Dog is Good makes a National TV debut

Last night on Dancing with the Stars, the gorgeous Ukranian lovely Karina Smirnoff made the delicious choice to wear her “Dog is Good” blue bling tee during rehearsal, which was included in last night’s show (week 6) – imagine our delight when the camera panned to Karina wearing our tee!

We really enjoyed meeting Karina last fall in Hollywood and we are SO glad she discovered her blue bling tee is comfy enough to dance in!

Once we have the video we’ll pop it up here for you to see!

Woof!

Lovin’ Life in Seal Beach, CA

 

As a military family, we move A LOT. We have been to so many wonderful places all over the country and overseas. We arrived in Seal Beach 3 years ago and we love it so much that Jon, my husband, is going to retire from the Navy so we can stay here. I love Seal Beach! It is such a quaint, friendly beach town. Most people don’t know where Seal Beach is located so when people ask, I typically say Southern California, about 45 minutes south of LA. Of course, “45 minutes” means it is not during rush hour and you have another passenger in the car to qualify for the carpool lane. In any event, Seal Beach is actually nestled between Long Beach and Huntington Beach. We currently live on the Navy Base in a fantastic house on the best property in the area. There is nothing better than being able to run, bike, or walk downtown or have immediate access to the beach. When we first found out we were moving here, my experience with the Navy led me to think the name “SEAL BEACH” was a reference to the Navy Seals…but it is actually a reference to the large number of seals that hang out here. The downtown area, called Old Town, maintains an updated “1960’s” charm. When strolling down this delightful street, my favorite thing is to watch people looking at the window of the fabulous women’s boutique, Gee’z. This past fall, the owner introduced some of the Dog Is Good line to her store. She displays our tees beautifully in her window, rotating them regularly. As I am walking dogs down the block, I often see people looking at the window and saying to their friends, “Hey, check out this tee-shirt, it’s fantastic!” Needless to say, the tees always garner laughter and folks end up going inside to pick one up for themselves or as a gift for the dog-lover in their lives. In addition to Dog Is Good, Gee’z sells some unique and beautiful clothing as well as gorgeous jewelry from various artisans.

The surrounding community is filled with active, friendly people. Many families immediately welcomed us into this community and have become amazing friends. Since we launched Dog Is Good a little over a year ago, we have received an outpouring of support! Many of our friends have offered their talents and time to help us grow our business. We feel incredibly blessed to have met so many wonderful people and are thankful for all the help many of them have given and continue to provide to us and Dog Is Good. One of my friends passed on Dog Is Good info to the local blog expert who did a very nice write up on us. The Seal Beach Daily, www.sealbeachdaily.com,  is the best resource for anything in Seal Beach. In honor of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, the Seal Beach Daily will be giving away the Bark for America tee shirt to their winner of the month. 

Needless to say, I am looking forward to staying in one place after moving every 2 years for the past 20, and I am so glad it is going to be in beautiful Seal Beach. If you are ever planning a trip to Southern California, please come visit Seal Beach (use www.sealbeachdaily.com to help plan your trip) and come visit us at the Dog Is Good headquarters.

