Dog Clothes make Great Gifts

When it comes to the art of giving, a gift of clothes is fraught with peril. We all have stories to tell, and if you don't, you will. Just give it time.

Mine started early. My grandmother, having survived the Depression, knew how to stretch a dollar. Clothes for her grandkids were always purchased 3 or 4 sizes too big so we could "grow into them". And she passed this charming trait on to my mother. So, we endured our baggy clothes, with the sleeves and pant legs rolled up, until we were finally big enough to wear them with dignity. By which time they were ready for donation.

Then there's my husband. Heaven forbid I should try to give the man a Polo shirt with an uneven hemline. Most Polos are made longer in the back to help them stay "tucked", but hubby goes un-tucked -- always. He rejects any polo that breaks the rule, no matter how subtly. For an otherwise easy-going guy, his behavior is almost perverse.

If you must give clothes this season, there's one giftee on your list who's sure to look great in any outfit you buy him. He'll wear your gift with pride and appreciation, head held high and tail wagging.

That's right, your dog. Or your best friend's dog. It's so easy you'll wonder why you didn't think of it before.

Dogs love any kind of attention you lavish on them. So, Spike will wear his outfit - whether it's cute or ridiculous - as soon as he sees how happy it makes his owner. Spot will eat up all that extra attention he gets from strangers. And Fifi might even want to Vogue for the camera.

Clothes shopping for dogs is a lot like clothes shopping for babies. Unless you're going for practicality, cuteness is what counts. And that's easy to accomplish, given that any dog wearing clothes looks pretty darned cute.

Choices in dog clothes range from winter sweaters to football jerseys and summer tees. You can get a set of flannel PJ's for bedtime or a terry robe for after bath. There's even an entire line of Harley clothes for dogs, complete with leather cap and studded collar. Dog costumes made for parties and holidays are just too cute for words.

If you really want your gift to be a hit with admirers, accessorize. Try a designer dog collar and maybe a cool pair of sunglasses--they make them just for dogs. And I recently heard that leg warmers are making a come back.

Got a mischievous sense of humor? Making the baby look silly might be a no-no, but it's good clean fun when it comes to dressing up a dog. There are some really creative doggie costume out there that are good for a chuckle or two.

There's really only a couple of rules you'll need to keep in mind when shopping for dog clothes:One is that if the dog in question is an avid chewer, you should avoid buying him anything tempting. Shiny buttons, fringe, and feathers are examples that come to mind. An object that can easily be chewed off and swallowed is a choking hazard and can get stuck in the dog's digestive tract.

The other rule is that any dog, no matter how tolerant, will be more comfortable wearing clothes that fit. Proper fit typically requires measuring from the dog's collar to the base of her tail for length. Most garment's girth can be adjusted with velcro tabs, but could still be an issue with a barrel-chested breed such as a bulldog. Measurements are typically in inches.

Remember that a dog will never "diet down" into an outfit that's too small , or -- unless you're shopping for a puppy or a pregnant female -- "grow into" an item that's too big. (Sorry, Grandma.)

Oh, and one more thing--if you're handy with a sewing machine, you can make your own dog clothes creations. Just don't forget to include an opening for the dog to relieve himself. Don't laugh, it happens a lot!

Now, if you're shopping for your own dog, you're all set. But if you're buying clothes for someone else's dog, I've got a few more tips for you.

Surveys conducted on the subject of gift preferences of men and women have shown that men prefer gifts that are more playful or practical. So, if the dog's owner is male this might translate into a doggie Harley jacket, a funny costume, or a reflective hunting vest (more on practical clothing in another article!).

Women, on the other hand, prefer gifts that are beautiful, memorable, and personal. It shouldn't be hard to find an item of clothing for a woman's dog that's either beautiful or memorable or both, and it will of course be personal!

Exception: if the woman is someone you don't know well. The more distant the relationship between giver and receiver, the riskier it is to give a personal gift. So, be they man or woman, if you don't know the dog owner very well, you probably shouldn't be buying dog clothes for their pet.

I hope you'll have fun picking out something nice for the canine on your shopping list. If you get a chance, send me a photo!

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How To Move House

Moving house is one of the most stressful life events. When I first came to London I had about twenty addresses in three years. After the first few moves I got pretty good at it. I had to! Here's what I did:

1. Pack well in advance

It used to drive me wild how some people in our house left it until the last minute. The result was they'd still be going back and forth from the old place, to the new, days later, for the last pot plant or bit of cutlery.

Make up your mind that you are quitting this house for good, then don't stay a minute longer than you have to. Otherwise you'll be wasting time that could be more profitably spent doing something else.

2. Put small things into a large container.

This saves multiple trips. Sturdy medium-size boxes are a life saver, as they can be stacked easily.

3. Containers should be light enough for one person to lift.

Some people try to fill up a big box with books, for example. The result: no one can lift it, or worse, it's just light enough for someone to try lifting it, and put their back out.

4. First to go in, last out.

You'll be putting the carpets down first, presumably, so they should be last into the van. If you're super organised you can decorate the new house 'on the fly'. Otherwise, put all your stuff in the smallest room in the new place, and then move it about from there, when it's all moved in. This stops the need to move stuff between rooms later.

