SniffingBoston - Now SnifBostonDogs

www.snifbostondogs.com

2007-05-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

We've moved!
Click here:
www.snifbostondogs.com

Your dog look-a-like

2007-05-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

We think the cute Chihuahua Turbo has some similarities with the figure Gizmo from the movie Gremlins.

What do you think?

Do you have a dog that looks like a famous movie star or another celebrity? Or maybe your dog looks more like your neighbours cat?!

If so, please send us the picture and we will publish the most funniest look-a-like!

Send us your dog picture at blog@sniflabs.com

"Ask the trainer session" with Vera Wilkinson

2007-05-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Vera Wilkinson, certified pet dog trainer held a "Ask the trainer session" in the pet shop Cause to Paws in Brookline. People could come with their dogs to the shop and question Vera about every thing from behaviour problems to training of their puppy.

Vera answered the queries and suggested solutions on the dog owners concerns. Vera also talked about the dogs heritage from the wolfs and the dog as a pack animal in the family, and that you rather should act as a leader to the dog, than a member of the pack to train your dog new things. She talked about different training methods like clicker training, one of here favorite training methods:

"Dogs love it and become willing partners in the training process. Briefly, a clicker is a noisemaker that when paired with food gives your dog a clear signal that a specific behavior is desired. Once a behavior is learned, the clicker and food are no longer necessary. Of course, you can still give your dog a treat!"

In the pic below is the pretty bull dog Maddison in the arms of her owner Jonathan coming to Cause to paws to hear Vera's speak.

And here is the 4 months old puppy Bonzai sitting on his owners lap.

Vera offers different classes for dog training, for puppy's and adults, private in home training, agility, tricks and games and behaviour consulting. She also holds work shops and seminars.

Here next talk is at Cause to paws
Saturday, May 19th from 3-4pm

"What To Do With A Puppy! Have you read too many books and are now totally confused? Vera outlines your puppy's first four months of development and what you should be doing now in order to have a well-behaved adult dog later. Don't miss this window of opportunity!"

For more information take a look at Vera's web page The Pet needs company

The Pet Shop Girls

2007-05-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

Do you have a dog and a cat? A good place where to buy food and accessories is the The Pet Shop Girls, located in 12 Union Park St, close to Shawmutt Ave, in the South End area of Boston, MA.

Open the door and Pedro, the cat who lived here since ever, will welcome you. This is your last month to have a chance to pet Pedro! In fact, Pedro, and all the shop are moving. Pedro will be adopted by one of the employees, and the shop will be relocated at the Doggie Day facility, in 400 Tremont St.

Other than Pedro (reason n. 1!) my personal main reason to go to the Pet Shop Girls is the good quality food they sell, and specifically the frozen food. Another reason is that they have the most furnished cat section of the area (other than a dog section), including treats, food, toys and accessories.

Turbo the cross-eyed Chihuahua

2007-05-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Turbo, the cross-eyed Chihuahua, visited our office!

Here is Turbo with Silvia, Liz and Tine, the sniffing girls.

And yes, there are sniffing boys, too! Here is Turbo with Daniel and Greg.

Turbo is always ready to lend a paw if you need it!
Pictured below is Turbo helping Phil and Greg while they work at their desk.

Tall Tails and Dog Heaven

2007-05-03T09:52:00.000-05:00

If you live North of Boston and you drive to the city to go to work, you might be interested in Jordan's services for your dogs. A growing number of people are dropping off their dogs at Tall Tails, a day care, located at 2K Gill St., Woburn, MA, on their way to work in the morning. They then pick them up in the afternoon, at the end of the work day.

Jordan loves dogs, and pioneered his hobby into a business enterprise when he started Tall Tails 6 years ago, after working for a year in another day care.
He owns both Tall Tails, and Dog Heaven, a hiking service.

There are 40 to 60 dogs a day your dog can play with and the space is huge. When it is sunny and not too cold, dogs can run free in a very big fenced-in area.

If it is too cold, dogs play inside Tall Tails facility: they sleep in the beds or jump into a dog car!

