Dog Modeling Agency Opens in Slovakia

It's a dog's life as Slovakia opens its first canine model agency attracting ambitious pooches hoping to make it to the big time. The pampered pets are trying to claw their way to the top in the bitchy world of modeling. The modeling agency aims to get man's best friend contracts to feature in advertisements and possibly gain international fame from its base in Bratislava.

DCH Spotlight- Dogs & Bones Tie & Collar Set

With my dog being so big, it's hard to find a nice outfit that would actually fit without looking too awkard.

So I recently purchased this dog tie and collar set which turned out to be a great success! The vibrant colors really stand out on his shiny black coat and he's been getting a lot of compliments for it!

"Salvador Doggie" Paints Up a Storm

A five-year-old golden retriever will raise money next month by selling his paintings to benefit the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society which trained him. Dubbed "Salvador Doggie" by some, the painting pooch named Athens is a pawsitively proficient artist.

"I just made him learn that he has to touch the paper with his paintbrush before he gets any food," said Sherry Caves, who has used a wheelchair since the age of seven because of a spinal injury suffered in a car accident involving a drunk driver. Caves lives in a west end Vancouver apartment with her son Aidan, husband Darryl and the dog.

"He's my right-hand man, my little sidekick," added Caves. "He pulls me up the hills in my wheelchair and I don't have to rely on my husband and son." Athens can also turn on a light switch, open a door and pick up things Caves drops.

"About a year ago, I saw a video on YouTube about an assistance dog back east in the U.S. who could paint," said Caves, who got the PADS-trained dog three years ago. "These dogs are so smart - it didn't take long to train him." Athens has painted about eight pieces. One looks like a cat and another like goldfish swimming in a pond.

Caves said she's always thinking of ways to raise funds and believes people will be doggone keen to buy Athens's paintings. The talented dog will be put to work at a Mother's Day charity auction May 10 in Burnaby.

"Athens will be taking part in a silent and a live auction," said Jennifer Moir, PADS manager of fundraising and volunteer programs. "He will be at the front demonstrating how he paints. This is the first time that one of our dogs has done something like this," Moir added.

[Source: The Calgary Herald]

DCH Spotlight - Peppermint Pixie Hand-Smocked Dress

Spring has finally sprung, and what better way to represent spring than groovy green against our perennial favorite, pink! This adorable little dog dress is perfect for Lucy to bound among the new florals.

Groovy Spots for Grooming Fido on The Road

Whether you take your pets along on business trips or vacations, the name and telephone number of a good pet spa should rank high among other important travel documents.

Jai Rodriguez, one of the stars of the Emmy-winning TV show, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," is a regular bi-coastal traveler — together with his Yorkies Nemo and Dori. Now, after helping men to groom themselves, he’s hosting a new doggie reality show called "Groomer Has It." Together, Rodriguez and Nemo will introduce pet lovers to some of the country’s top groomers as they compete for the crown of Groomer of the Year.

When in New York, Rodriguez takes his dogs to Jorge at the New York Dog Spa and Hotel for an oatmeal bath and massage treatment. "I was thrilled when I learned that he was chosen to be one of the contestants on the show," Rodriguez said. "Nemo once had really dry, sensitive skin and these oatmeal baths really helped improve the condition. I love a puppy cut on Yorkies and they always come back looking like cute little bears. There's an art to a good puppy cut."

Now based in Los Angeles, Rodriguez takes his dogs to different places including, Chateau Marmutt and LA Dogworks — both popular hangouts for celebrity pups.

Chateau Marmutt specializes in aromatherapy grooming. While there, your dog is likely to rub noses with some very famous celebrity pooches as Britney Spears, Christine Aguilera, Charlize Theron and Beyoncé are among the A-list clients. Walk-ins are welcome for baths, "pawdicures" range between $10-$20, and haircuts are by appointment only.

The Zen Den at LA Dogworks is a simple eastern retreat for your dog to relax and indulge. Owner Andrew Rosenthal has combined natural elements like slate and bamboo with special pet pheromone diffusers as the setting for the perfect pet massage retreat. The facility also offers hydrotherapy (underwater treadmills) designed for rehabilitation after surgery and weight-maintenance — especially for older dogs.

