IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not the same as the Cuddle Clones (CC) plush sculptures. Click [ here ] to see Cuddle Clones. CC's plush sculptures are made from synthetic materials and their body size most likely from templates which is exactly why they cost much cheaper. The team of artists also each roughly take a couple of days to complete one and they are also more toyish looking rather than realistic. Needle-felted sculptures on the other hand, are more realistic looking and customized to look as similar to the animal as possible (depends on the artist's skills too) and take much longer to complete. Velvet's lifesize 1:1 scale sculpture took 5 months. You may use coupon code 'velvet' for 10% off your purchase at Cuddle Clones. It totally depends on your preference and budget now that you're provided with the detailed comparisons between Cuddle Clones plush sculptures and needle-felted sculptures in my blog.
UPDATE: 08 JULY 2016 (NEW ITEMS CHEWY AND COTTON'S 35cm STANDING/SITTING SCULPTURES)
Ordered: 04 Jan 2016 Arrived on 01 June 2016
before adding whiskers
realistic nails made from resin!
CHEWY'S FINAL:
realistic nails!
mailed fur to artist
COTTON'S SCULPTURE (35cm SITTING)
ARRIVED ON 01 Jun 2016
UPDATE (12 Jan 2016) on NEW item:
The artist made an awesome 2015 christmas gift for me which I received on the night of 11 Jan 2016. It's a miniature head monument of Velvet. Details [ here ] on her website. Video [ here ] (or below):
first ''acceptable'' pix together
head is detachable from stand
''We go together like copy and paste, because the best things in life are three''.
photo credit to artist, Mavis (dollmofee)
This has got to be THE most expensive thing (or art piece) that Mom has EVER bought in her entire life thus far. Let's just amount the total cost of it to one of a very, very good show quality mini schnauzer puppy.
It took Mom about a month of careful consideration before deciding on doing this sculpture of me. She put it as its a present for the both of us - my Big 10th and her 30th this year. She even took to flipping coins to decide and Sunshade's ma all the way in Canada also flipped it for Mom and video-ed it lol. Results were the same as Mom's 2:1 so Mom ultimately went ahead to order the sculpture.
The artist mentioned her clients usually do memorial sculptures after the passing of their companion animals. Mom thought that she would appreciate my sculpture more while I'm still here. And she'll probably regret not doing it earlier. Many ppl (including strangers have asked Mom if looking at the sculpture would sadden her when I'm no longer around. No one will have an answer to it now but Mom (and me) are hoping that my doppelganger would help ease things a little.
Anyways, it was a looong and tedious process because Mom had to take photos of measurements of EVERY single part of my body from the width of my ears (bottom to top) to the length of my snout to my pawpads to my nipples and private parts! Just because the sculpture is gonna be so detailed to my private parts.
The much talented felted artist is Mavis aka Dollmofee (from Taiwan) which u can find her FB page [ here ] with tonnes of photos, her rules of ordering from her website [ here ] (click on icon for translation), her blog [ here ], youtube [ here ] and instagram [ here ]. Please read her website regarding her rules for orders prior to emailing her.
Sizes of sculpture are miniature ones from 10cm, 15cm, 20cm, 25cm all the way to lifesize 1:1 scale. Basically you'll need to submit pictures of your animal in three angles (front, back, side) for price estimation as prices vary according to sculpture size and fur complexity. Any enquiries on prices, please email Mavis directly at dollmofee@gmail.com .
Lifesize 1:1 scale would cost a few thousand USD onwards. Velvet is the 3rd lifesize (and largest till date) sculpture that she has done. 1st is a Chihuahua named Pepi (also from Singapore) at 32cm tall (sitting position), second's a yorkie X poodle at 40cm long (lying down position) and third's Velvet at 54cm long (chest to anus) by 52cm tall (ground to tip of ears) in standing position. Will include their photos below.
Mom placed a deposit on 14 Dec 2014 and it was completed on 20 May 2015, reaching home to us on 25 May.
Did I mention Mom also mailed samples of my fur to Mavis just so she could get the color right. Lucky she did cuz my color was different from what she imagined it to be without her looking at my actual fur.
