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Keeping Your Dog Warm (Without Overdoing It)
Cozy, stylish and simple, the Gold Paw Series fleeces are cold-weather-dog-clothing for dog owners who hesitate to dress up their dog.
Store For The Dogs' Toy Of The Year: The Toppl
Our favorite dog toy is one that can extend your dog's mealtime and help him expend his energy.
Meet the miniatures: Italian Artist Sculpts Adorable Tiny Dog Portraits
Rome is a city full of little things to love, be it the copious gelato, swarms of Vespas, or unparalleled espressos. On a recent trip there, we found a new little thing to love about Rome: It's tiny dogs!
Okay, perhaps not real dogs, but tiny all the same. Artist Annabel June, based in Rome, has a big love of pets that she channels into little, adorable, handmade likenesses.
Annabel June and her dog Noah
We came home with handmade miniatures of some of our beloved School For The Dogs members, and now we are offering them in our
shop. School For The Dogs members can receive two for the price of one, with one of them put on display in our East Village studio.
Some of School For The Dogs members, as sculpted by Annabel June.
We asked Annabel June to tell us a little about her unusual occupation:
What inspired you to start making these tiny sculpted portraits?
I have always liked making little things with Fimo -- a kind of German polymer clay. One day I had the idea of making one of dog, so I tried it and then uploaded the picture of it on Instagram. After that, a lot of people asked me if I could do one of their dogs...It all started there!
What is the material/process like of making one?
It takes me around three hours to make one dog, usually using photos as reference. I like having photos from lots of different angles. After its sculpted, I cook them to harder them, and then use a bit of paint to brighten the eyes, nose and tongue.
So your dog was your initial inspiration. Tell us about him!
His name is Noah, abd he is three-year-old red-nose pitbull-type dig. He has chronic gastrointestinal issues and social anxiety with other dogs, both things we are trying to help him live with as best we can. He is my love and I can't really imagine a world without him.
As someone who has a much-loved dog, and who spends so much time studying them in order to create these tiny replicas, I'm sure you've learned a lot about the canine-human bond.
Well, one thing I've learned is that a dog isn't human-- a lot of times they need and prefer different things. It may seem a simple thing to say "they're not human," but when you watch how some people talk to their dog and interact, it often looks like people forget that. You need to learn how your dog express his emotions so you can help him live a less stressful life and be more happy and relaxed. I've learned that when a dog is aggressive, it is really insecurity more than anything else. He may be frightened or simply doesn't know the right way to communicate with other dogs. But there is one thing that I think they do have in common with people: they are usually most happy and most relaxed when they are with people and dogs they love!
Collars and Leashes With Attitude: Introducing Shed Brooklyn
Some people like to adorn their dogs with clothes and accessories; others prefer to stick to only functional gear. Whichever camp you fall into, there are two essential items that allow room for some fun and expression of taste: a dog's collar and leash.
At our Christmas craft fair last year at School For The Dogs, our clients went nuts for the cute and cheeky printed hemp collars and leashes made by the young company, Shed Brooklyn. There are simply no other products on the market like their eyebrow-raising gear, which features original motifs you're not likely to find on any other dog wear. Boobs, poop-icons, granny panties, and dollar signs are just not among the kinds of things you'd expect to find on a dog gear! We asked Kiah Vidyarthi, one half of the Shed team, to tell us about the products.
How did this business come about?
We started out making hand-stamped collars as holiday gifts for friends and family in 2014. Kristen and I are best friends, and we're both obsessed with our dogs. She has a background in business, and I've worked in art and textiles, and we are both suckers for cute stuff.
After making a few batches, we pretty quickly had a long list of friends who wanted them, so in early 2015 we decided to up our game by adding more designs, starting to screen print each collar. Our vision was to make dog accessories that are cute, affordable, ethically made, vegan and locally-made.
The process took some trial and error! Screen printing can be a tricky process when you're using a textured material. We came up with a bunch of ideas for designs that we felt personified the (weird and charming) pups in our lives. In terms of images, we like things that are a little odd and things that give a nod to our '90s childhoods and pop culture. We have emojis, snacks, girly stuff, and some cool new artist collaborations coming very soon.
Do you have a favorite?
All of our collars and leashes are mix-and-match. My favorite leash is probably the forties. I like to keep it classy and pair it with the boobies collar.
Right now, it's just collars and leashes but we have big plans - beds, goodies, toys, and more! We also just launched our Mom Jeans (recycled denim) collection, which comes in four washes. Acid wash is pretty cool.
How did “Shed” get its name?
We came up with the name Shed when were just sitting around my kitchen table, brainstorming. We were getting lost in some pretty embarrassing puns and then it hit us: Shed! We loved that it was a sort of double-entendre, with dog hair shedding and a structure that could contain lots of things.
Now, the most important part of this interview: Tell us about your dog!
Tuna! Formally known as Petunia, is a 4ish year old pittie and she's the most wonderful monster in the world. I adopted her when she was about 10 months old from the pound in Jersey City. As she got older, she developed some behavioral issues and decided that she is extremely picky about her dog friends, absolutely hates skateboards, and runs the neighborhood cat-watch. She's forever a work in progress, but she's definitely my canine soulmate.
You've done a lot of training with Tuna. If you could impart one tip to other dog owners, what would it be?
Recognize your dog's individual needs! For the first several years, I couldn't accept that Tuna could lead a happy, fulfilled life if she wasn't running around off leash at the dog park with all the happy-go-lucky dogs. I spent so much time, tears, and not to mention tons of money trying to change the fact that she just isn't one of those dogs. In reality, Tuna has two or three dog friends that she enjoys playing with for a little bit, but she's happiest when she's in the company of her humans. Once I finally accepted it and let her live her truth as a couch-potato, we were all much happier.