Karen Koster and the Xpose crew called into us to film a piece about including your dog in your wedding. Robbie Williams recently married Ida Fields and had their eight dogs as bridesmaids. When the Xpose team heard this, they wondered if there were many items available for dog wedding guests or indeed including your dog in the ceremony itself. They were delighted to see that we had an array of dog bridal wear to show them and Molly and Lemar were only too happy to model it for them

In case you missed the piece on TV3 last night, here it is.

Mollys on Xpose

If you have any enquiries about collars, hairbows or dog clothing to include your pet in your wedding, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

Meet Arnie, a gorgeous hunk of a Rottweiler who his comfortable enough with his manliness to regularly shop in our Boutique.

He likes to keep his ears smelling clean and fresh (for the ladies no doubt!) with our Happytails Ear Clear.

He actually enjoys it so much he re-arranges the living room afterward as a thank you to his owners!

Thanks a mil to Ieva for the cute video!!

Dog’s eyes will naturally tear a little bit, especially when they are growing puppies with rapidly changing faces and sore teeth. For light or white coloured dogs this can lead to visible staining around the eyes and muzzle. If excessive tearing is causing a sticky build up that is irritating your dog’s face, or you simply want to remove the stains for cosmetic reasons, there are several options available.

It is very important to know that not all of these options are advisable.

Option one is to add a low grade anti biotic in your dog’s food. This will work cosmetically for a time but… the bacteria will most likely build up a tolerance to the anti biotic and also it is very important to let the tears come out naturally anyway. If the staining is a reddy brown – everything is a-ok and your dog’s eyes are healthy. However if here is a green or yellow colour a trip to the vet is needed. Checking the colour of the stains is an easy way of monitoring your pets health and I would personally much rather keep the anti-biotics for when they are genuinely necessary. Therefore we do not sell these products and do not recommend them.

Option two is to let the tears come out and then treat them externally. This is a much better idea for the reasons outlined above, but you still need to be careful choosing a product. Some products on the market contain bleaches and chemicals such as peroxide, we do not sell them either. Some people have success with apple cider vinegar but as this has a laxative effect I wouldn’t recommend it!

The products available on our website are natural and contain NO antibiotics, bleaches, peroxides, or anything else nasty that we wouldn’t be happy to recommend. For white coated dogs, Eye Envy is our bestselling product. It removes stains naturally and very effectively with a two part topical powder and liquid treatment that doesn’t sting! It is suitable for both dogs and cats.

Another all natural, safe and effective option is the Happytails Eyemunity and Eye Pad program. The Eyemunity is a safe, natural food supplement to help boost your dog’s immune system while the Eye Pads contain gentle ingredients like collodial silver to remove the stains externally. For dogs that just have a wee bit of staining or a grubby muzzle, the Eye Pads on their own are a great way to clean the stains off without harming your precious pet.

The must see event for pet lovers Pet Expo has moved to the new summer date of 2nd – 4th July for 2010 – that means there’s just two weeks to go till the fun begins!

Mollys Pet Boutique have been involved with Pet Expo from the very start and we always like to bring a fun, interactive event to the main stage. In the past we have had several pet fashion shows, The Ireland’s Next Top Dog Model competition and The Mollys.ie Best Rescue competition.

This year as Pet Expo will be taking place on 4th July weekend, we thought it would be fun to host an American style beauty pageant…. but for dogs!

There will be a panel of judges each day of Pet Expo but instead of the human pageant Eveningwear and Talent rounds there will be prizes for the following categories to name a few:
Best Eyes
Best Smile
Best Outfit
Best Talent/Trick
Best matching owner and dog outfits
Best Personality
Overall Pageant King or Queen

The Mollys.ie Beauty Pageant is a fun event – no need to spray tan your dog or get all stressed about it! If your dog mixes well with other dogs and people, enjoys dressing up and getting lots of attention, is comfortable in busy environments and enjoys having FUN with you then just fill in this application form and we’ll see you there

We’ve proudly been the exclusive Irish stockists of Molly Mutt Dog Duvets since August 2009 and have struggled to keep them in stock ever since – you guys just love them!

If you haven’t seen them before there are several reasons why they are sure to become a firm favorite:

First off – they are eco friendly. We all have half chewed or just plain old dog beds lying around at home, not to mention our own old towels, blankets, odd socks… you get the idea. Simply gather up your old stuff in a Molly Mutt stuff sack rather than sending it to landfill and voila! With the Molly Mutt Dog Duvet of your choice you have a brand new bed!

Secondly – the price. You are getting a top quality, gorgeous, designer dog bed for the price of a regular old pet shop bed. As you are only buying the cover and filling the bed yourself, the shipping and manufacturing costs are much, much less. If you change the decor of your home or simply get bored of the pattern you chose, you can get another duvet to switch it up! Personally, I like to have one cover ready to go straight on when the alternate one is being washed.

And last but not least – comfort. Dogs just seem to love these beds! You can put as much or as little filler in the Stuff Sack as you wish, tailoring the bed to suit your dogs preference if they are fussy.

But what about my cat?

We have recently restocked all of the new Molly Mutt patterns and are very pleased to announce that we are now stocking Molly Meow Cat Duvets too!

Available in an array of funky patterns in both square and round shapes, now cats and their owners can also enjoy the Molly Duvet experience

When the season changes and you find your pets are shedding their winter coats there are a couple of other things to take care of as well as the hoovering up all that hair!

