The Gossip Column: August 9, 2024
Africa seems to be the hot spot at the moment. As TOMMY & MERRY JEANNE MILLNER wrap up their African holiday, a new group has arrived in Rwanda to see the elusive silverback apes. Among the travelers are NANCY SHAW, CHAD HOWARD, AMY RUTHERFORD, SUSIE & JORGE OLIVERA, VALERIE NUNES ATKINSON, PETER HOBSON and ANTONIO BERRIOS. ...
KAREN LEFRAK has released her latest album, titled Echo. ...
A very special birthday greeting to one of the most polite and well-mannered young men in our sport, JACOB WATERS, who just turned 20 years of age. Such an old soul for such a young man. He gives me hope for the future of our sport, as do all his siblings. Such an amazing family. ...
It didn’t take that long for fashion designers to realize the money to be made in the pet industry. Like most fashion designers, they add to their brand accessories like shoes and jewelry. Now the very popular and well-known brand DOLCE & GABBANA has realized a dog perfume called FETE, an alcohol-free fragrance. The sales pitch: “I am delicate, authentic, charismatic, sensitive, clean. ’Cause I’m not just a dog, I’m Fete.” Geez, if I could be all that from just a spray, sign me up. All that your dog can be for just $109. The fragrance has been certified by SAFE PET COSMETICS, an independent veterinary organization from Italy. Other fragrances are available from HOWND, makers of PEACH BUM NATURAL PARFUM FOR LADY DOGS, and PEANUT AND PICKLE has a selection that includes COCONUT, PEPPERMINT and GRAPEFRUIT. DANIEL MILLS, a professor of veterinary behavioral medicine at the University of Lincoln in England, is quoted as saying, “This is entirely for the owner's benefit, not for the dogs. Dogs have a fantastic sense of smell and changing their odor can cause significant issues.” Gone are the days when the only “perfume” available for pet owners was the very popular spray produced by MR. GROOM, and for those of us in the world of showing dogs it was the very popular PINAUD EAU DE QUINNE, the hair tonic that originally came off the shelves of the local barbershop. Still my grooming spray of choice. Every now and then you get a whiff of it at a dog show, and it brings back days of yore. The 2023 BLOOMBERG INTELLIGENCE REPORT predicts that by 2030 the global pet industry — which includes veterinary care, pet food, drugs and accessories like pet perfume — will be a $500 billion business, up from the current $320 billion.