PETaPOTTY.COM Blog

***********Media Alert*************

One of LA’s most popular dogs Mish Mash was snatched on 2/13/2010 off Santee alley around 12:30 in the afternoon.

Anyone that has been to Skybark has met or been greeted by these true Hollywood paws. As the inspiration for Skybark she has not only become an inspiration to owner Brandon Hochman but has become an icon to ultimate pet friendly living in LA. She’s mingled with the likes of Tori Spelling’s Mimi Le Roux and has played host to some of the world’s biggest names in television. Ie: Shaggy dog, Pongo and Freckles from 101 Dalmatians, Mojo from Transformers, Marley of Marley & Me, Rob and Big’s dog meaty, Copper from Inspector Gadget, DJ, Koda bear and Peanut, the huskies from the movie 8 below and many more.
Brandon Hochman who was in New York at the time just got done breaking down a dog friendly party which played host to over 1500 of the worlds most prestigious paws at the world famous Hotel Pennsylvania across form Madison Square Garden for the 134th Westminster dog show including the Westminster champ Uno the first beagle to win in history is calling on the Los Angles media to lend a paw in the now week long search efforts. Skybark has always provided a press friendly back drop to many local, national and international media outlets and is now asking for their help in this time of tragedy.

Mish Mash originally joined the family to travel the world with owner Brandon Hochman as he promotes PETaPOTTY, his indoor/outdoor dog potty system that he invented for his 2 indoor black labs Lucky and Lucy.

“One of LA’s hottest b!tches is missing… my dear friend MISH MASH! I know we keep posting this, but until we find her, we must continue spreading the word… here is a link to her video on YouTube… please forward it to anyone you know in LA… her daddy is crushed, we will not give up Mish Mash… there is a HUGE $5000 REWARD for any information leading to her safe return home! Thanks to all my friends who have been supportive in our efforts”. -Preston Casanova and Laura Nativo via Facebook

Best Doggy Nightclub-LA Weekly
“Sky Bark – After traveling the world as a professional snowboarder, Brandon Hochman was frustrated. There weren’t enough places he could go with Mish Mash, his beloved Malti-poo. So when Hochman returned to L.A., he created Sky Bark, a bar/lounge downtown specifically designed for dog owners who want to enjoy the city’s nightlife without leaving their furry friends at home. The club has an extremely irregular schedule — events are usually themed and word gets out through Sky Bark’s Web site — but the dog parties are a spectacle. Guests enjoy 360-degree views of the city from Sky Bark’s rooftop bar, dancing the night away on two dance floors with other dog lovers. There’s usually live music, with DJs, catered snacks and a 3,000-square-foot doggy play area. Canine attendees are treated to Sky Bark’s specialty drink, the “Muttini,” a combination of chicken broth and vitamin water served in a martini glass. Fresh grass is installed for each event, allowing dogs to do their business without having to leave the lounge. Earlier this year, Sky Bark worked with MTV2’s Rob and Big to host an event for Meaty the bulldog’s 14th “barkday,” which featured an ice sculpture of Meaty himself. Other events have included doggy fashion shows, sample sales and a “Woofer” Ball, with proceeds from silent auctions donated to local animal-rescue centers. Fido has had a long day. So buy him a stiff Muttini and ask him for a dance.”—Gina Pollack for La Weekly
GREY POODLE/MALTESE
FEMALE MIX HAS WHITE MARKINGS ON HER NECK/CHEST AREA. HER BEARD IS A RED/BROWNISH COLOR. NICKNAME IS MISH MASH. Huge Reward!
Lost 2/13/10 FLUFFY LONG HAIR LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS NOT BEEN GROOMED IN AWHILE. MY GIRL WAS SHOPPING DOWN TOWN NEAR THE ALLEY AND SHE JUMPED OUT FROM UNDER OUR BABY STROLLER, SHE DIDN’T REALIZE UNTIL TO LATE.
PLEASE CALL WE LOVE HER VERY MUCH AND WANT HER BACK. 323 791 6000

Brandon Hochman 323-791-6000 or brandon@petapotty.com

Twitter @mishmaash | http://www.petapotty.com | http://www.skybark.com | http://www.barkbar.com

Doggie ‘daycares’ mushroom in LIC
by Willow Belden, Editor
01/21/2010
Judging by the daycare centers for dogs in Long Island City, you’d never know we’re in a recession.
Within about a one-mile radius, there are at least four facilities, three of which sprouted since 2008 — and all are hopping. Each takes in 15 to 35 dogs on an average day, and demand is still rising.

