Love Da Pawz / BlogTails

Helping animals ... One sweatshirt at a time!

2011-09-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

We want to thank all our tailwaggin friends for your patience. If you have any questions, or product inquiries, please give us a bark at (310) 823-2031 and help us help animals ... one sweatshirt at a time.
Thank you so much!

Thank you for your patience

2011-02-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

To all our Pawz followers....Sorry for the delays. Please stay tuned, we have alot of tailwaggin' new things coming soon to Pawz!

We'll keep ya posted!

Our store is Pawzzzing.....'till Early Fall

2010-04-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hey there Blogtail fans, we wanted to let you know that we are Pawzin' our online store until early Fall!

When we return .... look out .... it's gonna be the best Tailwaggin' Store in town!

We are so excited, it's hard to keep our Yaps' closed!!

So, please stay tuned and keep checkin' in .... we'll see you early Fall!

We want to apologize for any inconvenience.

Should there be any product you'd like to purchase or have a question, please call us direct and we'll be happy to assist you.

Our direct line is: 310-823-2031. Mon-Fri 8:00 am - 5:00 pm PST

Sale, Sale, Sale!

2010-01-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

You've asked for it.

We've got it.

Right in time to ring in 2010!

We've gone through the depths of our warehouse, taken inventory, and marked down our ENTIRE eStore to 50% off.

That's right - 50% off our normal prices.

So, if Santa didn't bring you that special Pawz hoodie you had been hoping for, but he did bring you some extra cash flow to spend on gifts of your choosing post-holiday crush, be sure to head over to our eStore to check out our latest markdowns.

We guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Happy 2010

2010-01-01T00:01:00.001-08:00

'Tis the Season to Da Pawz

2009-12-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

Can it be December already?

Time sure does fly - along with the fur - when you're having fun!

With the holidays are on final approach, now is the purrfect time to stash away that purrfect gift for the pet lover in your family - Love Da Pawz style.

Our unique, heartfelt and completely irresistible 2009-2010 collection remains the purrfect ticket. A hat, a hoodie sweatshirt, a long or short sleeve tee, we have gifts for everyone.

HOLIDAY BONUS: ENJOY FREE UPS GROUND SHIPPING when you place an order of $100 or more by 3 p.m. PST on December 15th.

Head on over to our online store for all the details and to put the finishing touches on your holiday shopping for this season!

Holidays 2009 - Love Da Pawz Style

2009-10-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

It's October.

And that means the holidays are right around the corner.

What do you plan on getting the pet lover in your family? Or how about the person who has everything?

If you're looking for something unique, heartfelt and completely irresistible, our 2009-2010 collection is just the ticket. Whether it's a hat, one of our hoodies or a tee, we have gifts for everyone.

Shop our online store 24/7: store.lovedapawz.com.

And for our wholesaler family, there is still plenty of time to get in an order (or two) for Love Da Pawz merchandise so that you can have it in your store(s) for the holiday season. Inquiries are always welcome at sales@lovedapawz.com or through contacting our corporate office at 310-823-2031.

'Tis the season for shopping!

Pawz Goes Poshing with PAWS Atlanta and Victoria Stilwell

2009-08-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

We are starting to think it really is a small world after all.

Remember this past Spring, when our resident blogger LillyKat spoke exclusively with It's Me or the Dog's Victoria Stilwell?

Well, we are super-excited that our good friends at PAWS Atlanta have Victoria hosting their Posh PAWty on October 10, 2009 at The Mason Murer Art Gallery in Atlanta. As you may or may not know, Victoria is a huge supporter of the organization given she makes her home in Atlanta.

That said, we are seriously bummed we won't be able to attend in person.

BUT ... as the evening will feature a fantabulous silent auction, we will be sending a pawlicous gift basket that will have just about everything one might need to start their very own Love Da Pawz wardrobe - including items from our brand new Wingster Collection.

