I can’t believe that Summer is officially over. I am still trying to hang on to last vestiges of seaside fun by going on two Caribbean trips and one Cannes trip this September! My refusal to face reality won’t last very long, because the dogs in neighborhood will soon be sporting cute little sweaters to stave off the chill, and remind me that Fall is almost here.

Fall fashion is already appearing in the stores but my favorite venue to shop for one-of-a kind dog sweaters is not a brick-and-mortar location at all. In fact, it’s Etsy.com that has the best stuff, lovingly made by someone specifically for your dog.

Let your laptop do the walking and wander over to Charmaine Louise NY http://www.etsy.com/shop/charmainelouiseny. She considers herself a Hand-Crochet Atelier featuring unique crochet and knit pieces for dogs handmade from the finest imported cashmere, cotton, and wool yarns.

The hand-crochet dog t-shirt is perfect for keeping your puppy buddy warm when it’s cool. Crocheted in the softest 100-percent organic cotton yarn imported from Uruguay, the color is a rich pink. The design is fitted and features a rosette and neck and tummy bands. Should your dog need a different size, Charmaine will crochet a sweater to your dog’s measurements. What’s nice is that you can machine wash the t-shirt on the gentle cycle and dry flat, after your dog decides to roll around in muddy leaves in the park.

Pet Fashion Week 2010, yes, there is such an event, took place in New York City’s Metropolitan Pavilion on August 21st & 22nd. This year’s tradeshow centered around the creations of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Pet Marketing Design students http://www.fitnyc.edu. Their intent was to focus on the importance of pet lifestyle design and to promote innovative products and ideas which are beneficial to pets in their everyday lives.

The event displayed items primarily for small dogs. Wholesale vendors from around the globe offered products ranging from the basic (collars and grooming tables), to the cute (Halloween costumes and pet portrait sessions), to the completely absurd (custom made pet bridal gowns complete with four foot long trains and veils). Um, yeah.

Clothing designs from the current FIT class were fashionable, fun and completely functional. My favorite item by a mile was Lindsey Morns’s Leather Bomber Jacket. Aside from the fact that I am dying for one of these jackets for myself, it’s a wonderfully stylish way to keep your best friend warm in the bitter winter months. Hipsters everywhere are going to be lining up to grab one of these for their pup. Other standout young designers were Lisa Barnes, with her Turtlebacks™ Organic Wool Knit Sweaters. In the spirit of being green, why not further extend a hand to Mother Earth by dressing our dogs in organic knits as well. And they look totally cozy. I also loved Leana Dominguez’s shout out to our troops with her “Military Canine” shirt and pants. I can already envision pups on Army posts everywhere sporting their own uniforms, proudly reflecting the hard work and sacrifice of their moms and dads.

It’s happy days when you can forget about your cat’s litter box, but the minute you have to crinkle your nose and sniff twice, it’s not so wonderful. No one wants an apartment filled with the smell of kitty litter, so maybe, like me, you’ve always stuck with the tried and true, chemically enhanced clay litter that clumps like magic and covers the smell as you’ve come to expect.

With all the “going green” initiatives around, I’m embarrassed to say that I never thought seriously about the carbon footprint (or pawprint if you want to get cute) my two kitties were leaving behind. I’ve never been willing to sacrifice odor control and overall effectiveness for one of those “eco-friendly” litters.

But clay litter has stirred up some controversy because of an ingredient, sodium bentonite, and crystalline silica dust that’s produced. Dr. Louise Murray, Vice President of the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital (http://www.aspca.org) said the crystallized litters, especially, produce a lot of the dust, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems when ingested. “Other concerns regarding silica center around the potential for respiratory irritation. Most veterinarians recommend that cats with asthma do not use clay litter,” said Dr. Murray.

Mother Nature isn’t receiving any favors from clay litter either. The clay is strip mined from the earth before it arrives neatly in a box to your local pet shop. And after you’ve used the litter in your home, it’s shipped off to a landfill—where it sits for eternity and piles up quickly.

Needless to say, it’s time to see if any of these eco-friendly litters can actually take the place of what used to be top dog. My two cats luckily agreed to test out a few—they were great sports, even if they were a little confused.

So we know the economy isn’t doing so well lately. And some of us may have trouble with getting back on track, let alone finding a dream job. Remember the good advice your career counselor told you? Follow your dreams and do what you love.

Well, if you love your pet and love animals, why not make your passion your career? Prefer your pets more than your co-workers? Want to be your own boss? Pet care entrepreneur and businesswoman, Charlotte Reed, is offering a class that can make your transformation from pet-owner to pet professional a reality. She can show you the way, but you have to take her advice and put your dream plan into action. Go ahead, Seize The Day!

Charlotte is a popular pet care and lifestyle expert. Over 10 years ago she abandoned life on Wall Street (a good thing in light of recent events!) as a corporate lawyer to open Two Dogs & A Goat Incorporated, a premiere, full-service pet care provider in New York City (http://www.twodogsandagoat.com) where all her staff are trained in animal care and animal first aid. She is also the author of “The Miss Fido Manners Complete Book of Dog Etiquette.”

My last dog had a great taste for leather. It’s not as if she was stylish in a leather collar. She literally loved the taste of leather, and would cheerfully chew on my leather boots, belts, her own dog collar. If your pooch has the same hankerings, divert her attention away from your expensive leather goods to her own leather chew toys from Auburn Dog Toys.

You can find these stylish toys with or without tugs. The flat leather ones come in bone shapes, circles and even one that looks like the sole of a men’s shoe. The tug toys come in 4 different designs, including one with disks, for the aggressive chewer.

All the toys are made with vegetable tanned leather, which means they use the bark of trees to treat the leather, not chemicals. The toys are sturdily stitched with cotton thread and have no glue, staples or squeakers to harm your pet.