Pet Model Search Winners!

We are so thankful to our great customers for participating in this fun Model Search. It was SO tough to make a choice, but, here are our winners! You'll see them from time to time in promotional materials in print and online, and they will also be (or have been) used as drawing models.

Winning pet parents, please email us the next time you're ready to place an order so we can issue your $10 prize code! Congratulations!

The Richter Family's cat, "Rex"
"The vet thinks he's about 8 years old (we adopted him from the ASPCA and they found him trying to cross I-70 in Kansas with no tags or microchip!!) and he's a male Maine Coon. We first saw him on TV when the ASPCA had a segment on the local news because they had so many cats, they were double their capacity. We drove out to the shelter in Lawrence, Kansas, to meet him. We were leery because adult cats are usually very unfriendly after living in a shelter, and we have two little boys. But the minute we walked into the cat room, this cat strutted right up to my sons (Tristan, 6, and Ean, 3) and started rubbing on their legs! We looked at all of the cats to be fair, but he followed us around, purring and trying to jump in our laps. We took him home that day and from the start he acted like he'd always been here. Right now he's taking a nap in the window, his favorite place after being locked up in a windowless shelter for over 6 months."

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Jessica Friedman's little Maltese, "Nani"

"She is a Maltese who turns 1 next month! I flew from CA to NY to get this little sweetheart!"

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Karen Jones' Red and White Boston Terrier, "Oliver"

"He is the happiest dog I have ever met. He makes me laugh everyday, he is so outgoing, smart and has a million different facial expressions. I'm proud to be his mom."

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Susan Morris with www.snootersforeverhome.com sent us a few amazing animals, from peacocks to chickens and pigs! Please visit their site, the sanctuary is really incredible.

Our Winner, "Katie" the Pug

"Katie came to us via Pug-a-lug rescue. She is 3 yrs old & has been through 4 homes.

This is her forever home now! "

Honorary mention...in memory of "Trixie" the Pig
Trixie was rescued from a factory farm as a piglet, born missing her front left leg.
She lived at the sanctuary until her passing, 3 years ago. We love you, Trixie!

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Suse Ferreira's "Charlotte", our model for the current Shih Tzu on the site!
She will never, EVER be seen without her signature pink bow, and that's THAT.

We love you, Fenway!

I think I've said this a few times...we have the best customers on the planet. Some of you have been with us since we started over ten years ago, and we can't get over how good you've been to us. Things are going to be changing a lot at Doodlekins when the new site launches, but one thing I can promise is we will always give you the CARE in customer care. It's heartfelt, always will be.

Today, Jennifer D'Andrea, a longtime customer, wrote to us about a future label purchase. She and her husband lost Fenway, one of their three dogs. The story and photograph she shared reminded us that we can all do a little good for people, even with cartoon labels. She was kind enough to let us share this with you. (Click the photo below to enlarge.)

I wanted to make sure everyone has the opportunity to have an angel if they need one. The halo accessory isn't just for a doodle that has passed on. A lot of folks use them in conjunction with the Halloween devil horn headband on pets and children to show them as angels and devils. Really adorable; you guys are so creative, it amazes us every time!

So, if you want the halo to very clearly represent a doodle that has passed on, we can turn them into angels. It's not something we offer on the current site, although it will be on the new site someday, you just have to request it in the cart's special request box. We put a little blue sky and cloud background behind the doodle, and add hearts, too. Dogs get tiny bones around them as well.

We hope to continue improving our products so they fit your family's story and lifestyle. Never hesitate to ask for something special, or make a suggestion. We're here for you, whether you're newlyweds, unmarried, or married for decades, whether you're a family with one mom or two, whether you have human kids or fur-kids, or even fin-kids! (Yes, some of our families really love their fish, so, we love them too!)

We wish the D'Andreas all our best, and to all of you as well.
Megan

It's been awhile!

I've been so caught up in getting the new site on it's feet this past year, there's been little time for much else. As a result, I've really neglected the blog, and will try to do better. I've missed seeing our family album pages grow -- let's work on that together!

Please email helpdesk@doodlekins.com with your amazing family photos, or, add them directly to our Pinterest Customer Board: http://pinterest.com/doodlekins/our-customers/

There are so many social networking places to keep up with these days, and I'm not sure you need so much information about Doodlekins, 24/7! I've broken it down so you understand what each is for, that way you can pick your favorite ways of being involved.

FACEBOOK - product/company news, special offers, polls, and other fun
If you want up-to-the-minute everything Doodlekins, this is your spot. We post anything happening here first. Although we do occasionally post non-Doodlekins things like holiday fun and charitable orgs, it's mostly all related to Doodlekins. The only downside is you may not always see us if you "Like" a lot of folks and/or aren't on it all the time. The newsletter comes to you, whereas you have to come to Facebook.

TWITTER - chat, tweets about food & misc, posts from Facebook are linked, special offers
This is the most relaxed, interactive place to be in touch with Doodlekins. When you follow us, you'll see any specials we have on Facebook because they are linked. We also tweet other things our followers are up to, so it's often off-topic in relation to Doodlekins. So, if you're a big Twitter person, you could skip Facebook, but, if you follow a lot of tweeps, it's easy to miss us, so you might want to pair this with our newsletter.

OUR BLOG - contests, customer photos, helpful tips, in-depth news and announcements
Kind of a little home-away-from-home at our dot com, a gathering place if you will. It's really for the most dedicated Doodlekinsers, true fans who love sharing their Doodlekins with other families. I post in-depth articles about the company, and we run contests here. It's a hub!

PINTEREST - customer photos and other fun
This is our latest, and rapidly becoming my favorite -- I really enjoy creating pins and boards! You have to go to Pinterest to know what I'm talking about. It's quick to learn, and so much fun. Add your family, wedding or new baby pics to the "Our Customers!" board, and repin to your heart's content. We Tweet any pertinent pins, as well as a lot of food and other fun pins. Highly recommend!

NEWSLETTER - delivered to you so you never miss a new product, important sale or special offer
I try not to send newsletters unless we have something really good to share. If you purchase Doodlekins, you need the newsletter, period. If you pair this with Facebook you'll have your essentials down! The Doodlekins Dish sign up is on the home page, to the left of the address label slideshow.

If you just want one, Facebook is probably the way to go, but if you're not always there, our newsletter ensures you never miss a big promotion because it's delivered straight to your e-mailbox!


The perfect combination is at least three: Facebook or Twitter PLUS Pinterest or our blog, PLUS our newsletter. Hope that makes it a little simpler for ya!

Thanks to all, see you again soon...in one of these fun places! :)
Megan