It was party at the Hotel Penn's Top Ballroom last night in New York City. Transformed for the evening into a pet-friendly Skybark lounge, flashbulbs were popping as extravagantly dressed dogs poured out of the elevators with their humans in tow.

As their purebred compatriots rested in hotel rooms below in anticipation of competing at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Monday and Tuesday, these dogs strutted across the red carpet, posed for photographers, and cavorted with equally well-dressed canines inside the festive ballroom.

Organized as a benefit to raise money for Animal Haven shelter, the event included a fashion show by local pet fashion designer, Ada Nieves, and a live auction courtesy of FIDO Friendly magazine.

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Best Friend NYC joins WOW! Creations to celebrate Barack Obama’s arrival to the White House by presenting the First Family and their new puppy with the “First Puppy” Gift Box, and launching the “InauGROOMation” marketing campaign.  
We all witnessed Barack Obama’s historic speech on the night of his presidential victory promising his daughters
Sasha and Malia a new puppy in the White House. While the search for the perfect breed is still under way, President-elect Barack Obama has narrowed the selection of incoming First Dog to either a Labradoodle or a Portuguese Water Dog.

Equally excited about either choice, Best Friend NYC has partnered with California-based “WOW! Creations” to welcome the First Family and their First Puppy to the White House and present the Obamas with the “First Puppy” Gift Box.

Among a variety of canine-related items presented at this historic gifting, The “First Puppy” Gift Box will feature Best Friend NYC’s Natural Canine Grooming Regimen and a Canine Aromatherapy Candle. The gift box will be presented to the First Family at a ceremony taking place in Washington, D.C. on the second week of February, 2009.  

Additionally, to celebrate America’s new President, on January 15, 2009 Best Friend NYC launches an “InauGROOMation” marketing campaign. This limited-time campaign will feature four value sets (“Transition Team,” “Economic Stimulus,” “Full Cabinet,” and “Presidential Treatment”) with savings ranging from $12 to $30 on Best Friend
NYC Natural Canine Grooming Regimen products, Organic Gourmet Biscuits for dogs, online gift vouchers and Aromatherapy Canine Candles.   

Best Friend NYC Pressroom


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Thirty years ago, on Aug. 1, 1978, the City of New York passed the Canine Waste Law in an effort to clean up the “littered” sidewalks.

At the time, the New York dog population was estimated to be 500,000, although the exact number is elusive because many people do not buy the required licenses for their pets. Complaints about dog feces on city sidewalks were common.

As then-Mayor Ed Koch noted, “If you’ve ever stepped in dog doo, you know how important it is to enforce the canine waste law.” The law stated that, “A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place.” 

The law’s effectiveness is debated, as the amount of feces on sidewalks is difficult to quantify, but most New Yorkers agree that the situation improved.



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Doga - yoga for dogs, a trend which started out in NYC and LA, now taking over the country. Who could better master a "downward dog" than, well, a dog? If doing yoga poses comes easily to a canine, it's only natural as in ancient times yoga instructors were inspired by animals when creating some of their poses. Crossing their paws is similar to a lotus pose. Raising their heads resembles a cobra pose.

Most poses come very naturally for animals, which is why they're named after animals, explained "doga" instructor Carolyn Ronca. Ronca had been a pet psychic and avid yoga practitioner for 10 years, she said, when she decided to combine her two passions."When I'm at home practicing my own poses, my black Lab Marco is with me," Ronca said.

Dog yoga benefits both pet and master. It's a very calming experience for dogs and owners. It's relaxation. If there are any imbalances in energy, it's a time to balance those out. For the owner, it's about quieting your mind and bringing energy in, vs. putting energy out. It's restoring, it's very physically and emotionally restful. Another perk of dog yoga, Ronca says, is telepathic communication between dog and owner.

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According to Streets.com, Travel Industry Association that "Some 29 million, or 14%, of U.S. adults brought the family pet with them on at least one trip in the past three years. Most travel with a dog (78%), while a few hardy souls traveled with cats (15%).

A few folks even travel with birds, ferrets, rabbits or fish. As the number of non-human guests is substantial, luxury hotels are catering to these animal guests in ways that many people won't experience at more budget-friendly accommodations".

Hostelries around the country are chomping at the bit to cater to pet toting customers whose demands range from standard, if extravagant requests such as a bed that "is fitted with an orthopedic pad, topped with a down-filled cushion" to the nearly farcical.

This includes something called "The Hound of Music," in which a dog is limo'd to a professional recording studio, with a voice coach, to "howl along with a musician or bark to their favorite karaoke beat," with the results preserved forever on a CD with a personalized CD case"! Competing offerings include the Arizona Biltmore's "Zen-Yo" where both cats and dogs get to order from the room service menu that has a hearty vegetable stir-fry with poached eggs & steamed rice, developed especially to help pets adjust to jet lag and altitude".




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Forget haute couture, this is hound couture. There's going to be a doggie fashion show in New York tonight. The Paws for Style event raises money for the Humane Society. Co-host Wendy Diamond is Animal Fair magazine's editorial director and a judge on CBS' "Greatest American Dog." She says she usually doesn't go for dogs dressing up, but she makes an exception for the charity event. Celebrities and designers in attendance will include Marc Jacobs, Lauren Conrad, Nanette Lepore, Robert Verdi and Nigel Baker. Celebs and their oh-so-fashionable pooches will be wearing matching outfits. The doggie-duds and human clothes will be auctioned on eBay.




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