We found this story on Yahoo! News and thought it was interesting enough to pass along. It seems animal psychologists have researched what kind of music if any, animals might enjoy:
Animal Psychologists Discover What Music Pets Prefer
Many pet owners leave their home radios playing all day for the listening pleasure of their dogs and cats. Station choices vary. “We have a very human tendency to project onto our pets and assume that they will like what we like,” said Charles Snowdon, an authority on the musical preferences of animals. “People assume that if they like Mozart, their dog will like Mozart. If they like rock music, they say their dog prefers rock.”
Against the conventional wisdom that music is a uniquely human phenomenon, ongoing research shows that animals actually do have the capacity for music. But rather than liking classical or rock, Snowdon, an animal psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has discovered that animals march to the beat of a different drum altogether. They enjoy what he calls “species-specific music”: tunes specially designed using the pitches, tones and tempos that are familiar to their particular species.
–click here to read the full story on Yahoo!–
Hmm.. Maybe they should add a “Species Specific” category to the music section of the ITunes store!
But just because your dog doesn’t like Rock & Roll or Rap, it doesn’t mean he can’t look like a Rock Star on one of our custom Album Covers featuring your pet!
Check out more examples of our super cute Album Covers in our Custom Pet Portraits gallery!
Interested in featuring your Dog or Cat or Ferret on an Album Cover? Contact us for details..
It’s hard to believe that its been nearly a year since the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, and the subsequent nuclear disaster left thousands of pets abandoned in the radiation zone where their families were prohibited from returning. But in this rare update from ABC News we learned that the United Kennel Club of Japan is continuing in its efforts to rescue and reunite those pets with their families.
Please click the image to watch the video for more details, but we have to warn you while its good news, there are some disturbing images.
It’s so amazing that there are people willing to put themselves at risk to help these abandoned animals!
The Big Game is only a week away – that’s right its time for Puppy Bowl VIII! (What?.. You were thinking of some other “Big Game?”)
If you visit animalplanet.com you can get all the pre-game stats you need and view the entire starting line up. You can pick your favorites and get prepared for the Piggy Pep Squad, newly added this year, and of course the Kitty half-time show. Also, they’ve added some “Hall of Fame” footage from Puppy Bowls past.
So stock the fridge and plan your Puppy Bowl Party. We’re talking about hours of romping, rolling, tail-chasing, fun! What could be more Super than that? (And don’t worry, it starts early so you don’t have to miss a minute of that other game.)
Are we the last people on the planet to find out about this?? Everybody knows that Daily Deals sites are all the rage now, Groupon, Living Social, Deal Chicken, the list goes on. But did you know there’s a Daily Deal site for your dog? It’s called Doggy Loot!
It works just like the others, you sign up for your city and everyday you get the opportunity to buy a great deal for your dog. It’s mostly treats and toys available either online or locally. But DoggyLoot.com offers a little more than that in their Doggy Woof department with news and info on health and training and all things doggy related.
It’s certainly a fun site to visit, and a brilliant idea, be sure and check it out! At this point it doesn’t seem that there’s a site for kitty loot, but give it some time..
And if you’re still shopping for a last minute gift for the pet lover on your shopping list, we still have gift certificates available for 10% off! Visit our Specials page for details.
For all you last minute shoppers, our annual Gift Certificate Sale is on! So if you can’t get a photo for us to work with in time for Christmas, it’s ok.. you can still get a great deal on a unique gift for the pet lover on your list with 25% off a Gift Certificate f!or a custom pet portrait!
Gift Certificates are created electronically and emailed to you for you to print or forward to the recipient. You can purchase a Gift Certificate up until 10:00 p.m. (central) on December 23rd and you will receive it via email within 24 hours. HOWEVER this special offer may not be available for long, depending on the volume of gift certificates sold the discount could be suspended at any point so don’t wait… Order your Pop Art Pet Gift Certificate today! 
Pop Art Pet Gift Certificates make an awesome, very personal gift and they allow the recipient to have creative freedom in selecting their favorite photo to be used for their portrait!
To take advantage of this deal now just place your order for a Gift Certificate and use the discount coupon code GIFT25 in your shopping cart. Once you enter the code, click on recalculate and the discount will be applied.
CLICK HERE to order now or visit our SPECIALS page for the fine print.
Ok, yes we admit it, we’ve been in denial but we are not unaware that it is in fact THE HOLIDAYS! In fact the turkey leftovers are all gone and Black Friday 
is in the rear view. In fact, Cyber Monday is here!
We have a couple deals for you to choose from. You can either get FREE standard stretching on your custom pet portrait OR 20% off any rolled portrait!
Please visit our Specials page for the details and to place your order TODAY.
If you’re not ready to order today please check our Holiday Order page for deadline information. As it stands, the last day we can accept orders and guarantee delivery by Christmas is Wed. Dec. 7th but that date is subject to change.
