Are you a Furparent?

Ever taken your pooch on a "playdate" or referred to housebreaking as "potty training?" If you have, you're among a growing demographic of "furparents."

Sometimes I find myself confusing pet ownership and parenthood. And I think this pets-as-children mindset is so pervasive because of the rapidly growing pet industry (dog masseuse, anyone?) that constantly manipulates child-rearing terms and re-appropriates them to enforce the idea that dogs aren't just pets; they're our babies.

Click here to read an interesting and funny take on the new words of the dog world. And next time you find yourself at a "bark mitzvah," you'll have a little perspective.

Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle

In October 2007, Major Brian Dennis of the United States Marine Corps met a wild stray dog while patrolling the Syrian border in Iraq. The dog's ears had been docked by an Iraqi while he was still a puppy, earning him the name "Nubs" from the American soldier. But this first brief encounter quickly turned into an inseparable relationship. Every few weeks, Major Dennis returned to the border fort from his regular station to patrol for a few days. And every time he arrived, Nubs was there to greet him. When Dennis and his team departed the fort in their Humvee for their home base, Nubs would run behind the vehicle for miles, only to fall away in exhaustion. Now, imagine the major's surprise when he saw a bloody and beaten Nubs stumble onto his home base...nearly 70 miles away from the border fort. Major Dennis documented the dog's amazing journey--from the barren Iraqi desert and eventually to the United States--in the children's book, Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle.



For more details on this incredible story, click here.

Celeb-puppy Buzz at Teddys Friends

A Hollywood starlet walks among us, along with her bodyguard and entourage. Ally has movie star good looks, with her flowing white coat and dewey, fresh face. But don't expect any diva behavior; she just loves to prance in front of her adoring fans. Her manly and well-groomed bodyguard, Tucker, is the only thing keeping her from becoming too overexposed. The other day, Ally's dog-walking entourage (me) was taking her on a stroll though the neighborhood and she was hamming it up on the lookout for human attention. But Tucker kept stepping in between her and everyone else as if you say, "Back off! No more pictures!" to the paparazzi. Ally and Tucker are both gorgeous dogs with glamourous lifestyles. Their owners just love them. And we do, too.



Halloween Costumes For Your Haunted Hounds

Halloween is going to the dogs. That's right; one of the fastest-growing Halloween fashion markets is pet costumes. And that market is moving beyond the standard “Wiener Dog” outfits and “Li'l Devil” headbands, and into pop culture reflections and costume couture.

Teddys Friends prides itself on being ahead of the curve, and that holds true for doggy dress-up too. Here, we've compiled a list of the funniest, funkiest and most downright adorable costumes for your own bark-or-treaters.

Something Fishy

When does a puppy bite transform into a full-on shark attack? When you dress your dogs as denizens of the deep! From Killer Whales to Great White Sharks, these costumes can be, well, an ocean of fun.



It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a dachshund!

Underdog they ain't. While they may not be faster than a speeding bullet or stronger than a locomotive, you know your pup can easily leap the coffee table in a single bound when treats are at stake. Conventional character costumes, like Spiderman and Superman, are easy to find. And if your dog has a villainous streak, the Joker is available too.



On the Red Carpet

While Spot may claim that Homeward Bound is his all-time favorite movie, we caught him looking twice as Scarlett O'Hara fashioned that green velvet gown out of curtains. Throw Spot a bone and let him play Rhett Butler. Or, let FiFi play the iconic Marilyn Monroe in the 7-Year Itch. (All the glamour and none of the fleas).



Canine Cuisine

The "Hot Dog in a Bun" costume is so last year. Pet owners and their dogs alike are refining their palette one foodie-themed costume at a time. For the nigiri connoisseur, feast your eyes on a little sushi. Or maybe you've got a craving for mom's Sunday dinner: pot roast. And if all those savory snacks start weighing you down, have a little fruit instead.



DIY

No need to drain your bank account to ensure a happy holiday for you and your best friend. Just gather some household objects and let your creative juices flow. Here are the quick and easy, step-by-step directions for making a classic ghost costume for your pup.

