Accessories for Dog Lovers

At Howlin' Hounds, we not only make Snoods, Dog Coats & more to keep your Dog looking and feeling great, we also make our own line of Dog Themed Accessories for Humans.

Credit/Business Card Pouches, Eyeglass Cases and Hair Scrunchies are some of our customers' favorites. We can custom make them from your choice of fabric at our website , or you can choose from our ready made selections at our Etsy Shop.

They make great gifts for any Dog Lover on your list or a little extra treat for yourself.

Fleece Dog Snoods Keep Long Ears Toasty Warm

Dog Snoods in any fabric will keep long ears clean, but winter time presents another great use for them. Tender ear tips can get mighty cold if they drag along the ground unprotected, as Hound owners well know. Owners of Spaniels and Setters can also attest to snowballs building up in the fur on their breeds' ears as well.

Soft, warm Polar Fleece Snoods can be a tremendous help.
We make a wide variety of colors and prints that you and your dog are sure to love.

We make them to order through our website...or for our ready made line, please visit our Etsy Shop or our eBay Store.
Make your Dog's Ears happy! :)

Coats for Basset Hounds...or Any Other Breed

When the air turns chilly, many short haired dogs feel it and appreciate the warmth of a snuggly fleece coat.

Basset owners, however, are many times faced with a problem. The mass produced coats in pet supply stores just don't fit the Basset's unique body type. Some are long enough in the body, but either too small or too big in the chest area, or vice versa.

Our coats eliminate that issue. They're fully adjustable at the front to accommodate a Basset's full barrel chest, and we make them to order, so you'll also get just the right length. They're also reversible and you can choose which two fabrics you'd like. It's like getting two looks in one, plus double the warmth. We make rain coats as well.

We don't just make our coats for Bassets. We make them for any breed.
Stop by our Website and check out the fabrics we have available. We'd love to make your dog's next coat.

Our Day at Bark in The Park

Yesterday Louise and I attended our first "Bark in The Park," which is a fund raiser for Lafayette (LA) Animal Aid.

It was a warm, sunshine filled day with hundreds of dogs and their humans attending.
Everything from Mastiffs to Teacup Yorkies were there to join in the fun.

There were booths from a variety of great animal organizations: Best Friends, Pets for Health, the Acadiana Kennel Club and more. You could get your dog's picture taken, nails trimmed and microchipped.

There also were three contests: Best Tail Wagger, Most Talented & Best Costume.
Louise entered the costume contest, wearing her (designed by me) Hawaiian Hula Girl outfit.


















When it was our turn, Louise strutted her stuff to about halfway around the ring, when she suddenly got whiff of a wonderful scent (to a Basset, that is) and decided to stop, drop and roll with wreckless abandon, much to the delight of the crowd. My girl knew how to work it! ;)














I finally succeeded in getting her put back together and going again and she exited the ring with not a care in the world.










We anxiously awaited the Judges' decision and were thrilled when we heard our number announced. We'd won Third Place and got a beautiful yellow and white Rosette to commemorate our day!
I was so proud of my girl. We had a great time and Louise made some people smile.

Friday Flashback - Mabel

Mabel brings us to the final edition of Friday Flashback.

Mabel came to us at 9 years young, after her last owner dumped her at a shelter, due to repeated warnings about Mabel's constant escaping through a hole in their fence. We were told that this person had inherited Mabel after her original owner was admitted to a nursing home.

She was such an easy dog to love and returned it a hundred fold.
She was petite for a Basset, tipping the scales at around 40 pounds at her heaviest. She had a crooked little face with a Roman Nose, that we were never quite sure was due to bad genetics or an injury not properly treated.....or both. But it was her trademark, and it made humans fall in love with her the moment they met her.

She loved to play with toys. Because of her misshapen mouth, she could only grasp certain types of toys, but luckily for her, they were the toys the other dogs didn't like, so those became her very own.

We had and still have a futon on the back porch. Mabel claimed it as hers and where she most loved to take her daily naps in the sun.

She was a well mannered little lady, but had a plucky side too. If she wasn't getting the attention she felt she should at any given moment, she'd just raise a crooked little leg and smack ya! :) She also took great fun in waiting by the door and smacking Jingle on the head as she entered.

We lost Mabel in April at nearly 15, after an almost year and half battle with chronic renal failure. She fought the good fight until she could fight no more. We'll miss her everyday until we're reunited at the Rainbow Bridge.

Friday Flashback - Roy

Roy came to us at age 10 after being picked up as a stray by rescue. His early history is unknown.

Despite his rough times, he possessed an innate sense of fun and love for life. He could amuse himself for hours with a tennis ball. If you weren't able to throw it for him, it's ok, he'd happily toss it himself and chase it down.

He was an expert thief and world class hider of his pilfered treasures. He loved to steal our shoes and clothes and tuck them away for safekeeping. But if anyone got too close to his stash, he would have to take his things to a new hiding place. He chose these places very carefully, sometimes moving his booty from one place to another for hours, then making sure it was carefully covered and camouflaged, so no one could ever find it. ;)

He also loved his bath. I've never seen anything like it. Most dogs tolerate it at best, but not Roy, he reveled in it. He would lean into the hand rubbing him down and moan in absolute ecstasy and total relaxation. Once, he became so relaxed, he tipped over into the side of the tub. When the rubbing, rinsing and drying was all over, he'd shoot you a look of total dejection.

We miss our quirky boy and all the fun and laughter he gave us.

Avast, Me Hearties!

It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Tis time again to bring out the pirate in all of us and celebrate the seafaring life....or risk findin' yerself hangin' from the yardarm!

Hoist the anchor, set the sails and have fun!

Arrgh-oooo!

First Mate: Poop Deck Rachel (Jingle)
Boatswain: Frownin' Audra Hornigold (Louise)
....and our fearless Captain: "Machete" Mae Blythe (Deb)

"Yes, I am a Pirate, 200 years too late...." - Jimmy Buffett (Pirate Looks at Forty)

Outerwear for Stylin' Hounds

Received a customer request to make her two Bassets the nattiest in town and I'm pretty proud of how their ensembles turned out.

Her boy Hound just had to have a custom Driving Cap to show off his handsome face with a Snood attached to keep his neck warm.

Of course he needed a matching coat to complete the look. We made it all from a wonderful brown wool tweed, lined in a coordinating taffeta.

His "sister" couldn't be outdone, so she requested a fabulous 1920's inspired Red Italian Wool Coat and custom Cloche Hat/Scarf, trimmed in Faux Persian Lamb Velvet, also lined with taffeta.

Friday Flashback - Maggie

We were only privileged to share our lives with Maggie for 2 1/2 years, but we made the most of our short time together.

She came to us at age 9 after being given up by her second home. She was deaf and they said she snapped if startled. I guess they couldn't take the time to try not to startle her.

She was one very angry girl after being displaced and finding herself in yet another new home. It took nearly a year with us for her to truly come out of her shell and blossom into the wonderful girl we knew she was. But once she did, she made us laugh everyday. Maggie definitely marched to the beat of a different drummer. When you're deaf, you can't hear the same drummer everyone else is marching to, so you make up your own beat. She would bark and poke her nose at inanimate objects. Her favorite thing to "do battle" with was a large stand-up cardboard cut out of the Hushpuppies logo dog. She would bark at it and poke it with her nose until it finally fell over, usually on her, then she would run away, then return, sniff it as if to check to see if it was 'dead', then walk away quite pleased with herself.

Our smooshie girl, developed renal cancer and had to leave for the Rainbow Bridge shortly after diagnosis, but her light still burns bright in our hearts.

Friday Flashback - Barney

This week, please meet Barney, aka The Barnilator. He came into our lives at age 11 and we had the joy and honor of being owned by him until age 15. Please check out his full story at http://www.tristatebassets.org/boardwaddle/GM2002barney.html
He stole my heart from the moment I saw first saw him and he will always own his own special piece of it.

Please visit art4milkbones blog to see her tribute to her special Barney too.

Flashback Friday - Sophie

Sophie was our second Basset.
We adopted her at 2 1/2 years old from rescue.
Despite being in at least two homes prior to ours, Sophie had the most wonderful love for life. She was our "happy go lucky" girl, always ready for fun. She loved everyone she met.

Her other big loves were fruits and veggies. She would "sing" her heart out for a piece of banana, strawberry or a green bean.

She was our alpha, our diva, and our court jester.
She left us for the Bridge at 12 years old and we look forward to the day when we hear her beautiful woo woo wooooooo! again.

It's My Birthday, & I'll Howl If I Want To...

...Howl if I want to, Howl if I want to. You would howl too if it happened to you.

Ok, enough singing. I'm Louise, and if you haven't figured it out yet, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Today is my 4th Birthday, but it's my 1st Birthday with my new food slaves. I've only been with them since May, but I really like it here. I have two doting humans and one adoring (err...sometimes annoying) adopted sister. I also have a really big yard to romp and roll in, with lots of big trees, squirrels and birds to chase, lots of good food to eat and soft comfy furniture and beds to snooze on. Sure beats roaming the streets of South Louisiana where I was found and rescued by Looziana Basset Rescue!

