All for Animals Sets Up “Cuddles Fund”

By KAREN LEE STEVENS — Feb. 17, 2010

When Bonnie Crowe received a Shih Tzu puppy from The Miracle Run Autism Foundation in 2008 as a therapy dog for her then 9-year-old autistic son, Jakob, she hoped things were finally turning around for her family. After all, the Agoura Hills resident ...

Hospice Home Needed for Margie

By KAREN LEE STEVENS — Feb. 3, 2010

It’s a pretty typical stray dog story; one you’ve no doubt heard with slight variations many times before. An abandoned dog was found wandering in the desert—hungry, afraid and…pregnant. The Dog Adoption and Welfare Group (DAWG) in Santa Barbara took ...

Boning Up on Pet Trusts

By KAREN LEE STEVENS — Jan. 20, 2010

Our companion animals: They provide us with unconditional love and devotion on a daily basis. In return, we want to provide them with the very best care we can. But what would happen to our beloved pets if we became seriously ill, injured—or worse??? ...

Santa Paws (and More!) is Coming to Town

Christmas has come early to the Stevens household! After entering a drawing at the Arbonne Skin Care booth during The Inquisitive Canine’s Holiday Boutique in Ventura last weekend, I learned that my name was drawn as the grand prize winner. (Insert happy dance here!)??Independent Arbonne consultant, Jennifer Foster, called me with the good news and suggested I choose a product from the company’s Holiday '09 catalog. After much debate, (OK, it only took me about 30 seconds, because I really wanted the matching soap and hand lotion caddy!), I chose the Shea Butter Hand Care Duo.??But that wasn't all: When Jennifer personally delivered the gift to my home, she also brought along a goodie bag brimming with Arbonne’s very own hydrating facial wash, balancing toner, facial serum, corrective eye cream, and day and night creams. (After the week I’ve had—don’t ask!—I need all the help I can get.)??Ever the animal advocate, I wanted to know Arbonne’s policy on animal testing and was delighted to learn that the company not only doesn’t test any of its products on animals, but its ingredients are certified vegan and don’t contain any animal by products, parabens, or mineral oil. (They even use flax seed oil instead of fish oil.)??“Arbonne is a very green company,” says Jennifer, who is also a huge animal lover. “They strive to be natural and organic whenever possible, hence their motto: Pure, Safe, and Beneficial.”??Arbonne’s RE9 anti-aging product line (a top seller), contains vitamins A, C, E and antioxidants—“all the good stuff you need without any chemical dyes or fragrances,” says Jennifer. And because the products are sold through independent consultants rather than through retail outlets (where products often remain in warehouses or on store shelves for months or even years), the company can use far fewer preservatives (less than 1/2 of 1%).