A Dog Owner’s Nightmare

Our amazing front yard

Area of fence where Henry crawled under heading straight for traffic

Henry(on left) with his “girlfriend” Mia

Yesterday, I almost experienced every dog owner’s worst nightmare. It was a typical moment in our front yard ( reminder: our front yard looks like a golf fairway and is the best playground for all the dogs…see photo). Sasha was laying down in the grass, begging for belly rubs, while Arlo and Peanut were running around. Henry was investigating various smells and taking a stroll by himself near the trees. After giving Sasha some love and attention, I looked up to see two dogs continuing to run around and play and Henry still hanging out by the fence line. Only this time, something seemed different. I strained to look harder and suddenly realized he was no longer in the yard but was now on the other side of the fence ready to walk straight into traffic. I absolutely freaked! I was now faced with a serious dilemma. I had to get Henry, but if I raced down the hill to get him, the other two dogs might find the same gateway to the very heavily travelled Seal Beach Blvd and crawl under the fence to join Henry. My flip flops flew off as I screamed to Henry, “STOP….STAY”. I raced back up to the house with the other two pups right on my heels and got them safely inside. I continued to remind Henry to STAY, which he did. He absolutely did not move a muscle…thank goodness!  I raced back down the hill to the fence and called him back to me. He happily trotted towards me and slipped right back under the fence and right up into my arms. I held him in a way I had never done before….with such fear of losing him in my heart, I was trembling. His sweet little face looked up at me as if to say, “what’s up with you? And by the way, do you have a treat for that very nice STAY that I did?” Thank goodness I did have him well trained and he listened in a moment that could have immediately ended his life. The landscapers came out immediately and filled in the hole to prevent this from happening again in the future. In the end, all is well. The incident reminded me though how much love one feels for their dog and how important it is to protect them and keep them safe. I know a solid background in training helped to ensure a happy outcome. Training one’s dog never ends…it is a lifestyle we have in our home all the time.

Gila

Zoe, my happy girl

Memphis, Zoe's stunt double!

Today is the Dogs Walk Against Cancer in NYC sponsored by Fido Friendly Magazine.  Felicia Gray of Gotham Canine (www.gothamcanine.com) and friend of Dog Is Good, is flying across country to participate in this worthy cause.  Why would she travel from California to NYC you ask?  For Felicia, this event is not just about raising money to help both humans and dogs suffering from cancer, it’s personal.  She lost her beloved dog Memphis to prostate cancer.  Memphis’ diagnosis of prostrate cancer first revealed itself in June ‘08, 8 months before his untimely death.  Because Memphis did not show any symptoms of the disease, neither the vet, internist, nor oncologist could confirm the presence of the cancer with 100% certainty.  Fast-forward 7 seven months, and this once happy, energetic dog started a rapid decline in health.  When a specialist confirmed the presence of the cancer, Felicia was faced with something she had hoped she would escape.  To prevent Memphis from suffering any further, she needed to put her long-time companion down.  It is impossible to articulate the emotions this paralyzing moment and gut-wrenching experience creates. 

When Felicia first sent me a picture of Memphis, I was blown away.  Memphis looks so much like my Zoe, a Dalmatian/Lab mix who I lost to heart failure just last year. I know all too well the pain that Felicia feels.  It never goes away, you just learn to laugh at all the antics and joy that your loving companion brought into your life.  Dog Is Good actually memorialized Zoe through two of our products.  You can find her silhouette on our Hoodie “Property of Dog” and also on our greeting card “Keep Your Eye on the Ball”. 

The pictures of Memphis and Zoe show the similarity of our two dogs.   Felicia is really cool and she writes about great stuff that all dog lovers would find interesting, so visit her at www.gothamcanine.com.  This is a lady that takes action for what she believes in so, if you want to help make a difference and contribute to her fundraising efforts go to http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/CommunityFundraisingPages/CFPFY09Eastern?px=9622130&pg=personal&fr_id=19024&fl=en_US&et=zVshgLLT0nyI91offVzCqQ..&s_tafId=350216     

After the walk, I hope she gets to enjoy some of my favorite NYC delicacies: NYC pretzel, NYC pizza (nothing like it), and a Black and White cookie from any NYC bakery.
Gila

