Lil’ Angel

Here are two custom portraits that I just completed.

The before photo:

and then the finished painting…

and another custom portrait just completed …

from original photo

To Completed Painting!

TEN PEEVES THAT DOGS HAVE ABOUT HUMANS
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‘1′
Blaming your farts on me…..
not funny… not funny at all !!!
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‘2′
Yelling at me for barking.
I’M A FRIGGIN’ DOG


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‘3′
Taking me for a walk, then
not letting me check stuff out.
Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

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‘4′
Any trick that involves balancing
food on my nose.  Stop it!


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‘5′
Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons.
Now you know why we chew your stuff
up when you’re not home.

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‘6′
The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw.
You fooled a dog!  Whoooo Hoooooooo what
a proud moment for the top of the food chain.

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‘7′
Taking me to the vet for “the big snip”, then acting
surprised when I freak out every time we go back!

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‘8′
Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests.
Sorry, but I haven’t quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

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‘9′
Dog sweaters.  Hello ???
Haven’t you noticed the fur?
————————————————–
‘10′
How you act disgusted when I lick myself.
Look, we both know the truth.  You’re just jealous.


————————————————–
Now lay off me on some of these things.
We both know who’s boss here!
You don’t see me picking up your poop do you?

EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY.
A DOG ALWAYS OFFERS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
CATS HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT!

Lil Angel Pet Boutique and Gallery now offers pet celebrations. A way to  celebrate  your pet in a variety of new ways. We offer Pet Wedding Ceremonies.

Pet Wedding Ceremonies Include:

Wedding Attire - Bride And Groom Outfit

Wedding Cake- In your colors

Wedding Flowers- In your colors

Wedding Officient - To certify the marraigee

Up to 5 dog guests - Plus we offer puppy guests as well!

A  wedding cake topper

A wedding certificate

Pet Wedding Package is  $160

We also offer Dog Birthday parties. Look for the next blog about other offerings we have for you to celebrate your pet!

I don’t know if anyone knows but I do custom pet portraits and I have been doing

them for about 10 years. I started in Florida. I would paint on the balcony of my apartment and only hoped someone would commission me to paint a pet portrait for them. I would paint and paint and work at a graphic design job and only hope for what I have today. I think that I have been blessed with a job painting pets. You can always look

at my testimonial page at http://www.megapetportraits.com/testimonials.html

to hear what people are saying  about the custom pet portraits.

I paint in Acrylic on canvas. I work from your favorite photo and then I will create your

custom pet portrait for you to love.  After your painting is complete. I then can print your

custom painting on a variety of items. Mugs, Mousepads, Note Cards, Keepsake boxes

and T-shirts. They are printed at high quality and are very reasonably priced for you to

cherish.

Meredith had a great day today.

I spent  the morning talking with my Dad and painting. Nicole watched the shop today. We had a good day with sales. Danielle will be there tomorrow. I will be working on a return policy for the store as well as a powerpoint presentation of the weddings to present to the Today Show. I also contacted a photographer- Studio Bella to photograph the event. I am going to contact Dr. Fitzgerald to see if he wants to do the ceremony.

It should be fun.

That is all for today!

We are now offering pet wedding packages. Pet celebrations and ceremonies of their human caretakers, pet weddings or birth and adoption ceremonies for pets bring more love into our lives and spreads it to the universe.

Pet weddings may take lots more effort on the part of the participants and caretakers because everything is made to order. You can’t just go out and buy wedding garments, flowers, decorations and cakes off the shelf. This is good, we think! The more we engage in activities and thoughts directed toward positive loving outcomes, the more we express the Creator’s universal love among people. So, celebrate you dogs, cats, birds, rodents & pets of all types.

A Lil’ Angel Wedding costs $95 and we will customize any ceremony to your particular pet and its needs here at Lil Angel in Denver Colorado. It may be that you want to:

have a wedding among pets of different owners (usually dogs)

adopt a pet into your family

bless the birth of a litter or offspring of a family pet

celebrate the birthday of a family pet

consecrate mating or breeding activities

anniversaries of family pet events

Pet Nuptial Package

While New Year’s Eve revelers were popping corks and kissing their sweethearts, an unusual union of love and friendship marked the millennium for Shayna Johnson and Dusty Heller: the two were married.

