by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Working in the pet industry you get invited to a lot of events, some promotional events like trade shows, but the majority are fundraisers for animal rescue groups. This summer, I am attending two events that, if you asked me when I was in college pursuing a degree in communications for television, I never thought I would be attending. TWO Dog weddings, that’s right I said it, TWO different dog weddings withing a couple weeks of each other!  Is it silly of me to say that I am looking forward to them more than some human weddings? (Said from a brides maid/ maid of honor 6 times over – yes people I learned to say no after a while! BOL!).

One wedding takes me to Connecticut and this is a black tie gala wedding event, where I will be getting dressed like I am going to a human wedding.   May I present the prestigious Wigglebutt Wedding held on Friday, June 28, 2013 in Stratford, CT at the Baldwin Center.  This wedding is a ‘fun’-draiser to raise money and awareness for Life’s Little Paws Cocker Spaniel rescue, who rescued the bride-to-be, Zoe who was to be euthanized the day she was rescued.  Her story went from near death, to a loving, happy life who will be wearing a couture dog bridal gown!

Dexter & Zoe! Photo Credit: Carol Bryant

The much anticipated puptials are drawing in pet professionals, pet enthusiasts, supporters, couture pet fashion designers and high end pet photographers from all over the country, I kid you not! There is even a TV crew coming to film  – and everyone is excited about it. Why? Not just to see the adorable bride and groom tie the knot – but because it is for such a wonderful animal rescue group – and I can guarentee the dog guests will be dressed to the K9’s as well!

The bride Zoe is owned by Val Sorensen and Dexter, the groom is owned by Carol Bryant of Fidose of Reality – they came up with the idea to do the wedding as a fundraiser a little over a year ago.  And all the pomp and circumstance is for a good cause, and yes us humans plan on having a great time! I mean seriously we usually like dogs better than most people….BOL (That’s Bark Out Loud in case you didn’t know!)

Carol lives in PA and Val lives in Connecticut and decided to host the wedding in Stratford, CT as it is a mid-way poing between them if you will. This event is acutually already SOLD out, with 120 two legged guests, 56 dogs and 1 cat, meow. But if you are moved enough to make a donation, there is also a bridal registry for products and donations to benefit Life’s Little Paws!

Carol Bryant with Dexter & Val Sorensen with Zoe!

If you just so happen to be in the Pet Industry and live nearby – the morning after the wedding on Saturday, June 29th, 2013 from 9am – 11am, Long Island Pet Professionals (LIPP), is hosting a Special Breakfast Networking Event at the Homewood Suites Hotel.   This is LIPP’s first out of state event for LIPP is also donating a portion of the proceeds from the networking event to Life’s Little Paws!

So if you didn’t get a chance to get a ticket to the Wigglebutt wedding, you can attend the networking breakfast event, meet the bride and groom (and their owners), network, and learn about other pet pros in your area and beyond!

The 2nd wedding is closer to home for me, and while the dogs will be dressed up it will be more casual for the guests, but yes people the dogs will be in proper wedding atire! The wedding of Titus and his Girl Hailey – two rescued Pit Bulls who are now living the life of luxury, here on Long Island!  Titus has a similar story to Zoe as he too was rescued within hours of his life ending.  Titus was at the New York City AC&C – he had a broken leg and mange and scheduled to be put to sleep when he was pulled.  His mommy and daddy agreed to foster him, and then he became their foster failure – when they adopted him 2 months after fostering him.  Titus’s love for his girl Hailey, grew so much his mom, Laura Morgillo, told me that she couldn’t imagine separating him from her – you can see how much he ruffs her in the hundreds of video’s and photo’s posted on their Facebook page.

This wedding of Titus and Hailey is to benefit Tuff Tails Rescue Group a local group who pull dogs from local municipal animal shelters here on Long Island and NYC AC&C and even help with stray dogs too.

Titus’s owner Laura  posts daily on their FB page (they have a lot of fans!), making people laugh with Titus’s antics and her ‘voice’ for him is really quite amazing how she captures what he is ‘thinking’ and ‘saying!’ I am not normally a fan of ‘dog talk’ by their owners, but Laura is a riot and that is captured by Titus’s ‘voicie.’ Fans of his page, and admittedly myself can’t get enough of his daily posts on Faciebutts.

