After flipping through old photo albums and going through the final year I spent with Stanley II (my Brittany Spaniel before Stanley III), it occurred to me that a post about comfortable bedding for old timer dogs was fitting. The final years are sometimes the most special and emotional with our buddies…I’ll be honest, I shed a few tears amongst my smiles looking through year 16 for Stanley II. Though we never got special bedding for him, I was not surprised to see the variety of options and great coverage in the marketplace.

For the older dogs, it seems to be all about orthopedic bedding. Starting my search at BizRate.com again for orthopedic dog bedding, I was pleased at the variety of merchants, including: Drs. Foster & Smith, PetsMart, PetCo, All Pet Furniture, Orvis, Dog Bed King, Pet Solutions, CritterPetSupplies.com, etc. Prices range from $20 to $200, with the sizes of the bed and the amount of orthopedic material being the main factors in cost.

Of all the sites, I liked drsfostersmith.com the best. Not only was their selection of dog beds nice, but alongside 19 results for my search for “orthopedic dog beds”, they also returned a tab with 17 articles about dog health. The most interesting one to me was an article titled Arthritis Maintenance Care: 7 Steps. The writing discussed topics such as pain relief, proper exercise, proper diet, ideal bedding, and best practices for food and water set ups to minimize problem points. Though each section was commercialized by links to products on the site, it wasn’t pushy at all, but rather fantastic content linked to products that clearly could help the quality of life of a pooch.

Though Stanley II got all of the attention in the world in his closing years, I wish I would have known of some of these smaller tips and specialized bedding to have given him a little bit extra. But then again, he spent quite a bit of his closing year on a king size Sealy Posturepedic (mom and dad’s bed), so life couldn’t have been that ruff. :o)

So the discussion continues…from car dog beds, which seem pretty cute and even comfortable, to now luxury dog beds, which in my opinion seem pretty over the top.

PoochieHeaven.com has a huge selection of luxury bedding options. No, we are not just talking about fluffy beds here, but rather chaises, murphy beds, ottomans, cuddle couches, and yes, even trundle beds and canopy beds. Seriously, canopy beds…I don’t how long the canopy actually remains in tact. Seems like a classic chewing opportunity for Sparky. And a trundle bed or sleigh bed frame, of mahogany wood? Who the heck is buying this stuff?

Well, for $100 to $400, you can find some luxury for your pooch at Poochie Heaven. A few others stores with such options are Precious-Pets-Paradise and Petsmart (I searched on BizRate.com and came across the following beds from Petsmart).

At the end of the day though, who am I to make a call on if such luxury dog beds are ridiculous…let’s have the four legged sleepers call it how they see it…

“Heck, the more expensive the bed, the madder my mom gets when I eat the wood, rip up the fabric, and drag the furniture out onto the balcony…I’ll take two of the canopy beds…charge it on my mom’s card!” — Sadie

“Some knuckle head product designer perhaps forgot that we dogs don’t have thumbs…how can I open up the cupboard for a murphy bed? Sheesh…this stuff is ridiculous.” — Leo

Though the masses haven’t spoken, Leo, I am with you here…

]]> http://doggibling.com/dog-bedding/dog-beds-part-2-is-luxury-practical/feed/ http://doggibling.com/dog-bedding/dog-beds-part-1-cruisin-for-a-snoozin/ http://doggibling.com/dog-bedding/dog-beds-part-1-cruisin-for-a-snoozin/#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 07:30:22 +0000 Dog Aficionado http://doggibling.com/?p=27

Outside of the tremendous love and happiness dogs bring to our world, they do three things with the majority of their time: eat, sleep, and poop. All three deserve a series of discussions (there is some pretty outrageous stuff out there product wise in all of these areas)…let’s start with sleep, because this by far takes up the majority of any dog’s day.

With dog bedding, you can go for luxury, comfort, and style, not too different from us humans. So let’s kick off the conversation with some style…how about dog beds that are cars?!?!?!?

The website In The Company Of Dogs seems to have a decent selection of these sporty and stylin’ beds, however, be prepared to cough up some bones, since they run about $250. You can find similar beds at Amazon.com as well.