While a millennium marriage at midnight may not seem unusual, this marriage was different. It was between two Maltese dogs.

Did they exchange vows, you ask? Did they wear bridal clothes? Did they honeymoon? Yes, yes, and yes. Perhaps an act of love and devotion more reflective of their owners’ own relationships, this wedding had it all.

Shelley Johnson, mother of the bride, spent weeks preparing for the big day. A white satin gown for Shayna, a tux for Dusty, a red lacy dress for Koko, the Maid of Honor (the only other pup in the procession). The wedding colors were red, white, and purple — festive for New Years. Flower arrangements decorated the home of Bunny Heller, mother of the groom. There were also small bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding party.

Vows were written and exchanged (read by the pets’ owners), and a minister even stopped by after midnight to bless the wedding. There was even a faux wedding license, signed by one guest, a policeman who acted as an official witness of the county.

Over sixty invitations were sent out around the country, and about 25 people attended the ceremony and reception, with one guest traveling to the Florida wedding from Texas.

“The idea was both mine and Bunny’s (the mother of the groom),” Johnson said. “The four of us, Bunny and her husband and my husband and I, have been friends for about two years. We are all from Florida, live less then an hour apart from each other, and are all retired.”

” This past summer,” Johnson continues, “we were traveling together in our motor homes, and observed how the dogs just love each other so much. Shayna [Shelley’s Maltese] has a sister, Koko, also a Maltese, so it’s not like she’s lonely. But she just loves Dusty. You say his name and she gets excited. As soon as she sees him, she goes crazy. We just thought that it would be great for the millennium to have a wedding.”

Does the wedding mean the two dogs will be shacking up any time soon? “It’s really all just in fun,” Johnson said. “Shayna will still live with us and Dusty will live with Bunny. And, you know, Shayna’s a modern dog and insisted on keeping her last name. And no, there won’t be any puppies!”

Johnson and Heller met in January, 1998 at a rally hosted by the Florida Safari Club (an association that sponsors trips for owners of the Safari motor home). “The Hellers showed up and they had an identical motor home,” said Johnson. “Bunny opened the door and in her arms was this little ball of fur. It was a Maltese, identical to ours.”

With the same motor homes, the same dogs, and admittedly similar personalities shared by the four friends, Johnson says, “It’s the dogs that are technically getting married, but I think it’s really the four of us. We’re such great friends. This was just a fun and creative way to express ourselves.”

In place of an engagement ring is, of course, a diamond collar. “We were at a party on Labor Day at the Hellers’ house and Dusty surprised us all by presenting Shayna with a diamond collar and asking for her paw in marriage.”

Once the vows were exchanged, each doggy received a 14K gold heart-shaped dog tag. They read: Dusty Weds Shayna January 1, 2000, and vice versa.

A great deal of time and energy was put towards preparations: the two couples sewed the wedding clothes and made decorations (Shelley’s hobby is making doggy clothes, www.bigfoot.com/~shelleyjohnson), made invitations and wrote wedding vows, and cooked an Italian feast for dinner (Maltese, once called “The Roman Ladies’ Dog,” is an Italian breed).

All the preparations for this Maltese Millennium Marriage, as they call it, stood as a testament to how devoted the two families are not just to their dogs, but to each other. The honeymoon, by the way, will bring the two families together by motor home next summer in Maine. “Shayna loves lobster!” said Johnson.

Pet weddings are becoming increasingly popular. After searching newsgroups, pet-lovers’ Web sites, and local dog parks, an easy half a dozen more couples surfaced.

There was the family in Hollywood that had two Jack Russell Terriers that got married. This, far less extravagant than the Millennium Maltese Marriage, was a staged wedding where the family’s two small daughters dressed up their doggies, performed a play-like ceremony for the entire family, and, “pushed the dogs’ noses together and said, ‘I do.’

