By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Love is in the air, and while everyone is out buying roses, jewelry and chocolate – I know many pet owners are buying gifts for their pets too.  But what about combining the two ideas?  How about getting your sweetheart something for them of their pet?  A beautiful gift to get is a custom painting of their pet to cherish for years to come.  Jan Guarino, a pet portrait artist of Guarino Graphics in Huntington, N.Y., among one her many talents, paints lovely custom portraits of pets – and this could be the gift to remember.

You can see more of Jan’s beautiful work here and click around on her site to see her other artwork.

Since we know that dogs cannot eat chocolate, (it can make them very sick), why not get them scrumptious, healthy dog biscuits made with human grade ingredients?  A great choice is from The Pert Will Company, made locally right here on Long Island, and available at Barkfield Road in East Northport and Bubbles & Biscuits in Holbrook. It’s great to get dog treats for your own dog, but a nice Valentine’s is to get some as heartfelt gifts to give to your loved ones pets too!

Visit The Pert Will website to learn more – and if you’re a retailer looking to bring the line into your store, click here.

Giving back and spreading some love doesn’t just have to happen around the holidays – why not think of giving your local animal shelter some of their wish list items.  You can be a shelter pet’s Valentine by donating products and good they need and adore.  Simply call and ask what they are in need of, or check their facebook pages – many times they put a call out for items needed.  I can tell you one thing, most shelters always need Kongs and peanut butter for their shelter animals.  But don’t forget about the cats who may not get any cat toys or the shelter often needs newspapers or litter too.

Here’s a nice way to help your local animal shelter have a sweeter smell when you enter their lobbies – ever notice that smell when you walk in?  CritterZoneUSA makes a small air naturalizing unit that plugs into any regular wall outlet and creates a natural, charged flow that fills the room or vehicle and continually cleans the air. Perfect for lobby’s, offices, and other areas that will impact would be adopters the moment they walk into the animal shelter.  A powerful device that packs a punch, and is quiet too. You can purchase a unit or 2 for your local shelter and help make the environment more inviting. Also great for cars that have pets in and out constantly – purchase the ‘corded air naturalizer with travel accessories.’ It’s also Made in the USA baby!

You can save $10 today off your purchase price by using the code LIPP when you check out on their website. How lovely is that? Click here to purchase.

Loving our pets is a given, but having an anxious pet can really try to connect with them even more.  If you have an anxious pet who may be stressed out on a walk due to noise of traffic, thunder, fireworks – or if you’re on a trip with your country pup in the big city.  Some dogs have extreme fear of loud noises they are not used to.  A great gift for your anxious pup is the new UltraCalmer collar device by Pet Acoustics.   The UltraCalmer is a tool for pet owners to aid anxious canine behaviors. UltraCalmer is pre-loaded with frequency-modified UltraCalming Music, created specially for dog hearing. Simply attach it to your dogs collar, adjust the volume and you will notice your dog become in a calmer state.

While the snow is still on the ground, dreaming of warmer days playing with your pup in the sun is not that far off.  You and your dog will love the new Wham-O Pet Frisbee! The Wham-O Pet Frisbee is not like your ordinary flying piece of plastic, but instead this 9 inch soft rubber disc features raised Bone-Tec patterning, which adds dimensionality to a product and provides tooth grip and chew feel.  It’s made from a new custom design consisting of heavier rubber, which makes it extremely durable. Our canines can easily crack or chew apart an ordinary plastic flying disk leading to a potential choking hazard. Priced between $10-15 each, Wham-O Pet’s high-quality Frisbee will give pet owners piece of mind during playtime and last much longer than traditional discs.  It is also colored blue and yellow so your dog can see it better vs. a regular red frisbee that may appear grey to them.

We wish you a lovely Valentine’s Day with your pet and loved ones and can’t wait to hear what your favorite pick from our list is!  Please tell us if you did anything special for your pets or a shelter pet!

This article was a sponsored post.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com (Sponsored article)

Can you feel it, the holiday magic is in the air! We are brining you our pet and pet owner holiday gift guide so you can get some of your shopping done early!  The majority of the products listed below are by small businesses – so you will be contributing to the shop small movement too!

In no particular order, please take your time looking at these wonderful products, click on the pictures to go to their websites to learn more.

1.) Your Pet Chef Presents the 12 Days of Christmas and 8 Days of Hanukkah TWO Newly Released Holiday Cookbooks for Dogs!

