2011 Wrap up!

2011 has been an incredible year for Peachy Keen Pets, thanks to all the fans, friends, rescue volunteers, pet boutiques, animal lovers we've encountered these last 12 months.

This year we were featured on an awesome show, InnerSPACE (http://www.spacecast.com/InnerSPACE.aspx), on the Space Channel, where they talked about our nerdiest pet apparel, like this Star Trek SPOCK harness:

We were also on Pet Fashion TV, doing a fashion show and talking about what sets Peachy Keen Pets apart, with our sassy pinup girls, retro cartoons, sci-fi comic nerd gear, and more!
(http://www.thepetnetwork.tv/)

We were also in Dogs Dogs Dogs magazine, Pawsh magazine, and we were part of the online edition of the Globe and Mail gift guide for pets!

Our proudest work this year would be raising money for WSPA's Collars Not Cruelty campaign, where each collar sold directly went to save one dogs life in various countries around the world that cull massive amounts of animals in fear of rabies. The WSPA mass-vaccinates dogs with the help of donations, and $5 from each of my red collars was donated this year, and hopefully will go on to raise even more in the new year. Visit their site to read more, http://redcollar.wspa.ca/.  If YOU want a red collar, just email me, niki@peachykeenpets.com.

As you may know, we also do a lot of work with various rescue organizations, especially these fine rescues below. Please visit their sites for information on how you can help with rescue, whether it be through donations, volunteer work, or just to be informed to pass it on to someone else! We rescued our pug Hummus from Pugalug, and have been directly affected by the incredible work rescues do to bring wonderful, loving pets to new forever homes.

Pugalug Pug Rescue - http://pugalug.com/
Boston Terrier Rescue Canada - http://www.bostonterrierrescuecanada.com/home.cfm
Loyal Rescue - http://www.loyalrescue.com/
Dog-Ma Pet Rescue - http://www.dog-mapetrescue.com/home.cfm

For fun, here is the listing for Hummus back when he was in rescue and named Gus, and our adoption photo from 2008!  http://pugalug.com/gus.html

And finally, we are now sold at 34 stores in North America, with new locations in New York City, Ft Lauderdale, Ottawa, and more! Check out our official site for a listing of amazing shops that sell Peachy Keen Pets!
www.peachykeenpets.com


THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING THIS YEAR AMAZING, REWARDING, AND FUN FOR ME AND THE PUG POSSE HERE AT PEACHY KEEN PETS!!

Updates!

I've had a lot of people comment at events lately that they are worried to clean their PKP items! DON'T BE!! Just pop your collar/leash/harness/bandana/bed pillow in the washing machine on cold with the rest of your washing, and hang over the shower rod to dry! Easy peasy!
Although everything we make certainly is SPECIAL, there are no special care instructions to add extra work to your day.

Just because Miso doesn't like to get washed, doesn't mean his harness has to suffer the same fate!


Another very important announcement: Miso is a bit of a drama-king. I have realized that when he's sleeping he looks like he's been tragically killed in a Shakespearean-style way, possibly by a jaded lover or a rival Capulet. Exhibit A:





























































Hummus has tried to call someone for help, but fell asleep himself. Is there a useless, sleepy, snorty character in Shakespeare? Because if there is, Hummus would be that guy.

Pet Fun Fest!

Hello friends of Peachy Keen Pets! I want to thank everyone who came out to the Pet Fun Fest last weekend! I had such a great time meeting people, seeing all the great dogs, creating new products, and taking pictures of the customers!! Here are some adorable customers from the show:




































































































































We also got some beautiful pictures of previous customer Digby in his new Green Skull collar and leash combo when he got home after the Pet Fun Fest, and if you have any pictures of your pet in their new PKP, please send them and I will post them!



















At the event we met up with some amazing rescue organizations, and decided to add another rescue to donate some proceeds to! Check out Precious Paws Rescue, located in Barrie, Ontario.
www.preciouspawsrescue.ca has some wonderful dogs in their care, and maybe you will help them find their forever home.












Thanks again to everyone who came out and supported this amazing event! We will be a part of another fabulous event April 2,3,4, the All About Pets Show. More to come there! By then we will have launched our fancy new pet beds! Stay tuned for more updates!


There have many great things happening to Peachy Keen Pets the last few weeks, and the newest addition has been that our products are now in their first pet store! K9 Couture is one of the absolute BEST places in Toronto to find fabulous doggie fashions, healthy raw diet food, the cutest toys, and some really great products for your pets! Located at 594 Yonge Street, just north of Wellesley. Be sure to visit and try on some PKP!

Big News!

Here at Peachy Keen Pets headquarters (my home office, filled with the sound of the pug duo's snores), a lot has been going on!



On February 13 & 14 in Toronto, we will be setting up a booth with our products at the Pet Fun Fest Adopt A Pet-athon! This will be an amazing weekend where you can learn about rescues, shop cool pet products, get involved in setting a Guinness World Record, watch amazing demonstrations, and so much more! If you are looking to adopt a pet into your life, this event is definitely for you! There are so many rescue organizations attending, and we can all work towards finding homes for all these wonderful animals! For those with dogs already, there is an indoor off leash play area, and you can shop and attend everything with your furry friends! This is totally unique to pet events in the city! Go to www.petfunfest.ca for details! Support this truly wonderful event!