The girls, their mother, Tracy Dugin, tells me at the Mulhulland dog park in Los Angeles, “really just wanted puppies. They thought if the dogs got married, they’d be well on their way. And, actually, it ended up being a really good learning experience where we got to talk with the girls [ages 7 and 9] about marriage and commitment, and, of course, where puppies come from!”

Another married pet couple was between newlyweds Austin and Monica Miller, of Tacoma, Washington. “Austin and I both had dogs and decided that when we got married, the dogs would get married, too.” Monica said. “I know it sounds kind of sick, but we put a little veil on his dog, who is the girl dog, and a little hat on my dog, who is the boy.

They were walked down the aisle in front of us by Austin’s niece and nephew, and even though they weren’t formally wed by the minister, they did get pictures taken and eat cake!”

So whose name was used? “Well, we thought it’d be funny if Penny, that’s Austin’s dog, took [Monica’s dog] Romeo’s last name. Isn’t that what’s proper?”

Each of these weddings, quite different from one another, is a unique expression and extension of the pet owners’ love for each other, as well as for their pets.

From bringing the pets into a new family, to creating a new family because of the pets, pet weddings are a fun way for people to just get together and love one another.

Holiday Pet Tips from Ceaser Milan!

1.) Tire your dog out before visiting or receiving holiday guests. Keep in mind that holiday visits are not typical visits. They may involve more heightened energy than normal, since often we haven’t seen these people in a while, and dog people have a tendency to get excited around others’ pets. Your dog is more likely to behave if it’s just had a nice long walk. If they’re not dog people, your guest may be nervous, insecure, and unsure; a tired dog can help these people relax.
2.)    Don’t forget rules, boundaries, and limitations just because it’s the holidays! When it comes to the aromatic holiday food, sweets, and candies lying about the house, there are many temptations for your dog. You have to remind him or her that the rules, boundaries, and limitations are the same. Use the holiday as a chance to intensify good behavior instead of intensifying bad behavior. It’s up to you to take the opportunity to make it a great holiday by working on your leadership skills!

3.)    Protect your dog from the cold. Many breeds are not built to handle cold weather. Check out your local pet store for the many ways to handle this. You can buy doggie boots and gear made specifically for cold weather. There are also paw waxes that protect from the cold and aid your dog’s grip on slippery surfaces like ice or snow.

4.)    Let your dog check the weather. Dogs don’t have the Weather Channel, so they don’t know why they are being denied a long walk for the day. Allow your dog to step outside and feel for itself that it is too cold or too stormy to go on a long walk. Instinctually, the dog will understand why it is coming back inside where it’s safe. But, be careful not to allow them to do this too often. They can learn to use this open door to manipulate and control you. Also, some dogs, if out in the cold for too long, will develop thicker fur and maintain their fat as a natural protection, so they may not feel the cold as intensely as we humans do. This can be an advantage if you want to continue to take your dog for walks in cold weather. However, please keep in mind that many short-haired breeds do not have this natural resistance to cold weather.

5.)    Be cautious when around the fireplace! Animals are instinctual about fire; it is natural for an animal to stay away. However, during this holiday season, many owners like to dress their dogs up. Never use a product which may contain alcohol, such as hairspray, silly string, or entertainment paint, on a dog that will be around fire. Always be cautious near a fire with an animal that is wearing clothing. A stray piece of fabric can quickly cause the entire outfit to light on fire. A screen is a good way to keep a “done-up” pup safe. Also, never leave an animal alone in a room with a lit candle. As a general holiday precaution, test your smoke alarms, and keep them clean and equipped with fresh batteries at all times!

6.)    Be aware of dangerous holiday items. The festive poinsettia causes dogs to vomit. Chocolate is a poisonous treat. And tinsel has sent many a dog to the emergency room, as it can easily cut up intestines. Paper-based tinsel is generally a safer option, but the plastic or metallic-based varities should not be used.

7.)    Protect your presents and decorations. Remember that a dog will know if a gift contains something edible, even if you don’t. Ask your guests in advance if there is food inside the presents, and keep them out of your dog’s reach! Keep fragile ornaments toward the top of the Christmas tree; only place sturdy ones near the bottom. Often people use a pen to keep dogs away from their tree. Keep it fun by decorating the pen with ribbons. And, above all, set rules, boundaries, and limitations!