To protect the sculpture as needle-felted ones tend to attract dust, Mom also had to customize an acrylic showcase just for it which was done locally. It had to be huge just so the sculpture could be displayed at different angles.
I think Mom sent the artist easily between 200+ photos including some videos. Just measurement and fur details photos alone are about 100+? Tonnes of work, reviews and rectifications along the way (5 months!) to the final product. Will include some measurement photos below.
Video of the final product below! My doppelganger has movable limbs, ears, head and tail! Tail is 360deg rotatable how cool is that. Mom thinks Mavis is so super talent and probably just about one of the best few needle-felted artists with the eyes and skills to create extremely life-like needle-felted sculptures of animals.
Overall, Mom is very happy with it although she finds that similarity would be much closer with smooth coated breeds as compared to longer coated breeds with more variables involved ie flow of fur, length of fur etc. It's virtually impossible for 100% similarity since the artist did everything based on just photos alone and has never seen nor touched me before. So to achieve this level of likeness, Mom is overall very impressed and satisfied. Worth every cent and wait.
Mom's favorite pix of us together. a chanced one as well.
dog sculpture
What the artist Mavis (aka Dollmofee) had to say:
velvet's hand-made tongue! photo credit to dollmofee
There is one 30cm (memorial) sculpture of a mini schnauzer that Mom really really liked and literally made her wanna do it. This is the one:
photo credit to dollmofee
Mavis' cat, Dark
photo credit to schnauzer's human
photo credit to dollmofee
These few pix below are the previous two other lifesize dog sculptures that the artist did before Velvet. Pepi and Rulu. Rulu's was done as a memorial sculpture hence, measurements were estimated based on photos of her.
photo credits to Rulu's human (Rachel Wang)
And then there's me!
Some other animal sculptures that Mavis has done:
30cm height chinchilla cat
4 inch by 6 inch 3D cat head in photo frame
4 inch by 6 inch 3D cat head in photo frame
15cm long cat
20cm long cat
15cm long MoMo
25cm long sugar glider
10cm guinea pigs
lifesize 1:1 scale bird
20cm rabbit
Hedgehog 10cm long
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOSbWs8Mzi8
Some other sculptures of dog breeds of various sizes
corgi 20cm
westie 20cm. photo credit to westie's human
20cm St. Bernard. details: http://blog.yam.com/dollmofee/article/70589117
Thanks to Bambi's ma that Mom saw this and finally ordered it. We started on it yesterday. It's pretty stinky and that's just about the best raw green tripe available here since there's no raw frozen ones here, which are also much stinkier. The ones sold outside are all bleached and processed so its best to not buy them. Mom once bought it in 2007 and only realized that later on. Details about it [here]. This freeze-dried raw lamb green tripe is greenish and also stinky, so it's definitely the real deal.
Mom bought this at S$36 per packet. Recommended feeding for our weight (5kg) is about 2.5 scoops but we're only have 1 scoop each per day and Chewy approx. 3/4 scoop on top of our usual meal. This is just to complement our diet. 2.5 scoops should be an entire day's worth of meal if you're using it as a meal replacer. Altho' it says for dogs, but its definitely okay for cats as well and Chewy just about went mad over it too. Cotton was playing guard-dog with the 3 packets of tripe and chasing Chewy away whenever she came anywhere near it.
It is reconstituted with approx. 80ml to 100ml of Diamond Water directly from the filter. Packaging states warm water, but room temperature water works just fine. Mom thinks its not really good to use too hot water as it destroys the enzymes, but lukewarm should do fine. If your cat is not a drinker (or a ''slurper'' like Chewy who slurps up all the water with her food) and loves it, you kill two birds with one stone in the sense that they will end up drinking more water.
Feeding amount is very flexible and you can even use it as treats.
Tripe: the magical mystery meat that dogs crave and
humans fear! Tripe seems to be the line in the sand drawn between
beginning raw feeders and the ‘been there, done that’ old pros. If you
are among the uninitiated, then you will find feeding tripe to be a real
treat (as will your dog). Not only will tripe provide immense health
benefits for your dog, it will catapult you to the rank of seasoned raw
feeder, just one rung below raw feeders who scoop road kill off the road
and tote it home in their trunk to proudly offer as a gift for their
furry charges!