1. You will need a white bed sheet, scissors, a black marker, an elasticized material band and a needle and white thread.

2. This costume covers the dog’s face. It has cut openings for the nose, mouth, eyes and ears. The white sheet lies freely on the dog’s back, hanging down to the ground. Elastic bands attach the sheet to the dog at the neck and chest.

3. Have your dog stand upright. Put the bed sheet over your dog, covering his head. Mark the spots for the nose, eyes and ears. ( Just mark the center of the spot and note how large each hole needs to be.)

4. Attach the sheet to your dog at his neck and chest. Mark the spots on opposite sides of your dog’s neck and chest and estimate the length of the elastic band pieces required. Allow the sheet to hang to the ground.

5. After measuring, take the sheet off your dog. From the inside, sew the elastic band to the relevant spots on the sheet. Cut openings for the nose, mouth, eyes and ears.

6. Put the costume on first through the front paws, then over the dog’s head.



Introducing a Costume

Introduce a costume slowly, especially if your dog has never worn one before. Use these tried-and-true training tips to get him to vamp it up on Halloween.

1. Put a small piece of the costume on him.
2. Praise him as soon as the material touches him.
3. Pop a treat in his mouth.
4. Immediately take the costume off and tell him what a good boy he is.
5. Repeat five times and take a break.

Safety First

1. The costume should be easy to put on your dog. You don't want to have to force him into contortions to get it on.
2. The costume should be even easier to take off. If he gets tangled or panics, it should come off quickly.
3. The costume should allow for free movement of his head, all four legs and tail.
4. The costume should not block his vision.
5. Your dog needs to be able to breathe easily through his mouth and nose.

Also factor in whether he can relieve himself while in costume. If not, you may need to make some adjustments. And don't forget to make room for a leash and collar!

Now go have yourself a doggone spooky Halloween!

Pilots N Paws

Here's a really nice story for you Sunday. It's Pilots N Paws, a group of pilots who rescue animals from high-kill shelters and fly them to new homes. It's so cute, but a tearjerker so be warned:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/volunteer-pilots-airlift-unwanted-shelter-animals-homes/story?id=8554880

Teddys 1st Birthday!

Teddy, my dog, is celebrating his 1st birthday this month. He has too many toys already, so we asked our friends to donate to the "Teddys Friends Donation Station." The donation station collected all sorts of items for the Alexandria animal shelter.

Thank you all for your donations! The animals will really appreciate the wonderful things you gave! The shelter appreciates help very much as they rely on our generous community of pet lovers to fund their cause. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Here is what we, as a group, donated:

22 leashes
6 collars
Over 100 pounds of food!
56 toys
6 bowls
2 beds
28 bags of treats
12 bones
8 blankets
10 towels
2 crates

Thats a lot of stuff!

It's a POOL PARTY and you're dog is invited!

This Saturday, from 12-4, dogs all over Northern Virginia will be getting their swim on at human pools! Before the pools close for the season, bring your best friend with fur to swim his or her little heart out. Here is the invitation:

http://www.nvrpa.org/documents/events/824_doc.pdf


Hope to see you there! Teddy will be in the baby pool, he won't go in further than 1 foot. He's more of a socialite than a swimmer.

I'm a pet food snob.

Before becoming obsessed with pets, I never paid any attention to pet food. When I bought food for my cats, I tried to buy holistic food like Blue Buffalo but only because the bag was pretty and it looked healthy. I knew nothing.

Do you know whats in your pets food? If you want to, check out dogfoodanalysis.com - they have a 6 star rating system for dog food based on ingredients, preservatives, overall nutrition, etc. For example, Purina is a 2 and Orijen is a 6.

Now, I use a 5 star food that has no grains, no cancer-linked preservatives, and no shady recalls. Yes, better quality food is expensive. The one I buy is $42 for a 30 pound bag. BUT, I have to use 1/2 of the amount so the bag lasts much longer and is therefore, actually about the same price in the long run as the cheapo food.

