Million Acts of Kindness stops in Edmonton and meets a life size Beaver?

Edmonton was a special stop on the Million Acts of Kindness tour because Charmaine had spent 10 years living just outside of the city in Sherwood Park. 

We had spent the better part of 4 days in the city, and enjoyed a well deserved couple of days off. I had the luxury of staying at the Matrix Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Edmonton. The hotel itself was quite beautifully decorated, having a modern and upscale design. The rooms were absolutely beautiful, contemporary styled and convenient, as they had multiple easily accessible plugs for laptops and cell phone chargers. It was very obvious that this hotel had been made with business people in mind. I also enjoyed the scenic view of the city from my 15th story window! 

Charmaine, Chris and Toby stopped by a few Petland Canada stores to say hello and meet their awesome teams!

The next few days of our trip were quite busy, as Charmaine had the opportunity to provide presentations to several organizations, including McMann Family Services and the Holistic Chamber of Commerce in Edmonton. We really enjoyed working with these groups, as they both share the same values as we do and sharing the importance of kindness! 

Team Toby presented at the Boys and Girls Club of Edmonton, where Toby got to meet over 20 children and teach them important values of compassion and kindness. The children loved the presentation as they cheered when Toby crashed into a pile of buckets trying to find the hidden treat labelled as ‘kindness’. 

All of the students in the two groups each committed to do an act of kindness in the next 24 hours, their commitment and pledge to making the world a better place through kindness.

 We would love for YOU to join our kindness challenge, one act of kindness for ten days (the 10 day challenge). Then, go onto our website link and upload your acts of kindness to inspire others: 

 http://charmainehammond.com/

Read some of the acts of kindness here: http://charmainehammond.com/kindness-matters/

Thanks to Petland Canada and the generous amount of funds raised by their guests, each child was able to walk home with a copy of Toby’s book in hand. 

Want to support the Million Acts of Kindness? For less than a cup of coffee you can put a kindness book in a child's hands. Visit our kindness fundraising page and if it resonates, we welcome you to give. Your act of kindness will make a big difference! 

And of course a big shout out to all the amazing businesses and people who have made this tour possible. 

Today's blogpost written by Julie Angeletti, Team Toby

Million Acts of Kindness Tour stops in Airdrie, Alberta

Our Airdrie stop in Alberta, was a very short but sweet stop on the Million Acts of Kindness tour. A huge thank you goes out to Best Western Airdrie, who graciously hosted us for a night, and went above and beyond with their hospitality. This hotel wins the award for ‘Best Rest’ along with the ‘Toby Tested, Toby Approved’ award, as it was by far the best sleep I had on the tour. The rooms were very quiet, while the bed was plush and the pillows plentiful. The breakfast was also top-notch, as it included all of my breakfast favorites. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and a hot coffee!

We had the chance to visit Fraserway RV that afternoon at their Airdrie location. Luckily for us, the staff was eager to help us out on our kindness mission, and teach us important RV maintenance, such as making sure our water levels are full, and how to empty the septic tank! Unfortunately, not all parts of the tour can be glamorous, but the team at Fraserway RV was very knowledgeable and helped teach us how to perform these tasks efficiently, and without making any messes (thankfully!). With our RV inspected and topped off, we were ready to hit the open road! 

Our last stop in Airdrie brought us to the Boys and Girls Club, where Toby had the chance to make some more friends. As we were unloading the RV, we had the opportunity to meet a gentleman who was a huge advocate for sharing the message of kindness! What started as a group for local dads, Airdrie Dads, to get together and socialize, quickly grew into something amazing. We were so happy he spotted the Kindness RV and stopped to talk to us! 

We had a lovely visit with our friends from Petland Canada, one of our tour partners.  They do amazing things to support local animal charities, like this:

Their team made Toby a new tag for his tour.

Special thanks to our Million Acts of Kindness Tour sponsors, champions and partners. Your support is helping us make a difference through kindness.

