Top Tips for Flying Your Dog or Cat

Hello Hello Hello!

Traveling has always been a passion of mine not to mention air travel.  I have worked for five different airlines and LOVED every moment of this experience.  I tend to travel more than most of my friends but I always feel guilty when I have to leave my boy, Nash, behind either with a friend or at a swanky pet hotel where they give him non-stop love ( shout out to Wag Hotel in San Francisco ).

My boy Nash has been on a few planes in his day.  He is a big boy, about 80 lbs (but if you are the property management people where we live then he is not an ounce over 65 lbs hehehe).  He is a curly coated retriever and has the absolute best personality. I gush and I will stop here as I could write about him for millions of years.  He is the best!

So, flying with your pet tips.

1.  Check yourself!

 I have to say that its more stressful for me than I think it is for him.  So, can you handle the stress?  I think there are different stress levels involved here depending on where and how your pet travels.

In cabin experience is probably the least stressful of all.  This is where the dog or cat is flying with you in a bag and is under the seat in front of you.  For me this would be excellent and not as stressful as having the pet in baggage.

The baggage experience.  UGH!!!!!! Since my boy Nash is such a big boy he has to fly in the belly of the plane.  Most good airlines understand that the care a pet receives is paramount.  However, there are some who could care less.  You must arrive early at the airport with your pet as the counter agents are not really familiar with this process.

For created dogs most airlines ask you to go to the odd sized luggage check-in.  If flying from a smaller airport this may not be available.  Once you start the check in process with the airlines is completed now you have to go through TSA (security).

IMPORTANT - Make sure your flight is on-time.  Why?  Once you check your pet through TSA Security you can not get them back - period.  There is no link or communication between you and your pet or the airline.  Agents at the gates have no clue about your pet and all they can do is radio or call the ground crew.

Seriously I had a million questions that could not be answered.  STRESS!!!!!!  I needed to know how my boy was doing. Was he inside the building or was he outside?  Was the inside of the building air conditioned?  Did he have water (see below)?  Could someone please let him out to go potty?  Could I take him for a walk?  Not one agent could tell me anything... again, once they go through the TSA check and are taken away my experience is that you have no idea what is going on. Lesson learned is to check to see if the flight is on-time.  Ask the agent to call flight operations to see if there are any delays.  Seriously, make sure that you know when the flight is taking off.  Delays are a nightmare. Once you have confirmation that the flight is departing at XYZ time then allow TSA to take your pet from you but not a moment earlier.

On the return flight from Miani we experienced a three hour delay.  Add that to a five hour flight plus unloading you are right around 8 hours in a crate.  TORTURE!

TSA agents are called to come out to inspect not only the crate, crate and your pet.  Once they are completed with the security check you say bye bye to you pet.


Come back tomorrow for more info on flying with your pet.  

H H BACKER Trade Show 20101 and 20111

Well, for some it may work but for Luxury Pets it was a total waste of time and energy.

In 2010 we traveled to this so called well respected trade show. Bright eyed and looking for amazement we begun setting up our dazzling trade show booth.  Something was off and we could not put our finger on it.  Maybe it was just the timezone change or something strange like that.

Well, we met some awesome companies at the show who we are still BFFs with today.  Without these friends helping us we would not have been able to really pull this show off.

 - Show management failed to lay down our carpeting and we could not even start to set-up.  So, we waited and waited and waited. Finally the carpet team arrive and slammed in our carpeting.

 - Its not a secret that Luxury Pets is a boutique based business. Our audience is very niche but we were told that HH Backer was the best place for our target market.  Several people from the industry all said that we must show at HH Backer. This was the best of the best.

Truth of the matter is that the show was a total miss for us.  The boutique buyers were nowhere to be found. We did have a few major sales from people we met at SuperZoo and who tracked us down to place orders. That said, for the most part, people at this show were more focused on feeds stores and pet basics.Nothing fancy at all.

