AHA Travel Tips for Pups

Before hitting the road with your favorite travel partner we thought a quick best practices travel checklist would make the trip more enjoyable for you and your pets. Here are some helpful travel tips from our friends at the American Humane Association. These travel tips can help ensure that your travels year-round, are safe and enjoyable for people and their pets.

1. Properly identify pets with ID tags and microchips — Make sure your pets have ID and current rabies tags and are microchipped. To be extra cautious, give your pets an additional tag with the address and phone number of where you will be staying for the duration of the trip, in case they get lost after you arrive.
2. Train pets to travel in their crates — Whether you’re heading to your holiday destination by plane, train or automobile, getting your pets used to their crates will make the entire traveling experience less stressful. Even when away from home, pets still view their crates as a safe haven from stressful situations.
3. With a crate, size does matter — Crates should be large enough for pets to stand and turn around in comfortably. Remember to keep water inside the crate or allow for breaks every three hours so that your pets can drink and stretch.
4. Never leave your pets unattended — Just as you would never leave a child unattended, never leave your pets alone in a car.
5. Be prepared — Take your pets’ health records with you, just in case they need to see a veterinarian during your trip. Be sure to ask your veterinarian if she recommends heartworm prevention or treatment for fleas or ticks for the area in which you are traveling. Keep pet dishes in your car, as well as extra water and pet food, in case of car trouble or bad weather.
6. To fly or not to fly — As a rule, puppies and kittens, sick animals, animals in heat, and frail or pregnant animals should not travel by air. If a pet is too large to fly in the cabin with you, perhaps a stay at a boarding kennel would be a safer choice. You should also plan ahead because many airlines have restrictions regarding pets, and your pets may need a health certificate to fly.
7. Visit your veterinarian — Your vet may prescribe a sedative to help reduce your pet’s stress level while traveling. However, sedatives are not always safe for pets so be sure to give your vet the details of how your pet will be traveling and how long the trip will take.
8. Boarding is an option — If your pets are too large to fly in the cabin with you, or if a long car ride might be too stressful for them, boarding your pets at a kennel may be a safer choice. Or you could hire a licensed pet sitter to take care of your pets in the comfort of your own home.
9. Try to keep pets on the same “schedule” — Stop when you would normally let your pets out at home and at feeding times.
10. Plan lodging ahead — Research your route, make reservations and carry a list of pet-friendly lodging along the way. Also, ask for a room on the ground floor so it is easier to walk your pets. Don’t let your pets stay in the car.

To support the American Humane Association and 2012 Hero Dog Awards be sure to order your Hero Dog Award t-shirt on www.DogisGood.com. 100% of the retail profit is donated directly to the AHA.

Dog is Good Designs Official T-shirt for 2012 Hero Dog Awards

Canines around the country are giving a resounding WOOF! in praise of Dog is Good, LLC., a company that offers products and apparel for dog lovers everywhere.  Why all the noise?  Dog is Good announced today that they are the creators of the official T-shirt for the 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™. The company will donate all the retail profit from sales of this T-shirt to American Humane Association, the nation’s oldest humanitarian organization dedicated to the protection of children and animals.

The 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards, set to take place on Oct. 6 in Beverly Hills, California, celebrates the powerful relationship between dogs and people, and serves as a catalyst to advance society’s understanding of this bond.

The event, which draws stars and celebrities (humans and canines alike), features awards in eight categories, including service dogs, military dogs, hearing dogs, law enforcement/arson dogs, search and rescue dogs, guide dogs, therapy dogs, and “emerging hero dogs” (pets and ordinary dogs that do extraordinary things).

Dog is Good offers a wide variety of stylish and clever items through hundreds of stores nationwide and a variety of catalogs and websites. The company’s mission is to deliver “Dogvergnügen,” a word they invented and define as “the joy one feels in the presence of dog.”  Since Dog is Good’s inception in 2007, the company has been actively involved with numerous dog-related events and not-for-profits and is dedicated to promoting the bond between people and dogs. The company’s award-winning products offer up humorous and poignant sentiments that resonate with and are greatly appreciated by dog lovers.