If you want to learn more, e-mail me at info@teddysfriendspetcare.com. Or check out this insanely detailed report by a Harvard Law student. It's very accurate and well written.

http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html

Mo the Sailor

Meet Mo. He's a little guy with a big attitude and an even bigger heart.

Mo is comfortable with his manhood, he doesn't mind wearing clothes. I love this little shirt with the pirate on it,... how cute is he!?!

We recently visited the dog park and met up with Mo and his human mom, Megan. He loves swimming but will attach himself to her leg when he gets the chance. He loves latching on to people and will sit on your shoulder like a parrot if he can. I watched him once and he helped me do dishes and clean - the whole time perched on my shoulder.

If you see this little guy, say hello. He loves attention and is as sweet as could be. He is having some resentment issues with his leash at the moment, but he's working on it.

We love you Mo!

Um, just a quick note:

Air Mattress + Dog = A pile of mush

I guess Teddy thought it was a big squeaky toy?

Shirlington Wags n' Whiskers

I was at Wags n Whiskers in Shirlington today representing Teddys Friends. I met some fellow dog-lovers and probably half of the dog-population of Arlington. There were tons of rescue groups there showing off their adoptable pets and raising money. I had to snap a picture of this little guy, isn't he cute?

Teddys Friends shared a tent with The Muddy Mutt, the self-serve dog wash in Shirlington. Tammy, the owner of The Muddy Mutt, is always awesome to me and I can't thank her enough for her support. Visit her shop if you have a muddy mutt, they now have an on-site groomer too!

I put my name in to win a prize basket at a groomers tent and WON! I was so excited! I never win anything. It was full of Vitality brand dog treats and food - tons of treats! I'll have enough dog treats for a lifetime. Well, in reality, in this house they'll probably last about 2 months tops.

Then, Sadie got her picture taken with a pet photographer and took the squeeky toy he was using to keep the dogs attention. Good thing he brought two of them.

Fonzi and his owner Laura came to check out the event and stopped to say hi. We found dog ice cream for the Fonz man and he loved it. As you can see, he was trying to get every last bit. The container kept getting stuck on his nose.

We topped the day off with a trip to the Shirlington dog park. Now, I'm insanely tired and ready for a nap.

Have a good weekend everyone and stay in the air conditioning if you can.

Another really neat dog treat.

I like to share some cool "finds" from time to time, and these Abacus treats are my new favorite. They are major $$$$ in retail stores but you can order them online for about $3/bag. I know of a great place to buy high-quality pet stuff online, e-mail me for info.

Abacus makes many different flavors; even versions for energy or joint health. They are holistic and have the added benefit of Glucosamine & Chondroitin, Omega-3, Vitamin E, and much more.

Besides being really good for your pet, they have cool flavors. Duck and Kiwi, Chicken and Apple, and so on...and the kiwi, apples, and bananas are real dried fruit. Real dried meat. Nothing is processed or chemically preserved. The treats smell pretty gross but my dog likes his food as smelly as possible.

A day at the beach. The dog beach!

We took a doggie field trip to Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis MD today. My husband and I loaded up the car with towels and put the dogs in the back. We had a car full of excited dogs - Teddy, Sadie, and Ben.

Ben is a natural in the water. And seriously, if reincarnation exists, I swear I want to be Ben in my next life. He has a life of leisure going between Alexandria and Delaware beach. He's like the cool kid in high school who's always doing all the fun things that the other kids can't do because they have overbearing parents or curfews.

Anyway, back to the story. The dogs had a blast! It was Sadies first time in the ocean so she sort of stood there confused at first. Then she decided she was just going to lay down in the surf and relax. Until the next wave came. Then she just repeated this process: sit, lay, get knocked over, get up, sit, lay, get knocked over, get up. Soon she caught on but never actually swam. Teddy doesn't swim either. They just jump around causing a mess of sand. Ben swims though. Ben's like a furry, cuter Michael Phelps.