Luxury Pets was a platinum sponsor of this event.  With that we paid a good amount of money for this opportunity.    Our sponsorship included:

 - Banner placement at the entrance.
 - On-site signage with other sponsors
 - Online listing that highlights Luxury Pets
 -  Postal database of show attendees
 - Show brochure ad

Well, I must say that HH Backer did place our banner correctly and we were listed with on-site sponsors.
However, the worst part came where they were to deliver the postal database of attendees.  I was in constant contact with my sales rep from HH Backer.  However, all I was getting was lip service.  The list will be ready soon. The list is coming. The list will be available within a week or two. On and on and on... weeks pass and still no postal list. This list is the primary reason why we became a Platinum sponsor of this show. We forked over big bucks for this opportunity.

Less than 24 hours AFTER my last email and phone call to my sales rep asking for the a status on the list I received yet another reply saying it will be sent to you soon.

What I received was a mass email that went to everyone who showed at HH Backer.  The list that we paid good money for was sent to everyone for FREE.  No charge.

WHAT?

Its one thing to understand that your show failed and that you did not drive the attendees you had expected. But to turn around and mess over customers who paid for this list and not even mention to them ahead of time what your plans were.  Yes, things do change but the communication efforts from HH Backer were just not appropriate.

I called HH Backer on this and raised the question that they were to provide exclusive use to their paid sponsors.   I was first told that was too bad and this is the way things  are. Hardly a way to win over a customer.  I pushed a bit and was offered a refund of a few hundred dollars.  A quick look over the list and a look at what we paid to rent the 2009 list told me that these guys were, AGAIN, still trying to cheat us by low balling.  Come on people at HH Backer just do fair business here.  I went back and told them no, thank you I want a full refund.  I was then offered e-mail addresses to go along with the mail list.  Although highly valuable the fact of the matter is that HH Backer did not opt people into the list so that they could give it to vendors.  So, by Luxury Pets using the list we would become spammers.  No way Jose so we passed and asked for a full refund.      HH Backer adds a hundred dollars to the original offer.  I said nope and give them the calculations on what the list was worth.  HH Backer increases another couple hundred dollars.  Again, I show them the simple calculations yet they refuse to come to the table with a proper solution.  Upon telling them that I would need to call my credit card company and advise them of the issues and reverse the charges.

After months and months of communications with HH Backer and my credit card company we finally have a proper credit for the list. Thanks to my credit card company for helping us with this matter. Shame on HH Backer for taking advantage of paying customers.

The nightmare did no stop there. We paid additional monies to be in their new product section.  They did have the area blocked off from general access. However, the security teams were sleeping and the new product section became a shopping spree for people to get shopping bags full of new products. We lost a very cool and expensive collar that was securely attached to a dog mannequin.  Show management could care less and their crack security team looked at us like we were crazy.  Hardly what we expected from HH Backer.

We couldn't wait for this show to end.  Finally, it ends and we start tearing down the booth. We packed up for hours and completed our paperwork and did as instructed.  Nobody from HH Backer team was at the service center so we left our paperwork to ship our items back to us in California.  A day later our shipping company calls us saying that HH Backer would not ship our items without the proper paperwork. We advised we left it with the service center and we had our copies in-hand. We emailed a copy of the paperwork to our shipping company as well as called show management.

Too late!  The Rosemont convention center and HH Backer had shipped our items via another service.   The items arrived a few days later and then the bill came.  It was like 9 times higher than our shipping company.  WHAT?  OMG I called and was able to get the bill reduced to around the same as what we had with our other company.  Mind you we still paid more than we originally planned.

Net net is that HH Backer is not for us.  The Midwest is recovering slower than the coasts and we could really see this had an impact on this show.  We feel for the Midwest and some of our best customers are located in this region.  However, we treat our customers with class and service them properly.  HH Backer has slipped and while doing so they are doing everything they can to keep dollars in their pocket.  Hardly a customer winning policy that will keep vendors from coming back.

The 2012 show is taking place in about a week.  Vendors showing at the show have been notified that many are being re-located from their original booth locations.  Why?  too many spaces unsold?  Shrink the show floor to make sure that it does not look bad for HH Backer or the vendors?  Speculation from vendors attending the show say that they are expecting attendance to be significantly lower than ever before.

Why?  Again, we look at the economy but more important we look at how HH Backer has treated paying vendors in the past. We are a good example of how they conducted business in 2010.  We elected to pass on moving forward with HH Backer in 2012 and beyond.

Customers come first.  The Customer is always right.  Be truthful with your customers when things go wrong and admit you made a mistake. You will keep customers coming back.

All the best to HH Backer

Quick Tips on Selecting that Perfect Dog Leash

It's perfectly A-ok to be baffled by all the leashes one has to choose from.  That said I thought I would help you out with the inside scoop.  Knowing this will help you move past the size issues and right into what leash best coordinates with your pet.

The industry standard for dog leashes is Four, Five and Six feet long.  Then again those retractable leashes can go on for miles and miles.  At Luxury Pets we do not offer these as we feel that it increases the chance of some mishap and your loved one can to a bit too far away should a big or little bad dog approach.  

Okay, now that you know that leases do come in standards (4,5,6') which one is right for you and your pet?

Smaller dogs should have longer leashes.  Go for the 5 or 6' leashes.  Why?  Well, they are closer to the ground and you need a little extra leash to walk without pulling the dog up.  If the leash is too short it could cause some big problems with choking.   That is unless you are on the shorter side of things then you would want to go shorter.

Big Dogs - Short 4' or 5' leashes are perfect.  A taller dog means that you need less leash to walk with.  I find myself doubling up the leash as we walk so that my boy can stay closer to me.  We live in a big city and there are always lots of other dogs, cars people etc around.  So, we tend to keep Nash on a short leash.

That'ts all there is to it.  Now that you know you need a short or a long leash you can shop till you drop.  Only you can pick the perfect looking leash but now you know which fits best.

Happy walking

Need Your Help Please - VOTE for Shwood

THEY WON!   THEY WON! THEY WON!


THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN MAKING SHWOOD  AMERICAS FAVORITE SMALL BUSINESS.


__________________________________________________




HELP TEAM Shwood Win

If you are reading this post then we ask you to help make Shwood Eyeware America's Favorite Small Business.

It's part of the Dell, Microsoft and Mastercard contest that we entered. We didn't make the top 10 so we decided to help one company we really think deserves to win.  Again, our bet is on Shwood.

Here is what you can do to help.

1.  Vote DAILY by visiting:  http://www.youtube.com/user/dellbusiness?blend=3&ob=5

2.  Email every contact that you have and ask them to vote - DAILY

3.  If you have a blog, website or newsletter please make a post and ask everyone to please VOTE for Shwood Daily

Whats in it for Luxury Pets and or you?  I believe that teamwork has no borders. Its what built this country and made it what it is today. Without support from others around us we would not be America.  So that said we are taking time from our day to help Shwood win.

Thanks for reading and remember to vote for Shwood.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dellbusiness?blend=3&ob=5

dellbusiness

Stylish and Fab Living With Your Cat and or Dog

Today there are so many choices for pet products its mind boggling.  Oh yeah, mind boggling. that said I thought I would add a few words on some great possibilities that will not only make your home look fantastic but your pet will thank you for the little extra effort you put in.

#1 Beds - Not all beds are created equally.  Who the heck wants grandmas couch fabric laying on your hardwood floors?  Or some igloo style plastic thing that takes up half the room and your dog hates it.

There are pet companies out there that create awesome beds that will blend with your lifestyle while being green and providing the support that your dog needs. Luxury Pets, www.luxurypets.com , is one of those companies that provides stylish designed beds that are green, made in the USA and will last far longer than that cheap dog bed with Grandmas sofa fabric. 

