October Ratings for JustPetStrollers.com

Last month we posted how our site received unanimous "Excellent" ratings from our customers. In October... we didn't repeat, but we came close!

We received eleven ratings--10 "Excellent" and one "Good." (Darn it all anyway--we really work hard to earn those "Excellent" ratings!) Comments from our October customers include:

• I am very happy to have found this item, a dog stroller, for a good price from a good merchant. Their web site is one of the best I have seen; good, complete information, in detail, with excellent photos of everything they are selling. It is just as good as being in a brick and mortar store, without the hassle! The merchandise I ordered came within a week of me placing the order online. I would, and will, tell others about them.
  
• Wonderful! I bought a returned a cheaper version elsewhere and this was a bit more, not much, but worth it. Buddy loves it!!! Thanks for shipping it so quickly too!
• Excellent price, quick delivery, would definitely recommend.
• Overall, the strollers are very high quality and we are very pleased.
• Thank you so much! Super Fast Shipment. We both love the stroller =)
• We love the AT 3 pet stroller very much, it has made our walking with our pet so much easier.
• My puppy loves the stroller, she thinks its her new home and now the stroller has to stay unfolded because shell get upset if we put it away. One day she decided to take herself for a ride. Got into the stroller and tried pushing herself. Amazing product, really good company.
• I am sooo impressed with the all-terrain carrier; the quality of the product is excellent! Customer service was very helpful and informative; delivery was super fast; a model merchant! A
• Went way out of their way to accommodate my request. Outstanding. Thank you.

Thanks to everyone who completes and rates our store--even the ones who rate us "Good." We take the feedback seriously and always strive to improve upon our service. If you have any feedback about our store (JustPetStrollers.com) or any questions, please let us know.

Rabbits in pet strollers

We were asked the following in a comment to a prior post:

Hi, I'm really interested to know if anyone has bought a pet stroller for their rabbit? Our rabbit loves the fresh air, but for his own safety we only take him on a lead in the garden. He gets PLENTY of exercise within our home as he has the run of the house, but he loves the outdoors and doesn't like being parted from us - a pet stroller seems the perfect answer. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks very much.

Believe it or not, we've never been asked about rabbits in the pet stroller, nor have any of our customers mentioned using a pet stroller for a rabbit. We've sold hundreds of pet strollers, so we suspect someone has used theirs for a bunny, but no one has specifically mentioned doing so.

We'll contact our distributors to see if they have any experience with rabbits and pet strollers, and we'll post the info here. I wouldn't see why a pet stroller wouldn't work any better or worse for rabbits than any other kind of pet, but we'll try to find out if someone has some specific experience or advice to share. Thanks for asking!

Pet Stroller at Fashion Week

It's official: you can now join the ranks of the fashionable L.A. set for less than $125!

The Happy Trails PLUS Pink pet stroller made a stylish appearance at an L.A. Fashion Week show in front of guests such as Paris Hilton, Lucy Liu, Kimberly Stewart, and Jack Osbourne. One report called the Happy Trails PLUS Pink Pet Stroller "the highlight of the Sunday-in-the-Park style show."

If you want to learn more, please check out the Hollywood & Celebrity Pet News Blog or click here to read more about the stroller seen in the Verdad fashion show.

Uses for a pet stroller

The very first question we were asked when we started this blog was "Why would anyone need a pet stroller?" Now, we know dogs need their exercise and urge everyone to get their dog out walking, but that doesn't mean there aren't many great purposes for a pet stroller. Our customers keep sharing their uses, and we keep adding to the list:

• Longer walks: One customer enjoyed exercise from long walks but her new pug was tiring out, so she had to cut her usual distance in half. Now with the dog stroller, she can walk her pug until he poops out, then continue her long walks with him resting in the stroller!
• Multiple dogs: One customer has three Yorkies and found life was much easier when they were in the stroller so they couldn't run in 3 different directions! She says, "They love it! " For multiple dogs, check out the AT3 All Terrain Pet Stroller or one of the Kittywalk SUV models.
• Trips to the vet: I never thought of this, but she's right: One customer uses her pet stroller when taking her dogs to the vet. "I don't have to worry about them being on the floor with germs from other sick animals. After all, that's why most animals are at the vets."
• Snow/Winter: A northerner reported her dogs paws were taking a beating on the ice and salt, so she purchased a pet stroller to get her dog to the parks where they can play safely.
• Festivals: One couple liked to walk their dog to local festivals, but between the crowds, noise, and other aggressive animals, they found it stressful rather than relaxing. With the pet stroller, they keep their small dog safe and the puppy still enjoys getting some fresh air.
• Jogging: One athletic customer reported using the pet stroller while jogging. And recently, a new pet stroller came to the market that is perfect for jogging: Check out the AT3 Jogging Pet Stroller.
• Boaters: A boater said she loved using the stroller to get her dog onto the boat safely since her pet didn't enjoy walking on the docks.
• Traveling: One customer who took a lot of driving trips especially liked the Kittywalk model, which includes a detachable carrier and collapsible frame--this allowed her to keep her pet secure in the car and easily roll the pet into pet-friendly hotels.
• Alternative to pet carriers: Rather than using a heavy carrier, some customers find it much easier to use a pet stroller (which really is just a rolling pet carrier).
• Cats: Cats can be tough to walk on leashes--if you don't get them into harnesses at a young age, some cats will never adjust to a harness. A cat stroller is a great way for cats (or rabbits, ferrets, or other animals) to get some fresh air.
• Injuries: Animals with certain types of injuries cannot be walked for long distances but still want to get outdoors.
• Safety: We have customers living in large cities who use a stroller to get their dogs to parks--the stroller keeps them safe on congested urban streets. Another customer had a dog that could get aggressive, so walking him in the dog stroller helped to keep him calm (and other dogs safe.)
• Teacup dogs: Some small dogs cannot be walked very far, so customers find they can get all the way to the dog park and back if they use a pet stroller.
• More quality time: One customer shared that the stroller simply gave her more quality time with her pet. Using the stroller, she could take her dog more places than she could've otherwise, so she and her pet were enjoying more time together.

If you want to share how you use your pet stroller, please post here or e-mail us. Thanks!

JustPetStrollers.com sponsors "The World's Coolest Dog And Cat Show"

JustPetStrollers.com is proud to be part of "The World's Coolest Dog And Cat Show," an online photo contest offered by our friends at Catster.com and Dogster.com. A Happy Trails PLUS Pink Pet Stroller will be a prize awarded in the dog category for "Craziest Tail Category Winner."

Please check out this exciting online dog and cat show! Click here for a list of prizes including Nintendo DS game systems with Nintendogs, a year's supplies of pet food from Dad’s, a photo shoot in NY or Hollywood Dog magazine, Dogs and Cats 24/7 with custom covers withfeaturing your pet on the front and, Adobe Photo Shop Elements to name just a few. Best of all the People’s Choice winners will be crowned Dog and Cat of the Week on Dogster.com and Catster.com and have bragging rights for a year.

We're sponsoring a Celebrity Pet Blog

If you're interested in famous pets or the pets of famous people, check out our Hollywood & Celebrity Pet Blog. We hope to keep it maintained with interesting news and info about actors, stars, and celebs and their cats, dogs, and other pets.

Enjoy: http://hollywoodpets.blogspot.com/

Beware of look-alike pet strollers

We just got back from the nation's largest pet retailers show, and it appears it's official: Pet strollers are really a trend!

At the 2004 show, only one distributor was offering a pet stroller and no one walking through the exhibit hall was using a pet stroller. This year, several exhibitors showed pet strollers and we saw at least 50 pets being strolled through the tradeshow in a Kittywalk or Pet Gear Happy Trails pet stroller.

While it was exciting to see growth in this new product, we were concerned to note that cheap look-alike strollers are coming from overseas. While we at JustPetStrollers.com have nothing against low-cost pet strollers, we're concerned that consumers may purchase one thing thinking they're getting another. As with anything on the Internet, it's "Buyer Beware!"

One thing is certain: We WILL NOT offer a pet stroller in which we wouldn't trust our own pet! We've tested virtually every pet stroller on the market, and we've rejected some models as not being sturdy, safe, or living up to its promise. While it might be nice to offer a stroller for less than $50, selling an unsafe, unfunctional, or cheap pet stroller isn't the right thing for us to do for you or your pet (or for us, for that matter--we want to maintain the five-star Yahoo store rating we've received from our customers!)

We'll continue to keep our eyes open for new, exciting pet strollers, and you can count on JustPetStrollers.com to only offer products we trust, you'll find worthwhile, and your cat, dog, or other pet will love!

Update: Which pet stroller is easiest to fold and store?

Two months ago we answered the question, "Which pet stroller is easiest to fold and store?" Since then, a couple new pet stroller models have reached the market, so here's an update:

A common question we receive is which pet stroller is easiest to fold and store. Before we answer we'll ask the customer, "Which is more important--having a pet stroller that is collapsible or one that offers a detachable carrier?" The reason this is important is that pet strollers that fold the easiest do not come with detachable carriers, while the ones with detachable carriers are not the easiest to fold and store.

