I am the official spokesperson for PETCO, and have established myself as a foremost pet wellness advocate in the United States. My encyclopedic books The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible cover everything from medical issues to training, nutrition and problem solving. I also have a “mini-empire” of weekly live radio programs.

Summer traveling with your pets can be overwhelming, but I have some great ideas that will make it as smooth as possible- and introduces you to a 4-legged friend looking for a new home!

Whenever I travel around the country, people want to know what I feed my own dogs. I feel wonderful telling them that of all the kibble out there, I have chosen HALO. If they are interested in why, I tell them because of the integrity of the company – both in the ingredients they choose to put into their foods, but also in their dedication to the less-fortunate dogs and cats and all the wonderful work they do supporting local and national rescues and shelters.

Plus, there’s that marvelous Ellen DeGeneres who owns part of the company and is so darned adorable and funny when she goes on QVC with Halo that it just makes me want to buy more!

Watch this video clip from CBS KOIN:

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

I got this letter recently from a pet sitter who works for Lydia Best in Leesburg Virginia and attended the seminar on pet nutrition that I gave last year…

HALO is completely different from other commercial dry foods. The biggest difference is the fact that it is made with only real chicken, real beef, real salmon, or real lamb. They don’t use any rendered products like chicken meal (which is unfit for human consumption) to achieve their protein content.

… I hope you’ll also take to heart the fundamentals of my “nutrition seminar,” which is that an all-kibble diet is not balanced or healthy because even the finest kibble (which I believe HALO to be, based on the source of their ingredients) is still highly processed carbohydrates and Holly needs quality protein and fresh vegetables and even some fruits. So if you can balance out her kibble with an equal amount of protein from your own table like meat, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese and of course fish (which has to be easy when you’re sailing!) you’ll be giving her the optimal diet.

Click over to my original blog on “Halo Is Way Different Than Other Kibble! (Update)” for the whole story!

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

Did you catch the news splash about Uncle ChiChi, a rescue poodle from New York City appeared on Good Morning America this week because he may be the world’s oldest dog? His age is somewhat vague because he was adopted from a shelter around 2 years old, but deaf and blind as he is, the old guy is still going strong. When asked what the ancient but perky dog ate, the owner said, “He eats Spot’s Stew, made by a company called Halo and it’s really healthy stuff.”

Click over to my original blog on “Worlds Oldest Dog Eats Halo! Same Good Stuff Mine Do” for the whole story!

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

I really had fun giving folks on local Sacramento TV some tips on pet travel when PETCO sent me to the West coast recently. If only they had asked me something like pet grooming when traveling – I was thinking that while the nice hotels give out sample shampoo and conditioners, it would be so cool if the pet friendly hotels gave out little bottles of Halo’s Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo!

It is an absolute favorite in our house where all three of my gigantic dogs gets a bath at least twice a month and truly no shampoo comes close to Halo’s for easy rinse-ability, soft skin, and cleaning without being harsh.

Maybe one of the nicer hotel chains like the Four Seasons – which puts out bowls and beds and leashes for their traveling dog guests – could also pop some Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo in there and people could take advantage of the nice low edges on hotel bathtubs to give their travelling four-leggeds a little bubble bath?

Here’s me, sent to Sacramento by Petco to chat about pet travel issues. You can see it’s pretty fun! Sacramento & Company TV Appearance.

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

House-training a puppy means house-training you, too. If you follow my simple rules, you’ll have your puppy going where he’s supposed to, and not on the carpet, in no time.

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

Watch my video hand selected by the Vodpod community.