PEOPLE Pets | Sit. Stay. Play!

Though the Streeterville Pet Spa & Boutique bills itself as a salon, the Chicago establishment is really so much more. Cute pet gear lines the shelves, dogs and cats indulge in aromatherapy treatments and, recently, a 13-year-old terrier named Harry celebrated his Bark Mitzvah there (above).

But it's not just about fun; it's about feeling good, too. At the moment, owner Marion Thompson (who owns store mascot Snowflake, inset, 8) is all about offering pets relief when their skin is feeling itchy. "Everybody loves oatmeal baths," she tells PEOPLEPets.com. "It's excellent for dry skin, which is what's wrong with dogs at this time of year." Using a variety of imported shampoos and sprays, Thompson and her staff tame scratchy skin on all types of pets.

Read More

For celebrities, a trip to the red carpet means prep sessions with stylists, designers, hairdressers, beauticians, masseuses, you name it. So much pampering! Dogs could use some of that loving, too, don't you think?

Since it's Oscar week, we decided to give a shelter pup a luxurious red carpet pamper session! We invited Spunky, a Lhasa Apso from the North Shore Animal League, to get some movie star treatment from celebrity dog stylist Jorge Bendersky.

Read More

Is your senior dog looking a bit dull? Maybe it's time for a trip to the Lucca Bella Doggie Spa & Boutique in Dallas, Texas. "We've made some dogs look 10 years younger by getting the gray out and dying their hair," owner Ana T. Pieruccetti tells PEOPLEPets.com. "We had a black giant schnauzer in once, and after treatment it looked just like a puppy again."

That's Lucca Bella's goal: Accentuating the best in any canine. Whether it's giving a dog a Mohawk or soothing its soul with an aromatherapy spa bath, Pieruccetti and the staff of her canine-only spa accommodate any request, from show dog to showstopper. "We consider ourselves an extension of the family," Pieruccetti says.

Read More

My dog Rocco is like a hippie of the dog set — he's not a fan of baths or showers. He's a 2-year-old miniature pinscher, who'll take a quick swipe of a wet wipe over a dunk in our tub any day. But this week's long overdue bath was beyond luxurious, and seemingly less painful for Rocco, thanks to Isle of Dogs "Everyday" line of grooming products.

The Wisconsin-based company calls their products "Beauty for your other family member" in their posh product catalog—out of which I transformed my tiny New York bathroom into a serene pet spa, filled with the sound of running water and calming aromas.

Read More

Here at PEOPLEPets.com, we love getting to know other pet lovers — especially those who make the world a happier place for our cats and dogs. So today we're off to the mile-high city of Denver, Colo., to visit Dog Savvy, a boutique and spa in the city's historic Larimer Square. Known for its slick grooming skills, this canine retreat is a temple for feel-good, tongue-wagging treatments like "pawdicures" and — as crazy as it sounds — a blueberry facial. (Hmm, we might like to try that ourselves!)

But Dog Savvy doesn't leave all the fun just to the four-legged types. "I did a do-it-yourself dog-wash birthday party for one little girl," managing partner Robb Horen tells PEOPLEPets.com. "So I had five girls in here with their dogs. The birthday girl had a Chihuahua puppy, a few others had small or medium dogs, and one brought her golden retriever." After the little ladies finished the soapy process, they had a final request for the 6-ft. 4-in. Horen: doggie pedicures. "So there I am putting pink nail polish on these tiny dogs! It was probably the most outstanding request I've had. But the kids loved it."

If you and your furry BFF can't make it out to Dog Savvy for Horen's professional pawdicure, he suggests the next best thing: the perfect at-home bath for your pup.

Click below for a recipe for "the perfect bath" from Dog Savvy!

Read More

The weekly task of clipping my feline's nails is a dangerous dance: I sneakily try to snip them as he's purring happily on my lap, and he quickly morphs into Edward Scissor-paws and leaves scratches all over my fingers and hands.

So, while he was sitting with me at my computer one day, I spied an online ad for the Emery Cat – it’s a new cat scratcher made of corrugated cardboard with a little something extra: a patented honeycomb coating that files a cat's nails like a real emery board. It seemed like the perfect solution.

Read More

They say you should never buy the 1.0 of anything, including super-gadgets like the iPhone and Kindle. Turns out that statement also rings true for pet products.

Building on the success of the original FURminator deShedding tool ($39.99 for the small size), which debuted back in 2002, the company has launched a new and improved "deLuxe" version this month ($44.99 for small), which is definitely easier to use than the older model thanks to some design tweaks.

Read More