As Seen On Oprah! Join The Fight! Puppy Mill Awareness Day - Lancaster County, PA

Please note that the embedded video displays actual animals in puppy mills. Viewer discretion is advised.

On September 20, 2008, thousands of people will be joining together in the heart of one of the biggest producing puppy mill areas in the United States - Lancaster County, PA. As aired on Oprah, join the fight and support the thousands of dogs and puppies that are kenneled and bred in the most horrifying situations! Imagine little food, no or little medical care, living in small cages filled with feces and urine. Be the voice for these helpless souls where the greed of money to the puppy mill owners are the only thing they want.

This anti-puppy mill rally will be the biggest in the country and can not be missed! Awareness Day is almost 5 years old and the only thing that has changed for the mill dogs are the names of the people who are supposed to be protecting them.

Special guests appearances include: AnnMarie Lucas of Animal Plant; Animal Precinct, Rescue Ink, Musician, Gary Hennessy, Rikki Rockett, and Melanie Martel. In addition, the day's events will include Vaccine Clinic courtesy of Dog's Den , Rescue Parade, vendors, plus much more. Help spread the word and let the world know "Pennsylvania's dirty little secret."

Just remember, ANY DOG SOLD THROUGH A PET STORE come from these mills or similiar in another state - no matter what any shop owner tells you! Do NOT support this cruel industry as every puppy purchased gives the mill owner a reason to produce more and more!

For more information, please go to: http://www.awarenessday.org/ or email at: awarenessday@aol.com

Proper Grooming For Long Haired Dogs

If you have a breed with long hair and love those long locks, you know first hand the high maintenance grooming requirements needed. Whether you pamper your pooch at a local dog grooming salon every few weeks, it is still necessary to keep your pet's hair clean and matte free until the next grooming visit. Here are some after care grooming tips for dogs with long hair that you can do yourself:

• COMB DAILY using a fine-tooth comb.


• Concentrate on the back, sides, under the arms and chest area near the skin's surface. This is usually where matting occurs more frequently.


• If you are experiencing any tangles, do not bath your dog and try using a conditioner at this time - this may cause the matting to get worse. Rather, try to the best of your ability (softly and gently) getting the tangles out with the comb first.


• Do not tug or pull hard while trying to detangle a matte. You will be pulling at your dog's skin and thus causing it to be very painful to the dog. For assistance, you may "lightly" mist the matted area with a detangling spray.


• Once you finally get the tangles out, you can then use a pin brush just to smooth the coat down. Finally, you may bathe your dog at this time. After bathing, do not "towel rub" your pet's hair. Either let air dry or blow dry on a "warm or cool" setting while brushing the hair smooth.


• Brush your pet's coat every day to avoid any future problems.

Now, if your dog is severely matted and/or you have been unable to get any minor mattes out yourself, the best solution is to bring your pet to a dog grooming professional immediately for a coat and skin evaluation. Even small mattes can become worse over time so it is essential to take care of this issue immediately to avoid a dog groomer having to "shave" your pet should you wish to keep the hair long.

Unfortunately, if your pet's hair is severely matted, the best solution is to have your dog shaved so that a new and healthy coat can grow in. Furthermore, it will also avoid any pain and discomfort your pet would experience trying to get the matting out manually.

Lastly, we also suggest any dog with long, silky or "cotton-like" hair to refrain from wearing tight fitting clothing, especially with sleeves, as this can cause matting issues more frequently. Loose fitting or apparel without sleeves will help, however, the key is to always brush your dog EVERYDAY, especially after taking the dog's clothes off with the appropriate grooming tools to avoid any issues.

Dog Shoes - Not Just A Fashion Accessory But A Canine Necessity

In the past few years, there is no question that the revolution of stylish dog shoes and boots has hit the market. From Hound Hiker Boots to FouMa Dog Sneakers, having your pet in some type of "paw" protection is not only fashionable, but certainly functional. Although some people may think it's down right silly, owners, especially to little breed dogs, are now thinking "outside" the box and realizing that dog shoes aren't just a fashion accessory to an outfit, but simply a necessity!

