Happy Holidays

Hi Everyone,

Happy Holidays!!

Just thought I would share some Christmas ideas for our furry friends, doggie friends, family members and any dog lovers in general.

Have you ever seen the "In the Company of Dogs” Catalog? It's a treat!! Check it out at www.inthecompanyofdogs.com Delightful gifts and ideas for every breed of dog lover on your list. Call 1-800-544-4595 for a catalog.

A new catalog to me is "Eden Lane". It proved heavily loaded with doggie delights of every sort and breed. Check out pages 14-30 for many new items. This catalog is packed with canine gifts and novelties of every sort. Call 1-800-837-7147 for a catalog or online it's www.edenlane.com

Here’s a gal who does home cooking for doggies. If you want “take out” she will even cook in your containers. For that service though, you’d have to be lucky enough to be in the Tucson area. Otherwise you can order her food. Many entire items are fresh frozen. The food smells very good. The reason is, Carey uses roast beef and turkey and veggies. She also makes treats. Carey essentially saved her own dog’s life from Valley Fever with home cooking and her grandfather’s recipes. The food is very wholesome and dogs love it. (Mine sure did. They loved the treats, too.) Check out Wylie’s Reserve made by Carey Haas at 520-326-6622 Call for more information and prices. *Now available at Uptown Pets in Palomino Plaza on Ft. Lowell in Tucson. Email:

Critter Stuff is owned by Deborah Collins who makes pet or “critter” totes. You can carry your little friend around safely and snuggly against your body. The totes are made in various sizes and of durable material with heavy webbed and padded carry straps. The tote itself is heavily padded and very pet friendly and comfy. She also makes slings, harnesses, bitch’s britches and boy belly bands.. Here is her site: (which she says is under construction right now) www.crittertote.com Her phone number is: 760-325-5660

For a round “donut bed” or a soft “pillow bed” or any of your sewing needs, contact Peggy Lowe. Peggy also makes crate covers, grooming table covers and

Chin pillows for grooming your shih tzu’s face and head. Peggy has an embroidery machine, too, so she can put a shih tzu or your name or your pet’s name on any of your items.

You can find absolutely adorable purses and bags for very reasonable prices at this address: (just copy/paste to your browser address bar) http.//quicksitebuilder.cnet.com/almanyagsd/handbags/

Misty Fisher does wonderful shih tzu and may other animal shirts. Here is her url:

http://www.animalshirts.net/dogshirts/shihitzo.htm

A new food product of interest: Dick Van Patten has a new “Raw Dog Food”. It will soon be available at Petco stores. His zoo vet in residence developed it. It comes in very convenient 1” square cubes. I have been testing this diet on my crew. My dogs absolutely love this product. It is very healthy for them and so easy to use. Just keep frozen until ready to feed. A grown dog eats about 4 cubes a day. My dogs also ate kibble. A 4# bag retails for about $12.00. There are virtually no dishes, no cooking, no cans, and healthy enzymes from the raw nutrient rich food.

Solid Gold Dog Food Company has introduced several new products. There is a new
”small bites” puppy size kibble. It’s made from salmon and bison protein sources. Goobers Pet supply in Mesa carries most of these products.

Puppies like interactive toys. Many of the catalogs have these available. This helps stave off boredom and keeps puppies happily occupied. Care A Lot is one of these catalogs;

1-800-343-7680 is their phone number or go to www.carealotpets.com online. www.revivalanimal.com is another user-friendly source of toys and assorted supplies.

Your older pet may need a sweater or a fleece shirt in the cold weather. A thermal pad or blanket is a nice for an older pet. Remember it’s colder near the floor as heat rises.

Furry pads, whether fake fur or heavy fleece pads come in various thick nesses and may be put into crates or on top of other beds in the colder weather. You can also use a pillowcase to cover them. This makes it easier to launder the cover rather than the pad every time.

Snuggle Safe is a disc filled with a microwave able liquid that stays warm for up to 8 hours. Follow directions and a cold area or chilly pet will be warm for hours. Good to have on hand where a power shortage is possible. (Available in most catalogs for less than $20)

The new heated mattress pad (available at Wal-Mart) is water proof so those of you who like to be toasty warm but worry about your pet having an accident or hot spots on your covers from your pet laying on it, worry no more. Instead of an electric blanket you might like this new alternative. (This is a product for humans.)

To make a pretty new holiday collar for your pet, simply buy or find some pretty ribbon the width of your collar or purchase a webbed collar the width you prefer. Either sew or glue the ribbon to the collar. You can also get fancy and make a “slip cover” for your collar instead and change it with the season. Another possibility is attaching a pretty bow to the collar for the holidays.

Cots* or replacement cot covers, are available in designer and upholstery fabrics from BJ. BJ is also doing more stained glass designs. E-mail to: dog day designs ®

* Cots are sometimes called trampolines. Here is one of BJ’s ornaments:

If anyone would like custom labels with their pet’s photo or one of my shih tzu on them, please feel free to order from me. You can email me with your requests at you can use your labels for mailing or books or filling out forms. I can also make you a transparency to iron on your sweat or tee shirt with your dog’s photo, his name or a cute saying. A friend recently requested this one: GOT SHIH TZU?

An excellent deodorizer is available from Organic Power Products. It’s called Pet Force. It costs about $8.50 for a quart. Can be used for almost anything including in your steam cleaner for cleaning carpets. I have tried it myself and it’s great. It’s non-toxic and very effective. Call to order: 1-800-411-8801. Other very good products of this nature are: Nature’s Miracle and Get Serious. These are both enzymatic and very safe to use. I also like Natra Pet’s De-odorific. Nil Odor makes a good deodorizer and has been around forever. These products are all in the various catalogs and most pet suppliers have them. Don’t forget the old stand by: club soda. Baking soda is also good, too.

Remember how fascinating all the tree trimmings are to pets.

Be sure to puppy/dog proof your tree, your decorations and your gifts!! Curious pets can cause a fiasco.

Take extra precautions during the holidays with people in and out of your home. Be sure to keep pets safe and secure. A shih tzu gets lost and disoriented very quickly. No one wants to lose a precious pet due to carelessness.

Looking for a special charity to donate to spread Holiday Blessings?

Canine Companions for Independence might be a consideration. Go to www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-2275 email at

Helping Hands for Pets is a local pet funding individual who is using her own and her late sister’s money to help people and their pets: Diane Hawthrone, 1017 Fifth Ave. Safford, AZ 85546 Phone 1-520-428-4823

Guide Dogs for the Blind, 1-800-295-4050- or www.guidedogs.com this one has been around a long time and is self-explanatory.

Wishing all of you and your furry friends a very healthy Happy Holiday Season!