This year’s special edition T-shirt was created to highlight the traits that make dogs heroes. Using unique typography, the design calls out many of the characteristics associated with these special canines. Above all, the shirt recognizes loyalty, courage and selflessness. These stylish T-shirts are available in a white unisex tee and a black junior cut design.  The shirts are only available online at www.dogisgood.com. They are priced at $22.99 for sizes S-XL and $23.99 for XXL (plus just $4 flat rate shipping).

“We are thrilled to be involved with the Hero Dog Awards,” said Dog is Good Co-Founder Gila Kurtz. “We created our company to celebrate the bond between people and dogs. While most people experience the joy of having a dog through playing fetch, taking a walk together, or getting a wet nose nuzzle, there are others whose lives are truly changed by having a service, working, or therapy dog. We are participating to honor both these selfless creatures and the organizations that support and train them.”

Voting to select 2012 Hero Dog Awards finalists is open to anyone who wishes to participate at www.herodogawards.org through June 30. Voting for the top “American Hero Dog” will be open from July 3 through Oct. 5.

Made for a man but modified for a WOMAN!

Hello! Today I wanted to tell you all about how I personally style some of our awesome Dog is Good shirts. Some of our designs are only available in the unisex size shirts, which are basically a man’s tee.  I am a petite girl that drowns in these, even in our size small Unisex tees. I decided to be a bit creative with our t-shirts and make them a bit more “Sassy” so that girls like you and I can wear their favorite tees no matter what size, or shape they come in. I have been doing this with t-shirts for years and I’ve found a simple technique to turn  an over-sized boxy tee into a fashionable fun look.. Now I can have the tees that I really want no matter what the original style and size might be. This month with all the Pit-bull awareness and our donating to It’s the Pits rescue shelter and Orange County Bit Pull Rescue. I wanted to use the Pit-bull tee in a photo-shoot of my friend with her Pit-bull.  She is a petite girl like me and because this tee was designed with men in mind, I thought “what am I going to do to make this shirt a bit sassier?”. I’m going to show you how to make the shirt Sassy like I did in our photo-shoot.

Step 1: Roll up the sleeves about 3 or 4 times till it feels comfortable on your arm. One way to keep this from rolling down is taking a bit of black string and sewing a little bit right at the top in the middle. (You’ll see this on a lot of shirts that are made to look like “Rolled up sleeves” at places like Target, Forever 21, Etc.)

Step 2: In the photo-shoot my model, Mandy wore high-waisted Sailor style shorts. This worked perfectly to scrunch up the bottom to right about where your waist is.

Step 3: Grab the side that you want your shirt to be bunched up at, and pull it to wrap a rubber band/hair tie around the bunched up part of the shirt.

 

Step 4: Tuck the tied up part of the shirt under so you no longer see it and all you’re left with is your bunched up shirt.

 

This is the simpler option of making a Men’s tee sassier. I thought I would start out with it to show you girls a way to make our shirts work for you no matter the size/shape. It’s great for heading to the beach, wearing with high-waisted shorts/denim, or even with wearing a colorful tank or striped tank underneath.

Some great places to check out other ideas are here (link to: http://www.amazon.com/Generation-108-Ways-Transform-T-Shirt/dp/0761137858/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335198630&sr=8-1) Here are some images of the end result and the shoot that I did with my friend Mandy. Hope this inspires some of you to get creative with your too big t-shirts and know that our Men’s/Unisex sizing can still be sassy too!!! Shop our Never Drink Alone Tees here. (link to: http://www.dogisgood.com/servlet/the-Never-Evers-cln-Never-Drink-Alone/Categories)

P.s. In case anyone is wondering: My hand tattoo reads: D.R.E.A.M. (Dogs Rule Everything Around Me)

~Luna

Pit Bull Proud

At Dog is Good® we are equal opportunity dog lovers. We believe no breed should be singled out and labeled, but instead, it is our job as humans to educate ourselves about the realities and responsibilities associated with sharing our lives with animals.