#2 Blankets - Why not go the distance and get a blanket that coordinates with the bed you just purchased to blend with your lifestyle. That way your pup Joe Joe or Lou Lou will be the toast of the town and your home remains looking civil. Ditch those pink fluff fluff blankets that will make your home look extra tacky.  Cute?  I don't think so

#3 Collars - To Collar or Not To Collar that is the question.  Yes, it is the big question that many people today struggle with.  Collars were once the choice of all dog and cat owners. But today there are so many choices that go so far beyond the collar. We are talking harnesses and halters.  No, I have not forgotten what we are talking about here, collars, but its a great point to bring up since most small pups have migrated away from the good ol collar to a harness.  Why oh why would someone swap out a collar for a harness?

#4 Leashes - How do I say this but I feel Luxury Pets is one of the most original and unique leash makers in the market - period.  Yup, we feel its completely an open field and people today have just spent their time copying each others ideas.  So, to mix it up a bit do look for interesting and fun leashes that can and do cheer up your everyday walks.  Not only will your dog appreciate it but everyone else around you will notice that the leash is different.  At Luxury Pets we make test leashes all the time and walk around San Francisco. Some of our designs are simply crazy and fit right here in San Francisco.  Others are classic yet high fashion meets the pet runway.  Match up a collar, harness, coat or bag that makes a complete statement.

Stay Tuned for Harnesses, Apparel, Grooming Products and for the love of God, TREATS!

Thanks for reading check back soon or even better yet subscribe to this blow.

xo

www.luxurypets.com

Dog of The Day - Is My Dog and Best Friend Nash

Ok, this is one of the coolest things ever. Yup, my boy, Nash was made Dog of the day thanks to The Dogs of San Francisco!

Lots of photos:    http://dogsofsf.com/archives/3900?fb_ref=AL2FB&fb_source=other_multiline

Enjoy

Keith

You Evil Witch

Yes, an Evil Witch can ride her broom while you walk for dog!

Yeah, we have an evil witch for you and its amazing.  The Luxury Pets store has created some awesome leashes for your Halloween pleasures. All the things that go bump in the night are ready for you at thee Halloween Pet Headquarters at http://www.luxurypets.com/halloween/    Yes, that witch below is an actual leash. Go and check it out for yourself. We also have an awesome bat and spooky ghost leash.  Not to mention the Housewoofs of New York, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, the OC and Atlanta.

Luxury Pets Halloween Pet Headquarters

BOO!

Its that time of year again and pet retailers and consumers are looking for that next great Halloween item.

This year is going to be very interesting at Luxury Pets.   We have introduced a whole new line of highly unique Halloween leashes, treats, gift baskets and costumes.

There is nobody in the pet industry today that has ever offered such a new take on Halloween.  Those everyday costumes that are so yesterday do not make the grade.  However, at Luxury Pets we are timely and fun all at the same time.  The Housewives of New York, New Jersey, Orange County, Beverly Hills and Atlanta transform into The Housewoofs of NY, NJ, OC, BH and AT.  Yes, thats right we have our fingers on the pulse of the industry and every dog or cat can have their very own T-Shirt and Wig.  Wigs are available in various colors, lengths and styles. Choose your T-Shirt and favorite wig to transform your pup or kitty into an every popular Housewoof.

Leashes that will surely make a splash on any walk.  We have a ghost leash, black bat and even a scary witch flying on a broom.  Yes, the handles are made from real leather and cotton webbing is used for the leash.  These are 100% GREEN (although they are black and white in color) and made here right in the USA.

So, order now as these items were created in limited supply.  Visit www.luxurypets.com today.

Viva Las Vegas Pet Style - SuperZoo is here

SuperZoo is one of the tip top pet trade shows in the USA.   September 13 to 15th in Vegas there are thousands and thousands of pet people come to Vegas to learn about the latest developments in the pet industry.

Buyers from pet stores walk the isles looking for that next big product that will make them big money. All while this is going on there are groomers cutting, perming, coloring and teasing poor pooches into perfection.

To keep all you informed we will be blogging from the show floor.  Pics are not allowed to be taken but we will do what we can to share our experience.