If you're interested in learning more about the event, or want to make plans to attend, check out the official press release from PAWS Atlanta:

The Posh PAWty for PAWS Atlanta is October 10

Emcee will be Victoria Stilwell, from Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog

ATLANTA – July 27, 2009 Internationally known dog trainer Victoria Stillwell is the emcee for The Posh PAWty for PAWS Atlanta, October 10 at The Mason Murer Art Gallery. Ms. Stilwell is the trainer and host of It’s Me or the Dog, seen weekly on Animal Planet.

The Posh PAWty is an event that’s appropriate for everyone: non dog owners, fans of It’s Me or the Dog, rescue groups or advanced dog trainers. Victoria Stilwell has seen every pet issue imaginable and will be sharing stories from her hit television show, training tips and more.

There will also be a silent auction that night with dozens of things that will make your life better, including a private dog training session with Victoria Stilwell. Tickets cost $40-$125, depending upon whether you would like single entry, couple or VIP tickets. All tickets include food and drink which will be provided by Affairs to Remember.

The Posh PAWty for PAWS Atlanta is a local event that will raise money for local cats and dogs that need support. The event is October 10 at The Mason Murer Art Gallery, 199 Armour Drive, Atlanta from 7 p.m - 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available at: www.pawsatlanta.com.

Be sure to let us know if you're going to attend! We'd love to hear all about it!

Pawz Scores a Triple FFF: Fall Fashion Feature

2009-08-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

The good folks over at Doggie Aficionado made our week last week.

Why is that?

They had this to say about our product line in their "Canine Couture" Fall Fashion Feature:

Pet lovers can look stylish and support a cause by wearing Love Da Pawz clothing and accessories. Designed for those pet parents who are constantly on the go (with their furry friend, of course!), the collection highlight a paw motif on tees, sweatshirts and pants, yoga wear, socks and hats. Soy candles and pet treats are also available. Even better, a portion of the proceeds benefits Best Friends Animal Society and the spcaLA ...

Be sure to check out the magazine online doggieaficionado.com, or head over to your nearest Barnes and Noble and pick up a copy.

We did. Thanks for the good word, Doggie Aficionado!

Introducing the Wingster Collection

2009-07-27T16:28:00.001-07:00

Four legs.

One tail.

Two wings.

And a vision to celebrate the true spirit of paws in all of us!

That is the inspiration behind the new Wingster Collection by Love Da Pawz. Truly unique and uplifting, our designer tapped into the deeply spiritual connection many of us share with our 4-leggers, and she created one-of-a-kind inspiring designs and sayings on a variety of tees, tanks, sweatshirts and hats to let everyone express their love of all-things paws in a variety of ways (not mention giving us our very own mascot)!

We are officially debuting the full Wingster Classic and College collections at the annual SuperZoo pet industry trade show, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, September 15-17, 2009. However, we welcome early wholesale inquires: sales@lovedapawz.com!

Since SuperZoo is an industry trade event, it is closed to the general public. BUT ... for all our loyal Pawz followers, we've made the entire Wingster collection available for pre-order in our online store! So be sure to head on over and check it out so that you can be the first on the block to sport your Wingster spirit, and celebrate 'da spirit of 'da pawz!

Travelin' Road Show - Summer 2009

2009-06-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

On the road again ... I just can't wait to get on the road again ...

"On the road again" has indeed become the anthem for Love Da Pawz in the late Spring and Summer of 2009 as we make several appearances throughout the local Southern California area.

If you are local, come out and see us! We carry almost the full stock of our line for purchase.

Wholesale inquiries are also welcome at our booth. In fact, we encourage those of you who may be considering carrying the Love Da Pawz line in your store to come see us live and in person to get a good feel for not only the quality of our product, but for how you might be able to display it!

~~2009 Pet Expo USA Santa Clarita (Santa Clarita, CA / May 9, 2009)~~

~~Nutts for Mutts (Woodland Hills, CA / May 17, 2009)~~

~~Palos Verdes Street Fair (Palos Verdes, CA / June 6-7, 2009)~~

~~Venice Eco-Fest (Venice, CA / June 27, 2009)~~

~~Rancho Palos Verdes July 4th Country Fair (Palos Verdes, CA / July 4, 2009)~~

A Summer Spate of Ads and Gifts

2009-05-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Summer, folks!