Little breeds, especially, have tiny, soft paws. Because many of these dogs are constantly carried in fashionable pet carriers or held in the arms of the owner when out in the public, they are not exposing their paw pads to the elements of the outside world (hard, rough surfaces) as much as a bigger dog may. Therefore, their pads do not harden as much. Consequently, when a little tiny dog is finally walked freely on concrete, asphalt, etc... their paws can become quite sensitive, especially if the surface is too hot or too cold. Black asphalt, for instance, is very hot to the touch in humid weather. Ever try walking barefoot on it in the summer yourself? The same applies to small dogs that have very soft pads on their feet. Moreover, if an owner is not closely monitoring the conditions of a walkway, fine, sharp pieces of debris, glass or even ice salt can become quite hazard to these little, soft pads as well.

Because designers are always trying to follow the trends of the fashion world, it is not uncommon to see stylish protective shoes that match outfits in their collections as well now. Just ask Lara Alameddine, owner of Little Lily and pet fashion designer to the celebrities. Actually, Lara founded her business in 2002 while walking the streets of West Hollywood with her 5 lb Yorkie who accidentally stepped on a shard of glass. With the recommendation of her vet to seek out shoes for "Lily", she was unhappy of what she was finding in her local pet stores. Therefore, with some careful planning and creative design work, she developed the first fashionable, but protective booties for dogs in the USA and trademarked the name LilyBoots. With dog shoes came dog clothing and that's when the story of Little Lily began.

For a pet to walk in shoes, it is certainly not in their nature to do so. Therefore, if you have never tried placing shoes on your pet's feet, it will require some training and patience on your part in order for your pet to get adjusted and walk perfectly normal in them. Usually, it can take as little as a few hours to a few days of an adjustment period; depending on your pet's personality and level of tolerance. Simply having a pet wear them for short periods of time and gradually increasing the wear time in them will have your pet strutting its stuff in no time; even if it's not on a fashion runway in Hollywood!

A Sprinke A Day Can Take The Stains Away!

For any of you pet owners who own a light colored or white "face" dog, you know first hand how difficult it can be to keep those awful, unsightly tear stains away! Whether the stains are reddish to brownish in color, a beautiful white or light colored dog can simply look "dirty", even after a professional grooming visit. Fortunately for darker color coated dogs, you will never have the opportunity to see them.

For decades, pet owners resorted to stain eliminating liquids and gels only to find them not effective. At times, these solutions also caused irritation to the dog's eyes which in turn, caused the eyes to tear even more. It was not until a few years ago that Angels' Eyes, a product made by the I'm a Little Teacup Company, proved that "a sprinkle a day, can take those tear stains away" - and literally! Now, it's one of the world's best known little secrets to keeping a light colored dog stain free!

Angels’ Eyes works to prevent tear staining by tying up circulating porphyrins. A porphyrin is a compound that reacts with light to produce a reddish brown stain to the medial canthus. The ingredients, 100%Pure beef liver and tylosin (as tartrate), will rid and prevent your dog from contracting Ptyrosporin (Red Yeast) and bacterial infections which causes excess tearing and staining. What makes Angels' Eyes different than other anti-tear staining products on the market is that other brands mask or have artificial food coloring, artificial food additives/preservatives, and cereals such as wheat causing the stains to reappear worse than before. Because Angels' Eyes is given orally in the pet's food, it does not require rubbing or any other difficult maintenance. With this product, you will not need to use any bleach, peroxide or any other product that may cause allergies and irritations.

Now, many factors contribute to tear staining. Pets could inherit very small tear ducts or overly watery eyes, particularly as a response to various products you may be giving to the dog (allergies or reactions) or even household chemicals you may be using. Definitely inherited are large eyes and short muzzles, which tend to allow more eye irritation and less drainage. There can be inherited or developmental structural defects that result in eye stains as well. Hygiene is another obvious factor. Matter in the eye tends to collect at the inner corner. If the pet’s eyes are exposed to dust, wind, grooming products, stray or ingrown hairs and other irritants, there will be more matter at the corners. This matter becomes an irritant and causes more tearing and therefore more staining. Therefore, it is essential to keep on top of a proper hygienic routine with your pet as well.