During the day Jordan, personally, goes hiking in huge parks and reservoirs. Dogs jump in the truck, and after a short drive they have fun in the lake and can run off-leash. Two other dog lovers watch the dogs at the day care, in the meanwhile.

Dogs really have a lot of fun here: in the pictures you can see that they can take a bath in the swimming pool, have fun in the beds, and even relax at the shadow of a big colorful track.

At the end of the day, mom or dad come to pick up their happy dog! Ready to go to sleep after so much fun...

It was very lovely to spend some time talking with Jordan and assisting in the pick up "ceremony". There was nothing different from the care your child would be provided in a nursery!

Dogs talk with their tails

2007-05-02T09:57:00.000-05:00

We know that a dog wagging his tail means "I am so happy to see you!".
But did you know that the dog is expressing different feelings depending on which direction the tail is wagging?

This newly discovered feature about dog body language was presented in the study "Asymmetric tail - Wagging responses by dogs to different emotive stimuli" in a issue of Current Biology.
When dogs feel fundamentally positive about something or someone, their tails wag more to the right side of the rumps. When they have negative feelings, their tail wagging is biased to the left.

Pictured below are some dogs playing in Peters Park in Boston. How are they expressing their feelings towards each others?

The dog Jack and his owner in Newton. Does the body language and the direction of the tail-wagging of the dog express the same feeling?

Read more about this phenomenon in the Herald Tribune's article by Sandra Blakeslee:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/24/healthscience/snmood.php

Bubba visiting our office

2007-05-01T09:40:00.000-05:00

Here is Bubba visiting our office!
We met Bubba during the Brighton All Dogs Play Group.

Bubba recently moved to Boston. He used to live with another dog, and when they got separated he was feeling very alone. New city, new house... Bubba needed new friends, too! To help Bubba to meet new dogs his owner Elisabeth started a meet up group. Bubba was shy at the beginning, but he became every day more social.

Check the Brighton All Dogs Play Group webpage if you think your dog would like to play with Bubba and his friends!
They usually meet at Brookline Playground (pictured below).

They also organize short trips to amazing beaches and parks around Boston.
Here is a cute pic of Bubba that Liz took at the beach.

Check here to see more pics of the pretty Bubba!

Going for a run around Peters Park

2007-04-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

Now that Peters Park, the dog park in the South End, is under construction, and the area is noisy, some dogs prefer to run into the green area along Shawmut Ave, a few paws from the dog park.
Jack, the white dog in the pic, was at the park with his friend Stella and his owner Tracy.

And below are the sweet Sloan and Maude, who usually take a walk in this area with their owner Tom.

Grace the dog

2007-04-28T17:08:00.000-05:00

Grace is the beautiful Italian Greyhound in the pic. She was on a walk in Harvard Square last Sunday, while we were taking the amazing mobile tour of Harvard University realised by Untravel Media.
Strangely, his owner referred that no one stopped him before to take a pic of his dog!

A Little Woman at Amory Playground in Brookline

2007-04-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

Amory Playground is one of the largest parks in Brookline. In the afternoon, local students often play soccer or baseball here, but from dusk on and in the morning until 1 pm, you can let your dog run off leash!

One of the park's neighbours that takes her dog to this park is Beth (pictured below). Her 1.5 year old lab mix has been rescued from a shelter. Her name is Chloe, but this is not her real name. Beth tells us the funny and amazing story about the origin of her and her dog's names that lead them two together.

Beth's name comes from the book "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. Chloe's original name was Beth, like her owner! Chloe, and her siblings at the rescue center were all named after the sisters (the main characters) in "Little Women." To make it easier for the family, the dog Beth received the new nick name Chloe.

Duffy, the beautiful Wisla in the picture below, is 3 year old and he is visiting the park together with his owner Dror.

Dror and Duffy are both from Israel and they have only been in Boston for 4 months, so going to the park is a good opportunity to find new friends!

Fenced-in dog park in Charles St

2007-04-26T17:32:00.000-05:00

Here is one of the few fenced-in dog parks in Boston.
The park is located at the intersection of Warrengton and Charles St, close to the Milner hotel, a few blocks away from Boston Common.
There are normally less than ten dogs at the same time here. Most of the dogs play at the park during the morning and late afternoon.

