That’s Kubrick in his summer cutie crew cut with the Pooch Park groomer. We were gone for five days on a trip to El Nido a few weeks back, and unfortunately, Kubrick wasn’t able to have his daily brushing as regularly as usual. And since he doesn’t really care about whatever he walks on, Kubrick’s fur on some parts of his body had become tangled and matted. I was given the option to just have the areas that are too matted to be shaved while the rest remained intact, but I imagined he’d look like an elongated earth globe with a head, feet and tails, so I just opted to let them go all out! Besides, it’s summer already and the heat makes Kubrick very uncomfortable. With his adorable new bob, he’s comfy… and he smells soooo good too!

See that other Shih Tzu in the background? That little guy threw a fit when he saw us pick up Kubrick. According to the Pooch Park Metro East crew, the noisy one is a regular, and they were unfazed at the tantrum he’s throwing. Apparently, the noisy Shih Tzu throws a fit every time he sees another dog gets picked up. But once a staff member pays attention to him, he shuts up He’s just an attention-hungry pup like Shantee

I always make it a point to chat up staff members of grooming salons I take my dogs to even when I’m not writing a review. Talking to them gives me a glimpse of how they treat their canine clients, and if they’re just in it for the love of money and not of dogs. After all, I’ll be leaving my pet under their care for a few hours. I needed to know if they’ll treat my pet right.

So far, I’m very satisfied with the crew of Pooch Park Metro East — they know their canine clients, and seem to have a genuine concern for them. Kubrick was literally shaking in fear when I handed him over to the lady behind the counter, but calmed down a bit when she cooed and comforted him. The interaction between staff and the dogs gave me assurance that my Kubrick was in good hands — he’d be safe until I pick him up after a few hours in the nearby gym.

Pooch Park Doggie Day Care in Robinsons Metro East is strategically located by the entrance of the mall’s fourth level. The mall does not allow dogs to wander about, but Pooch Park is so near the entrance that you can easily drop your dog off their store before doing your shopping. Pooch Park started as a doggie day care center with a purpose: give dog owners a place to stay in a no-pets-allowed establishment. They’ve now expanded to grooming services and selling dog stuff; your dogs get the pampering they deserve while you do your shopping.

What most attracted me to check out Pooch Park when it first opened in Metro East is their unique setup of doggy treats. It’s a like a buffet, a dog’s dream come true! It kind of reminds of the those candy stores usually located near movie theaters, where you get to pick the flavors you want and pile it up inside a bag. Pooch Park’s doggy treats corner is similar to that, though the treats are priced as per piece instead of by weight.

My dogs just adore the “burger” treat — looks like a tiny burger — they absolutely go gaga over the bag of treats I take home for them after a round of workout in the nearby gym.

Pooch Park also has reasonably priced dog clothes. My sister already got Kubrick a dog shirt (Php 250 for a “macho” polo shirt) from them which he wears over his crew cut whenever we turn on the air conditioner in the office so he won’t get cold. They also have these creatively-labeled spoof shirts — my husband particularly like the one with the label “No Gay, connecting pretty” a spoof of “Nokia, connecting people,” it’ll look so funny on a macho-looking dog!!!

Pooch Park Doggy Day Care Metro East has so much to offer to dog-lovers — it’s like a doggy wonderland! Check it out and give your dog the pampering he deserves

Hey wait, there’s more!!! Would you like to be the winner of a gift certificate for an Executive Grooming Package from Pooch Park Doggie Day Care? If the answer is yes, head over to mypetchannel.tv and join Pooch Park’s Sleeping Bow-wowties Photo Contest!

Pooch Park Doggie Day Care
Website: http://poochpark.multiply.com/

J. Vargas Branch
181 Auto Depot Building
Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig City
Phone: 910-50-36
Mobile: (0922) 966-33-20

Metro East Branch
Level 4 Robinsons Metro East
Marcos Highway, Pasig City
Phone: 647-70-25
Mobile: (0922) 302-45-66

We’re so proud… So proud!!!

Woof Pet Premium Condition VCO Dog Shampoo is an all-natural dog shampoo, consisting of virgin coconut oil, vitamin E, lavender oil, aloe vera extract, and hydrolyzed wheat protein.

I’m not too familiar with the scientific explanations of the effects of these ingredients (for that, visit this link), but offhand I can tell you that it did wonders for my dogs’ fur. Although Shantee is the fashionista of the our doggy pack, she’s also the most unfortunate to have fur that has a tendency to become seemingly dry. Her fur looks and feels great after a bath, but a week later, expect it to have a dry texture. And no, my little fashionista doesn’t like getting her paws dirty. Her coat is just that way.

I have to admit that I really wasn’t expecting much when Woof Pet Premium was delivered to me for review. So far, all the dog shampoos we’ve tried turned out the same way: Shantee’s fur is soft and silky a few days after a bath, but a week later it loses its stuffed toy-like softness. Although Woof Pet Premium smells good, the scent isn’t overwhelmingly strong that you really wouldn’t expect it could mask the “stinky dog” smell. But still, I gave it a shot and tried the shampoo on our two Shih Tzus and five native dogs — then waited for about a week to see how it will turn out.