What is tripe?
Tripe is the stomach of a ruminating (grazing) animal including cows,
buffalo and sheep. The unique stomachs of ruminants have four chambers
which systematically break down grasses with a slew of digestive
enzymes, gastric juices and amino acids.
You may have seen tripe on the grocery store shelves in a white and
bleached form. This is not what you want to feed your dog: it is devoid
of any real value. What you want to feed is ‘green tripe’, the stuff
that comes right out of the animal, dripping with all of those wonderful
juices.
Why does it have to be green?
The same digestive enzymes and beneficial bacteria that help the
ruminant animal digest foodstuff will do the same for your dog. Think
how much money you can spend on digestive enzymes and probiotics in a
bottle and those same wonderful, natural substances are in abundance in
green tripe.
Digestive enzymes aid in digestion, meaning the body does not have to
expend as much energy when digesting a meal. This means your dog gets
the most nutritional benefit from his meals. Digestive enzymes also do
much more than aid in digestion: they purify and cleanse the blood and
remove toxins, parasites and fungus. They also improve metabolism,
hormonal function and boost the immune system.
Cooking destroys digestive enzymes, so it is important that your
dog’s tripe is not only green, but raw. If your dog eats a cooked or
commercial diet, then he may be suffering from enzyme deficiency. The
signs of this can include anxiety, lack of energy, chronic diarrhea and
digestive problems, gingivitis, viral and bacterial infections and yeast
overgrowth. If your dog suffers from any of these disorders, consider
the value of adding green tripe to his diet or increasing the amount you
currently feed.
The gut is populated by hundreds of different kinds of bacteria or
microflora which are divided into the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’.
The ‘bad’ bacteria are those responsible for health complaints and some
of their members include e- coli, salmonella, campylobacter and
listeria. These are the bacteria contained in foods and the environment
that could potentially make your dog sick: if it weren’t for the
protection of the ‘good’ bacteria.
The good bacteria improve immune function simply by out- numbering
the bad bacteria and maintaining a healthy microflora in the gut. Green
tripe is loaded with Lactobacillus Acidophilus, one of the bacterial
‘good guys’. Your dog’s gut can only feed so many micro-organisms, so
the more ‘good’ bacteria he consumes, the less ‘bad’ bacteria will find
anything to eat in his gut and they will get crowded out.
Many health issues are caused by imbalance in the microflora. Older
dogs are especially prone to this as they tend to have lower levels of
beneficial bacteria in their guts. Supplementing your dog’s diet with
lots of raw, green tripe will help him maintain a healthy balance of
microflora, manufacture more B vitamins, and prevent many health
disorders.
If your dog already suffers from health issues, consider adding raw,
green tripe to his diet. Acidophilus can be used to treat a myriad of
health complaints.
More good news
Not only is tripe loaded with digestive enzymes and probiotics, it
has the perfect ratio of calcium to phosphorus – 1:1. Green tripe also
contains the essential fatty acids, Linoleic and Linolenic, in their
recommended proportions. It can also be served in nice, large rubbery
chunks which will provide your dog with good exercise and better dental
health.
The bad news
The rumors you heard are true: tripe stinks! If you are really
serious about your dog’s health, you will get past the smell. Instead
of thinking about the horrific smell, think about all of the great stuff
tripe will do for your dog. Don’t worry, those dry-heaves will go away
with time!
Tripe can be a bit difficult to find. Obviously, you will not find
it in the grocery store. You will also not find it in most large,
federally licensed slaughterhouses. You will have to look for the
smaller butchers who do custom killing. Be prepared however: they
will want if off their premises as soon as possible and you may be
required to supply your own buckets to take it home in.
It is also important to note that tripe does contain its share of
bacteria. Use care when handling it as we humans do not have the
natural resistance to harmful bacteria as our dogs do. Just wash your
hands thoroughly after handling.
