Vida Doggie Blog

The Celebripups

2009-06-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

These models have worked for the top designers in fashion industry like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. They have appeared in national advertisements for Bank of America and Cole Haan, have appeared in television shows like Greatest American Dog and The Martha Stewart show. One has gone as far as sweden to do shows and another almost became the president's top choice!

Who are they? ...you must be asking

well, meet " The Celebripups" ! A group of dogs - from the smallest breed in the world , chihuahuas to a big adorable Labradoodle that are the most requested dogs in the media.

They are trained, groomed and on a 7/24 call for jobs. Each have their independent agents
and pubicists that keep these spunky pups busy all year around.

following our "Steps to Stardom" episode, we asked a couple of them to share tips on what YOU can do to join the pet show business.

Eli the chihuahua :

Entering contests – both online and at events – can be a great way to get your pup in the business. Many of them have prizes of being on the cover of a magazine (or product – like the MilkBone box!) Get an agent, but before you do so, make sure your pup can obey basic commands, especially “sit/stay” which is necessary for photo shoots. Also, join online meetup groups, which can be a great resource, listing jobs of all kinds. Go to dog events, shine, have fun, have pictures taken, and pass out business cards with your dog’s picture and website (yes, make a website for your dog!) If you have a fun, easy-going attitude and are in it for the love, producers, directors, photographers, and even painters will remember you and your pup when casting for films, TV, and modeling gigs.

Andrew, Americas Greatest Dog contender:

First thing is to find your pet's niche. Lots of dogs can do tricks and lots of dogs are "cute," so find something unique your dog does and market, market, market and promote your dog. Take him or her along with you everywhere and to every event and trade show so you can make as many contacts in the business you can. An agent will be more likely to take your pet on if your pet brings something special to the table.

Bocker

The most important things to understand are what are your dog’s strong points. Sure, he looks great, but will he listen to commands and remain calm in different circumstances? Training is of utmost importance. Be flexible; sometimes you don’t get much advanced notice for print ad or commercial work. Always have your dog groomed so he is ready to go on short notice. Don’t feel you have to teach them every trick in the book. Having a dog that listens to you is the best place to start. With the internet, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc., there are so many ways now to get the word out there about your “star pet”. Go to events that feature dogs, have promotional items, photos, business cards ready to hand out. Networking is a very important part of meeting people and making connections to help you on your road to success. Plus it is fun too.

Recipes for the pups

2009-06-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ada Nieves Dog Meatballs

Sirloin Meat - Apples ( peeled) - Green Beans ( No Salt )
Mix , make balls and bake at 350 % for about an hour
( time depends on the size of meatballs )

Pumpkin Doggie Treats

1(15-oz) can mashed pumpkin(not spice pie filling)
3/4 c. cream of wheat or wheat germ (can substitute rice cereal if dog is wheat sensitive)
1/2 c. dry powdered milk

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a bowl combine the mashed pumpkin, cream of wheat or wheat germ and powdered milk. Mix until the consistency is even. Drop cookie-sized spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Cool before giving them to your dog.

Courtesy of Alexis "Hollywood" Garfield and Inky the Chihuahua

Millie LaRue and her southern flavor

2009-06-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

This little southern terrier belle samples her own special recipe of a wonderful yummy salmon dinner that shares with all of us.

notice how she uses a tiny - little fork.

Millie’s Salmon Supper

2 pounds salmon
2 cups cooked organic brown rice
1 cup organic carrots - sliced
1 cup organic green beans
1 organic sweet potato – chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh Rosemary
1 cup plain yogurt (no artificial sweeteners added)
1 cup naturally dried blueberries

1. Poach salmon in a large pot of water…reserving the water for making the brown rice and poaching the vegetables. Set poached salmon aside in a large mixing bowl.
2. Cook brown rice according to directions…For added flavor and more vitamins and minerals, use the reserved water from poaching the salmon to make your rice.
3. Boil the vegetables (carrots, green beans and sweet potato) in the remaining “salmon water” until they are tender.
4. In a food processor, puree the vegetables and the fresh Rosemary until they are smooth. Pureed vegetables are easier for some doggies to digest.
5. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the brown rice, pureed vegetables and yogurt to form a soft mash.
6. Flake the cooked salmon in the large mixing bowl and add the rice/veggie/yogurt mash to the fish. Mix well.
7. Add the dried blueberries, stirring gently to combine. Blueberries have lots of anti-oxidants in them!
8. Let this mixture cool enough to place into individual freezer bags. Freeze any unused portion for later use.
9. Mix a small amount of this mixture into your doggie’s favorite high quality kibble and watch him/her gobble it up!