“It’s definitely a market that isn’t saturated yet,” said Cody Osborne of Camp Bow Wow, which opened a franchise on Austell Place a little over a year ago.
Steve Neagus, Bow Wow’s owner, and Luis Martinez, who runs City Dog Lounge on Vernon Boulevard, both said the two facilities that opened in the last four months near the waterfront haven’t drawn customers away.
Most attribute the success of pet-care facilities to the Queens West development, which has brought several skyscrapers to LIC in recent years. As the new waterfront apartments fill up, the dog population is burgeoning, causing some to dub the neighborhood “Dog Island City.”
There are an estimated 1,000 canines in the Queens West complex alone, and developers are going out of their way to welcome more. AvalonBay, the company that runs the Avalon Riverview tower, set aside a prime piece of real estate — a corner unit with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline — for a pet-care facility and signed a 10-year contract with an entrepreneur named Bruce Barlin.
Barlin, who previously ran a pet-care business in Jackson Heights, opened Pooches Sport & Spa in late 2009 and said the new facility is a big draw for prospective residents.
“[Avalon] realized they had to get dog-friendly in order to be competitive,” he said.
Daycare costs can add up quickly — the going neighborhood rate is $25 or more per day — but that isn’t dissuading people from sending their pups to the sitter.
Those who run the centers say the service is popular because people want their dogs to socialize and exercise.
“Dogs come home exhausted,” Barlin said — which means their humans can come home at night and relax.
The daycare centers in LIC all feature cage-less “playpens,” where dogs can romp about together. Dog Island City, which opened four months ago on 50th Avenue, even has a miniature treadmill for dogs.
“They know the concept: You have to run, and the more you run, the more cookies you get,” said owner Lidia Lozovsky.
Fran Cimino, who has lived in the City Lights building for four years, said she has noticed a change in her dog, Bodhi, since he started going to daycare.
“For the first couple of years, I would just have him walked,” Cimino said. “Now he’s much more sociable. For his 11 years, he acts pretty spry.”
Some pet owners also say their dogs suffer from separation anxiety, which is eased by being around other canines and people.
In case personalized care and all-day stimulation isn’t enough to draw customers, LIC’s dog facilities seem to be one-upping each other when it comes to fancy amenities.
Camp Bow Wow has webcams situated around the doggie playpens, so owners can watch their pals from the office or the Caribbean. And for dogs who spend the night, the lights are turned down low and classical music is played.
Pooches, in contrast, claims fame with its “Pet-a-potty” — a fake fire hydrant atop a patch of artificial turf, which drains directly into the sewer. Read Entire Article

Pussy and Pooch Hooking it up! KTLA Did a live broadcast from the new store in Long Beach and one of the 2 segments had PETaPOTTY all over it Thank you to The Pussy and Pooch Team

Tori Spelling love’s PETaPOTTY-Thank you Tori and Stephanie Pratt uses it too!

From an airline catering exclusively to pets, to GPS tracking units for your dog and robotic litter boxes for your cat, “Your Pet Wants This” showcases the latest and greatest in products for your pet.

Multimedia Artist Rachel Schmeidler Presents “Hollywood Least Wanted 3D,” this Saturday on November 21. Los Angeles artist Rachel Schmeidler will host the charity event “Hollywood Least Wanted 3D” at the Rivera & Rivera Art Gallery downtown. The theme of the evening is helping unwanted and abandoned animals in need. Actor Zachary Quinto, star of the television program Heroes and the actor who portrayed the young Spock on the hit movie Star Trek, will be in attendance as an honored guest with his dog, Noah.

