Over the weekend a friend forwarded a link to the following video, which features life with a pet hippo.
That’s right. You read correctly. In the world of posh large pets, the pig is out (sorry George Clooney) and this big, traditionally dangerous beast is the new man’s best friend–at least for one South African couple.
Definitely watch this. It’s a real heart-warmer.
Erika Lenkert
At GlamNest the samples we receive range from chocolate to Champagne to telephones to pool cleaners (seriously!). My miraculous intern Amy Copperman helps sort through the schlock to find the best stuff to feature here. Gotta love this one–a high-end dog perfume featured at Fred Segal and other luxury boutiques–which is apparently making tongues and tails wag. Read on for Amy’s report…
Sexy Beast Dog Perfume
The sleek dog-bone bottle was created by designer Karim Rashid
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Not only does Sexy Beast dog perfume provide a musky aroma that exudes warmth and comfort on par with the lovable personality of your pup, but the unisex fragrance ups the glam factor, instantly making your furry friend ready for the red carpet…or at least an odor-free snuggle.
To test the latest in canine care by NYC based Renee Ryan, my chocolate lab mutt, Olive, volunteered for a Sexy Beast makeover.
Like most dog-lovers, I think my pooch is the cutest (and there is really no contest), so naturally I want the best for her. Fortunately, Sexy Beast is just that. The line’s pooch cleanser, powder, conditioner, and signature fragrance from Ryan’s Basics, ranging in price from $26 to $65, are 100% vegan and 100% safe for dogs of all ages.
With one spritz of Sexy Beast’s fine mist of bergamont, vanilla, patchouli, mandarin, and nut meg wafted over her sleek coat, Olive instantly transformed from a floppy puppy into a four-legged femme fatale (yet she is still humble enough to lovingly lick my ankles as I type this).
Her tail swishes a little more haughtily, she walks a little more proudly, and she is much more discerning about which doggie tails she sniffs in the park. Basically she is one Sexy Beast!
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Olive is ready for her close-up
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I don’t think I will ever get her to sit in my bag like Paris Hilton’s dog, and I’m sure Olive still prefers romps in the creek in my backyard to strolls down the red carpet, but even tom-boyish mutts deserve the best in canine care and pampering. And when she comes home from a day in the dirt, a little Sexy Beast goes a long way.
Give a 1.7oz $50 bottle to a dog lover and your gift-giving reputation will, too.
Technorati Tags: dog gifts, dog lover gift, dog perfume, Sexy Beast, Fred Segal
Did you know that August is the number-one month for birthdays? Well, it is–every single year. Know that what means? That there is a lot of hanky panky going on each November, for starters. But more importantly, it means that if you’ve got pregnant or mommy friends, within the next six weeks at least a few of them are going to be extending you an invitation to see the new baby or celebrate little Max or Chloe’s birthday.
I don’t know about you, but I HATE dashing out at the last minute for baby and kid gifts because I always like to go for the fab factor–the creative, stupidly cute stuff that makes even adults go gaga–and rarely are gorgeous (and affordable) presents found when you’ve got 15 minutes to sprint to the store.
So as you check your calendar for upcoming annual fetes, consider the following oh-so-cute designer baby hangers.
Available at Ladybug Art, they’ll run you $36 for three of their standard designs or $50 for three personalized hangers. Though the prices are too steep for me to rationalize buying them for my girl, who incidentally turns two this August, they are definitely in the good-present price range and will stay in favor with recipients for years to come.
Oh! And yes, they DO sell equally cute hangers for adults and even dogs (as seen below).
Now that’s ruff!
Erika Lenkert
Technorati Tags: baby gift, child gift, fashion, present, dog, baby shower
Lots of people can’t believe that I have pet insurance. In fact, lots of people don’t even know it exists. But if you’re a pet owner like me, who would sell practically everything I own for the health of my cat, you might want to look into it.
I decided to insure my two cats Bailey and Caesar (RIP) in 1998 after Bailey got a urinary blockage and landed in the emergency pet hospital with a catheter, overnight stay, and $1,000 vet bill. I was making around $30,000 a year at the time, so I begrudgingly paid the bill and wondered what I would do if the problems and bills kept coming. I decided right then that I never wanted to be faced with the question, At what point are my cats’ lives too expensive?
I knew insurance would not pay all of the bills associated with animal wellness. But they would substantially offset costs, which was good since my pets always seem to get into the most expensive and rare health dilemmas, and I knew I’d do anything to help them so long as they had the potential for a good quality of life.
