Petopia

Spoiling Your Grand-Dogs

*The grandchild gap is growing.. pet ownership is skyrocketing..." Pet ownership is at an all-time high, with 71.4 million U.S. households, or about 62 percent of the U.S. population, having at least one pet.....

...grand dogs are also big business.

At the online marketplace CafePress.com, granddog merchandise is a hot seller. “We first started to notice a trend toward this stuff about two years ago,” says Amy Maniatis, vice president of marketing. “And for some reason it’s really starting to take off now.” Currently CafePress.com offers more than 55,000 granddog-related items for sale, including T shirts, sweatshirts, magnets, decals, mugs, doggie clothes, and bumper stickers with messages spanning from sweet sentiments like “I love my granddog”.

There are sites like Your Spoiled Dog Story that captures every detail of how you can spoil your dog.

Portly Pets Do Not Have to Climb the Stairs Anymore

A new invention for fat pets is coming on the market. Remember those lifts used to carry people up their home stairs? Now there is one for pets. 

Creative designers have modified the technology so it can be used by dogs, replacing the chair with a comfortable basket.

And a paw-activated button raises the dog to basket-level on a moving platform, before sending them up the stairs.

That means that there are loads of pets who are too fat to climb stairs without stressing their hearts. TV vet Joe Inglis said: “The stair lift for dogs is an innovative product but ultimately it’s a sad state of affairs that we’re even talking about it.

"Fat dogs might look cute and cuddly but obesity is a serious issue with very serious consequences – besides restricted movement, heart disease and arthritis, it can result in liver damage and diabetes too”.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4220337/Stair-lift-for-dogs-helps-porky-pooches-get-about.html#ixzz27986TDNA

Hilarious Knitted Hats For Your Dog

Some dogs just have the face for hats as evidenced by this great post on SoBadSoGood. I love dog hats.

As for the poor Pug who’s job it is to model these hats, lets just say a picture speaks thousand words – his expression is priceless!

 

Dog Hannukah Hat

Just in time for Hannukah (or Channuah) is the perfect doggie gift for the dog who already has everything - a crocheted dog hat for the Festival of Lights.

I picked this up on Esty.

Celebrating Hanukkah? Your four legged best friend wants to join in with the festivities. Eight nights of lights let your buddy feel like a part of the celebrations. The front of the hat is crocheted with white bulky yarn which gives the effect of fur. We followed behind with a royal blue 4 ply yarn for the back of the hat. The Star of David is crocheted in a silver metallic cotton thread and then sewn to the top of the hat.

This hat is made to order which means they can fit any breed with the measurements.

Underwater Dogs - A Great Book

This book is simply wonderful. It is called Underwater Dogs and features photos of dogs underwater. It is not only fun to own, it also makes a great gift.

Read the blurb and check the book out.

The exuberant, exhilarating photographs of dogs underwater that have become a sensation

From the water's surface, it's a simple exercise: a dog's leap, a splash, and then a wet head surfacing with a ball, triumphant.

But beneath the water is a chaotic ballet of bared teeth and bubbles, paddling paws, fur and ears billowing in the currents. From leaping lab to diving dachshund, the water is where a dog's distinct personality shines through; some lounge in the current, paddling slowly, but others arch their bodies to cut through the water with the focus and determination of a shark.

In more than eighty portraits by award-winning pet photographer and animal rights activist Seth Casteel capture new sides of our old friends with vibrant underwater photography that makes it impossible to look away. Each image bubbles with exuberance and life, a striking reminder that even in the most loveable and domesticated dog, there are more primal forces at work. In Underwater Dogs, Seth Casteel gives playful and energetic testament to the rough-and-tumble joy that our dogs bring into our lives.

Cat Tailor?

I grabbed this post from a very interesting blog: Fabric.com 

This one goes out to all the pet people! This particular post is cat-focused, but doggies are always welcome to hang.I like 'em all!

Pets wearing clothes in one of those polarizing topics. Some people think it's hilarious to put clothes on their pets, while others think it's incredibly cruel. My stance on the topic is in the middle -- if the pet is OK with it, so am I, but it breaks my heart to see an animal struggle or thrash around in fear or discomfort.

Here's directions for making him a shirt.