Here in the US, Pit Bulls are discriminated against. Entire towns and municipalities are banning the breed.

This discrimination doesn’t end at our borders either – in the entirety of the UK, Pit Bulls and other breeds are absolutely and totally banned by the “Dangerous Dogs Act”.

To celebrate our Never Drink Alone series April feature t-shirt the PitBull Porter we wanted to share a bit more about the breed and the particular issues these pups face.

Pit Bull Discrimination Laws in the United States

Breed specific legislation (BSL) is being passed around the globe to the detriment of the survival of the Pit Bull. We think all pet owners should concern themselves with the matter of BSL. We found a fantastic website for Pit Bull and other breed owners to visit to learn more about BSL and how to get involved to protect their right to live – read on to learn more. After all, there’s no breed ban on Dogvergnügen!

So, what is BSL?
BSL is legislation that targets specific breeds of dog (namely Pit Bulls and
“pit bull types”) because they are supposedly inherently dangerous and
therefore deserving of prejudicial rules and regulations. BSL can be loosely
divided into two types:

Type 1 Bans
Bans make it illegal to own, house, harbor, import, train, or breed any of
the dogs listed in the legislation in a particular location. Dogs that already
exist in the area of the ban are usually grandfathered in, but their owners
have to comply with extensive laws in order to keep their animals. These
laws usually require owners to take out expensive liability insurance on
their dogs, muzzle the dogs in public, keep the animals confined in
kennels, mandatory spay/neuter, among other things.

Type 2 Ownership regulation

Regulation legislation doesn’t outright ban a breed, but rather makes it
extremely difficult to own a certain breed. Requirements such as liability
insurance, mandatory spay/neuter, higher licensing costs, muzzling in
public, etc. are typical of legislation like this. Ownership regulation also
places age limits on who can own or handle certain breeds. Through this
type of legislation, the government is basically deciding who is and who is
not allowed to own certain dogs.

Learn more at http://www.realpitbull.com/laws.html

Also, if you’re a Pit Bull owner, or just a fan, here’s a great forum {which was started by a friend of D.I.G.} to promote and celebrate education and responsible Pit Bull ownership: http://pitbullforum.com/

Here Comes the…Dog?

Every summer thousands of couples say “I do” under the sun.

With millions of dog lovers in the US, many will be looking for ways to include their four-legged family members in their wedding festivities. A popular choice for many is having their pup as the ring bearer or flower girl – both newly engaged singer Carrie Underwood and Trueblood actress Anna Paquin have already announced their pups will take a walk down the aisle with them. While non-dog lovers sometimes think including pets in a wedding is bizarre, many other celebrities have included their pups in their weddings as well!

Adam Sandler’s dog Meatball took on the big responsibility of walking the rings down the aisle while wearing a tux and yarmulke to match for Sandler’s 2003 wedding.

Another bulldog ring bearer, Hemingway, participated in the May 2005 marriage of his humans, Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson.

Ellen Degeneres’ malti-poo mix, Wolf, witnessed her wedding to Portia DeRossi in 2008.

Since our pets are members of our families, it’s always fun to want to include them in our nuptials. Including your pooch can personalize your wedding and add a lot of “dogvergnügen” moments to your wedding! When you decide which role you want your pet to take, make sure to keep these things in mind:

• Have someone be your pup’s guardian during the day of the festivities. This person should not be a part of your bridal party; in the event something goes wrong (your dog doesn’t do well with large groups or starts barking, etc) you want this person able to escort your pup home or just somewhere else during the ceremony.
• How is your pup getting down the isle – is he well-behaved enough to walk down alone? Most dogs aren’t. In this situation, make sure you buy your dog a nice leash and assign someone in the bridal party to accompany your beloved pooch.
• Many venues don’t allow pets; make sure to ask the coordinator what their policies are upfront.
• Include your pup in the flower order – for your ring-bearer include an extra boutonniere and for your flower-pup have a flower wreath to wear on her head or around her neck.

