Close's love of dogs inspires venture

PORTLAND, Maine — Glenn Close's signature characters have boiled a bunny, plotted the skinning of Dalmatian puppies and, more recently, helped arrange the killing of a pet dog to leverage a balky witness.

She suggests that her new business venture is a form of penance.

"I'm in a redemption mode, to get back to my real self," joked Close, the five-time Academy Award nominee and two-time Golden Globe winner. "The real truth is that I've been surrounded by dogs my entire life."

Close was accompanied by Bill and Jake, her two "Montana terrier mutts," during a recent stop at the offices of Fetchdog, the company that got its start in October with her husband, biotechnology entrepreneur David Shaw, as lead investor. It's a dog-friendly workplace where a Jack Russell terrier, a standard poodle and a golden retriever, among others, roam the corridors and greet visitors.

Close, who writes a blog on www.fetchdog.com, is the public face of the business that sells high-end beds, bowls, leashes, carriers, toys and other dog products by catalog and on the Internet while building an online community of Web surfers whose dogs are an essential part of their lives.

Fetchdog is part of a trend toward online and catalog shopping by pet owners, said Leah Nelson, spokeswoman for the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Owners spent roughly $7.3 billion on their dogs last year, Nelson said, and the sluggish economy has not taken much of a toll on the industry.

In her blog, "Lively Licks," Close interviews celebrities about their dogs, profiles people who train or work with dogs and answers questions on topics ranging from puppy training to canine health and nutrition. And like actor Paul Newman's line of Newman's Own salad dressings, spaghetti sauces and other grocery items, Fetchdog funnels a portion of its proceeds to charity.

The subjects of Close's blog at Fetchdog pick a favorite dog-related cause as their designated charity. Martha Stewart, for example, chose the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. When shoppers place their orders through Stewart's page, the ASPCA receives roughly 6 percent of the price.

Other celebrity interviewees include Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, who directed contributions to Little Angels Pug Rescue, and Dan Zelman and Debra Messing, who selected Animal Rescue New Orleans.

In one of Close's blogs, she and Shaw take part in a training exercise with ski patrol member Tracy Christensen and Mick, his avalanche rescue dog. A video narrated by Close shows the couple buried beneath 4 feet of snow while the yellow Lab catches their scent and leads his handler to their rescue.