We Place a Print Ad in Bark Magazine

Look for swankypet.net in Bark Magazine!

Our first print ad is now appearing in the Holiday issue of Bark Magazine! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bark, this is the greatest, most interesting magazine covering modern dog culture. The magazine is filled with informative reviews, stories & essays covering issues such as health, recreation and activisim. Their website features a wide array of information, reference guides,  shopping and a subscriber's service. I've been subscribing for a few years now and I highly recommend this magazine over others I've read.  Enjoy!

Valley Cats & Dogs

I recently discovered a wonderful rescue located in the greater Phoenix area: Valley Cats and Dogs. This no-kill animal rescue is managed by a group of professionals who work tirelessly to rescue cats and dogs that have been abandoned, neglected or otherwise placed in harm's way.

I recently gave a donation on behalf of swankypet.net and hope to build a relationship with the rescue to assist them with their admirable work. Check out their website when you get a chance to see all the wonderful ways they are making a difference in so many animals' lives. Or, better yet, make a donation and tell them swankypet.net sent you!

'Tis the Season!

To get your pets properly attired for the holiday season, we are featuring some new festive and fashionable prints available for collars, harnesses & leads. All I Want for Christmas is a doggie's dream come true - little dog bones tied up with ribbons on a burgundy background. Candy Cane is a fresh, bright red and white striped print that will have your pet looking as sweet as the real thing. Deck The Halls features brightly colored ornaments on a pale green background. Let It Snow offers retro-styled snowflakes on on light blue. O' Christmas Tree will outfit your pet in style with it's festive gold modern trees and O'Tannenpaw features lots of tiny trees against a traditional-blocked background of burgundy, green and cream.



As you enjoy all the holiday goodies, don't forget to spoil your dogs, too! We have three different gourmet treats decorated for the season. Christmas Bones are yummy peanut butter bones dipped and decorated with red and green yogurt. Christmas Puppies are our delicious cinnamon cookie and Santa Hats are a generous-sized (4") cinnamon cookie featuring a carob-paw print.



If your pet has been nice all year, maybe they'll find one of these fun and stylish designer plus toys under the tree. Dogdiva Chocolates for the pet likes to indulge, a bottle of Dog Perignon for the dog with discriminating taste,  or a Manolo Barknik designer shoe if you pet likes to keep in step with the latest fashions.

swankypet.net Reviewed by TheSwankyPup.com

The fine folks at TheSwankyPup.com recently reviewed our new and improved products and had some very nice things to say! The SwankyPup.com is a fun new blog (not affiliated with swankypet.net, despite the similarity in names) providing topical dog-related news and product reviews along with a directory to locate some fabulous doggie supplies.

Since discovering this blog, I've been reading it daily and really enjoying the articles Jen, Allie and Robin compile to keep us all up to date on the latest doggie scoop. Thanks for the kind words about swankypet.net, Jen!

This is no ordinary collar!

We've recently introduced some new product improvements to our collars, harnesses and leads. One of the most exciting is our new metal buckle! Collars and harnesses will now feature a very heavy-duty zinc die-cast buckle which is twice as strong as the plastic buckles. It's also very "swanky" and features the swankypet.net brand name. If you would like a lighter collar made for your pet, please let us know and we'll be happy to make your item with the traditional plastic buckle. We also have break-away buckles for kitty collars!

Celebrate the Fall Season

To usher in the fall season, three new prints are available for collars, harnesses & leads in our Seasonal Collections page. Autumn Hues is a rich combination of red, rust and gold autumn leaves. Cascading Leaves features delicate fall leaves cascading against a black background. Finally, Fall Leaves features a neutral toned print with realistic-looking oak leaves against a beige background. Wearing any of these prints, your dog will turn heads everywhere you go!



Also in time for fall, check out our new Fall Gourmet Treats on our new Gourmet Pet Treats page!. We've introduced three mouth-watering fall treats that will have your pup delighted. Acorns are a cinnamon cookie with carob icing and colorful fall sprinkles. Fall Bones are a delicious peanut butter cookie dipped in yogurt and carob icing and decorated with fall colored sprinkles. Fall Pumpkins are adorable and tasty cinnamon cookies featuring carob icing to make your dog smile!!!



