by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

At the 2nd Long Island Pet Professionals (LIPP) Annual Holiday Party and Pet Food Drive at Lily Flannigan’s in Babylon, NY on Monday, December 19, 2011 – 400lbs of pet food was donated by Long Island Pet Professional Members!  We beat our record from last year’s holiday party which was 300lbs, and I am so delighted and happy with the generosity of our Members who stepped up and brought a lot of pet food with them to donate!  This pet food will help pet owners

Pat Bonelli, Island Harvest Volunteer and Nancy Hassel, Founder Long Island Pet Professionals

feed their pets who may have fallen on hard times.  We often think of donating to charity during the Holiday’s, but don’t always think about pet owners. This year we partnered with Island Harvest to donate the food for their Pet Food Pantry.  Island Harvest’s Pet Food Pantry plays such an integral part for pet owners help feed their pets and keep their pets by offering pet food at their food pantry.  Our shelters are full with homeless pets so if this 400lbs of food can help keep more pets in their loving homes, I can’t say how much it means to me, and also to our members.

“All too often pets are abandoned or given up for adoption simply because their owners are faced the unenviable choice of putting food on the family table or feeding their pets,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest. “Thanks to Long Island Pet Professionals, help is available to allow people struggling to make ends meet keep their pets by providing much needed food assistance.”

But the pet food donation was just part of the Holiday fun for the 2nd Annual Holiday Party & Pet Food Drive – members from all over Long Island, Queens the East End, North Shore and Nassau county flocked to Babylon (some even utilized the LIRR to get there!) to be at the festive event.  With product donations from Halo, Purely for Pets, Sturdi Pet Products, Life is Grruff, Watercolor Your World, M&J Dog Essentials, Natural Paws and Premier each attendee not only left with new contacts via the networking that was also going on – but a really nice pet swag gift bag!  There were also many free raffle giveaways – almost everyone in the room won a product or gift certificate – and everyone was cheering for each winner!

Stephanie from MyLITV!

On top of that members were thrilled to have new LIPP member Jen Ross from MyLITV.com on hand conducting interviews throughout the night for an upcoming segment.  What a perk for LIPP members to be able to speak on camera about their businesses or rescues!

Michael Ayalon of PetWebDesigner.com, Beth Gold of At Your Service LI & Robyn Elman of In Home Pet Services, Inc.

Normally our networking meetings are a little more formal with expert speakers giving presentations to the group, although we usually have a great time at every event, this Holiday Party is a way for us to mingle, network, enjoy the holiday spirit, celebrate, give back and look forward to the New Year.  We had members attend last night’s party that have been with us for the past three years and many new members – and its always great to see new connections being made and hearing how members are going to be working together.

Many events are being planned for LIPP in the New Year, including the first NYC chapter event for the group, as there are LIPP members who live and work in NYC.  The first event however, is a free online event taking place on January 12th to help pet professionals and animal rescues learn the ‘Art of the Tweet!’  To learn more click here!

Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year! See below for more pictures thanks to Richie of PetsPhotography and also on our Facebook page here!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

If you are looking for Home and Garden items for yourself or your pet for the holidays, then you should have been at the Pet Socialite event in NYC last Tuesday hosted by Charlotte Reed!  You weren’t  there? That’s ok I have the run-down of very cool new pet products that your dog will drool over!

Ok, so the first items that I just loved for the color and design are the new Moda Pet bowls  – complete with non-slip bottom built into the design that is dishwasher safe – the bowls come in a high gloss color to go with every décor.  Right now they have one size for dogs, so if you have a big dog it may not be a fit for you – but they are working on coming up with a bigger bowl to accommodate a bigger snout!  Currently, ModaPet offers six unique pet food bowl designs in suggested retail prices ranging from $14.99-$24.99, including two new colors: Some Like it Hot in hot pink and Sunflower. Check out their website here and tell them I sent you!

Have a cat? Looking for a toy that will give them interactive play and not worry about getting bored with it?  You will love NekoFlies, by NekoChan, which kind of looks like a fly fishing fly hence the name.  There are 5 different individual attachments (sold separately or in one package) and you can change it up regularly to keep the cat interested and busy.  This toy requires a human to operate and give your cat lots of energy and interaction!

Need to give Max a bath before Turkey Day and your guests arrive, you will love the smell of M&J Dog Essentials Signature 3-Step Holistic Dog Grooming System.  These all natural and green approved bath products for your dog not only smell wonderful – they work wonderfully too.  The pre-treatment shampoo helps get that dirt loosened up and the smell of lavender will make you jealous you don’t have a pre-treatment shampoo.  After using the shampoo & conditioner be sure to use the Show Dog Shine Leave -in Conditioner – your dog will be strutting his stuff!  M&J is a small family run company so you know you are getting a quality product.  You can also put down Hartz’s Ultra Training Pads on the bathroom floor to absorb any water that drips off your pup instead of using your own bath mat. And then after he is dry be sure to groom him with Hartz’s brand new Fur Fetcher.  My own dog Max is getting a spa day this week before our guest s arrive so he will be super clean, so soft to pet and smelling beautiful.  Wonder if my dog owning guests will be jealous?  Oh and before you give Max a bath – you can now use much bigger and better reaching dog or cat tooth brush called Zututh – so get those choppers pearly before your guests arrive too-the Dogs teeth!  Clean teeth is not just prettier for your pet, but much healthier than them walking around with tartar – yuck!

Once Fido is primped, don’t forget to get him or her a beautiful done perfect for any fashionista dog coat, harness  or collar by Robin Meyer NYC.  Beautifully handcrafted quality products that you will not want to step out the door without (oh wait they are for your dog, but still!).

Have a super anxious pet during the holidays or year round?  Try the Comfort Zone products – Comfort Zone^® with D.A.P.^® (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) products mimic the “appeasing” pheromones secreted by nursing mother dogs, sending a signal of comfort and safety to her puppies. They plug right into your wall like a room freshener.   Or you can spray the Comfort Zone spray onto a bandana and put it onto your dog and help those fears or anxious feelings go away.

One really innovative products, among many other of this company’s products is there new BPA Free water bottle by OllyDog.    I know what you’re thinking, another BPA free water bottle big deal – well this might just make you stop in your paw prints – this bottle has a clip type of water tray for your dog which actually detaches so you can take the water from the bottle and pour it into the tray give it to your dog and you can drink from the bottle top.  This way you are not sharing the bottle with your dog – gross! I have seen many people do this in the dog park, I love dogs, but the thought of that could make me wretch.  You have to check this bottle out here.  They also have some other cool products too.

Premiere – one of their older but very successful products is the Keep Safe Breakaway collars for dogs.  Now if you have ever owned a cat – you know what this is, but I have never seen it for dogs.  Of course Premiere is always coming out with new interactive toys to keep your pets busy and a new one that I loved is the Rip ‘n Tug. Perfect to keep your pet busy, and it’s interactive – be sure to always monitor you pet while playing though!

Some of the other products that you and your pet will love were by Crypton Home – beautifully done dog beds in all kinds of designs –getting away from that oh so over done paw print pattern.  They are water proof and have many designs to choose from.

Some of the other new and innovative products there were: Pet Safe; TAGG; Zero Order’s new pet line and a great pet food company Holistic Select!

And if you’re feeling like you missed out on these cool products, don’t worry, I will be giving many of the products I got away in upcoming ‘Where in the World is Max?’ contests!  Click here or sign up for our weekly Pet Events Newsletter at the top right of this article and you miss out!!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Messy eaters, Pet Parents rejoice!

Is your pet a messy eater?  Does your dog drool while drinking water?  Boy do I have the solution for you!  Recently, Max the resident pet product tester, was sent a big box with one of the most revolutionary new pet products I’ve seen in a while. When I first saw this product, I thought, “wow, what a great idea, and damn it why didn’t I think of that!”  What am I talking about?  The Neater Feeder of course.  Made right here in the good ‘ol US of A from recyclable plastic.  While Max is not the messiest of eaters, he does tend to drool a bit when he drinks water, nothing like a Mastiff or Great Dane – but enough where I was always cleaning the wooden elevated feeder and floor around it – often enough to be annoying, to say the least.

The Neater Feeder feeding solution is designed to take the mess out of mealtime thanks to its raised backsplash and dual reservoir which contains and separates spills and splatters, preventing soggy kibble and slick floors. Seriously, what more could you ask for?

When I opened the box to the Neater Feeder – Max was very curious as to what was in the box. After cleaning the stainless steel bowls and wiping down the rest of the feeder I set it up, put fresh water in the new bowl and prepared his dinner (kibble and his other new favorite Evermore Pet Food).  It was a little past his dinner time and he was hungry – but when I put the food bowl into the feeder he was scared of it!  Classic Max, I am scardy cat American Pit Bull Terrier who doesn’t really like change – and I mean scared that he was standing about 3 or 4 feet away from the feeder crying.  Unbelievable I thought while laughing, “Max you’re such a baby, come here.”  It took about 10 minutes of slowly coaxing bringing the bowl ever closer to the feeder and finally being able to put the bowl inside of the feeder.  He did back up a few times still while eating and cried again, but I guess hunger took over.  OMG!

After the initial drama, he now has adapted to the minor change in his life and loves the feeder – and the BEST part – when he drinks water he stands there and any dribble is caught in the filter area in front of the bowls and it conveniently falls through to the reservoir area below.  One day about a week after he had it, some smaller kibble that was mixed with his regular food (another product he was testing) made him cough a mouth full of food – and where did it land, not all over the floor – but right back into the feeder!  With his last elevated feeder, which I did like for what it was, that food would have gone everywhere.  So we are converts – loving this new feeder, the care and maintenance of it is cake and I would highly recommend it.  The product comes in all small, medium and large and there is even a version for cats too. Like with the one Max has it has extra extender legs with non-skid rubber treads to raise it even.

So Max has concurred a fear, is no longer drooling, spilling, or spitting any food on the floor.  It’s great for human error too, just the other day I was putting fresh water in his bowl pouring from the Brita pitcher and I splashed the water and all the water landed right inside the feeder. Thank you Neater Feeder!  One last thing – Max will be sharing his new found feeder wealth with one lucky winner – check out our weekly newsletter (you can sign up above to the right) for an upcoming “Where in the World is Max” contest.  The person who correctly guesses where Max is will get their very own Neater Feeder!  (Be sure to sign up and watch for the contest – it will be coming up soon!)

crunch, crunch, crunch!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Likable Linkables

So if you wondering what Max has been doing in between his travels and photo shoots for the ‘Where in the world is Max’ contest, he is hard at work earning his daily kibble by product reviewing dog toys.  It’s a ruff job, but somebody’s dog has to do it.  In the last few weeks, in between his daily walks he has been playing with a few different toys by Premier Pet Products.

The first toy, I knew he would probably destroy – but quicker than I expected.  I don’t normally get him any kind of toys that are in the realm of stuffed animals – because they never last long.  He has a method to his madness first ripping off the tag, then delicately (as if he were a seamstress in his former doggie life) removes the thread of the seem, usually about an inch or two long – then pulls out the stuffing with the sole purpose of removing the toys’ squeaker.  But, he never destroys the squeaker – which I find kind of ironic.

So when I gave him the large size Premier Pogo Plush Ball which has an outer soft plush shell an inner bouncy frame and free floating squeaker inside of that, I thought maybe he play with it for a bit.  But sadly he destroyed the toy within about 3 minutes – and yes he ripped the tag off first and left the squeaker in tact. (Crazy dog!)  Now if you have a dog that likes stuffed animal type of toys, or plush toys and doesn’t destroy them – your dog may really enjoy this new type of toy.  If your dog is a chewer or just likes to rip apart toys – I wouldn’t recommend it.  I had a Doberman that loved her plush toys, and would have them for years – she would have loved this toy so much.  So it boils down to knowing what is good for your dog. (Continued below).