So, its all fun and games right? Well, not exactly. Teddy is quite the delinquent. Teddy thought it appropriate to lift his leg on a soda bottle and sunglasses that were propped up against driftwood on the beach. I tried to stop him but it was too late. I quickly scanned for someone who might be the owner of these items. Yep, there he was. Wait,...he didn't notice! I wanted to tell the guy and started explaining to him what happened only to realize that he was deaf. Oh man, whats a girl to do? I failed Spanish like, 3 times in college. Sign language?!?!?! OMG,... muy mal!! (don't be too impressed I used google translator) It ended well, the guy wasn't angry. He was a very nice man with a super cute German Shepherd mix puppy.

When the dogs were tired we went to the local dog wash to bathe the pack. They came home tired and smelling clean. Ben was very good during his bath. He sat the whole time and had some treats afterward with Teddy and Sadie.

It was a really great day. I used to be all Gucci this, Louis Vuitton that,...now I'm all into collars and leashes and shopping at PetSmart. I still like a nice pair of Jimmy Choo's once in awhile, don't get me wrong. But, I'm happy sitting here on the couch typing this blog with my doggies passed out next to me. Time goes by too fast. I'm not perfect, but I do try to remember that the best things in life really are free.

Have a great week and enjoy the rest of the summer!

Merrick Happy Dog treats are awesome

Merrick makes this awesome bag o' treats for dogs. It's a variety pack of all of their chewie products. Texas toothpicks, hooves, flossies. It's like Christmas in a bag for dogs. My friend and fellow dog walker gives these to her dogs too. If you buy this bag in Alexandria or the surrounding area, you'll easily spend at least $14.99. However, if you google "merrick happy dog" you'll find a few online stores that sell them as low as $5.97! I totally just spent $15 and a notoriously overpriced pet store. Don't make the same mistake.

Try something different.

Happy Thursday. Just 1 more day of work for the Monday through Friday crowd. Me, well, I'm always working but walking dogs is pretty fun, I can't complain.

I wanted to post something different today and came across this video that I thought was really quirky. Here is the link:

http://outspokenmedia.com/online-marketing/the-power-of-the-unexpected/

Check it out.

Today is safety day.

I witnessed something that I need to share with my readers and clients.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't leave your dogs collars on while they are playing with other dogs or when they are home alone. My Teddy was playing with one of his friends and I although we were watching them, they got into trouble. While running around and roughhousing, the other dog got his tooth stuck in Teddys collar. Both dogs started screaming and freaking out. My friend and I tried to get the collar out of the dogs mouth but it was twisted and we couldn't get it off. Teddy was choking and I was trying so hard to get even a finger between the collar and his neck but I couldn't. He just started to lay there calmly probably hoping that we could fix it.

Teddy is fine and his friend is fine.

I am writing this because I want it to be a lesson to everyone to please remove your dogs collar when they don't need it on. Also, if you go to the dog park or anywhere where you need it, buy a break-away collar. You can buy one here: www.breakawaycollar.com

If we wouldn't have been there Teddy definitely would have died. And that would suck. Majorly.

Welcome Oliver!

Oliver is a handsome little fellow who just moved to the area with his brother Atticus.

Oliver is 9 and Atticus is 2. Oliver is having a little "me time" right now because his brother is off learning how to be a city dog at the trainers house for a bit. He will return shortly but in the meantime Oliver is hamming it up and soaking up all of the attention.

Isn't Oliver so darn cute? He didn't really want to get his picture taken. I dont know why, I told him that men get more handsome with age. And he does have a bit of a Richard Gere thing going on with that grey hair.

Check him out and say hi if you see him rockin' those eyebrows around the neighborhood.

Teddy is rather unconventional.

I took Teddy to the local dog park today for a little running around and swimming. He just LOVES going there to cause trouble and get his energy out. It was a successful trip with the exception of a little tumble he took while running. He slid on the mulch and landed on his head. Thank God I'm not one of those helicopter moms (google it- haha) because he hot a little gash near his eye that got swollen and doesn't look so hot. But we brushed it off and kept on going.