Check it out!

swankypet.net gets a face lift!

Thanks to all of our valuable customers, swankypet.net has been growing by leaps and bounds! Today I'm introducing a new design for the website, along with some new products.

First, the website. We've traded in the industrial "Web 2.0" look for something a little more, well, swanky! The new design keeps the best of what was old while adding some softer and stylish elements to the site. I hope you agree. Send your comments on the new design to merlot@swankypet.net.

We've also got some exciting new products! First, to get ready for the basketball season, I've added a whole new line of basketball-themed collars, harnesses, leashes and leads using National Basketball Association fabrics. These collars are sure to be a slam dunk for you and your favorite furry sports fan! Also, you'll find some very yummy gourmet dog treats as well as a new line of fun and stylish plush squeaky toys to help keep your dog feeling like numero uno.



Over the next few weeks, we'll continue to add product and tweak the site to provide you with an even better shopping experience for you and your furry friends.

Thanks for helping make swankypet.net so successful. Enjoy!

Bring Charlie Home

I just heard a story on Channel 12 news about a soldier stationed in Iraq who has been taking care of a homeless puppy he named Charlie. He's trying to raise funds to have Charlie sent to Phoenix. I've offered to sponsor him for the next 30 days, donating a portion of sales to his fund ($2 per collar, $4 per lead & $6 per harness). Please indicate you've seen his story, read his blog and I'll be happy to help raise funds to bring Charlie home.

http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/soldierdog09042007-CR.html

New Product Construction

In the quest for continuous product improvement, I've recently made a change to the way that swankypet.net items are constructed. Items will now feature a lightweight nylon web interfacing to enhance their durability. I'm sure that you'll agree that this will greatly improve our product without sacrificing any style! Your pets will still be the envy of the dog park.

Don't worry if your pet has a nylon allergy. I am always happy to construct your item in the traditional method, using heavy-duty interfacing instead of nylon webbing.

swankypet.net's Major League Baseball Prints Discontinued

It seems that Major League Baseball has discontinued licensing Major League team logos for use on cotton poplin fabrics. Unfortunately, this means that swankypet.net will no longer be able to produce any MLB-themed sets since I can no longer source the proper material. I'll keep my eye open for new stock, but for the time being I've pulled all of our MLB-themed sets off of the website. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Football season is here and your best friend wants to cheer on your favorite team along with you. There are many team's licensed prints available, so you pet can attend the tailgate party in style!



All your favorite teams are represented...these are just a few. See our entire collection of team fabrics here.

Lily gets a new harness, and we get a great letter!

Sue found swankypet.net while looking for a harness for her cute little puppy. Here's what she had to say:

Hi Jacqueline,

What an awesome product you produce. I received the harness and leash that I had ordered today (quick shipping!!!) and I must compliment you and thank you. The quality is superb and I have been looking high and low for a stylish and hip harness and FINALLY found it at "Swanky Pet." Lily, our puppy, looks smashing in her new harness! In fact, as soon as I can decide on a fabric for our other dog, I'll be ordering another set.

As I said, the quality is incredible and the fabric..LOVE IT, even the little charm..too cute.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Sue
 

You're welcome Sue, and thank you for your kind words!

Here's a great picture Lily in her new Pink Pucci matching harness and lead.

Get ready for Newfiepalooza!

I've recently offered to donate some swanky gear for Newfiepalooza 2007, which takes place May 19th in Chicago. I've donated a swankypet.net Glory Days collar -- in a Large size, of course! The Newfoundland Club of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Newfoundland dog. Please check out their website for more information on this terrific organization.

http://www.northcentralnewf.org/newfpalooz07.html

Another happy customer!