8.)    I don’t recommend giving a puppy as a holiday gift. Most often, giving a puppy for emotional reasons turns out badly. Love is never the problem. Who doesn’t love a puppy? But most people don’t know how to keep a puppy balanced, and the puppy is going to suffer the consequences from the first day. In particular, if a person doesn’t know they are getting a puppy, they will be in the wrong state of mind to receive him or her. I highly recommend holding off on affection for a week or, at the very least, until the end of the day when the puppy is quiet, in his kennel, and ready for sleep. This is virtually impossible to do if you just received a puppy as a surprise!

I strongly believe that people need to have some basic knowledge about the commitment and responsibility of pet ownership and how to play a leadership role even though it’s a puppy. The beautiful part about starting with a puppy is that, if you know what to do, you are going to prevent problems. But if you don’t, you are going to create problems. We have to take the same philosophy as adopting a child. You don’t just give a kid away. You have to get the whole family involved. Everyone has to understand the responsibility they are taking on.

9.)    Live in the moment! Be happy! Laugh! Celebrate! Want to do something special for your dog for the holidays? Be balanced. Don’t be nervous. Don’t be fearful. Don’t be tense. Don’t think about anything that makes you sad, depressed, or angry. Really live in that moment. Believe it or not, that is one of the biggest gifts we can give to our dog–and ourselves! Everyone, rich or poor, can practice this simple activity. It has more meaning than any gift you can buy. Live in the now, with your dog right next to you and your family around you. Your dog is going to get the benefit of it, particularly if you don’t have days like this on a regular basis. This special day will linger in his or her memory, and, hopefully, you can learn to practice these days more often, not just during the holiday season.

Valentine’s Day Dog Gifts written by Joy Butler

Special Treats for Your Doggy Valentine

© Joy Butler Feb 2, 2007
Dogs may be the only friends we have who are never too busy to offer a listening ear and a sympathetic paw. If you want to remember yours this Valentine’s Day, try these
Dogs love us unconditionally. Our adorable, sometimes-frustrating, can’t-live-without-them pooches make our lives complete so it’s quite fitting that we honor them on Valentine’s Day with gifts and treats of their own.

Of course a new bowl or bed will please your pet but your dog will certainly feel special after a good grooming, especially when you dress her in a deep red bandana.

However, milkbone treats or chewies may be more up her alley. A wide variety of dog treats are available in specialty stores as well as discount marts and grocery stores. Remember that it’s important to buy the correct size for your dog and to monitor them in case of choking. Chewable treats are less likely to cause choking than hard treats.

If your dog is an active pooch, she will appreciate a new ball, squeaky toy, or pull toy. Again, watch out for small pieces that can cause choking. These are meant to be used interactively so Precious gets extra attention from you. Always get the machine washable kind. Bright colors are best so when the toy ends up in the water, in the snow, or in the shadows, it’s easy to find.

Jewelry is always a popular Valentine’s Day gift. Perhaps the most adorable jewelry for your dog would be a collar charm. To match your pet’s personality, they come with dozens of different sayings, from Diva, Spoiled Rotten, and Rub My Tummy to Talk to the Tail, Sargeant Sniffer, and my favorite, Rescued. Or you can customize your own at the super stores.

Some dogs love car rides or a trip to the store for a special human treat. She may not understand that it’s Valentine’s Day but she will certainly understand and appreciate the extra attention. Although a juicy wiener or even an ice cream cone won’t hurt her on rare occasions, remember that chocolate is deadly for dogs. DO NOT give your dog chocolate Valentine’s candy, or any other kind of chocolate.

And last, but perhaps the most indulgent, a luxurious home massage to soft music, at the end of the day, for your best friend, will show her, more than anything else, just how much you love her. Dogs suffer stress and sore muscles just at humans do and a light, gentle massage can melt those aches away.

Dogs may be the only friends we have who are never too busy to offer a listening ear and a sympathetic paw. Let’s remember them this Valentine’s Day.

This is a picture to painting. A new pet painting art. We offer pet painting packages. This painting came from a series of 5 paintings. Perfect for pet christmas!