by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Recently I was given a couple cool new and innovative pet products – two ideas that makes me think, ‘that is a great idea, why didn’t I think of that?  You know an simple idea yet something we generally wouldn’t think of.  The two products have the same concept but are both different in the their design, effectiveness, and one may be safer if you have a pet that likes to chew things.  What could these products be?  Dog bowls, but not your average bowl.

These cool products are both literal and figuratively cool.  With the crazy heat we have had all across the country and here on Long Island the past 6 weeks this summer, these products could not have come at a better time.  The FrostyBowlz® and FroBo, pictured below, were put to a test during a 97 degree day here on Long Island.  First, with both bowls there is a core that  can be frozen, just like you own ice packs you would put in a cooler.  I put both the FrostyCore™ and the bowl part (which contains the blue ice packs) in the freezer for two days.  You can just do overnight but I wanted to be sure they were frozen!

Then at 2pm on a 97 degree towards the end of July, I put them in the direct sun, with about the same amount of water.  I tested them about an hour later and both bowls had the same cold temperature.  I came back 4 hours after that – and although the FroBo’s water was definitely still cool, but the water in the FrostyBowlz was still very cold.

So if this were an Olympic competition, you could say the FrostyBowlz got the gold, but I think they were very close.  The FrostyBowlz has a few features that make it unique and safer if you have a dog that likes to chew.  First the FrostyCore is non-toxic and completely covered by the stainless steel parts of the bowl and it is a bit heaver and has better tracking on the bottom of the bowl.  It also has a moat, which is a pretty neat part of it.  So if you had wet food in the bowl instead of water, pour a little water in the moat and ants won’t be able to climb up into the food without falling in the moat!   But of course that won’t stop a fly from landing on the food, but still a cool idea.  You can put the stainless steel part of FrostyBowlz in the dishwasher, you cannot with the FroBo as it could get damaged.   The only thing I didn’t like, so far about the FrostyBowlz is that it only comes in one size, but the company, Talega Products,  is working on a larger version for larger dogs.  And I would suggest to the company a small version for the tiny pups out there too.  Igor seems to really like the FrostyBowlz:

For the FroBo, my dog Max uses it daily – but he is not a chewer so I don’t have to worry about him trying to knock the bowl over and chewing the plastic.  I wouldn’t recommend this bowl for dogs that chew, since it is made of plastic and the ice pack part of it is part of the bowls design, although your dog is not exposed to that part and it says it is also non-toxic.  The bowl part easily comes out to clean, refreeze and refill.  But you do have to refreeze it, so you should have another water bowl handy for your pup while it is in the freezer.

So I really like the concept of both bowls, and think if you are looking for a solution to keeping your pet’s water cool, without having to add ice cubes – both are a great option.  And with this hot, hot weather we have had all summer long both bowls are a great way to keep your pets water cold for up to 8 to 12 hours.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

The 24th Annual Pet Industry H.H. Backer Spring Trade Show took place April 18 – April 20, 2012 at the Atlantic City Convention Center and this was my first time attending.  While always wanting to attend, something always came up so I was thrilled to finally make the event this year, and it was well worth my time!  Some veteran attendees may have said they could do the show in one day – but they also knew what pet products they were looking for. I took my time walking the show floor, looked at ton of pet products and took a couple of the seminars – which were really great.  I met so many fantastic people, great new pet products, many of which are Made in the USA (warms my heart) and thought the event was run so smoothly and everyone was super friendly.  Kudos to H.H. Backer, Pet Age Magazine and Royal Pet Supplies! I will definitely be back and am looking forward to the Chicago show too (October 12-14, 2012, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Chicago, Ill.). You have to love the camaraderie in the pet industry.

Rin Tin Tin one of the Performers in the Special Events - Beautiful!

Some of the new pet product finds that sparked my interest will be covered in upcoming articles – with some pet product reviews and giveaways too – my dog Max will be putting them through the test! However a nod too many of the products I liked can be found below and some fun pictures of the event too.

Always rooting for the underdog, or in this case a smaller business, on day two I was walking the show floor and spotted the To Go Bowl, their signage showed a picture of it and it said, “fits in your car’s cup holder!” I went back to the booth.  My dog Max has a few of the collapsible or fold-able travel dog bowls which I like, but he doesn’t like drinking out of them.  He doesn’t really like to put his face into them, I know he’s weird.  So I stopped and spoke to the gentleman in the booth and he explained the product, they are a smaller company and it’s made entirely in the USA!  Manufactured and distributed by Furry Travelers, Inc. you can even store some kibble in the cup part of the bowl that screws into the bottom of the bowl.  Ingenious if you ask me.  Max will be testing this out on his next trip in the car to go on a hike.  Product review and giveaway coming up soon!  Thinking this would be a great product for those that like to camp with their pet.

One of the food products that I really liked was the brand new, Spring Naturals pet treats.  Max is already going nuts over them.  They too are made in the USA and all natural ingredients and you can see the blueberries in the actual treat themselves.  I will be buying these again in the future.

Another pet food product is Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried Dinners – a couple samples of those were in one of my bags while walking the floor and every dog I stopped to meet was trying to chew through the bag to get to them.  It was quite funny.  Max has been a huge fan of these for a while now.  Oh and yes, Made in USA too!

Then I saw something else that caught my eye, Beer-Bones.  I didn’t know what to think of that, the booth was too crowded the first day, so I went over the next day to find out more.  Basically they dog biscuits are made from brewers wet grains, whole wheat flour, peanut butter and egg.  I never knew you could use the left over brewer’s grains from beer to put into dog bones, but apparently dogs love them.  They are made in USA as well.  They would not be good for dogs with allergies.

After all those food products you are going to need poop bags to bring with you when you walk your dog!  Earth Rated Poop Bags were giving out a lot of biodegradable green poop bags that are lavender scented and are larger than most poop bags, for those bigger breeds too, but fit into standard dispensers.  They also offer poop bags made out of corn so they are 100% compostable and dissolve in only 40 days after use.  These are made in Canada.

Pet Buddies had a pretty big booth and a lot of different pet products, one of those that stood out was the Pooch Super Bouncer Ball.  It bounces like a tennis ball, is heavier and more durable than a tennis ball and has a hole in the center (with openings on both sides) for treats or peanut butter.  It’s also dishwasher safe.  Seems like a cool dog toy – will have to see if Max likes it or not.  Review and product giveaway to come!

There were many other pet products that I liked at the H.H. Backer show, and more pet product reviews and giveaways to come over the next couple of months – so stay tuned!

Cute beagle attending event with his owner from SOS Beagle Rescue in NJ

Now that is a cat scratching post!

Dogs playing poker.

Puppy girl bloodhound!

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!