Overall you know you pup’s personality best; if they don’t do well with large groups, having them a part of the wedding party might not be the best idea. Make sure that whatever you choose, your dog will enjoy your wedding as much as you do.

Make sure to check out our website for great gift ideas and thank you cards for the dog lover in your wedding party!

Puppy Parties!

This Friday, June 4th is my puppy’s fourth birthday! A lot of people think we are crazy but we are definitely going to get her a present and make her a cake!

For all you pet lovers, I know you’re with me on this one. Our pets are a a part of our families too so why wouldn’t we celebrate their birthdays?

Cakes are always the centerpiece of a birthday and there are many options for dog-friendly birthday cakes. Just like with people, cakes are great – just in moderation. There are great places where you can buy your dog a cake to order, or you can bake your own! 

When baking your own, you can use a recipe you have and just substitute the ingredients that aren’t suitable for your pooch. Instead of the traditional sugar frosting, you can use peanut butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese or even yogurt. Dairy is okay for pups in moderation. Replace white flour with wheat flour and make sure to not include any chocolate or nuts. Carob is a great replacement for chocolate- and dogs love it!

Here’s a yummy (atleast to your birthday pup) and easy recipe for a fun Birthday Cake;

Doggy Layer Cake

3 cups wheat flour   

1tsp baking power         

1/2 cup softened margarine

6 beaten eggs         

2 jars chicken baby food strained

1/2 cup veg oil          

2 cups shredded carrots  

Plain or vanilla yogurt

3 strips bacon cooked and crumbled

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 8″ round cake pans. In a medium bowl mix flour and baking powder; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat softened margarine until smooth. Mix in eggs and oil. Add chicken and carrots, mix until smooth. Add flour to wet mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into the round cake pans. Bake for an hour. Let cool before removing from pans. Spread yogurt on first layer, place second layer on top, then spread yogurt on the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top. Enjoy! (well your puppy atleast)

For the baking challenged you can always buy your cake to order! The Barkery and HeathyHound Bakery are great places that can customize and ship your cake in time for your pups birthday!

My Dog is Allergic to What??

Now that it’s sunny outside and the flowers are blooming all of us are thrilled to welcome the… sneezing? runny nose? itchy throat?

Millions of Americans suffer allergies related to pollen, dust and their household pets! But did you know… fido could have allergies too? But unlike people, their symptoms can be very different! If you’re worried your pup might be allergic, we’ve listed a few common symptoms. If your dog shows any of these signs, you can visit the vet for some ideas on how to help.

Unlike the hay fever symptoms we experience, dogs with allergies generally have skin issues. Itchy ears, stomach and paws are common signs of allergies.

Recurring ear problems is a sign of allergies as well, left untreated this can be very painful for your pooch and even cause his ear drum to burst! Dogs with floppy ears are especially susceptible , make sure to keep them clean – your vet can provide ear cleaning solution to help prevent and treat infections.

A major indication of allergies, food and airborne, is itchy paws. Some pups chew and lick their paws so much that it can cause cracks and sores – the paws can become so inflamed and irritated that your pup might even limp a little.

While we all hide indoors with our allergy meds when the pollen count is high; what can we do to help our dogs? Luckily like humans, dogs can get antihistamines prescribed as well. My dog was scratching so much she was getting scabs under her arms – a quick visit to the vet and a prescription for some allergy medicine later – she was feeling better within a week and stopped scratching her skin raw!

Another thing you can do to help your dog is give her a bath! There are lots of specialty shampoos to help itchy dry skin that can bring some relief.

Finally if your pup’s seasonal allergies are out of control – your pup can even get tested and have a vaccine created to  help desensitize her from the culprit. This is obviously a last resort, since immune-therapy can be very expensive and time consuming!