Titus and Hailey are also two dogs who go to work with their owner, out on the family boat in the Great South Bay for many adventures and also are breed ambassador’s at many pet events too. Titus & Hailey have 3 other sisters of the furry kind, each are also rescues. Their event is taking place on Sunday, July 14, 2013 from 1pm to 7pm in Islip Terrace, N.Y. and like the Wigglebutt Wedding people from all over the country plan on attending. Laura told me recently that fans of Titus & Hailey are flying in from Texas just to attend the wedding! Laura may have too soon cap off the wedding attendee’s as this is an outdoor wedding in their very large backyard. She told me in an interview recently they are expecting 100 – 200 people and she even hired security to check people in, smart! The wedding is $10 per person and for people only, they will have a ton of human food, DJ, vendors, raffle baskets, 50/50 and much more at the event.  And of course you can get a kiss from Titus at his kissing booth!  Also the bride and groom, just like in a human wedding, will not see each other until Hailey walks down the aisle!

I was lucky enough to meet Titus & Hailey and their 3 sisters Mercedez (aka Bubba), Austin & Kiah recently and let me tell you these are five incredibly lucky dogs and they have super nice, loving pet pawents.

Titus & Hailey!

When I asked Titus, was he a bit nervous as most grooms are he said, “OMD….rite now I is bewwy excitabulls but as da day gets cwoser I is gettin butterfwies in my tummy….I can not wait to sees My Girl walkien down da isle….dat is wen I mite just faint!”

Titus, we RUFFS you too! See you at the wedding!

While these two dog weddings are different, a few themes that are the same are that all the dogs involved are rescues; both events are fundraisers for animal rescue groups; Titus was rescued 1 hour before he was scheduled to be put to sleep and the bride Zoe’s fait was also the same. If neither of the rescue groups didn’t step in to save these dogs, and they the parents ultimately taking in two sick, injured and unwanted dogs – we would not be looking forward to attending these elaborate celebrations of their puptials.

Dogs change our lives for the better and Titus & Hailey and Dexter and Zoe’s stories, huge fan base, and dedicated people who love them sure tell a tail that saving just one dog can make a huge difference in your life (and theirs).

Congratulations to the bwide and gwooms! (As Titus would say) and a big Thank you to the pawents for loving you all so much, opening their hearts to help more dogs from each of these weddings.

Titus testing the water! BOL with Kiah the water dog!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

It was a spectacular day Saturday June 15, 2013 on the east end of Long Island to take part in the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons 27th Annual Garden Tour and cocktail reception.  The weather was impeccable just as the gardens were.  After all the rain we have had in the last week, touring estates in East Hampton and their beautiful gardens to help support the wonderful work ARF does on a perfect weather day was fantastic! Plus you get a lot of ideas for your own garden too.

So what is the garden tour? It is a self-guided tour through the properties of 6 estates who’s owners generously open their gates to let people walk through and admire the beauty of their grounds.  From 10 am – 4pm the general public can buy a garden tour pass from ARF to take the lovely self guided tour and all proceeds go to help ARF’s adoptable animals – and continue the great work they do, for nearly 40 years!  The tour happens every year in a different Hamptons location, this year it was in East Hampton and the garden styles vary from house to house and are very unique with native plants and exotic plants too.  See below for more!

This home had beautiful pathways leading up to a spectacular pool complete with a pool house, and paths
beyond it that lead to a tennis court and the rest of the grounds of the house.

Adorable Doxie greeting guests as they arrived!

This year the tour was held at the homes of: Barrie Berg & Antonio Munoz, Dwyer & Michael Derrig,
Alexandra Munroe & Robert Rosenkranz, Jan & Randy Slifka, Craig James Socia, Peter Wilson & Scott Sanders.

We saw one couple do the tour on bike which is a great way to do it, otherwise you have to drive from house to house.
I am thinking next year would be great to view the houses via my bicycle!

Barbara Slifka co-chair of the ARF Garden Tour with Sara Davison Executive Director of ARF

ARF cocktail reception at a home right on Main street in East Hampton village. Many supporters were on
hand as well as the adorable pups below that are available for adoption through ARF.

Marc Fichandler Co-Chair of the Garden Tour with Lynn Lehocky committee member of the Garden Tour

To see MORE Pictures of the tour, click here!
For more information about ARF and to attend the garden tour next year, click here.

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

What’s popping in NYC?  Why a HALO Pop up Shop of course!  ‘City Tails – NYC’ is a historic event to support the Halo Pet Foundation.

From May 29, 2013 until June 26, 2013 pet owners can ‘Pop in and Do Good’ at the corner of Lexington and 47th Street in NYC.  The month long event unites pet lovers, provides easy ways for visitors to help pets in need, and engages customers with the Halo brand and mission to give back to the community.