I got a really great letter the other day from a swankypet.net customer named Heather, who ordered a leash, collar, and harness set in "Swanky Plaid." Here's what she had to say:

Jacqueline,

I received my “swanky plaid” collar, lead, and harness today. I must say I could not possibly be more pleased! The quality is exquisite and it is by far the most beautiful I have seen out there. The pictures of your product on the web-site absolutely do no justice to the unbelievable product I received, “Jack” and I love them and it was money well spent.

My little guy had metacarpal surgery, so as soon as his Elizabeth collar is off, I will take a picture and send it to you. I tried the collar and harness on him and he will surely be the most stylish Pomeranian around. The little pawprint is adorable and I showed one of my friends today who plans to order for her own dog. I can’t thank you enough, small dog products that look good and are made great are not as easy to find as you might think, and I will surely do business with you again.

Thanks so much!

Heather

Thanks for the great letter, Heather, and please do make sure to send us a picture of Jack in his new swanky gear! We'd love to have him on the front page, and I'll make sure to add his picture to this blog entry, too!

swankypet.net makes donation to Pets Unlimited

Pets Unlimited is a non-profit veterinary hospital and shelter based in San Francisco, California whose mission is to ensure the humane care and treatment of companion animals. In addition to providing medical services to homeless, abused, or injured animals, Pets Unlimited operates a no-kill rescue shelter that makes weekly trips to surrounding Bay Area counties to save at-risk dogs and cats from a hopeless future. The animals rescued by Pets Unlimited are guaranteed to receive quality medical care and housing until they find their way into a loving home -- no matter how long it takes.

At the request of our web programmer, who sometimes volunteers at and fosters animals for Pets Unlimited, swankypet.net recently donated six matching harness and lead sets to the Pets Unlimited shelter for use when all the little guys are out for their daily walk to the local park.

Organizations like Pets Unlimited serve a valuable service to animals in communities all across the country. Please consider making a donation to Pets Unlimited, your local shelter, or any of the other numerous non-profit organizations that exist in communities across America to provide hope for countless at-risk animals.

Down Home Doggies

As a nod to my Texas roots, I'm happy to introduce Home on the Range! This print features red bandana fabric embellished with a silver concho ornament, leather laces and red & silver beads. Get your pup ropin' and rustlin' all the other doggies in the neighborhood when they show up wearing their stylish western wear.

Play Ball!

In anticipation of baseball season, I'd like to introduce 7th Inning Stretch. This stylish print features antique baseballs against a navy background, and will have your swanky pet hitting them out of the park all season long!



Also, remember that we have fabric available for several Major League Baseball teams that can be used to make a collar, leash, or lead in your favorite team's colors! You can find them under the Baseball Print section of our Special Order section. A few examples:



Order any of these fashion forward prints for your dog, and they'll think you've hit a home run!

Update: As of August 13th, 2007, our Major League Baseball prints are no longer available due to a discontinuation of MLB's cotton fabric line. We'll update our stock if these prints become available in the future.

Swanky Great Danes!

I wanted to tell you about a great club, the Great Dane Club of Arizona. They are holding their 88th & 89th Annual Speciality on February 10th and 11th and I've donated a swankypet.net Funky Confetti collar for their raffle. The proceeds they raise will go towards continuing education for their club members and to provide educational material and information to the general public regarding the Great Dane breed. You can visit them at http://www.gdcaz.com.

We get letters.

From Martha Stewart!

Getting into step for Spring.

You'd never know it with all of this crazy weather, but spring is just around the corner. So, I've been working on some new, swanky styles to keep your pets in step with the season.

The first new creation in our Spring Collection is called Puppy Love, a St. Valentine's Day-inspired print that lets you show your pets (and the world) that they are the (furry!) love of your life. Next up is a shamrock-inspired print called Kiss Me, I'm Irish! that your dog or cat can wear on March 17th to elicit lots of St. Patrick's Day smooches! Finally, what Easter Egg hunt would be complete without an appropriately dressed egg-sniffer-outer, decked out in one of our Eggscellent! ensembles?

You'll find all of these new styles grouped in our Seasonal Collection. As always, each of these styles are available for collars, harnesses, as well as leashes/leads.

Let me know what you think!