I am lucky enough to work for an extremely dog-friendly company.  There are always at least a few dogs lounging around the office and Oscar is often one of them.  I could elaborate on the many benefits of having dogs in the workplace (increased morale, lower stress, inspiration…), but today I’m going to focus on one of the challenges…gas.

Yes…gas, flatulence, stepping on a duck, barking spiders…whatever you want to call it - we’ve got lots of it!  So, if you have this problem at home or at work, you might want to check out these tips for reducing the production of “natural gas” by your hound.

And if you have the emotional maturity of a pre-schooler (Phil), you also might enjoy the Farting Dog Harmonics.

Do you want to feed your dog nutritious homemade foods, but don’t even have time to cook for yourself?  If so, you might want to try Gourmet Dog NYC…

“We will prepare and deliver human grade home-cooked dog food to your pet in NYC. Our homemade dog food contains a mix of protein (ground turkey or ground chicken) veggies, starches and brown rice.   It includes nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, iron, selenium, magnesium, tryptophan, all found naturally in the products that we use. For our first time customers we offer a free sample and our 32 ounce container for $9.00. Email gourmetdognyc@gmail.com“

Right now Oscy is really enjoying his new Nature’s Variety diet that rotates between 4 types of raw meat medallions and 3 types of grain-free kibble, but home-cooked meals for your dog are another way to provide a healthy diet for your dog - especially if you’re a little squeamish about the whole “raw” thing.  Only in NYC…gotta love this town! 

Well, of course I think that the best and most unique dog gift for the holiday season is the SNIF Tag.  If you missed the post on the SNIF Tag launch - click here to get with the program!! 

But if you are one of the many trend-setting dog owners who already has the SNIF Tag AND you’ve purchased them for all your dog-loving friends (so generous…), you might need some more unique gift ideas….

If that is the case, you should definitely check out Best Friends Studios.  They have a ton of top-notch products that can be highly personalized.  I really like the customizable notecards and stationary - no Brussels Griffon, but with 50 breeds to choose from, you can probably find yours! 

Plus for a one-of-a-kind gift, have a Custom Applique Pillow made featuring your dog!  You just provide photos of your dog and Mary Ann will create a hand-crafted work of art that endeavors to ”represent each client’s beloved pet to resemble not only the way they look but also to capture elements of their personalities.”

Click here for details on how the pillow is created and links to the gallery and customer reviews.

Finally, I’m happy to announce that the adorable Sparky has volunteered to try out some local pet photography options and tell us all about it (typing courtesy of Patricia T)!  If you’re a local photographer and would like to be considered for the post…drop us a line at nycblog@sniflabs.com!

I have a confession to make…our darling Oscar has an OBSCENE amount of toys.  I’m actually embarassed when people come to our apartment and see the massive doggy toy collection - I think he probably has more toys than most kids in the world…sick, I know. 

But in our defense, my husband and I have purchased very few of these toys ourselves - most have been gifts from friends and family.   And we can’t blame them because they know how much we love to receive dog-related gifts.

So, this got me thinking…assuming that a large percentage of dog toys are purchased as gifts, I think there is an untapped market for creative dog toy gifts.  I did a pretty extensive web search, and aside from some standard plush puzzle toys, I found very few really creative/interactive toys for dogs and owners.  My two favorites are…

1)  Bubble Toys - A variety of toys that make peanut butter and chicken & bacon scented bubbles!!  MMmm….

2)  The Pooch IQ Kit - 15 mentally stimulating exercises for your dog and all the toys and props you need to do them.

To all you entrepreneurs…this is a freebie from me to you - UNIQUE DOG TOYS…I think they would be a slam dunk.  

So, those are my picks for interesting and unique dog toys…please tell me if you’ve found any other cool stuff out there!  

We’re all about tips today…

First, an article with tips on how to determine if you should bring your dog to the vet.  I personally think that this is something that new pet owners have to figure out for themselves…even with helpful guidelines like the ones found in this article, it’s really hard not to rush to the vet the first few times your dog is sick. 

Eventually, every pet owner comes to the realization that things like “swollen glands” or “looking sad” or other things that you wouldn’t take yourself to a doctor for, don’t necessitate an immediate trip to 24hr emergency vet. 

By the way, this is a running joke in our household… 

Me:  Do you think Oscar looks sad?  Maybe he’s sick.

My husband:  Oscar - quick run around or mom’s going to take you to the emergency vet!

On the other hand, “looking sad” or a deviation from normal behavior for more than a day or so could signal that your dog is in pain - sometimes it’s worth the vet bill for the peace of mind that comes with a clean bill of health.

