As the mommy of a Puggle, I love finding cool mixed breed items that feature the fabulous new "mutt" dogs. I came across "A Breed Apart" by Amanda Jones, a sweet book featuring some of these fun new breeds.
From the Goldendoodle to the Sheprador, the Puggle to the Muggin, the Spollie to the Eskipoo, the American mutt is the most popular dog around. This book captures the faces, unique look and personalities of these dogs and also provides you a fun guessing game of what breeds make up the dog!
The author also has breed-specific books for Dachshunds, French Bulldogs, and Greyhounds. Check it out and happy reading!
FauxPaw Productions has the most gorgeous, custom designed products, including their gorgeous dog bowls. Each bowl is designed by artist Debby Carman with one of a kind original artwork. My favorite is Barnacle since I love seaside type art and trinkets. Not only do they have bowls though, they also carry trivets, treat jars, paintings, sculptures and even more. They also offer cat products as well. The dog bowls run about $45 for a large one but they are all hand made! So if you're looking for the perfect gift or just want something to spoil your pet with, check them out.
How about making a leash hanger out of it? That's what Diana from Carabella Studios does. She lives on the coast of Maine and often walks around looking for pieces of driftwood that she can then turn into beautiful pieces of functional artwork.
Since each piece of wood has been exposed to the sea and sand, it has natural characteristics of distress. Diana simply adds her artistic touch by custom painting on it whatever you want with non-toxic paints. In addition, she also adds as many hooks as you want to each piece.
My family has our driftwood leash hanger hanging up in our shore house. It's a perfect addition down there and we always know where the leashes are.
Behind this Collar is a new company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company offers a very unique gift for us, dog-lovers: custom-made shadow boxes!
These beautiful boxes display mementos of your choosing such as a photo, a favorite toy or a collar. The shadow boxes are a wonderful way to celebrate your dog (or cat) and are available in three types: custom, standard and milestone.
The custom option lets you totally customize your box. The options are yours on the custom shadow box! You might like a custom portrait by Behind this Collar's artist or a custom poem that tells your dog's story created by the poet at Behind this Collar.
The standard option (shown left) provides you with choices for its creation such as the type of wood, items, nameplate color (plus many more options!). This shadow box arrives fully assembled and all you do to complete it is insert your favorite photo behind the mat and your pet's collar into the box.
The milestone box is a great way to celebrate the your pet's accomplishments. Do you have a super swimmer? Consider the Water Dog box (at right)!
Check out Behind this Collar for unique, custom gifts that celebrate your dog! And right now Sherri Shawgo, founder of Behind this Collar, is offering a $10 discount on any shadow box to all Swanky Pup readers! Type "Swanky Pup" in the "referred by" option during checkout to get your discount $10 discount on any shadow box.
I am all about socially conscious, eco-friendly, yet still-hip products. And the PetPak, a hands-free small pet carrier, is exactly one of these products.
Your small pet (up to 10lbs) will enjoy snuggling with you in this colorful pouch made from repurposed mosquito netting. A removable inside lining is easy to wash and very durable. Your hands will be free with the PetPak, and it features adjustable shoulder straps with over-sized clips that are easy to fasten. It's also liquid resistant.
I was recently the recipient of the Amazing Treat Machine. What this incredibly cool mechanism does is teach your dog how to drop the ball in to get a treat! Our dogs loved it and while I don't have video of them using it yet, we did get Donner to drop the ball in there and get his treat. Blitz is still obsessed with the ball but it's a work in progress. You can visit the site and even see a video if you scroll down a bit. This innovative dog toy is affordable yet ingenious in how it works. We put it together easily and was using it almost immediately. With just a little patience, your dog can figure out this "puzzle" and start using it.
Right now they also have some coupons you can use: Coupon Value: $1 off purchase, 1 coupon per order. Unlimited number of purchases. Coupon Claim Code: SWANKY09 Start Date: 6/17/09 at Midnight End Date: 7/18/09 at 11:59pm PT
So not only can you get one for your furry friend, you can gift one to other dogs that you might know. They even have a convenient Amazon checkout so you know that their site is secure. Don't let your dog be the last one to get one of the Amazing Treat Machines! I promise to post a video link once we have one but for now, check out their site to see things in action.
Our pet records are currently located in multiple manila folders in various bins in our house. We have several folders for all our dog, Jax, and three cats, Zora, Nola and Jasmine. Locating these folders can be tricky business. Especially if there is an emergency and we need to get our furry friends to the veterinarian quickly.
Now, I can store all the important medical information in a centralized electronic location with PetSummary.com. For a one-time subscription price of only $4.95, I can store all of the medical information for Jax, Zora, Nola and Jasmine!
This site has many cool features including the following: PetSum Card--perfect for animal sitters, dog walkers and providing current information in an emergency. Click here to view a sample card.
PetSum ID Tag--Provides all the information you may find on a regular ID, plus the back side provides the pet's unique PetSum Code that when entered into PetSummary.com provides the pet's finder with contact information (you define how much information to include). This tag costs $15. Vaccine Record Access--You or your vet may scan or fax the authentic vaccine record directly to your profile. This helps to save time if you move or change veterniarians.
Check out PetSummary.com and begin the process to simply store important information about your pet's health in one, easy accessible location!
Need some ideas for the perfect Father's Day Gift?
Father's Day is coming up, and if you want to get something special for your dog to wear or use to recognize their daddy, then check out some of these cute ideas from Posh Puppy Boutique.