Here is a picture of him using the water bowl as his personal pawdicure station. He always does this, such a brat!

bonus

I have to post this because I think its a great deal. 1 year of Real Simple magazine for $5!!!! My life is anything but real simple but maybe if I invest $5 and some light reading I'll suddenly become suzy home-maker? I'll try. How about you? Wouldn't you love to learn how to create napkin rings out of seaglass? lol

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Simple-1-year/dp/B00005R8BR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=magazines&qid=1247633117&sr=8-1

Rome wasn't built in a day.

I'd like to take a moment to thank my customers for their support and for being so sweet to me all this time. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you giving me such beautiful gifts and recommending my services to friends and family.

It's always been my goal to provide my clients, both human and animal, with the highest possible service and care. My business is one of the most important things to me and I would do anything possible to maintain every aspect of it as long as possible. My 5 year plan is to open a dog day care and boarding resort but I'm not going to go into the details of that now. I'll stay on task for once.

Like every business, at times the workload becomes too much for 1 person to comfortably handle. I will still be personally performing the majority of the care and I would love to be able to clone myself to do all of it. Unfortunately that's just not possible yet,... thanks to non-compliant stem-cells and regulatory agencies. But that's besides the point. Gosh I really have ADD huh? Anyway, without further adu, let me introduce my new fabulous dog-loving helpers Kwame and Josh.

Kwame is my husband and Josh is my friend. Kwame and I have known each other for more than 5 years and Josh and I have been friends for almost 2. I can confidently say that these two guys can handle any dog-related task that will come their way. Josh has visited China and fed pandas and lions at a sanctuary! How cool is that?! I plan to have Kwame help me on the weekends and Josh will help out during the week.

For those of you that are curious, Kwame is in grad school at Howard and Josh is in grad school at GW. Both of these guys are very smart and incredibly responsible. In fact, I'd be comfortable leaving my dog in their hands and you all know that Teddy is my babydog. I will be leaving more details about these changes for my current clients and will be available to answer any questions by phone or e-mail. Should you wish to meet Kwame or Josh, please contact me and we can arrange a time/date.

Thank you again for your business!

Mobile dog spa + info about blog changes

I hope my readers don't mind but I'm going to start adding some extra, non-business related stuff to the blog. The focus will still be the dogs (because they are awesome) but sometimes I feel like talking about other things and this is the perfect outlet. So, read on and hopefully you'll enjoy the changes. Thanks to everyone for supporting me and for your continued business!


I went home this past weekend accompanied by my baby, Teddy. Home is in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania where the pizza is fantastic and Turkey Till iced tea flows like the Niagara. While I was there I went to a flea market that sells anything you can imagine. They even sell chickens and goats! Anyone who wants a goat can buy one for $75. You can also buy puppies (though I wouldn't recommend it), iron knuckles, swords, used shoes, half-empty spice bottles, expired Christmas candy, etc.

The last time I was there I purchased a nifty pair of crocs (yes, I know they are ugly) for $2. The crocs were brand new with tags attached and so pretty - adorned with little satin bows. Yeah, sounds fab right? um, hello - bows people! BOWS! I've never seen this style of crocs before. Maybe they wound up at the flea market because they were discontinued due to toxic plastic or lead paint? I didn't care. They were awesome and only $2.

So, I took out my $10 bill and happily handed it to the lady in charge of the booth. She was 400 pounds and had major chin hair. If I remember correctly she was also eating a hot dog and had on one of those oversized tweety bird shirts on. I am saying this because you'll never guess what happened next. Go on,...guess.

She pulls out a wad of cash from her NASTY BRA and hands me $7 dollars in change!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh! Ewwwww! I didn't know what to do. I couldn't act fast enough and in my head saw my hand in slow motion half-heartedly moving towards the cash. In my head I thought quickly "do I really want this $7 that badly? I mean yeah, its $7 and who wants to pay $10 for crocs, it was a good deal for $2..." Thank God I always carry hand sanitizer! Oh God I still get chills when I think about that.

Anyway, it usually takes awhile for trends to get to this part of PA. Last time I was there some women were still wearing stirrup pants. The first Starbucks just opened like, last year. At a farmers market there I once asked if the fruit was organic and the farmer replied with "whats that mean?" so, yeah. So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this mobile dog spa at the flea market. Check it out...