There has already been lots of action at City Tails, and you can join in on the fun all month long.  Check out the calendar of events happening here.

Pop up Shop visitors can meet adoptable pets from local shelters and rescues, enter weekly raffles, attend pet performances and hear from experts.

Through a social media ‘Check in for Charity’ campaign, pet lovers around the nation can participate in City Tails and ‘do good for pets’ by visiting Halo retailers for a chance to win their favorite shelter 10,000 meals of Halo from Freekibble.com.  How cool is that! Love it.

100% of donations to the Halo Pet Foundation are granted to animal welfare and rescue groups. Halo, Purely for Pets underwrites all operating expenses.

Halo co-owner Ellen DeGeneres is well known for her efforts on behalf of pets, as is the company. “Pet adoption is something I’m extremely passionate about. I believe that by working together, we can find good homes for the millions of homeless and abandoned pets out there,” DeGeneres says.

To follow Halo on twitter, @HaloPets and to see more PICTURES from this ongoing event, Click Here!

Article by Dana Humphrey (dana@whitegatepr.com) photo’s by Long Island Pet Professionals

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month!  On May 22^nd from 7-10pm at the Toyota of Manhattan located at 47^th Street and 11^th Ave in New York, over 200 people got together for a fun benefit party called LYME AID to raise over $1000 for LymeDisease.org. Attendees wore lime green, learned how to prevent Lyme Disease in their own home and brought their pets (from dogs to cats to bunnies).

At the event all enjoyed live music from Damn Glad, DJ DLITE, an entertaining hula-hoop/dance performance with Benjy Bronk and Elisa Jordana as “BENJELISA”, a documentary film screening of “Under Our Skin”, complimentary paw-dicures with Warren London, a book signing and lime green couture pet fashion showcase with Paul Nathan’s Couture Dogs of New York, glitter tattoos for people and pets, basketball and poker performances with Rick Caran and “Jilli Dog”, special readings with Shira the pet psychic, pictures in the Royal Photo Booth, hot catered food for people and pets, vodka, tequila, Kamoni Ice, beer and non-alcoholic drinks, poetry with Richard Blanco, prizes, raffles and amazing goodie bags!  Plus, every goodie bag included a “Tick Kit” with special supplies from PetCareRx.com and Tick SR on how to remove a tick in case you or your pets get one this season.

Special guests included Hostess Maria Milito from Q1043, Jorge Bendersky, Celebrity Groomer, Al Chernoff “Alley Cat” from Rescue Ink and Jackson Galaxy.There were vendor tables ranging from Susi Raphael and Jane Elissa art, to Mary Kay makeup, treats from Clear Conscience Pet, food from the Dog Chef Kevyn Matthews, Dr. Harveys, Natura and Stella & Chewys, Free Acupuncture and Rescue Chocolate!

A HUGE thanks to Toyota of Manhattan and event sponsors PetCareRx.com, Critter Zone USA, Natura Pet and Tick SR for making it happen. CLICK HERE to see a LOT more pictures!

Robyn Elman of In Home Pet Services and Jackson Galaxy from Animal Planet's hit show, My Cat from Hell

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

On Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 7pm a different kind of pet benefit event is hitting the roof top of Toyota of Manhattan – LymeAid!  It is not a drink, but the drinks may be green at this pet and human party.  What is this event you ask?  LymeAid is a first of it’s kind dual fundraiser for LymeDisease.org and Stray from the Heart animal rescue and to raise awareness about the awful Lyme Disease that both people and our pets often contract.

While the disease is serious – LymeAide promises to be a fantastic time with music, dancing, pet celebrities (human and the four legged kind!), scrumptious food and cocktails, raffles, photo booth, pet vendors, and so much more!  Click here to see all the details and RSVP.

This event all got started because of pet industry expert, Nikki Moustaki of Nikki Knows Pets, who herself has a serious case of lyme disease for over 2 years now.  Nikki wanted to raise awareness about the disease and help two organizations that are close to her heart at the same time.

Nikki Moustaki

Living on Long Island, many of us have known dogs with lyme disease, and people too, but no one I knew had severe cases like Nikki has. (Nikki lives in NYC and Florida). I have even known a few dogs that have contracted the disease over the years – but were treated and recovered well.   But ticks are everywhere and as dog owners that are out and about with out pups we need to be more diligent in checking our dogs for ticks and even oursleves.  I interviewed Nikki about her illness and the upcoming LymeAid event: