Putting on the Dog

Dog beds are many things — practical, durable, comfortable — but gorgeous is seldom one of them. Susan Dench of Falmouth is working to change all that.

Her doggie duvets and slipcovers, sold under the label The Muddy Dog, make sure every dog can sleep in the lap of luxury. And thanks to Susan's choice of textiles — everything from stylish dots to classic toiles to rich, hand-screen-printed patterns — their aesthetics are nothing to bark at, either.

The Muddy Dog got its start when Susan was looking for a more cozy sleeping space for her arthritic Golden Retriever, Holly. Holly preferred her humans' down comforter to traditional dog beds (surprise, surprise...), so Susan set out to make something equally posh for her pooch. The resulting bed was a hit with the canine set, and the humans adored Susan's stunning duvet covers.

Since there's something a little disconcerting about the idea of a dog tracking her muddy paws on fabric that costs $79 a yard, Susan also introduced the Dog on It, a Polartec fleece cover that keeps the beds clean and washes easily.

While the beds are absolutely gorgeous, their beauty is more than superficial. Because a dog's skeletal support and comfort were of the utmost importance to Susan, she spent years perfecting the insert — an eco-friendly blend of down and feathers (or, for those with allergies, a down alternative). The covers are sewn in Maine of American fabric, including some Maine Cottage fabrics (pictured above).

Call it what you will: Comfortable canine couture, doggie decor, beauty for the beast. Your dogs will just call it home.

For more information, visit The Muddy Dog website.

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Long Live Leo

Meet Leo. He's a Golden Retriever, and, as you can tell, he's awfully handsome. It's hard not to love a dog like this with all your heart.

Yet Leo's heart is giving him trouble — the sweet boy was recently diagnosed with pericardial effusion, and the surgery is uber-expensive. In these tough economic times, a lot of us have had to make tough economic choices, sometimes related to our pets. But Leo's mama, the Portland-based silversmith Willa Wirth, is seeking a more creative solution. She has designed special, heart-embellished dog tags and is selling them for $10 apiece. The proceeds will go toward Leo's surgery.

"I'm putting my heart out there for his heart," she says.

You may have seen Willa's jewelry — she's known for her stunning silver statement pieces, and we wrote about her last year (you can read it here). But these dog tags make a different statement entirely: "I love my dog."

So show your puppy love — and if you don't have a canine companion, no sweat. These are perfectly adorable for humans, too.

The tags are available at Willa Wirth Silver Design, 99 Congress St. in Portland, which is open from noon to 6 Tuesday-Saturday or by appointment. To place an order by phone, call Wirth at 207.232.5328. To order by mail, send a check and a note with the number of tags you'd like, along with your mailing address, to:
Willa Wirth
Save Leo
48 Monument St. #3
Portland maine 04101

For more information, join the Willa Wirth Silver Design fan group on Facebook.

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A Stellar Find

Big dogs have big ... needs.

And thanks to Maine's own Planet Dog, they can meet those needs — and have a ball. On the side, the Maven writes a blog
for FetchDog.com, a Portland-based company owned by Glenn Close. While poking around Fetch's new Pink Dog Shop, we stumbled upon the fabulous, Maine-made Big Dog Cosmos Balls.

Since our hounds and their friends are on the large side, we thought these balls — made for dogs 65 to 100 pounds — would make a great toy. You can hide a treat inside, and since they're made of Planet Dog's "Orbee-Tough" material, they'll withstand even the chewiest of chompers.

So go ahead, throw Mars at your mutt. Toss venus at your Vizsla. Send your Samoyed after sol. Or give your Lab a luna.

You'll have a ball. A really big one.

Big Dog Cosmos Balls are 5 inches in diameter, have a minty-fresh flavor and cost $18 each. For more information, click here.

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Going To The Dogs

Here at the Maven, we're absolutely wild about our dogs. Jason and I have two — a sweet mutt named Cassidy and a Belgian Malinois named Stella, which you can see, spooning, at right — while our illustrator, Shawn, has two Dalmatians named Sully and Bailey.

When we heard about FetchDog.com, a Maine-based Web portal, catalog and resource for all things dog-related, we sat, stayed and read. And we were so impressed that we wanted one of everything in the catalog — in particular, the Maine-made art glass dog bowls. Actually, we were so impressed that the Maven started moonlighting for Fetch's Swag the Dog blog.

Here's why: Rather than throw together a bunch of cutesy dog stuff that looks nice but doesn't particularly do anything, the folks at Fetch are all about solutions — from fur on your couch to pee on your carpet to canine arthritis. Fetch also has an all-star cast of bloggers (Glenn Close is the company's founder, and Rachael Ray and Lauren Bacall have each done a Q&A for the site). And, yes, there are toys and dog sweaters — cute ones, at that — but their beauty is more than skin deep. If you prefer quality over quantity, than you'll love this site.

We have, ever since we discovered it. And our tails haven't stopped wagging since.

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Going To The Dogs

Here at the Maven, we're absolutely wild about our dogs. Jason and I have two — a sweet mutt named Cassidy and a Belgian Malinois named Stella, which you can see, spooning, at right — while our illustrator, Shawn, has two Dalmatians named Sully and Bailey.

When we heard about FetchDog.com, a Maine-based Web portal, catalog and resource for all things dog-related, we sat, stayed and read. And we were so impressed that we wanted one of everything in the catalog — in particular, the Maine-made art glass dog bowls. Actually, we were so impressed that the Maven started moonlighting for Fetch's Swag the Dog blog.

Here's why: Rather than throw together a bunch of cutesy dog stuff that looks nice but doesn't particularly do anything, the folks at Fetch are all about solutions — from fur on your couch to pee on your carpet to canine arthritis. Fetch also has an all-star cast of bloggers (Glenn Close is the company's founder, and Rachael Ray and Lauren Bacall have each done a Q&A for the site). And, yes, there are toys and dog sweaters — cute ones, at that — but their beauty is more than skin deep. If you prefer quality over quantity, than you'll love this site.

We have, ever since we discovered it. And our tails haven't stopped wagging since.

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Treats, Not Tricks

Chew on this: Last year, thousands of stores had to pull animal food — including dog treats — from their shelves because they were tainted with melamine.

That bites. But it would never happen with Barkwheats. These all-natural biscuits are the creation of Chris Roberts and Renee Johnson of Stockton Springs, and they're good enough for humans to eat. The ingredients read like a hippie's shopping list: buckwheat flour, free-range organic eggs, safflower oil, ginger, parsley, sea vegetable and chamomile — and almost everything is from Maine. The packaging isn't just recyclable, you can actually toss it on the compost pile. Oh, and the bags are made from wood pulp, which means you can pop 'em in the woodstove once Fido is full.

At $9.50 a box, they're a little pricier than your average bone. But after last year's scare, the peace of mind is worth it, especially if you care about sustainability and supporting local farmers and producers.

In other words, it's a doggie do.

For a full list of Barkwheats retailers, or to order online, click here.

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