Who’s that chow hound in the kitchen?

Biscuits by Lambchop is the genius invention of New Yorker Annette Frey, who was inspired to create a gluten-free, vegan treat for dogs with delicate digestions, like her own beloved mutt. She calls the biscuits “sensible treats for the sensitive dog.” Dogs just call them delicious. 

Available in two flavors – lambchop-shaped, banana-coconut-vanilla “Choppers” and star-shaped, apple-honey-cinnamon “Starlets” – Biscuits by Lambchop are best-sellers. And that’s no surprise, what with increased awareness of how nutrition can help our pets and us to stay healthy.

My cancer-survivor K9 Tiki adores these cookies, and I can rest easy knowing I’m reducing his risk of recurrence by feeding gluten-free, preservative-free morsels at snack time. Other fans of Biscuits by Lambchop include Francesca and Sharkey, Martha Stewart’s adorable French bulldogs. 

That’s Annette hanging with Star, her dependable taste-tester. We dig her apron, don’t you?

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Hanging out with a famous dog expert and her muse

What, exactly, is an expert? An expert can hold impressive advanced degrees from prestigious institutions of higher learning – or s/he can be someone just like you and me, with a wealth of knowledge gained from everyday experience. At the end of the day, experts are ordinary people with a passion. What motivates them to educate themselves on a particular topic? Something dear to them.

Moms, for instance, are experts on child care, because they love their kids and want only the best for them. By caring for children every day, Moms become very, very knowledgeable – and if they’re generous, they’ll gladly pass along what they’ve learned to their public, i.e. the people they cross paths with every day. Of course, some everyday experts have a wider public than most.

Case in point: Beth Ostrosky Stern, wife of radio top dog Howard Stern. “Animals are my life,” says Beth, who has been rescuing, adopting, and sharing her life with critters since childhood. Those years of experience have made her an expert on the subject of dogs. Now, she’s sharing what she knows in her first book, “Oh My Dog: How to Choose, Train, Groom, Nurture, Feed, and Care for Your New Best Friend,” which the couple’s millions of fans have helped make an instant best-seller.

Beth spends a lot of energy and time making the life of Bianca, her beloved Bulldog, the happiest and longest it can possibly be. Mindful that not all dogs are as fortunate as Bianca, Beth also tirelessly advocates on behalf of the adoptable mutts at North Shore Animal League America, where she serves as celebrity spokesperson. Beth ran the 2009 NYC Marathon to raise funds for North Shore, and is generously donating a portion of her book’s proceeds to the shelter. 

Every author needs a muse, and beauteous Bianca is happy to fulfill that role. The job description is simple: Lie down on the job, often! To keep her muse comfortable, indoors as well as out, Beth provides the blessed Bulldog with many plush dog beds for her napping enjoyment. Oh My Dog!

Posted by Julia Szabo.

A new reason to appreciate Crypton dog beds 

My dog Tiki, a charming Chow-Rottweiler cross that I adopted from an animal shelter 11 years ago – and the handsome K9 cover model of my book, “Pretty Pet-Friendly” – was recently diagnosed with oral cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of this deadly disease.

This nightmare started when the right side of Tiki’s snout appeared slightly swollen; within a few days, my dog’s snout was seriously distended, as if he had a cherry tomato wedged in there. A visit to the vet confirmed that there was an abnormal, scary-looking growth high up on his gum. But a needle-aspirate biopsy returned from the lab “inconclusive.” Still, the tumor’s frightening speed of growth indicated that it was most likely cancerous. Not wanting to waste a precious minute of Tiki’s time, I decided to fight this thing with the alternative cancer treatment Neoplasene.

Formulated from alkaloids in the bloodroot plant, Neoplasene is the brilliant invention of Dr. Terence Fox of Buck Mountain Botanicals in Montana. It’s an alternative form of  chemotherapy that’s highly effective, and much less expensive than surgery, radiation, or traditional chemo. Unlike traditional chemo, which attacks all of the body’s cells (healthy as well as unhealthy), Neoplasene targets only the cancerous cells and leaves healthy tissue unharmed. It’s a beautiful thing, and more dog lovers need to know about it, because it really works. (To locate an animal hospital near you that uses Neoplasene, contact Buck Mountain Botanicals.) 