Angels' Eyes is 100% safe for pets and can be given as early as 8 weeks of age. Depending on the pet's size, a small sprinkle in the pet's food once a day does the trick. Treatment is given until results are achieved which usually is between 3-6 weeks; depending on how bad the pet has staining. Because there has been reports of pets not freely eating their regular food with the treatment of Angels' Eyes, the perfect remedy is peanut butter! Simply dip your finger in a jar of peanut butter (which all dogs love) and then dip your finger again in the Angels Eyes to allow the powder mixture to stick to your finger. With the aroma of creamy peanut butter, I never have seen a dog refuse this tasty treat!

Here are some other suggestions to keeping your pet's face stain free:

• Feed your pet a white meat diet. This includes chicken, turkey or fish. Dark meats can contribute to your dog getting darker staining around the eyes and mouth.


• Stay away from treats that contain food coloring, sugars or wheat as an additive.


• Wipe your pet's face daily with a clean, warm cloth.

PLEASE NOTE: Should your pet have noticeable reddish staining on it's paws, legs, etc.. this is caused by your pet's excessive self-grooming practices (i.e. licking it's feet constantly). Because a pet's saliva is also a bodily fluid, saliva also contains this active red yeast enzyme and as such, is just being transferred to the pet's coat when it's cleaning itself. Therefore, the use of Angels' Eyes may help eliminate stains from getting darker as it will rid and control the body of an excessive red yeast overgrowth.

To purchase Angels' Eyes, please Click Here. One month and four month supply treatments are available.

Protecting Your Pet & Pocketbook With Pet Insurance

One of the most crucial responsibilities of pet ownership is the financial liability you will face throughout that pet's lifetime. Between the necessities of food, supplies, and routine medical care, it's however the unforeseen emergency care visits to the vet that can hurt any pet owner's pockets.

There is no doubt that a loved pet's life is priceless. I, for one, have never thought twice when faced with a huge vet bill to keep any of my pets’ healthier, but most importantly, alive! However, I have seen owners fall financially in debt, especially when they own a chronically ill pet. Worst yet, its heart wrenching and sad, to both pet and owner, when they are forced to surrender the pet because they just could not afford the high expenses that are associated with the necessary medical care. Although no one can predict when you will face such an incident, you can, however, prepare and protect yourself should an emergency happen.

For decades, pet health insurance has existed but it is not until recent years that an insurance policy on our furry loved ones has become more common and part of the list of necessities of responsible pet ownership. With more and more pets becoming chronically ill due to minor aliments such as chronic allergies to genetic diseases due to poor breeding and/or unhealthy diets, it's also the unforeseen accidents that makes you wish you had an existing health care policy on your pet should you not have one.

Getting health insurance on your pet is quite easy. Most pet insurance companies can quote you the monthly premium via online by just answering a few simple questions such as the age of your pet, breed type, what state you live in and whether your pet has been diagnosed with any major health issues in the last few months. The hard part is possibility getting rejected or paying an astronomical monthly insurance premium because you opted to get insurance on a pet that is routinely seeing a vet for a chronic and expensive medical issue already. This is why it is crucial to research and obtain pet insurance either when your pet is a puppy or a healthy adult before any unforeseen medical issues arise. Moreover, if you have purchased a registered AKC dog with papers, the American Kennel Club offers discounted insurance rates for their registered pets.

Now, it is a fact that certain breeds will have higher premiums based solely on the bloodline and the age of your pet when you try to obtain insurance. Boxers, for example, are known for acquiring certain types of cancers, even in their early years while short nosed, pushed in face breeds may experience chronic breathing problems when they start to mature as well. Most purebreds each have their own statistically known medical issues, so depending on the breed you have; pet insurance companies will base your premium solely on the type of dog and age of your pet. Good news is, if you have multiple pets, insurance companies will commonly offer discounted rates should you insure your other pets on a policy.

So, what are exactly the benefits of pet health insurance? Well, depending on the policy you choose, all companies offer basic routine vaccination plans to more elaborate, full protection policies that will cover your pet for almost anything. This usually includes emergency accidental treatments, spay/neuter, routine teeth cleanings and even chemotherapy treatments should your pet acquire cancer (which seems to be more frequent in pets now a days).

Here is a brief overview of pet health insurance....

