A Dog Accessory, What Is It?

The word "dog accessory" is a well travelled keyword on the overture search engine, July '06 showed 4029 searches in that one month. An accessory is a subordinate or supplementary part, object, or the like, used mainly for convenience, attractiveness, safety, etc., such as a spotlight on an automobile or a lens cover on a camera. This definition was taken from dictionary.com.

Definitions are important because I find many people have different meanings of words than I do. Take the world "selfish" for example. The dictionary (again from dictionary.com) says that selfish means devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others. My in-laws called me selfish to my husband because they weren't getting their own way when it came to my wedding. Last time I checked, the wedding was about me and THEIR SON. It wasn't about them. So obviously they do not understand the meaning of the word and perhaps they should look up the words they call people in the dictionary. Separate rant, I should get on with it. :)

I have a sneaking suspicion that many people looking up "dog accessory" aren't quite sure what they're looking for. The lil cutesy blings and fru fru doo dads are dog accessories on many sites, but those aren't necessary things. At asankadogs.com I'm concerned with convenience (meaning a dog accessory is filling a very real need), attractiveness (meaning it looks darn neat or cute, objects that make you poke the person next to you to say "oooooh, looky at that!"), and safety. Actually, I'm stepping into the realm of the unsafe with a cross between skijoring/bikjoring, but that'll be a post for the future and has little to do with what I'm selling.

So, if my sneaking suspicion is correct, that dog accessory searchers aren't sure what they're looking for, that is something for me as a retailer to take note of. And I have. I'm watching those stats closely, comparing them to my own log information. The answers will definately affect my inventory purchases. Interesting information and possible conclusions. Very interesting.

Curb Your Dog Sign

A lot of people have been ordering the curb your dog sign lately. The reason I carry them is because we've had some Rhodesian Ridgeback problems, ok, stupid other dog owner problems. It's not Lucky's fault that other people are allowing their dogs to try to attack MY dog through HIS window.

One of the two said dogs has been put down for attacking his owner (I wish I could feel badly, but she was a nut who deserved what she got, and her husband had to eat crow when he told the complex office about putting the dog down, the dog deserved better). The other dog has moved. Both dogs had stupid woman owners (I'm a woman and can tell you that smart women that are self-aware and have common sense are NOT like this)who had some serious judgement problems. The dog that got put down broke my window twice and that woman and I had choice words for each other. She blamed ME for what SHE allowed her dog to do. I wish I'd known about curb your dog signs prior to these altercations.

There are other issues with dogs that might require these signs. Well manicured lawns wouldn't appreciate dogs venturing off the sidewalk and making deposits. A sleeping baby wouldn't appreciate the loud commotion of the family dog going nuts at an alien dog on property. In addition, some people just don't like dogs and wish the owners wouldn't just let their dogs loose. This is a way to nicely let people know that their actions are out of line. That doesn't mean the situation can't still get ugly, but at least the offending people have been warned prior to further action being taken.

Elevated Dog Feeder

I sell the elevated dog feeders I sell for a reason. That reason is simple. I lit the plastic one with storage I had on fire. I hated it that much. I don't like messing with the water or having the liquid tip while I try to get the dog food out. Then I found QT Dog's elevated diners and I *loved* them. The simplicity! The elegance! And they weren't $300.00 like the other ones I looked at. I've got a picture of the wrought iron diners at the top of this entry, but not the wooden ones. Let me remedy that.



With a family and other people's dogs in and out, I really need diners that are low maintenance. Also, since I feed raw, my dogs don't get fed every day. Visiting dogs though need a lot of water, so all the diner bowls get filled with water which saves my poor slave, ummmm, I mean daughter from having to constantly refill them. Bless her little heart, she loves to help with the dogs.

There are many benefits in having an elevated dog feeder for your dog. They are mandatory if you choose to rescue a Great Dane in many rescue societies. They *are* that important, most especially for the bigger dogs!

Lupine Dog Collar

What is a Lupine dog collar? A Lupine dog collar, (actually the whole line also contains martingale collars, harnesses, and leashes), is from a company named Lupine who's motto is "guaranteed, even if chewed." That's a pretty hefty guarantee! What I like about the collars and leashes is the fact I can throw them in the washer when they get dirty, and they do get very dirty with such active dogs. There is no fraying after being washed in the washer multiple times. When I wash the dogs (and this requires a collar or harness due to the fact they keep trying to jump out of the tub) I don't have to worry about their dog gear looky ratty.

The patterns are also really neat too. On the three dogs in my family that wear Lupine, we have the patterns Muddy Paws, Hold 'Em, and Moose X-ing. Each pattern goes great with the dog wearing it. If I get tired of it I can always buy a different pattern. Lupine comes out with enough of them!

Because my dogs are "medium to large" they have the choice of the 3/4 inch and 1 inch widths. Double the selection, I love it.

If you're ever looking for a dog collar, leash, or harness brand to be loyal to, Lupine would be it.

Pet Blinkers?

What is a Pet Blinker? They are fun lil gadgets for those that like to play with LED lights and dogs at the same time , and for those who don't want to get run over by cars. It's safer to be seen than not, especially when cars are whizzing past you going faster than the speed limit on a residential street.

I'm currently trying something new, something I call "urban" skijoring. Skijoring is essentially dogs pulling you on ski's, I get pulled on my new toy called a trikke. More about that in the future. When I'm out with the dogs and teaching them to mush with our new toy, usually at night due to heat issues, the blinkers really help in keeping us safe. Cars that WERE going faster than the speed limit slow down. Pet Blinkers worked so well for the dogs that I started putting them on the kids too when we went for our evening walks. We love them.