5. Leave behind what you don't need.

If you've always hated the sofa, leave it behind. Some people have a curious pack-rat mentality; they love to hoard. If what you're hoarding is not gold or jewels, but jam-jars and newspapers, leave them behind.

6. Hire a big van with a big man.

This should really be the number one tip. The idea of a big van is that you'll make fewer trips, ideally only one. Some people try to save money by using their cars, or a friend with a mini van. The result: umpteen trips stretching over days. You get cheesed-off, and so does your friend. Instead of decorating your new place, you're still half-in the old one.

Moving house is very stressful. Get it done as quick as you can. Hire the biggest van you can find.

7. Many hands make light work.

After you've hired the big van, get as many friends as you can involved in the move. If you're really organised, you can move house in half a day. I did this once, to the great surprise and gratitude of the van driver we used. He'd been expecting a day-long slog.

8. Mark parking space for your van.

Cordon off enough parking space for your van driver, so he can park next to the house.

9. Cancel the utilities.

Bit of an obvious one, really. You don't want strangers running up bills in your name. Let the utilities know the date you're due to move out.

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5 Tips to Hook Your Readers with Long Copy (and keep 'em reading all the way to the end)

Like most solo professionals, you can't afford to sell yourself with hype. You want to create a friendly conversation with website visitors so you'll attract clients.

But a website that doesn't attract and hold attention tends to grow cobwebs. It looks sleepy!

And research shows, over and over, that long copy sells better than short copy.

So how you do create long messages that don't set your visitors to snoozing... or worse, clicking off to a more wide-awake website?

1. Write conversationally.

Lets face it: web surfers get bored like everybody else. Theyre sitting all alone with their computers and they want to feel somebody cares enough to talk to them. Reading pages and pages of copy should feel like getting a letter from a good friend.

Short copy (and short-short ezines) comes across more like a message left on an answering machine not a meaningful connection.

Ever had a phone conversation with a friend or even a business relationship when you just enjoyed talking?

You were in no hurry to hang up. You were entertained. You felt affirmed. When readers feel this way, theyll stay tuned all the way to the bottom of the page.

2. Maintain suspense.

Whether you're writing website copy or murder mysteries (my favorite leisure reading), maintain suspense. Each sentence should motivate the reader to move to the next sentence...and the next paragraph...and the next page, chapter and even book.

Im not sure who first applied the term bucket brigade to copy. But heres the idea.

Before fire departments got organized, volunteers would fight fires by lining up and passing buckets of water from the nearest well to whatever was burning. Another line would pass empty buckets back for refills. Buckets moved from hand to hand fast, no stops.

So think of each idea as a bucket you want to pass along, from one sentence to the next. Motivate the reader: Keep going! Urgent! You need to reach the end before anything else happens!

3. Ask, Whos reading? rather than How long?

Your target market really wants to learn what you have to say. They realize theyll learn from you, even if youre overtly making a sales pitch. So they keep reading....and reading.

Whats your favorite personal interest? Dogs? Cats? Hiking? Basketball? Soccer? Music? Art? Real estate?

When youre passionate, you cant learn enough. You hope the article, book or talk will go on forever. And if youve targeted right, your readers will feel the same way.

4. Encourage your readers to talk back to you.

Marketing researchers know: When we read any message, we tend to talk back! Sometimes we speak aloud (and even throw a magazine across a room doesnt work with a computer).

But most often we engage in what psychologists call counter-arguments. For example, you read, This technique will transform your cat into an obedient pet who comes when called.

You think, No way! or, You must be kidding.

We also affirm what we read.

Thats a great idea! I can save money in the long run!

And (especially if were contemplating a big-ticket item) were seeking more and more reasons to justify our buying decision.

So...youre probably ahead of me: Longer copy means more opportunities to say, Yes its for me!

5. Crawl out on the edge.

What television shows become mega-hits? I should know. Im somewhat anti-television. No cable in my home because, There are better ways to spend my time!

But what do I rent at the video store? You got it: the big HBO and Showtime series that go outside the networking programming box.

Theyre more like indie films than television and they attract audiences of millions. And just try to rent a DVD of past seasons: you get on a waiting list. (Desperate Housewives? A desperate imitation! Feel free to email if you disagree.)

Writing works the same way.

Whenever I take a risk with an edgy ezine article, a few readers unsubscribe and some even send a few grumpy emails. But I always get a few orders and queries about coaching, too.

When I write reviews for amazon.com, I just say whats on my mind. And I get some of my best clients and subscribers.

One reader even said, Do they call you Cantankerous Cathy? You never say anything nice! But she signed up for my ezine and attended three teleclasses. At least half a dozen clients claim they hired me because, they said, You tell it like it is!

Edgy for me means strong opinions and ideas. Some famous copywriters use strong, colorful language. Adapt your edginess to your audience and your own style.

Bottom line: As long as you hook the reader, maintain suspense and tell a good story, your message can be as long as you want it to be.

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