 Written by Julie Angeletti, Team Toby Event Coordinator

Please remember to share how kindness has impacted you or someone you know. Put your story, or photo on our Kindness Matters page: http://charmainehammond.com/ 

Are you travelling anywhere this year? where to? What's on your travel bucket list, share it with Canadian Traveller Magazine.

Million Acts of Kindness Tour Movie Night in the Park....in the rain...

Red Deer Alberta was a highly anticipated tour stop, as we had much excitement and engagement from locals and the community. We were also excited to stay at the Microtel Inn and Suites because they had hosted Charmaine, Chris and Toby originally on the Paws Across Canada tour in Lloydminster.  A great hotel with friendly customer service as you can see.

The hotel itself is newly built, very modern and clean. They are the perfect place to stay with your pet, as it is located right next door to a beautiful memorial park where you can walk your dog. Toby had an awesome time stretching his legs in the park and jumping in the lake!

We had to get Toby dried off and cleaned up because we had a big event to attend that night… Red Deer movie in the park night! With the help of Petland Canada, and collaboration from the City of Red Deer and Green Deer, we were able to host a family, dog-friendly movie in the park at Bower Ponds. The film screened was Home, a tale about an outcast alien, who teams up with a lost girl on a mission to find her mom. The theme of the film coordinated perfectly with our kindness mission, as the lesson learned from the story is not to be so quick to judge others, and to always treat each other kindly. The City of Red Deer and Green Deer were also present at the event, and helped spread our message of kindness through their community clean-up programs and opportunities to volunteer. 

Let me just take a moment to commend Red Deer and the people that live here. About an hour before the movie was set to start, big, dark rain clouds started looming over what was supposed to be a bright and beautiful day. But it soon became very clear that a few rain clouds weren’t going to stop this party! Despite the lack of cooperation from the weather, everyone stayed to enjoy the movie, and eventually the clouds parted and we were able to enjoy the rest of the night. For Team Toby and Petland Canada’s first movie in the park night, we are glad to report that it was a huge success! 

Red Deer Child Magazine provided us with print copies of their magazine for everyone who attended. 


Big Appreciation to our tour sponsors, partners and champions! Your support is helping us make a kinder world one paw one person at a time!

Julie Angeletti, Team Toby Event Coordinator

Ps... what's on your 2016 Bucket List for Travel?  Our partners Canadian Traveller Magazine would love to know.

Family Fun TAILgate Parties with Pets

It's me....Toby the dog... travelling across North America on a Million Acts of Kindness tour with my humans!  And this is my blog.... life through the eyes of a dog.

All along the way we see so many acts of kindness....

People being loving and kind to one another..... and to animals....

Julie and I in Winnipeg  Photo credit Team Toby

... like our team member Julie. She is PAWsome!


Businesses collaborating to make a super fun event for families, kids and pets.  Thanks Westoba Credit Union, Petland Canada, Fraserway RV, The Original Poop Bags, Telus, Holiday Inn, and Canadian Traveller Magazine!

And of course all TAILgate parties need awesome music!  Thanks to the DJs at the event.

Family Fun TAILgate Party At Petland Canada Winnipeg

Have you posted your act of kindness on our Kindness Matters Page?  Share the acts of kindness that have impacted you or someone you know.  Together we can make a difference!

Thank you to our incredible Million Acts of Kindness tour partners! 

Remember to follow our tour on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Saving The Planet With Poop Bags!

Photo Credit Team Toby

It's Me.... Toby the Dog....

Photo Credit Team Toby 

And I'm a dog on a mission to build a kinder world for people, pets and our planet!

The Original Poop Bags is helping us with that mission.

They were one of our partners on our PAWS Across Canada tour.

Mom loves the poop bags....she says they are Toby Tested and Toby Approved!

She loves that they don't tear or smell.

The Poop Bag Cannister is made with 38% corn!



Holy corn kernels that is pawsome!

Some days are a two (or three) bagger day... not all my fault tho!