This is the perfect representation of this part of Pennsylvania. At first glance its easy to say that the town is backwards and crappy and horribly depressing. It's easy to see why something like 90% of college graduates leave that area and never come back. However, its got a silver lining somewhere beneath all of that. The people are genuine and never ask "What do you do" like our friends here in DC. No one really cares about money or how prestigious of a title you have. You can shoot fireworks on the 4th of July and go to a drive in movie theater that has new movies and only charges $5 per car. There is a really cool place called the Tubs that you can swim in. It's literally an old mine shaft that might collapse at any second but if you don't think about possibly dying its a lot of fun.

All in all its a great place to visit but for now I'll stick to the city. Teddy has a social calendar here that we can't disrupt either. ;)

I love presents.

I know that I'm bragging but how cool is it to get thank you presents? I just had to share my newest gifts because I'm so happy about it and ridiculously thankful for having such wonderful customers.

Thanks so much for being so sweet!

Do I have to work today?

I really really want to just hang out with Teddy. And he had a bath yesterday so he smells good and he's so warm and cuddly. Teddy and I love watching TV on days like this. Look at that cute belly, so adorable. zzzzzzzz

a day at the beach

After all my dog walks today I thought I'd take my little Teddy to the dog beach. He just loves this place! The only problem is that he gets car sick on the 45 minute ride there. Once we get there though he forgets all about feeling bad and gets right to playing with his friends. Today we went with Rowdy and Bean, two dogs who live in my building.

The three of them chased tennis balls, sticks, and 1 dead crab in the waves. After the ride home the dogs got baths and beef marrow bones on the porch.

They certainly have a good life!

Alexandria Animal Shelter gets 2 paws up!

Alexandria Animal Shelter is the best place to go for pre-owned pets or fab dog/cat toys. They are doing a really cool "Pre-Owned Cats" promotion now where all cats come free with a 5-point inspection. Inspection? It includes FIV test, Rabies shot, spay/neuter, etc. Basically its the neatest marketing idea ever and I really hope its working because they have some amazing animals! Check out this gorgeous cat!!!! She's 5 years old and loves being pet though she's a little shy right now because, frankly, she's freaked out. I can't blame her, living in a metal crate doesn't sound too fun. Anyone looking for a cat should haul azz over to the shelter and pick up one of these cuties.

Also, if felines aren't your thing, then get over there anyway because they have a load of dog toys for insanely reasonable prices. Kongs are $5-6 dollars, Busy Buddy Bristle Bones are $12, and much more. They have very high quality toys for half of what other stores charge.

Here's Teddys playing with his Busy Buddy Bristle Bone and the cat I fell in love with.

Happy 4th from Ivy and Uncle Sam!

Ivy loves any toy that is stuffed, rolls, squeaks, bounces, tastes good, smells good, or even just hangs around the house looking tempting. Ivy has a brother Anton and they are both Samoyeds. They are inseparable though he gets tired of her sometimes. She likes to play much more than he does, he's really more of a sleeper.

Ivy and Anton are my parents dogs. They live in Pennsylvania and see Teddy from time to time. Last time Teddy was there he was about 4 months old? Maybe younger. It's been awhile. Actually I've been back many times since then but Teddy gets carsick and doesn't really enjoy the scenery too much. So, until he grows out of it, he, Ivy, and Anton will be pen palls.

Thats Ivy with Uncle Sam and Anton with the football. Ivy and Anton wish you a Happy 4th!

Frank the Tank

Meet Frank. He's not really a tank, it just rhymes. He's so chubby and makes the cutest snorking noise when he breathes. He's got a little stubby tail that he attempts to wag though it doesn't really budge. If that's not cute enough, he's got little teensy puppy teeth and has the most laid-back, easy-going personality for a puppy. He'll just follow me along on our walks and sometimes he'll jump up for me to carry him. Frank is the newest member of Teddys Friends and officially the smallest.

Welcome Frank!