Alpha Dog PR coordinated the appearance of dogs from Le Paws in the 2007 Hollywood Santa Parade. We also worked with Cesar Millan orchestrating his participation in the event

THE LATEST PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
WHEN TRAVELING WITH PETS FROM ALPHA DOG PR
Traveling with pets is on the rise in America and the industry is supplying everything an owner needs to make their beloved four-legged family members feel welcome

Credit: PawPrinceStudios.com

Los Angeles, CA – Americans love their pets. That’s a fact which is evidenced by the $41 billion spent last year in pet goods and services, according to a recent story in Businessweek. Besides the growing number of pet spas, doggie day care centers and animal cafes, more and more people are taking their four-legged family members along on vacation. In fact, 14 percent of all U.S. adults have traveled with a pet on a trip of 50 miles or more in the past three years, according to the latest Travel Poll by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). This translates to 29.1 million Americans traveling with their beloved pets spreading across all socio-economic and educational levels. According to Travel Network of Kendall, which specializes in pet travel, a recent survey of its clients showed that 70% don’t want to leave their pets behind when they vacation.

So where do you take Fido and Fluffy on vacation? More and more hotels and resorts are catering to this segment of the traveling population and there are many goods and services designed with the traveling dog in mind. Here are a few:

• Travel Network of Kendall offers an exciting and much needed full line of customized travel concepts incorporating traveling with your dog. The company develops top-quality destination packages that cater to the canine enthusiast. For more information, visit Travel Network of Kendall or contact Elsa Cristiobal at 1-800 228-6422 or 305-251-7700.
• On a mission to make a major difference in the lives of abused and homeless animals, DogChewz NYC introduces “I’m Dottie,” a line of blankets for dogs and cats. A metaphor for the company’s commitment to animals, the “I’m Dottie” envelops and embraces our beloved pets in a handmade fabric, trimmed in an elegant satin. Part of the Royal Tiny-ness® line of beds and blankets, “I’m Dottie” comes in a delightful array of colors. DogChewz NYC also offers other tempting treats to eat and elegant accessories to spoil the love of your life! Visit dogchewz.com or call Sari Remer at 212-752-5855.
• PetRelocation.com specializes in the transportation of live animals to ease the burdens of families who are moving or traveling with their pets. PetRelocation.com is the leading one-stop-shop for local, national and international transportation of live animals, safely, door-to-door, to/from any location in the world. Forty million+ Americans move each year and more than 60% of these are families owning pets, so there is a huge demand for this unique pet travel service. PetRelocation.com has recently launched HydrationGel.com – the #1 solution to pet dehydration when traveling. HydrationGel.com is the best option available in preventing pet dehydration during long transportations or on trips with limited water sources. Visit PetRelocation.com or call 877-PET-MOVE.
• PetFlys offers trendy, edgy airline approved carriers for everyone’s beloved four legged family member. All PetFlys Pet Carriers feature the exclusive PetFlys Brag Window to proudly display your baby’s photo for all to see and admire! Mascot “Monkey Boy” is it’s new plush pet toy with love to spare (comes with spare squeaker hearts to replace the one in his pouch once your dog has worn it out) PetFlys carriers have appeared on shows such as Ugly Betty, Runs House, The Girls Next Door, Life with the Kardashian’s, and Extreme Makeover: Home Addition and others.
• Don’t leave home without Happy Hips All Natural Duck Breast treats from DOGSWELL. For the dog on the go, these tasty delights help maintain healthy joints with glucosamine and chondroitin. They are rich in protein, digestible and low in fat. Available in Beef Liver, Lamb and Chicken. For pets who might get a little nervous on trips, try the MellowMut chicken breast treats with chamomile and lavender. They are human-grade, made with no fillers, no by-product, no hormones, no antibiotics, no salt, and no preservatives. These jerky treats are made from real chicken breasts with added nutrients to help maintain a peaceful lifestyle. www.dogswell.com. Find DOGSWELL treats at select grocery stores and specialty boutiques such as Barknbitches.com
• If you can’t bring your beloved four-legged friend along, at least you can be reminded of their unconditional love by wearing one of Urban Bone’s beautifully hand-crafted necklaces (which come blank so customers can engrave their pet’s name). Urban Bone offers its signature necklace called the Urban Lu Lu Circle with pavé diamond bone charm. All necklaces are offered in 16,” 18,” and 20” sizes. The 14k gold disk comes in yellow and white
• Pet owners should be sure to pack their copy of Dog First Aid, a new book by the American Red Cross dedicated solely to the health and well-being of dogs. This unique health and emergency preparedness guide is packaged with a full-length instructional DVD, with nearly 70 health and wellness topics covering everything from routine cuts and scrapes to rescue steps you should take if your dog is choking or has a cardiac emergency
• “The Doggie Bag,” is a full body suit/cover used primarily to protect a car’s interior from dog hair, dander, mud, etc. during transport. As a medical application, it is a great alternative to E-Collars, helping to prevent licking/scratching of hot spots or sutures after surgery. The Doggie Bag can also be used as a simple rain or snow coat! It takes very little time to put on; the handles are there to assist a dog into a truck or SUV, as well as aide with hip ailments. Keeping the hair on the dog…NOT in your car!
• The award-winning “Animal Wow: Volume One” is the perfect movie to bring on a road trip for kids to watch as the miles fly by. Included is an award winning DVD, a music CD, book, crayons, games featuring over three hours of activity-packed family entertainment. On pit stops, children can try out the training tips with their four legged best friend
• Does your dog know proper etiquette when visiting friend’s homes or hotels and resorts? If not, be sure to check out the chapter on travel in Doc Halligan’s What Every Pet Owner Should Know: Prescriptions for Happy, Healthy Cats and Dogs, a lifelong companion for easily accessible and necessary pet care advice from a renowned veterinarian and animal welfare advocate. She has appeared on The Today Show, LIVE with Regis & Kelly and many other national television shows.
• Bring along a daily dose of goodness for your best friend with Vita Paw bottled vitamin water. Health conscious consumer’s want the best for themselves and their pets. VitaPaw is vitamin enhanced water designed to hydrate dogs while providing essential nutrients they need to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Created to refresh, dehydrate and reward, VitaPaw is made with only the finest ingredients. Even the most discriminating pet will enjoy this fresh alternative to water. Visit Vitapaw.com or call 512-864-2288.

