Editors’ Picks: Kids & Pets

Best Spiritual Experience for Your Pet: Holistic Veterinary Healing

Dog acupuncture? Cat chiropractic adjustments? Pet Reiki? Turns out these holistic practices are not just for humans—sometimes our furry friends need them, too. Enter Holistic Veterinary Healing in Germantown, which offers more than a dozen holistic procedures (as well as conventional medical services) that can be beneficial to older pets, pets with behavioral issues, or pets suffering from intervertebral disc disease, arthritis, cancer, an infectious disease or renal disease, says Dr. Deborah Mallu, a veterinarian at the Germantown practice. Acupuncture is the most popular of their holistic services, according to Mallu; it helps the pet relax, can improve blood flow and also can ease medication side effects. Needle we say more? 

12627 Wisteria Drive, Suites C & D, Germantown, holisticveterinaryhealing.com

Best Dog ‘Ice Cream’: Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream

Yes, it’s the middle of winter, but we have a feeling your furry friend wouldn’t turn down a “Pup Cup” right about now from Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream. The treats were among the first products offered upon the March 2019 opening of the River Road store, says co-owner Sarah Park. It was important to Park that her ice cream shop “have something for the whole family”—pets included—and she had been making ice cream at home for her daughter’s pooch, so she had “already perfected the recipe for a picky dog,” she says. Pup Cups are made with human-grade ingredients and are churned out three times per week to ensure freshness. They contain all-organic ingredients, including pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, local honey and beef liver (all separately recommended by Park’s family veterinarian for various health benefits, she says). The $4.39 cups are prepackaged in individual plastic cups and are ready to grab-and-go from the freezer. They are one of the company’s most popular items year-round; according to Park, about 500 Pup Cups are slurped up per month during the peak season. And, here’s a scoop: Watch for a third Sarah’s Handmade location to open at Fallsgrove in Rockville in late January.

5241 River Road, Bethesda; 10219 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, sarahshandmadeicecream.com

Best Place to Get Kids’ Ears Pierced: Tattoo Paradise

Rachel Tullia, the piercer at Tattoo Paradise in Rockville, has heard the horror stories of kids getting their ears pierced and never healing properly, or being scared and not feeling ready but going through with it anyway. She wants a different experience for everyone who comes into her studio, especially those younger than 12. Tullia, who has been at this for nine years, will pierce kids as young as 4, but they need to be able to give their consent and be ready for their piercing without a parent pressuring or bribing them. She says she does about 30 to 40 ear piercings a month on children, using humor, patience and a gentle touch. Prices start at an $80 piercing fee for children 12 and younger. Jewelry ranges from $30 to $130. 

 15877 Redland Road, Rockville, tattooparadisedc.com

Best Baby Shower Gift: Lulu and Pepe Dolls Co.

Clarksburg-based Lulu and Pepe Dolls Co. offers simply darling fabric dolls that will be passed down from generation to generation. Moms and tykes alike cherish these uniquely handcrafted bunnies, lambs and other whimsical creatures swaddled in their own cozy doll beds. Depending on size, dolls run from $12 to $35, while custom-made orders can cost $125. Many of the tiny heirlooms have embroidered eyes instead of plastic, with babies’ safety in mind. Owner Cathy Tran created her first doll for a niece’s first birthday back in 2019, and the Lulu and Pepe Dolls Co. became official in 2022. Find Tran’s creatively curated creatures on Etsy, social media, at Gaithersburg’s Locally Crafted shop and at local markets. 

etsy.com/shop/luluandpepe