Today I have wonderful news to report: After three injections under anesthesia, administered at the Humane Socity of New York’s excellent clinic, Tiki’s face began showing dramatic signs that his body was evicting the cancer. Now, there’s an inch-wide crater of clean, healthy tissue on his snout where the cancer used to be; and it’s healing up beautifully. To prevent a recurrence, Tiki will be taking twice-daily doses of oral Neoplasene with his food for the rest of his life. 

So, where does Crypton fit in to this story? Simple: When the healing crisis happened, Tiki’s snout basically began spurting blood all over the place. This was the desired result, and cause for celebration, but it would have been quite a complicated cleanup job if not for our trusty Crypton dog beds and Throvers! What’s more, I’ve had to apply a thick, dark-yellow “Wound Balm” (also made by Buck Mountain Botanicals) to Tiki’s snout several times daily – and inevitably, the balm winds up rubbing off. But a quick wipe-up, followed by a spin in the
washing machine, and everything comes out looking like new. 

That means I can be completely ecstatic about Tiki’s success with this alternative cancer treatment, without worrying about how to get rid of the mess. Thank you, Crypton!

Special thanks to Lev Gorn for his beautiful portrait of Tiki.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Randy’s Picks: Great Design Links

Each week, Randy Rubin, co-owner of Crypton, features several articles or blogs that resonate with Crypton’s core goals: providing clean, beautiful design for everyday living. Everyday living means life with kids, pets, and anything else that finds a way into your home. Below are just a few thoughts and ideas we are inspired by this month.

Design Mom: Gabrielle Blair writes about the space where “design and motherhood intersect.” As a mother of five, she certainly knows the design challenges facing a home with children.
In addition to posts on décor (check out her thoughts on textures, she also explores fashion, photography and crafts.

Swag the Dog : With the tagline, “Cool stuff for Lucky Dogs,” this blog features all the best items to pamper your stylish pup. Our own Molly B. is quite pampered herself, and we always appreciate  designers who knowhow to spoil their pups.

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is, without a doubt, the ultimate K9 beauty contest. Appropriately, visitors to the show this week at New York’s Madison Square Garden walked away with super-stylish arm candy: fabulous Crypton totes.

This year’s winner, as everyone knows, is a scintillating Scottie named Sadie. But Sadie’s not the only dog star in Westminster’s firmament – and there’s more to Westminster winners than just style and looks.

Crypton loves any individual or organization that combines good looks and good works, so we’d like to “paws” to appreciate the fact that more and more dogs around the country – including many Westminster champions as well as shelter-adopted mutts – are volunteering their time as certified therapy animals, spreading cheer at hospitals and raising the spirits of young and old alike.

David Frei, known to millions as the dapper co-host of the USA Network’s Westminster broadcast, is a longtime advocate of animal assisted therapy. His tireless efforts to promote his charitable pet project, Angel on a Leash, are responsible for raising the national profile of therapy dogs and inspiring so many Americans to get their dogs certified.

David doesn’t just talk the talk – he dog-walks the walk. His own three dogs are all certified to do the important work of visiting hospital patients, applying the healing power of paws wherever they go. Here’s the youngest member of the Frei family, a gorgeous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Angel, taking a break between hospital visits on her Crypton bed, which we think coordinates beautifully with her lovely red hair!

Sweet dreams, Angel – bless you and all your fellow therapy dogs for the wonderful work you do. You are truly Angels on Leashes. 

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Crypton umbrella plays key role in delightful “Draw the Dog” cartoon

Cartoons about dogs are a real draw for dog lovers – the proof is in The New Yorker’s archive and popular cartoon-anthology books. Now, a new Web site called Draw the Dog aims to out-New Yorker The New Yorker.