Based in Los Angeles and a chosen resource for editors, producers, writers and reporters, Alpha Dog PR is dedicated to providing the media with the most up-to-the-minute information about the exploding pet industry. For more information, please visit Alphadogpr.com or call (818) 998-6299.

Our President, Susan Hartzler, was interviewed for this story in Gayot on pet travel:

[Read The Complete Article on Gayot.com]

Pet travel is on the rise in the United States, according to experts in the field. “More and more people want to bring their dogs on vacation with them,” says Susan Hartzler, President of Alpha Dog PR, “instead of missing their beloved four-legged family member.”

“Pet-friendly” is the latest amenity at hotels across the country, but the term can mean different things in different places. It usually refers to dogs, but Hotel Allegra in Chicago and others do allow cats.

“The important thing,” says Hartzler, “is to call the property prior to the trip and find out their parameters, or book through a specialized travel agency which offers customized travel concepts incorporating the family pet.”

It’s possible to bring pets along pretty much anywhere in the U.S., from boutiques to chains, from high end to low. Whole towns, including Carmel and Ventura on California’s coast, welcome pets in special parks and on designated beaches. But road trips with Fido usually don’t come cheap: expect to pay $25 or more per night per pet, with additional deposits or cleaning fees ranging up to several hundred dollars per animal.

At Hotel Solamar, a Kimpton property in San Diego’s trendy Gaslamp District, you’ll find one of the most reasonable policies around: all pets are accepted, and with no fee. The only thing the hotel requires is a cell phone number for the guest in case of a pet emergency while the owners are away from the property. Bay Area-based Personality Hotels only accepts dogs weighing 40 pounds or less, and does not take Pit Bulls, Rottweilers or any animals that appear aggressive. Guests pay a $75 cleaning fee and are also on the line for up to $250 in additional cleaning costs.

W Hotels has a Pets Are Welcome (PAW) policy. There’s a $25 increase in the room rate for a pet, plus a $100 cleaning fee, but also plenty of pampering, from chew toys and a special bed to monthly Lucky Dog animal fashion shows at the San Diego property.

At the very upper end, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles allows small dogs and pampers them well, but charges a $500 cleaning fee as the room is taken out of circulation for a full day following checkout for deep cleaning. The three Peninsula properties in the US all welcome furry friends. At The Peninsula Beverly Hills, canine guests receive monogrammed paw print towels and sleep on a small Simmons Beautyrest Mattress with 300 thread count sheets, for which the hotel charges a $35 supplement. And all Peninsula hotels have ready access to emergency vet care 24 hours a day, which may be the most important pet amenity of all.

[Read The Complete Article on Gayot.com]

TRENDS IN PET GIFTS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON ARE SOMETHING TO BARK ABOUT
Choose from a variety of unique items for your four-legged family member

Los Angeles, CA – The holiday season has gone to the dogs this year. With Americans reportedly spending $41 billion on their beloved pets, it’s no wonder premiere pet care products and services have created some over-the-top items that the well cared-for pooch will want to see under the tree. Dog owners can go with the trusted holiday-inspired Santa hats or Chanukah garb and toys, but to really make a statement, Alpha Dog PR has put together some of the newest and most unique items on the market today.