“Hollywood Least Wanted 3D” will highlight the cause of abandoned animals by using one of Hollywood’s hottest artistic trends—3D. The exhibit will feature anaglyphic 3D photographs of dogs “behind bars” in effort to raise public awareness and support for the animals. One hundred percent of raffle ticket sales/donations and 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale of artwork will go towards the participating rescue charity, the City of Los Angeles’ Animal Services division (http://www.laanimalservices.com/). Each adopted dog will go home with a year supply of dog food and a Mini PETaPOTTY.

PETaPOTTY supplies all the relief for Tillman and Rose on the 2010 Natural Balance Float Rose Parade Float. This year Natural Balance is going for a record, the longest float ever seen. Here we are in the Natural Balance Training Center equipped with XL custom PETaPOTTY’s.

Enter to Win a Seat on the Natural Balance Pet Foods Rose Parade Float on New Year’s Day 2010!

We are very proud to be apart of the float that’s going for the gold. PETaPOTTTY and founders are all big fans of Snowboarding, and add dog’s to the mix is just plain “Animal Comedy” Tillman earlier this year set the world record for the fastest skateboarding dog and PETaPOTTY will be there on the float thats going to break the record for the longest float!
Go, Natural Balance, GO!!

Tillman is now the ambassador of the rose parade and has his own 32 Ft. “Rock Star” Motor Coach that he’s touring in. PETaPOTTY will be installing another custom PETaPOTTY in the coach later this month.

October 06, 2009, 10:1AM MT
By Ted Brewer, Best Friends staff writer
This year’s Best Friends Lint Roller Party was one befitting the 25 years of saving lives, and the 25 more years to come.

Back in 1991, Francis and Silva Battista would sit at a card table in front of a market in West Hollywood and ask people to donate to an organization the couple had helped found, an organization that ran a no-kill animal sanctuary in southern Utah.

The mission of that organization — to save as many animals as it could from having to enter shelters and face euthanasia — is still very much the same, but the size and scope of its impact have come a long ways, to say the least, in the 25 years Best Friends has been in business.

Just how far the organization has come since those card table days was made rather evident at the 16th annual Lint Roller Party, held Saturday night, Oct. 3, at the iconic Hollywood Palladium to benefit the work of Best Friends’ Los Angeles Programs.

Live and silent auctions, an award ceremony, video presentations, vegetarian buffet catered by Wolfgang Puck, psychic readings, a wheel of fortune, caricature drawings, a rocking live performance by the Bangles and a bevy of other attractions and fundraising events drew a sweeping array of supporters, members, and benefactors from all over the country to the party. Approximately 600 people attended the event.

“We are celebrating 25 years of saving lives,” said Best Friends co-founder and interim CEO Gregory Castle in his opening remarks to the evening’s presentations. “With your help, we’re saving lives all over the country…. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support you’ve given us.”

Among those in the audience were a host of celebrities, including Lisa Edelstein from the television series “House.” Edelstein delivered the anniversary toast.

“A million thanks to all the founders of Best Friends,” Edelstein said. “We love you and appreciate you, and we’re so happy to be here.”

Other celebrities to walk the red carpet and pay tribute to Best Friends included Phyllis Smith from “The Office,” Monty Python’s Eric Idle, Amy Smart from the film “Mirrors,” Rachelle Lefevre from the film “Twilight,” Anna Faris from the “Scary Movie” series, M.A.S.H.’s Loretta Swit, film and television legend Robert Culp, as well as veteran actor and newly elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, Ken Howard.

Also there to pay tribute to Best Friends, especially to our work in Los Angeles, was the city’s mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa.

The anniversary celebration wasn’t just about looking backwards, but also of looking forward in anticipation of what the next 25 years will bring,” she says. “I think people [at the party] were inspired not just about the work we’ve done, but about the work we’ll continue to do in the future.”
What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.

The Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach — which happens to be pet friendly — Hosted a fund-raising event on Sept. 10 to benefit the Best Friends Animal Society and the Orange County Humane Society.
The economic downturn around the county has put added pressure on animal rescue groups to care for more abandoned pets. To help our homeless furry friends, Brenda Calvillo organized the fun-filled event that will feature hor d’ouvres, music, wine, a silent auction and more.

But don’t fret, dog owners, the makers of PetaPotty were on hand to spare the new hotels floors a wee little accident or two.