i love a good print...

I love it when someone manages to capture an aspect of the relationships we have with our dogs just through a simple illustration. I can't tell you how much this reminds me of my dad and Quincy. Ping Zhu is such a talented illustrator, and you can grab the fantastic print above at her online store here.

a legend lost

Elizabeth Taylor was the living definition of a movie star. She got her start as a child actress working alongside the most famous collie in the world, and one of her famous quotes is - "Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses." She will be missed...

yum...

Get your cupcake on...

post its

Usually all I can think about when I see post-it notes is that episode of Sex and the City where Berger breaks up with Carrie on a post-it. Know the one I'm talking about? He leaves her apartment in the middle of the night, and just sticks a note to her computer that says "I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me." God, I miss that show.

Anyway, getting back on track here... How cute are these doggie post-its? I use sticky notes all the time for EVERYTHING so I'm going to buy these as soon as I finish typing this post!

japan

We all watch with heavy hearts as the events in Japan unfold, and I know most of us want to do whatever we can to help in big and small ways. All proceeds of the sale of these dog bandanas go to World Vets - a group who works in emergency situations with teams of first responders in disaster areas to asses and begin treatment of the animals affected by the disaster. Their teams are already on the ground in Japan working tirelessly to help as many animals as possible. So if you and your pup would like to support the work they're doing in Japan, you can purchase a bandana here or contribute directly to World Vets here.

something to strive for...

I've always loved this saying and now it's available as a hand silkscreened print in the sfgirlbybay shop!

easter time...

Meet the twins... Sylvia and Lewis... they're pretty cute, right? They're available in the shop through Easter!

thanks petsugar!

Head on over to PetSugar to check out their March must-haves... they're showing Pecan Pie Puppies some love! And while you're there, make sure to look around at all the other fun information they have available!

And if you want to win a free Pecan Pie Puppies collar, visit Life as a California Wife and enter to win!

wisdom panel dna test

I have always wanted to try one of the DNA tests on my various mutts and mixed breeds. So a few weeks ago, I finally got around to it and ordered a test kit for Oliver - my slightly nutty but super sweet guy.

I chose to go with Wisdom Panel... and I've been very pleased with the entire process. They have the most breeds available out of all the DNA kits out there right now - over 185 to be exact. The kit had super simple instructions, arrived quickly and was easy to use. And once I sent it off, I received an email in just a few days to let me know they had received the samples. In less than three weeks, I received another email to let me know they had completed the processing, and Oliver's breed report was available online via PDF... yay!

Ollie is obviously a very unique and exotic looking dog, and for obvious reasons, I had always assumed he was mostly Dalmation (ahem, white with black spots? deaf with blue eyes? all classic Dalmation) with maybe a little terrier or something else thrown in to give him his giant ears. So you can imagine my surprise when I got this (click to enlarge):

Not a bit of Dalmation anywhere! And after I looked at the report, I was like "Duh... of course he's Husky and Australian Cattle Dog" but I had been so hung up on Dalmation his entire life that I'd never considered other possibilities. He's shaped exactly like a Cattle Dog, and has the blue eyes of a Husky.

This was SUCH a fun experience, so if you have a mixed breed pup and you want to know what you've got on your hands, I definitely recommend the Wisdom Panel test. You'll see your dog in a whole new way! One disclaimer... if you have a true Heinz 57... one who's grandparents and great-grandparents were also mutts, none of the DNA tests out there will be able to tell you very much unfortunately. Because there's so little purebred DNA to work with, it's hard for them to be certain about it. I'm about to test my Mona Mae, and I expect that I might have this problem with her, but I'll keep y'all posted on the outcome.

Wisdom Panel is having a special right now on their breed test, and you can purchase it online for only $69.99 plus I found a coupon code that should work for another $10 off! Just enter INSIGHTS10 during checkout (make sure you use ALL CAPS or it won't work).

my four-legged valentines

They're a pretty good looking crew if I do say so myself...

let's talk...

I realize I've let you guys down lately. I promised to be more diligent about blogging on a regular basis, and well... I've definitely dropped the ball on that one. Life just took over and somehow on my daily list of things to do, the blog got pushed to the bottom.

So now I shall attempt to prove to you that I am a changed woman, and I will attempt to reclaim my place in blogger-land by posting a lot more regularly.