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Changing the subject to travel…it seems that automobile makers are also trying to cater to the needs of dog owners.  Examiner.com took a look at the dog-friendly offerings (including safety restraints, stain resistant upholstry, etc.) that are available in cars today.

According to the article, Toyota Venza seems to be the most dog-friendly car currently on the market.  Optional amenities include:

Honda also announced a concept car called the WOW (Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon) in 2005,  which was designed to fit the needs of both man and man’s best friend.  But no signs of the concept car becoming a reality, at least not yet…

The Liberty Humane Society in New Jersey, is now selling a calendar featuring dogs and cats that have been adopted from the shelter.  100% of the proceeds from the sale of the calendar go directly to the shelter!

I thought the only dog calendars I’d ever buy would be ones made up entirely of Oscar pictures from Snapfish or Kodak, but the combination of ridiculous cuteness and a great cause were just too much to resist!  (Sorry, Oscar…)  

If you like the calendar pictures, you should check out local photographer, Shaina Fishman.  She donated her time and skill to take the pictures for the Liberty Humane Society calendar and has a really amazing portfolio of pictures on her website.  My absolute FAVORITE is this guy…

Is that one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen, or what?  She has tons of other pictures on her website that seem to capture something really special about each dog’s personality.  Professional pet photos are always a great gift for the pet lover on your holiday list (HINT, HINT)!!

I just found out about a great organization that helps dogs with cancer that I want to share with all my blog readers.  Hopefully you’ll never have to use it, but apparently 1 in 4 dogs die from cancer, so it’s good to know what resources are out there…

The Pet Cancer Foundation is an independent, non-profit effort established to provide you, as a dog or cat owner, with a resource for learning about your pet’s cancer, receiving a free consultation with a cancer specialist and being informed of the available treatment options in partnership with your veterinarian. 

Here’s another helpful article from the AVMA….What you should know about cancer in animals.

Hey, there NYC dogs…I recently got a passionate email from one of our readers asking me if I could share a her story about her Daschund, Sparky.  Of course!!  We love personal stories about local pup!!  And this one’s certainly a cutie…

So, Patricia T. had heard that Daschunds were nothing but trouble…hard-headed, diggers, barkers anti-social at times, didn’t like small children - you get the picture.  But then Sparky came into her life!  In her own words…

“Sparky is the most lovable, docile, friendly Daschund you will ever meet!!  After getting him, I started doing research to find out more about Doxies but I also noticed a surge of Daschunds appearing in the city, especially in my Manhattan Neighborhood.  And, while true that a lot of Doxies I met are very protective of their owners and not to social, most of the others as well as Sparky, LOVE children, cats, crowds etc……….  The Daschund is the BIGGEST small dog you will ever come across.  My Sparky was paper trained in less than 2 weeks and his best friends are my two cats, he is the most social dog I’ve ever come across and extremely loyal to me.
 
I would love it if more people could see that this small breed has soooo much to offer!!!”

Well, Patricia, you’ve convinced me!  And you didn’t have to convince Oscar…he LOVES Daschunds!  One last super-cute picture of Sparky for the road…

Awww…….

If your dog lives in NYC and you’d like him or her to be featured in the blog, drop me a line at nycblog@sniflabs.com!

This week we officially launched the SNIF Tag!

The initial reaction to our launch by the press and public has been incredible.  We have received some terrific mentions in the technology and mainstream press.   We were featured on Gizmodo, Ohgizmo, engadget, and gizmag.  A number of other outlets have already written about us including technology news publication TMC.net and the Boston Globe.  We love the photo!

There have been number of recent video postings, but we would especially like to highlight the video of Dr. Amy R. Marder, from the Animal Rescue League in Boston, and the clip that appears on The Doctor’s Channel that was filmed at the Pet Fashion Week Show in New York.

If you’d like to read the release please check it out on our website or on Marketwatch.

We’re a close team at SNIF and we’ve all worked hard to bring the SNIF Tag to the market. It’s a new and unique product that brings together a range of technologies to change the way dog owners interact with their dogs as well as other dog owners.  It’s a really exciting time and we’d like to thank everyone who has supported us to date - partners, beta testers, friends, families.

We’ll keep you updated on feedback and how things go!

This is my absolute FAVORITE video on YouTube…

Yes, I love this video even more than Wii Dog vs. Wii Cat.

I have NO idea what is going on…starts out like some kind of asian version of the Presidential Fitness Program and then hilarity ensues!  Make sure you watch all the way to the end - the monkey’s frustration and humiliation is hilarious.  And I absolutely LOVE that bulldog…

Translation, anyone??