A Great Pinterest Site for Pets

Pinterest is a great resource for pet lovers as evidenced by this wonderful Petaholic Pinterest page. And it is all for a good cause. Curator Maryann Rizzo says:

Why did I name this board "Petaholic"? Well ...to begin with I love animals. I have saved, spayed, neutered and found homes for 30 outdoor cats. I kept 8 of those angels...4 live in my home, and 4 live in my studio. I am big into Rescue Organizations, and a proponant of spay and neuter programs to stop the prolific reproduction that only causes suffering to innocent animals. Please support your local SPCA and Rescue Organizations ~ they need all the help they can get.

 

Please visit Petaholic and support Maryann's great effort.

Easy to Make Cat Beds

Here is an easy to make, do it yourself cat bed. All instructions are graciously supplied by Eva of the Netherlands:

Materials: MYSA GRÄS, GOSA SLÅN, polarvide

Description: Cut MYSA GRÄS in half. You now have a piece of 100*150 cm. Fold it twice and stitch the ends together. This forms a ring of 25*150 cm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut a piece of Polarvide to fit the ring. I have used a second piece of fabric as a contrast. You need about 50*150 cm fabric to cover the ring.

Stitch the short ends of the fabric together (inside out, so the seam is on the inside) and fold the fabric over the ring. Stitch the long ends of the fabric together (right side out). The seam on the long sides is on the outside, this is ok, since it will be covered when you attach the bottom.

When stitching the fleece of a smooth fabric like the one I used, the fleece will stretch. I put paper on top of the fleece and stitched on top of that. This way the fleece does not stretch. You can easily tear the paper of along the stitching line.

Cut a bottom for the ring from a non-stretching fabric. It should measure approximately 35 cm in diameter.

Turn the ring inside out en thread the bottom to the ring. Then stitch it using the sowing machine. When you turn the ring back the seam will be on the inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut two circles of fabric for the pillow which goes into the cat bed. Diameter approximately 35 cm. Stitch the circles together (inside out) and leave a small opening. Turn it right side out en stuff it with about 1/3 of the GOSA SLÅN filling. Close the small opening so the filling cannot get out. Put the pillow in the cat bed.

The end result is shown in the main photo. Your cat will enjoy it!

 

 

Esty Finds - Great Pet Gifts

Facebook | Twitter Tumblr | Dudes | Vintage Find Your Friends on Etsy Today's email brought to you by Any Pet Passion We know your pet is the cutest of them all! Find gifts for your fluffy friend, and for all the pet lovers you know.

Image by TheGoldenPlague   Image by yarnmiracle

Cat people   Dog people

Gift guides for pet lovers I Am An Animal Lover iamwhatiam $36.00USD Red Plaid Dog Shirt Screen ... PoisonPaws $28.00USD iPad 2 - Cat felt sleeve BoutiqueID $72.00USD Shop gift guides for pet lovers...

Image by AtomicAttic

Gifts under $25 Shop dog gifts under $25... Shop cat gifts under $25...

Personalized for your pet Large Dog Nose Print Custo... janewearjewelry $310.00USD Personalized Kitty Cat Bowl ... sunshineceramics $25.00USD Custom Pet ID Tag - Jackso... theCopperPoppy $19.50USD Shop all customized pet gifts...

More holiday gift ideas Sign up for the Etsy Gifts email to find something special for each person and pet on your holiday shopping list. Sign up for Etsy Gifts Image by DianaParkhouse

Blooming Ume Dog Vest - J... shopKCQ $70.00USD Dog pod lounge - Bamboo vurvdesign $598.00USD 9" Blue Jay Custom Leather ... pupplanet $44.99USD

Scratch Tower - Modern Car... moderncat $95.00USD Modern Cat House modernmews $450.00USD Severed Leg Catnip Toy - Gr... lifewithtigers $6.00USD

Is Your Pet a Furkid?

Do you read your kitty bedtime stories, drop your dog off at daycare when you go to work, arrange play dates for your pet? Is your pet's wardrobe more stylish than your own? If so, perhaps you have a furkid. A furkid (also fur-kid or fur kid) is a pet treated as though it were one's child.

While lavishing all your parenting impulses on a pet can get expensive, it has its advantages. Human children need braces, violin lessons, private schools, weddings, down payments for their first home, etc. -- that's a lot more money and your financial commitment never ends. Let's face it, little Fluffy just doesn't have as many years to live. Your friends may prefer your furkids, too -- when you set up the home movies of Fido they won't feel so guilty bolting for the door.

If you realize that you are the parent of a furkid and you're ready to proclaim your status, you can find interesting products at CafePress. For example: "My rescue cat is nicer than your honor student" or "My childern have fur."