By Bobbie Katz

EXCLUSIVE TO VEGASINSIDETIPS

For week ending July 13. 2008

So You Think That Humans Are the Only Species Pampered In Las Vegas???

Libby stretches and relaxes in her chair, awaiting her manicure and pedicure. As her service provider, Amber Friend, approaches bearing two bottles of nail polish, one red and one pink, Libby becomes so excited that you can almost see her tongue hanging out. Friend sits down in the chair facing the little female and begins to gently clip her nails, talking soothingly to her. Libby responds and, with that, she tells the whole story:
           
There is something about “Woof!” that dog’s best Friend definitely understands.
           
That is, as testified to by Libby, an adorable white poodle, a dog’s life in Las Vegas can definitely be the “paws” that refreshes, a “tail” of the loving and extreme lengths we go to pamper the furry little creatures that give us unconditional companionship and love.. From home-baked goodies to designer clothes and expensive beds, carriers, strollers, collars, jewelry, spa services, organic and natural foods and more, pet owners in Las Vegas spend millions of dollars annually adorning the pets that they adore. Humans and animals are friends to the end – in this case, the high end – and that includes cats, whose lives can be purrr-fectly upscale, too.

           
Ready to Howl…and Meow
           
At Bone-Appetit, owner Rachel Vosko, noting that pet clothes manufacturers are starting to make more garments for cats such as dresses and T-shirts, is anticipating having a line of cat wear in her store in the very near future in addition to the harnesses and jeweled collars for felines she already offers  She currently carries a full cache of dog dresses, T-shirts (there’s even one for tourists’ pooches that proclaims “What I Left in Vegas Stays In Vegas) harnesses and collars, including a line of Woof Wear collars covered with Swarovsky crystal that range in price from $20-$200 and Salt Walter Pearl necklaces for $50. Some of the name-brand lines she carries in clothes include Maxine’s Closet, I.C. Spot and Cha Cha Couture.
           
As for carrying your pooch, there are carriers ranging from $20-$1,000, the latter a designer Chrome Bone Swarovsky-jeweled one. Beds range from $19.99-$400 for a handmade iron bed and to nearly $500 for a human mattress bed with a pillow top and frame.
          

At Bone-Appetit’s West Tropicana location, dogs can take a bite of goodness as Vosko and her baker, Sarah Cates, create the recipes and make fresh every morning all natural baked treats such as Parmesan Bacon Muffins, Biscotti, Cheese Please Cookies, Cannolis, Carob Chip Cookies, Brownies and Peanut Butter Birthday Cakes, right in the
store. Meanwhile, over at the Southern Highlands Bone-Appetit, Amber Friend does the doggie-dyeing – mostly on tufts of head hair and on tail tips --and the donning of the nail polish. Wardrobe is then color-coordinated to dye and polish. Dogs are also given baths and haircuts and groomed on the premises.
           
“After grooming, the dogs are put into beds to relax so that they can be happy and comfortable until their owners pick them up,.” says Vosko, one of the founders of the Heaven Can Wait animal sanctuary here.  “I’m going to start doing aromatherapy in that store so that the dogs can stay calm all the time,”
           
If you’re looking for pet pampering on the Las Vegas Strip, you won’t be barking up the wrong tree at LUSH PUPPY at Mandalay Bay. The Strip’s first and only dedicated pet fashion boutique, this contemporary upscale shopping experience offers specialty pet products and clothes from high-end designers including Juicy Couture (carriers - $300; beds $195 and clothes), Donald J. Pliner (carrier - $300) in addition to their own private label adjustable ribbon collars ($40) and candles. To show the latest couture, LUSH PUPPY hosts occasional doggie fashion shows.       
           
The brainchild of Roe Astuto and Farrel Freeman, LUSH PUPPY’s extensive apparel line includes coats, sweaters, T-Shirts, and boots (complete with a complimentary paw massage) as well as a unique selection of  jeweled collars ($45-$300), leashes, jewelry, toys, treats, spa products, carriers, beds, bowls, mats, and accessories for the fashion-conscious dog and cat. For dogs who like to gnaw on your expensive stilettos, there are even “Jimmy Chew” shoe-shaped chew toys. Other popular items are the Sniffany & Co. and Chewy Vuitton toys. New store additions are the handmade exclusive-to-LUSH PUPPY toy boxes custom-made for your dog’s things ($250) and the fleece track suits ($65) that look like Adidas suits for humans.
           
“Pets are incredibly special to their people,” Astuto says, “and everything we carry reflects that specialness. Nothing about LUSH PUPPY is ordinary – everything must be irresistible, just like their pet. That’s our philosophy.”
           
LUSH PUPPY was the first to institute another exclusive service in town – a pet registry for customers living in and around Las Vegas.