Mom and dad are always cleaning up other dog's messes left in the parks.  Thank goodness there are lots of bags on a roll for days like this.

One of the things we learned on our tour was that many parks, walking paths even dog parks have limited or no garbage cans.  We LUV it when communities provide garbage cans so that everyone can pitch in and help keep our communities and dog parks clean.

Mom interviewed Paul Cannella the owner and founder of the Original Poop Bags on her PAWsitive Radio show.  Check out what Paul had to say here!

or here....

Check Out Pets Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with PAWsitive Radio on BlogTalkRadio

After speaking with Paul, mom talked about building PAWsitive collaborations like the one we have with The Original Poop Bags:

1) Build relationships
2) Keep commitments
3) Recognize your partners..be champions for them
4) Communicate often
5) Look for other creative ways to expand the partnership....
and I say Have Fun!

Until next time....

Let's be kind to one another.

Keeping Your Dog Dry in the Rain

Toby the dog here....
A dog with a blog

Rain
Snow
Bad weather
doesn't keep me away from my blog.

I am wearing a REIN Coat.... I luv this product!

It keeps my body dry when out in the rain.

And

It is great for dog's who have anxiety when they travel.

Check out my videos of me walking in the rain with it!





When you travel with pets it is important to bring along everything you will need for different weather.  The more comfortable your dog is.... the better behaved he is.... and the happier the family.



Here's another video of me walking in the rain with dad with my Rein Coat on.



You can buy your dog a Rein Coat here:
   and one for the two legged family members

Innovative trends in business. Increasing your customers and clients by being more pet friendly.

Me again.

Toby,  the traveling dog with a PAWsitive blog!

 I am on a mission to build a kinder world one paw one person at a time!

A Million Acts of Kindness.

There are lots of businesses out there doing great things for pet families traveling with their pets. And.... there is lots of room for businesses to take it up a notch and attract new customers and clients... like my humans. Pet Parents Traveling with Pets!

Check out what mom had to say about this on her show.

You can listen to mom talking about this on her PAWsitive Radio Show
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/teamtoby/2014/11/24/is-your-community-ready-for-the-next-breed-of-travelers

Mom shared even more cool tips on her Linked In Article. 


Tell us what your community is doing to be pet friendly!  

Share on our blog by commenting below, or on our Facebook page (remember to like it too), or on our Twitter.  Give the businesses you love some extra attention by sharing with us.

Interested in a copy of my books?

                

Ordering is supaw simple!  Just click the links.  We'd love for you to buy a book and paw it forward to a school, or hospital.... kindness through the power of stories. 

How Pet Friendly is YOUR Community?

Photo Credit: TheOriginalTeamToby.com

Toby the Dog Here!

On our PAWS Across Canada Tour, we found lots of things that make a community a little more pet friendly, like:

Pet Friendly Hotels

Mere Hotel Winnipeg

 And great places to walk your dogs close to the pet friendly hotel:

Photo Credit: Team Toby www.TheOriginalTeamToby.com 

And garbage cans and bags so you can pick up after your pets:

Although we always travel with our Original Poop Bags

                                    

When you are looking to travel with your pets, here are a few things to check out in your planning:

1. Pet Friendly Hotels (with easy access to outside, garbage cans and well lit areas to walk your dog)
2. Pet friendly rest stops... your dogs need to get out and stretch just like you.
3. Communities that have activities you can do with your pet such as walking trails, parks, dog parks, pet events.
4. Learn where the closest vet and animal clinic are when you visit a community.
5. Make sure that your dog tags and chips have current and up to date information.
6. Have a current photo (headshot) of your pet on your cell phone.

Just a few tips on traveling with your pets.

Mom did a survey with pet families about what they want in relation to pet friendly travel.  There was PAWSome feedback.  She'll be doing a webinar soon to reveal the results.

To those communities working hard to be pet friendly.... we applaud you!

WOOF!

It makes a big difference for us and our humans!

 You can order my books here: