happy 10th adopt-aversary ella!

Hi friends of Bean! Lady Human here. Today marks exactly ten years since I rescued Ella Bean. She found me on Valentine’s Day, at a time in my life when I really needed some love in my world. To say that Ella changed my life would be an understatement. Ella Bean was pulled out of a puppy mill. I met her at a shelter outside of Miami and decided on a whim to rescue her. Ella opened my eyes to the horror of the source of those adorable pet store puppies. She taught me about healing and trust.

Puppy Mills supply nearly all dogs that are found in any pet store or online shop. These businesses farm dogs like livestock, over-breeding the mothers and fathers without any regard for the health of the parents or puppies. In Ella’s case, she had severe dental disease, infections and sores across her body. She had never known human love and was terrified of people and the outside world. 

baby bean, shortly after being rescued.

After weeks of working with vets to stabilize Ella  & months of working to build her trust, we began to have a relationship, she started to show affection and excitement. We started Ella’s Instagram three years ago to share her both cuteness & her survival story. 

In honor of Ella’s adoptiversary, we’re raising funds to support the Humane Society of the United States Stop Puppy Mills Campaign. HSUS has made many important strides forward in the fight to bring down puppy mills. 

We're so grateful for ANY amount you can give in honor of our little Bean, your support means SO much!

Please click here to donate!

Some HSUS Major Achievements in Stopping Puppy Mills:

• Core to the successful 2017 effort in California to ban the sale of puppies, kittens and bunnies in pet stores

• Reached a milestone number of local ordinances banning the sale of commercially-raised puppies in pet stores, with a total of 250 ordinances.

• HSUS spearheaded the rescue of 84 Great Danes from a mansion in New Hampshire in June 2017, already spurring a new state law to protect animals. The puppy mill’s operator was convicted of ten counts of animal cruelty on December 12, 2017.

• HSUS' undercover investigation resulting in a video of HSUS undercover investigation of a New York City pet store was viewed more than 5 million times. Local animal advocates began protesting the store, and it shut down permanently two months after HSUS released the footage.

• Through the HSUS Puppy Friendly Pet Stores program, additional pet stores that used to sell puppies to a model that offers rescued pups instead were converted, bringing the total to 21 stores nationwide. This has impacted 12,000 formerly homeless pets finding new homes as a result.

black friday with bean

this weekend is THE weekend to shop as a special treat to my fans, i'm sharing sources for some of my favorite things - the things my fans ALWAYS ask me about - along with some awesome deals. happy shopping!!

fashion

new shop on the block chewsy is going to be the next IT store in canine couture - mark my words and get there first! my pal toast meets world is the cover model for the store's chewsy brand and you can shop exclusive collabs from bean fave brands like max bone, rebel dawg and more! save 10% friday nov 24th - monday nov 27th with code 'BEAN'.

swaddle me in cashmere.

cashmere only plz

my tag line on IG has always been ‘cashmere only plz’ and if you know me, you know i never lie on any surface not befitting a bean. in fact, i refused to hang out on the couch for two months until the humans finally realized it was directly related to the lack of cashmere. the only accessible cashmere was on the bed, so that’s where i hung out. obv.

our friends at parachute gifted us a charcoal cashmere throw, remedying the situation and while Parachute NEVER EVER offers discounts, black friday - cyber monday is the one sale of the year where you can get a discount. save 20% sitewide with code SALE17. (pro bean tip: my entire human bed is decked out in Parachute percale, we're obsessed.)

🔥 tech genius

tech

so you want your pooch to be a mogul? today i'm finally sharing how you can get your paws on a mini laptop of your very own. you are welcome. 

do some good

join me in bringing an end to puppy mills, the practice of commercially farming puppies for profit by donating to my personal page at the humane society of the united states. my efforts are raising funds specifically to support the animal rescue team - the brave men and women who go in and physically remove the puppies and dogs from danger and help them get to loving homes. even $5 will go a long way. Donate Here.