Meet Lucy, a gorgeous and very active Golden Doodle who loves come here and play with her dad Matt!

Four Preppy Paws

2007-04-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

Heidi Barraza owns Four Preppy Paws, the high-end pet shop located in 103 Charles Street, in Beacon Hill, Boston. Heidi opened the shop last year and she manages it with the important help of Cricket and Chatham Barraza.
The management team is pictured above!

The shop offers a variety of clothes, accessories and treats. They also commissioned the Beacon Hill dogs calendar.

The little Nicolas, pictured below, visited the shop with his puppy Woody and his mom. He is feeding Woody with a cookie that Heidi gave to him. Heidi is selling delicious treats, including cookies from Polka Dog Bakery.

While we were at the shop, one of Heidi's customers walked in and referred that her sister's dog died after eating some dog food she bought at Trader's Joe. The brand wasn't in the pet food recall list , but it was produced by one of the companies selling other brands that are in the list.
We are very sorry for the small Yorkshire Terrier. With Heidi your dog is as safe as houses: the food she sells is organic and you are not running any risk.

A visit to Dr. James Sawyers' hospital in East Boston

2007-04-24T22:19:00.000-05:00

Last week, we met with Dr. James Sawyers who practices at two clincs, one in East Boston (East Boston Animal Hospital) and the other in South Boston.
Dr. Sawyers and his staff at the East Boston Animal Hospital were very friendly and shared with us, a great deal of thie expertise in the animal care field. Pictured below is Tine in the clinic.

Dr. Sawyers even let us observ a dental care procedure beeing performed on Cam, a cat (pictured below in the arms of Maria).

Pictured above is Dr. Sawyers with his winning smile, holding a photo of his dog, Taz, the first dog in Boston that was having her cells collected for future cloning.

Among the services provided from the clinic, there is Flavor Veterinary System, that makes your pet's medication taste like delicious flavors such as chicken pot pie, shrimp cocktail, mother's milk, or mom's banana bread, among others.

The East Boston Animal Hospital is located in 1007 Saratoga St, in East Boston, MA. Check out the Boston Veterinary Associates web page for more information.

Dogs visiting Cause to Paws in Brookline

2007-04-23T08:44:00.000-05:00

Here are Teddy and Lisa, visiting the Cause to Paws shop in Brookline owned by Terry and E.G.

And here is Molly, a 6 month old puppy who just got neutered. Molly visited Pretty Paws with Brad and Amanda. Molly is friendly with other dogs, but she seemed very upset and started to bark when she saw this stuffed dog. She calmed down when Amanda introduced her to the new dog.

Another partner of the shop is Decia, so funny in her "Little Red Riding Hood"-coat!

Tine is holding the faboulous "I had a nightmare... I was a Chihuahua" t-shirt for dogs, our favourite item in the shop.

Our second favorite item is the peanut butter scented bubbles for dogs. They are strong long lasting bubbles so dogs can play with them for a while before eating them!

The Marathon dog

2007-04-21T22:17:00.000-05:00

Last Monday the Boston Marathon took place. I met this cool dog on Beacon Street. He was dressed up for the occasion in a Red Sox outfit. His name is Luis and he is a really large Bullmastiff!
In the pics he is together with his "little sister".

The sex doll for dogs

2007-04-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

Speaking about what is going on in the video of Cucuy's birthday party, where at the end of the video the sweet Chihuahua is having her best time... here is something she will may enjoy as a gift next year!

From www.gizmodo.com:

"Is your dog in heat and humping anything it can wrap its horny little legs around? Are you constantly having to pry your promiscuous pooch off the legs of guests, parents and members of your church? Protect your leg from a hump attack by getting Scruffy a Hotdoll. Yes, it's a sex doll for dogs. It's shaped like a dog and it'll allow your tension-filled pet to go to town as much as his little heart desires, humping away until he passes out in exhaustion, leaving a wispy coil of friction-singed dog-fur smoke wafting into the air".

