by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

7 picks from Global 2016!

6.2 miles of trade show floor this year at Global Pet Expo, 3,218 booths and over 1,000 exhibitors at those booths. So to narrow this down to 7 picks – well not an easy task – and maybe not fair as I saw a ton of pet products that I would love to share  – but we would be here forever!  So I choose 7 picks and few honorable mentions!  In no particular order, here’s some of the cool products that caught my eye while in Orlando 2 weeks ago:

Automatic Litter-Robot – So this may be a steep price at $449.00 but really – if you have a cat or cats, in my opinion the Litter-Robot by Auto Pets is the way to go.  Litter box cleaning is no fun and this is virtually hands free, and should make your life so much easier.  Another great thing, this pet tech product is fully made in the USA – how cool is that?  You can see my Youtube video about coming soon!

Tall Tails Authentic Dog Products once again had a beautiful booth with many new products debuting at Global this year.  A new collection, the Run Wild collection has a bold new pattern and design on many of their exisiting products and new products like the Flying Disc which is perfect retreiving games with your dog and it even floats.  The new 3-in-1 blanket is a great combo for those dogs who love to snuggle under the covers, find a comfy place to relax on after hours of play.

Jakks Pet Faces pillows – these stopped me in my tracks because of the sheer adorableness of them. And they were incredibly soft and the faces are lifelike and cartoonish all at the same time.  Perfect gift for the pet lover in your life or even your pets.  They had many cat face pillows including Grumpy Cat, and also for dogs, a Boxer, Bulldog, Rottie, Boston Terrier, Yorkie and Pom.

The Orijen and Acana booth where they were doing a food tasting with chefs making food for people with the same human grade ingredients that goes into the dog food – it was a big hit, there were a lot of people sampling their food and their display was incredible.  They had a display of all the ingredients that go into their foods – nothing like I have seen before (it’s usually just pictures of the ingredients).  Their pet food is made in Canada, but in a few months a brand new facility will open in Kentucky and all the food will be made and ingredients sourced in the USA.

Hurtta – If you are someone who likes to go on adventures with your dog, off the beaten trail, like me – then you will love the products from Hurtta – from Finland.  Especially the Sun & Bug Blocker – it may seem crazy to put your dog in this full body coat for lack of a better term.  But just the other day I walked my dog Cody in a relatively new county park, and was picking the tiny ticks off him as we walked (and he wasn’t in the brush).  This coat also provides a UPF of 40 blocking most of the UV rays from the sun.  The other coat they had that I absolutey loved is the Ultimate Warmer.  In looking for a coat for Cody, I could never find anything that actually fits him, covers his butt and goes up to his neck.  He is a wuss when it comes to the cold, so I can wait to try this for him.

Finding toys for my dog that he won’t destroy is nearly impossible.  Even the toys that say durable, puncture resistant – are usually no match for him.  Walking the trade show floor I saw a ton of really nice toys, adorable toys, super soft toys – non of which would last more than 3 minutes.  I know many of you can relate.  On my last day at Global I saw something that I thought, hmm, I bet this would be a good choice for Cody, the Virtually Indestructible ball by Hueter Toledo, Inc.   It comes in many sizes, some even have a ball within a ball and best part, made in the USA!  Hope to get one soon to try it with Cody!

Beco Bowl by Beco Pets – if you have a big dog, you know finding a collaspable water bowl that is non-toxic and well made is hard to find.  I literally have been searching for 6-months for a Large collapsable water bowl to no avail.  The majority are made for small or medium sized dogs – or the opening of the bowl is just too small.  On the last day, literally the last 15 minutes of the show I found the Beco Bowl (thanks Dana!), so I can wait for Cody to try it.  It is sustainable, toxin free, as are all their products.

A few other pet products that I loved was the PawFlex new series of tug toys, A Pet with Paws Vegan pet carriers made from recycled plastic water bottles, Einstein Pets 1 calorie all natural healthy pet treats, and the emjoi squeaky toys!  For more pictures of great products you can click here.

If you were at Global – what was your favorite find?

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

The 2nd Annual Better With Pets summit, hosted by Purina, was held in New York City on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 and brought together thought leaders, entrepreneurs, rocket scientists, (yes actual an rocket scientist), and so many other wonderful people in the pet industry.  This year’s summit focused on how innovations and what is to come for pet care, pet products, veterinary care and nutrition.

