Diamond Dogs: Cutting Edge Ways to Pamper Your Pooch

Written by | Lifestyle

Celebrate the holidays in furry ways.


By Terence O’brien

Neville Jacobs courtesy Rizzoli

Neville Jacobs courtesy Rizzoli

The holidays are a perfect time to celebrate your friends, including the four-legged ones. So we gathered together some treats to share with your favorite pets and pet lovers.

DEAR DOGGY DIARY

If you like fashion and dogs, you won’t want to miss NEVILLE JACOBS: I’M MARC’S DOG. Neville — the adorable bull terrier (pictured above) of fashion icon Marc Jacobs — has already amassed a following that almost rivals his owner’s. The book provides the kind of “pet’s eye view” into high fashion, celebrity glamour and global travel that any pet would envy.

Surrounded by friends of both the canine and human variety (including supermodels like Christy Turlington and Karlie Kloss), Neville leads no ordinary dog’s life. It’s chronicled here in candid shots of Neville and Marc, more carefully-styled photography, and a selection of Neville’s Instagram posts.

Proud pup parent Marc Jacobs writes: “[This is] a thank-you note and love letter to my beautiful Neville, who with every glance from those expressive little triangular eyes, every humanlike cuddly embrace, every spontaneous outburst of clownish silliness that makes me smile and laugh, calms me like nothing or no one ever has — and who fills my heart with the greatest happiness and joy, forever reminding me that pure goodness and true love really exist.” rizzoliusa.com

Petsies courtesy of petsies.com

Petsies courtesy of petsies.com

CARBON COPIES

Does your best friend need a best friend of his own? PETSIES can transform photos of your pet into a perfect stuffed animal doppelganger. Petsies can be a twin toy for your current pet, a tribute to a departed friend, or a substitute cuddle buddy for someone who loves your pooch almost as much as you do.

Each Petsie is custom designed and hand-made, and they’re not limited to dogs. They do cats, horses, birds, fish, and you can even sketch your own original animal creation and challenge Petsies to bring your imagination to life. All you need to do is send up to three images, and a replica of your best friend arrives about six weeks later.

Petsies come in two versions: “Huggables” ($149) are more toylike, super soft and cuddly, and resemble a cartoon version of your pet. “Forevers” ($199) are more realistic, made from higher quality materials, and come fully airbrushed to match your pet’s individual markings and colorations. mypetsies.com

Whistle courstsy of Whistle.com

Whistle courstsy of Whistle.com

THE WELL CONNECTED PET

Every pet parent lives with concerns that their furry friends might go missing. If you fear your hound might pull a Houdini, new GPS enabled collars like NUZZLE and WHISTLE give owners the peace of mind that their pup can be tracked with an app on iOS or Android.

Both trackers connect to the cellular network, so you’ll be able to pinpoint your pet’s location anywhere a cellphone signal will reach. Additionally — because fitness is as important to pets as humans — these collars also serve as activity monitors, essentially Fitbits for pets. This gives you a window into your pet’s fitness activity even when you’re not at home. Designed to fit on your pet’s existing collar, they work for cats and dogs of all sizes.

How do the two compare? The Whistle (whistle.com) retails for $79, requires a monthly fee of $9.95, must be removed to charge about every ten days and only comes in gray. Meanwhile, the Nuzzle (hellonuzzle.com) is available in two colors, orange and purple, and is offered in small and large sizes. Its $189 price tag is more than double the Whistle, but there are no subscription service fees, and it ships with swappable batteries to be exchanged every five days to keep your pet connected.

Lord Monti courtesy JeffersonDC.com

Lord Monti courtesy JeffersonDC.com

INSIDE THE BARKWAY

As more people bring their furry friends on vacation, many hotels are offering pet-friendly packages to those traveling with a pup. Metrosource writer Jeffrey James Keyes took his dog Kylie to check out THE JEFFERSON in Washington, DC, where they’ve taken their pet program to a whole new level.

Ostensibly, it’s all in the name of the hotel’s pet-in-residence Lord Monti, who invites canines to bring their humans to our Nation’s Capital to indulge in “The Lord Monti Experience.” Located in a Beaux Arts building just around the corner from the White House, the Jefferson is a blend of European and Washingtonian style with an abundance of historical touches that invoke the property’s presidential namesake.

Kylie was warmly welcomed at the front door and ushered to a deluxe sweet, where her daddies found a bed fully laid out for her beside theirs, plus water and food dishes (including a freshly prepared meal) — in addition to treats and an enormous plush bone.

The hotel was prepared with recommendations for dog-friendly restaurants and shops throughout the city and maps of the best routes to explore the neighborhood with Kylie. Then, when her daddies headed out to explore museums and monuments, the staff offered to watch her, walk her, and pamper her with treats; so Jeffrey returned to a very happy girl.

The Lord Monti Experience is $450 per night, five percent of which goes to PAW Rescue, an organization committed to rescuing homeless animals from high-kill animal control facilities. jeffersondc.com/dog-friendly

TREAT YOURSELF

What’s the best way to know for sure what’s in your dog’s treats? Make them at home! This simple, healthy, tasty recipe for doggie cookies make a perfect homemade gift for the pet or pet lover in your life.

Stir…

  • ¾ cups of warm water
  • ¼ cup melted butter

Add…

  • ½ cup powdered milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg

Combine with…

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup oatmeal
  • ¼ wheat germ

Roll dough into a ½ inch thick layer and, using a pet-themed cookie cutter (you can find them on fancyflours.com), stamp out shapes and bake in a 325° degree oven for 50 minutes. Lightly dust with powdered mllk, let cool completely and store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen treats.

Last modified: July 27, 2017