"Year of the dog" movie makes aware about pet adoption

2007-04-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

The yesterday Boston preview screening of the movie "Year of the dog" was less exciting than expected. Public's murmurs at every puppy's appearance and laughts at multiple dogs' scenes were a sign that Mike White, at his first direction, was able to move dog owners' hearts, but in general I expected to see more dogs in the movie.
The movie ends up to be a story about love for animals, especially animals (and people) in need to be rescued. We've seen a lot of rescued pigs, cows, and chickens, other than dogs. The movie keeps his strict canine identity with the "politically uncorrect" choice of not mentioning cats.

"Year of the dog" will hopefully help to increase adoption of dogs from shelters. The movie is discussing important issues for shelters, as the choice of euthanasia when a dog has serious behaviour or health problems, and he or she is unlikely to be adopted.

There are a lot of dogs in need. A few days ago we visited the City of Boston Animal Shelter (below), located in 26 Mahler Road, Roslindale.

The manager, Mark Giannangelo, showed us many homeless dogs and cats there. Pets with a sad or violent story behind are the most likely to be adopted. For example, pets who lost a leg or were hurt by their previous owners normally found a house pretty quickly.

The less popular dogs are the Pit bulls. There was a sweet puppy, Bubba (in the pic above), that is waiting for a home since 3 months, a time that is longer than average. Bubba, as all dogs there, passed the behaviour test, and he is not aggressive as many people may believe.

Some dogs visit the shelter with their owner, like the puppy below. He is there to get his licence.

If you want to help, you can check the shelter's pet adoption list at Petfinder.
If you don't want adopt a pet, you can contribute through gifts certificates.
You can also ask some pet shops how you can help. For example, starting in Thanksgiving, 'sPoochies boutique, located in 400 Tremont St, is collecting money and gifts for Christmas to donate to the the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

The Birthday video

2007-04-19T19:12:00.000-05:00

The birthday party of the Chihuahua Cucuy as we experienced it!

Read more about Cucuy and her birthday party in the posts below.

Cucuy, sexy and sweet

2007-04-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

Amy posted here some great pictures of Cucuy's birthday, the 2 year old Chihuahua we wrote about yesterday.
Here is something you can't miss from her album: Cucuy's sexy nail polish (left)!

She is so cute in her dress (below) that she even looks like Madonna!

Here are some of her pals.

Cucuy is a very expressive dog. If you like Chihuahuas, take a look to more Cucuy's pics in Amy's meetup profile, where this sweet pic is from.

Birthday party for the Chihuahua Cucuy and friends

2007-04-17T09:21:00.000-05:00

It was a big day for the small Chihuahua Cucuy when her second birthday was celebrated last Saturday at the Doggy Day Play center. Around ten of her pup friends and meet-up pals from the Boston Chihuahua Meetup Group were invited to join in the festivitites. Cucuy looked like a little princess in her red and black ballerina dress. Her toe nails were painted red for the occasion and she had a silver necklace around her neck that gave her all the attention that a birthday pup deserves. Cucuy and her mom Amy (in the pic) both like Hello Kitty: Amy has a Hello Kitty necklace, and Cucuy is wearing a Hello Kitty pin.

Both pups and their humans enjoyed the party and food and drinks that were provided.

The white cake was for the owner's birthday guests while the red cake was for the dog's. The dogs also had their own peanut butter ice-cream made especially for pets from J.P. Licks!

After singing the birthday song and eating cakes and other goodies it was time to open the presents. Cucuy and Amy have prepared a wish list at 'sPoochies boutique to make easier for the guests to find a great gift for the birthday-pup. Cucuy got fancy clothes, a bag, a life jacket, treats, a framed photo of herself and many toys that all the dogs at the party enjoyed playing with.

You can organize a birthday party for your pet at home yourself or you can ask Rob at Doggie Day in 400 Tremont Street in Boston, MA 02116 to help you. He will arrange and take care of everything from the location to food, games and decorations.

At the end of party, guests could write a little greeting for Cucuy on a big banner on the wall (in the picture Cucuy and Amy in front of the banner).
The party was a lot of fun. Thanks for the invite Amy and Cucuy!

Year of the Dog!