One good piece of news that I have to share is that the precious nugget you see above is now living in her new forever home. Matilda was with me for almost a year and a half as a foster, so it wasn't easy parting with her, but it was what was best for her and the rest of my family of four-legged kids. She is the sweetest, snuggliest and most precious girl, but my Penny Sue hated her... with a vengeance... so she had to move on. She's with a great new family, and it's a wonderful situation for me because I will get to see her from time to time.

Because of Matilda's departure, I'm down to just my four dogs for the first time in a LONG time. I realize that four dogs might seem like a lot to many folks out there, but to me it feels downright calm and quiet! I kind of don't know what to do with myself. Well, that's not entirely true. Because it's chicken time people. That's right. I'm in the process of planning out my Palais de Poulet, and I hope to have my new coop built in the spring. Hopefully I'll have some feathered ladies moving in soon after, and I'll share them with you once they're settled.

So that's what's new with me... Oh, and there are fun new St. Patrick's Day collars in the shop so check 'em out!

thanks pupstyle!

A big thank you to Pupstyle for their feature on Pecan Pie Puppies collars today! Head on over and look us up, and while you're there, check out all the other fun things on the site.

sorry boys...

Nothing for you this time around. It's cold, dreary and my living room looks so bare and empty now that the tree is gone. So I was in the mood to make some pretty and colorful new flower collars to brighten things up.

My favorite one this time around is my new Spunky Bruiser collar above... my nickname for the one and only Matilda Rose. Isn't she adorable? If you think so, she can be all yours because she's available for adoption!

I've also been dying to make a new hydrangea collar in pink... and here it is... gingham is my new best friend. It's making a comeback people - it's not just for your Grandma's country curtains anymore. And I made the fun Purple Polka Dot collar on a whim, and it turned out so nice, I put it in the shop. As alway, you can find them all here.

instant monkey

Yes. Who can't use a little more monkey in the new year?

we love orvis

We love Orvis in our neck of the woods. They have great dog products, and their dog beds are the best out there. I highly recommend their memory foam beds if you have a pup that's getting on in years and has joint pain, or if you have a certified "Dog Bed Destroyer," check out their tough-chew beds.

But now I love them even more. For every new "Like" they receive on their Orvis Dogs Facebook page in the month of December, Orvis will donate $1 to the Morris Animal Foundation's Canine Cancer Campaign up to $10,000!

It's only for the month of December, so go like them right now! Go on... get!

paloma's nest

This has nothing to do with dogs, but it IS Southern, so I have to share. I've always been a fan of Paloma's Nest... I love the simplicity of her designs. But this ornament is so fantastically Southern that I had to show you guys.

You slap "y'all" on pretty much anything and I'm on board. It's one of the most convenient contractions ever. For my non-Southerners out there - you really need to start working it into your conversations. You'll be amazed at how much time you save.

Thanks SHAPE Magazine!

I'm so excited that SHAPE Magazine included my Pink Peony Seersucker Collar in their holiday gift guide this year! How cute is that model?

SHAPE Magazine is giving away five of my collars (plus lots of other cool stuff from their gift guide) on the web site... just go here to check it out!

new collars

So I seriously underestimated how quickly my holiday collars would sell this year. It's a great problem to have, and thank you to everyone that has purchased already - you guys are great! - but I've already run out of the fabric that I used for my original Holiday Tartan collars. And since I can't order more, I've added two different tartans to the shop. So it turned out to be a good thing, because I am in L-O-V-E with the new emerald green fabric that I found.

You can find them in the shop!

ornaments anyone?

Christmas will be here before we can all turn around twice. I'm doing two trees this year to make up for the fact that I didn't put up a tree last year... One will be my pretty, color-coordinated tree and the other will be a smaller, dog-themed tree with the custom ornaments I've had made (more on that tomorrow).

Here's a little mini-round up of some cute puppy ornaments out there...

Clockwise from top left: 1) Handmade felt breed ornaments from Best Friends Studios (he looks just like Quincy!); 2) Custom ceramic bone ornaments from Sunshine Ceramics (I've ordered a bunch of these for myself and family!); 3) Fabric dapper doggies from Crate and Barrel; and 4) A classic from Pottery Barn.

rover

I don't dress my dogs in outfits and things, but I will have them rock a sweater or coat from time to time if the weather gets cold enough (which almost never happens in South Carolina). But when I found these tailored, classic jackets from ROVER, I almost fell out of my chair. They're all handmade and available right here.

Y'all don't tell Mona Mae, but that khaki trench up there is probably going to be her Christmas present. How faboo will she look sporting that coat with one of my red flowers pinned to the collar?