Animal Planet - Pet Trends blog

Like Zip Car But For Pets

Think you don't have time for a pet?  Well, a new company called FlexPetz thinks you do!  FlexPetz describes themselves as, "providing members with local access to a variety of dogs, all of whom are rescued or re-homed, very lovable and fully trained.  Flexpetz members can spend from just a few hours to a number of days with each of our dogs."

Since reading about this trend in the news, I've asked myself, "How did this come to be?"  The founders explain that the idea originated with dog owner wannabes discussing how sad they were that they didn't have the time to devote to having a dog full-time. But, they did have the desire to have a meaningful relationship with a dog. 

The basic premise is that you pay a monthly fee and on the day you wish to have some canine companionship, you go to the local Flexpetz and pick out your date for the day.  Or, you can even have the doggie delivered to your door in one of their doggie shuttles.

Flexpetz is available in New York, San Diego and Los Angeles.  Coming soon ... San Francisco, London, Boston and Washington DC. 

Curious to hear what you think about this.  Do you think it's a good trend for pet lovers unable to commit or is it a bad trend for those poor dogs who have to go back to the kennel at the end of their playdate?  Lemme know!  This might just be something I need to see to believe.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make me a Match!

While at the expo, I got to spend some time with Jarod and Dina -- hosts of Animal Planet's new matchmaker pet series, Petfinder.  You should totally check out the show!  These two know what they are talking about and are total Yentas of the pet world!  Petfinder airs on Saturdays at 9 PM e/p.  And if you're interested in adopting your own pet, take this fantastic Pet Picker quiz and then visit Petfinder.com to search for pets in your area.

P.S.  Special thanks to the San Diego County Animal Services for bringing the adorable Julep and handsome Hollywood to visit with us!

Ode To A Best Friend

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am."  ~ Author Unknown

When I was a freshman in college, a very special Welsh Corgi, Fanny, came into my family's life.  This breed is well-known as the favorite pet of Queen Elizabeth II. In fact, the Royal Family currently has five corgis and four "dorgis" which are corgis crossed with dachshunds -- I guess Dixie is a royal favorite too!  After meeting our Fanny, we quickly understood why this breed is so well-favored. 

We named her Fanny, because at the time, I was playing the role of the real-life comedienne Fanny Brice in a theatrical production in Washington DC.  Both the real woman and this special canine brought a smile to my face instantly, so that was how she got her name.

When any of us came to the door, including all of my friends, she would rush to the door and look up at you with such joy at your arrival, even when I had only been gone a few minutes.  I know ... I know, I've been told that dogs have no sense of time, but that's not the point.  Nothing beat knowing that Fanny was so happy to see me, no matter how much time had passed, that she could barely sit still. 

Fanny had a particular game she played with my father when he came home after a full day of seeing patients.  He would pretend to ignore her, and she would give him a playful growl until he got down on the floor to play with her and rub her belly.  When he would inevitably fall for her charms, I swear I could see her smile -- A real toothy grin.  I knew that this was a highlight of my father's day too. During the day, Fanny took pride in her role as my mother's sidekick.  The phone would ring and she'd joyfully bark as if to say "Hello, you've reached the Gallants!" 

But it is in the more quiet moments that I most cherish with Fanny.  Wherever I was in the house reading, working, watching television or listening to music, she wanted to be near me.  And when I looked at her, she looked back at me with these wide, dark eyes filled with such a tender, unconditional love.  Most of my friends and family always say the same thing about Fanny, "That is the sweetest dog I’ve ever seen." 

Fanny was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma and lost her battle with cancer this weekend. My family lost one of our most cherished members.  The idea of going home and not having her there to greet me at the door breaks my heart.  I will never forget the unconditional love I saw in her eyes when she looked back at me.  She reminded us to take time out of our busy days to play and love each other.  Her paw print will be forever left on my heart. My life is forever changed because of the sweetest dog named Fanny.  A best friend indeed.

P.S. Did you know cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in forty-seven percent (47%) of dogs and thirty-two percent (32%) of cats and that cancer kills almost 50% of dogs over ten years of age?  Learn more about cancer in pets and how you can help by visiting Tails of Hope.   

Bloggy Love

Blogs are IN!  I, myself, am a huge fan of lots of other blogs out there.  It's the best way to get the most up-to-the minute scoop on your favorite topics!  There's an entire community of people who blog about everything from celebrities to fashion to pets.  And there's even some blogs written BY pets!  Here are some of my faves:

Pets with Blogs

To Aire is Divine
Bogart is an adorable Airedale Terrier who blogs about his life in the city.

The Intelligent Dog's Guide to a Troubled World
Black Lab, Randolph shares his opinion on what this world's coming to.

Ginger the Cat
Life through the eyes of a suburban tabby cat.

Timothy Dickens
This cool cat lives in "Mew Jersey" and randomly blogs about his life.

Pet Lovers

Dooce
Heather writes about her two dogs, Chuck and Coco often and takes daily photos of them too.  Don't miss the pics of Chuck balancing stuff on his head!

Gotham Unleashed
A man and his best friend blog about local events and news in NYC.

Celebrity Blogs

Perez Hilton
Besides always having the best Hollywood gossip, Perez is a fellow dog lover and often has fabulous pics of my favorite stars like Rachel Bilson, Jennifer Aniston and Oprah out and about with their dogs.  Maybe Perez will send us his favorite picture of him with his new pooch, Teddy (hint, hint).

PetSugar
It's SWEET!  Plus, they post great pics of celebrities with their pets and have cool giveaways!

Celebrity Dog Blog
I will NO DOUBT be writing about Hollywood's pampered pets, but this is a site that's ALL ABOUT IT!  They've got the photos of the lifestyles of the rich and furry!

Celebrity Dog Watcher
Digging up celebrity dog news daily.

One of Dixie's and my favorite things to do together is to curl up on the couch and watch TV.  No matter where Dixie is in the apartment, if she hears the TV pop on, she bolts for the couch -- often trying to perch her long body in the middle of the couch, but we're working on that.  To make sure that Dixie and I are tuning in for the best shows, I log onto my good friend at OK! Magazine's Delaina Dixon's TV Fanatic blog.

It’s all about the blogs, so check these out and tell me about some of your favorite blogs in the comments!  

Happy New Blog!

Tah Dah! It's a new year, and I'm so excited to launch this blog! I (along with my four-footed sidekick Dixie) will be talking about all things trendy and fabulous for pets and pet lovers. Dixie and I both love presents, so I’ll share some of my ideas for sending gifts to fellow pet lovers too.

This is going to be THE spot to hear about everything from the latest fashions to the best travel destinations to new gadgets that ooooh and ahhhhhh us all. We may even do our own special awards for the best of what we discover. And, no doubt, I’ll be dishing on some of our favorite Hollywood (aka Howlywood) pet lovers.

So, here's to 2008! May it be the Year of the Pet (Year of the Dog, Rat and Chicken are just not enough)!

 

Me and Dixie at a Photo Shoot