2007-04-16T12:12:00.000-05:00

The Paramount Year of the Dog is currently showing in certain US cities. The film features Molly Shannon (Peggy) as a single woman who adopts a plethora of dogs from the shelter after her beagle dies.
For more Year of the Dog, check out the funny website!

Paramount Vantage is also sponsoring the contest "The Perfect Pooch". To enter, you have to send one photograph and a 25 word or less caption that defines him or her as the perfect pooch. There is a prize for each dog!

TK and Lola (below) are two of the dogs running for the title!

Meet-Up Contest at Doggie Day

2007-04-15T10:06:00.001-05:00

Today is the deadline to enter your dog to the Doggie Day meet up contest for the most beautiful dog participating in meet-ups!
The day care and spa Doggie Day located at 400 Tremont St in the South End of Boston, are collecting applications and pictures in their shop. The cutest dog will win a birthday party at Doggie Day during the week of his or her birthday!

Yesterday the Boston Terrier meet up took place at Doggie Day. Will one of these dogs be the winner?

More pics are published here.

Help Ronan Park in Dorchester!

2007-04-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

Some dogs are really lucky: here is Buckner, a 7-year-old greyhound. His mom Paige is working hard to get him a fenced-in park in Ronan Park, in Dorchester, MA so he can run free (off-leash). The battle for off-leash parks involves more neighborhoods than just Dorchester. To help this cause, visit the website.
http://www.rodogrun.org/.
The best time to take your dog to Ronan Park is on a nice sunny weekend evening between 4 and 6pm. There will certainly be a few people out with their dogs. As Paige told us, dogs have fairly strict leash laws. Other parks in the area include Dorchester Park and Pope John Paul Park which is on the Neponset River.

Join in the festivities by participating in the Dorchester Day Parade on June 3, 2007!
Details and sign-up information can be found at: http://www.rodogrun.org/parade.htm/

Dressing up at Cause to Paws

2007-04-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

Cause to Paws, a trendy boutique located in Brookline, opened two years ago. Terry, the co-owner, became an avid dog lover and pet enthusiast after adopting her first dog seven years ago.

At Cause to Paws, shoppers can find anyting from toys to doggy door-bells! The store even carries supplies for cats.

Cause to Paws carries a wide variety in pet clothes from shirts for the tiniest of dogs to coats for the largest of the pack.

Pictured above is Kanji, a 6 year old shitzu-cockapoo mix and Decia, a 7 year old Lhasa Apso.

There are always great events being held at Cause to Paws. Here are some trendy happenings:

Saturday, April 14th 11-5pm
Pet Massage Sessions - 15 minutes for $15.00 -
and a Good Cause!

Saturday, April 21st from 3-4pm
Dogs, Kids, Babies, Oh MY!
Come and Learn how to get ready.

Saturday, April 28th from 3-4 pm
Back by popular demand another free
"Ask The Trainer" Session.

And dont miss the annual halloween party for our four-legged friends!

You can find the pet boutique at 1386A Beacon Street in Brookline, MA 02446.

Visit the web page Cause to Paws for more information.

In the picture: Kanji taking a nap in the sun waiting for you to come by!

Tine's Beautiful Chica

2007-04-10T01:09:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to introduce you to my crazy and beautiful dog Chica. Chica is a 5 year old German Shepard and currently resides in Oslo, Norway. Chica is fun-loving and a huge fan of swimming and playing fetch!

Chica chasing cars

Boston Pug Meet Up!

2007-04-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we went to a pug meet up held at Doggie Day located at 400 Tremont St.
Liz (left) has decided to get a pug and was interesting in finding a reliable breeder. If you have any suggestions, please let us know! Brady (below) stole our hearts with his sweet face and charming personality. It was Brady's first meet-up so he was a little shy and nestled himself in between Silvia and Liz.

Here are some more pictures we took at the March pug meet up.

Cocktail for Peters Park

2007-04-08T10:56:00.000-05:00

Here is the invitation we received from the Friends of Peters Park DRS Committee for cocktails in support of Boston’s First Official Dog Recreation Space:

"Park construction has begun!

We’ll give you the scoop on:
- What’s the timing?
- Where’s our temporary space?
- What will the Park look like when it’s done?
- Fundraising goals and how you can help!

Thursday, April 12, 2007
7:00 – 9:00 PM

The Red Fez
1222 Washington Street

$20.00 donation at the door
Cash Bar"

Adorable Dogs in Peter's Park

2007-04-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

While strolling through Peter's Park, located on Washington Street in the South End, we met some adorable pups!

The small black and white dog,Yota, is a Boston Terrier/French Bulldog mix. He is pictured below with his dad, Dan.

Yota was also featured in an article on Boston.com. Quite a famous mug!

Pictured below are Mocha and Java who were named after another love of their owners'...coffee!

The association of volonteers Friend's of Peters Park is raising money for the project to make the park more aesthetically pleasing!

The Green Dog Program

2007-04-05T12:35:00.000-05:00

The Green Dog Program started in the town of Brookline in response to requests for off-leash areas in which dogs would be able to run free.
To get the inside scoop about this great program, we met up with Shari Lyon and her adorable dog Stoly at the Griggs Park. Shari informed us that Griggs is known as the park for small dogs, like her own, whereas, Amory Playground is more suitable for larger dogs. As all of the parks are open to the general public, there are certain times that allow for off-leash dog activity. These times are listed below.

Off-Leash Hours:

Dawn to 9:00 am
Daniel F. Ford Playground at Emerson Garden
(Waverly Road)
Mary E. Robinson Playground
(Cypress & Franklin Streets)
Corey Hill Park (Summit Avenue)
Coolidge Playground (Columbia Street)
Lotta Bradburn Shick Park (Addington Road)
Soule Recreation Center (Hammond Street)
Jean Waldstein Playground (Dean Road)

Dawn to 1:00 pm
Amory Playground (Amory Street)
Griggs Park (Griggs Road)
Harry Downes Field (Jamaica Road)
Daniel J. Warren Playground (Eliot Street)
9am to 1:00 pm, April through November
Dawn to Dusk, December though March
Brookline Avenue Playground (Brookline Avenue)
Larz Anderson Park (Newton Street) Note: Top of the hill area, Avon Street side ONLY. No off-leash dogs in children’s play area, pond or garden area.

Pictured above are dogs playing at Amory Playground during off-leash hours.

Read more about the Green Dog Program in this brochure:
http://www.townofbrooklinemass.com/recreation/PDFs/DogsOffLeash.pdf

For more information on the Town’s by-laws & Green Dog Program updates, log onto the Town website: http://www.townofbrooklinemass.com/Recreation/Policies.html

Basil, faboulus and famous

2007-04-04T11:17:00.000-05:00

In just one week, we have met two very famous pups! First, we were introduced toMurphy, who was issued a citation for taking himself on a walk without his owner...or leash! Yesterday, we met Basil who is known for his modeling work. Basil is the official spokesdog for Draper Canine Therapy that specializes in producing
therapeutic dog beds.

Basil can also be spotted in ads for Echo Silverware!
Basil and his owener, Cindy, met us at the Garden of Eden, located at 571 Tremont St. This quaint cafe organizes several gourmet events, in collaboration with Lionettes Market. The following is a list of some of the events!

Saturday 7 April 2007, noon-5 p.m.
Market test some chocolate treats at Lionette's Market
It is free!
Kory from Shootflying Hill chocolate sauce will be in Lionette's market testing out her decadent chocolate treats and sharing recipes. Come in and indulge yourself: she's not only an amazing chocolate (and other sweets) sauce maker, she has a great personality (our staff always loves to have her doing in-store demos!).

Sunday April 1st
Garden of Eden's Patio Opens for the Season!
A true mark of Spring in Boston's South End, the neighborhood's legendary patio will usher in the new season by offering you a place to eat comforting and delicious fare from clean, local, and sustainable farms. If it's a little chilly, grab a wrap or a sweater and enjoy the pleasure of eating outdoors (because you know food always tastes better outside, anyway).

and here is our favorite:

Wednesday 18 April 2007, 7-9 p.m.
Slow Food Wednesday's "A Pile of New England Cheeses"$25
That's 12 cheeses being served by the farmers and producers who make them. They will be on hand to discuss local cheese making. To make a reservation: 617.778.0360
Last month we participated to the "Pig Event" and we can guarantee that it was really a lot of fun: food and wine were delicious, and the people attending really friendly.