It’s Music To their Ears
           
Away from the neon lights of the city, Pampered Pets in Henderson offers unique tranquil services for pets such as massage and music therapy, as well as pet-sitting and home watch when you’re away. The benefits of pet massage include increasing oxygen
nutrients to tissues, flushing toxins/cellular waste from muscles, increasing lymph circulation, relaxing nerves, improving digestion, relieving pain, strengthening muscles, increasing energy and reducing joint stiffness and soreness, among other things. Prices are $70 for one hour and $35 for half an hour.
           
According to Pampered Pets, music also has a powerful effect on an animal’s physical, emotional and mental health. Through the science of Music Therapy, stress is relieved, blood pressure and heart rate are lowered and issues such as separation anxiety and the trauma from frightening noises such as thunderstorms and fireworks can be abated. Pampered Pets notes that harmonic music, composed of piano, strings, cello and flute, resonates into the deeper levels of your pet, causing a response that can be in the range of pure joy and happiness. The reactions release hormones that rid the pet of stress, elevate mood and provide a sense of well being.”  You can buy Pet Music Therapy CD's  for $10.00 plus shipping and handling
           
If your dog prefers watching over listening, at Flea Bag’s Barkery and Boutique in Henderson you can buy special movies for dogs, which play on a monitor inside the store. Animals are allowed inside – after all, how else are you going to know if those fancy UV protection sunglasses sold there are going to fit? While there is a small kitty section, most of the venue is tailored to dogs, including the large variety of homemade baked treats that are named after canines that frequent it or after Ally, the owner’s Jack Russell terrier. Everything is made at the store with all natural ingredients and no sugar, salt or preservatives and the selection includes such delectable items as Hobbs Cheese-Filled Calzone, Ally Pizzas and Ally Bacon Footballs, Dino’s Bones and Lucy Hugs & Kisses. Birthday cakes ($15.99) can be made to order.
           
Flea Bag’s also carries a large selection of costumes and clothes, from sweaters to dresses, bras and panties and pajamas, including some designer brands like Juicy Couture. The store plans on carrying that line’s perfume for dogs soon, too, according to sales associates Stacey Gordon and Krista Godfrey. In addition, it offers pet carriers, strollers, stairs, shampoos and conditioners, bowls (including some very expensive custom ones), toys, treats, jewelry, holistic foods, items for preventative health and more. The store also holds an annual Howl & Wine Party at Halloween and keeps a .bulletin board full of pictures of owners and their pups.

How Much Is That Doggie in the Habitat?
           

If you’re looking to purchase a puppy, then Millionaire Mutts on West Sahara might be the perfect place to do so. This mother and daughter-owned operation, which is totally anti-puppy mill, makes the quality of the puppies' lives their first priority. The
puppies—both purebred and exceptional hybrids -- are obtained from breeders and are not housed in a typical pet store environment. Instead, they live in Puppy Habitats where they are safe, able to run and play comfortably, sleep in soft beds, and are protected from unsafe handling. The venue’s staff veterinarian checks all the puppies at least once a week to insure that they are in prime health. The staff at Millionaire Mutts is trained in health, safety and providing optimum socialization for each and every puppy.
           
Millionaire Mutts also offers a multitude of puppy necessities and accessories., including a wide selection of canine couture in every price range along with collars, leashes, beds and various specialty items throughout the store. A recent popular addition is the homemade fresh and natural bakery items. \
           
Pet Pros, which has four locations in town and also has some adorable puppies for sale, offers beds (even a dog canopy bed), strollers, bowls, treats, collars, food, costumes and dog clothes, including suede coats for winter and Easter dresses for spring, and some 40 different styles of T-shirts with sayings on them such as Rich Bitch, High Maintenance, All Dressed Up and No Where To Go, and the like. And, yes, they sell the Doggie Design “Stop Dog Nudity” underwear for pooches. They also have a large selection of Gourmutt Treats in all shapes and sizes (including sandwich cookies that look just like human cookies), half of which are made in-store, the other delivered.
           
Wags and Whiskers in Henderson is another place where you can find the cat’s meow when it comes to items for cats and dogs in particular, including officially licensed football jerseys for dogs (that cats like and wear, too). The store, owned by Lisa Oliva and Christine Williams, carries all sorts of merchandise for pets and their people parents, including pet related jewelry and clothes (even a couple of mother-and-puppy matching outfits.). It is also the only place in Southern Nevada where you can buy Back to Basics dry food for dogs and cats. The store has lots of doggie apparel, including designer fare like Hedy Manon cashmere and cable knit sweaters. You can even buy a $250 gold-plated dog dish , $1250 designer pet carriers and strollers from $99-$350 (the latter made by Jeep.
                       