Harry, our happy-go-lucky Japanese Spitz and aspin (asong pinoy) mix

I got results I didn’t quite expect. Shantee’s fur remained soft and silky even after more than a week. Same with our other dogs. Their coats are still as soft as cotton — my husband even says their fur are so “fluffy” they look like sheep! They don’t have the “doggy cologne” scent, but they all seem to have this naturally good doggy smell. Experiment: success!

But that’s not all. Kubrick, our other Shih Tzu, isn’t exactly who you’d consider a “doggy fashionista.” In fact, he’s the total opposite of Shantee — he loves to get his paws dirty! He likes romping in the garden, rolling in grass, and splashing in water.

But worse is Kubrick’s tendency not to mind where he’s walking. Give him a bath now, he’ll smell good. But give the bath scent around three days and he’ll be smelling like pee, as he really doesn’t care if he walks all over it. It’s part of his charm, and we love him the way he is, but it does complicate grooming and doggy hygiene since we’re really iffy giving him more baths than usual.

I worry about using commercial shampoo on him too often, as the chemicals could ruin his fur or even cause him allergies and skin diseases. Kubrick is such a sweet dog, and he can’t consider a day complete unless he gets at least one hug from each of us. Whenever he starts to smell like pee, it’s really difficult to give him the cuddling he wants (he gives us that heart-breaking sweet look, you just can’t bring yourself to turn him away). But the thing is, we also don’t want him to get skin irritation from the chemicals in dog shampoo.

The best thing I love about Woof Pet Premium are its natural properties. Since it’s formulated using organic ingredients, I can now give Kubrick more baths than usual. I won’t give him baths too often though, I still worry that doing so could possibly dry up his fur’s natural oils. But at least he (and of course, us people he loves to beg for hugs) wouldn’t have to endure smelling like pee for long periods of time waiting for his scheduled bath

Woof Pet Premium Condition VCO Dog Shampoo is now available in selected pet shops, grooming, and specialty stores within the metro. Its proprietor, Benji Ong, pretty much found the formula — so yes, this is proudly a Pinoy-made product. It’s packaged with a spiffy, cute design on the label carrying the tagline, “Made by people who love their pets.” Well, I so agree with that… As only people with genuine concern for their pets can come up with a product that would be good for their pet’s skin and fur.

Want one? Get one now!

For interested buyers and distributors, here’s the contact info:

Woof Pet Premium
Blackbox Trading
123 Don Manuel Aggregado, Q.C. 1113.
Tel. No: (02) 361-2865
woofpremium(at)gmail(dot)com

http://www.woofpetpremium.com

Natural Balance Roll-A-Rounds

It’s actually one of the first gourmet pet food store I’ve seen in the metro. They offer a huge variety of pet food and treats—all of them organic, all-natural.

I was a bit skeptical buying a whole lot of dog treats for Shantee and Kubrick. They weren’t used to such kind of goodies—and those pet treats don’t come cheap. A small pack of the Natural Balance Roll-A-Rounds (lamb-flavored dog treats) costs Php99, while the Breath-A-Licious dental treat is Php55 each. My little dogs aren’t really used to this kind of treat, so we thought it prudent to buy just one of each in case they didn’t like them.

Breath-A-Licious

So how did Kubrick and Shantee find them? Well, let’s just “like” is an understatement—they absolutely loved the treats! They went gaga every time I bring the package out of the plastic container I kept it in to preserve the crunchiness, jumping up and down until they got a treat!

Next time I’m in Shangri-La again, I’ll be sure to buy more for my little doggies.

Bow & Wow
Unit 539, Level 5
Shangri-La Plaza Mall
EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard
Mandaluyong City
Phone: (632) 638-33-72
Fax: (632) 638-29-70
Website: http://bowandwow.com.ph/

Anyway, one of my latest purchases is a Flotation Jacket for Shantee. She was so excited trying it on, knowing fully well that “dressing up” means “going out.” But not this time!

Because this time the Flotation Jacket will be reserved for out-of-town trips, specifically swimming! My husband and I are currently training Shantee for air travel (hopefully, she’ll be ready to ride a plane so we can visit tropical islands in the Philippines not easily reached by car with our fur-baby).

The flotation jacket comes in with a detachable flap from the dog’s neck (not in photo), which is very handy in keeping the dog’s head pointed upwards. Pretty important in Shantee’s case, she’s of a flat-nosed breed (she’s a Shih Tzu). She needs to keep her head afloat because water can easily get into her short snout.

We purchased the flotation jacket for Shantee from the same Australian distributor of Doggles, Modpet Australia, where we got Shantee’s sun glasses. The jacket costs AUS$39.95, but I insisted on paying an additional of AUS$19.95 for registered mail. We ordered Shantee’s flotation jacket during the Holiday season, which was a high time for corrupted customs officials at the Manila airport. The extra amount ensured that we didn’t pay ridiculously high tariff rates (with “Christmas bonus”) for the officials “interpreting” tariff laws on their own. I was able to purchase Shantee’s jacket easily through Modpet Australia’s online store via Paypal.

Marc and I are planning to go on a trip to the beach soon so Shantee can try out her flotation jacket. We’re considering taking her to a beach resort in Batangas since going there doesn’t require air travel. Shantee’s already mastered car travel, so we won’t have any more problems except for looking for a pet-friendly resort who will accommodate our entire family—which includes Shantee