Last week, we were pleased to announce Kiss My Mutt™ products were delivered to some of Hollywood’s most famous pups in a gift bag catered specifically to celebrities’ dogs and cats. The bag is so cleverly called the ‘HollyWOOF’ gift bag, and was delivered to celeb pups, like Blake Lively’s maltipoo named Penny, Drew Barrymore’s rescued mutt named Douglas Fairbanks Barrymore, Justin Timberlake’s two boxers named Brennane and Buckley, Denise Richard’s clan of pups, Betty White’s golden retriever named Pontiac, Oprah’s five precious pups, Sunny, Luke, Layla, Lauren, and Sadie, and many more!

Via People.com; Via MyStyle.com;

All the celeb pups received a 2011 Limited Edition Kiss My Mutt™ Tote Box that included swag like Kiss My Mutt™ braided collars and leashes, our adorable little tees and our reversible bandanas. We were so pleased to be included in this swag bag because the style, durability, and quality of our products is being noticed and appreciated by people who have “seen it all,” but also because a lot of the celebrities included in this list are those that are very much involved in philanthropic work across the world for both animals and people…and we can say we appreciate that a lot!

©Kiss My Mutt™

©Kiss My Mutt™

The Kiss My Mutt™ 2011 Limited Edition Tote Box will be available this holiday season on our website and in select stores! More to come in September!

On July 24th, 2011, we held our 2nd Annual Charity Dog Wash + Photo Booth fundraiser to raise money for the food and medical bills for the dogs at the Santa Barbara Animal Shelter and non-profit group, K-9 PALS. The dog wash was a blast again this year, with the help of the Kiss My Mutt team, the volunteers at K-9 PALS, Kristen Beinke Photography, and the Monarch Pet Spa group.

©Kristen Beinke Photography in association with Kiss My Mutt™

The dog wash was such a success last year, we set up the event for the second year in a row in the hopes that more dirty pups and their owners would swing by after their day at the beach for a warm bath, a perfect pup photo booth session, and a donation to the cause! Well, a lot of dogs and their families showed up to support the cause again and we raised much needed funds for the dogs at the shelter.

After the pups were washed by the Kiss My Mutt team and the K-9 PALS volunteers, they had the option to have their photos taken by professional photographer, Kristen Beinke!

©Kristen Beinke Photography in association with Kiss My Mutt™

The Kiss My Mutt booth at the event was a great success too! We raised money for the shelter with 50% of proceeds from the day going to K-9 PALS and the cause!

©Kristen Beinke Photography in association with Kiss My Mutt™

We hope we can inspire other dog lovers around the country to set up events to help out their local animal welfare groups so we can all be the change we are looking for!

This week we are featuring one of our amazing doggie models, Mattie, who is now the face of our new collar and leash packaging and soon to be featured on the Kiss My Mutt website! Before becoming an adorable doggie model for Kiss My Mutt and an all around beautiful dog, Mattie had a rough past, but has since survived and is now living a happy, healthy life.

Mattie was rescued from her kind owner, Allison, in Santa Barbara, Ca from a local animal rescue. Although she was adopted out in Santa Barbara, she came a long way to find her new forever home, all the way from New Orleans! Read on to hear Allison’s story (below) from her lovely website about finding her best friend, and to see Mattie modeling for us…

(Mattie is modeling the Kiss My Mutt ‘Pink Dhalia’ two-toned braided collar and leash. Doesn’t she look pretty in pink?)

“My little dog, Mattie Mae, is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina.  In the storm’s aftermath, she was found in a flooded racetrack in Gorenflo, Mississippi. She weighed less than 20 lbs. when they found her (she’s now a healthy 33!).  She was taken by volunteers to a warehouse-turned-shelter in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she was given food and temporary care.

The huge numbers of animals orphaned after the hurricane overwhelmed local shelters.  Volunteers from around the country did their best to rescue pets and find their families, but many were lost far from home.   Pets were transferred to  shelters around the country that volunteered to take them in and give them a second chance.  Mattie – starving, shy, wounded, and with a bad case of adult heartworm –  waited at the Hattiesburg Shelter for her rescue.