They include grain and gluten free recipes based upon traditional holiday dishes! Priced at just $8 each, they make great stocking stuffers or Hanukkah gifts. Recipes include Muttzo Ball Soup, 3 French Chiens and many more recipes!

For more information, contact us at info@yourpetchef.com or call 1- 888-958-4088, or to purchase your copy or copies for gifts, click here!

2.) The AKC Calming Coat & Calm Cat are easy and cost effective solutions in treating pets who suffer from anxiety, especially around the holidays!

The AKC Calming Coat and Calm Cat comes in pink, gray or royal blue and is available in an array of size options from XS-L.  The patent pending design gently hugs your dog or cat.

• Easy to put on and take off
• Machine washable
• Durable fabric that resists collecting hair
• Available for $29.99
• Perfect Holiday Gift for Pet Parents

Visit our website BHPetGear.com to learn more or click the picture above!  Or you can place an order on Amazon!

3.) Introducing Can Toy, the durable rubber dog toy that is both new and instantly recognizable. Made in the USA, Can Toy is a tantalizing puzzle for your pooch.
Stuff it with treats and keep your dog entertained for hours.

Can Toy’s thick walled construction has been tooth tested and holds up to the strongest chompers. It’s also easy on the earth – made of sustainably harvested, non-toxic and biodegradable natural rubber.  Find out more by clicking here or the picture above! A great holiday gift for your pet!

4.)  Silent Night will change your quality of life. For Pet Owners or anyone with allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other respiratory problems, this new state-of-the-art product should run 24/7 where you sleep and work.

Unlike anything the market has ever seen, the Silent Night air moves air silently.  It is effective against dust, pet dander, pollen, mold, bacteria, viruses and smoke particulate. Silent Night utilizes ionization and special antibacterial, electrostatic filters.  Perfect for homeowners with pets, doggie day cares, veterinarian offices and shelters!  The cost for a Silent Night ZEPA 500 is only $599 + shipping and taxes. Call Bill at 631-745-4810 or click here to order your own Silent Night ZEPA 500 Air Purifier!

5.) The “Pet Fashion Almanac 2015” is NOW AVAILABLE!  It’s a handy annual tool and resource for people focusing on pets or pet-themed material in their business. It’s meant to be kept close, referenced, dog-eared, and used! People use the information to plan & market- social media, events, conferences, trade shows, PR, direct mail, advertising, and optimal times to implement ideas.  It has pet holidays by date, week, and month; media & organization lists; fashion weeks; trade shows, conferences and events in the pet industry.

If you would like to sell this book in your store, please email bmckay@sps.com for discounted  bulk orders. To order your own Daily Inspurration or get purrfect stocking stuffers, click here!

7.)  This is the time of year we begin making a list and checking it twice! CritterZone USA is excited to unleash their new Travel Pack for holiday gift giving!  This pack is an ideal gift for the family or pet owner who is always on the go!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

On Thursday, December 19, 2013 Long Island Pet Professionals hosted their 4th Annual Holiday Pawty and Pet Food Drive to benefit Long Island Cares.  Baxter’s Pet Food Pantry which is operated by Long Island Cares has pet food pantries in three locations in Suffolk County. The guests attending the holiday party were asked to bring a pet food donation and were very generous in that the total amount collected for the event was 530 pounds of pet food!

“Baxter’s Pet Pantry operated by Long Island Cares, Inc. – The Harry Chapin Food Bank, which was developed in partnership with

the Animal Relief Fund Inc. (ARF), makes free pet food supplied by ARF and many pet food corporations available to pet-owning families in need in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York.

Initiated as a result of 2009 media coverage of families putting their pets up for adoption as a result of not being able to afford pet food, veterinary care and other services, the Pet Pantry also offers toys, pet clothes and other pet supplies. Free pet food is available to pet owners through many of our local member agency food pantries,” from the Long Island Cares website, read more about their program here.

In addition to the pet food donation, the fun filled evening was also sponsored in part by Pet Supplies Plus who also supplied the beautiful, earth friendly tote bags in which were filled with swag from the following contributors!

Nordic Naturals uses the same quality standards and the same oils to manufacture both their human and pet products. The result is Norwegian omega-3 fish oils of industry-leading purity and freshness for your dogs and cats. See more about their quality pet and human products here.

Reviver Pets is a daily, reusable freshening swipe for you and your pet that empowers you to instantly eliminate unwanted smells that cling to clothes, fur, paws and hair. It’s an effective, convenient way to bring fresh confidence with you and your pet wherever and whenever you need it. Check out Reviver Pets today — you and your pet deserve to live the fresh life. 100% non-toxic and pet safe (according the company), and made in the USA!

