Molly Meredith is the owner of a brand new website just for canines: Haute Dog Inc. We asked her a few questions about how the business came to be and how the new online store is “giving back” to doggies who need it most.

How long have you had the Haute Dog shop?

a:  Haute Dog just launched THIS month! However, it has been in the works full-force since January this year (and in my head for quite some time!).

Do you have a storefront or is the shop online only?

a:  Haute Dog is an online web store only: hautdogshop.com. We do wholesale our products to retailers with storefronts –coming soon to NWA!

What inspired this new business?

a: Dogs (animals, really) are my biggest passion in life, always have been. I craved a creative outlet and really desired it to involve what I love most. I said from the beginning, I wouldn’t do this if I couldn’t find a way to make it benefit dogs. Being able to provide people with fun and healthy products for their dogs, while having charitable giving programs just really makes my heart smile.

Tell us about your own furry “babies”:

a: Oh goodness, I lovingly refer to our house as “the zoo”.  We have two Chihuahuas, Mackenzie Jo and Taber, they’re the “first born” babies of the house, then there’s Nyla, a Pitt Bull mix and she’s a pretty fantastic big sis. Can’t forget the cats- there’s Savannah, Cleopatra, Bentley, Tig, and Sophi.  The first four were adopted as adults from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter, and Sophi, my husband found in a parking lot when she was just 5 weeks old. I love the crazy dynamic all the animals bring to the house, it’s kind of amazing how everyone gets a long, but they’re very individual with their own personalities. Animals make my life complete, I certainly wouldn’t feel whole without them.

You mention in your ‘about’ that you were in the medical field of skin care for humans for years. How did that translate into canine care?

a: Professionally speaking, the health and beauty field is my familiar stomping ground. I really love the mix of chemistry to creation and applying it to each individual, so it was quite interesting taking that from the human aspect to dogs. Probably the most interesting thing is that it’s all so similar. And that being the case, why would we use sub-quality products on our dogs?

The biggest difference in translation is pH balance and ingredient knowledge.  That, and the common conditions that need attention: For example, I’m not worrying about patients with acne, instead I’m figuring out how to naturally combat fleas! But still, it’s really just an applied science. It’s fun. Saying that probably makes me a geek, but it’s true.

What makes your products unique?

a:  Haute Dog products are 100% vegan and all-natural. Yes, if you do some searching, you can find other natural, vegan products, but you can’t find the expansive collection that Haute Dog offers! People like choices and variety is the spice of life, no? It’s also important to know that our ingredients are selected from high quality (human) spa suppliers here in the USA. My experience in researching the field of dog grooming products is that you either get cute packaging but crappy ingredients, or great ingredients but limited selection. Haute Dog is committed to never cutting corners!

What are some of your best-sellers?

a:  Since we just launched, it may be TBD. But, based on the events, samples and surveys we’ve done, people really enjoy the Puppy Love and Yin & Yang collections (shampoos and aromatherapy tonics). Their scents are captivating. Also, the Between Bath Powders (in Fresh, Flea Free, or Brilliant Blanc) have been a hit because they’re super easy!

Tell us more about how you “give back”?

a:  My favorite part!  We have two charitable giving programs. “5% for the animals” gives 5% of Haute Dog proceeds to non-profit animal charity. “Forever Home First Bath” gives a shampoo to every dog adopter at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter, ensuring their dog’s first bath to be the best ever! I am really so excited about these programs. On a different note, I think it’s important to mention that we only provide carbon neutral shipping and use recyclable packaging- let’s give back to the earth, too.

I couldn’t help but smile at the “facial & pedicure” category on your website menu. I bet you’ll get a lot of clicks on that one!

a:  It’s fun, right? But, here’s the deal, some people say, Oh, I don’t have the time or money to indulge in silly things like that for my dog”. I get it, I totally do. When something is ridiculously expensive or difficult to use, it kinda sucks the fun out of it. Haute Dog is about being accessible to everyone. The reality is, some dogs require special eye, ear or paw care, and we want to make sure we provide that, at a user-friendly, reasonable cost.  Why not make it fun while we’re at it?

Is running this business great fun or what?

a:  TONS of fun. Seems like “fun” has been the theme of this interview, but it’s so true. I get to do all the things I love. I research and get inspired in so many ways, channel my creativity daily, and hopefully make a difference for dogs and their people. Running a business has challenges that I wasn’t aware of until I faced them, but it’s really empowering at the same time. I’m fulfilled and happy. So are my dogs. Couldn’t really ask for more.

