Scottish Terriers of Instagram

With the holidays around the corner, it is clear the Scottish Terriers of Instagram are feeling pretty festive. You can find them burying their beards in the snow, snuggling up in tartan-patterned blankets and waiting patiently by the tree for Santa Paws to arrive so they can tear into gifts. Want to share your Scottish Terriers' festive photos? Post them to Instagram, tag @TheScottieMom and use #ScottishTerriersofInstagram. Be sure to follow these Scottish Terriers, too. Happy holidays!

5 Holiday Gifts That Give Back

I have a confession to make: I put off holiday shopping for too long. I'm not a fan of Black Friday shopping or aimlessly perusing retail stores (unless, of course, I'm on a mission to find Scottie stuff!). This year, I've been compelled more than ever to purchase holiday gifts that matter, especially those that give back. I have so much to be thankful for and I challenge myself daily to think hard about what I need versus what I want. If it is something I need, I buy it. If it is something I want, I resolve to purchase something someone else needs. It is simply a better way to live.

Knowing we Scottie Moms are animal lovers at heart, I set out to create a short list of holiday gifts that give back to help those of us who procrastinated a bit but still want to buy a gift that counts and for those of us who are determined to make a difference in the world in everything we do.

• Shop the Best Friends Store for anything from clothing and accessories to pet gear and gifts for the home. Best Friends Animal Society, a leader in the no-kill movement, works with rescue groups and shelters to end the unnecessary killing of cats and dogs in shelters. The Best Friends Store has a wide selection of gift options from which to choose and you also can make a symbolic gift or purchase a membership for your loved one.

• Pick up a copy of Susie's Senior Dogs (and if you don't already, follow them on Facebook). Thousands of people fell in love with Susie, her humans and now, the furry siblings she's left behind to keep her mission to find safe and loving homes for senior dogs everywhere alive. The book is a collection of heart-warming stories of just some of the dogs Susie and her humans matched with a forever home. Having purchased the book myself, I have nothing but positive things to say about this publication!

• For a gift that indulges and does good in the world, try Lush Charity Pot. With every purchase of the Charity Pot, Lush donates 100% of the price (excluding taxes) to organizations supporting environmental conservation, animal welfare and human rights efforts. As a recipient of this gift (thanks, Marcy!) and a regular Lush customer, I personally vouch for this one.

• Share the Scottie love by supporting fundraising efforts by Scottish Terrier rescue groups. Scottish Terrier Rescue of Tennessee has their annual calendar sale featuring a handful of Scottie rescue alumni who are now living happily ever after in safe and loving homes! Check with your local Scottish Terrier rescue group to see how you can support their efforts with a gift made in a loved one's honor.

• I personally love this next idea for the little ones (but animal-loving adults will like it as well!). By adopting a species through the World Wildlife Fund, you receive a plush, stuffed animal representative of the species you've adopted. I personally received this gift in years past and plan on continuing the tradition by adopting species in honor of my niece (and future Scottie Mom!) to teach her about wildlife preservation and why it is important to give back.

Tell us: what great gifts that give back have you purchased this year?

Scottish Terriers of Instagram

There's plenty to be festive about this holiday season and these Scottish Terriers of Instagram are here to add to your joy with their cute Scottie selves! Is it me or do they get cuter every week? Don't forget: if you want to share your Scotties' photos with us, use #ScottishTerriersofInstagram and tag @TheScottieMom. Be sure to follow us and this week's featured Scotties!

'Tis the Season of Giving the #BestofBLUE

Festivities are in full force at the Scottie House. As evidenced by the photos on Facebook, Mr. K, Nibbles and Pudley already have been parading around in their holiday best and I couldn't be more excited to introduce Nibbles and Pudley to one of my favorite family traditions. Once each year, the Scottie Mom crew puts aside their issues with friends of the feline persuasion to offer them gifts of love (aka treats and other goodies). With 5 feline cousins in the family, that's a lot of love for three Scottish Terriers who typically want nothing to do with C-A-T-S.

This post is sponsored by Blue Buffalo™ and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Blue Buffalo's extensive product offering for cats and dogs available at Petsmart®, but this Scottie Mom only shares information I feel is relevant to our readers. Blue Buffalo is not responsible for the content of this article.

To get the Scotties in the holiday spirit, I grabbed a few cans of BLUE Santa Stew® to add to their regular evening meal and topped each dish with one BLUE Santa Snacks® biscuit. The oatmeal and cinnamon natural treats had just the right spice to make everything nice and soon enough, the Scotties were ready to stuff stockings for their feline cousins with healthy treats and crinkle toys galore. Once again, Mr. K found himself scratching his beard wondering how so many C-A-T-S could make it on Santa's list labeled "nice" but I reminded him these rescue kitties are family. And as such, we should feed them like family. With six flavors from which to choose, each cat cousin received their very own special BLUE Kitty Yums® pack. The treats were quite the hit!

