chatterbox » dogs

Lauren Conrad Made Time to Paws for Style

Kristen Seymour — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:09:50 +0000

The Hills star Lauren Conrad recently attended Animal Fair’s 2008 “Paws for Style” event to benefit the Humane Society. The event consisted of an animal designer fashion show with celebrity dog walkers.

Loads of celebrities and designers were slated to attend, and the show was a huge success with one exception — according to Animal Fair, Lauren (who has two rescue dogs of her own) refused to walk a rescue dog down the catwalk. Wendy Diamond, the magazine’s editor, went straight to the press with the information, while Lauren has notified the public through her MySpace page that she fulfilled her agreement and was happy to take part in the event, and nothing had been mentioned beforehand about walking the catwalk.

The controversy is unfortunate — it sounds like it was a misunderstanding, and now both sides are getting some negative press from it. However, the good news is that attention is being paid to an event and organization that raises money and awareness for shelter animals and rescue organizations.

Lauren, for her part, said that, “I was trying to do a good thing and help out a charity by doing everything I agreed to do. I continue to support the Humane Society, as it is a wonderful organization.”

Photo courtesy of justjared.com

Look To The Stars Throws Glenn Close a Bone

Kristen Seymour — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:00:19 +0000

Glenn Close is a bonafied dog lover, and was recently recognized for her efforts by Look To The Stars. She received the Golden Bone for her work as co-founder of Fetchdog.com, an high-end online store selling dog and puppy supplies. That alone, while nice, isn’t such a big deal. What’s special about Fetchdog is that when Glenn and her husband started it last October, they decided to donate a percentage of every sale to a dog-related charity of the purchaser’s choice.

The store itself has some really cool items, ranging from training tools and leashes (I have my eye on the Not-a-long Coupler) to Earth friendly beds, toys, bath products, and more. But that’s not all the site has to offer.

Glenn also has a blog called Lively Licks, and I’m a huge fan. In it, she holds interviews with celebrity dog owners like Martha Stewart and Debra Messing as well as interviews with inspirational dog owners, like Tracy Christensen and his avalanche rescue dog, Mick. Additionally, she gives tips, tricks and advice on dealing with things like dog smell, hair, and accidents.

She might have played Cruella DeVil in 101 Dalmations, but Glenn Close is anything but cruel in real life. Congrats on your newest award, Glenn, and keep up the good work!

Close-up photo courtesy of starpulse.com. Photo with dogs courtesy of fetchdog.com.

Drew Barrymore is a Doggone Artist

Kristen Seymour — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:00:28 +0000

You might already know that Drew Barrymore is a big proponent of adopting shelter dogs. In fact, she rescued her lab/chow mix, Flossie, from a flea market, and now credits her with saving her life in 2001 when a late night house fire started and Flossie woke up Drew (and her boyfriend at the time, Tom Green) by barking and thumping against the door.

Drew and Flossie have found a way to give back to the rescue community — through art. The duo has created this canvas, which includes Drew’s handprint and Flossie’s pawprints, along with a few little extras, and it’s being auctioned off to benefit The Rescue Train. The Rescue Train is a no-kill, non-profit animal rescue “dedicated to eliminating animal suffering through hands-on rescue work, spay and neutering, education, and awareness.

Other celebrities on board with this cause are Jessica Alba and her dog Bowie, Courteney Cox and David Arquette along with their daughter Coco and dog Haley, Carmen Electra along with her pups Keiko and Daisey, and more.

If you’re interested in seeing the artwork or placing a bid, check out Charity Folks.

Photo courtesy of wikifido.com

Oprah Takes On Puppy Mills

Kristen Seymour — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:08:53 +0000

There’s no disputing that Oprah has the power to make good things happen, and she works hard to ensure they do. There’s also no doubt that she’s a huge animal lover.

This past Friday, Oprah dedicated that episode of her talk show to her late cocker spaniel, Sophie, who had passed away last month at 13 years of age. And it wasn’t just any old show — this show exposed the evils of puppy mills. It’s a hard show to watch, but I encourage you to do so, or at least learn more about puppy mills. Here are a few key points:

The conditions in which the animals live in these places is deplorable, and though the puppy might be healthy, often the mother is forced to carry litter after litter with no break, and when she’s no longer able to serve her purpose, she’s killed. Dogs in puppy mills live in their own waste without proper medical treatment. The video (shot undercover) showed a dog being euthanized as well as dogs in trashbags being tossed into a dumpster.

Oprah has always gotten her dogs from breeders, but after the emotional show, she said, “I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show.”

Let me encourage you to make sure you know where your pets are from before you buy from a breeder. As a nation, we can say NO to puppy mills and the mistreatment of animals by no longer spending our money with them. Celebrities all over are getting friendly with shelter pets — join them!

Oprah picture courtesy of tv.hollyscoop.com

Oprah and dogs picture courtesy of dreamdogsart.typepad.com