Daily Kibble for your pets: New York News | ABC7 New York

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By abc7NY

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

NEW YORK Studies show that 63 percent of American households own a pet. And they really are a part of the family, so much so that pet owners are liable to pamper and indulge their pet just like a child. And that's the idea behind an e-mail blast called Daily Kibble.

"It's an unconditional love," Ixiana Hernandez said.

Does that describe the way you feel about your pet? If so, you might want to hire Hernandez.

She takes photos of your pet that are good enough to hang on the wall. Sessions usually take about an hour.

"I just want to make sure that they trust me," she said. "Because when that happens, is when I can really see who they are and I can see those qualities that make them special in their owners' eyes."

And her service is the kind of thing you'll find on Daily Kibble, a free newsletter created by Lynn Blake and Valerie Golden.

"It was a totally natural outgrowth of being pet pamperers," Golden said.

"We were doing it for our pets," Blake said. "And we would share it with ourselves and our friends, and we found that there was nothing out there as a resource. And we decided we wanted to become that resource for people."

With each e-mail, you'll learn about products, like pet treats, or services. And there's definitely a market for it.

"Over 71 million people own pets, and their sending over $50 billion a year on those pets," Blake said.

So Daily Kibble helps you spend that money. For example, travelers can take their pooch to the Benjamin Hotel in Midtown.

"We do have two floors dedicated to pet owners," the hotel's Anya Orlanska said.

And with those dog-friendly rooms come dog beds, gourmet food - served on a silver platter - a ball and a dog DVD. You even get a robe for your pooch, not a bad way to travel.

Daily Kibble also profiled Animal Haven in SoHo, because it's not just a boutique and training center, it also promotes pet adoptions. It's something you can feel good about supporting.

"We find products and services that people don't necessarily know about, that we want them to find out about," Golden said.

Right now, Daily Kibble covers the nation. But in the coming months, there will be e-mails specific to the Tri-State area as well.

For more information or to sign up for the newsletter, visit DailyKibble.com.