European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New York times rends in the american pet food Industry have paralleled changes in human diets. Whole grains fresh vegetables and Choice cuts of meat Are replacing beef byproducts and preservatives with names like ethos Quin As common ingredients in dog and cat foods. The whole human health movement has come to fruition now said Susan j. Goldstein president of lick your chops inc., a specially pet food company that has seven stores along the East coast. Because we re More conscious of our own bodies and minds i think we re More conscious about our pets health she said. Lick your chops is perhaps the biggest marketer and promoter of specially foods for finicky felines and their canine counterparts. The company offers 12 varieties of lick your chops food ranging from the Standard beef liver and Chicken combo to new zealand Lamb and a Host of subsidiary food supplements containing live enzymes. A 20-Pound bag of food costs about $20, which seems to be the average for specially pet foods about twice the Cost of regular. High Quality pet foods Are an outgrowth of the concept introduced by Hill s pet products in 1948, of using nutrition rather than Medicine to combat disease. Hills which is owned by the Colgate palmolive co., offers a line of prescription diet products that it says addresses allergies colitis and obesity among other things with varying amounts of proteins carbohydrates minerals and vitamins. Those formulas Are available Only through veterinary clinics which increasingly Are Sellers of pet supplies. Not Hills which also Sells a line of food called science diet for healthy animals has shunned supermarket shelves for less competitive venues such As veterinarians offices and designated distributors a tactic adopted by Many new competitors. It takes someone who is a nutritional expert to identify the specific science diet an animal ought to be on said John l. Mara director of veterinary affairs at Hills in explaining the company s marketing Maneu vers. The strategy apparently has paid off despite higher Price tags attached to most of the new foods. Sales of conventional pet foods increased just 1 percent in 1987, and analysts expect grocery store sales to remain stagnant even though the pet population in America is increasing. In comparison Goldstein said lick your chops increased retail sales by about 33 percent last year. Like other pet products the pet health foods use High Quality components that affluent Consumers demand. Pets for instance need no Lonor 2 relegated to a Wicker Basket but instead May recline in a canopy bed fashioned from Willow twigs. Spunky s favorite named for the cat of the owner Cynthia Cobey makes its unusual Beds from decorator fabrics and sturdy Woods and Wickers but most owners of fashion conscious felines seem to prefer futons of Cotton covered in decorator fabrics that retail from $6 to $60. Animal Manors has reinvented the conventional dog House with a line ranging in Cost from $400 to $5,000. For $2,850, a dog May have its own French chateau and for cats the company has created a six foot tall  apparatus Ca Mastics with platforms to sleep on at various Levels. Custom orders make up 35 percent of animal Manors  customers request miniature duplicates of their own Homes. In other cultures in other centuries they have had Beautiful exquisite houses for pets so it s not really a new idea said Cannon Garber who started animal Manors not in 1985 after two years of research and development. Previously Garber had been an administrator at the University of Georgia. Although these businesses Are deliberately aimed at the most affluent customers Many entrepreneurs have found the High and Low ends of the Market saturated. We started out with the really exclusive stuff but the Market was a bit too narrow for us so we brought it Down a Little said Carolyn parrs president of new Jersey based Pooch canine couture inc. Pooch which began by Selling collars and leashes with Silver buckles designed by Robin Kahn a Coty fashion award Winner for As much As $300, has expanded its lines to include less expensive accessories that Start at $20. People Are still practical minded when it comes to their pets said Breuer of Robison s. The whole kind of cutesy thing has been the craze for the last few years. It s just a trendy thing but it will endure because it has upgraded product Quality Breuer said. Is illustration Lisa Rivard by Elizabeth Ricci United press International in the fashion capital of the world Marie Poirier has found a Niche that also caters to another French passion the poodles terriers and other pooches that ride the subway stroll the champs Elysee and frequent some of the world s finest restaurants. A trend setter in canine fashion Poirier specializes in designing outfits for dog and master who enjoy dressing alike in stylish raincoats Matching ski parkas or identical Faux furs. Everything i create for dogs follows the latest fashion trends Poirier says of the embroidered collars custom tailored rain slickers parkas and designer sweaters displayed in the dog boutique one of her two Paris shops. But i also make sure that whatever i create is in Good taste and comfortable for the  for example her $25 set of four Snow boots not available for masters protects the wearer s paws from Salt used to melt Winter s Snow and ice. Poirier says business is booming hardly a Surprise in a City that offers dogs plenty of Opportunity to show off their style. Poodles peek their Heads out of travel bags on the metro Bassett hounds bask in the Sun at outdoor cafes and Yorkshire terriers Are led into the choicest of restaurants where they Are assigned floor space alongside their masters tables. Motorcyclists pack Small dogs in leather cases under the steering columns of their bikes. Hotels often quote a rate for dogs. Dogs have a very important role in France Poirier says. The French have a very humane Side to them. It snot like in the United states where show dogs Are kept inside almost their whole lives. In France they live like we do Fiey have Normal  canine life does involve a few constraints especially in the crowded capital where an estimated 300,000 dogs coexist with 2.1 million people. Parisian dogs Are supposed to be trained from Puppy Hood to use the Gutter for waste deposits a practice that received official backing seven years ago during a one year citywide teach him the Gutter Campaign. Violators can be fined $100, but the Law is rarely enforced. A Squadron of 80 municipal proper scooters rides alongside the City s 1,550 Miles of sidewalk on motorcycles with vacuum devices to Clear the gutters. Poirier claims she is the City s Only High fashion designer for dogs. Of course there Are plenty of other shops that sell articles of clothing but Many Are imported. They