Press Release

Monday January 14th: Music for Your Pet Chronicle News Story - WMUR Manchester Her music has gone to the dogs, and she likes it that way! Read More!

By NICHOLAS COATES

HUDSON, N.H. - Judy Mirabito has a song in her heart - the same one her dogs enjoy. Mirabito, 48, of Hudson, has been trying to perfect pet products since 1998 using her four Pomeranians as product testers. But after failing to hit it big with her other inventions, Mirabito may be onto something with her latest product: "Soundbites Collection: Doggie Classical: Music for your pet's wellness."

It's a classical music CD that dog owners can play for their pets when they leave the house or are on long car rides. It includes 12 classical pieces with more than 50 minutes of playing time.

Mirabito said the inspiration came from four handicapped dogs she had several years ago.

"Like everyone else, we have busy lives and we couldn't always be around our dogs," Mirabito says from her Hudson home. "Before we left the house, I would put on Animal Planet or music. But one day I stayed home and observed how they reacted and I noticed that it wasn't having a great effect."

Mirabito then started studying how different types of music and sounds affected dogs. When she played classical music, she noticed "how much joy it brought them," and the idea for a CD was born.

"This is something that is truly for the emotional needs of dogs," said Mirabito. "Dogs love us unconditionally, they help us see things in life we wouldn't normally. I noticed not all things were created equally, and I wanted to do something for their needs."

Mirabito added that her four handicapped dogs, two of which have since died, have always been the inspiration for her inventions. When Mirabito worked as a cleaning lady in 1998-99, she began studying how to use power tools and the basics of interior design to eventually come up with her first product, pet beds.

Mirabito and her husband, Rick, immersed themselves in developing and promoting the beds for the last six years, but they only brought limited success. Then came the tragedy of Sept. 11, the death of two of their dogs and the constant concerns of Rick losing his job at his company as it slashed thousands of jobs, Judy said.

Despite the tough times, Mirabito said that her husband and two daughters, Cindy and Julie, told her to keep believing in herself. And, of course, she always had the inspiration from her four-legged friends, she said.

Former WNDS TV 50's "Common Cents" show host Bill Carr helped launch Mirabito's latest product idea.

Carr called Mirabito after he had her on his show and hooked her up with a marketing company in Pennsylvania, she said. After pitching the idea to the company, she was put in touch with Grammy Award-winning producer Tony Camillo.

Camillo won a Grammy for producing the hit "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and The Pips and has also worked with musicians like Stevie Wonder and The Supremes.

At the CD release party at T-Bones in Bedford yesterday, Camillo said it was a project he had to become involved in.

"This was more than just doing the music," said Camillo. "It was fulfilling a dream for her."

Article Launched: 04/23/2006 06:33:04 AM EDT Pampered pets From music to massage, animal lovers have the cure for what ails humans' best friends By KATHLEEN DEELY, Sun Staff