Our new advertising campaign continues in the June 2009 issue of Modern Dog, and the May/June 2009 issue of Fido Friendly. You can continue to look for our lovely caricature, Vickie, the Pawz Dog Walker (named after the lovely graphic artist who designed all of the fantastic caricatures you see here and elsewhere).

You might have also seen us in the latest issue of Pet Style Magazine - where our 100% Soy Candles were featured on page 32 of the "Gift Gallery."

Trust us, they do make great gifts, and they come in six uniquely wonderous scents: Love Da Pawz Signature Blend (Fresh Air); Catnap Meringue (Lemon Meringue); Dog Day Gardenia (Gardenia); Puppies Love Plumeria (Plumeria); Sniffin’ The Freesia (Freesia); Pawlicious Lavender (Lavender). Sizes: 7.5 oz. round (retail: $17.50); 10 oz. square (retail: $23.50); 12 oz. square (retail: $27.75).

Let us know if you like what you see!

Looking for a Job? We Need Sales Reps!

2009-04-08T13:33:00.001-07:00

Even though times are tough right now for so many of us in this economy, we here at Love Da Pawz are actively seeking commission-only sales reps to spread the good word about the product and our brand!

Do you have sales rep experience that you think might be a good fit for our company and mission? If you're an animal lover who believe animals make a difference in each and every one of our lives, we invite you to become a member of our exciting team!

E-mail your detailed resume to:

jobs[at]lovedapawz.com

Subject line: "REGIONAL SALES REP"

(**NOTE: Subject line MUST be included for consideration.)

Also, we recently found a wonderful organization through Twitter called JobAngels - dedicated to getting people back to work one person at a time. If you are looking for employment, or want to help someone get back to work, please do check out these good folks!

Web Site: JobAngels.org
Twitter: Twitter.com/JobAngels

BlogTails Thinks Dog with Victoria Stilwell

2009-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer
Resident Pawz Blogger

Think dog?

If you're Victoria Stilwell, you do.

And you do it quite well.

Host of Animal Planet's immensely popular It's Me or the Dog, author of two best-selling books ("It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet" and "Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet"), Victoria has been widely praised for being a champion of reward-based training methodologies. BlogTails recently caught up with her as she was preparing to start shooting the second season of the US version of the show, and she was keen to talk about her passion for animals, the inspiration of her family and her devotion to the Think Dog philosophy.

One would think someone this good at working with animals would've been raised in a house full of dogs, cats and the like, but she wasn't even allowed to have a dog as a child.

"My parents both worked," says Victoria, "and my father wasn’t a dog lover anyways. But, my grandmother bred Beagles, and she was passionate about her dogs. I spent a lot of time with her growing up, and it was always a big treat to go to her house and be with the dogs."

Even more than that, Victoria didn't plan on becoming a trainer in the first place. Her foray into owning her first dog-walking business was really only a means to an end - an acting end.

"I was always going to be an actor," she says. "That is what I trained to be. I went to drama school in London. But before I went to drama school, [and] after university, I need[ed] to get money in order to go to drama school. So, I started a dog-walking business. My sister was a veterinary nurse, so she was very much involved in [the] world [of animals]. And really, from then on, the passion just took hold. For a while, I was doing both, [acting and training] simultaneously, but the training just took over. I was much, much happier in that environment, and much, much happier working with animals."

That's not too surprising to hear given the immense challenges that accompany those striving to become actors. And yet, her thespian training serves her well given she's seems to be a natural on camera - both in working with animals and people.

