Closet Space

So I guess Carrie Bradshaw isn't the only one who needs more closet space. Check out this Bon Amoire Closet ** made exclusively to house your dog's wardrobe! And the tiny little hangers are so chic, what else do we need to design for our little companions? Ah, that's right! I don't think I've seen any Manolos for dogs just yet....

**(The images are small, so click on Bon Amoire Closet above to go to the website to get a full view.)

Care for a swim?

With summer in full swing, I'm sure a lot of doggies are enjoying the beach and pool like us! The neat Fydo water-resistant dog collar by Teafco is definitely a must-buy if you're pooch is aiming to compete in the Doggie-lympics (is there such a thing??) It comes in tons of colors and there are no sharp studs or uncomfortable buckles to harm your dog. Further more the Fydo collars come complete with a smooth profile name tag that you can personalize with your pet’s name, license details and contact information. Get yours at Amazon.com for just $16.99!

Ciao Bella!

Allow me to introduce my friend Lisa's gorgeous Chihuahua, Bella!

"Ciao! My name is Bella and I'm an energetic princess. My mommy loves to dress me in my cute sweaters, and I've gotta say my wardrobe is VOGUE! Just cuz I'm tiny, people tend to think I'm a frail little doggie, but let it be known, I do rule!! Giggle.

The other day my mommy thought I wanted a sibling and brought home, a Yorkie. Geesh those Yorkies have so much HAIR!!! She was sweet and all, but I knew I had to let everyone know that I'm the princess around here and there is no such thing as "second-in-line." But they kept petting her so I decided to retreat to my house and send my message. U see, I wouldn't mind a BF or a large dog, but having another petite breed around the house is a no, no!! I need to protect my VOGUE wardrobe and just don't believe in sharing. Can u imagine all that hair on my sweater and they'll definitely stretch, she is chubbier than me. I think she should rent her stuff from ELLE. She's more casual so I think it suits her. Anyhow, mommy and daddy got the message (hurray!) and I'm still an only child. Of course I can be nice and still do play dates if she promises to behave. See you again!"

Shaggedelic!

Who can deny that shaggy long haired dogs are cute! But behind the scenes there are great efforts to maintain the coat and the Coton breed is no different. Hearing experiences from various Coton owners, grooming and maintenance are a key component of a Coton ownership so the hair doesn't mat. Surfing around, I found a pretty concise pet care class in the bay area called "Kim's Basic Pet Care Class." In a 2 hr. session, you'll learn pretty much all the basics necessary.

[Course Agenda]
Nail clipping, ear care, brushing and de-matting. Proper bathing techniques, anal glands. Grooming products, including shampoos, conditioners, brushes, combs, mat breakers, and thinning scissors. Teeth, diet and supplements. Foxtails, burrs, and other irritants. Skin problems... and so much more!

I just took a cooking class at Draeger's on Friday and the best thing was the chef taught us wasn't so much the recipe but the quick side tips like how to determine if the grilled meet is rare, med. or well done by using the palm of your hand and fingers, taking the avocado pit off your knife, etc., etc. You see, even if you think you know the basics, its always good to keep learning.
I can't wait to take Kim's class on the pet basics, this should be fun!

Camouflage

If you're a mid-sized dog owner, thinking of upgrading the side table in your living room and can spend $525, here's the perfect new addition to your house!

The Den Haus pet crate is a furniture-disguised-crate that can seamlessly fit into your decor and not cause an eye sore of a typical pet crate. With the door closed, who would ever imagine that this is a dog crate? Of course you pay for the design, but it sure is a nice camouflage! I so want one....

Yappy Hour!

"It's Friday, crack open the beer and celebrate!!!!! Who said Happy Hour was just for humans? We deserve a Yappy Hour too, arf, arf! My Happy Tail Ale beer is made of artisan water, choice malted barley, all-natural beef drippings, fortified with Glucosamine and Vitamin E! The only downside is it isn't alcohol so it takes some courage to hit on the chicks in the bar. It's also not carbonated like the one my daddy drinks, but that's OK, I don't like to burp in front of those cute Yorkie puppies. Gotta run, see you at the bar tonight!

Love,

Kodi the mascot dog for Happy Tail Ale"

Paw-friendly Cleaning Product

I was roaming around my local pharmacy and came across a cleaning product sale. To my delight my favorite house-cleaning brand, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, has released a pet cleaning line! Mrs. Meyers is an awesome line, think Aveda for humans. It's organic, made with natural and organic oil and smells absolutely wonderful. I love their window cleaner, dish soaps so I'm confident their pet products won't disappoint! Surely your pet will appreciate that you're not using harsh chemicals to keep him or her tidy.

Can't find them in your local grocery store or pharmacy? No worries, they're on sale online till 7/27! Will you get the pet wipes, the oatmeal shampoo, or odor removing carpet cleaner?

Boo a.k.a. Snow White & Pal

OMG, I found out that Erica, a colleague at work owns a Coton!! How crazy is this since these breeds are so rare! Today Boo, Erica's darling Coton is guest blogging on Doggielicious. Welcome Boo!

