Sara and The Super Collies Hit the Road Again

June 1, 2017 By Sydney Shapansky Leave a Comment

Road Trip with Hero and The Super Collies

Sara Carson and The Super Collies hit the road again travelling more than 15,000 km across the US.

They started their latest big Road Trip Adventure in Los Angeles, where they auditioned for America’s Got Talent. See what happened in their amazing audition here.

Guest Travel Post from Sara:

Going to a big studio, auditioning for America’s Got Talent, staring up at the Hollywood sign and walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It doesn’t get much better than this for a shy girl from northern Ontario and her dogs.

After an time in LA, we headed by car right across the country. Our destination in Pennsylvania took us a total of two days to drive to as we had to get there in time for a show with Stunt Dogs. We didn’t have much time for sightseeing on that leg of the trip, driving in three hour blocks, stopping for potty and exercise breaks, snacks and gas.

We stick to our set driving routine when on a time limit. The dogs are very relaxed and snooze in the back between stops.

See our tips for Safe Travel with Dogs Here.

Next, sightseeing in New York was awesome. This is one of our favorite places in the USA!

Times Square is so full of things to see, you could never possibly get bored.

Sara and the Super Collies on the Jersey Shore

Plus spending a few days on the shore of Jersey was wonderful. Look at the view.

Sara and the Super Collies at the beach in New Jersey

After we finished three big shows in three theatres in three cities, we headed on to Reynoldsburg Ohio, and a night at the dog-friendly Red Roof Inn.

What a relief to arrive at 10pm with my room ready and a friendly greeting (thanks to Susan and Talent Hounds/The Backseat Barkers). We all got comfy and went to bed fast.

The next day we drove on several hours to downtown Chicago to run around and catch up with our friend Sweet Sunrise. The dogs got to run around and play and pose for an epic lakeside photo.

The Super Collies and Sweet Sundance by the lake in Chicago

Then that night, we stayed again at a very nice dog-friendly Red Roof Inn in Joliet. In fact we liked the Red Roof Inn so much, we are now affiliates together with Talent Hounds and Backseat Barkers and if you book through this link, we may even get a small commission. We only recommend products and places we use and think you might like too.

Sara and Marvel on the shore of lake Michigan just outside Chicago

Then we drove on to Colorado via Lincoln, Nebraska and a stop over with friends.

The long drive to Colorado was filled with storms, lightning and lots and lots of rain. I made sure the dogs were secure and safe. We had tornado sirens in Nebraska and had to pull to the side of the road many times. Thankfully the Super Collies don’t get too bothered by storms. They really are super!

For the month of May, we drove over 15,000 km. Thankfully we have a super reliable Toyota Rav4 that fits the 3 crates and dogs comfortably.

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Join us for further travels in June and July through Canada and the US.

Follow the Super Collies on Instagram

Have you got any tips for road tripping with dogs and dog friendly places to visit in the US?

What Happened When We Joined These Dog Doppelgangers For High Tea

May 9, 2017 By Sydney Shapansky Leave a Comment

Meet The “Doggelgangers” of Woofstock’s 2017 High Tea

We absolutely can’t wait for the new Backseat Barkers stories and Woofstock this year.

Luckily there was the Woofstock High Tea last weekend to tide us over until May 27th & 28th! The event was held at the beautiful Westin Harbor Castle and raised money for Dog Guides Canada.

Our star Fishstick is no stranger to the red carpet of course. There was a “Doggelganger” costume contest that had so many charming celebrity pets dressed to the nines to double as their favourite celebrities. Fishstick dressed up as “President Dognald Hump”- though somehow he seems to be wearing that hair even better than the real Donald …

@fishstickthepug

The Competition Was Tough

The adorable PomPom Chewy, came in 1st place as the Weeknd with his new little bro beside him! Again, this dog’s hair was so on point, we were in stitches over the cuteness of it.

@pompomchewy

Sage of @3furrybeauties brought some serious sophistication, coming in 2nd for her outfit as Audrey Hepburn.

@3furrybeauties

Lucy strutted her stuff, keeping true to her name as the doppelganger of the beautiful Lucille Ball. She rolled out all the stops, not letting her disability slow her down, and took home 3rd place!

@specialdogsblog

Everybody’s A Winner When You Look This Cute!

Winston the @mightymorkie was stealing hearts dressed as Elvis

@mightymorkie @ruffstitched

Herman in the Hood arrived in style with the kind of car I dream about!

@hermaninthehood

The Esteemed Judges Didn’t Have it Easy

Judges: Amanda Logan and Sponsor Representatives from PetSmart and Vitalife

Boy did these Judges have a tough decision deciding which of these amazing costumes was the best of the best.
Judge Amanda Logan brought the adorable Asia who she rescued from the Dog Meat Trade and adopted from Dog Tales Rescue and also her cute little pug Aura.

Get an idea of just how stiff the competition was by watching the fashion show of the competition here:

Don’t Forget the SWAG

Every dog received a Woofstock SWAG Bag and dined on the finest biscuits & dog-friendly tea! Here’s Kilo the Pug enjoying his! Thank you to the sponsors.

Lucky Kilo the Pug with his swag

If you missed Woofstock 2016, get caught up quick with this video:

Stay tuned for our video of the Woofstock High Tea event. Will we see you at Woofstock 2017?

Enjoy this amazing gallery of Woofstock 2017 High Tea photos

Susan and Ms.Charmin at Woofstock High Tea

Cute Dog with Sunglasses at Woofstock High Tea

PomPom Chewy an brother at Woofstock High Tea

Amanda Logan and Asia at Woofstock High Tea

The Backseat Barkers Are Back And Better Than Ever

May 8, 2017 By Sydney Shapansky Leave a Comment

The Laughs are Back and Better than Ever in 2017

Last year, Hugh’s dental conference brought Sophie, and Lottie and Fishstick to Toronto and this year we’re not waiting for an excuse to dive right back into the fun. The Backseat Barkers are back!

Doug the Pug relaxing at the Fairmont Royal York — Celebrity Doug the Pug enjoying the royal treatment at the Fairmont Royal York

What You Missed If You Weren’t With Us Last Year

We had the time of our lives last year visiting Toronto and the Fairmont Royal York Luxury Hotel. We indulged our every whim then enjoyed so many fun activities and endless treats at Woofstock 2016!

Catch up on what you missed below with a romping round-up of our stupendously busy day at Woofstock where we visited with Fishstick’s rescue PugALug, the Dog Lovers Days Lure Course, A Pug Race (yeah, that’s right, a PUG race!) and saw friends old and new.

Get Ready For The Ride Of Your Life!

If you enjoyed our Award-Nominated Videos so far, get ready to have your socks knocked off with what’s coming your way this summer. Various Backseat Barkers are going on the road again and we’re bringing you along for the ride! Let our different dogs including the Super Collies and Fishstick’s witty banter and sibling rivalry fuel your laughter as you sit back, relax and enjoy. We’ll be sharing with you the inside scoop on everything dog-related and if your pupperinos haven’t learned to speak yet, fret not, cause Fish’ll do the talking for all of us as we check out hotels, training, shows, restaurants and all the parks a dog could dream of.

Are you excited for more of the Backseat Barkers? Do you ever travel with your dog? Will you be at Woofstock? What would you like to see us do this summer? Tell us in the comments!

Backseat Barkers Comedy Series Nominated for Prestigious BlogPaws Video Award

June 5, 2016 By Morgan Sterling Leave a Comment

Backseat Barkers Pilot Episode Nominated

for the BlogPaws Pet Video of the Year Award

Best of the Best Nominated by Industry Professionals

BlogPaws, the first and original social media network and conference designed by and for pet bloggers, recently announced finalists for the BlogPaws 2016 Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards. We are so thrilled that, after much hard work by our dedicated, talented team, our series “Backseat Barkers” is one of the finalists.

Designed to honor the best of the best pet bloggers and influencers, 48 finalists in 12 categories have been selected in “Oscar-award” style by a panel of industry professionals.

Backseat Barkers is on the list with the best and brightest pet content producers of 2016.

Judged on Expertise, Performance, and Creativity

The 12 winners will be selected by judges based on creativity, expertise, and performance in their respective categories. Inspiring content is at the forefront of nomination criteria.

“Our bloggers strive to BE something, at BlogPaws, not just to ‘write’ something or ‘create’ something.” BlogPaws’ co-founder, Yvonne DiVita said. “It’s about learning, growing, and striving for excellence. BlogPaws rewards them with our Annual Nose-to-Nose Awards, sharing the 48 finalists leading up to our conference, then awarding the winners at a Red Carpet ceremony June 25th.”

This is so true in our case. We have learned so much and made such wonderful supportive friends through BlogPaws. We have worked hard to showcase rescues and talented dogs making a difference on Talent Hounds and shared ways to bring out the best. Our series Backseat Barkers is a funny look at the life of pet parents and adopted pet step-siblings. It is not only entertaining, but helps people understand that different dog breeds have different needs and it is very important to choose the right breed for you.

Winners To Be Announced June 25

Winners will be revealed in an exclusive red-carpet ceremony at the seventh pet-friendly BlogPaws Annual Conference taking place June 23 through June 25. The three-day extravaganza culminates with this exciting finale. All winners receive a trophy, recognition by peers, media spotlight, and a prize.