• If you have been quoted a policy premium of $30 a month, over a year’s time, you will spend $360 for insurance. Tally up all the cost of your pet's medical expenses for the past 12 months. Should you fall short of your yearly premium or even over it, the good news is, now matter what number you came up with, you will receive approximately 80% of all your medical costs back on each vet visit.


• Most pet health insurance companies will allow you to use any vet you wish as you will be up fronting all costs to the vet at the time of treatment. It is then your responsibility to submit a claim with your carrier after treatment.


• Most policies have a annual deductible which is $100-$125


• Reimbursements usually take 30-45 days; depending on the health insurance carrier. Also, policies can have maximum limits of $1500 - $13,000 yearly.


• Other commonly covered treatments include specialist visits, x-rays, CT Scans, MRI's, prescription medications, hospitalization, and laboratory testing.


• Wellness plans usually cover heartworm testing and preventative treatments and flea and tick control.

Here is a complete list of other commonly known pet health insurance providers:

VPI
AKC
Pets Best
ASPCA Pet Insurance
Embrace
Pets Health Plan

There is no question that when having a pet health insurance policy, it's not only a return investment back in your pockets, but your pet will be medically covered for each visit to the vet.

For The Working Class Canine - Dog Modeling

Can your pet be the next top "pup" model? Perhaps so - just ask Little Paris Noel! No matter what kind of breed you have, any dog can be a model with the right basic training, some photography knowledge of the owner, and of course, a bit of luck. If you feel your pet has what it takes, here is a great hobby for any owner to potentially make some extra money to offset the cost of owning your pet and it's high maintenance needs or simply just receiving some free pet products. Hey, who said your pet can't have its own bank account?

Many pet manufacturers, designers and pet retailers will actually, at times, utilize their customers for marketing material that they will use to sell new and upcoming products. This can be on printed material (brochures/catalogs/magazines) and/or on the World Wide Web (internet). So, if your pet is especially photogenic and knows basic commands as sit, stay and down, here are some suggestions on how to start a potential modeling career for your canine child:

• Get yourself a good digital camera and know how to operate it to its potential! Being your pup's manager will require you to start a "pupfolio" and know some basic photography skills.


• Get yourself a backdrop! All professional photographers use backdrops on occasion. These are usually on large rolls and may be of a paper or fabric material. However, when taking photos of your pet for a portfolio, use a white backdrop! If your pet is all white in color, use a lighter shade of gray to offset the color difference between your pup's fur/hair and the backdrop color. Do not use "scenic" backdrops as the main focus of the photo should be of your pet and nothing else in the background.


• Backdrops should be hung at least two feet above your pet's head (either in the sit or down position) and cascaded along the floor. This means there should be no seams or creases in the backdrop.


• Put yourself in or get good lighting! All photographers will use natural lighting or use spot lights behind and on the side of them to give the photo the true and vivid colors of the snap shot. Do not rely on the sole use of your camera’s flash.


• Photos of your pet should be taken with and without merchandise. Small props can be used for creativity.


• Make sure any of the photos you use for your pup's portfolio are clear. Blurry images should never be sent!


• Photos of your dog sitting or laying down are best.


• If you are trying to land a modeling job with a particular designer or manufacturer, purchase some of their products (only) for your photo shoot.


• Purchase or download a good photo software package. This will be required to help rid of "red eye" or any little imperfections your photos may have.


• Pick your BEST vivid photos to send.


• Set your price! Because many designers or manufacturers are busy with the design and production of products and may want to off set the high costs of a real, professional photographer, set your price for you and your pup's time. A good starting point, especially for an amateur model and pup manager would be $15-$20 per photo that is agreed to be used or equivalent to free pet products from that particular company.


• For more information on photographing your pet, please visit The Guide To Photographing Your Dog

Okay, now that you have gotten basic information on what is needed to get started; here is some additional details to help you market your pup to the pet industry:

PORTFOILO BY DIRECT MAIL

• If you have printed the images from your camera on photo paper, put them together with a basic informational sheet about your pup. This should include: your pet's name, breed, age, weight, size measurements (neck, length, and girth), some fun and interesting information about your pup's personality and lastly, all your contact information. Put this together in a nice folder as if you were putting together a marketing pamphlet. Make up as many as you plan on sending to each company.


• Be creative with your portfolio! Remember, first impressions count!


