This week we are pleased to announce that Haute Dog Boutique is sponsoring Animal Planet’s Trendy Tuesday giveaway with Maggie Gallant. One lucky winner will receive a Roaming Rover Stroller valued at $120!! As Chloe always says…Why walk when you can be carried and I always say why carry when you can push!! The Roaming Rover stroller features a UV protective cover to keep your pooch safe and cool while the temperatures heat up. The cover also features a mesh enclosure so that you pup won’t escape!! If you would like to Enter to Win simply visit Maggie & Dixie’s blog from Animal Planet and we’ll keep our paws crossed for you!!
Archive for Press
Groomer’s Bake & The Chow Chow Challenge
This week’s Quick Sniff Challenge called for the groomers to create their own dog biscuit at the Three Dog Bakery of LA. You’d think it would smell a bit like Mama’s kitchen in there…Yeah right!! Kathleen as the winner of last week’s challenge was given peanuts to use in her biscuits but had no idea how to utilize them – Jasper added his own special ingredient, sweat droplets ewww!! He was sweating so terribly that his sweat was literally dripping into his biscuit mix…I’d love to read the nutritional facts on those biscuits!! The problem with this challenge was the groomer’s weren’t committing to sweet or savory biscuits. Each biscuit was both savory and sweet which can confuse a dog’s palate (and mine)! Artist turned out to be a vegan (who knew?) and felt very comfortable in the challenge but Jessica committed to cheese as her main ingredient and that was enough to give her the win and a leg up in the next challenge.
Whoa Baby…The challenge of the week was grooming a Chow Chow!! This challenge brought the unshakable Kathleen to her knees and tears!! Jessica was given the opportunity to bring the owner of her Chow into the grooming station for 5 minutes should she feel it would be helpful, however her dog was so fabulous she didn’t need to utilize her leg up!! Will trimmed his dog Kia so closely you would have thought she was entering the military!! Perhaps, Joey said it best the dog looked less like a Chow and more like an American Eskimo (gasp!) I could hardly believe my ears when the judges told Jonathan that this was NOT his best work as he has been the clear front-runner in this competition and obvious favorite of the judges…While Artist rocked the doghouse with both his grooming ability and confidence!! I was thrilled for him when he was voted Groomer of the Week!! Will and Kathleen were at the back of the pack this week – Will for his grooming and Kathleen for her lack of confidence (didn’t she learn anything from Artist last week). However, at the end of the day Will was sent home…We wish him well!!
Groomer Has It – The Confrontation & Cat Grooming
There was a dogfight right out of the gate tonight when Malissa confronted Kathleen and Jonathan about last weeks challenge. Malissa was hurt and angry that Kathleen took her dog away from her, but if we remember Malissa did say she was done grooming the dog. Naturally, she has no recollection of this statement. I loved Jonathan’s comeback for Malissa citing that she was only working for herself during the challenge while he and Kathleen were working as team and Malissa put their entire team at risk!
The Quick Sniff challenge was fabulous and in my opinion it should be a requirement for every groomer. The groomers first learned and then practiced pet first aide with expert Denise Fleck at an LA firehouse. Armed with their new wealth of knowledge they were given a three part first aide challenge where Artist set the bar high at 2 minutes 27 seconds. Ultimately he was beat out by Jasper at 2 minutes four seconds but as the winner of last weeks Quick Sniff Challenge 5 seconds was deducted from his time bringing him down to 1 minute 58 seconds. The leg up gave Jasper the edge he needed and was crowned top dog of the challenge.
This weeks grooming challenge required the groomers to groom long haired cats (gasp!!). It seems that Jessica was the only groomer that was psyched to get her paws on a cat. I felt my allergies acting up just watching this segment. Malissa must have had a hairball clogging her ears because even after strict instructions not to scissor the face or whiskers she clearly did a lot of facial scissoring! How did this girl ever make the cut to get on this show? Jessica and Artist also had a difficult time with their kitty cats as they both got bit, scratched, hissed, and swatted at. Kathleen, Jonathan, Will, and Jorge managed the challenge with little difficulty and once again set themselves apart from the rest of the pack.