early signs of dog days of summer

Last Weekend summer gave us an early preview. Phew, it was beyond hot at DIG headquarter in gorgeous Seal Beach California! DIG headquarters has no AC, which is not unusual as living near the beach one’s home normally doesn’t require it, but on April 19th the heat was  brutal.  Despite the heat,people were out running and  riding bikes, hitting the surf, taking up all the beach volleyball courts and crowding the streets of Seal Beach.  I couldn’t wait to join these folks, but I had a huge shipment of product to get out to In The Company of Dogs and since the screen printer did not have the tees ready for the scheduled Friday afternoon pick-up time, I had to head out  there on  Saturday morning to grab loads of boxes to bring home with tees to sort and barcode for this shipment.  I pride myself on my quickness and effeciency, but this simple task of sorting sizes and barcoding them, bagging them and repacking in boxes takes a LONG time….hours.  I told ITCOD the shipment would ship on Saturday and since, I ALWAYS follow through with what I say I am going to do, I knew most of my day would be spent on this project.  Fortunately, my neighbor has two teenage boys eager to earn some extra money!  Thank goodness they were not as eager as I was to hit the beach and were available to  help me with everything.  So, we set up an assembly line out in our front driveway and were able to finish everything in two hours rather than the anticipated 4+, the boys were happy to put some cash in their pockets, and I was thrilled to have plenty of the day left to ride bikes with Jon and Abby down to Seal Beach.  I am sure ITCOD will also be happy to recieve their PO early as promised.

Doggie Daycamp at DIG Headquarters

Sasha, Mia, Henry, Peanut, Katie, Lulu, Lauren, and Duster

As many folks already know, I am a professional dog trainer. One of the services I offer is a “Small Dog, Come, Stay, Play” daycare program one day a week. Every Wednesday,4-6 additional dogs get dropped off at the Dog Is Good headquarters. We happen to be on the best property in Seal Beach, CA…The Naval Weapons Station. Not only is it fully secure, but these spoiled pups get to spend their day romping together in the sprawling fields just outside my front door.

Every owner tells me that their “pup” knows when it is Wednesday as they race around their homes in excitement and can hardly contain themselves as they approach my home office. The morning starts off with the arrival of Mia, a Shi-tzu/Lhasa mix. She is like a cuddly stuffed animal with the sweetest disposition, and she was a star pupil who learned some pretty cool tricks, one of which is to “salute” on cue. Hey, my husband is the commander of the installation, so I figured that was an appropriate trick to teach this adorable pup.

The next pup to arrive is Arlo, an Irish Wheaten Terrier.He just melts your heart as he comes bounding towards you with such excitement and pure innocent joy.Talk about a love, in addition to mastering all his training skills,he will back into your legs for attention on the cue “give me some love”…which is the perfect behavior for a dog who typically wants to jump on everyone. As Mia , Arlo, and my own adorable dog Henry are racing together all over the field/lawn (think golf fairway…which is what my front lawn looks like), I see Peanut, a Daschund, standing up with his nose pressed against the front passenger window of the car now driving up my driveway.

Peanut’s nickname is the “Pisher”.You must stand clear and out of the way of his enthusiastic “wet” greetings. It is possible to avoid the inevitable by “shooting” him with the cue “dead dog”, a trick he learned so well that he does an academy award performance spin and drop as he falls over on his side. After that, he is off and running with the rest of the crew.

Last, but not least, for today is the arrival of Duster. She is a Daschund/Chi mix who I pick up at my daughter’s bus stop. This little one loves to snuggle in your arms..but only briefly. Once she says “hello” she can hardly wait for her feet to hit the ground so she can start playing with the other pups who are eagerly trying to get at her in my arms. Sasha, my hound/pointer/spaniel mix is the “mama” dog of the bunch and every Wednesday she looks at me with her beautiful eyes, that look as though they have been painted with eyeliner, to say “Oy, not these little whipper -snappers again”.

So the day begins, now with all the little guys racing around free all over the grounds. They play like this for 30-45 minutes before we head off for our long walk towards our private beach. During this time, I am the quintessential dog walker, managing 6 leashes with ease as we all head in the direction of their favorite destination. There is nothing that brings a smile to my face more than to reach the point where I put them all in a SIT-STAY, remove leashes, test their steadfast position, and then release with a loud “OK”. …six dogs now take off to look for squirrels or rabbits to chase in the fields that lead up to the beautiful calm beachfront. It is doggie paradise! The only dog who doesn’t partake in this morning ritual is Mia, who will promptly sit her bottom down and not budge when she sees those leashes coming out. It is as though she wants to say “Nah, you guys go ahead, I am not up for a 3 mile walk. I’ll catch you for playtime when you get back”. An hour or so later, we are back. I am happy to have a house full of tired pups so I can finally start my morning working on Dog Is Good.