Another great item in the goody bags were these adorable poop pick up bags, perfectly themed for the holidays by Think Dog by Delca Corporation!  They also make other pet products like dog treats, dog toys and other great pet supplies. You have to check out their website here.

Heather Marianna sent us these beautiful glass bottle samples of her luxurious Lucky Luciano’s Dog Shampoo.  An all natural pet shampoo with no chemicals and will have your pup smelling and feeling wonderful.  Check out her website here.

Thanks to Bettie Hamilton and Margaret Tumino-Mills Halo, Purely for Pets and Maryflorence Brennan of Canine Company for putting items in the goody bags at the pawty too!  And to Conspicuous Dog Lover for the adorable stickers.  You can see more pictures of the event here.

Happy Holidays and be sure to check out the pet products above!

Pet professionals Beth Goldin of At Your Service LI, Maryflorence Brennan of Canine Company and Kim Loper of Life is Grruff celebrating at the Holiday Pawty!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Pawliday shopping ideas to help you shop for the furry friends and their owners in your life!

It’s here! The crazy hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping season! Our pet holiday shopping guide is geared to help you shop for the pet lover in your life, your own pets and the pet professional that helps you throughout the year. Don’t forget about the dog groomer, pet sitter, trainer, doggie day care people who care for your dog as if they were their own.

1. First you want Fluffy to smell great in-between grooming visits or if you are bathing your pup yourself you have to check out the luxorious line from Dog Fashion Spa.  The perfect holiday gift for that pet lover you don’t know what to get (or maybe a hint that their pooch needs a bath! BOL!)

2. After you have your dog smelling and looking good, you might want to capture that moment by a professional Pet Photographer.
These days their are pet photographers all over the country, and here on Long Island you can contact Dee is for Dogs and see when she has photo’s with Santa set up or book a private session.  This would make for a great gift for the pet owner in your life that make not be great with the camera – getting a professional pet photo gift certificate!
Click here to find more pet photographers in the NY/LI area.

3. Another way you can show you care for your pet during the holidays is hire a pet sitter and dog walker to help walk your dog.  We all get busy and maybe Fido is not getting as much exercise as normal.  There are professional pet sitters everywhere these days, but be sure to interview them, get references and do a meet and greet with your dog to make sure your dog is comfortable with them.  If you are in the Westbury, Carle Place or Jericho areas of New York contact Beatriz Lewis of Wiggily-Waggily, she will do a no obligation meet and greet.  For more pet sitters across NY/LI areas click here.  Also you should book soon as pet sitters get really booked this time of year.

4.  All that walking is going to make your dog hungry! For the pet owner who is looking into cooking healthy and nutritious meals for their pets – and do it themselves at home, a book written by Christine Filardi a certified holistic chef for animals, this book is the perfect gift.  Home Cooking For Your Dog has recipes that you can make at home and shop for the ingredients in your local grocery store.  It is beautifully illustrated and wonderful pictures of dogs in it as well.

5. Another product that any pet owner would love is a CritterZoneUSA Air Naturalizer – and for the holiday’s they have special travel pack available.   I have this product and it works, in small spaces larger rooms, it gets rid of that stinky puppy smell (and any bad smell for that matter) rather quickly.  They have a special happening to, use code LIPP13 when you check out and save $10.00 on the travel pack unit priced at $109.95.  I love the unit for my car, since my dog travels a lot in the car with me – it really helps get rid of that dog smell.

6. Looking for that perfect holiday card to send out?  Have your favorite breed in mind?  Then you want to check out these holiday cards done by Beth Weiner Lipson of MyPetArtWork.com.  A lovely way to give a personalized gift to the pit bull, bulldog or beagle afficiando in your life.  The are various breeds you can choose from, holiday cards, love cards, mugs, t-shirts and more.  Beth can also do a pet portrait from your picture – the ultimate holiday or birthday gift. You can see more images of holiday items here.

7. A beautifully crafted piece of jewerly always makes anyone smile, and if it has diamonds and a paw print in it – even better!  Our Paws for Cause is a non-profit rescue group that does incredible work and was started by Candy Udell of London Jewelers.  You can shop their line of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and dog tags and a portion of each sale will be donated to help build and support model humane no-kill shelters providing rescue spay and neuter services. Its a beautiful way to show someone you care and help a great mission at the same time.