During the judging Malissa lied to the judges when asked if she scissored the cat’s face initially she said yes, until questioned she then changed her story and said she plucked the cat not scissored. I say liar liar pants on fire…Truth be told the judges probably can’t tell if she’s lying or not since she is such and airhead. Artist needs to dig deep and gather more confidence especially when he is in front of the judges. When dealing with clients it is essential to exude confidence and control, without it how can a pet parent feel comfortable leaving their fur-baby with him? Kathleen was Best in Show this week for her grooming and understanding of the cat’s mindset. Malissa and Artist were at the bottom of the pack this week. Malissa’s grooming skills were brought into question while Artist was scolded for his lack of confidence. In the end Malissa was sent home and Artist promised to dig deep and muster his confidence. With Malissa gone who will bring the drama now…I just know there is another drama queen waiting to break out…Guess we’ll just have to wait and see next week!!
Groomer Has It – Puppy’s First Groom
Hip hip hooray!! The groomers agree with me, they love Sarah and felt Will deserved to go. Rather than returning to the doghouse with his tail between his legs (as Jai would say) he returned confidently as if the judges actually commended him on his grooming. What planet is this guy from?
The Quick Sniff Challenge was another great business lesson for the groomers. The Groomer of the Year will be awarded their own grooming van ultimately making them an instant small business owner. They will quickly go from a “back of house” position to “front of house” and will be required to work directly with clients dealing with requests, complaints, and general customer service issues. Some groomers dealt with the clients better than others. Artist packed attitude with everyone – the Maltese was too pink, Danny asked to many personal questions about the origin of his name, and the gentleman with the mutt had no right to want his dog to look best in show because it’s a mutt. Artist needs an attitude adjustment if he wants to hang around a few more weeks. Jonathan rocked the Quick Sniff by using the information he was provided with to create an instant bond with his prospective clients and it worked…The clients were gushing over Jonathan!! Will reminded me of a used car salesman and I am really ready for him to go home! Kathleen won the Quick Sniff…Go figure, I really thought Jonathan had it in the bag but the dogs barked and the judges listened!!
The grooming challenge was puppies!! Kathleen was the winner of the Quick Sniff Challenge and was given a “leg-up” she was able to select the dog she wanted to groom and she chose the Pomeranian. The rest of the groomers were given their dogs at random. Artist made his puppy Oliver uncomfortable by plucking the ears a task he deemed necessary and Jorge was scolded for the first time for not utilizing cotton the Cocker Spaniel’s ears before bathing (tisk tisk Jorge!). Malissa used way too much powder – Jonathan did a great job (shocker, right) and I loved the transformation of Coco, Amber’s dog and Will created a wonderful rapport with his dog.
The judges felt Malissa and Jonathan were at the back of the pack this week, rightfully so. Up until now it has been very cut and dry for me regarding which groomer should go home (although the judges never seem to agree with me)! This week, it’s a toss up between the Jon who lacks confidence and business skills and Malissa who lacks common sense and added more powder to the dog than Joan Rivers! Ultimately, Malissa got a pass and Jon had a nervous breakdown (I guess he never got the talk from his father, never let ‘em see you cry)!! I have to concur with the judges this week…Adios Jon!
These Paws are Made for Walking
Calling all New Yorkers!! The weather is finally getting warmer and if you are anything like Chloe and I you’re just looking for any excuse to spend time outdoors. Great news…Here is your chance to stretch your legs for a great cause…The American Cancer Society’s Dogswalk Against Cancer is held in Riverside Park 5/4 and for our upstate NY dog lovers at Bear Mountain State Park on 5/4 as well.
It’s $25 if you pre-register or $35 if you register they day of the event. Chloe and I always attend the Riverside Park event and we have the most fabulous time sniffing out the other pups and they have contests galore and face painters for the kids making it a great event for the whole family.
Dogswalk is held rain or shine and a few years ago it teemed the day of the event. We were disappointed but decided to go anyway and we were thankful we did…Everyone showed up…The pups splashed in the puddles (and so did a few adults)!! All in all it was a great time so don’t let weather deter you from getting out there having a great day with your pooch and raising money for a great cause.
For more information on how to register for the event visit the Dogswalk Against Cancer website for Riverside Park or Bear Mountain State Park. See you there!!
Groomer Has It on Animal Planet…
I don’t know if you’ve been watching Animal Planet lately but have you seen the promos for their newest show “Groomer Has It” where 12 groomers snip, clip, and claw their way to the top but only one groomer can be crowned groomer of the year. Chloe and I can hardly wait for the premiere episode this Saturday – April 12th at 9 PM e/p needless to say we’re digging the whole concept of the show. We are making a whole night but more details on that later in the week. If you haven’t seen the promos check out the “Groomer Has It” website for a sneak peek.