The show just wrapped up airing its first full season of US-based episodes after having previously aired four seasons worth of programs that had been filmed exclusively in Victoria's native England. The US version of the show is twice as long as its UK counterpart (an hour as compared to 30 minutes), and that, Victoria says, allows for much more of the process of the training methods to be filmed and observed. Her focus remains on countering the traditional, dominance-based training methods developed in the 1970s with a more positive, reward-based training methodology.

Says Victoria: "Scientific research - from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and also top behaviorists and methodologists - has proven that using dominance-based [training] can create potentially bad side effects for the dogs. It also can really heighten the bite statistics and the chances of owners being bitten by their dogs if you’re dealing with an aggressive dog. I think Britain has been ahead of [the] curve in [embracing more of a rewards-based training methodology] simply because [the] education [has] been more available. But now here in America, there are a lot more university courses [available] in animal behavior, so people [here in the states] are now being trained to teach animals in a very kind way rather than in a harsh way."

Given there are two distinct camps on how best to train a dog, Victoria puts it squarely on the shoulders of the owners to decide what kind of leader they want to be and what kind of training they want to adopt.

"Here’s the difference: Do you want your dog to follow you because it wants to? Or, do you want your dog to follow you because it fears what’s going to happen to it if it doesn’t? I want to have a relationship with my dog that’s built on cooperation, not domination. That is the major difference between the two methodologies. So, while you might seem to have success [using dominance-based methods] because your dog is listening to you and is behaving, inside [you have to ask] are you really improving that dog’s psyche by using traditional methods. The proof is out there - you’re not. And yet, people do have a choice. Everybody is free to train their dog in the way that they think best. But, what is going to make a dog happier?

"I can have a dog behave for me," she continues, "and feel much better while its behaving without having me use forceable methods. It's sort of the same [reevaluation of] behavioral principles that we've adopted [now] with [regards to] raising children vs. [what we were doing] 20-30 years ago - [when] we still thought corporal punishment was a way to get our children to behave. Today, we realize there is a better way to get our children to behave. Being a parent, a dog owner and a trainer, I would much rather have my dogs and children have a happy life – a rewarding life – rather than fearing me. That’s the difference. And that is why I caution people about the use of traditional training methods when there is an alternative for them to consider."

So how does she sum up her concept of "Think Dog"?

By taking the perspective of your four-legged friend.

Literally.

"'Think Dog' is this," she says, "I really don’t believe you can understand your dog until you try and think how a dog perceives the world – and use that dog’s experience to make training easier. If you ‘Think Dog’ – if you think what is the world like from a dog’s point of view – you can get so much more information that helps you become a better owner. And it really is about education – learning how a dog sees; how a dog smells; how does it hear; how does it view people; how does it talk; how does it communicate in body language; [even] getting on all fours [to] feel how it feels to be that small, as it were. It's all that kind of stuff. And that’s why, with ‘Think Dog,’ you do become a better owner."

Speaking of owners, Victoria finds her biggest challenge to be centered on motivating owners to keep at the training long after she's exited stage left.

Says Victoria: "For any trainer, the greatest challenge is motivating the owner to work, to be able to carry on the training after the trainer is gone. In a way, I think this is why the traditional [dominance-based] methods seem to have more of an appeal because they look like a quick fix – shout at your dog, your dog won’t do [something] anymore because it's scared of you and you think [the problem is] fixed. But actually, I always say quick fixes very quickly become unstuck. Now, that's not to say that the positive rewards-based training takes longer. However, I would say that some times, when you’re changing an emotional problem in a dog, it might look like the dog is cured after you’ve shouted at it, or alpha-roled, or punished it in some way because the dog stops the misbehavior. But, the dog still feels bad inside and is likely to repeat the behavior. With positive training, you spend time on changing the way a dog feels inside. That sometimes can be a longer road, but in the end, you’re going to get a much better result. Therefore, as a trainer, you’ve got to be able to motivate owners to keep working at it because we want to have the results stick – that’s where the work comes in."

Work, it seems, is what Victoria does best - and that includes plans to launch the Victoria Stilwell Think Dog Foundation come this June where the organization's focus will be to raise money for the smaller rescues and shelters across the country as well as various animal assistance organizations.

"We want to raise money for the smaller rescue shelters," says Victoria. "The larger rescues always get considerable funding, and it's always the smaller shelters that lose out. But, not only that, we also want to raise money for various foundations that work with dogs and disabled children, for example, or hearing dogs for hearing-impaired people – that kind of thing. So, we're going to be raising money for assistance dogs and their organizations as well as the rescues."

Given Victoria inspires dog owners and lovers everywhere to be the best they can be - both for themselves and for their pets - where does she find inspiration?

The answer is simple: in her family, and in having been on the front lines of rescue shelters.

"I did a lot of volunteer work when I was younger in rescue shelters," she says, "and I’ve seen the pain, the abuse, the neglect and the suffering of thousands of animals. I just want to provide people with the right kind of education so there are fewer animals given up to shelters. I want there to be a resource that can help people. That’s a massive inspiration for me. But I'm also a mother, and the biggest thing in my life is to make my child’s life the best it can possibly be. So, [my daughter] is my inspiration. Having the miracle of [her], seeing her grow – and seeing her love of animals, now – that spurs me to carry on. I do spend a lot of time away from my family whilst I’m filming, and though I don't like being away, I do it because there is a bigger agenda – and that’s [my daughter]. She is my true inspiration."

BlogTails Quicktakes with Victoria Stilwell:

I'm most comfortable when I'm ...

Sitting down, watching a movie at home.

The best part of my day is when I'm ...

Reading my daughter a bedtime story.

If I weren't a dog trainer, I'd be ...

An actress.

The best piece of advice ever given to me was ... and he/said ...

My grandmother. Because I broke a lamp in her house and didn't own up to it, she always told me: 'Don't lie.' Always tell the truth. It's much better in the long run.

The oldest thing in my closet is ... and I keep it because ...

My school tie. It reminds me of when I went to a very strict girl's school, and we wore ties. It reminds me of that - and makes me laugh.

Last time I laughed so hard I cried was when ...

I was watching Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

If it came down to Captain Jack Sparrow or Will Turner, I'd sail the seas with ...

Captain Jack Sparrow.

----------

BlogTails would like to extend a very special thanks to Victoria for taking the time to share her insights on how she does what she does and why she does it. You can tune in Saturdays at 9 p.m. to Animal Planet for It's Me or the Dog. And be sure to visit Victoria's official Web site, VictoriaStilwell.com to catch up on all-things Victoria. For even more of this Q&A with Victoria, visit Pass the Remote.

Victoria Stilwell's Stops by BlogTails

2009-03-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

File this under: Cool News.

Our resident blogger, LillyKat (who also writes for the independent television blog, Pass the Remote), landed an exclusive interview with the lovely Victoria Stilwell, world-class dog trainer and host of Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog.

It's all about thinking dog and training through positive reinforcement with Victoria, and while we'll have a more in depth write-up to post here next week (including talk of Victoria's forthcoming foundation called the Think Dog Foundation), we've got what we'll call our BlogTails Quicktakes to tide us over for the weekend:

-----

BlogTails Quicktakes with Victoria Stilwell:

I'm most comfortable when I'm ...

"Sitting down, watching a movie at home."

The best part of my day is when I'm ...

"Reading my daughter a bedtime story."

If I weren't a dog trainer, I'd be ...

"An actress."

The best piece of advice ever given to me was ... and he/said ...

"My grandmother. Because I broke a lamp in her house and didn't own up to it, she always told me: 'Don't lie.' Always tell the truth. It's much better in the long run."

The oldest thing in my closet is ... and I keep it because ...

"My school tie. It reminds me of when I went to a very strict girl's school, and we wore ties. It reminds me of that - and makes me laugh."

Last time I laughed so hard I cried was when ...

"I was watching Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm"

If it came down to Captain Jack Sparrow or Will Turner, I'd sail the seas with ...

"Captain Jack Sparrow."