8. Have an active dog owner who likes to go on hikes and outings with their pup? A great gift you can give is buy a pre-made portable first aid kit – so that when they are out in the middle of the woods, in case of a cut or scrap they will be able to take care of it right there.  Or you can make your own with and be sure to put in the items listed here. And also a great product to have incase you do have an issue is Dr. Emmo’s Pet First Aid products.  I have used both the wound care gel for scraps and cuts on my own Max and just used the eye wash which did wonders for a slight allergy infection he had in his eye.

9. Treats! Don’t forget the treats! It’s such a great house warming gift to bring, (along with some wine for the humans please!), when you go to a holiday party this year.  If you know they are pet owners, they will love getting something for their favorite fur-child too.   There are many different holiday designed doggie treats these days to choose from, and they look good enough to eat – so be sure to tell them they are for the dog!

10. Make a donation in their pets name or their name.  A fantastic way to show you care, is to make a monetary donation to your favorite pet owners to their favorite animal rescue organization.  You can also find out what the animal rescue group needs, make up a donation with those items and go together to drop off the donation.  Often times the non-pet owner will get just as big of a gift by doing so.  A nice thing to do together, and see the animals in need.

And don’t forget to shop your small pet businesses on Saturday, November 30, 2013 for Shop Small Saturday! Get out there an support your local pet businesses!

Happy Paw-lidays!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

It’s begging to look a lot like…bored dogs, scratchy cats and wheel spinning hampsters! Oops I meant Christmas…or the Holidays if you will.  Here at LIPetPlace we are always looking for ways to keep our pets safe, happy and well cared for during the holidays, but know with the overwhelmingly busy time of year many pet owners tend to let things slide.  I get it, but for safety sake for your pet, (and your wallet),  there are few simple things you can do to ensure you dog, cat, ferret, hampster, parrot or bunny stay happy, healthy and out of the Vets office!

This is after all the busiest time of year that veterinarians see pet emergencies, Sparky could have ingested a holiday decoration, or Buster isn’t feeling well because too many family members gave him things he should not be eating.

Here are some tips to keep your pet out of the vet’s office and have a safe and happy holiday too!

• Pet Proof your house, Dr. Michel A. Selmer of Advanced Animal Care Center said this, “Puppies, in particular, may behave like young children, acting excited and inquisitive around lights, ornaments, candles, trees, unfamiliar foods, an influx of new people, and even a visiting pet. Especially during the holidays you must ‘pet proof’ various areas of your house. Pets must be taught off-limits, such as nibbling of ornaments on the lower branches of trees, or sampling the foods on the coffee table.”

• Instruct your guests and family members not to feed your pet as he could get really sick.  This usually does the trick with people falling for puppy dog eye expressions, but really emphasize this with your guests. “Rich food and too much of it can spell gastrointestinal distress for your pet,” said Dr. Selmer, and then you end up at your vet’s office with an unexpected expense and stress worrying about your pet!



• Be mindful when you are opening presents and if your pet is getting into any of the wrapping.  “When presents are opened, be aware of what you do with the ribbon, which presents a chocking danger. Mistletoe (Phoradendron species) is extremely toxic if eaten, while Poinsettia is mildly toxic. Tinsel can get caught up in the intestine and cause obstructions,” stated Dr. Selmer.

• Have a safe haven for your pet to retreat to.  Whether it is their crate or their bed in a quiet room away from guests and crowds.  A Kong stuffed with peanut butter (then frozen) also will help keep him busy while away from the crowd, but check on them often to make sure they are ok.

• Watch your pets behavior, if they seem different or stressed out around the holiday crowds, bring them to their safe haven – never ever as a punishment, but as a place to retreat.

• Christmas Tree as play toys! This picture says it all if you have a cat (I have was always fortunate, our cat just liked to go under the tree and hang out), but if you have a mischievous kitty who likes to climb in the tree, think about this before hanging family heirlooms, glass ornaments or sharp objects the cat could hurt himself on while scaling your Christmas tree.

• A tired dog is a good dog, exercise your dog on a long walk before the crowd comes over!  I have said this before and I will say it again!  This is one of the best things you can do, if you have to get up earlier or walk longer to have a happy, tired dog the day your guests are there, everyone including your pup will thank you!

Most of all enjoy your holidays, don’t forget about your pets needs too and maybe make a donation of a pet toy to your local animal shelter!

Happy Howlidays from Max!!