So, I turned to Veterinary Pet Insurance. The company has been ensuring my Siamese cats for nearly a decade. The price varies depending on type and age of your animal, the plan you choose, and the state you live in (because average healthcare costs vary somewhat from state to state). But average prices look something like this:
Canine
6 weeks - 11 months: $27.92 a month
1-4 years: $31.08 a month
5-7 years: $37.25 a month
8-9 years: $47.50 a month
Feline
6 weeks - 11 months: $21.75 a month
1-4 years: $23.92 a month
5-7 years: $28 a month
8-9 years: $34.92 a month
(Yes, they also insure chameleons, rats, hamsters, birds, snakes, potbellied pigs, mice, rabbits, hedgehogs, turtles, iguanas, frogs, lizards, sugar gliders, geckos, guinea pigs, tortoises, and gerbils!)
Sample annual benefits look like this:
Gastritis $357
Gastric Torsion $1,993
Intestinal Foreign Body (Surgical) $1,363
Liver Disease $409
Lacerations $501
Abscess $378
Pneumonia $588
Bladder Infection $270
FIV Virus Infection $519
If your pet never gets sick and lives a long, long time–as was the case with my 19-year-old cat Caesar for example–you will ultimately end up out of pocket—guaranteed. If you are VERY astute, you may be better off setting aside the funds you would pay in insurance into an emergency pet health savings account every single month of your pet’s life–provided you never dip into it except to fund your pet’s healthcare. But even that’s a gamble since you can’t predict whether your pet will regularly get seriously ill, encounter a chronic ailment, or continually be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Insurance is just that: insurance. The expense was worth it for me because it allowed me the comfort of knowing that if my pets were to get hit by a car, need surgery for any reason, begin to slowly deteriorate due to old age (as was the case with Caesar), or all of the above and more, I would not bear all of the financial burden.
In the last year of Caesar’s life when he was suffering from kidney failure and anemia, his medical bills totaled over $4,000. I was reimbursed $1,840.00.
My reimbursements did not ultimately exceed the amount I paid for insurance over the course of his life. But I saw that as a blessing. It meant my cat lived a long, healthy life. Regardless, it was far less painful to part with a small monthly fee than foot all of the big bills when they came flooding in toward the end.
My 16-year-old cat Bailey is still sprightly, free of urinary tract infections, and bucking his geriatric status. But I know in the back of my mind that his most expensive days are ahead of him–and that when the times comes we’ll both be covered.
Erika Lenkert
Technorati Tags: pet insurance, medical bills, cat, dog, iguana, guinea pig, pig, pot belly, bird, save money, how to, tip, advice
Even if you’re not destined for stardom, you’ve still got a shot at basking in the limelight if you’ve got a fetching or purrfectly charismatic four-legged friend.
The SPCA, which is where I got my beloved bygone supercat Caesar, just announced its PetStyle Contest. To vie for one of the $120,000 of prizes, just snap Fido or Fluffy while she’s striking fabulous poses, go to the contest website, fill out a form, and upload a variety of photos.
While the promise of a $10 gift certificate upon acceptance of a decent photo isn’t going to make me rush home and shadow my remaining cat, Bailey, with a camera, the grand prize is nothing to bark at:
* Two round-trip first class tickets to Los Angeles from any Delta Air Lines gateway city in the United States
* Three nights at the luxurious Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills
* Limousine service between LAX and the Peninsula Hotel
* Two days car rental
* A $150 gift certificate to Spago Restaurant in Beverly Hills
* A $100 gift certificate to Typhoon Restaurant in Santa Monica
* A Komfort Pets climate-controlled pet carrier
* One year supply of Dogswell or Catswell treats
* A $100 gift certificate to Dog.com
* One year of free pet health insurance from Pets Best
* A sheet of 20 U.S. Postal Service stamps featuring the winner’s pet
* An SPCA T-shirt
If you’re pet’s ears perked up over the notion of helping you snare a Hollywood sojourn, get snapping and then tell all of your friends to vote in your favor on the website. Entries must be submitted by July 5, 2007, and the grand prize winner will be announced on July 20, 2007.
My only question is, how does the average adorable animal compete when there are invariably wildly compelling characters like UgliestDog.net winner Miss Ellie (showcased above) in the running?
Erika Lenkert
Technorati Tags: pet, cat, dog, contest, prizes, photography
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