Your dog could be the next Superstar! Thanks to Le Paws, the premium pet talent agency specializing in training domestic pets to work on film, television and commercial sets offers training sessions led by professional trainers.

Urban Bone Dog Beds offer hand crafted, beautifully designed works of art that are functional for the dog and cat lovers on anyone’s gift list. Created by a leading interior designer, the Canine or Kitty Couture Lines are both decorative and durable. Beautiful aluminum bed frames add bling to any home with pavé designed fish for the Purris Hilton collection, and bones for the Pooch Diddy line, using only Swarovski® crystals.

Sunny-dog Ink’s Pet First-Aid Kit contains more than 60 items for holiday travel preparedness as well as pet care at home. Along with instructions and emergency tips, this valuable kit includes a muzzle, thermometer, emergency blanket, tick remover, CPR Shield and much much more for responsible pet ownership…created by a Pet First-Aid Instructor with the help of a Veterinarian.

Dog Party for Kids! These unique new gifts for kids feature the award-winning “Animal Wow Volume One” DVD, high-quality plush toys of stars Stately and Remix, music CD, coloring book with crayons. Over three hours of value-priced family fun. Endorsed by the American Humane Association. 10% of every purchase funds humane education programs for kids. Free with any purchase: “Dog Party Fun Book,” filled with tips, games, and safety.

Doc Halligan’s What Every Pet Owner Should Know: Prescriptions for Happy, Healthy Cats and Dogs, a lifelong companion for easily accessible and necessary pet care advice from a renowned veterinarian and animal welfare advocate.

Massage Mitts in trendy pet print motifs that practically do the work for you, offering a vibrating massage for your dog or cat while inspiring emotional bonding and stimulating healthy circulation. Purrrfect Pet Products Inc.’s new vibrating massage mitts, Doggy Sajer and Kitty Sajer, offer an innovative and unique way to connect with your beloved pet.

Dog First Aid, a new book by the American Red Cross dedicated solely to the health and well-being of dogs. This unique health and emergency preparedness guide is packaged with a full-length instructional DVD with nearly 70 health and wellness topics covering everything from routine cuts and scrapes to rescue steps you should take if your dog is choking or has a cardiac emergency.

“The Doggie Bag,” a full body suit/cover primarily used to protect a car’s interior during transport, also a medical application to prevent licking and scratching of sutures, or as simple as a rain or snow coat! Keeping the hair on the Dog…NOT in your car!

Ever wonder what your furry, feathered, or scaly friend is thinking? Messages from your Animal Companion is a deck of 55 cards each featuring a darling photo of a variety of pets along with something inspiring they would share with you if they could talk.

DOGSWELL Happy Hips chicken and sweet potato dog treats. With glucosamine and chondroitin, these treats support healthy hips and joints and provide positive reinforcement for tricks and as in-between meal snacks. In addition, this caring company has teamed up with dog photographer Frank Bruynbroek to create a 2008 “Oh My Dog! Calendar featuring portraits of rescued dogs. Find these and other exciting products at Bark N Bitches

Life sized cut-out portraits of your pets from PawPrince Studios. Professional Pet Calendar and Magazine photographer, Pamela Marks, has expanded her business, merging commercial and personal pet photography to become PawPrince Studios & Boutique in Woodland Hills, CA. Send Pam a high-resolution photo of your dog and she can bring it to life!

For the dog with a conscious, “I Hate Michael Vick” dog tees from Doggy Style Designs, are the perfect gift! Available at Come Sit Stay, Shop With Shar and Ruffrageousdogs.com

Le Paws Pet Talent Agency represents a wide variety of pets that are happy to appear on gift-giving segments highlighting any of the items above. Some of the Le Paws superstars include Otis, the English Bulldog whose screen credits include the launch of Pedigree’s Chicken Flavored Dog Food, Baldwin, the Singing Puli, who performed for Meaty on MTV’s Rob & Big, and Princess Bliss, the Australian Shepard who has appeared on 60 Minutes.

Based in Los Angeles and a chosen resource for editors, producers, writers and reporters, Alpha Dog PR is dedicated to providing the media with the most up-to-the-minute information about the exploding pet industry. For more information, please visit Alpha Dog PR or call (818) 998-6299.

Our President Susan Hartzler and her dog Baldwin are mentioned in this article in Healing Lifestyles Magazine, November-December 2007. The topic is Pet Pampering, Spa Time For Your Best Friend. So of course, the media came to Susan to weigh in on the topic!