These days Tobi is hanging out with my parents in SC, so most of our travels are, sadly, without Tobi. Life is good for our pup though, he has room to roam, deer to chase, and Roxy the Jack Russell for company. Still, we miss our walks and soccer playing and just plain having him around. Hoping that life will bring us all back together sooner than later.
To read about our other advantures, check out my blog for You & Your Family parenting magazine
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Shutterfly
Stationery Card
View the entire collection of cards.
Just ordered these super cute cards for Emily. They have free shipping on orders over $30 with code SHIP30
Just ordered these super cute cards for Emily. They have free shipping on orders over $30 with code SHIP30
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Cleaning the Sidewalks
Photo from Bits and Pieces
It is finally raining here, after weeks and weeks of alternately freezing and sunny weather. Many people prefer that the rain stay away, but as farmers look forward to the rain soaking their fields so the crops will grow, I have found that there is one huge advantage to rain in the city: it washes the sidewalks.
I have noticed a truly unfortunate trend in city dog owners: they don't always clean up after their dogs. Walking down the sidewalk is like navigating an area laden with land mines. Juergen and I are constantly warning each other, "Watch your step!" Sure, it's hard to remember to stick a plastic bag in your pocket EVERY time you head out the door with your dog, but COME ON! Even when you forget, chances are there is another kindly dog owner around who has a spare. I'm always happy to share!
According to an article I found online, LIPA USA Reports, “3.6 billion pounds of dog waste/year is produced in the United States alone, equaling 800 football fields, one foot high. This is a hidden health issue that no one wants to "touch" as approximately 50 million registered dogs in the United States produces more than 5,000 tons of waste daily.” Read the full article here:
http://www.dogtoilet.com/pressrelease.htm
Not to mention, “A single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria” (Van Der Wel, B. 1995. Dog pollution. The Magazine of the Hydrological Society of South Australia) and "Dogs can be a significant host of giardia and salmonella." (Lim and Olivieri, 1982).
I think it's great that we live in such a dog-friendly neighborhood, and I'm glad there are so many pooch-loving people around. But until everyone starts cleaning up after their dogs, remember to watch your step.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Pill Pockets
Trying to medicate your dog is just no fun - either trying to shove a pill down his throat, or squish it into a ball of cheese, or smear it with peanut butter, is a messy proposition. At the Westminster dog show I got a free sample of a great new product, the Greenies Pill Pocket . I tried it this morning with a Benadryl, since Tobi's been itchy, and he gave it a sniff and scarfed it right up. You can get a free sample from Greenies by clicking here.
Ah yes, free samples....gotta love 'em!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Dogs, Dogs and More Dogs
I keep telling my clients how great blogs are, but my own is sadly neglected. Now is the time to get it up and running though - I attended the Pet Writing Conference in New York City last weekend, organized by The Pet Socialite, Charlotte Reed, and made lots of great new contacts in the pet writing world.
Yesterday I hung out at Madison Square Garden for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show and wow, what a world that is! The dogs were amazing, all top class animals in their breeds, and turned out to the nines. I also had the pleasure of meeting photographer Jim Dratfield, author of The Quotable Equine and other books. What a nice guy! His photos have been an inspiration to me and a great resource when I was looking for things to practice sketching.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Tobi in the Big Apple
We moved to uptown Manhattan partly for the slightly cheaper rent and bigger apartment, and the quick access to the highways out the city, but a big reason we ended up so far north is the abundance of green space for Tobi. Just a couple blocks from home is a footbridge over the Henry Hudson Parkway, to a bike and jogging path along the Hudson River. We've biked downtown from here, but mainly we take Tobi for long walks along the water.
In summer there's a little beach where he can swim, though I'm always inclined to throw him in the tub afterwards in case he should start glowing from all the toxic funk in the water (a triathlon club practices in the Hudson and I've been reassured that the water's pretty clean, but I'm still not so sure). The views across to the Palisades are breathtaking in any case, and the breeze off the river is refreshing. Sometimes I'll take Tobi out with my bike, let him off the leash and give him a good run. I kid you not, my dog barks for joy - it's wonderful.