[Source: MSNBC]

Oprah Exposes Puppy Mills

Oprah Winfrey plans to dedicate a show investigating abuses at puppy mills to her cocker spaniel, Sophie, who died last month from kidney failure. "Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love. She was a true love in my life," Winfrey says on the broadcast scheduled to air Friday, April 4.

The show features special correspondent Lisa Ling investigating puppy mills, which Ling calls "horrific" and "haunting." Winfrey says the show is "for anybody anywhere who loves a dog, has ever loved a dog, or just cares about their basic right to humane treatment."

While Sophie was not a product of a puppy mill, and Winfrey's three current dogs were adopted from breeders, Winfrey says in the future she would look to adopt from an animal shelter.

"I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show," she says.

[Source: The Associated Press]

NY is Top Pet-Friendly Place for 2008

The Big Apple has gone to the dogs — and is being awarded for it. The city has been selected as the pet-friendliest destination of 2008, according to Animal Fair, a lifestyle magazine for pet owners. It's one of the seven winners of this year's Cesar Five Dog Bone Awards, voted on by readers. In the city, visitors and their pets can enjoy "pampering at the many hound-hospitable hotels" and "dining at canine-cuisine restaurants," the magazine says.

The annual Dog Bone Awards recognize the roles that pets play in people's lives and the establishments that cater to them. Winners are selected based upon their excellence in pet-friendly travel and product services.

The other six winners this year were:

• Airline: Continental Airlines, whose PetSafe program allows animals too large for the passenger cabin to travel as cargo instead of baggage, ensuring their comfort and safety, the magazine says.

• Automobile: Volvo, for its large interiors, great for carrying puppy gear.

• Hotel: The Driskill Hotel, in Austin, Texas, which offers comfy pet beds, gourmet pet treats and chew toys. "There's going to be a huge stampede of vacationing pets and their owners visiting The Driskill," the magazine says.

• Product: Sherpa pet carriers, considered stylish and functional.

• Resort: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

• Animal shelter: Humane Society of Louisiana.

Animal Fair editorial director Wendy Diamond created the awards after traveling across the United States and to Russia, Greece and Mexico with her Maltese, Lucky. "Traveling with your pet should be as natural and easy as traveling with your children, with one big exception," Diamond said Tuesday. "Children don't have to travel under the seat!"

[Source: FOX23news.com]

Yoga for Dogs - No Joke

When Ashley Storm wants to chill, she does yoga. And when she wants to help her Labrador mix relax, she has Loki join in. Yes, a dog doing yoga. It's called -- what else? -- doga (pronounced DOE-guh) . People help their dogs into yoga poses and then rub or nuzzle them while the dogs stretch or just hang out.

"They stretch naturally, like we do in our yoga poses," says Storm, a yoga instructor and co-owner of Hot Yoga in Chevy Chase. "It just feels good to them. It feels good to us, too."

Nathan Jester, 10, recently did doga with Dixie, a friend's fox terrier mix, at Storm's studio. "It's fun," said Nathan, a fifth-grader at Chevy Chase Elementary School. "It's really calming for both of us. She [Dixie] likes getting the attention because she's getting played with at the same time."

In doga poses, the dogs look a lot like they do when they loll about and appear to be happy. It's no coincidence, Storm says, that a common yoga stretch for people is called "downward-facing dog." In the chair pose, dogs sit on their hind legs with their front paws in the air while a person holds them from behind. In the chaturanga pose, dogs lie on their abdomens while someone strokes their backs. In the savasana relaxation pose, they lie on their backs while someone rubs their belly. Aaaaahhhhh.

If dogs don't want to do doga, it's fun to have them hang out on a mat while you do yoga, Storm says. The most important part of doga is spending quality time together. Doga helps dogs and people bond, Storm says, because they have to focus on each other. No TV or video games. No homework worries. Just you and your dog stretching and relaxing. The result: Busy, highly scheduled kids have to slow down, and couch-potato kids get up and do something.

Storm started doing doga with Loki about four years ago, shortly after a friend gave her a book about it. Loki, a rescue dog who had been abused, used to get so stressed out around strangers that she would shake. But after hanging around the yoga studio and doing doga, she seems far more relaxed and happy. "Everyone says she's a different dog," Storm says.

[Source: Washington Post]