We work closely with a lot of dog-centered businesses. From pet photography, to dog-friendly cakes, to luxury dog treats, these businesses provide us with many unique services. For this blogpost, we wanted to introduce you to some of those amazing businesses and thank them for all that they do!
Amuse Pooch Treats
Instagram: @amusepooch_treats
Email: sherri@amusepoochtreats.com
A word from Sherri, the owner, creator and ‘CPO’ (Chief Pooch Officer) of Amuse Pooch Treats:
“I wanted to rescue a puppy. I was traveling almost 100 days a year, managing huge events around the world. More and more often, I found myself looking for pups on the pages of rescues, like Animal Lighthouse Rescue. Just over 2 years ago, I called my boss in Chicago and said ‘I quit, and I am getting a puppy.’ I was excited and a little scared – I had some savings and figured I could find freelance work to support my new family member, Leap (she came home on Leap Day in ’16). What I couldn’t have imagined was how she changed my life.
I became a nicer person. I met my neighbors and all the dog-owners in the neighborhood. Everybody was nicer – I had left the cutthroat, corporate world behind me and I couldn’t be happier. I did some freelance, but walking, training and taking care of my pooch became my priority. Quickly, I realized I didn’t like the treats on the market. They made my pockets sticky and stinky, had crazy ingredients and didn’t seem healthy. After all, I was going to do everything I could for Leap to live a very long and happy life. I started researching and talking to everyone I could – vets, dog owners, nutritionists, etc, and from there I started working on a treat recipe. I found a few that I liked, and the neighborhood 4-legged friends agreed. Fortunately for our furry friends, the regulations on dog treats are many and there are lots of hoops to jump through. As frustrating as some of them are, I am all for the safety of our pet’s food supply. Last September, Amuse Pooch Treats launched to little fanfare. Since then, I have been working on building our brand, selling treats, and giving back to my new community – with donations and time to various rescues.
You can find Amuse Pooch Treats in the neighbhorhood at Pet Market, Canine Styles and Dog Days of NY, or on our website www.amusepoochtreats.com. We often visit Camp Canine for a pop-up night of selling, too.”
Classic Kids Photography
Website: www.classickids.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/classickidsupperwest
Instagram: @classickids_westside
Email: upperwest@classickids.com
A word from Ashley, a photo artist at Classic Kids:
“We absoutely love dogs! We love documenting all of their quirky expressions – they make for such cool artwork! We had so much fun photographing all of the doggies for the yellow wall and hallway at Camp Canine, and we look forward to meeting your pup!
Classic Kids is a boutique photography experience for four-legged (and two-legged) children, and their families! We specialize in hand-finished, fine art photographs, and we love creating unique artwork for your walls. Let us capture your best friend!”
Real Happy Dogs
Website: www.realhappydogs.com
Instagram: @realhappydogs
Email: milla@realhappydogs.com
Milla Chappell of Real Happy Dogs is a documentary dog photography based in NYC who specializes in “Day in the Life” sessions of dogs and the people who love them. As a personal project, Milla works with local rescue groups to photograph and share success stories of rescued dogs in order to raise awareness about the importance of adopting senior, handicapped and abused animals. Milla also photographs adoptable dogs from local rescue groups, promotes fostering through her “photos for fosters” initiative, and recently started a line of greeting cards featuring many dogs from her rescue stories.
A word from Milla:
“I actually started taking dog photos when I was a wedding photographer. Many couples brought their dogs to engagement sessions and weddings, and of course those were always my favorite! So, I started Real Happy Dogs with the hope that people might see the value in having photos of their dog-kids in the same way that someone might want photos of their human-kids. Turns out, they absolutely did.
Many people see photos of homeless dogs in cages or looking sad/lonely, and I certainly believe there is a place for this type of photo. But, I wanted to add something different to the conversation by showing positive photos of both success stories (dogs with their new families) and of dogs currently living with a foster. I think these positive images resonate with many people and allow them to consider fostering or adopting a dog that is senior, handicapped, abused or otherwise homeless in a way that the sad photos out there might not. The first rescue story I photographed and shared was of @apugnamedemoji, a blind and deaf rescued pug who was adopted by an amazing mom and given many happy retirement years. People still mention how much Emoji’s photo story meant to them, and sharing that story changed the focus and direction of Real Happy Dogs.”
Dog Cakes For Dogs
Website: www.dogcakesfordogs.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dogcakesfordogs
Instagram: @dogcakesfordogs
Email: realyummytreats@gmail.com
A word from Anna, the creator and artist at Dog Cakes for Dogs:
“I was born in Brooklyn. I am the youngest of 3 siblings. As a child, I was quite sheltered and had to entertain myself. Art is something we all have in common. My grandfather was a painter, my Dad was an illustrator for Disney, my sister a fashion designer and my brother a cartoonist. Me, I just love drawing. I studied Fashion Illustration at FIT in NYC and dropped out a semester before graduation. I was living on my own and needed to pay the bills. So waiting on tables became the way I did that. Always keeping my focus on art, but never quite able to quit my “real” job until this one day …
I had given up hope that this point of ever being able to make my living from my artwork, so I decided I was going to start a new life. I was going to move out of the city and make this new life an hour north of NYC. I could wait on tables there while living at a lower cost. I walked into town after viewing a small condo and stepped into the first store I saw: a dog bakery.
As the friendly shop owner and I spoke, I looked around and saw the usual pet food, leashes, toys, etc. At the front of the store was a showcase with a “cake” – a dog cake. I have never seen anything like this before and my brain began to swirl. I thought “wouldn’t it be great if I could make a sugar-free dog cake that actually looked like the dog that it was for? Would anyone buy them?” Well, as they say, the rest is history.
When you purchase from an artist you’re buying more than an object. You’re buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation. You’re buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You’re not buying just one thing, you are buying a piece of my heart, a piece of my soul and a piece of my life.”