Me and my wonderful Rescue, Hummus, will be on Breakfast Television on February 8 to promote this amazing event. www.bttoronto.ca .
We will be representing Pugalug Pug Rescue, where we adopted our little snorty wrinkled one, along with a number of other great people from wonderful Rescues!


This week we have also confirmed we will be setting up our booth at one of the biggest pet shows in the city for the whole year, The All About Pets Show! www.allaboutpetsshow.com
17 years running, this event has over 40 Rescues attend, and over 180 vendors! Don't miss it!









In addition to these great things, PKP has also launched warm winter coats and sweaters! Pro pictures coming soon, but in the meantime, check out the facebook fanpage for some quick and cute shots! www.facebook.com/peachykeenpets. Become a fan and help support your local handmade artisans! January deals include $20 towards anything in the Peachy Keen Pets Store if you purchase one of our custom-made warm winter coats or sweaters! Hurry, there is only 9 more days to get in on this!

Looking for his Forever Home - Meet Sanford!

Peachy Keen Pets has been directly impacted by the wonderful Pug charity, Pugalug Pug Rescue, as we adopted our lovely pug Hummus from there back in 2008! Pugalug has rescued 171 pugs since October, 2005, and everyone involved has taken part out of the kindness of their hearts on a volunteer basis. Every now and again there are dogs on their site that I am going post on this blog so they get more exposure and hopefully find their forever home that much faster!

So... MEET SANFORD!!

















Sanford is a friendly and laid-back 9 year old black pug that should make any potential adopter a great companion! Visit http://pugalug.com/sanford.html to get his full story, medical updates, adoption requirements, and of course, to actually fill in an adoption form!!

This sweetheart is good with kids, cats and other dogs, is well house-trained and is already crate-trained, though he doesn't need it and would prefer to snuggle with you instead. He is already neutered and has a clean bill of health! He does require someone who will be diligent about putting ointment once or twice a day in each of his eyes for life, and will monitor his food intake, as he could stand to lose a few more pounds! He loves scratches behind his ears, snuggling and napping, and occasionally playing with some stuffed toys :)

This charmer will be sure to win your heart. Check out the Pugalug site for information about him, and the other pugs in their care! Pugalug Pug Rescue is a registered charity, and you can make donations to help with future rescues on their website.

Housetraining Issues With Rescues

If you have adopted a male rescue dog and are having trouble with marking and incontinence, we might be able to help!

Bellybands are a safe, non-threatening, and comfortable way for your male dogs marking to stay away from your stuff! A thick, stretchy piece of fabric with velcro closure goes around your male dogs genital area and fastens at on his back. You place a feminine pad inside to catch the urine, and replace when necessary. (Doggie diapers are more appropriate for female dogs as far as I am aware, and there are many great brands out there).

For us, we have adopted an amazing pug named Hummus, and he only marks our home when we leave the house. We don't crate our pugs when we leave the house and we don't plan to begin doing it, so for us, the bellyband was a life (and furniture) saver! Since we can never catch him in the act, we haven't been able to train away from this behaviour, and because he lived in such sad conditions in a puppymill for the first 5.5 years of his life, we don't think we will be able to.
Hummus happily puts his bellyband on because we don't make putting it on a punishment, just part of our routine. When we leave, we put the CLEAN bellyband on and give him a treat. Because the fabric is stretchy, he can run, play, lie down, sit and scratch with no restrictions.
When we get home, we take it off, throw out the pad if it's dirty, and pop the bellyband in the wash when needed. We only find it dirty one time out of five.














If your dog doesn't like putting it on, try without the pad for a few minutes a day under supervision. Give a treat when it goes on. Don't let your dog play with it. Don't put it on so tight that it's uncomfortable. Always use a quality extra-long or overnight feminine pad that isn't too thick, and preferably one that has wings to catch anything that might try to leak out the sides. This will give you the very best results.

Another example of a dog needing a bellyband is when they mark out of excitement or when at relatives house with animals that invoke marking. We have dog friends that come over and our dogs smell encourages other male dogs to mark, so they might wear a bellyband so that they don't make a mess and start a pee-pattern in the house! Maybe you've been embarrassed going home for the holidays and with all the excitement your dog marks on everything they can! It happens, and a bellyband would be for you.

Most rescue organizations will promote bellybands so that you and your rescue will bond with little frustration regarding marking, because rescues can require so much more work. Adopting Hummus was the best decision for us and we have never regretted it, and a bellyband has helped us along quite a deal with the more challenging parts!

If you would like a bellyband, they are only $8 from Peachy Keen Pets. I make them with a nice, soft, stretchy fabric that is totally comfortable, washable and very durable! If you have any questions, email me. All I require is the measurement around his boy parts! See the picture above to see Pitch modeling his bellyband with a big smile :)