I spoke with both Stanley III and Lola about such sleeping options, and I quote them on the following:

“I dig the Furcedes…it’s served me well pickin’ up the babes at the dog park. Everyone loves going for a ride in style…plus the back seat is spacious.” — Stan Da Ladies Man

“It didn’t get any better than rolling through Malibu in my mom’s FX35, then snoozin’ in the afternoon in my Furrari at the beach condo…I’m beautiful and a fast mover, and my bedding needs to reflect my personality.” — Princess Lola

I couldn’t find a Hummer dog bed, so it appears that Marmaduke will have to wait until GM sells the TM rights for this set up…

]]> http://doggibling.com/dog-bedding/dog-beds-part-1-cruisin-for-a-snoozin/feed/ http://doggibling.com/dog-party-favors/happy-birthday-dear-fido-happy-birthday-to-you/ http://doggibling.com/dog-party-favors/happy-birthday-dear-fido-happy-birthday-to-you/#comments Tue, 06 May 2008 20:11:48 +0000 Dog Aficionado http://doggibling.com/?p=23

So my dog Stanley III just had a birthday party (can’t believe he is 11), and my mom threw a fun dog party for him with family, two legged friends, and four legged friends. There was a lot of playing, sniffing, nose butting, and woofing that went on…good times for sure! Looking at the pictures from the party, I figured I had to start a string here about dog birthday parties…supposedly there are millions of them held every year by Americans who love and do crazy things for their pooches…

Party planning tips include questions and thoughts such as:

- Should the party be indoors or outdoors?
- How many human vs. canine guests should attend?
- What kind of food and drink should the dogs have vs. their two legged owners?
- Always have your digital camera ready…pooches won’t hold a pose for long

Party must have’s are:

- Doggy invitations…even dogs like to get mail
- Dog games…races and singing contests are good ones, and I’ve seen a peanut butter eating contest go down as well
- Party hats…Sparky may not want to wear it, but the pictures will be great
- Goody bags…all dogs want to go home with some nummy treats
- Poop bags…yes, it’s inevitable that Lola will leave behind her own party favors

Party fouls could be:

- Barking too much…could more than three misconducts warrant dismissal?
- Humping the birthday boy or birthday girl…give them a break on their special day
- Eating cake that is not yours…small dogs sometimes eat slower, so don’t polish off your own plate and then go swiping other’s goodies
- Sneaking away for a poop and leaving it as a surprise for a human foot or shoe…Clifford, if you are doing #2, be honest about it!

Here are some links to sites that have other fun ideas and discussion about dog birthday parties.

(Links to follow…sorry for the delay!)

Cheers!

For those dog lovers out there who don’t know about RSS feeds, well, here is how RSSDay.org defines it:

“RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format used to deliver information from websites and pages that get updated regularly. An RSS document (which is called feed) contains either a summary or the full content from a website.”

This means that if you have a favorite website or blog that always posts content, instead of having to go to the site every time to get your fix, you can have the content shipped your way. Pretty convenient.

For dog lovers, if you have never set up an RSS feed before, I recommend that you start here with my blog to stay up to date on Doggy Bling and the crazy thing we do for our pooches.

Cheers!

When I heard from fellow coworker and dog lover that I had to check out Wiggles Dog Wigs, and that I better shut my office door because I am going to laugh so hard that I’ll cry, I didn’t believe the person. I was wrong.

The pug with the comb over worse than my dad’s Sunday hair do (sorry pops), the rasta dog that only needs some Bob Marley “Buffalo Soldier” in the background to complete the scene, and the pretty princess trying her best to copy a Marilyn Monroe look all but sent me over the top.

And if this wasn’t enough, Ruth Regina from Wiggles Dog Wigs has a YouTube clip from the Dave Letterman show that it just outrageous…check it out at this link.

How a dog can wear a wig is just beside me…I don’t think a dog would get low self esteem if its hair turned gray or wasn’t as full as in its hay day. Again, this really seems to be a topic where the owner wants to bling out Sparky or Lola.

