Season's Greetings!

I hope the holidays find you all well and not too stressed! I'd just like to thank all of you for your patronage and for choosing me as your best friends hairdresser!

If you have not done so already, be sure to visit The Artful Groomer web site for information about my new Canine Care Program, which offers discounts on fleas & tick treatments, as well as a discount on future groomings.

I am also developing a referral program, so be sure to tell your friends and family about me! For every new customer you refer, you will receive a discount on your next grooming!

It is my hope to be in a new location by next June. I an looking for a home setting so that I can continue to offer my services in a natural and comfortable atmosphere for your dogs.

Lastly, I am now offering handcrafted collars & leashes. The pricing is reasonable ($9.99 - $19.99). You can purchase them now on Ebay, and in the near future on Etsy and The Artful Canine.

Holiday Foods that are Hazardous to your dog

We all know how tempting it is to share the joy - and our food - with our dogs during the holidays. However some foods can be harmful - if not outright dangerous - to our pets. Here's a list of foods, published by the American Veterinary Medical Association, that can be dangerous to dogs:

Alcoholic beverages, and Hops (used in home beer brewing)

Apple seeds

Apricot pits

Avocados—toxic to birds, mice, rabbits, horses, cattle and dairy goats

Cherry pits

Candy (particularly chocolate, and any candy containing the sweetener Xylitol)

Coffee (grounds, beans, chocolate covered espresso beans) and Tea

Grapes

Macadamia nuts and Walnuts

Mushroom plant

Mustard seeds

Onions and onion powder

Peach pits

Potato leaves and stems (green parts)

Raisins

Rhubarb leaves

Salt

Tomato leaves and stems (green parts)

Yeast Dough

All Artful Canine collars are worn, washed and are personally put to the test by Max & Tilde. East assured that you are getting a quality product for your dog when you buy one of our collars.

There's nothing more beautiful than an Artfully Dressed Canine!

DECEMBER POLL:
WHO'S THE BEST VET IN TOWN?

I often get asked for veterinarian recommendations. There are quite a few vets and animal hospitals in the area, however which one is the best one for your dog?

I am only one opinion, so I thought I'd put the question out to all my customers. So, who do you think is the best vet in town .... and why?

Email your vote by January 15 to The Artful Groomer, and be entered in a drawing to win an Artful Canine collar of your choice ! I'll publish the results of all votes received in our January Newsletter.

why does my dog smell so soon after a grooming?

A dog’s own aroma is part of his calling card, his identity. The fru-fru smelling shampoo we slopped all over him just isn’t part of who he is, and he is going to find way to cover it up. The most glaringly obvious example is the dog who launches out of the bathtub and straight to the backyard, where he has no problem finding some horrific smell to roll in. Less obvious examples are the more subtle attempts to get the smell of fruits and flowers off their backs. Rubbing up against their humans and lying on their backs “scratching” along the carpeting. Even that constant licking they do when they get over the fact that their bath really did just happen to them is an attempt to rearrange the smells lingering all over their fur.

Since dogs prefer their dog smell to the more attractive smells humans try to impose on them, dogs are more likely need a bath more than once a month. Many dogs carry the same offending odor within a week. This can become a very frustrating game, especially if your dog sleeps in your bed and you wake up in the morning to that stale dog breath odor that clings to yesterday’s clean sheets. But there are a couple of things you can do in between monthly baths.

Wash their bedding and favorite sleeping spots frequently - bed sheets and covers, carpet areas where they sleep, etc.. Although they don't prefer them, these cleaner smells will eventually imprint on the dog, and he/she will not seek out the smelly stuff as often. Also try some dry shampoos - the tend to absorb odors (kind of like powder does for humans). Just take care not to overdo - excess powder has a tendency to pick up dirt.

Links of Local Interest

Petfinder - Pet Adoption

Pet Community - Craig's List

Animal Welfare League of Port Charlotte

Human Society of Sarasota