From Gizomodo.com, read about how one pet photographer who single-handedly increased the adoption rate at a local shelter by 100%! The secret… better pictures:
How to Save a Dog’s Life? Take Better Pictures
So many dogs are euthanized every year because they can’t find a family to adopt them. It’s not their fault. With some better picture taking, a few cute poses and accessories, dogs can find a new home in no time.
It’s true, Dallas pet photographer Teresa Berg has taken it upon herself to “better market” homeless dogs so they can find a family to take them in. Instead of just snapping a random picture of a dog behind a chain-linked fence, in poor lighting and unflattering poses, Berg takes time with each shot, dressing them up and creating pictures of dogs you can imagine on people’s mantles. Gone are red-eyed, blurry shots. In are dogs with a soul.
The results of her pictures were instant. Every dog Berg took a picture of was adopted and the entire dog shelter as a whole has seen a 100% increase in adoption rates. Berg is now starting to teach volunteers how to take better pictures of homeless dogs. It’s a pretty great idea for any professional photographer who wants to give back.
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Periodically we like to remind people that we don’t only do pets in that popular Pop Art style, and since lately we’ve done a lot of Pop Art “stuff” portraits lately in addition to our custom pet portraits, it seems like a good time .
Recently, we were commissioned to created a very unique birthday present for the fabulous Nan! And in addition to the unveiling of her portrait at the birthday party, each guest received a special party favor.. a magnet featuring Nan’s custom Pop Art created from her photo.
Reportedly, a good time was had by all, and Nan’s very own Warhol-style portrait looks awesome on the wall! [Click here to check out our Pop Art People site]
And now we’re working on some very large scale wall art created from our client’s own personal photography. The finished dimensions of this landscape will be 36″x60″!
What a great way to decorate your home – with YOUR photos!
And coming soon, we’ll be working on some Pop Art of a hot car that looks something like this..
This isn’t the photo we’re going to work with, our client is still looking for the perfect picture.
So next time you’re in search of a truly unique gift, or want to redecorate your living space to make it truly you, be sure to get in touch and see what we can do for you!
We found this story on the Telegraph, a UK news source, which reports that now one in ten pets there is on Facebook, or has a Twitter feed, or even a Youtube channel. We have to think that the number in the US is likely as high if not higher!:
One in ten pets is on Facebook
More than half of pet owners post about their animals on social networks and one in ten pets has their own profile.
A different breed of celebrity is taking over Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, a new study suggests. One in ten of all UK pets have their own Facebook page, Twitter profile or YouTube channel, and more than half of UK pet owners are sharing photos of their pets online.
The rise of pets online has also seen a number of owners joining dedicated sites, with names such as Critter, Catster and Doggie Dating. Others have also set up entire websites devoted specifically to their pets, many of which have raised money for rescue centres or animal welfare charities. The New York-based owner of a cat called Romeo has raised more than $50,000 in two years and amassed nearly 10,000 followers.
Top of the international zoo turning social networking into petworking is Maru the cat, who has amassed more than 6million views on YouTube since joining the site in 2008. Described by his owner as “a little bumbling and a little awkward”, Maru has been filmed embarrassing himself in nearly 200 videos, and has attracted almost 140,000 subscribers who have signed up to be notified of his next adventure.
Stephen Davies, a social media specialist, said that the phenomenon was not as peculiar as it might appear. “As social networking plays an increasingly important role in our lives, it’s only natural that our pets become part of the phenomenon too. We use sites like Facebook and Twitter as an extension of our real-world selves and when we think of our pets as part of the family we want them involved too,” he claimed. He added that “there is an insatiable pet demand online.”
Other animals with major followings online include Mark Zuckerberg’s pet dog Beast, as well as those who have become famous without the help of such celebrity endorsement.
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Here’s a question.. how many of the pets on Facebook also have a custom portrait created from their photos??
Answer.. not enough!
The care and concern for aging pets is a subject near and dear to our hearts, and apparently we’re not the only ones. Photographer, Isa Leshko dedicated a portfolio on her website to Elderly Animals in order to depict their dignity and beauty in their later years. 
In her words, “Images of animals that are prevalent in popular culture generally depict animals that are juvenile, or at the very least, in the prime of their lives. In these images, animals are exoticized, anthropomorphized, and/or infantilized. This project examines animals who are elderly or at the end stage of their lives.”
Please click here to view her beautiful photos.
Also, Jezebel.com in the “Dog Edition” of their series on Aging in America features the photography of Nancy LeVine who traveled across the country taking pictures for her series called “Senior Dogs Across America.”
Click here to see some of those pictures and read about her inspiration for the project.
Beautiful, adorable animals in all stages of life, and the amazing bond we share with them has always been our inspiration too.