#jetsetbean: mountaintop bean at the ritz-carlton

financial compensation was not received for this post, but we thank Ritz Carlton for the gift of an incredible stay. opinions expressed here are my own.

when the ritz carlton reached out to invite us to stay at their bachelor gulch resort in colorado, we jumped on the opportunity. we loveeee it in the catskills, so we knew heading to the real mountains out west had to be even more gorg. we totally underestimated how beautiful it was going to be. the mountain air is crisp and clean. the views are insanity. the mountains are dotted with wild flowers and lush trees. the clouds looked like a painting. the resort itself is actually a massive log cabin - the largest in the usa!

the property is one of THE most dog friendly resorts we've ever been to. not only are there specialized canine dining options to be ordered, there's awesome hiking, the rooms come stocked with a comfy bed, bowls and treats and my personal fave: a certified canine masseuse.

dinner overlooking the mountains? yes please.

what made the trip extra fun: we were invited to the ritz with some friends, both new and old. we were joined by chloe the mini frenchie, tuna, of tuna melts my heart fame, popeye the foodie, cooper the frenchie and the dogist.

we had the opportunity to try all of the dining options. dinner at buffalo's was awesome, but the standout was the dessert: a cast iron baked cookie, smooshy in the center with ice cream on top. omg. 

while i may love my fashiongirl lifestyle, i also enjoy a good romp in nature. we took a hike to anderson's cabin, original home of John Anderson, one of seven bachelors who settled the gulch in the early 1900s. the cabin is meant for private dining experiences and has incredible mountain views. the resort also brought their canine masseuse to the cabin to ease our aching muscles after our hike.

yessss, that's the spot, that mr. massage man.

lady human's favorite meal was at wyld, which is is a more foodie forward take on alpine cuisine. she did share some of her meat with me, which was amaze. 

we got a little carried away discussing human dining options - because the chef has also carefully designed a canine menu, which is far more important to me. i sampled every option - my fave was the german shepard's pie which comprised of local lamb meat, veggies and rice. for those who prefer steak, chicken or an eggier dish, there are meal options including those proteins too.

in the evenings after a day of hiking and eating (or skiing in the winter), the guests gather 'round the campfire, look out over the mountains and soak in the amazing sky. as a new yorker, i can't remember the last time i saw so many stars.

s'mores by the campfire.

what we loved most (aside from eating) is that the resort is really designed to be enjoyed year round. lady human and i had thought of colorado as a winter destination, but the summer was stunning. the weather was awesome in august. we would LOVE to go back and experience it in the snow. the human spa is AMAZING with a grotto pool to swim in underground, steam room and more. nature hikes in the summer/ fall will become skiing and snowshoe-ing.

we'll be back, bachelor gulch!

leather for days.

hiking the trails.

fancy after hike picnic.

welcome to the fam: coconut bean

many of my friends & fans were delighted to meet coconut bean the chihuahua. coconut has been through a lot in her short time with our family, but she's on track to become a healthy, happy little bean. 

coconut's story:

we knew coconut needed to have her knees looked at when we decided to take her into our home. she was originally purchased from a pet store in nyc and started having issues walking at around a year old. coconut's owner was unable to provide for surgical intervention and loved her dog enough to find her a home that could. 

after a few days in our home it became clear walking was a challenge and she wasn't able to play with me or louis without pain. the Humane Society of New York just so happened to have their visiting orthopedic surgeon in that very week! we lucked out and are SO grateful to them for helping coconut so quickly.

resting & recovering after patella repair surgery.

coconut's diagnosis was a double grade 4 patella luxation on her rear legs and a cruciate ligament injury in her rear right leg. x-rays revealed abnormally curved hip bones, predisposing coconut to luxation and injury. hidden illness and congenital deformities are the norm with pups purchased from pet stores. remember, 99% of all dogs sold at pet stores come from puppy mills, where they breed dogs for profit without regard to the parent or pup's health. according to the chihuahua club of america, patella luxation is always genetic. (this is where i get fired up and need to remind everyone that we MUST educate our friends & family to STOP supporting puppy mills via pet stores or purchasing pets online. pet stores = suffering for puppies & parents. ok. rant over.)

the surgeon decided to operate on coconut's injured leg that same day, with a longer term plan to address the second leg. so, after just five days with our family, coconut went into surgery. the days following the operation were a little rocky. after all, coconut didn't know us well, she was scared and in pain. coconut now has some pins in her leg to keep everything stable over the long term. she's a bionic bean!

slowly but surely, coconut started to heal and we started to see her playful, cuddly personality. we took her to the hamptons to spend some time healing by the beach (the ocean air really does a dog good!) and she continued to become more active and we could see a marked difference in her pain.

coconut's first beach day!

after a few weeks of healing, coconut was cleared to begin physical therapy with the goal of increasing flexibility, strength and to prepare her for more surgery.  we were also told she needed to lose a little weight. keeping off excess weight is important for all dogs, but especially important for dogs with orthopedic issues. we're proud to share that coconut is now a lean 4.2 lbs, down from 5.5 lbs when we took her in.

eight weeks after surgery, coconut is feeling good! she's completed 6 weeks of physical therapy and her next surgery is scheduled for october. 