The Beacon Hill dogs calendar

2007-04-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

In Beacon Hill there is an elegant shop called Four Preppy Paws, that we visited last Saturday. Heidi, the owner, is also furnishing the delicious Polka's Bakery in the Back Bay area. What I liked most is the calendar they created featuring dogs from the area. The pictures are spectacular! The talented photographer is Margaret Crow, who spent a total of 9 months on the project. Below are some other pictures she took.

A dog meet-up at Brookline Avenue Playground

2007-04-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

On Sunday morning all kinds of dogs and their owners meet at Brookline Avenue Playground. Elisabeth Carver is here with her dog Bubba and has organized this meet-up yesterday. She is new to Boston and thinks it's great to socialize with other dog owners and dogs in the area. There are new meet-ups every Saturday or Sunday in different parks. Check the next meet-up at Brighton All Dogs Play group!

Turbo is the small chuihuaha sitting on the child's lap. He has just celebrated his fist birthday, he is 1 year old, and it's his first time at a dog meet-up. Little bit shy, the safest place to be is in somebody's arms! In the next picture Silvia takes care of him.

And here is Turbo with our friend and colleague Phil.

Parker (in the picture belove) is also a young dog, and he has never met so many dogs gathered at one time. He is little bit overwhelmed, but the meet up is a great opportunity to get used to other dogs and get socialized.

Take a look at our calendar to see even more meet-ups and events for dogs.
See you next time!

A Boston Terrier at Boston Common

2007-03-31T14:35:00.000-05:00

Boston common is America's first public park, established in 1634! Until 1830 cows were grazing here, but now the dogs has taken over.
I met a cool Boston Terrier named Linus, 8 months old, visiting the park to play with other cool doggis (in the pic together with his mommy Marin).

The Boston Terrier is one of America's native breeds, resulting from a cross between an English Bulldog and a white English Terrier. And yes you guessed right, the Boston Terrier is from Boston!
You can read more about this cool playful breed on The American Kennel Club webpage: http://www.akc.org/breeds/boston_terrier/

Beautiful dogs need help!

2007-03-29T14:18:00.000-05:00

Woof, my name is Lucy.
I enjoy spending time at the Carleton dog park, but after a while I get thirsty! We have to raise $5.000 in order to build a water fountain here. If you can help with a donation please email carletoncourtdogpark @ hotmail.com.
Please send this link to other people you know would be interested.
You are welcome to come the park anytime! The park is located at the intersection of Carlton and Holyoke Street at the Southwest Corridor.
Most of the dogs will be there early in the morning and after 5 pm.

Dreaming of being a dog while visiting Just Dogs Gourmet

2007-03-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

If you happen to be in Newton and you want to spoil your dog with some really special treats you could stop by Just Dogs Gourmet in Newton Center. We payed a visit to this shop just before lunch time and we were drooling. But the treats are just for dogs tough..!

We met Kim (in the picture, in front of a wall of pics of her customers), a nice lady who works in the shop.
She explained us that the gourmet cookies and candy bars sold here are made solely from dog friendly ingredients. As dogs are unable to metabolize the chemical substance in chocolate called theobromine, the "chocolate" on the cookies is actually a natural product called carob and not only looks like the real thing but is similar in taste as well!

Just Dogs Gourmet has cool accessories as well, like jewelery and dog clothes, and a grooming salon in the back of the shop!

You can visit their webpage here:
http://www.justdogsnewton.com/

A meeting with Jake Tedaldi

2007-03-27T23:47:00.000-05:00

We met with Jake Tedaldi, a veterinarian based in Newton, MA, who is winner of Boston Magazine's 2006 "Best of Boston" award for veterinarian.

Dr. Tedaldi is a great veterinarian not only because of his expertise with pets but also because we felt that he has a deep understading of pet owners' needs. Dr. Tedaldi don't have a clinic, but pays personal visits to pets all around the Boston area.

