Pop Art Pet Unleashed

Archive for February, 2007

A few weeks ago we told you about fellow animal artist here in Denver, Meredith Topping-Brooks of Lil’ Angel Pet Portraits. Well since then Meredith added to our growing “Kylie Collection!”

Working from this photo of Kylie…

Meredith painted this portrait..

Isn’t it Fabulous?! We Love It !!
Thanks, Meredith!

Have the harsh, cold conditions this winter gotten in the way of your normal walk, run or play time at the park? Are you in search of some ideas for entertaining your dog when the weather outside is frightful? There are lots of stimulating activities that will keep you and your dog happily enjoying one another’s company, no matter how gloomy it is outdoors.

• Take your dog to visit a friend, relative, or neighbor who would be cheered by some dog-petting therapy.

• Teach your dog a new trick, such as lying down and resting her head sadly on her paws when you say, “it’s raining.”

• Go outside and play in the snow or splash in the puddles. If your dog had their way, this would probably be their first choice.)

• Have a canine spa day at home. Give him a bath, clean his ears, cut his nails, and brush his coat.

• Play a few rounds of indoor hide-and-seek. Have your dog stay, and then hide. Release her and call her to you. When she finds you, greet her with something that will make her happy, like treats, a game of tug, a chew toy or a belly rub.

• Buy a new toy for each of you and hang out together while you enjoy them; better yet, buy a toy you can share.

• Practice the art of canine massage. To learn, start with a great video like, Bodywork for Dogs, or a book such as, The Well Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure.

It’s all about spending time together in interesting ways, so don’t let the winter weather keep you from spending quality time with your best friend!

Another story of an amazing animal responsible for coming to the rescue of it’s people happened earlier this week in Oregon. Thanks to a high-tech electronic gadget and a big warm dog named Velvet, three climbers rescued after a harrowing fall and a night in the wind and cold high on Mount Hood are expected to be fine.

They were found at about the 7,400-foot level on Monday and hiked down the mountain with their rescuers.

Searchers credited the group’s rescue to two things — Velvet, a black Labrador mix who provided warmth as the three climbers huddled under sleeping bags and a tarp, and the activation of an emergency radio beacon the size of a sunglasses case that guided rescuers to the group.

Velvet, owned by climber, Matty Bryant, had minor cuts and abrasions on her back paws and legs from prolonged exposure to the snow, but she was cleared to go home.

“The dog probably saved their lives” by lying across them during the cold night, said Erik Brom, a member of the Portland Mountain Rescue team.

Fortunately the group was well-equipped for climbing Mount Hood in the winter with cell phones, global positioning system gear and the locater beacons. Still without Velvet they would not have had such a happy ending.

As it is for most retailers, January & February are typically our slowest months as those post holiday credit card bills roll in. With the exception of a moderate number of custom pet portraits as Valentine’s Day gifts for the true pet lovers, and a few people redeeming the gift certificates for our unique art that they received for Christmas, it’s usually pretty quiet. This year however, has been quite a different story and it’s been like Christmas all over again!!

Over this past holiday weekend alone (is President’s Day still considered a holiday?), we processed more than a dozen portraits! They were stacked up all over the studio, it made February look like December – all the snow on the ground helped with that too.

Actually the stacks were even bigger than at Christmas because suddenly everybody wants the more dramatic effect of premium stretching for their portraits. The larger stretcher bars just give our portraits a more substantial look and feel, and that true gallery look.

We’ve done lots of Pop Art Style pets as well as some custom art of people, and there’s still more to go. We’re working on two little terriers from Washington, three labs from New Jersey, six Boxers from Arkansas, and the list goes on!

In addition to the custom portraits of pets, and the pop art portraits of people, we are very busy providing printing services for photographers, both amateur and professional. We’ll tell you more about that later, but for now we just wanted to thank all our new and repeat customers for the first quarter boost in business! And if you want to get in on the action and have a custom Pop Art Portrait of your favorite pet or person, we’re running a Pop Promo right now that can’t be beat. Check it out on our specials page and order quickly because it will only be available for a few more days!

This is a truly amazing story we came across that some people from Queensland, Australia have shared on the internet. They adopted a wild Australian Sulphur Crested Cockatoo who had to have one wing after it flew into a car and broke its wing.

They kept her in a cage for her own protection, but outside where she could be visited by wild Cockatoos. They were amazed to observe her pushing her food through the bars of the cage to offer her visitors a snack.

Soon one male was spending lots of time visiting, sitting on top of the cage talking and courting. Eventually he learned how to open the “tamper proof” latch! This of course led to more courting, as he would go in and out as he pleased, and she would occasionally venture out just on top of the cage and low branches nearby along with him.

He seemed annoyed at first that she wouldn’t fly off with him but once he seemed to learn that she could not fly, he just stayed. Then, of course, nature took its course and along came babies, with faces only a mother and proud father could love! Remarkably, due to mom’s condition, father became the primary care giver providing constant protection.

The adoptive family, continued to observe and photograph the Cockatoo family as they grew, then eventually decided to share their story on a website. Then naturally they emailed a few friends and family who passed it on to others, who passed it on to yet others. Within a few days the website was visited by thousands of of people from all over the world. They were at first amazed by the overwhelming response then realized, if you think about it, “love, loyalty and parenting are universal values.”

They receive emails from the USA, Britan, Holland, Mozambique, Denmark… the list goes on. A paper in Western Australia even wants to publish the story, and there are forums on the web discussing the story.

You can read more about the amazing Cockatoo family on their website, we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!

Pet-proofing your home begins when you decide which parts of the house you want to share with your four-legged friends. According to Dawn Hanna of Oh Behave, Professional Dog Training. “Unsupervised freedom is not a given,” she said. “It should be earned. Use a crate or a child gate to confine your pets to certain areas. Keep doors closed to keep Fido or Fluffy out of rooms that are off limits. But be careful of doors that close themselves.”

Here are other tips Hanna and other experts provided to protect your home from a destructive pet to make your life and theirs easier.

Look At Life From Their Point Of View

“It may sound crazy,” Hannah said, “but get down on the floor and look at your house from a pet’s eye view.

Pets love to steal things that don’t belong to them. So, clean up after yourself and remove the temptation. Pick things up off the floor and tables. Do not leave food, cans, candy, empty containers or plastic bags unattended. Even something as benign as a sock can be hazardous if your pet were to swallow it.

Cleaners, bleaches, fertilizers and antifreeze should be kept out of reach and behind closed doors. And since most of these items are found in your garage, that should be one room that’s completely off limits to your pets.

Off-Limits

Trash containers are irresistible to pets, and they often contain dangerous goodies like rubber bands, Q-tips, needles, thread and staples — goodies that may require surgery to remove.

Bathrooms offer an often overlooked hazard. “I used to think those greeting cards and photos showing a dog drinking from the toilet bowl were hilarious,” Hannah said. But she wasn’t laughing the day she had to rescue her dog from the bathroom toilet.

Also remember that whatever you use to clean your toilet could poison your pets. So, keep the toilet lid down at all times.

“Keep medicines and vitamins out of reach,” said Dr. Amy Balko of Faithful Companions Animal Clinic in South Florida. . “Hide electrical cords or anything that could strangle your pet. And never leave a candle unattended.”

If you love plants, remember that some are poisonous to pets. To learn more about poisonous plants and the symptoms to look for, visit The Animal Poison Control Center. If you have vines or hanging plants, keep them out of your pet’s reach. A curious animal can jump up and bring down whatever it grabs.

Remember to close off any balconies or windows from which your pet could jump.

Toss Those Old Toys

Pets love their toys, but you’d never know it the way they bite, cut and mangle them. Inspect your pet’s toys and throw out anything that’s old, tattered or that can hurt your pet if swallowed. You should also teach your children to keep their toys away from pets and put toys away so pets can’t get to them.
“Pet-proofing your home sounds a lot like the advice you’d get if you had a small child,” Dr. Balko said. But you have to be even more vigilant. A toddler may not be able to jump on your kitchen counter and grab those cookies you left out,” she said. “But it’s a skill any cat can master. The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” is not just a cliché.”

Source: WTAE-TV

Hopefully you are already prepared with a romantic gift in hand for Valentine’s Day (if not, I suggest you head to Hallmark), but we have a sweetheart of a deal for you to help you with Mother’s Day, Graduation Day, Father’s Day and all those June weddings.

For a very limited time you can order a custom rolled canvas portrait in any of our popular styles, 12×12 or larger, and get our biggest discount ever – 25% off!

