Let the Games Begin!

Mondays suck. Even the dogs look at me sideways when the laptop bag rears its ugly head to indicate the start of another work week. So I thought I'd find a way to make this Monday a little less painful while giving our friends a shot at wining some of the great dog products that have been sent our way for giveaways. So before the fun begins, let's see what's at stake with a quick review of the prize pool.


Prizes will be awarded as follows: the first place winner gets to review the pool and their pick. The second place winner gets to pick from what is left. And so on. Tenth place gets whatever has not been taken, so as you can see, it pays to be competitive - but don't fret - at least we're not handing out fruitcakes! And let me thank Heart U Back for making the games possible. If you did not catch the buzz surrounding our Wordless Wednesday post, Heart U Back is a great company. A certain person in this house suffers from an acute case of fashionitis, so when I saw two thumbs up after a recent purchase from them and learned that they donate piles of cash to animal charities, it only made sense to get our paws on some of the great items they make so we could share them. 


Here are the prizes!

Beautifully made. Not inexpensive, and worth every penny.

Sterling Unconditional Love bracelet from Heart U Back

 A very popular piece. Whimsical and substantial.

Purple Dog Bone Friendship Bracelet from Heart U Back

 This was a review sample and got a bit beat up in shipping. Don't give me hell about the packaging - it's the content you'll enjoy!  :)

Natural Dog Training: The Fundamentals 2 DVD Set

 

 A lovely good luck charm.

Black Grant A Wish Bracelet from Heart U Back

 Something any of us could use. This is fun and loaded with great ideas.

The Dog Lover's Daily Companion: 365 day of tips, tricks and techniques for living a rich life with your dog.

A tag for you, and a matching tag for your pet. Beautiful idea. 

Silver/Gold Companion necklace - Best Friends from Heart U Back

 I think I just threw up a little bit. ;)  All joking aside, there may be a cat lover or two lurking here today, so let's make sure they have a shot at something they can use. This is a great book - if you love cats!

The Cat Lover's Daily Companion: 365 days of insight and guidance for living a joyful life with your cat.

 Killer nom noms. The choice your dog would like you to make if you win.

One pound of Pucker Up! treats from Barkin' Doggie Biscuits.

Another wonderful piece from the companion jewelry series.

Companion Keyring from Heart U Back.

More yummies - Wellness makes great, healthy food. Here is your chance to sample some of the goodies they offer.

Sampler pack from Wellness: Pure Rewards turkey and salmon jerky treats, and Wellbites chicken and lamb chewy treats.

The Rules: 
You must e-mail your answers and scores in one e-mail to lifewithdogs@ymail.com. The deadline for submittals is midnight Tuesday, 2-23. Answers posted in the comments will be deleted and those posting answers in the comment section will not be eligible for prizes. Please mention your first name and last initial, and the state you reside in with your submission. Winners will be announced here Friday using the criteria above. This is the only prize notification - so I urge you strongly to subscribe via e-mail - look at the upper right hand side of this page to do so. Winners who do not respond to us via e-mail by Monday of next week will forfeit their prize and another winner will be substituted. In other words, don't forget to come back and check if you have won.


Not bad! Now that you know what you are playing for, let's get started with an easy warm-up.

Game One: Solve the picture puzzle.

That was a gimme. Let's test your powers of deduction and judgment!


Game Two: Which does not belong?

Ok, I admit it, even I had an easy time making the call and I'm slow on the uptake. Let's see how your visual acuity is holding up!


Game Three: Find the squirrel. (When submitting answers, give approximate location and description of at least three adjoining images.)  See you when that headache wears off. And as always, you will want to click on the picture to enlarge. 

Are you crying? Is it the pressure of competition, or that blurry loss of vision thing you're experiencing? :p
Let's do something that will dry those tears and make you feel a little better.


Game Four:  Do some good. You'll notice that the picture below is permanently featured in our sidebar, and with good reason. This is the honor system folks, but don't let me down. Click it now. Click it every day.

Ok, we've done some good, wasted a bunch of time, and learned nothing useful at all. It's time to hone your skills in our final challenge. This one is a little unique - you'll have to submit your high score with a screen shot. If you do not know what a screen shot is it's time to give it a try. There is a video tutorial here. If you didn't know how to do this before today, you'll be glad to have that new trick up your sleeve. And you're going to need it, because it's time to see who's got the right stuff. That's right, it's time for....


Game Five: Video Challenge

You'll recall that we mentioned one day only for the games. But here is your workaround. You have until midnight Tuesday to submit your high score. PLEASE only submit your score once. Please do not play daily and send updated high scores or I'll be buried in e-mail. Ok, enough with the rules, it's time to flex your keyboard and show us what's you're made of. This one will put a little spring in your step! And note that it is a half luck/half skill proposition - chosen by design to give everyone a chance.  :)

Cat-a-pult

No cats were harmed in the making of this video game - and hopefully you didn't hurt yourself playing.  Those repetitive motion injuries can be hard on an index finger! Play all you want and send us your best score!



This concludes our 2010 Winter Game challenge. I hope you have enjoyed reduced work productivity, found fun in our antics, and have forgotten - however briefly, that it's still just another Monday. Hey, at least your dog will be there to greet you when you get home!   ♥

Good luck!