He told us that there is an increasing number of pets, especially cats, with kidneys problems, and there is not really a treatment. In fact, there is not dialysis for pets. Owners have to prevent the problem. A solution exists, and that impressed us. Angell Medical Center in Boston do transplants, but it is not so popular. In fact .... who is the lucky donor?
The donor is normally coming from a research facility or is a rescue pet, and in need of a home. You enter the clinic with one cat, and you go home with two cats and two kidneys, one each.
Kidney transplant is easier to perform with cats than with dogs, also because of the easier genetic match.
Ethical questions are probably without an answer - a pet can't choose to be a donor. Anyway, it seems that both pets can recover well from the operation.

The most complete website I found about the kidney transplant is about cats:
http://www.felinecrf.com/trans0.htm

The Italian Greyhound meet up

2007-03-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

We decided to get a dog!
Meet ups are one of the best opportunities to understand which breed would match better for us, so today I went to the Italian Greyhound meet-up, at the Doggy Day Playcenter in the South End. Around 25 dogs attended, and for now they are on the list of my favourite dogs (being Italian helped them!).
I met Donna there (left, with her sweet Robin - her husband Jake is behind her), who is an expert on the breed. These dogs are similar to cats for many reasons, she said. Other than elegant, they don't smell and they don't drool. They can jump as high as a cat with their long muscled legs, so they need to play in a place with a high wall, or they can run away.
If a bird is around, they get out of control, and start to run trying to catch it. Many Italian Greyhound owners I spoke with seemed worried about losing their dogs. For this reason, this kind of dog needs a leash all the time, a special kind of leash that fits with their heads.
Their tiny legs can easily get broken, and fixing them can cost up to 3.000$. Also, their feet are delicate and need to be cleaned every day, as these dogs don't normally like shoes (but they do like polish nail a lot!). It is important to wash their feet (during the winter, the salt on the streets of Boston hurts them) and to brush their teeth every evening.

They look like really social dogs, and their owners too!
Silvia

The Emperor of Downtown Crossing

2007-03-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

Here is the cutest dog that has never been in a subway station!
Last night Napoleon was waiting for the orange line at the Dowtown Crossing station with his mommy, Kristen, and everyone was looking at him...

... even too much... he got bored of that!

We met a Famous Dog!

2007-03-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

On the streets of Newton Center we happened to meet Stephen Dean and his famous dog Murphy, a 5 year old Golden Retriver. Stephen regaled us with the story about when he received a ticket in the mail adressed to Murphy. The citation was issued because Mr. Murphy decided to take a walk without his leash. Murphy was given two options: (1) to pay the ticket or (2) to request a hearing. Stephen requested a hearing and signed it on Murphy's behalf!

Murphy's story has been published on almost 150 websites!
Read the full story here:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/06/16/murphy_the_dog_gets_his_summons/

We think that Murphy is a very cute and nice dog who should not have to go to court!

Running free in Newton

2007-03-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

Last thursday, we visited parks in Newton after hearing about how pet owners are efond of taking walks there. We met a very friendly pooch named Mika (pictured above) and her owner, Jim (pictured below). The pair recently moved here from LA and both seem to have adapted well to East Coast life.

We also met Loki (above), a 6 month old Springer Spaniel, and Juke (below), who is 15 years old!

Peters Park

2007-03-22T18:28:00.000-05:00

Peters Park, located in the South End is trying to raise money in order to better the aesthetics of the area. We stopped by the fundraising event organized by the Friends of Peters Park. One innovative way the park is raising money is by selling personalized "concrete pawprint pavers". Below is a picture of the paver installation plans.

Numerous shops in the area have already contributed to the event, including Polka Bakery where we met Charlie, an adorable Beagle!

We would like to give a special thanks to Mary, Heather and all the volunteers for all their effort!

Silvia

2007-03-21T13:03:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Sniffing Boston, a blog for Bostonian dogs!
We have been in Boston for only a few weeks, but are becoming acquainted with the city by visiting hip dog places as well as by chatting to friendly dog lovers. Through this blog, we will be sharing our dog-related experiences as well as helpful tips we've picked up on our adventures!

Woof! Bau!
Tine and Silvia