The easiest to fold are the Happy Trails Pet Stroller, Happy Trails PLUS Pet Stroller, and the AT3 Pet Stroller. With each of these models, you simply slide one button with your thumb (the lock), depress the large button on the handle (the release), and then immediately and easily fold to 15" to 18" high. If you'd like to see a video of the strollers being folded, click on the following links:

Happy Trails and Happy Trails PLUS Pet Stroller folding video:

• Happy Trails - WMV (372k)
• Happy Trails - MOV (463k)

AT3 All Terrain Pet Stroller folding video:

• AT3 - WMV (240k)
• AT3 - MOV (529k)

The Walk 'n Roll Pet Stroller is also easy to fold. It requires two hands, since the brackets on either side must be slipped upward to release the lock and fold the stroller to less than 10" high. The Walk 'n Roll is smaller than the Happy Trails, so the size of your pet and the amount of room your pet desires will affect which stroller you select. Here are links to movies of the Walk n' Roll being folded:

Walk n' Roll Pet Stroller Folding video:

• Walk 'n Roll WMV (248k)
• Walk 'n Roll MOV (547k)

The line of strollers from Kittywalk do not collapse for storage as easily as the other pet strollers. The stroller portion of the Kittywalk collapses flat (just like the other pet strollers), but the carrier portion can be collapsed only by removing a number of braces. While the other pet strollers collapse in seconds, the Kittywalk strollers require a couple minutes of effort to collapse and reassemble.

I would hasten to add that the Kittywalk pet strollers are still very recommendable--they are very sturdy, spacious, and functional. One of their primary benefits is that the carrier portion is detachable. Other plusses include the variety of sizes, styles, and colors available, the fact the stroller portion can be used without the carrier to roll groceries or other light loads, and the privacy area that permits your pet some solitude while in the pet stroller.

If anyone has any advice based on their own pet stroller purchase or evaluation, please post it!

Tooting our own horn

Is it really "tooting your own horn" if all you do is share what others say? It seems immodest, but we're proud of the ratings we receive from our customers and we want to share the news: In September, every single customer rating we received for our pet stroller store was "Excellent!"

It's hard to please all the people all of the time (and despite our best efforts, sometimes we may disappoint a customer here or there), but last month every customer who completed our online rating form gave us an "Excellent" rating. Here are some specific comments:

• This is how an internet business should be run! I love the stroller, the quality is unbelievable. I was hoping to get it in a week and had it in day and half. My sister said it is better built than her kids strollers. I do a lot with animal groups and will be sure to tell anyone who asks how much we love it. Cindi, La Crosse WI, September 2005
• I shop all over the internet and found the identical products, but, no one could match their service!! I would highly recommend Justpetstrollers.com to everyone (and do)! Bottom line: you get what you pay for -- and more with this company. David, Elgin IL, September 2005
• Top of the line professional company. I highly recommend them to any one. My Happy Trails Pet Stroller is of excellent quality, convenient, easy to assemble and, more importantly, my pet loves it. Barbara, Walton NY, September 2005
• Everything happened as it should...confirming emails, delivery status updates and actual delivery. The item was in pristine condition. I was completely satisfied. Margaret, New York NY, September 2005
• The delivery was faster than I expected, the stroller arrived in three days! My dog is thrilled with his new way of traveling. Sheri, Burlington WA, September 2005
• My purchase from justpetstrollers.com went extremely smoothly. An e-mail question to Customer Service was answered promptly, the order was shipped and delivered quickly. My cats and I are very happy with the quality of the pet stroller we purchased. Judy, Bakersfield CA, September 2005
• The quality of the items far exceeded my expectations. Ease of use was the best. I am truly a happy customer and will not hesitate to refer anyone to this site. The customer service could not have been nicer. Andrea, Boca Raton FL, September 2005
• I am sooo happy that I purchased my pet stroller! My dog, Billy, loves it and it! It is very easy to use - I don't know how I took him places before I had one. Kelly, Mt. Wolf PA, September 2005
• Service is very prompt and reliable. Elizabeth, Seattle WA, September 2005

We very much appreciate the ratings we receive from our customers--thanks for taking the time to share such positive feedback! We're a small family-run company, but we'll keep working to earn your business at JustPetStrollers.com and your positive ratings!

Message from a Happy Pet Stroller Owner

Just got a great note from a customer who shared how much her cat loves her stroller:

I received my Happy Trails stroller last Friday. The ordering process/shipping was quick & efficient. I just had to write and let you know how much my cat loves her new ride. After only a couple of walks, she figured out what "stroller" means. As soon as we tell her to get in her stroller, she hops right in and waits for me to zip her up. On our walks, she sits up in the stroller and watches the world go by with total fascination. We are all extremely happy with our purchase, even my husband who originally thought the stroller idea was a dud. I am attaching a picture of our little Emma in her new ride. Thanks so much!

And a big thanks to Emma and her human companions for sharing!