Okay here’s the catch.. we will create your portrait to your specifications but you will not receive proofs online. We will however send a preview via email for your approval before we print, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. We also cannot offer stretching services for this promotion, it is for rolled portraits only, that’s why we are making this special offer now. You should have plenty of time to have your portrait stretched or framed locally before the next gift-giving holiday (Mother’s Day is May 13th, by the way).

Also, this may be the best time ever to indulge yourself. If you’ve been wanting a work of art of your picture-perfect pet, or of your favorite person, now is the time! You’ll save on the artwork, save on the shipping and then you can look for a special on custom framing at an art store near you.

In order to take advantage of this fantastic offer, please place your order today and enter the code “Sweetheart” in the field for Voucher in the shopping cart and click on recalculate to see your 25% savings. For more information visit our specials page, but don’t wait – we don’t know how long this discount will be available.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day Pet Photography by: Nicole Howard Photography

Two experts pick out the best of the latest gadgets that will improve the lives of your animal companions.

Are you working the digital cable, iPod and TiVo all at once, while poor Fluffy is stuck with that raggedy catch-and-fetch? For shame. It’s time to bring your pets into the 21st century with fab tech products created just for them. To find the best pet gadgets, we asked a pair of experts: contributing editor Steve Dale, who’s also host of Pet Central on WGN Radio in Chicago; and Maggie Gallant, host of Pet Trends with Maggie Gallant on AnimalPlanet.com. Here are products they like:

Gazillion Fetch-A-Bubble
Cost: Gazillion Fetch-A-Bubble Machine, $9.99; Jumbo Gazillion Fetch-A-Bubble Machine, $19.99; Bubble Solution, $2.99
Where to buy: Funrise Consumer Service, 800-882-3808; in stores sometime this year

Remember the scene in “Willy Wonka” and the Chocolate Factory where the visitors walk into the room where everything is candy? Well, if they make a “Willy Wonka” for dogs, the Gazillion surely will get great product placement. It’s a machine that creates a frenzy of bacon-, chicken- or beef-scented bubbles. Just place a bottle of the non-toxic bubble solution in the holder, turn the switch and watch as Fido goes crazy chasing bubbles that are created by rotating wands. “Ever seen the look on a dog’s face when bubbles are floating around? Their faces light up — like mine does at a Marc Jacobs sample sale,” Gallant says.

AquaVista 500 Wall-Mounted Aquarium
Cost: $299.99
Where to buy: aquavistainc.com, the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog and the SkyMall catalog
Ditch the family photos: The AquaVista 500 is a wall-mounted aquarium for freshwater tropical fish that looks like a framed picture. The 4.2-inch-thick aquarium has an LCD display panel for easy care and lets you match your décor with different frames and backgrounds. Best of all, there’s no assembly required. “This ever-changing masterpiece adds life to any living room,” Gallant says.

Visiglo glowing dog collars and leashes
Safety goes stylish with glowing dog collars.
Cost: lighted dog leashes, $24.99; lighted dog collars, $19.99
Where to buy: Pet supply stores and online at Visiglo.com

Why should you get to wear fancy clothes while your dog wears a drab cloth collar and leash? Get your style vibes in sync, and keep your pet and yourself safe with Visiglo glowing safety dog collars and leashes. The illuminated leashes are available in nine super-bright colors and come equipped with padded handles and batteries. “Remember mood rings? These collars and leashes have hues to match the many moods of your dog,” Gallant says. “And, of course, safety is always in style.”

QuickFinder
Cost: $29.99
Where to buy: Available soon at pet supply stores and PetGadgets.com
Trim your pet’s nails without the trauma.

If you’ve ever cut too close when trimming the nails of a dog, cat or bird, you know that it’s traumatic to your pet. “Keeping nails trimmed is important,” Dale says. “But dealing with a squirming, screaming pet isn’t easy, so some people just stop cutting the nails altogether.” He likes MiracleCorp’s QuickFinder, clippers with a sensor that flashes green when it’s OK to cut.

PetSafe Micro I.D. Rescue Collar
Cost: $39.99
Where to buy: petco.com

Pet tags — how old school. The new PetSafe Micro I.D. Collar has a flash drive built into the collar that stores your pet’s vet records, owner contact information, medical history, personality profile and even pet photos. And you can easily change the information when necessary. “Gadget junkies will drool over this,” Gallant says.