Our stars look great on the red carpet, we can’t wait! Be sure to check back here with us to find out how it went.

About The Backseat Barkers

Backseat Barkers is a blended family road trip comedy series in development with Talent Hounds. 20 somethings Hugh and Jess move in together with their two very different dogs, Fishstick the Pug and Lottie the Border Collie. A road trip across Ontario adds even more comedic tension. We hear the thoughts of the “odd couple” of dogs in the backseat.

About Talent Hounds

Talent Hounds is an entertainment hub devoted to celebrating dogs for their many unique talents and bringing out the best in them. We started with a documentary TV series and now produce pet related content and manage a thriving community.

Behind the Scenes as the Backseat Barkers Take Toronto

June 2, 2016 By Susan Nation Leave a Comment

Behind the Scenes as the Backseat Barkers Take Toronto

The Talent Hounds crew was on location May 29th at Toronto’s Woodbine Park for Woofstock, then at the luxury Fairmont Royal York Hotel, filming our new comedy series “Backseat Barkers”.

Backseat Barkers Episode – Taking Toronto

In this episode of our award-nominated series, the blended family of step parents and furkids visit Toronto. While Hugh goes off to a dentistry conference, his girlfriend Jess, Lottie the Border Collie and Fishstick the Pug check out Woofstock and enjoy the suite life at their hotel: the Fairmount Royal York.

Fishstick, our star rescue pug, caught up with some other very cute pugs like Miss Edie the Pug and Tuesday the Pug at the PugALug Pug Rescue booth.

He seemed to be enjoying the celebrity pug lifestyle and invited a few ladies back to his hotel!

They say stylish pugs are happy pugs. Doesn’t Fishstick look just debonair in his Handmade In The Hammer Canada bow-tie? Kilo the Pug has one to match and we gave one to Doug the Pug too.

Fishstick enjoyed the “A list” treatment all day. Our kind friend Tanya from Bullwrinkles gifted us a massive bone (almost as big as Fishstick) and some liver treats.

“Jess” spoke with Tanya about the delicious healthy Bullwrinkles and Barnsdale Farms Select Treats and Chews. Fishstick the Pug and Kilo the Pug are huge fans of their products.

Lottie’s talented trainer and Jess’ friend Taylor arranged to come to Toronto and meet us at Woofstock so Lottie could catch up with her BFF, Grizzly. These two hugging are just too cute.

Fishstick was surprisingly calm when he got to meet mega celebrity and social media mogul, Doug the Pug. (An exclusive behind the scenes interview with Doug will be coming soon!)

Like a good sister should, Lottie cheered Fishstick on as he competed in the Pug Races, an adorable and popular event at Woofstock. “Go Fish go!”

Lottie cheers on Fishstick at Pug races — Go Fishstick!

Lottie is always ready to show off her amazing tricks for our camera. Look at this talented girl sit pretty! Fishstick may need a little work on his core to keep up.

Lottie and Fishstick walked the red carpet for the Costume Contest, looking fashion forward for their adoring fans.

Lottie in Pretty Tulle and Lace!

Fishstick running for office with that hilarious wig?

Fishstick dressed as Donald Trump — Fishstick in his custom wig

We were very excited to bump into our friend Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund and watch the #nobiteisright presentation. We were reminded to keep clear of troublesome ticks while filming in the park and to check for them at the end of the day.

Fishstick and Crusoe the celebrity dachshund at Woofstock — Two Dapper Dudes- Crusoe and Fishstick

Lottie sits pretty for Crusoe — Posing Pups – Lottie and Crusoe

Read: Cool Behind the Scenes with Crusoe The Celebrity Dachshund to learn more about tick bite prevention.

After a busy day outside in the hot sun, we headed back to the Fairmount Royal York Hotel downtown. What a gorgeous oasis! It was so nice to relax in the air conditioning and lay on the plush beds.

Our very own Rescue to Royalty hero Fishstick the Pug was treated to a luxury robe and gift basket by the hotel. He felt like a pampered celeb! Lottie was a little envious.

Read: Backseat Barkers Visit The Pet-Friendly Fairmont Royal York Hotel & Woofstock.

Fiststick in robe — Fishstick receiving the celeb treatment

Behind the Scenes Video

Watch our stars tell all in their pilot episode interview with Talent Hounds!

Were You At Woofstock? Show us your pics.

Planning to visit Toronto? Check out the Fairmont Royal York.

Disclosure: No compensation was received from the hotel, but we were given the use of a Signature room for filming. Our opinions are our own and we absolutely loved it.