Then, four volunteers from Santa Barbara’s Dog Adoption and Welfare Group (D.A.W.G) arrived in Hattiesburg in a van packed with supplies and ready to help.  At the end of their weeklong stay, the D.A.W.G. volunteers brought 7 dogs and 9 cats with them on their long trip back to sunny Santa Barbara.  Mattie, finally with a full belly and blankets to sleep on, was one of those 7  ’Lucky Dogs.’

Back in Santa Barbara, D.A.W.G. volunteers and doctors spent hours (and thousands of dollars donated by D.A.W.G. supporters!) grooming, treating, and caring for Mattie and the other Katrina Rescues.  For 13 months, Mattie spent her life either at the shelter playing with the other dogs, or at home with D.A.W.G. workers, while all of the other Katrina pets were adopted.  After a while, Mattie decided that she’d rather stay in a foster home than at the shelter, and D.A.W.G.’s Andrea Stout became my little girl’s foster mom.  At her foster home, Mattie began to come out of her shell and became friends with Andrea’s two other rescue dogs, Lola and Dutch, who helped teach her how to act like a dog again.

I first met Mattie on October 4th, 2006, and it was love at first sight.  We officially became a family in December 2006, and have been best friends ever since.  Mattie comes to work with me every day, and is our official ‘Lab Mascot.’  In our time off, we love walking at the Douglas Preserve or at Hendry’s Beach.   She’s also a celebrity on campus, where she makes her daily rounds to all of her fans who happily give her doggy treats.” - Allison

(Mattie is relaxing on a Kiss My Mutt ‘Green Knot Garden’ Eco-Friendly bed and is modeling the Kiss My Mutt ‘Blue Skies’ two-toned braided collarand leash.)

Mattie was by far one of our favorite doggie models thus far…She is such a sweet, adorable, and happy little girl full of love and happiness! She listened so well to Allison, and loved a good treat or two! It was so refreshing to hear the wonderful outcome for little Mattie from her difficult past. Thank you Allison for taking the time to help a dog in need, and we thank Mattie for being so darn cute and for modeling our products.

We hope you just enjoyed looking at Mattie’s photos as much as we have! Have a barking good day!

P.S. Although we have to give major credit to Mattie for being a great model, we also have to thank our photographer for once again doing an amazing shoot! Thanks Kristen!

-Jennifer, Owner and Founder of Kiss My Mutt

Here at Kiss My Mutt, we have a number of human employees, but we would also have to say that we have a number of dogs that “help” us in the office, and of course when it’s time to take some ADORABLE photos! Meet Bear; our lovable, handsome, and funny golden retriever who is so caring and kissable, and who of course LOVES to play with his brothers and sisters! Bear also has his “part-time job” with Kiss My Mutt, that consists of ripping up our papers in the office, and the occasional snooze on his Kiss My Mutt bed! We know his photos speak for themselves; but we must say Bear has one of the cutest smiles in town!

Although this is just an adorable shot of Bear, he is also modeling for Kiss My Mutt here! He’s proudly wearing our Love for Daisies Reversible Bandana!

Bear is posing on our Autumn Olive, Outdoor/Indoor Dog Bed!

Here is an outtake of Bear posing for a photo with one of his best friends, Macy.

xoxo Bear and the rest of the family at Kiss My Mutt

We have amazing dog models here at Kiss My Mutt, and we think they are all worthy of gushing about. This week we are introducing you to Kali. We are sure many of you have seen photos of her throughout the site (she has become quite the little model this year)!

(Kali is modeling our Lucky Stripe Reversible Bandana as seen in OK! Magazine)

Kali is a rescue dog and when she was first adopted, she was very quiet and shy, and didn’t seem to have much confidence in herself or in humans. But now, after a few years of complete love and devotion by her owners, Kali has blossomed into a very confident dog who knows she is beautiful inside and out.

(Kali is modeling our Green Knot Garden Eco-Friendly dog bed.)

She is so caring and LOVES everyone around her, and although she is so sweet, she also has a little diva side to her. She is a dog who knows what she wants, and what is that you might ask? It’s COOKIES! She loves eating dog treats almost as much as she loves her family and walks.

(Kali is taking a snooze on our Grey Sunrise Eco-Friendly Bed.)

Kali is an amazing dog who we hope can inspire others to adopt shelter dogs who just want a loving home. We know Kali is so grateful to have a warm roof over her head and someone to love on her everyday. We are so proud to have this beautiful model as part of our team and we couldn’t be more honored to call her our own.