CatGenie
Cost: $329
Where to buy: Catgenie.com
A self-flushing, self-washing cat box

Tired of scooping litter? We don’t blame you. So toss those old boxes and get a CatGenie –a self-flushing, self-washing cat box. The CatGenie is filled with washable granules that feel like regular litter to your cat. Just hook it up to water and power supplies, and push a button to automatically scoop and liquefy solids, drain liquids, flush the waste out of the home, wash and sanitize the box, and even dry the granules for Kitty’s comfort. “While it’s possible to train a cat to straddle the toilet, this litter box is an easier and more efficient option,” Dale says.

Source: USAWeekend.com

Did you know we do portraits of people as well as pets? We’ve mentioned it here before but in case you missed it, be sure and check out our pop art persons department: Pop Art Go!

Did you also know that our artists often have to work on the pictures our clients submit even before the real magic begins? And we don’t just mean they fix those scary red eyes – which of course they do. They also make all kinds of subtle adjustments, enhancements, and improvements to the background, and sometimes the foreground.

For example, this adorable, original picture of one of our very cute, human clients needed some help. Notice all the burnt out bulbs in the speedway sign and surrounding lights?

Oh, and of course the date stamp on the picture (we really dread seeing that date stamp), it has to go. So to make the memory of this treasured moment even brighter, it needed some touching up.

In the animated image below you can see the alterations our artist made to the picture; first changing the light-bulbs, then removing the date, and even giving the car a bit of body work (Notice the ugly area behind the date stamp? Watch it disappear.).

Why do we do all this time-consuming, extra work behind the scenes? Because as we always tell our clients, the better the picture, the better the portrait. And more importantly, because it’s the attention to detail that makes the work of our talented artists stand out among the competition. Just look how great this one turned out!

Since we humans look to astrology for guidance and understanding of ourselves, then so too should we look to the zodiac for our pets. So when you understand that your Poodle is a Pisces and your Cat is a Leo, it is easy to more fully understand them.

If you know your animal’s exact birth-date you can get the low-down on what sort of personality your he or she has. Often, however it is impossible to know your pet’s exact birthday because they were adopted from a shelter – like Kylie. but by doing a bit of research and reading the zodiac characteristic profiles below you might be able to peg your pet’s sign.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18):
Don’t be surprised if your Aquarian animal brings home all the neighborhood strays. He’s a party animal with a philanthropic bent, enticing the underprivileged to your home for food and fun.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20):
Sensitive and compassionate, Pisces are definitely devoted to their owners. Keen intuition tells them when you’re blue.Aries (March 21 – April 20):
An Aries canine is Indiana Jones in a collar – an adventurous traveler.

Taurus (April 21 – May 21):
A gourmet, the Taurus pet loves food – except the canine variety. He’ll eat you out of house and home, but will pay you with undying loyalty and affection.

Gemini (May 22 – June 22):
This energetic pet knows the dog catcher on a first-name basis. It’s not a reflection on you, he just has to be free. Gemini are intelligent, entertaining pets.

Cancer (June 23 – July 23):
“There’s no place like home” is Cancer’s motto. These homebodies also love food.

Leo (July 24-August 23):
Leo loves the limelight and is a good performer. Mundane activities like “fetch” or “shake” are way beneath this king-of-the-hill.

Virgo (August 24 – September 23):
Virgo pets prefer human company to that of other pets, who are much too messy.

Libra (September 24 – October 23):
Other animals will fawn over your handsome Libra, but your helpless romantic won’t know how to deal with them. The neighborhood peacekeepers, Libra are stymied when it comes to decision-making.

Scorpio (October 24 – November 22):
Intuitive and imaginative, Scorpio pets are highly intelligent. Yet they have a vindictive streak so be careful!

Sagittarius (November 23 – December 22):
Moss doesn’t grow on this rolling stone. The Sagittarian animal needs freedom and space, a crate just won’t do.

Capricorn (December 23 – January 19):
Overachievers by nature, Capricorn pets try to excel at everything. They are patient and tend to persevere. A downside to their tenacity; they’re also worry warts.

For more fun with astrology for pets and for people too, visit Kylie’s Psychic Puppy Network!