Today is special as I am getting a visit from two of Seal Beach’s greatest dog lovers, Lauren (11) and Katie (7) Dvonch. These kids are amazing, especially Lauren who is a true advocate for animals. This fifth grader regularly raises money to donate to our local animal care center (Seal Beach Animal Care Center). She goes out of her way to assist neighbors with dog walking and frequently bakes goodies to sell at street corner bake sales to raise the money she donates. Both girls have a way with dogs and they certainly had a ball bringing Lulu, their adopted terrier mix, into the doggie daycare mix for a ton of fun this afternoon. Check out the photo *above* of the girls with the “crew”.

– Gila

Bo knows the White House

PETE SOUZA – WHITE HOUSE PHOTOS VIA WASHINGTON POST

Congrats to the Obama family and their newly acquired 6 mo. old Portuguese Water Dog pup, whom Sasha and Malia have named “Bo.”  A gift from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy ( a long-time PWD owner,) it turns out that the Obamas will be Bo’s second family. This is great because they get to have a purebred, hypoallergenic dog, AND rescue as well. This is quite the Cinderella story for Bo – he’s gone from family reject to the most famous, highly anticipated dog in the world.

I guess in a way I was hoping that they would just take a trip to the local shelter and pick out a dog on death row, but I guess the President’s dog has to have SOME decorum (wouldn’t want a filthy spy to infiltrate the most inner sanctum of National Security now would we.)  Regardless, although the White House has attempted to keep this whole process tightly under wraps, it’s out now, and it’s about time!

A few weeks back when he appeared on Leno, Obama joked that the dog “was just a campaign promise” and then quickly added that he was kidding and the canine’s arrival was impending.

Apparently the name “Bo” is inspired by the cat of a cousin, and Michelle’s father whose nickname is “Diddley” (as in Bo Diddley) – although has anyone else noticed that B.O. is also the President’s initials… Hmmmm.

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Now to figure out how to get to the White House to photograph this popular puppy!

dogisgood.com {the upgrade}

So we took Beyonce’s** advice and partner, partner we’ve upgraded:

Ok so I have to admit – as a web + graphic designer it should be pretty easy for me to make my OWN web sites and designs top-notch, right?  Well typically this is true… I relaunched my pet photography web site a month ago – but I  was still all tangled up and frustrated with the code for our Dog is Good site.  This shopping cart, dynamic database-driven stuff is NOT my favorite thing in the world.

But, never the less, I’ve whooped it now (hold your applause) and we have a very pretty new version of dogisgood.com to share with you… Complete with slide show of that includes awesome dog photos, a list of our store locations , size charts and a whole new catalog of great photography of all of our products (including some very exciting NEW PRODUCTS)

Visit, love, buy!! Shop now and use coupon code: NEWSITE09 to save 15%

** P.S. I just saw Beyonce in concert here in Seattle, so you will have to forgive the shameless reference. She’s an amazing performer by the way, and possibly the most beautiful woman alive.**

Dog is Good on PamperedPuppy.com

One of my favorite resources online for all things for Dog has always been pamperedpuppy.com – It is such a comprehensive collection of things to buy, services to make use of, great things to know etc. etc. If you are not familiar with Pampered Puppy… VISIT!

We were recently featured on the “puppy trends” blog.  Thanks Angie, Merry and the Pampered Puppy crew!!

Woof!

Seattle Kennel Club Show

We had such a blast at the Seattle Kennel Club Dog show! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us in our first ever Seattle Dog Show appearance.

We sold a ton of tees, hats and hoodies at the show, the most poplar item was (no surprise here) the “It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Ends Up in a Cone” tees.

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Click here to see more photos from the event
(Photos by dane + dane photographer Amy Soper – thanks Amy!)