Gwen saw some info about the online business Pet Picassos at her vet the other day and shared it with her animal lovin’ biz partner. I clicked over to the website immediately and started nosing around, looking at all the pet portraits.

Really, I’ve been wanting to order one of these portraits for my daughter (of her cat and dog) for a long time, but haven’t gotten around to it.

I need to look through our animal pics and see which one would translate into some cool art. I know Ladybug would LOVE to hang one of these on her bedroom wall.

There’s one shot of her sleeping with the kitten next to her on the pillow that would probably be perfect. I also have one of the poodle in the snow that would look adorable. Oh! And there’s one of the dog wearing sunglasses and a bandanna. That’s probably the ONE.

There are three styles to choose from at Pet Picassos: oil painting, pop art (like the one at right and probably the one I’d choose) and just plain ole photo to canvas. Prices range from $99 to $249.

Locally, Scott Frame & Art on Pleasant Grove in Rogers is able to produce all three of these options as well. Just found that out today! And Scott’s work is awesome. He recently framed some of Ladybug’s art and a newspaper article and they both turned out great.

If  you don’t have a subject for your cool pet portraits yet, we can help with that. Here’s a kitten named Minnie (can you figure out why they named her that?) from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter  who’s in need of a forever home:

Pick me! Pick me!

Happy Friday, mamas! I stumbled across this video clip on YouTube yesterday and just had to post it. It was once featured on the Bonnie Hunt talk show as well. If you love babies or you love dogs — and especially if you love both — you’ll want to see this video about a baby and a dog checking out each other’s “hands.”

Enjoy.

 

Dear Denise,

What do you think about “shock” collars? My dog keeps barking at people who come walking down our street and chasing cars. He’s really a good dog, but protects our neighborhood like it’s his own yard. Do you think that would help?

Dear Mama:

I hate them! Okay, well, I mostly hate them, and would only recommend one as a last resort if the life of the animal is at stake. I just really don’t believe that fear and pain are good teaching methods. I also don’t believe that the dogs make the connection between the shock at their neck and the bad thing. That being said, let me try to do some explaining of this behavior and make some suggestions that might help.

Your dog barks at people who walk down the street. When he does, they go away. See how big and scary and effective he is? Sure, they were going away anyway, but your dog doesn’t know that. His behavior is rewarded with exactly what he wanted. So, one way to handle this is to stage a stranger to walk in front of your house and stop. Your dog will bark, of course. The stranger will ignore your dog and when your dog stops barking, the stranger will go away. You may need to call your dog from the window, but the result will eventually be the same.

You may also want to work on teaching your dog the commands ‘quiet’ and ‘leave-it.’ My dog does this, and though I haven’t been able to get him to stop doing it, I can get him to quiet after the first ‘alert’ and can usually call him from the window. If your neighborhood is at all like mine, early evening is a really exciting time. So, you know when your training window is.

As for the car chasing, it’s the same principle as the people. He chases the car, it goes away. Have you ever seen what a dog does when a car actually stops? I’ve done it a few times, and usually the dog just looks surprised. I’ve often thought I could respect a dog if he just peed on the tire, but so far, no one has. So, what’s a Mom to do? A good solid ‘leave-it’ taught with food and when there are no cars, may do the trick. May. Each dog is different.

If that doesn’t work, there are a few other things I have tried. One client and I took her dog on a leash to the busiest intersection we could find and just stood there. After a while, the dog got tired of chasing cars and just relaxed. The problem was mostly solved. In another case, we staged several cars to drive-by with stadium air-horns. The dog was told ‘leave-it’ but if he didn’t and gave chase to the car, as he approached, the driver would blast him. Very scary, those cars. They aren’t fun to chase at all.

Now, all that being said, car chasing IS a dangerous and life threatening thing. It is also the one instance in which I could be convinced to use a shock collar if after training and practice nothing else worked. In that case, I’d definitely contact a professional for some guidance. When using punishment, in my opinion, the punishment should be harsh enough and swift enough and meaningful enough, that it need only be applied once. Again, I’d seek professional help if that’s the route you need to go.

Denise Holmes is a local pet behavior counselor who owns Ain’t Misbehavin’. She trains animals and also answers pet questions sent in by local moms for us here on nwaMotherlode. Denise has been training for 25 years and is passionate about pets.  To send her a question, email it to: mamas@nwaMotherlode.com.

Mamas’ Note: We thought Pet Parenting would be a great place to feature a local pet up for adoption. Below is Caledonia, a “calico/British shorthair mix� from Lost Love Animal Rescue in Fayetteville. You can find other great adoptees at your local animal shelter or on petfinder.com (just type in your zip code).