Yummy, yummy in my fat tummy!

special thanks to her pawrent - Darsey Mitchell for sharing photos and recipes

Greatest American Top Dog

2009-05-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

Andrew participated in the popular CBS series along
his mom Laurie Williams. Even with his small stature,
he ended up been runner up of the show. This has been
just the begining for this little dog with a big heart,
who recently was a judge at an agility event and now
has his own edition toy.

Recently was his birthday and as you can imagine was
celebrated " AL Grande" . Laurie tell us on her own words :

" Andrew's pawty was a fundraiser and took A LOT of organizing! We worked with the United Maltese Rescue arranging the guest list. The party was open only to VIP's, members of the UMR, and of course, the Celebripups! :)

The biggest activity was the silent auction that ended up raising over $2000. We also debuted the 2009 Birthday Edition Andrew Doll, with a signed (Andrew's paw print) certificate of Authenticity!! Jilli was the entertainment. She did her popular routine and people loved her."

Each guest received a great gift bag full of great items, and of course each doggie got wonderful ada nieves' treats.

Andrew's pawty package included cupcakes shaped as malteses and treats with his name

The Fiesta was celebrated at pupniron.com

"Sombreros de Fiesta" Pawty Hats

2009-05-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Episode # 2 explains how to make pawty hats
and give simple tips to teach your pet to wear them.
You can then be creative and customize to your own
pawties or needs.

Hats can be a great complement to any outfit.
Below, Lola Lebron poses on her " Gatsby" Look

Hat designer Roberto Negrin holds his furkid
as she poses with the "Dragonfly" hat.

Another incredible Hat designer is Gladys Degado,
who recently graduated at FIT on Pet Product and Marketing Design.
She shares pictures of her most popular design that
comes with a matching bib. Glady's best model is her own maltese Pierre
whom is known to stop traffic for his custom wearables.
Check her site (be patient as still under construction)
http://www.doggonecouture.com/

One Nation Under Dog

2009-05-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Michael Schaffer, stops from his busy book
tour to talk to us.

Met him about 2 years ago...at one of our
infamous chihuahua pawties...
remember him standing quietly in the room
with his small notes book and a pen..writting.
At times , talking with some of our meetup members.
After that event, will bump to him at diferents
places like the Pet Grooming expo at Hershey
Pensylvania or Pet Fashion Week.

We rotated around the same circles of the Pet Industry
for a little while. Michael calls me
"The Queen of Pet Networking"and a "connector"
on chapter # 2 of the book. For me, HE IS
the real connector interlocking all diferent
aspects of the pet world in one book and bringing
the communities together. Is a MUST to have and Read!

order the book at :
Amazon.com: One Nation Under Dog: Adventures in the New World of Prozac-Popping Puppies, Dog-Park Politics, and Organic Pet F..

check the book, reviews and more at :
http://michaelschaffer.net/one-nation-under-dog/

Pattern Below - enlarge as needed

LifeTime TV Extremem Dog Make Over

2009-05-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

extreme%20makeover%281%29

2009-05-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Bambi and Daisy were adopted.They are both

the same age , but been rescues ...there is no record

on their birthdays. Mom Maggie Vaccaro marked

in her calendar the first visit to the vet and decided to make

that their birthdate.

Little Bambi, Mom Maggie and sister Daisy

Group Photo from the pawty

A human cake with bambi and daisy's picture

was served to the paw-rents. While pups enjoyed

treats.