About 1/2 mile north is Fort Tryon Park, which is stunning on its own, with acres of gardens and trails, plus the beautiful Cloisters, the Medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The park also has a large dog run, where we occasionally take Tobi to play. Since it's a long walk up the hill and half the time he ends up just sniffing around the run instead of actually running, I usually keep him on the leash and enjoy the heather gardens, the winding paths and the river views.
Strolling the city streets can also be rewarding. Tobi never met a stranger, and half the people in the neighborhood know him by name (I, on the other hand, am merely an accessory at the end of his leash!) Sometimes Tobi and I venture beyond our usual haunts and explore new streets, finding little shops and gardens and buildings that we hadn't know about. Just today Juergen pointed through a gap between apartment buildings at a little house nestled down an alley. Amazing how we'd never noticed it before.
Now that the weather's colder, my instinct is to stay inside where it's warm, but Tobi is invigorated by the cold and wants to run and play soccer and literally leap for joy - Juergen said that Tobi knows a few fancy dressage moves and displays them when he's happy. I was impressed that Juergen recognized flying lead changes!
Wherever our travels with Tobi take us, even in our own "back yard", it's always an adventure.
In summer there's a little beach where he can swim, though I'm always inclined to throw him in the tub afterwards in case he should start glowing from all the toxic funk in the water (a triathlon club practices in the Hudson and I've been reassured that the water's pretty clean, but I'm still not so sure). The views across to the Palisades are breathtaking in any case, and the breeze off the river is refreshing. Sometimes I'll take Tobi out with my bike, let him off the leash and give him a good run. I kid you not, my dog barks for joy - it's wonderful.
About 1/2 mile north is Fort Tryon Park, which is stunning on its own, with acres of gardens and trails, plus the beautiful Cloisters, the Medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The park also has a large dog run, where we occasionally take Tobi to play. Since it's a long walk up the hill and half the time he ends up just sniffing around the run instead of actually running, I usually keep him on the leash and enjoy the heather gardens, the winding paths and the river views.
Strolling the city streets can also be rewarding. Tobi never met a stranger, and half the people in the neighborhood know him by name (I, on the other hand, am merely an accessory at the end of his leash!) Sometimes Tobi and I venture beyond our usual haunts and explore new streets, finding little shops and gardens and buildings that we hadn't know about. Just today Juergen pointed through a gap between apartment buildings at a little house nestled down an alley. Amazing how we'd never noticed it before.
Now that the weather's colder, my instinct is to stay inside where it's warm, but Tobi is invigorated by the cold and wants to run and play soccer and literally leap for joy - Juergen said that Tobi knows a few fancy dressage moves and displays them when he's happy. I was impressed that Juergen recognized flying lead changes!
Wherever our travels with Tobi take us, even in our own "back yard", it's always an adventure.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Dog-Friendly Travel Website
A website that I have found very helpful when traveling with Tobi is www.pettravel.com Their search function is user-friendly and so far all the places we have stayed have been not only dog-friendly but people-friendly as well.
In the summer of 2007 we took a week-long trip from Toronto, Ontario to Montreal and Quebec City, Quebec. Staying with a large dog in major cities can be a challenge, but we found several nice hotels along the way. One thing we did learn is to be prepared to pay a little more, though if you look hard enough you can usually find places that do not charge an outrageous pet surcharge, (sometimes $75 or so...a Holiday Inn that we inquired about this summer had a $175 pet surcharge! He should have his own suite for that!).
One luxurious hotel that I phoned in Montreal pampered the posh pooches who stay there with a dog bed and gift basket with toys and treats. Is the pet-friendly craze getting a little out of control? Read this article from the L.A. Times and decide for yourself!
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