There are some adorable shirts you can dress your dog in, with sayings like "Daddy's girl" or "Daddy's boy," "My Dad is Single," "My Dad Rocks," and more. There are also some really cute Sugar Daddy squeaky toys, too! And we love the dog neck ties, if you want to dress up your pooch to look like dad ;)
Right now all orders get free shipping (use promo code "freeship"), so enjoy browsing this cute e-boutique!
Dog-On Television is a great companion for your furry friends. It's an hour long DVD that continuously plays so you can have a babysitter of sorts for your dog while you're away. It's filmed from a dog's perspective with close up shots of dogs in front of the camera and at play. It's filled with barking, playing and just good ole dog fun that'll keep your dogs entertained for hours. I know my fur crew was enchanted by the other dogs barking and making noise. They seemed quite calm but were very alert to every noise. But don't take my word for it, you can go read testimonials of what others are saying like O Magazine, The Insider, Dateline NBC and the AKC. Right now you can even get it for free! All you have to do is pay shipping and handling and Dog-On Television can come right to your door. You can't get better than that. Go ahead and check out the testimonials and decide for yourself by getting this awesome video at no cost. You can even read about them on Entertainment Tonight. Your dogs will thank you for it.
Again, they are running the best deal they can right now which is FREE!!! You simply pay $4.95 S&H and that's it! This product typically retails from $9.95 to $19.95 plus S&H but for a VERY limited time they are giving it away for FREE! Get them while you can at this special price. Please use CCSP in the 2nd address line when ordering.
Th2 2009 Global Pet Expo--the pet industry's largest annual trade show--featured all kinds of innovative and stylish products for all types pets. Each year, the Expo awards "Best in Show" prizes for all types of categories including "dog."
This year's Best in Show winner for the dog category is the Lasso Leash from Dogmatic. The Lasso leash is a retractable leash that quickly and safely "parks" your dog while you run a quick errand or simply want to sit "hands-free" at a park bench. I am so excited to find this product because I often question my ability to safely secure Jax to a park bench. To learn more about the lasso leash click here.
All American Pet Company, makers of super premium dog food brands Bow Wow Breakfast Cereal and Grrr-nola Natural Dog Food, announces its first ever Bow Wow Million Dollar Look-a-Like Contest. Starting Monday, June 1st 2009, dog owners will have the opportunity to submit a picture of themselves and their dog to show the world how much they look alike. The finalists from these submissions will be given the chance to win the grand prize of $1 million dollars (plus lots of other runner-up cash prizes!). The deadline for submissions is Sunday, July 26th 2009. Visit www.bowwowmillion.com for all of the details! We hope a Swanky Pup reader wins!
If you have a dog that has sore joints or perhaps you just want to pamper your dog, now there's a dog bed that heats in the winter and cools in the summer. At Poochie Heaven they have a variety of designer beds, clothing, carriers and more and I found this fine bed called the All Season Snuggly Dog Sleeper. This bed has an interchangeable comfort system that allows you to keep your dog in the right temperature no matter what the season. The covers are machine washable and available in two sizes in both colors: sage and mocha. At under $115 and with free shipping, this is a bed that can help your dog stay comfortable in the most demanding temperatures. It'll make you feel good knowing that he or she doesn't have to worry about being too hot or too cold.
Stop Carrying the Poop! Let your leash do it for you.
We all hate it, but every dog owner has to do it. Carrying the poop after your dog has done his or her business is just something that needs to be done. Or does it? Why not try the Port-A-Poo.
The writers at The Swanky Pup write many reviews about products that help in waste removal. I saw this product online and thought I have to tell our readers all about it. This is a hands free poop holder. You simply clip it to your dog's leash and after you have picked up the poop, you snap it open, place the bag inside and then snap it shut. It's that easy. The poop stays away from you and your dog.
The Port-A-Poo comes in two parts that are screwed together. Just unscrew the two parts, place the leash in the center, screw on the second part and you are in business. No muss, no fuss. The Port-A-Poo comes in a variety of colors to match your dogs leash or collar, and they even have a mini Port-A-Poo for retractable leashes. This is a must have if you are walking for a while and you just don't want to hold the poop.
Spring and summer cleaning revealed lots of old, worn towels, blankets and sheets. This year I've found multiple uses for these old textiles. I'm taking a few bags to the local SPCA to be used in the shelter. And I discovered a way to recycle these goods right in my own house---they can be Jax's new bed!
Molly Mutt makes stylish, durable 100% cotton dog duvets that can be filled with old blankets, pillows or sheets. These duvets are quite versatile. You can order the duvet alone and use over an existing dog bed OR order the stuff sack to fill the duvet with old textile products.
Molly Mutt offers six different patterns in the duvet and all are super cute and well-priced! The duvets range from $20 for small to $40 for huge. You can also get the DIY kit that includes two duvets and a stuff sack!
I recently got to try out a new Mom necklace from a great site called Baby Charmed. In addition to these beautiful necklaces and other jewelry, I noticed that they also make beautiful and classic looking dog tags.
I love the handmade look of the paw print and that it is made of pure silver and hand-crafted with your dog's name and your phone number centered around the paw print. The tag is (.999) pure silver and not sterling silver. All tags are antiqued to highlight the letters and numbers and then polished to a high shine, which makes it look very classic and unique. Each tag is attached to a ring ready to attach to your favorite collar. The tag size is 1-1/8" diameter. (Additionally, you can have more information, such as your address, stamped onto the back for an additional fee)
Available in both large and medium sizes, one is bound to fit your pet!
As the mommy of a Puggle, I love finding cool mixed breed items that feature the fabulous new "mutt" dogs. I came across "A Breed Apart" by Amanda Jones, a sweet book featuring some of these fun new breeds.
Father's Day is coming up, and if you want to get something special for your dog to wear or use to recognize their daddy, then check out some of these 