-----

Watch this space for more of our interview with Victoria Stilwell. In the meantime, tune into the season finale of It's Me or the Dog Saturday at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet. And be sure to head on over to Victoria's official Web site, VictoriaStilwell.com for the latest on all-things Victoria!

Martha Stewart Would Be Proud

2009-03-09T19:19:00.001-07:00

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer
Resident Pawz Blogger

It is true some of us are born to be crafty and some of us aren't.

And by "crafty," I am not talking about Jedi mind tricks.

Rather, I'm talking about knowing what to do with oneself in a craft store.

Or in a garage.

Or a kitchen.

Or anywhere else one can come up with an idea (and materials) to make nifty things.

I can't do that. Seriously, I didn't get my dad's green thumb knack for gardening, my mother's knack for home improvement projects or my grandmother's knack for making everything homemade.

But our good artist friend Vickie did - as evident by this picture of the door she JUST made for her outdoor shed this past weekend.

Martha Stewart would indeed be proud.

Snarky Barky Malarkey: Twitter's Detractors

2009-03-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer
Resident Pawz Blogger

I have to laugh at this article today from MSNBC.com's Technotica, essentially slamming the world's recent obsession with Twitter. I seem to vaguely recall everyone bagging on blogging when it first stormed onto the scene, too.

Yes, okay, so Twitter is the current buzz of the social networking webiverse.

Yes, okay, it makes MySpace looks old school.

Yes, okay, Facebook may - and I emphasize - may be getting nervous and is trying to overhaul itself to compete and win the webiverse buzz back (seriously, Facebook does NOT need to worry).

And yes, there is a lot of useless twitter on Twitter - just like with any other social networking site.

However, there are a ton of reasons why Twitter works well, especially in an environment like the one here at Love Da Pawz - a new company, trying to spread the good word about its brand to as many pet lovin' folks as possible.

I have it on good authority Pawz is getting to know lots of good folks via Twitter - individuals, businesses, activists.

So how can that be a bad thing?

Keep Twittering.

Ignore the snarky barky malarky.

Pawz March Madness

2009-03-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Guess what?

It's March.

Which means it's March Madness for those of you who live, breath, eat and sleep college hoops (otherwise known as the Road to the Final Four NCAA Basketball tournament which, as I'm told, involves a lot of phoned in "sick" days at the office).

It also means it's Spring.

And that starts a new advertising campaign for Love Da Pawz.

You'll notice the lovely caricature to the right. That's Vickie, the Pawz Dog Walker, named after the lovely graphic artist who designed all of the fantastic caricatures you see here (and elsewhere).

She'll be making her debut in ads running in Modern Dog and Fido Friendly.

Posted By: LillyKat
Senior Staff Writer Elsewhere
Resident Pawz Blogger

Let the BlogTails Begin

2009-03-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hi-ho.

Woof-woof.

Meow.

Welcome to the first official post of BlogTails, the new blog from Love Da Pawz.

Now, it should be said I normally do TV blogging over in a little corner of the independent television blogosphere we call Pass The Remote, writing lotsa motsa stuff for those of us who have this unfortunate habit of watching way too much TV.

But, I know the good folks here at Love Da Pawz, and they've asked me to ... well, blog.

About all-things Love Da Pawz.

What they're about.

Why they are pretty darn cool.

And why you might want to join in on some Love Da Pawz goodness.

If you haven't heard as yet, the Pawz folks are in the business of making some nifty clothing for the pet lovers of the world.

Make that "conscientious" pet lovers.

What does that mean?

Well, when you buy their goodies, a portion of their proceeds go back to organizations that promote the health and wellness of animals - like the Best Friends Animal Society, and the spcaLA.

How cool is that?

Cool by me, considering we all do tend to pay a lot more attention to our purchases these days.

Especially when you can feel good in AND about the stuff you wear.

So check out their Web site.

Stop by their online store.

And stay tuned for more blog fun.

Posted By: LillyKat
Senior Staff Writer Elsewhere
Resident Pawz Blogger