"Arf, arf! Nice to meet you, I'm Pikaboo, a.k.a. “Boo”, a Coton de Tulear (left pic.)

When my mommy decided to get a dog, my grand mommy went all the way and did some serious digging to compare different breeds. They found out Cotons were incredibly cute, don't shed much and have very few health problems. Too good to be true! After learning that Cotons rock, they went on a quest to find me and I totally melted when mommy and grand mommy cuddled me for the first time. You know the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you fall in love? I knew immediately that I belonged with them!!! Since then, I'm one happy camper with tons of energy and just love to socialize.

My playtime with Zoe, my grand mommy's Yorkie (right pic.) is a riot! She's a brunette, five years younger than me by human age, but since I'm "Snow White" I usually steal the show. You know what I mean, blondes have more fun ;-) When we're together, Zoe loves to follow me around and always wants my toy. Man, so much for lil' sisters! One thing we're always competing over is grand mommy time. I think it's a bit unfair cuz Zoe gets to live with her and I only get to see her once in a while. But oh well, lil' Zoe is too young to understand what "share" means, so I usually let it go.

I'm excited to learn that the owner of this blog is going to get a Coton and can't wait to meet my new pal. I'll need to connect with my new pal on dogster.com when she's adopted and show her how to upload her profile. Ooops, my Bowberry calendar alarm is telling me it's time for dinner so gotta run now! Zoe has the new iBone 3G so I'll have to check out Doggielicious blog on her gadget soon. She said she likes the widgets since they're very paw-friendly. TTYL!"

Peek-a-Boo!

Awwww, these are the cutest dry dog food containers on earth! The CROCK is an absolutely adorable creation by Italian super designer, Stefano Giovannoni. Now your dog won't be the only one in all smiles at feeding time!! BTW, if the name sounds familiar, yes, Giovannoni is also contracted by ALESSI, Italy's great kitchen/household item manufacturer (you can read about his other ALESSI kitchen items on my other blog: http://recommendthebest.blogspot.com/.) The $39 CROCK can store dry food, dogggie treats and the tail detaches as the spoon, LOL. Sure it won't hold a huge bag of food, but you can keep this container near the feeding station as a "handy" version (dimensions are 8.5" x 11.25".) I can't wait to get mine and since I can't decide which color, I think I'll order both!!!!

Simply Fido

I don't have my dog yet but every time I pass a pet store, I'm getting sucked in and spending tons of time checking out possible acquisitions for my new pal-to-be. I'm having the "expecting mommy" craves and in my case, it's not salty food but cravings for dog shops!!!!

Using Yelp, I've been listing top local doggie shops and the other day I spent an hour at Bowlicious doggie boutique in the Stanford Mall (Palo Alto, CA.) Unfortunately, I couldn't buy any of the cute clothes they had on sale as I don't know the exact size of my dog, but I walked away with a Simply Fido organic dog toy which is the most plush stuffed animal I've ever held. The all natural fabric toy uses an organic dye that is totally safe and harmless to your dog, this is totally smart! Lately with the China tot toy scare, this certainly caught my eye and I snatched up a petite lemon-yellow bunny that I'm sure my new companion will love. Boy do I spoil!

Doggie Play Date & Sirus Doggie Training

Last weekend was my debut at a Coton De Tulear Doggie play date! While I still don't own a Coton just yet, the owners who came with their Cotons were very friendly and nice. Here are pics from the 10 am play date at Crissy Fields in San Francisco. The dogs were unleashed and 25+ Cotons romped around in the sand like crazy, and they were sooooooo adorable! Someone was remarking that this is the first breed they've ever seen where the dogs are so friendly with each other and don't bark like crazy. Totally agree!

There are many doggie training classes available, but according to Gloria, the breeder who kindly invited me to the play date, the Sirus method seems to be the best. They have 19 training locations in the bay area and it's taught by Dr. Dunbar who taught the world's very first puppy class, so that his Alaskan Malamute puppy could attend school. In those days, puppies had to be 6 months or older, but in reality, puppies need to be trained much earlier. Sounds like humans! Click here for the Sirus Dog Training site.

I will be sure to enroll my doggie in this class and look forward to more tips and education from Gloria, she is sooooo nice!!!!

My "Coton" Cady!

I recently found out that my condo will change the "one cat" policy to a "one cat or one dog" policy and am just ecstatic!! I haven't had a pet since my beloved kitty passed away last Oct., and while I love him dearly and miss him much, I think it's time to look for a new companion. I was told that the dog policy will likely have many restrictions and naturally limit the size of the dog, probably just small sized breeds will be allowed. That's okay! I don't need an Alaskan Huskie since I don't own a sleigh.

So I started my due diligence to see what darling breeds I might consider, and came across this adorable Coton de Tulear breed. Don't you think they look like teddy bears??? How cute are they! The breed seems to be very friendly, funny and they're used to traveling. Ooooo, my heart is pretty set on this little munchkin!