Finger-Lickin’ Good
           

When it comes to pet food, however, Hap-E-Dog Natural Food and Barkery in Henderson truly takes the cake. Las Vegas’ first natural food and barkery, it was opened  by Lindi Harris, with partner Yvonne Gomez, eight years ago. With their self-created designs and recipes that they bake themselves in Harris’ home kitchen, they make the goods while Harris’ four dogs do the taste-testing. Besides such treats as Pigs In a Blanket, Paw Lickin’ BBQ Chicken, Veggie Treats, Pupscicles, Puppy Pretzels and more (all ingredients are posted), they also make a mean Carrot Cake Birthday Cake. Everything, of course, is made with all natural ingredients, no preservatives or sugar or salt.
           

Hap-E-Dog also carries a huge variety of natural, organic and frozen raw foods as well as natural treats, grooming and health products, and natural food for cats. There is also a large selection of leashes, collars, harnesses, indestructible toys and plush, including beer-shaped bottles in a carrier that are named such clever things as O’Drool’s, Heinie Sniffs, Cataroma Extra, and Butt Wiper.
           

At Three Dog Bakery in Summerlin, you can actually watch the pastry chef bake all the goodies right in front of your very eyes. Three Dog was the world’s first-ever dog bakery -- the company opened its first store 20 years ago; the Vegas store has been open for three years. There is a hard-baked goods case and a soft-baked goods case, together containing well-over 100 different lip-licking items for dogs. All ingredients are posted and 100 percent USDA approved.
           

While Mom and Dad are Away, the Pets Will Play
           
If you have to leave home without him/her, America Dog & Cat Hotel in Las Vegas will make sure that your absence is a walk in the park for your dog and the luxury life for your cat. This new 11,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility has a huge play park with real grass, day beds – and, yes, a fire hydrant – so that your dog can socialize from after breakfast until dinner. The area also houses six 32-inch color TV’s showing doggie
cartoons and the soothing jazz music of Enya and Sade is played. There’s also an indoor grass courtyard for puppies to run, play, exercise and attend to their business and “play pals" brush and play with the babies during the day to take the sting out of Mommy and Daddy being away. Temperament tests are given to all dogs that come to the facility.
           
The hotel offers 14 huge private luxurious suites – ranging from 6'x18' to 20'x25' -- each decorated with its own color TV; jazz music; bed and oriental rug for the dogs. They are available for overnight and long-term boarding. For the kitties, there is a Mediterranean stucco village consisting of 13 luxury three-story cat villas, each with stained glass windows, color TV, private kitchen, bathroom, study and a ramp to each level.
           

American also offers daycare for your pet. Staffed with professional animal behaviorist and trainers, the facility offers a variety of programs that foster strong relationships between animal owners and their companions.          
           
“We like to think of this as the Bellagio for pets,” says manager Heidi Bradley.
           
Las Vegas posts other numerous upscale amenities for your pet, including Pet’ographique in Henderson, a true luxury pet boutique and a classic pet and family photography studio offering numerous portrait designs. Patrons can also shop for pet couture, accessories, designer bedding, spa products and more. Client services include private shopping, exclusive pet events, a pet gift registry, champagne receptions and others.

By the way, another first-class pet hotel in town, Doggie Oasis, offers  CPR classes for pet parents.
           
The picture becomes clearer everyday – in Las Vegas, pets rule.

Bone-Appetit
9435 W. Tropicana, Suite 101
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 644-3644

and

10660 Southern highlands Parkway
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 435-3644

LUSH PUPPY
Mandalay Place at Mandalay Bay
3930 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 740-2254

Pampered Pets
2494 Ram Crossing Way
Henderson, NV 89074
(702) 263-7387  (appointment only)

Flea Bag’s Barkery and Boutique
The District at Green Valley Ranch
2225 Village Walk Drive #173
(702) 914-8805

Millionaire Mutts
7035 W. Sahara Ave. Suite 300
Las Vegas, NV 89117
(702) 877-5400 

Pro Pets
Call for locations
594 Stephanie Street, Henderson (702) 496-7900
10345 S. Eastern Ave., Henderson (702) 798-7387
1025 S. Rainbow Blvd., Las Vegas (702) 658-7750
3680 S. Maryland Pkwy , Las Vegas (702) 737-3300

Wags and Whiskers
10740 S.Eastern Ave. Suite 105
Henderson, NV 89052
(702) 454-9247

Hap-E-Dog  Natural Food and Barkery
10960 S. Eastern Ave.
Henderson, NV 89052
(702) 614-4381 Bakery
(702) 614-3971 All breed grooming

Three Dog Bakery
2110 N. Rampart Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89128
(702) 737-3364

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