Don t custom design their own  she proudly displays photographs of a televised fashion show last year featuring her look alike designs for dogs and teens brightly coloured rain slickers parading Down the runway on both two and four legged models. Yorkshire terriers were enjoying tremendous popularity 12 years ago when Poirier launched her career at an International dog show in Germany where she showed her first collection a Small Light weight canine carry Case with Matching dog coat and Leash the collection Drew orders from As far away As the United states and Japan she said. Poirier then turned her attention to medium sized Breeds designing a piece of four wheeled Luggage with a pulling strap. The pet secured by an Interior Leash can sit Back and observe the surroundings through Clear plastic Walls. This is designed More for the dog who is suffering from spinal Cord problems since most dogs prefer to be outside she said. More recent designs include the Kangaroo Pouch for Small dogs and puppies an adaptation of pouches used to carry Newborn babies and a water repellent cover All for owners to Wear while bathing their animals. The owner of three dogs and two cats of her own Poirier said her work began As a labor of love. I looked around. And realized that certain dogs such As Long haired Yorkshire were prisoners of the Snow or rain because it messes up their Coats and then makes a mess in the  she says she has turned Down a few requests As too extravagant such As a pair of real fur Coats for pet and master and a Punky dog suit trimmed with nails. Poirier updates her styles every six months. Rain Coats dress Coats and parkas Range Between $30-$75. Hand knit sweaters sell for $33-$66 and dog carry bags go for $46-$200. For the dog who has everything Poirier also Sells toothpaste for $4 and canine eau de Cologne available in both feminine and masculine scents for $16.50. Poirier says business is so Good that she plans to open a third larger shop next year. Who knows maybe some Day i la sell my products in the United states she said. I bet jogging suits for dogs would be popular there. I tried them Here but people just did t consider them practical  by Lisa Perlman associated press Orty two years after giving a Friend in Cassopolis mich., a bag of Clay to try in her cat boxed Lowe has become a celebrity of sorts his White bearded grand fatherly image recognized by millions of feline fanciers. The inventor of cat Box filler obtained a trademark for Kitty litter Back then but Only within the last two years has his face begun appearing on the packaging. Now people occasionally Stop the 68-year-old Lowe on the Street but not always to ask about him. One Day i was walking Down the Street and this Guy walked by and looked at me and asked How s ugh " Lowe said referring to his pet cat who appeared with him on television commercials. So i guess they know ugh better than they know  the self made millionaire does t mind the attention. In fact he relishes making the most of his caring image As the Man who brought the cat in from the  a new cat food expected on supermarket shelves in the United states in february or March the first for Edward Lowe industries inc. Also will Bear his picture. We re going to promote the character of de Lowe a Little More because no one else can do that Lowe said during an interview at the 3,000 acre farm near Cassopolis in southwestern lower Michigan where he lives and conducts business As chairman and chief executive officer of the company he founded. Two cats roam the offices which resemble a tasteful country inn More than the Headquarters of a company with annual revenues of $150 million. Sales offices Are located about 20 Miles away in South Bend ind. Lowe dressed in corduroys a red sweater and Matching Bandana drinks Coffee from a cat Coffee Mug and is surrounded by a Host of cat sculptures and paintings even a stuffed toy cat that moves its head. More than a Hundred cats Are housed in Lowe s cat care Center where cat Box filler and food preference Are studied. The cats Are kept either individually in Small Glass enclosed rooms or in groups of 10 or 20 in larger rooms where behaviour is monitored. Despite appearances Lowe says he has never been crazy about cats especially when he gave out that first bag of Clay. I did t dislike them Lowe said. I was t and i m still not a fanatic about any  chickens were on Lowe s mind in 1946 when he began trying to Market granulated Clay to poultry Farmers As a nesting material. When Chicken litter failed to catch on Lowe returned to his father s sawdust business in Vandalia mich., which sold the absorbent Clay to soak up Oil and grease. On a cold Day in january 1947, a Friend of Lowe Kay Draper approached him for some Sand for her cat Box. Because All the Sand at the sawdust business had Frozen Lowe instead gave her a bag of the Clay. Word spread and before Long Lowe was peddling his Kitty litter from the trunk of his 43 Chevy to pet shops and at cat shows across the country. If i had t seen Kay that Day i d still be shovelling sawdust Lowe says with a laugh. For More than 10 years Lowe was alone in the cat litter business. Today Lowe industries is the Leader in what has grown to be a $600 million Industry. Between Kitty litter which retails in the United states for $1.89 for an 8-Pound bag and his less expensive cat Box filler tidy cat Lowe says he accounts for about 40 percent of the Market. He employs 500 people at five plants in Missouri Illinois California and Tennessee where Clay deposits Are plentiful. Despite his Success Lowe still fights the use of Kitty litter As a generic term. I have the same problem As kleenex. You just gotta keep fighting it Lowe says. However he Calls the dilemma a Joyful problem. I would rather have it that Way than not have it at  Lowe Hopes to Advance that cause by putting his face on All of his products. He also Hopes that by familiarizing Consumers with his picture he will capture their Trust. He wants to become to cat Box filler what colonel Sanders is to Fried Chicken and Orville Redenbacher is to Popcorn. Though corporate strategy is to promote a gentle grand fatherly image Lowe is not shy about taking credit for establishing an Industry. He figures the hugely competitive cat food business and veterinary practices Are outgrowths of his product. I think that i be made the cat popular Lowe says. You would t be Able to own a cat if you did t have Kitty  Lowe also has started a foundation at his farm to support partnership programs for owners of family and Independent businesses. Building a foundation allows you to go on forever and my Mission is to help entrepreneurs Lowe said. This property will be Given to the foundation when i go to the great cat Box in the  Page 14 the stars and stripes tuesday february 14,1989 the stars and stripes Page 15