Here’s the “Groomer Has It” scoop that we got from our friends at Animal Planet. ”Groomer Has It” is a new competition series, hosted by Jai Rodriguez, that sniffs out 12 of America’s most creative and hard-working groomers – amateur and professional – brings them to Los Angeles and puts their drive to the test against each other for the supreme grooming title as they transform some of the scruffiest-looking dogs to look their doggie best! Three regular judges and one guest judge will put the groomers through their paces each week to see whose knowledge and skill can turn the shaggiest, most unstylish pooch into the a fancy, prancing pup. While every dog has its day, at the end of the series, only one groomer has his or hers… and is crowned Groomer of the Year!
Of course, we’ll be reporting in Sunday with our favorite picks (well unless we can’t contain ourselves and feel the urge to log-on and blog after the show!!).
Pinch an Inch
This weekend I was surfing the web and came across a website dedicated to
canine obesity and it turns out that February is National Canine Weight
Check Month. It struck a personal chord with me because just last summer
Chloe was a whopping 8 lbs. overweight. She was 22 lbs. when for her size
and bone structure she should have weighed in at about 14 lbs. Truth be
told we love her so much that when we snacked she snacked – when we ate -
she ate and sometimes for being so fabulous she ate alone. Much like people
the weight just crept up on us and before we knew it she truly was obese and
began to have medical issues. Finally, this summer we made a commitment as
a family that we were all going to shed a few pounds and needless to say
under the supervision of Chloe’s vet she stuck to her new diet and wellness
plan. In just 5 months she lost the weight and regained her puppy-like
spunk not to mention her health issues are cured.
Now that you know my story here are the hard facts: According to the Stop
Canine Obesity website 47% of vets feel their clients are overweight but
only 17% believe their dog fits the description!! For the month of February
veterinarians across the country are teaming up for the first-ever National
Canine Weight Check, a FREE and simple way to help you determine if your dog is overweight. I invite you to visit the website Stop Canine Obesity for
further details and please take advantage of the FREE weight assessment!!
Also, if you have a fab weight loss story we’d love to hear from you!!
Collar Me Happy
I am a self proclaimed collar junkie!! I love fun and unique collars partially because every dog regardless of size can enjoy a great collar. Plus, the collar says so much about the dog’s personality whether it’s trendy, whimsical, serious, or maybe just bad to the bone. We can’t get enough of a series of collars designed by the Maitland sisters in Hollywood, CA. Their designs are incredibly creative and they leave you wondering how do they come up with such unique designs…Well the answer to that is simple…Everywhere!! They take inspiration from fashion, music, movies, and entertainment and marry that with traditional classic functional designs to make one rockin’ collar!! For the pup with attitude you’ll love the Happy Skulls or the four-paw sweetheart will adore the Tender Heart (this just so happens to be the same collar and lead set Dixie from Animal Planet has from us!!). If your pooch loves a little crystal glam with a touch of whimsy twist the Daisy Bloom Bling is perfect or if your pooch is a cowboy or cowgirl that just won’t be tamed the Rodeo Star is a must!! Check out the collection and please let us know what you think!!
Animal Planet’s Red Hot Collar & Leads
We are so over the moon!! Not once but twice this week alone Maggie & Dixie Gallant of Animal Planet.com have featured our products in their blog. Today the duo mentioned how collar and lead sets are the perfect Valentine’s Day Gift…After all what pup doesn’t love a little neck candy!! Our Tender Heart Collar and Lead was featured today. This particular collar and lead set is designed by a team of two sisters who set out to make a fun, funky, and unique collar and lead set. In our opinion that’s exactly what they did. We’ll go into detail about their designs tomorrow…But for now we’re starting our Valentine’s celebrations early…Thanks again Maggie, Dixie, and Animal Planet!! Here is the link to the blog entry: Girl’s Best Friend’s Best Friend
We “Heart” Animal Planet
Hooray!! Maggie & Dixie Gallant of Animal Planet selected our XOXO Bowl as a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift!! In her post she also mentions that one of her favorite hostess gifts is stylish doggie dish (much like this one) filled with adorable treats…This way the pet gets a fab new bowl and the hostess gets the scrumptious treats…Genius we say!! Once again we are so happy and honored she has selected us for her Animal Planet Blog we just had to share with you!! Check out Maggie’s & Dixie’s entire post here: My Bowl Runneth Over
