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Pet Junkie

Denise Smallman-Chilcoat was a pet junkie long before she signed on as Maryland’s official representative for Pet Junkie, the national distributor of pet products that holds home parties to display the latest in pet accessories.

After growing up in a pet-less family, Denise got her first dog in her early 20’s – saving a dog named Sombra from ending up in the local pound, and finding her passion in the process.

Sombra led her to get more involved with helping animals, starting at the Maryland SPCA, where she began volunteering in 2001, then adding volunteer work at BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter) to her schedule. She also volunteered for several weeks with the Humane Society of Harford County after a hoarding case drastically increased its dog population. Denise has worked with various TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) programs for feral cats, as well.

She’s also a member of BCART (Baltimore City Animal Rescue Team),  a private-public partnership that works to prevent and prepare for disasters or emergencies and their impact on pets and animals.

“The main reason for me joining BCART is that I wanted to help animals,” Denise says. “Since Sombra pasted away on August 30, 2005, around the same time that Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, I was so upset over her passing, and that so many people had to leave their beloved pets behind in New Orleans, that I told myself – for my Sombra, and all those who did not make it — I would learn how to help others become more prepared for emergencies and to help animals in those emergencies.”

Given her desire to help animals, Pet Junkie was a perfect fit, Denise says.

“I’m always looking and trying to do more to help animals in need.  One day, I came across some information on a new pet product company that has some cool stuff for pets, kids and adults… I had a feeling that this just might be for me.

“I spoke with one of owners about the company, their goals, products, and why they started the company and realized that I had some of those same goals.  The winning factor was that Pet Junkie works with non-profit organizations and animal related services. As a pet lover and wanting to help animals, I found this to be a great way that the company come up with to help those groups.”

Pet Junkie representatives also organize house parties – a la Tupperware – where dogs and their humans can, in addition to having a good time, get a look at some of the products in the Pet Junkie line.

“As a Pet Junkie rep, I do home, catalog and web parties, all of which are fun. But the best are the home parties where the host, family, friends and the pets can all have a great time while getting some cool stuff!”

Denise has two dogs of her own. While Sombra has passed, Denise shares her home with Sydney, a mutt rescued from the streets, and Salsalina, a Rottweiller who was rescued from a home where she was no longer wanted. At this writing, she’s also fostering some cats from BARCS. In her day job, Denise is a senior corporate VIP travel consultant for Legg Mason in Baltimore. 

Denise can be reached at denisepetjunkie@yahoo.com    

Punk Rock Dogg

Colleen Tillger started Punk Rock Dogg in June 2007. Disappointed with what she could find on the Internet in the way of dog clothing – prissy, plain and overpriced in her view – she decided to design and make her own.

Her dog, Murphy, a Boston Terrier, required something a little more in-your-face – like the “Fart Club” t-shirts she came up with. The result was a line of shirts, supplemented by collars, leashes, tags and toys.

“You’ll never find stuff on Punk Rock Dogg that some skanky starlet o’ the month is putting on her accessory pet o’ the month,” her web site says. “There will never be any doggie ‘bling.’ Our stuff isn’t for socialites, hipsters or ‘the popular kids.’ Our stuff is for real, down-to-earth, non-conformist, individualists … and their psychotic (but lovable) pets.”

Tillden lives about an hour west of Philadelphia, and also works as a counselor and attends graduate school. She’s also in the process of getting another of her dogs, Ginger, certified for therapy work, specializing in victims of trauma.

All four of Tillden’s dogs are adopted, and she regularly contributes time, money and merchandise to local animal shelters and rescue organizations. A portion of the proceeds from a new spring t-shirt designs will benefit the Humane Society and ASPCA, and Punk Rock Dogg plans to offer the shirts to non-profit animal shelters at cost, so they may sell them to benefit their organizations.

You Silly Dog

A part-time job as an adoption counselor with the Richmond SPCA in 2002 introduced Alisa Mills to the satisfaction of working with both dogs and the community.

The experience in Virginia led her to the decision to become a dog trainer. In 2003, she relocated to the Baltimore area where she interned with a local non-profit.

There, she learned to train dogs — and, just as important, how to teach their owners to continue the training.

Three years later, she started her own company, You Silly Dog.

Her training philosophy — like her company’s name — springs from the notion that dogs don’t misbehave on purpose. They simply don’t understand what their people expect in terms of social behaviors. Alisa uses positive and gentle training methods to guide her clients’ dogs to acquire new skills and behaviors. She believes in establishing boundaries and guidelines, with a system of rewards for learned behaviors.

Alisa is Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and also a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). She has worked with hundreds of dogs and their people through her group classes, private lessons and doggie socials. She is recommended by rescues, veterinarians, pet sitters, trainers and other pet professionals.

Alisa can be reached through email (alisa@yousillydog.com) or by calling 443-625-9866.

  Best Friends Fur Ever

 
   All business owners have to be cognizant of the bottom line, but Pat and Kelly Cullum, owners of Best Friends Fur Ever, say they take its measure every day by the demeanor of the dogs arriving for a stay.

   “We look at the wagging tails coming into the facility and the dogs pressing to push open the door, and know that we’re on the right track,” says Pat.

   The boarding and day care facility — located at 1009 Philadelphia Road in Joppa, Maryland – also provides training and grooming, and a do-it-yourself dog washing area.

   Kelly and Pat are no strangers to the dog world. They have spent 12 years working with veterinarians and pet owners throughout the United States and all over the world. Working for an international veterinary company, they learned how essential careful planning, hard work and innovation can be to any business in the animal industry.

   “We researched, scoped out and visited more than 25 facilities all over the country,” Kelly explains before designed the facility you see today.

   Kelly also attended some advanced training to become a certified animal trainer.

   “It’s not just about putting your dog where it will be safe and secure,” they point out on the Best Friends Fur Ever website. “We wanted a place where you could leave a beloved, furry friend and know that they’d have fun and enjoy being there. Each dog that stays with us is lovingly attended to, okay, maybe even spoiled a little, trained if needed, but most of all, cared for in a very special way.”

   With seven (at last count) dogs of their own, the Cullums also understand the concern and guilt owners sometimes feel when leaving their dogs behind.

   “Best Friends Fur Ever gives people options for ways to ensure that your dog has a great time, whether you’re away for the day or a week. It’s also a facility where you can take a good dog, add some training or behavior work, and take home a great dog that you’ll love and enjoy even more.” 

  Chesapeake Veterinary Surgical Specialists

    Since 1992, Chesapeake Veterinary Surgical Specialists has worked to combine state of the art surgical care with deep-rooted compassion for animals.

    Founded in Annapolis, CVSS added a second location, in Towson, in 1998 and today serves residents of Baltimore, Annapolis, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Eastern Shore.

    Formerly named Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Surgery, the practice is made up of seven staff surgeons, all certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. 

    At both locations, the practice is associated with emergency care facilities that have doctors on the premises 24 hours a day, and CVSS surgeons work closely with top specialists in internal medicine, oncology, cardiology, ophthalmology, dentistry, and dermatology to address highly complex patient issues.

    The CVSS team specializes in all areas of canine and feline surgery, and works to provide a responsive, kind and compassionate experience during a difficult time.

    Committed to mastering new technologies, CVSS surgeons have recently added several specialty surgeries to their repertoire — among them the sliding humeral osteotomy, a treatment for arthritis which only about 50 surgeons worldwide provide. Chesapeake Veterinary Surgical Specialists is also establishing an elbow replacement program for dogs, and they have been providing total hip replacements for canines since 1992. 

    The practice plays an active role in the community, having contributed to, helped sponsor or provided services for Animal Rescue Inc., Anne Arundel SPCA, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc. (BARCS), Baltimore County Humane Society, Defenders of Animal Rights, DelMarVa Dachshund Rescue, Fallston Animal Rescue, Fur-Gotten Friends, Inc., Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue (MAGSR) and Westie Rescue, Inc.
             

                                          (Chesapeake Veterinary Surgical Specialists surgeons, from top left: Dr. Joseph Prostredny, DVM; Dr. Anne C. Minihan, DVM; Dr. Krista L. Evans, DVM; Dr. Daren M. Roa, DVM; Dr. F. Robert Weeren, DVM; Dr. Sean P. Kennedy, DVM; and Dr. Matthew M. Keats, DVM)  

  K-9 Kraving

   Bob Barrett had seen too many of his German Shepherds die too young. As a kennel owner, he’d seen them develop hip problems, and he lost several to what he suspects was bloating.

   In 1999, he switched his dogs to a raw diet, and in 2000 — already in the meat business – he started his own raw dog food company, K-9 Kraving.

    It wasn’t too far removed from what his company, Boesl Packing Co. was already doing. Located at 2322 Belair Road, they’ve been making and selling hot dogs in Baltimore since 1932, when his uncle’s father came over from Germany and started the business.

   The difference a raw diet makes in a dog’s health, Barrett says, is remarkable.

   “The raw diet is about feeding your dog as Mother Nature intendented to maintain your pet’s optimum health, longevity and reporductive capabilities,” Barrett said in a recent interview in Baltimore Dog magazine.

    K-9 Kraving is manufactured using quality natural ingredients from USDA inspected plants, and the Belair Road plant is visited daily by USDA inspectors. It contains no preservatives, sugar, dyes, nor chemicals.

    “A dog, true to it’s evolution, should not eat commercially prepared food that is processed, baked, based on grains, loaded with salt, sugar, food additives, or coloring,” according to the K-9 Kraving website. ”Every bite of our diet is based on a scientifically balanced and blended recipe of raw ingredients specifically formulated with quality ingredients. Our food has not been cooked so all of the natural enzymes remain intact, retaining maximum values of nutrients.”

   Cleaner teeth, shinier coats, and smaller stools are just a few of the benefits you can expect with the raw diet, says Barrett, 51.

   K-9 Kraving can be reached at 410-675-1471. 

 

   Doghouse Girls

  After working for 15 years in mental health and 4 years managing a busy call center, Pauline Houliaris dreamed of working from home and spending more time with her dog and cats.

   So, in 2001, she became a professional dog walker. In a way, it was step backwards: While working on her Master’s degree in clinical psychology at Loyola College, Pauline Houliaris had been a pet sitter, taking care of people’s pets while they traveled.

   Now co-owner of Doghouse Girls, Inc., Pauline enjoys providing behavioral advice for clients’ pets, which doesn’t seem that far removed from her days doing psychiatric evaluations in the emergency room.

   When not taking care of her clients’ pets, Pauline enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, NPR, dog training, animal behavior and nutrition, and watching “The Dog Whisperer.”

   She describes her own dog, Ravenopolis, as a “Greek-American Pit Bull Terrier.” He’s a certified Canine Good Citizen and Pets on Wheels volunteer therapy dog. Pauline also volunteers for several organizations including the Canton Garden Association, Adopt-A-Homeless Animal pit bull rescue and BARCS.

   As a founding member of the Canton Community Association and its first Vice President, she has volunteered many hours in the neighborhood over the last 10 years and helped start Canton Dog Park. She is currently on the Board of Friends of Canton Dog Park and a founding member of a new nonprofit called B-More Dog, Inc.

   Sue Loeffler, co-owner of Doghouse Girls, is also a rat race refugee, having left her career in  logistics, fulfillment, and warehouse management.  She says she’s found that she prefers a dog park to a corporate office.

    She started professional dog walking in 2001 and enjoys working with especially timid dogs and helping them feel more confident around humans and other dogs. She has 2 dogs of her own: Chance, a 13-year-old shepherd mix, and Dewey, a 4-year-old long-haired rat terrier, plus a recently rescued cat Matilda.

   When not taking care of her clients’ pets, Sue enjoys keeping up on current events, reading odd news stories, watching movies and true crime shows, and spending time with her grandchildren.

  Visit the Doghouse Girls website for more information.

   Mutt Magic Training

    It’s not quite as simple as waving a magic wand, but Aja Harris has made bad dog behavior disappear.

   Aja has a background in working canines, and has successfully competed on a national level with her own dogs. She is certified through Animal Behavior College, and is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. She also serves on the board of directors for a national working dog organization, and volunteers services to local shelters and rescues.

    She enjoys working with dogs of all breeds and sizes and seeing owners develop lasting relationships with their dogs.

   Mutt Magic Training offers several different programs, ranging from private lessons at your home to siz-week and eight-week group training packages, and for dogs with more serious problems, there’s a boarding/training option.

   In her 8-week group classes, students start with the basics and, upon successful completion, receive a “Canine Good Citizen” certificate. This course is recommended as initial training lessons for dogs of all ages. Intermediate and advanced classes are also available.

  For more information, visit the Mutt Magic website. 

  Lucky Lucy’s Canine Cafe

   Lucky Lucy’s was opened on Charles Street in Federal Hill in September of 2002, and named after Lucy, a rescued German Shepherd that belonged to the original owners.

    The tradition they started — selling homemade dog treats, baked on the premises — has continued through two more owners.

    Today, Nancy Dixon is the one cooking up “chicken and cheese squirrels” and a variety of other treats, in the back room of Lucky Lucy’s Canine Cafe. One or both of her Welsh Corgis can often be found back there as well.

    A former airline employee who had started her own dog-walking business while on furlough, Dixon bought the store in April 2007.

    Dixon grew up in South Baltimore. (Her father once worked for the Maryland Biscuit Company, also on Charles Street, which made biscuits for humans.)   The cafe also carries designer collars, leashes and accessories –“ beds, toys, bowls and food for dogs and cats.

    But the treats are what get visiting dogs excited. My dog Ace — pets are welcome inside — has nose-slimed the glass case in which the tasty morsels are displayed more than a few times.

    On Wednesdays, Lucky Lucy’s co-hosts a happy hour on the patio of Regi’s American Bistro. The dog treats are free, and humans can order at half price. On the last Saturday of every month, Lucky Lucy’s invites a dog available for adoption from the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) to visit. The dog, along with a BARCS volunteer, is there until 2 p.m.

    Lucky Lucy’s can be reached at 410-837-2121.  

 Brazen Tails   

   Erin Proctor’s degree is in anthropology, but her heart belongs to dogs.

   Erin started her dog walking company, Brazen Tails, after graduating with a degree in anthropology from Towson University, then worked on refugee issues in Washington D.C. and Baltimore.

   But after adopting a dog through the rescue group Recycled Love, she realized she’d tapped into what interests her most — dogs.

   Erin can often be seen at Baltimore’s Riverside Park, or Fort McHenry, with Frankie (her dog) and few other dogs in tow. Her group walks, in addition to providing exercise, serve as a social hour, as well. She makes a point of putting together dogs of similar temperaments on her excursions.

   Her company serves Federal Hill, South Baltimore, Otterbein, Locust Point and Ridgely’s Delight. Brazen Tails is happy to visit and spend time with your cats, as well.

   For more informaion, visit the Brazen Tails website. To reach Erin, call 443-621-5445, or email Erin@brazentails.com

 
  B-More Charming School for Dogs

    Lauren Bond is the owners of B-More Charming School for Dogs,  which offers group classes, seminars and private training from its headquarters in the heart of Charm City (or, at least the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore)

   Bond doesn’t force your dog into learning. Pain and fear aren’t used as learning tools, and no choke, prong, shock or e-collars are allowed.

  “We work with your dog’s psychology,” she explains on the B-More Charming website. “Using extensive knowledge of the way they think and experience the world, we can teach your dog to do anything you want! The best part about this method of training is the great relationship you will have with your dog when you are done. They will trust you and you will trust them!”

   Bond is also the author of ohmidog’s monthly “Behave!” column.

   Bond has been working as a professional trainer since 1998. Her range of experience covers general obedience training, assistance and therapy dog training, aggressive behavior issues and anxiety problems. She has trained her own dogs for search and rescue on both a state and national level.

   Bond has a soft spot for working with deaf dogs and always enjoys the challenge of helping a newly rescued dog make a smooth transition to their new home.

     B-More Charming School for Dogs is located at 3531 Chestnut Ave. For more information, visit the website, or call 443-825-1414. 

    Buskerdog.com

   As a painter of dogs, Gil Jawetz brings a quirky, colorful, impressionistic flair to the world of dog art.

   As a designer of websites (including this one), he strives for utility, simplicity and grace.

   Gil, who studied at the Art Students League of New York, has also worked as a film director, crew member, editor and festival director, created CD-Roms, DVDs, and has designed everything from T-shirts to web pages.

   But whichever hat he has on, Gil doesn’t forget the animals.

   I first met Gil when his work was the first to be featured at Canton’s Yellow Dog Tavern when it opened last year. He had a second show there this summer.

   Both times, Gil gave 5% of the sales from the show back to the animals, through a donation to the Baltimore animal rescue group Recycled Love. He’s also donated paintings or proceeds to BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter), Baltimore County Humane Society, Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue, Legacy Boxer Rescue, and Barkin Arts NYC.

   “Whether I’m painting pets or people, I learn something new and valuable from each and every subject,” Gil says.”

   He was showcasing his work at a recent Parade of Pets at the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore when I took this photo of him, working on a painting of his own dog, Pete.

  To see more of his art, visit his websites: buskerdog.com, or painterofdogs.com.

  To learn more about his web design business, go to giljawetz.com.

  To learn more about his recently released book, “Human(e) Beings,” or order it, click here.

  Gil can be reached at 410-323-2192.

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