If your pooch has any of these signs even when the seasonal allergies are mild, the cause could be a food allergy. Much harder to determine but easier to treat once the culprit is determined, make sure to work with your veterinarian to reduce your pup’s misery.

Overall, animals are susceptible to the same types of allergies we are – their symptoms are just different. Hopefully this will help make your summers more enjoyable and allergy-free!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day is here and we thought it would be great to focus on all the different types of moms out there. Here is my story.

I am the mother of my four year old mixed-mutt Kaycee and you bet I expect at least a card from her for Mother’s Day… with the  help of my husband of course 🙂

When we first got Kaycee she was only 8 weeks old. She was being sold by a man on the side of the road and was covered in her own urine and feces. I had never been a huge dog person but seeing the sad look on her adorable face made it almost impossible to say no – that and my husband had been wanting a dog for years (he has had dogs all of his life).

To say the least, she was a little terror. I could have sworn every time she chewed a pillow, looked the other way when I called her name, or peed on the floor- she was doing it to spite me. It was definitely a love hate relationship – it even got to the point where I considered re-homing her. A week in, my husband told me, “if we have to give her up, we need to do it now. I am already getting attached to her”. The way he loved her and the way she obviously loved him made me committed to trying to make it work.

We got her a trainer (well mostly got me a trainer) and I bought “Puppies for Dummies”. After our first training session – I was shocked! My little monster was a genius! She sat after being asked once, laid down, and stayed after just a few tries. Obviously she was a smart girl… so she WAS just disobeying me! After a week of training and un-“dummifying” myself about puppies – I learned that puppies are JUST like human babies (a fact that is so obvious now, but to someone who wasn’t a dog person, this was shocking).  With a little love and patience my bratty, monster puppy would grow into a respectful and loving adult!

I realized she wasn’t peeing on the carpet to spite me, she just really had to go and I didn’t take her outside. I understood that she wasn’t chewing the furniture to make me angry – her teeth were coming in and it helped soothe her gums.

It was like a light bulb turned on in my head – she wasn’t doing things that she knew upset me, rather she was just exploring the new, unfamiliar, scary, big world that she had just entered… and with my help I could teach her that the vacuum wasn’t as scary as it sounded and that the carpet was for laying on, not chewing.

I may not have any children yet… but I do have a “doghter”. I worry about her when I leave to work, I try to find her the best babysitter when we go on vacation (when we can’t take her) and I do my best to make sure she knows how to share and play nicely.

I never thought it would be possible to love a dog so much. If you ask me I am a mother.

To all you dog moms out there – Happy Mother’s Day.

– Phuong and Kaycee

Thoughts on Parenting Human and Canine Kids

As a mom of both a two-legged human and a couple of four-legged canines, there is never a dull moment.
The most monumental experience in my life was that first moment when Abigail Leigh (Abby) gave out her first cry. Instantly, I was overcome by a feeling of love greater than anything I had ever experienced before. I was so enamored by this new human being, my daughter, absolutely perfect in my eyes. At the time of her birth, we had only one dog…Zoe, or “pesto puppy” as she was affectionately called because of her demanding demeanor. Zoe was a highly energetic Dalmatian/Labrador mix with a need for constant attention. While she “took” to Abby nicely, she was none too thrilled to have to share our attention with this new baby. She specifically chose moments when I was nursing Abby to suddenly need to have her ball thrown, or the door opened to go outside, etc; she was the quintessential first born. However, I distinctly recall when the tide turned and Zoe suddenly found “value” in having her new “human sister” around. When food fell on the floor under Abby’s high chair, Zoe was quick to discover that the addition of this new baby to the family probably wasn’t such a bad thing after all, and the day Abby started walking and carrying food in her hands at the perfect height for Zoe to stealthily cruise by and snag whatever she was carrying, confirmed for her that this kid was alright! Poor Zoe did gain weight during those toddler years and while Abby was unaware of Zoe’s true motives, this was the beginning of their relationship and connection to each other.
As Abby grew so did our canine family. First, we added Sasha when Abby was 4 and then Henry when she was 9. Many families have multiple children and 1 dog. I ended up with 1 child and multiple dogs.