we've gotten a lot of questions on instagram about the surgery and healing and want to help our friends dealing with these issues:

my dog needs patella surgery and i'm nervous about the pain after. how bad was it?

not gonna sugar coat this. the first few days sucked. no one slept much. the pain medications did manage her overall pain and most of the challenge was that she was disoriented and had a hard time using the bathroom. also, for coconut, BOTH her hind legs need surgery, so she was unable to use one leg and balancing on another bum leg. ouch!

what is the after care like?

we were provided with pain management medications and antibiotics to prevent infection. coconut wore a medical cone for two weeks to protect the incision. we were instructed to keep her confined to a small area to limit movement and to NEVER allow her to jump or run.

the incision looked pretty scary to us at first but quickly scabbed over. the biggest surprise to us was how quickly she seemed to improve. she stayed very, very sensitive for two weeks, after four weeks our biggest challenge was keeping her quiet and after six weeks, she's been actively playing and running (against doctor's orders!). we're doing our best to keep her quiet!

do you have to provide physical therapy after surgery?

our surgeon recommended physical therapy due the nature and severity of coconut's issues. since she'd been walking on an injury for a few years and had two bad legs, her center of gravity was off balance, her core muscles were weak and she had extremely limited flexibility. the goal of physical therapy was to address those issues to ensure that she has the best possible outcome from her surgeries. we worked with Water4Dogs in nyc and we'll do an in depth post on that soon.

please let us know if we can answer any more questions and we'll do our best to answer!

the bean guide: where to stay in the catskills

while i'm a true city dog, there's nothing quite like getting out-of-borough to appreciate all that nyc has to offer a pup. one of my family's favorite escapes is to head north to the catskill mountains and hudson valley. while i used to think the hamptons was the best nyc escape, heading north to the mountains has become equally as fabulous and we've found it to be quite a bit dog friendlier then the beach.

my fave places i've stayed (so far!):

cozy lobby at scribners is 🔥

scribners catskill lodge

this highly Instagram-able lodge on hunter mountain is the epitome of catskill chic living. the rooms are insanely comfy (opt for one with a fire place in chillier weather to maximize the cozy factor). the bed is insane, casper mattresses topped in frette linens made every night (and nap) especially snuggle-worthy.

every night, the staff lights up the campfires around the property and pass out s'more kits. after dinner, you can huddle around the campfire, roast s'mores and make new friends. the on-site restaurant, prospect, smelled yummy (the humans report the food was awesome) and i was welcome to dine with them on the terrace. 

we just spent memorial day weekend at scribners and plan to return as soon as possible!

update: we went back to scribners in august 2019 and the stay was everything we remembered and more! we were able to take advantage of the newly installed pool, weekend meditation classes and weekend fun. still in love with this place, will be back ASAP!

s’mores by the fire every evening at scribner’s!

a lovely stack of pancakes, just for me! @ prospect, scribner’s catskill lodge.

airbnb

we've done airbnb a handful of times and always have a blast. our fave chic and comfy houses:

insta-worthy bedroom ✔️

modern pastoral farmhouse: we loved this one so much that we're going back this summer! this farmhouse was built in the 1860s and the renovations renovations are gorgeous, down to the detailed hand plastered walls.  

straight out of a magazine.

ultra modern glass house: the description says it all! this house is ideal if you want to be surrounded by trees - it was ideal during the fall to see all the colorful trees. the huge kitchen is a highlight if you love to cook!

the dreamiest bed.

scandinavian chalet : for christmas 2018, we rented this modern cabin via Airbnb. the king size bed was insanely comfy, the concrete floors were warmed with radiant heat, the views were amazing and the beans had a blast. note: the kitchen has a mini fridge (and even mini-er freezer) so plan accordingly. we were able to cook our meals for four days without an issue and with some space planning. the home is a ‘studio’ set up, but was cozy. this was the first home we’ve stayed in where we felt we’d DEFINITELY return!

the debruce

cozy blankies & branded keychains.

in august 2018, we booked a few nights at the debruce, our first time staying in the western catskills. the debruce is dog friendly, cozy and the property is lovely. our room overlooked the mountains behind the property and the next door neighbor’s cows. the property has a small pool & hiking trails, but the highlight is the restaurant with its massive windows and incredible food. make sure you book the tasting menu one evening, you won’t regret it. the chef is incredible! all the food is locally sourced & seasonal. check out the nearby alpaca farm, buck brook alpacas to meet some adorable alpacas!

last updated january 2019.