For starters, its sounds obvious but a good brush out once or twice a week (preferably outside!) will take out the dead hair and allow your pet’s coat a chance to breathe. Dead skin cells can build up as well as hair so brushing regularly allows oxygen to get to the skin and promotes a healthier, shinier coat.

We have an array of high quality dog brushes and cat brushes available for home maintenance. This is ideal for short coats but if your dog has a long or heavy coat, do both of you a big favor and treat them to a nice short clip at the groomers as well!

Even if you are feeding a high quality pet food, modern living conditions (central heating etc) and illness or old age can cause your dog’s coat to be at less than its best – this all natural Healthy Skin Shiny Coat tonic should help it back to tip top condition. Another tip is to break a cod liver oil capsule over your pets meal a couple of times a week.

You’ll know from previous blog posts and talking to us in store that here at Mollys we are not fans of giving our pets chemicals unnecessarily. However, the approach of summer means that flea season is upon us. Apart from causing your pet discomfort and spreading diseases, fleas are a total pain to get rid of once they are in your home. As a preventative, we recommend using a spot on cat flea treatment or dog flea treatment. They are painless, easy to apply and last for four weeks. If your home is already infested, this Household Flea Spray will kill fleas on contact.

It is also very important to worm your pets all year round and summer is no exception. If left untreated worms can cause serious illness or sadly even death for your pet. We have worming tablets for dogs available and also (as most cats will not co operate with tablet taking) this nifty granulated dog and cat wormer can be mixed into their food.

Now that all the housekeeping is out of the way, all we need now is a bit of good weather so we can get outdoor and enjoy the summer with our pets!

We are lucky enough here at Mollys that a good chunk of our time in the store is spent with new puppies, answering questions for first time owners on getting started and helping them choose the right food, bed, toys, a suitable collar etc.. its really great fun and we love it!

We often get asked the same things over and over so I thought it may be useful for our online readers to post them to our blog.
Choosing to share your life with an animal is a huge commitment and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Therefore before we even get started on the topics of rescue vs breeder, what size or breed is right for you and so on, you need to sit down with the whole family to discuss the following:

1. Can we afford a dog?

Costs include food, grooming (depending on the breed, some coats need maintenance every 5 weeks!) , insurance, vaccinations, kenneling while on holidays, medication if they get sick or injured, daycare if you work long hours (more on this later) toys… the list goes on!

2. Are we willing to commit to a dog for life?

I’m saying dog as they don’t stay cute little puppies for very long. Are the kids pressuring you as they want a “puppy” to play with, or are you all willing to care for a dog for the next possibly 15 years or so of its life? Dogs are not disposable, they are no doubt a joy but you have to be willing to be a responsible owner, even if the kids get bored.

3. Are we willing to train, play with, spend time with and EXERCISE a dog every day?

Oh and they poop too, that needs picking up both on walks and around the back garden.

4. Do we physically have enough space in the house for a dog?

If renting, are pets allowed? how easy is it to find places that do allow pets if we decide to move?

If you have answered yes to all of the above (or even better, YES!! Definitely!!!) then congratulations on making an informed and well thought out decision to become a dog owner! Please check back soon for part two of our tips on choosing a puppy.

If you’re in the Dublin area and free tomorrow between 12pm and 4pm, a fundraising Dog Day Out is taking place in Marlay Park in aid of the DSPCA.

Admission is free, there will also be some free training classes and there will be lots of stalls and fun activities for all ages! Full information available here.

This is a great opportunity to socialise your dog and support a great cause. Here’s hoping for some great weather to match!

The video, filmed in Chile, shows a dog getting hit by a car on a busy motorway. Suddenly another random dog comes running along, risking its’ own life to pull the other incapacitated dog to safety. It’s truly heart-wrenching to see the two dogs struggling on the road while cars and trucks zoom past.

Dog Rescues Dog in Distress on Highway

Unfortuntely the injured dog died later that day and the hero dog ran away when road workers went to help. This dog definitely has the Mollys.ie stamp of approval!  Many locals had offered to adopt the stray hero dog, however the authorities were unable to track him down.

The collar is made of a soft but hardwearing nylon. Its not a very “pretty” collar but its certainly not ugly, and it can be easily prettified a bit with one of our stylish ID Tags or just worn for walks only.

The idea is when you have your dog in a safe off lead area, instead of having to keep a lead in your pocket or around your neck you simply pull out the elasticated, built in short lead when it’s time to walk back to your car, kids walk by, or any other reason you may need to bring your dog under control.

While were talking smart, time and effort saving gadgets, how about a lead with a built in car seatbelt adaptor?

It works at a regular 3′ lead with a padded nylon handle when out for a walk. When you get back to the car, adjust the slider to shorten the lead then pull back the velcro at the top to reveal the car seatbelt attachment. Simply click it into your car’s seatbelt receiver and attach the lead hook as usual to the back of the harness!
I tried it out last weekend and its great having one less thing to have to bring to the park – it leaves more hands free for tennis balls and water bowls at least!

There was only one thing about the product we thought was not so clever – this picture:

Attaching a seatbelt to a collar instead of a harness can cause serious injury to your dog’s neck or even death in the event of a crash, or even just having to break suddenly. Please always attach your dog’s seatbelt to a harness not a collar. If your dog will not wear a harness for some reason, we suggest using a dog crate instead of a seatbelt connector.