Animal bingo games and scratch off tickets

with Daisy and Bambi pics were played to win prizes

Tip to learn from Bambi and Daisy's special day:

1. You do not need history about your dog to have a birthday.

Choose a meaningful moment for you & your pup as a reason to celebrate

Share your Pawty pictures!

email: ada@petliferadio.com

Pawty Supplies: www.adanieves.com

A Traveling Pawty

2009-05-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

When it comes to Fiestas...Cuba takes the Plane !
Last year New York, this year Charleston, next year?
Boston, Philly or DC

Dave, Happy Birthday Boy Cuba and Bob

Carriage Ride with Cuba and his friends
(16 dogs flew/drove to Cuba's Celebration at Charleston)

Ghost Tour
Check their full traveling schedule :
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfrf2m82_3hfq6fkdg&hl=en

"It's all about serving our Master" says Christine Ann Janssen

Tips to learn from Cuba's Fiesta :

1. Plan your vacations around your dog's special day.

2. Ask your friends and family to join.

3. Visit places that are pet friendly and allows you

to schedule activities were all the pups can join

Share your pawty pictures!

email to: ada@petliferadio.com

For pawty supplies : www.adanieves.com

Chadon's Bark-Mitzvah

2009-05-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Maristela Ferreira celebrated her pomeranian's
13 years ( that is human years )

Light refreshments were served for both, dogs
and pawrents. The big hit, doggie beer!

Tip from Chadon's Pawty :
After doggie guests have enjoyed all the amenities,
they are less restless and that would be the perfect
opportunity to try get a group photo.

Keep yourself organized by setting places appropiately.

Here an area was setup to place the gifts.

Chandon is dressed for the occasion and poses

with some of the gifts received. A photo like this

can be use for thank you cards that you will send

to your guests later on the week.

for learn more about Bark-Mitzvahs go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bark_mitzvah

Share your pawty photos

send to: ada@petliferadio.com

Listen to our show Vida Doggies

at http://www.petliferadio.com/

For pawty Supplies : http://www.adanieves.com/

Mandee's 1st Barkday

2009-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Wagging Tails and lots of barking were at Mandee's 1rst Fiesta.
The female chihuahua dressed in (what else) pink from a pawty hat
with her pictures printed to a three layered ruffled dress, was the star
of the day. Her birth-day!

Mandee was Greeted by friends and enjoyed customized treats

Tips we can learn from this Pawty:

1. Few days before the event, start teaching your dog to wear pawty hats
(when the day comes, will be easier for them to pose for pictures)

Daisy Vaccaro

Tommy T with mommy Felicia

Esmeralda receives a hug from her mommie

Chico enjoys been in mom's Stella loving arms.

on a special note
*** Dog owners heartily call themselves moms, dads or pawrents as endearment***

Stella shared a Big card she made for Mandee

and told us was use as background for picture taking

want to see your pawty posted in our blog?

email photos to: ada@petliferadio.com

or visit : http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=83825902553

for your Pawty Supplies : Ada Nieves for Dogs

http://www.adanieves.com/

Photos from our Listeners

2009-05-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

Pierre celebrates his barkday with his "pawrents"
...the 4 legged ones

Birthday Girl Zeena wears her pawty hat proud
and cann't wait to taste the dog cake.

email your pawty photos to : ada@petliferadio.com
the most creative photo will win a prize and a chance to
be interview for our show.

Fiesta Time

2009-05-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Having a Pawty is so much fun!

They also require lots of work organizing and planning. My first advise ; no matter how big or small the pawty is ...ask your friends for help. This will allow you to concentrate on the details. Start with the basics.

Select a theme or ocassion

Figure the amount of guests

Choose a location

Send the invitations

Puppy Pawties can range from Barkdays to Pup-Nuptials or holiday themes like the one organized by Elaine Lewis for her Lower Manhattan Small Dog Meetup Group in NYC. They had an Easter Gala. Members like Karen Biehl with her chihuahua Eli ( who is a NY celebrity ) and Stella Panzarino with her chihuahua Chico ( who is not a stranger to stardom ) were encouraged to dress on the theme. This idea helps to make the pawty memorable since is a moment to play dress up and take pictures.

Table settings were to the part. Notice the table cover, cups and the cake in easter decorations.

Tha cake is center piece. This one for human consumption. However it is a simple design that can be replicated for a dog cake.

cake by ada nieves