp cocktail or a plate of turkey scraps, and then returned to the kitchen to find that fluffy has eaten every last bit, you know what can come next. Hours later, you’re likely to find that what went down has come back up.

Fortunately, you can easily deal with your pets’ vomit messes before they become stains, especially if you act quickly. To clean the mess, use warm water (not hot), natural enzyme-cleaning action detergent, and clean white paper towels or cloths. For pet owners who deal with these messes often, a BISSELL deep cleaning machine--such as the SpotBot Pet or Little Green--can save you and your carpets from a lot of manual scrubbing.

If the soiled area has a lot of “solid” material, remove it with a blunt spoon or spatula and use your BISSELL deep cleaner to rinse and extract the stain. Next, apply an enzyme producing bacteria detergent to the stained area. BISSELL Pet Stain & Odor Remover is an effective and easy-to-apply, natural enzyme-cleaning action detergent. After you apply the detergent, place clean, white, damp towels over the treated stain, and let the enzymes interact with the stain for 3-5 hours before rinsing with warm water. Remember, it is very important not to over saturate your carpet. You can use your BISSELL deep cleaner to rinse your carpet and a fan to expedite the drying process.

Of course, vomit isn’t the only type of mess your pet is likely to be creating around the holidays. For more stain-removal tips for common pet messes, visit http://www.bissell.com/pet_tips.aspx.

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.

Jesse, the Jump-Roping JRT, Appears on the Rachael Ray Show

When we first received Jesse’s entry for the BISSELL Pet Games Video Contest, we were convinced that he was a trained professional. After all, how many dogs can perform a hand stand, jump rope, walk in reverse and even “lift a leg” on command? We couldn’t resist his flashy tricks, though, and Jesse was unanimously voted the winner of BISSELL’s summer-long search for videos of talented pets. The contest gave pet owners the opportunity to share videos of their pets performing tricks, playing games or demonstrating a unique talent--and a chance to be featured on BISSELL’s Lift-Off Revolution Pet Vacuum packaging.

As it turned out, Jesse’s “mom” is not a professional animal trainer (yet!), but a 19-year-old student from Litchfield Park in Arizona. At 16, Heather Brook adopted the little Jack Russell terrier and began teaching him challenging tricks in order to put his boundless energy to good use.

Now, the pair is receiving tons of recognition for both Heather’s talents as a trainer and Jesse’s ability to perform. They recently jumped rope on the “Rachael Ray Show", and last month Jesse won a nomination for the Worldwide FIDO competition, a Nick At Nite awards show that recognizes outstanding pets.

While Jesse’s awards are making him a doggy celebrity, they’ve also benefitted the community. As part of the grand prize, BISSELL made a $10,000 donation to the pet charity of the winner’s choice. Heather selected the AZ Jack Russell Rescue, Inc., a non-profit group in Phoenix that is dedicated to helping displaced and abandoned Jack Russell terriers throughout the state. A portion of the donation will be used to finish remodeling the barn where Jack Russell terriers live while waiting for their new forever families to find them.

Next up, watch for the trickster to appear nationally on BISSELL’s Lift-Off Revolution Pet Vacuum packaging!

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.