Five stockings stuffed with BLUE Kitty Yums® and crinkle toys.

Feline cousin Cruz dressed in his holiday best. Cruz chose the chicken-flavored cat treats.

Feline cousin Topsy dressed as Mrs. Claus was eager to try her savory seafood-flavored cat treats.

Pretty kitty Avis chose to feast on salmon treats.

Squeak, who often hides away while company's here to stay, made an appearance to claim the beef-flavored cat treats.

Ianto couldn't decide between the tender turkey and tempting tuna flavors so he appealed to the humans to give him both. 

Four of the five feline cousins circling the BLUE Buffalo goodies under the tree.

How will you be celebrating the holiday with your Scotties? If you're looking to give the #BestofBlue to a cat or dog in your life, visit Petsmart to check out the extensive line of BLUE Buffalo products. Not sure which product is right for you? Every weekend, BLUE sends their Pet Detectives to your local store to help you make the best decision for your family. Happy holidays!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BLUE. The opinions and text are all mine.

Printable Scottie Dog Holiday Gift Tags

So, you've made your list and checked it twice. And you've run around town for weeks in search of cute Scottie stuff. With so much of it in stores this holiday season, I imagine it hasn't been difficult finding gifts for the Scottie Moms and Dads in your life (yourself included!). Now comes the fun part: wrapping all of these great Scottie gifts. And I have just the thing that will make your day a little more merry and bright...free, printable Scottie dog gift tags! Simply drop your name and email in the form below to claim this holiday freebie. You'll receive a link to download the printable Scottie dog gift tags in your inbox shortly and will automatically be signed up to receive more free Scottie stuff in the future. You can print these designs out using Avery gift tag templates or on a thicker paper or cardstock. Once you cut out the tags, glue or tape the two sides together. Happy holidays!

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The Ghost of Christmas Past

I have little doubt the holidays will be very different this year without sweet Heather here. She so loved dressing up and posing in front of the tree in exchange for back scratches and treats. There really was a twinkle in her eyes - year-round, of course, but especially during the holidays. So what better way to start our countdown to Christmas than to take a look back at Heather's holiday photos through the years? Happy holidays, sweet girl! We all miss you dearly.

Meet the Scottie Dog Behind Vera Bradley's New Pattern

I have to admit: I'm kind of obsessed with Vera Bradley's Scottie Dog pattern. A collector of sorts and owner of a few dozen Vera Bradley bags myself, I've wondered for years when they were going to come out with a Scottie dog pattern (and also dreaded it knowing my purse strings would loosen if they ever did!). So when I opened the mail to find a handsome, black Scottish Terrier posed with a large Vera Bradley duffel bag on the cover of their holiday 2016 gift guide, I squealed with excitement and couldn't help but wonder who that lucky Scottie dog was.

Dylan with his new modeling portfolio pieces. Image Courtesy +Jen Moser 

It turns out that handsome Scottish Terrier is Dylan from Indiana. He's been one of very few to be "in the know" about the new Vera Bradley Scottie Dog pattern since early this year when he was asked to take the stage at a company event in March announcing the new pattern. Dylan must have made quite the impression because the team at Vera Bradley asked to have him back for a full-day photo shoot with the new merchandise in August. And so, the images in the holiday guide were born.

This was Dylan's first professional modeling gig. Having spent many hours of his life posing for the camera for his human sister Jen Moser (now a professional photographer), he was ready to take his talents to the national stage. And the team at Vera Bradley made sure to treat Dylan like the star he is! They pampered him, had his favorite food and snacks prepared before he arrived on set and gave him all the attention, ear scratches and pats on the head a Scottie dog could want. They even sent him home with a monogrammed Vera Bradley bag filled with goodies.

Duncan and Dylan with their Scottie Mom and Dad. Image Courtesy +Jen Moser 

When he's not answering fan mail for his growing number of admirers, Dylan can be found at home with his litter mate Duncan and their Scottie Mom Betsy and Scottie Dad Mike. Human sister Jen still comes over to take fur family photos, too. Dylan, who will turn 8 years old in December, has been able to stay pretty down-to-Earth considering his newfound fame. He loves to destroy toys - especially those plush kinds with an empty water bottle inside. And he still makes time to have fun with Duncan when he's not posing for the camera (after all, it is hard work being so cute!). 

Human sister Jen with Duncan and Dylan. Image Courtesy +Jen Moser 

For an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at Dylan's photo shoot for Vera Bradley, check out his human sister Jen's photography blog. While this may have been his first professional modeling gig, something tells me this won't be Dylan's last. Way to go, handsome pup! Tell us: what is your favorite piece from the new collection of Vera Bradley Scottie Dog patterned stuff?