PEOPLE Pets | Sit. Stay. Play!

Slurping water, splattering food -- they come with the territory when you own a pet. Add two, three or even four critters to your brood and you've got yourself a date with the mop and bucket on a regular basis. But there's a polite and pretty way to break that date, thanks to placemats by Sean Camargo.

The dad of four dogs makes machine-washable, bone-shaped placemats in a wide array of colors and lively patterns to fit the tastes of any pet lover. "I have four dogs so there's just constant mess with water and food everywhere," Camargo tells PEOPLEpets.com. "So I started making [placemats] and they became popular with friends."

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The idea for Kirsten Stiff Walker's latest business came during a pressured moment at an audition. Stiff Walker needed to come up with an occupation for herself to play in her role, but it couldn't be what she did professionally, which is to act, sing and dance.

She looked down at the poodle at her feet, thought of her dog, Lola, who used to go into her costume closet and emerge with sparkly clothes on her head. Stiff Walker then said, in her cheesiest Southern accent, "I design doggie tutus!"

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Message tees are everywhere these days, but we're putting in a good word for the I Rescue Rover line of make-'em-think T-shirts and tote bags. The cute looks actually do more than just say something — they give back!

Founded by Paula Rie Bonham, an artist who once ran a large dog-walking and pet-sitting business in San Francisco, I Rescue Rover shows off a love for animals using bright colors and clever graphics on T-shirts for adults, kids and babies, plus matching looks for dogs. Though price tags are hefty — $52 for an adult size — proceeds from sales benefit animal charities like the ASPCA, Humane Society, Petfinder.com, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and more.

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Lorraine Walston couldn't stand watching her 14-year-old Rottweiler Woodrow slip and slide across her family room floor. Stricken with hip dysplasia, the pup had trouble standing, and sometimes even walking.

"I went to my vet, and he told me to carpet my entire house," Walston tells PEOPLEPets.com. "I went to the pet store, and all they could offer were hiking boots." So she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Using baby socks and grip-enabled fabric from a yardage store, Walston created her own no-slide socks. "I got a look of sheer confusion from him when I put them on, but he stood up, and could run," she says. "Doing that, and seeing what those socks did for him, made me want to market them."

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Lights, kibble ... distraction! Looking to turn heads with your pooch as you head outdoors this spring? Try a doggie tee from Izzy Bitzy.

The snarky, celeb-inspired line of tees for pups puts cheeky names like Brad Pitbull, Sarah Jessica-Barker, Alice Pooper and Hilary Ruff on their backs.

And if the style seems familiar, it is: The line was created by fashion designer JoDee Randall of Traverse City, Mich., after she saw the success of her Izzy Bitzy line for tots and tweens take off three years earlier.

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There is a certain kind of dog that probably would enjoy wine and cheese and trips to the Maldives if she were a human — or if she were allowed. You know, the kind of dog that could slip right into a size zero dress and that despises having to endure the elements.

This is the dog that would adore Mulberry's new line of doggie raincoats for Spring Summer 2010. Priced at $160 and made in one size, for small to medium dogs like French bulldogs and Boston terriers, these precious, luxe pieces are just the necessary amount of exquisite for the dog that only wants for the very best. A little moisture? She won't mind when she looks this fabulous.

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Ethel hates going outside in the rain. The little Maltese can smell the wet sidewalks from upstairs, and by the time she gets down to the doorway of my apartment building, she's like, "No."

I got her a yellow hooded raincoat when I first adopted her, but it didn't fit right. It was too heavy, she couldn't see. She might have hated that more than the rain. So I'd have to hold an umbrella over her, or just kind of drag her along until she did her business and both of us miserable fools could go back inside.

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