We live in a 24/7, tech-fueled world. We barely have time for friends, let alone our German Shepherds. So if we are stressed to the max, chances are our four-legged friends are, too. Just as people flock to yoga classes and shiatsu, dogs also need a little down time. So pop in a soothing CD or sign your pooch up for a massage. It may sound very L.A., but it is happening right here, right now. Judy Mirabito, the so-called "doggie diva," is positioning herself to do for four-legged friends what Martha Stewart has done for the domestically clueless. She started with making designer dog beds in her Hudson, N.H., home and recently launched Doggie Classical, a CD for pet wellness. "I think all pets need a comfortable environment and music has a calming effect," said Mirabito, surrounded by her four frisky Pomeranians in her sun-streaked condo. As the strains of Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" floated out of the speakers, her active pack began to settle down, like nursery-school kids preparing for nap time. Nestling on fur blankets and hip lounge chairs, these dogs were clearly having their day. "Once you pay attention to their body language, like a child, you learn what is bothering them," said Mirabito. For four years, Mirabito studied her dogs' reactions to sounds. Like many working adults, Mirabito -- a former janitor -- left them alone for long stretches with just the Animal Planet for company. After monitoring them for a day, she found that, instead of chilling them out, the TV network was making them beserk. "When the chimp was going crazy, my dogs went crazy," she said. And the radio was not the soothing balm so many dog owners think it is. But when she started playing a concerto by Mozart, they began to let their fur down. "It almost puts them comatose. They are nurtured by these sounds," said Mirabito, 49, who worked with '70s music producer Tony Camillo on the 12-song disc. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2006 is the year of the dog -- a good time to get married. Judging by the way people are pampering their pets and the growing billion-dollar industry, it's also a good time to be a dog. Judy Bourgeois of Tyngsboro has been doing her part to help dogs stay happy and healthy through the power of massage. As a certified massage therapist, who just completed a course for small animals, Bourgeois has had a life-changing effect on the formerly fierce Puquet. The white-and-brown Jack Russell terrier was extremely violent when Bourgeois' sister, Janice Pokorski, and her husband, Jay, adopted him. "He would nip and bite me. I was immediately concerned," said Jay Pokorski. Living with an Akita and rambunctious children, Puquet was as bad as his bark. So bad, in fact, that the Pokorskis were considering putting him down. They were willing to try anything, but massage? "I thought it was a crock," said Jay. But after a few sessions with Bourgeois, Puquet was as docile as they come. The first thing she did was put her hands on the back of his neck to show him "that human touch is a good thing." She sustained a long chomp, but eventually her healing hands won over. Common techniques are compression of a dog's spine, moving the soft tissue of the head in a semi-circle motion and elongating the muscles. She also does a full range of motion for their limbs. And for an animal like the Jack Russell -- long body, short legs -- she works the lower back. Similar to the effect on humans, a massage helps a dog's nervous system, decreases soreness and increases endorphins and blood flow. "Each animal is like a human. They have their own issues," she said. Puquet, it turned out, had more pressing issues than aggression. One of his testicles was growing inside his body. Bourgeois detected a problem when he wouldn't let her touch him near his groin. They brought him to the vet and he soon had surgery. "We saved his life," she said. They also turned him into a happy-go-lucky animal. "Once you figure out the need of the dog, everything falls into place," she said. To further celebrate the Year of the Dog, the Revolving Museum in Lowell is holding a Canine Carnival on May 6. Bourgeois will be giving massages. Mirabito will be at Barnes & Noble in Nashua on the Daniel Webster Highway April 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. to sell and talk about her CD. For more info, go to www.allforpaws.com. Kathleen Deely's e-mail address is kdeely@lowellsun.com.

STACY MILBOUER

Telegraph Staff
Picture the kind of bed Martha Stewart might have for her dogs if she indeed had dogs. Now you have some idea of Judy Mirabito's dream -- a dream that's costing the former janitor and assembly-line worker everything she has -- her money, her time and a good deal of her energy.

Mirabito -- the founder, president and everything else behind AllforPaws -- was inspired to make a bed on which dogs really like to sleep, not those overstuffed pillows with drab colors that you see everywhere. The Hudson woman's doggie berths feature arched headboards, classic columns, duvet-covered cushions perched upon a platform with ball feet and, if you like, a place to secure a framed picture of the pooch who will be counting sheep beneath.

The beds were inspired by an eclectic mix of influences in Mirabito's life: love of her ailing Pomeranian dogs, her fierce ambition to make something of her life and her fascination with do-it-yourself design -- especially as preached by Discovery Channel guru Christopher Lowell.

First, the dogs. For years Mirabito, 44, was on the hunt for the perfect bed for her four handicapped Pomeranians: blind and diabetic Crystal, epileptic Coco, arthritic Max, and Cierra, who suffers from back problems.

"None of these dogs were sick when I got them," Mirabito said. "They just developed these problems after awhile. But I think it was meant to be that I would be the one to care for them. I began looking everywhere for beds that would be comfortable for them. I got every dog bed out there, but none of them were ever quite right. The dogs might start out sleeping on them, but eventually they'd stop. Something was always wrong -- the cushions didn't fit right after they were washed, the Velcro wouldn't work and they were just plain ugly."

Mirabito is the first to admit the aesthetics of a doggie bed are definitely a matter of importance to the humans in the house and that comfort is the priority of the pet.