Each day, I could not wait to start my adventures with Abby and neither could the dogs. They (Zoe and Sasha) knew that once the human munchkin was fed and squared away, she would get loaded up in the baby jogger (something I held onto for over six years) with her music, books, and drink and they would get to head out for their morning jaunt. There is nothing better than hearing the sweet voice of your child and seeing the happy smiles on the dogs as we participated in this morning ritual.

Like parents with more than one child, there was always the balance of doing activities with Abby and making sure the dog’s needs were also met. She never seemed to mind, until she started getting older and began pulling the guilt trip tactic using the proverbial “you love the dogs more than you love me”…grasping at the only ammo an only child has since there are no siblings to pull into the game.
In the past 12.5 years some things have changed. Zoe has left our lives but not our hearts. And, while Abby still continues to be the source of food she doesn’t want to eat, she no longer joins me on my morning runs/walks with Sasha and Henry. As my child has grown into a beautiful pre-teen, with her own independent ideas, thoughts, and opinions I continue to love my role as mom in her life. Each day I feel more pride and continue to be enamored by and filled with indescribable love for this person that I brought into the world. At the same time, my dogs play a role that no human can actually fullfill. The dynamics of our time together and our relationship is the impetus behind our concept “Dogvergnugen”…the joy, peace, and love I feel in their presence is something very hard to articulate but something I know all dog “parents” experience.

I am a true nurturer, always looking to take care of those I love. I am both energized and exhausted every day. If you are a mom, you know exactly what I mean. Multitasking at a furious pace is a daily routine for me but something I would never want to replace, and while I love my daughter more than life itself, I will say that “my dogs don’t roll their eyes” at me  :).

Gila, Abby, Sasha and Henry

In Search of The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift…

Less then a week til Mother’s Day and to all of you procrastinators – no need to panic – we’ve made a list  of things that are sure to make Mom happy! If you hurry you might even get the shipment in time to give it to her on Sunday. 🙂

For those stylish, yet comfort-loving Mom’s check out our Never Sleep Alone sleep shirts. Made with some of the softest materials on earth you’ll most likely want to get one for yourself (or all the women in your life).

When it comes to moms, you can usually never go wrong. Even if they hate the gift, they’ll never admit it. Moms just love the fact that so much time and effort goes into picking a gift.. But a never fail gift is something that is personally made and displays their children and grandchildren.  Shutterfly can make even the creatively challenged seem like a talented artist. With little effort, you upload your photos and create personalized photobooks, mugs, calendars, cards you name it!

I ordered my Moms (yes, both mom and mother-in-law) a great family tree picture frame holder from PersonalCreations.com. With no grandchildren on either side of my family yet, I plan on filling the picture frames with photos of all our family pets. There are 10 dogs in total!

Even though Mother’s day is only once a year, why not give her a gift that keeps on giving ?! Amazing Clubs has over 20 different monthly gift clubs you can get for your mom. Anything from Wine of the Month, to Cheesecake of the Month even Peanut Butter and Jelly of the Month! You can request a three, six or 12 month subscription. There’s even a Dog Treat of the Month for all your pooches that are mom’s too! (We don’t want to forget them now, do we?)

If you still don’t know what to get Mom, go with the gift that never fails.  Quality Time! Yes, necklaces are lovely, gift certificates are nice, candles are great but there is nothing your Mom wants more than to spend time with you! So why not make it an occasion. For all you foodies, take Mom out to a nice dinner. For all you fashionistas, take Mom out for a day of shopping and spa treatments. For all you sports lovers, take Mom to a baseball game. For all you undecideds, have Mom come over and make her lunch.

No matter what you do or where you go, you Mom will love just getting to spend the extra time with you.