Kicking off the summit was 14-year old entrepreneur Brooke Martin – who is so well spoken for her age, poised, bubbly and professional – it is a almost a ridiculous. Inventing a product called iCpooch, she talked about her product, the reason she came up with the idea and how she beat out 39 adults at a entrepreneurial weekend competition at a college, when she was the ripe old age of 12 years old.  I met Brooke at Global Pet Expo this past March and loved her spirit and drive to make our lives better with our pets.  Congrats Brooke!

Host of the event John Hockenberry with Mayo Clinic doctor, Ed Creagan who gave tremendous insight (most of us know this already) but how sick human patients were missing their pets so much while hospitialized that their health declined.  An example of one patient who stopped eating when he was separated from his dog, and his dog while in foster care also stopped eating.  When the dog was brought to the hospital to visit with the patient, both of them perked up and were much more responsive – the nurses couldn’t believe it.  I can.  Hospitals need to become better at dealing with patients that may be terminal or in the hospital for a long time to ALLOW visitation from the owners pets.  So glad this topic was talked about and thank you to Dr. Ed Creagan for being there to bring attention to this subject.

The amazing story of Bean and how her owner, Dr. Karen M. Vernau and another veterinarian Dr. Stan Marks didn’t give up on her and her story of hope and survivial is incredible.  It was great to meet Bean at the event.  Bean should actually not be alive today, living with a permenant feeding tube, who also could not breath properly with conditions such as muscular dystrophy to a malfunctiong esophagus, Bean is probably one of the first dogs, if not the first to have a tracheotomy.  This happy go lucky sweet dog is alive because of these incredible advances in human and veterinary medicine.

Victoria Stillwell was also one of the guest speakers at this year’s summit and throughout the day long event the speaker line up that was fun, (can you say Cats taking over the art world?), informative, moving and motivating. If you missed the event you have incredible luck as you can WATCH the entire summit here – how cool is that? Enjoy! (See more pictures below).

Just Manny the Frenchie hanging out during the event!

Fellow pet professional in attendance at the summit during the lunch break.

Beke Lubeach of Goodbone Marketing,  Caroline Goldin of Romeo the Cat and Crayons and Collars, Dr.   Nancy Hassel (me!) and Dana Humphrey of Whitegate PR.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Fun Pet Product finds in Chicago at Total Pet Expo!

This past weekend LIPetPlace.com traveled to Chicago for the trade show Total Pet Expo to find new, innovative, fun and unique pet products to bring to you.  It may seem like a simple thing to do, but in this 60 million dollar a year industry, I like to see what booth pulls me in!  Here are some of our top picks:

How fun is this double ended dog toy, The Bomber by Zues?  Made of durable natual rubber, it bounces, it floats, you can throw it, kick it for your pup – in two sizes, and while any dog can play with this – it’s perfect for the larger breeds.

Love these cat housing systems by Crijo Pets, they go beyond scratching posts, provide fun cat walks and so much enrichment for your kitty.  Perfect for you cat at home, animal shelter or sanctuary. All the products are made in the USA. Scratching pads are easy to replace and the systems are easy to clean!

Got a messy mutt?  This new feeding system is made from BPA and PVC free FDA food quality silicone in which two stainless steal bowls easily fit into.  The silicone is easy to clean, provides a non-slip surface, can be used indoors or outdoors and comes in many different colors.  Messy Mutts makes this product in large and a small size for dogs and is coming out with cat sizes soon.

The IndestrucaBALL made from mango wood with chips inside so it is interesting to your pet.  Perfect for some of the breeds that rip apart or break other toys easily – this tough toy comes in two sizes and is from Aussie Naturals.

Want to make your own chicken or jerky treats at home? Uncle Ulrick’s just debuted this home kit where you can make the treats in your oven in 3 hours vs. many hours in a traditional dehydrator.  But if doing it at home isn’t your thing, you can pick up a bag of their own line of Chicken, Beef or sweet potato strips all made from USA sourced human quality ingredients.

Love Planet Dog products, if you are thinking of the Holidays – stock up on these finds for great stocking stuffers or house warming gifts to bring to your friend or families house for their dogs during the holidays.

If you’re taking your dog for a walk like this adorable guy Oakley, you need to have a the new DoggieDooAll attached to your leash! The double ended poop bag hold has just what ever poop picker upper needs, sanatizing hand wipes right in the middle of the holder.  No more will you have that yucky, unclean feelig after cleaning up from your pet.  Great for wiping your pups drool and paws too.

Photo credit: DoggieDooAll product show from website.

To see more products and PICTURES from the show, click here!