Finding sources of tripe can be a daunting task and when you finally
find it, you will discover that the hard part is just beginning! Cutting
tripe can be a nightmare for you and for your knife! You will need a
very sharp knife to cut through your tripe and you might need more than
one as it will dull quickly. Tripe is much easier to cut if it is
partially frozen first. Forget trying to use a cutting board, the
cutting will go much smoother if you hang the tripe with one hand and
cut it with the other, sawing it into nice big chunks.
With time, you will see that the icky parts of tripe are far
outweighed by the good parts: gloriously good health and vitality for
your dog! And that rise in rank to seasoned raw feeder won’t hurt you
any either!
Update 21 Nov 2016: 4th batch of 4 bottles at S$311.32 (S$77.83 each)
Update 03 Feb 2016: 3rd batch of 6 bottles at S$439.58 (S$73.26 each)
Update 17 Sept 2015: 2nd batch of 6 bottles at S$462.40 (S$77.06 each, ups from S$64.24)
Thanks to CuCu's mommy's ''lobang''... Mom managed to order Dr. Dobias' Gutsense at an affordable price for us. As you know there's 3 of us so everything has to be triple the cost! So it makes perfect sense to source for the best pricing out there. We just received it today and we finished our last standing probiotic capsule just yesterday. Very apt and mom is very happy!
Mom got 6 bottles for SGD385.43 inclusive of shipping so that makes one bottle of 60 capsules SGD64.24. Still quite ex compared to our previous Solaray probiotic at about S$50+ for 100 capsules. But this is better in the sense that it's the only organic probiotic out there and its not just for dogs, but suitable for cats and humans too. Cat's dosage would fall under that of Small Dogs.
Mom will give us half a capsule each a day so that means a bottle will last us 40 days. Click [here] for detailed post on our meals.
What makes GutSense so much better than other digestive formulas? Here are 7 reasons:
GutSense has 560 billion CFU (Colony Forming Units) of beneficial probiotic bacteria in each capsule!
GutSense is certified organic! You know how much I hate chemicals and pesticides. They destroy nature and health.
Nothing is sourced from China. GutSense is made in the
United States in a human natural product certified facility that uses a
patented probiotic dairy free manufacturing process from Italy.
GutSense is a probiotic formula custom made specifically for dogs. Most
k9 probiotics are made of human probiotic bacteria strains. GutSense is
different. I have meticulously cherry picked each probiotic strain to
reflect the natural microflora of dogs, NOT humans.
Unlike most probiotics, GutSense comes with prebiotics—the food that is essential for probiotic bacteria to flourish and thrive.
Certified organic dandelion is another great source of chlorophyll and has a positive effect on digestive function and the liver.
Organic cilantro has been added in the mix to help eliminate mercury and other heavy metals.
So what makes GutSense so much better than other digestive formulas?
Here are 8 reasons:
GutSense is certified organic! You know how much I hate chemicals and pesticides. They destroy nature and health.
Nothing is sourced from China. GutSense is made in
the United States in a human natural product certified facility that
uses a patented probiotic dairy free manufacturing process from Italy.
GutSense is a probiotic formula custom made specifically for dogs. Most
k9 probiotics are made of human probiotic bacteria strains. GutSense is
different. I have meticulously cherry picked each probiotic strain to
reflect the natural microflora of dogs, NOT humans.
Unlike most probiotics, GutSense comes with prebiotics—the food that is essential for probiotic bacteria to flourish and thrive.
GutSense contains certified organic barley grass— a
potent source of chlorophyll which helps digestion and prevents harmful
pathogenic bacteria and viruses from growing in your dogs gut.
Certified organic dandelion is another great source of chlorophyll and has a positive effect on digestive function and the liver.
Organic cilantro has been added in the mix to help eliminate mercury and other heavy metals.
Last but not least, organic psyllium husk makes the perfect number 2! Dogs do much better when they have a good source of fiber in their diet, just like us.
As with all the other products in our line, these ingredients
have been tested on humans to ensure they are safe for your dog. I make
myself a guinea pig on a regular basis and Skai also confirms that GutSense is a winner!
Our previous probiotic since 2007 (below). 20 Billion VS 560 Billion CFU per capsule found in Dr Dobias'.
It's Cotton's birthday today! So we went to a new place for walkie. There we met two (sisters) kitties. One's a diluted calico and the other a calico like Chewy.