"When I first came up with the idea for the beds I thought about this," Mirabito said. "Where do dogs really like to sleep? And the answer was simple. In mommy's bed. Because mommy's bed is comfortable. Let's face it. We all want comfort in life, and that's why we spend so much money on our beds, mattresses and sheets. Well, dogs want that, too. They just can't ask for it."

Last year, once Mirabito hit on the idea of reproducing human-type beds on a doggie scale, she began to apply all her self-taught design skills. She spent her time sawing, cutting, nailing, gluing and sewing in her small town house in Hudson. Finally she came up with something her dogs embraced and she found aesthetically pleasing.

"They loved them. They were comfortable," she said. "I felt that other dogs would love them, too."

And before she ever sold a single bed, Mirabito decided to give some of her prototypes away to needy dogs. This was not a new concept for Mirabito, who often visits animal shelters and donates food, toys and other treats.

One dog in particular caught her attention one night while watching the news. There was a piece about a Chihuahua named Little who was abducted from a home in Revere, Mass., and then set on fire by the culprit who absconded with him.

The dog survived, but not without a lot of medical problems. He had 106 stitches as a result of skin grafts and one of his ears had to be removed, according to his owner, Kim Garza.

Mirabito wasted no time driving one of her beds to Garza's house.

"Little loved it," Garza said. "Even with all the pain, he was able to find rest in that bed."

That thrilled Mirabito and reinforced her belief in her beds and their primary purpose -- to provide comfort for all dogs, including those who are sick.

During a conversation about her future plans for the beds, Mirabito's beloved dogs begin to bark and fuss.

"Oh, go get a job," she said lovingly, then continued with her thoughts. In fact, three of Mirabito's Pomeranians did have a job. They recently accompanied Mirabito and her husband, Rick, to Long Beach, Calif., to the Petco Reach for the Stars trade show.

The name for the trade show couldn't have been more appropriate for her home business -- AllforPaws. Mirabito was indeed reaching for the stars by gambling all she had on this chance to get her beds picked up by a national chain store.

She's had more than ample opportunity to sell the beds one by one. After appearing on local television shows and having articles written about her in New England newspapers, Mirabito has had dozens of people dying to buy her product. But she's holding out for the big time.

And even though a previous effort to get her beds on QVC failed, she remains undaunted.

"We've spent the entire summer and all our money getting ready for this show," Mirabito said. "And it's a risk. There's rumors that my husband's company is about to have a massive layoff. (Mirabito's husband works third shift so he can help his wife with the beds.)

"We've put in every penny and spare minute making the display booth for the show. I designed it and we built it ourselves. Everyone else at the show had prefabricated booths. Then there was the shipping costs, our plane tickets (including tickets for the dogs) and the hotel. But we believe in this so much, we feel that it's worth it. You have to go for your dreams."

The Mirabitos are still waiting to hear from Petco. Out of the thousand or so vendors who came to the trade show, which was held at the end of August, 25 new vendors will be accepted into the company's product line.

Who those 25 will be is determined by who receives the top 25 votes by the managers who attended the show.

Dan Riedy, the manager of the Petco store in Nashua, originally encouraged Mirabito to take her product to the top.

"He believed in the beds, just like we believed in the beds," Mirabito said.

Mirabito said she expects to hear from Petco by the end of the month and is optimistic that her beds will be picked up.

"We just got such a big reception," Mirabito said. "People loved the fact that we brought our dogs with us and saw them sleeping on them comfortably."

But what if they don't get picked? Will Mirabito give up on her dream and settle for selling her beds at local craft shops?

"No way," she said. "I'll just try something else. We believe in why we did this."

Rick chimes in: "Things in life don't come easy. I believe in my wife's dream 100 percent."

That's certainly true with the Mirabitos and their project. Several days before they left for the show -- Rick's birthday, in fact -- their car was hit from behind and sustained serious damage.

And on their arrival home from California they found their oldest dog, Crystal, was very sick. The dog died less than a week later.

"This is the part that really tests that saying that you have to love what you do," Mirabito said, fighting back tears. "Crystal is gone and that's very hard for us. But she will live on in our hearts and in these beds."

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Stacy Milbouer can be reached at 594-6402 or at milbouers@telegraph-nh.com.

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