Luckily, however, Premier also has a new product line called Busy Buddy Linkables – and Max is absolutely loving these toys and having a blast playing with them.  At first, he wasn’t sure what to do when I linked the Orb Linkable with the Elbow Linkable and put some of his dog food in there.  The Orb is kind of heavy for him to toss around – but he was pushing and flipping the both around for I would say 2 hours the first day he had them.  Which is great because it kept him very busy, drained a lot of mental and physical energy playing with the toy and he couldn’t destroy it.  The next day I just put treats in the Elbow Linkable and he was tossing and flipping the toy all over the deck – it was quite comical.   So if you are looking for a toy to keep your dog very busy, active, and out of your hair for a bit – I would highly recommend the Linkable product line.  So out of both products, one paw up and one paw down from Max.

And as with any toy you give your dog – you should always monitor your dog.  I am lucky that Max does not like to eat or ingest toy products – but many dogs do even if by accident.  Make sure you watch your dog and don’t leave them unattended with toys they could eat any parts of.  Also if you put his kibble in there, make sure you deduct that amount from his food at night so you don’t make your dog obese in the process.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Earth Friendly Products for Paws

It’s Earth Day, and we don’t normally think of pet products on this day – we are usually thinking of planting, cleaning up and ways we can be more environmentally friendly as humans. Fortunately there is now a big market for earth friendly or green pet products. My own dog happens to have a few of them, and we would love to share some of our favorites – and some cats products too.

100% Biodegradable Green Doggie Bags – waste pick up bags. This is a wonderful product for so many reasons, it’s made right here in the USA. All the packaging is made from recycled materials, and the doggie pick up bags are shelf stable – meaning they are not going to degrade on your store shelf or in your car, but they will degrade in landfills, naturally when exposed to the earth’s elements and micro-organisms in the soil and leaving no harmful residues behind. They also have handy tie handles that made it is easier carry and dispose of properly. This is a wonderful product and you will feel better about picking up after your dog knowing you are using a totally green product – not just putting their waste in a regular plastic bag.

Have a kitty? Then you definitely will want to try Worlds Best Cat Litter™ made from corn!  You heard me.  Corn the wonder product – in my opinion.
The natural benefits of World’s Best Cat Litter™, is that they are a biodegradable, flushable, septic-safe and clumping cat litter that uses whole-kernel corn to deliver outstanding odor control.  Using no synthetic chemicals, clays or perfumes, it clumps quick, scoops easy, while remaining pet, people and planet friendly.  At a recent Pet Socialite event,  World’s Best Cat Litter was debuting their Lavender scented litter -  the fragrance is made of an all-natural oil blend including lavender. The oil blend does not contain any chemicals or synthetic ingredients and is derived from a plant based oil.  This product just might make the humans in your house purr!

Looking for a great way to recycle your old clothes and make your pet comfy as well? Molly Mutt came up with a fantastic idea of making a doggie duvet cover – how is it “green?” Molly Mutt diy (do it yourself) dog bed kits are an exciting new approach to keeping textiles out of landfills. Cover your existing dog bed with the molly mutt dog duvet, or fill it with the old clothes and bedding you’ve got laying around your house. They now have a mesh stuff sack to the product line, to make it as simple as grabbing old textiles, throwing it in the mesh bag, and covering it all up with your new fabulous Molly Mutt dog duvet. By “upcycling” your household leftovers, you save money and help keep textiles out of the waste cycle. They have some beautiful duvet styles to choose from to fit into any décor.

If you just got back from taking your dog on a long hike through the woods, (250 challenge), and now he needs a bath – you will want to check out TropiClean shampoos and conditioners. Made from all-natural ingredients and come in varieties like, Aloe, Berry Clean, Papaya, Kiwi, and Peach to name a few. Tropiclean bottles are made from recycled materials (PCR), post consumer resin. The sleeve labels are made from corn which makes them natural, renewable, biodegradable and 100% recyclable! They also use products and materials made right here in the USA! Not to mention the shampoos and conditioners smell wonderful too.

So while you are out shopping at your local mom & pop pet store, look for more earth friendly pet products, and do so all year long. If we all make one little change in what products we buy for our pets we will make the Earth a better place for all of us, and decrease our carbon paw prints. There are many more options out there too – so ask! Happy Earth Day!