In this absorbing book, author Robbie Pfeufer Kahn delivers poetic, poignant reflections on life with Laska, a Labrador retriever.  The text will have instant appeal to all literate dog lovers.  Additionally, it is so beautifully written that even if you are a total cat person, but enjoy literature, this could be a book you’ll cherish.   In an opening passage, after describing a wintery New England landscape, Pfeufer Kahn writes “These chilly sights mirror a certain cold that has lingered around my heart since Sarah’s death.”    Simple, but philosophically-informed, and characteristic of the entire volume.   Elevated pleasure reading to leave you, the reader wagging your tail or at least searching out other books by the same writer.

*   Touching recollections of life with a barker
*   The author should take a bow; Wow!
*   A real treat
*   A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”
*   Milk Teeth: A Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog by Robbie Pfeufer Kahn

You could put a jail suit on your dog and stick him in a barbaric, ugly wire crate, or you could beautify your home with a designer Doggy Den meticulously and lovingly constructed from Russian birch.  Dog Day Architecture is the creative powerhouse behind these indoor, ambience-conscious oases of elegant indoor repose for dogs.  You’re giving your pooch a comfy spot that is “his” at the same time you’re making a statement about your good taste in home furnishings.   Doggy Dens have previously been featured in Traditional Homes magazine, the Orlando Sentinel and other prestigious publications.   Non-toxic stain options include ebony, dark walnut, natural, weathered white and cappuccino.  The drawer on ball bearing gliders, four inches deep, can hold everything from Lassie DVDs to grooming paraphernalia and picture books of cats (NOT! to that last item).

*   Allows a dog a sense of security
*   Soft doorknobs
*   You may order entirely custom-built models
*   A Dogasaur Daily Woof!
*   Made by Dog Day Architecture

Here is a delightful little volume of artistic essays on friendships between women and dogs.  Even if a dog, or a guy, drools, he could gain something enriching by reading these poetic, thought-provoking billets doux written to chiens.  The book is published by Laughing Elephant, partially owned by Alexandra Day, responsible for the Good Dog Carl series of children’s book.   The woman has a fascinating background; she is descended from John and Priscilla Alden.  Were there any dogs at Plymouth Colony?   Yes!    Historical records show a Mastiff and an English Springer Spaniel there in 1620.   In addition to this intriguing volume on Woman & Dog, consider enjoying Laughing Elephant’s other cultural offerings, including their vintage wine posters.

*   A lovely gift idea.
*   Anthropological, yet barky.
*   Charming.
*   A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”
*   Woman & Dog: A Celebration of Their Unique Bond by Various Authors.

What‘s the difference between a Yorkie barking its head off at you, and a vicious brute with blood dripping from its fangs?  If you guessed “My arm attached, or not, to my body,” you aren’t far from the correct answer!  Every dog deserves love, but every person deserves their arm attached to their body.  For those harrowing moments of canine horror and threat, you’ve got the Dog Dazer.  At the push of a button it emits a high-pitched sound that repels but does not harm a barking, growling, blood-hungry maniac canine, a/k/a/ “Caniac.”  The gizmo has a separate alarm to startle human attackers in case you meet any of those.  And it’s got a flashlight, making it an all-in-one, personal safety, dog walking device.

*   Self-diagnostic LED battery indicator
*   Runs on one 9-volt battery
*   Belt clip included
*   A Dogsaur “Daily Woof!”
*   Available from SkyMall

Unless you’re putting them on a dog, diamonds are not a girl’s best friend.  Not by a long shot.  In fact, author and noted K-9 expert Babette Haggerty with this book gives you a piece of her canine-loving mind if you are still caught up in that diamond/girl/best friend fallacy.  This volume is chock-a-bloc with insightful tips targeted at female dog owners. Men could either get something out of it by reading it themselves, or give it to their lady friends as a gift. All of the advice in the text is serious, but some is presented under light-hearted headings. The She’s Got Issues chapter, for example, has a sub-section Eating Underwear.  Excuse us?  Do always remember to put your Manolo’s out of your best friend’s reach!

*   Woman’s Best Friend: Choosing and Training the Dog That’s Right for You by Babette Haggerty
*   Author Babette Haggerty belongs to the International Association of Canine Professionals
*   Easily-absorbed by aspiring female dog owners
*   Full of helpful pointers for more experienced female dog owners
*   A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

Nobody wants to admit that their dog has issues, but all of our dogs do.  Between Yorkies barking at mailmen, Bernese mountain dogs stealing béarnaise sauce off kitchen counters and King Charles Spaniels shedding on upholstery couches, it’s just a wild and whacky world of doggy misbehavior.  But we know that even if they pee in the wrong places, make noise at the wrong times and eat the wrong shoes, we love them and would never send them to the pound.  So what’s a human to do?  The Pet Convincer is here to help you show your dog who’s boss.  The gizmo fires off a non-toxic, humane blast of compressed Co2, conditioning your dog according to time-tested Pavlovian methods.  Two or three repeats on the same bad act, and your dog will have learned his lesson.  Extensively tested at The Play and Stay Pet Care Center, The Pet Convincer is sold with a 100% satisfaction or your money back guarantee.  No word, though, on whether your dog’s satisfaction with the product enters into the picture.

*   Gentle air-blast plus high-pitched noise is like cognitive therapy for canines
*   Can also be used to fend off others’ aggressive dogs
*   Replacement cartridges available through seller’s website and at retail outlets
*   A Dogasaur.com “Daily Woof!”

Did you ever want to scream your head off because stray animals were coming onto your property?   Maybe a raccoon has tipped over your garbage cans to gnaw discarded corn cobs?   Or perhaps a cat, or even a rat, has strolled through your garden on stealthy little creature feet?  Here, available from Dogasaur through SkyMall is an electronic yard fence to do your screaming for you.   The device is equipped with a passive infra-red motion sensor that triggers ultrasonic sounds between 80 and 115 decibels.   You hear nothing, but those rat, cats, raccoons and sundry monster lawn invaders run away on their hind legs while covering their ears with their front paws; or something like that.    What’s more, a focusing cone grants greater effective distance.  In sum, why scream when you can let this electronic yard fence do the screaming for you?

*   UL approved adapter with 50 foot cable
*   Also works with batteries
*   Visually discreet

One of our very own members, Jennifer Nicole has just published a book called 500 Things That Make Dogs Happy. What a way to really improve your dog’s life!

Since the holidays are just around the corner, this would make any dog lover just as happy! 500 is a pretty big number. But since dogs enrich our lives so much, it is worth the effort to stop and consider the things that really make themhappy.

Here is the interview I did with Jennifer Nicole.

Let’s imagine you’re going to be out of the house long enough that your four-pawed, woofing best friend could get hungry, but not so long that you want to remove him/her from the comfort and security of his/her customary surroundings.  Let’s imagine, furthermore, that you and your dog walk on the upscale side of the street.  Dogasaur and Hammacher Schlemmer has just the Precise Portion Pet Feeder for you!  Up to ten pounds of any dried dog food may be placed into the reserve container; the machine can be programmed to dispense between one and three times per day in reasonable 1/4-cup increments.  LCD read-out ads to the gesamt chic effect of the shiny black against clear glass design.

*   Food tray is dishwasher safe
*   Runs on three D batteries
*   Regulates doggy’s food consumption

Dogasaur has no doubts that you are the perfect dog person.  You would, for example, never in a month of Sundays let your dog D-E-F-E-C-A-T-E on somebody else’s yard.  (Don’t ask us, by the way, what a month of Sundays would equal in dog years).  Yet other people might let their dogs poop on your greenswards.  What to do?  Poop back on theirs under cover of night?   Far be it from us to recommend anything so gross and vulgar.  Instead, we point you to this crouching doggy yard sign, with a big “No!” in the middle of the crouching dog.  Anybody who can’t decipher the message is a moron.   And anybody who ignores it is a jerk.  Ergo, this Doggy Don’t Sign is just the thing to send a certain message to all the jerky morons that let their dogs poop on your lawn.

*   10 1/2″ wide by  x 13″ high
*   Made of formed, stamped metal
*    Weather resistant