Mom says there will be lots of extra belly rubs today. I LIVE for belly rubs! There will also be extra good treats and maybe even some surprises!
Arooooooooo! I love Birthdays!

Flashback Friday - Shirley

This will be a weekly walk down memory lane with the dogs who have shared my life and left their paw prints on my heart.

This is Shirley, my first Basset Hound, the one who started it all. I adopted her from someone who realized they just weren't able to give her the time and attention she needed and wanted.

She loved walks through the park, car rides, her red Kong toy and her pink princess halloween costume. She had a huge vocabulary that she understood, but most of the time we just "knew" what the other was thinking without words or actions. She was my soulmate.

Dog Placemats Added to the Howlin' Hounds' Lineup

At the suggestion of a very good customer, the "Staff" and I are proud to present the newest addition to our line....Placemats for Dogs!

We have both Bone Shaped (from our original design) or basic Rectangular. You can have one custom made, with your choice of fabrics, from our website, or choose from our ready made line at either our Etsy Shop or Ebay Store.
Your Dog will be dining in style!

Come visit us at any of our stores by clicking the links in the sidebar.

Louise Celebrates Her Gotcha Day in Hawaiian Style

We celebrated one month of sharing our lives with Louise on 6/10/08 by attending PetSmart's Summer Happy Hour, which was sponsored by Purina).

Louise thoroughly enjoyed working the room by dropping for belly rubs and hula-ed her way to winning the Bikini/Summer Outfit Contest in our local store! Of course, I custom made her lovely attire. ;)
She won a month's supply of Purina One Dog Food, a PetSmart Gift Card and the admiration of all of her new 'fans.' It was a really fun way to commemorate our special day.

Introducing.....Louise!

Howlin' Hounds is pleased to introduce our newest "Staff" Member, Louise!

We adopted her on 5/10/08 from Looziana Basset Rescue. Her former owner no longer wanted her, but she's made herself quite at home with us and we couldn't be happier. She's a sweet 3 year old smooshie and she and our other resident Hound, Jingle, have become fast friends.

Louise is looking forward to a long career in our Quality Conrol Dept. ;)

Remembering Mabel

We lost our sweet Mabel on 4/15/08 after a 14 month battle with chronic renal failure. She was small for a Basset, but her will to fight on despite all of her health problems was strong and she was a true inspiration to all who knew her. She was the sweetest dog you'd ever want to meet. Always a lady no matter the situation. We miss her terribly.

With this post, I'd like to celebrate her life with a few of my favorite "Mabel Stories."

It started the day I picked her up. I was so excited to be bringing my new girl home. I got her all set and comfortable on the back seat of the car and made sure I had locked her in securely, only to discover that in my excitement, I'd also locked my keys inside. The rescue folks and I tried everything to see if we could pry the windows down and get the car unlocked to no avail. We ended up calling the police to come and use their special tool to get the car door open. Mellow Miss Mabel slept contentedly the entire time, completely unaware of what a ditzy thing her new Mom had just done.

Probably my favorite Mabel remembrance was several years ago, a few days after Halloween. We had a bowlful of hard candy left over....lollipops, tootsie pops, blow pops, jolly ranchers...that sort of thing. Hubby and I went out for dinner thinking the candy bowl was far enough back on the counter, that neither Sophie nor Mabel could get it.

Wrong! When we returned home, my jaw dropped and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, when both dogs greeted us at the door completely covered in candy bits, wagging their tails proudly! I mean all over their faces, their ears, paws, bellies and even in their armpits and wrappers and lollipop sticks scattered from one end of the house to the other. Then, as I stood there in a total state of shock, Mabel waddled off to the living room and soon returned and placed one absolutely pristine Charms Blow Pop at my feet, then looked up at me as only Mabel could, with an expression that said, "I saved one for you, Mom." All I could do was cry and give her a great big hug.

Mabel's light shone bright for the time we were privileged to share with her, but the wonderful memories we have keeps her in our hearts until we meet again.

We're Featured on TalentDatabase.com!

I'm so excited to be a Featured Artist on the main page of the Craft Portal on TalentDatabase.com today!
Why not waddle on over for a visit and leave us a comment, acknowledgment or a bookmark. We'd sure appreciate it.





The "Staff" at Howlin' Hounds will be equally excited, I'm sure.....just as soon as they wake up! ;)

Happy New Year from the Bayou State

We made the long trip from Pennsylvania to Louisiana, then took a break for the Howlidays and to get settled into our new home. As you can see Mabel and Jingle thoroughly enjoy their new big yard.

But it's a new year and it's time to get back to work. Our Etsy Shop and Website are now Open again and we 're looking forward to seeing our customers and making more great dog stuff.