• Because you can relatively find out all contact information about any company on the internet, search by the company's name to find out their physical address so you can send out your pup's portfolio to them. Should no particular owner or president's name be mentioned, the safest way is to attention the package is to the "owner".


• Follow up with a phone call to the company within 1-2 weeks to make sure they have received your package and to see if they have any questions about your service.

PORTFOLIO BY EMAIL

• Save your pup's photos as a "jpg" image and do not send any photos larger than 600 x 600 pixels in size. Additionally, do not send more than three at a time. Sending multiple images, especially photos too large in size by email, may not reach the recipient's email inbox as their server can reject your email as "spam". Also, images that are in the approximate size range of 600 x 600 will display nicely on any size viewer's monitor.


• Attach your pup's informational sheet as a word document (doc.) file, as well.


• If you are computer savvy, convert both the photos and doc. file as a "pdf." attachment.


• Search the internet for the company's website to retrieve their email address and put in the subject line: Dog Model for Hire


• Include a simple but informative note in the body of the email so the recipient knows a little bit about you and your service.


• Follow up with a phone call to the company within 1-2 weeks to make sure they have received your email and to see if they have any questions about your service.

WEBSITE PORTFOLIO
What you can further do to get you and your pup's services exposed is to create a website! This is the BEST way to reach millions of potential companies that may need to utilize your service. Yahoo Small Business or GoDaddy.com offers economical website service plans that can cost pennies a day plus offers simple, but yet effective, user friendly website design capabilities. You can also use this valuable internet tool to keep your pup's portfolio current and list all past clients once your pup becomes established with modeling jobs. You can further expand your services by offering "royalty free" images for sale! This means these are images that are not contracted and owned by a specific company. Just note that it is recommended to "watermark" your images to prevent unlawful copying of your images without your consent or being paid for. Pet retail or boutique shops may find these images useful for their own personal marketing campaigns or simply using them on their online stores!

BUSINESS CARDS
Having business cards are a simple but effective way to spread the word about your service! You can simply create and receive 250 free business cards by using Vista Print. It is a perfect marketing tool just in case you happen to meet other pet related companies that can potentially use your pup as a model through passing in public places.

Now, after you have sent your pup's portfolio out to either a few companies or established an internet presence, don't get discouraged should no one call you. Sometimes it can take a manufacturer or designer weeks or months to decide what they will be doing on their next marketing campaigns. Also, to further expose your pet's modeling service, don't be shy to also send their portfolio to pet retailers or pet boutiques, especially if they have an online store! Just remember the key is to stay patient and focused; as with any model does looking to land a job!

YOUR FIRST MODELING JOB! WHAT'S NEXT?
Now that your pet has landed its first modeling job, you or the company (or both) may sign a contract to agree to each others terms and conditions of using your photographs in marketing materials. This may include the company that is seeking your service to own the rights to specific photos of yours. This technically means, they will be the only ones allowed to use that photo and you will not be able to sell it to anyone else. Other contract terms may be sending all products back to them once the photos have been taken; should they decide to pay you by check instead. You may also find that certain companies will want you to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Manufacturers or designers will send you a package of new products that they will be selling on the market shortly and it will be up to you as your pet's manager to take the most professional photographs of your pet with them. Because this should be treated as a business (and if you want repeat business), have the modeling contract completed within a few days and only present your best shots. Do not wait weeks to finish the project. Designers are on deadlines to have their marketing materials completed by certain times for publication.

Depending on your agreement with the company, your pup's pay to the modeling job may be keeping all the products they sent to you for your pups personal own enjoyment (and for free!) or you sending them all back in return of a check for the photos they will use. Again, this will all depend on your agreement with the company.

OTHER POTENTIAL PET CAREERS
You can further explore other pet careers by enlisting your pet with a pet (casting) agent should you feel your pet has what it takes to be on television. Here are some starting points to research: (PLEASE NOTE: We do not endorse any of the mentioned companies below. It is up to you to find out all the details and if any, costs involved. Should an agency seek a lot of upfront costs out of your pocket to find your pet work, it is not suggested to use them as it may be a scam.)

Animal Actors Agency
Dog Actors Guild
Animal Actors
Hollywood Paws