Not only does Draw the Dog offer a new canine cartoon every single day (except Sunday), but the captioned doggie drawings are animated, so they appear to draw themselves – and color themselves in – before your astonished eyes. Each K9 cartoon is inspired by a real-life dog, and all dogs get an “inspired by” credit.

Today’s inspiration, I’m honored to report, happens to be my dog Lazarus. This friendly rescued pit bull is short, stout, and brave. Only one thing puts my little guy’s tail between his  legs: wet weather. When it’s raining cats and dogs, Laz doesn’t love wearing a raincoat, but he’s happy to have me follow him around with a protective umbrella. And here’s where the fabulous, generously-proportioned Crypton umbrella comes in handy: it’s big enough to shelter both of us! 

From time to time, Laz, a.k.a. Lazzmtazz, is very lucky to have two very good friends making sure he feels safe and comfortably dry: Jack, 5, and Reeve, 3, my neighbor Pam’s two handsome sons. A photo taken this summer of the three boys and their Crypton umbrella wound up inspiring today’s delightful Draw the Dog cartoon. Here it is in its still form; to watch the animated version “draw itself,” go here.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Can’t bring dogs with you on vacation? Give ‘em a play-cation!

New York residents are lucky: if they can’t bring their pets along on vacation, they can book a stay at one of the country’s most impressive boarding facilities, Unleash Brooklyn. I confess that I didn’t travel long-distance for several years because there was no place I’d trust with my pack of dogs; thanks to this incredible place, I’m now free to hit the road. 

Banish thoughts of an ordinary kennel. In fact, the co-owners of this unique establishment are hardcore dog lovers who won’t even use what they call  “the K-word” — and to back this up, there isn’t a single cage in the place. Constructed entirely of eco-friendly materials, this is a “holistic loft for cats and dogs.”

A stay here is a play-cation: Dogs are walked outside and enjoy carefully-supervised play sessions in three spacious exercise runs floored with shock-absorbing rubber,which is very kind to dogs with sore joints. There’s even a treadmill for super-high-energy dogs to burn off steam – or paunchy pooches, to help them battle the bulge.

When it’s sleepytime, the canine guests repair to individual rooms and “dog suites,” separated by wooden Dutch doors as in a posh horse stable, with homey touches including framed dog portraits, rugs, and chandeliers. And what do the guests lay their heads on? What else? Crypton dog beds! Now, that’s what we call deluxe accommodations.

And how’s this for reassuring: The morning after my dogs’ first night at their new home-away-from-home, I received the following text message: “They are awesome and slept great!”  

Posted by Julia Szabo.

What fun to have my new book, Pretty Pet-Friendly: Easy Ways to Keep Spot’s Digs Stylish and Spotless, featured in Katie Knorovsky’s great Washington Post Express article about high-style pet accessories, including the Crypton Throver! The book was also featured in Jill Sell’s terrific story on pet-friendly decor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer!

I had one goal when authoring Pretty Pet-Friendly: to encourage shelter-animal adoption by helping animal lovers with simple, easy-to-follow tips to keep a neat, orderly, and above all, chic “animal house.”

Of course, Crypton figures prominently in the book. And to drive my point home, when styling the cover shoot, I arranged to have an icon of chair design custom-upholstered in Crypton Suede “Icing”:  Milo Baughman’s 989 Lounge Chair, originally designed in the 1960s, is still manufactured by Thayer Coggin, renowned furniture makers in North Carolina, USA.

Besides sporting a stylish, sumptuous fabric cover that’s pretty impervious to stains, moisture, odors, and bacteria (thank you, Crypton), this pretty, pet-friendly chair sits on a metal frame – which makes it claw- and jaw-proof to boot. As for Icing’s pale purplish-periwinkle-blue hue, it’s so chic that my publisher’s graphic-design team chose it as the accent color of the inside pages!

How do you keep your “animal house” chic and clean? Tell us in the comments.