Question for my readers…if you had to get a wig for your dog, would it:

A.) be a hair style you are currently sporting

B.) be a style you wish you wanted, but could never get away with

C.) be a conservative and classic look

D.) be a hippy and liberal look, ya man we jammin’

Seeing that my hair is thinning these days, I’d go for the comb over look for Sparky, since perhaps if he got some ladies with it, it means my best dog days could still be ahead of me…

So it’s Earth Day today, and just as we focus on how to save energy in own homes, apartments, vehicles, and offices, so too should we think about where to conserve and help the earth with all of the goods and services we provide for our pooches. Here are my top five suggestions:

1.) Eco Friendly Poop Scooping

You would be surprised at the types of bagging options you have for Sparky’s doo doo. A contraption called Pix-It-Up boasts biodegradable bags. If you don’t want to take care of the dirty work on your own, DooCare is an up and coming eco friendly pooper scooper company. They are currently based in Arizona, but are seeking to build 200 franchises in the next five years…check out their video from a news clip.

2.) Recycling

Dog biscuit boxes, canned food tins, and all of the mail catalogs you signed your buddies up for can all go into recycling.

3.) Turn Off The Lights

I talked to Stanley, and he said he wasn’t afraid of the dark. Just because your pooch is at home doesn’t mean you have to keep lights on all over the house.

4.) Turn Down The Heat

Our furry buddies have nice natural coats and love to burrow into a fleece or wool blanket, perhaps a warm and cozy dog bed, so you don’t have to leave the heat turned up just for the pups to stay warm.

5.) Use Reusable Bowls & Cups

Whether for food or drink, try and use cups and bowls that are reusable. When in Santa Monica a few weekends back, I saw a couple running with their dogs using a folding fabric and rubber bag to pour their water into…it closed right back up to fit in a small backpack, ready to use a mile or so down the way, and it was easily washable.

Happy Earth Day!

Spiked dog collars…somewhat of an aggressive look for a pooch, but I can see how it works for certain breeds. The Dobermans, Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, and Bulldogs look pretty bad ass sporting the look (their attitudes and bodies fit the image too). I can’t say I have ever seen a spaniel, a lab, or a retriever in this leather and chain type garb…what other breeds do you think can sport this bling and get away without looking ridiculous? (Perhaps a Chihuahua with a missing identity?)

Make no mistake, the spiked collar isn’t just for the fellas. The ladies are sporting the look too, with pink, magenta, and turquoise among the color options. The babes aren’t afraid in this modern world to tell the boys they bring power to the dog park. Bow wow wow, the ladies run this place, ya?

Though I’ll never open my pocket book for a spiked collar for Stanley, our Brittany Spaniel, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to pick up this look for your pup. Petsmart has spiked collars from $10 to $55 (the upper end is a Harley Davidson collectors edition), but some smaller boutique stores may charge up to or more than $100 depending on the design and size of the pooch.

At the end of the day, I wonder if there is a strong correlation between owners that wear spiked collars, bracelets, and accessories, and their dogs…I’ll take a stroll in Hollywood some weekend to do some research.

Would you get a spiked collar for your four legged buddy? If so, why?

These four legged friends of ours bring so much happiness and laughter to our lives, that it only makes sense we feel the need to pamper them, to coddle them, and to buy them all sorts of items and services they don’t need or necessarily care about. You really do have to ask, is it the pooch who wants that dog sweater, the Burberry collar, or the sterling silver dog tags, or is it the owner? The world may never know…

So why this blog? Simple. I love dogs and I pride myself in being able to generate happiness, laughter, and fun. Since the stories and emotions and humor that accompany our four legged buddies can make even the most stone cold, introverted person smile and laugh, I hope to bring some fun and laughter and smiles into the days of those who follow the blog.

And what is Doggy Bling all about? I’m interested in researching, sharing, engaging, learning, smiling, laughing, and having dialog about the crazy things we do for our pooches. From upscale doggy day care, to high end dog dining, to personal diet trainers, and of course the crazy clothing and accessories, dog collars, dog toys, and dog bedding we get for our pooches, any and all topics are fair game here…

You can expect to hear from me, Dog Aficionado, multiple times per week, as well as some of my four legged blogging friends, Stanley III, Lola, and even Sparky from time to time. They bark, and I type…it is invaluable to get feedback and opinions from those closest to the source.

More bling bling for your pooch pooch. Woof if up.