The Boston Dog Blog: Stella the Fox Red Lab Puppy

Sooo I've been fluttering around like Paris Hilton's chihuahua all summer, and haven't written as often as I'd like considering I've seen so many furry muffins. I even saw a lovely Brussels Griffon named Layla the other day, which marks the seventh real, live BG I've seen in person. Exciting stuff!

I had to share this little lady, though. My dad visited last weekend, and we went to Newburyport, where we met Stella (below). She was a squirmy, joyous bundle of puppy fat and naturally I wanted to steal her, though I managed to contain myself. Her owner was very friendly and told me all about the rare coloring of the Fox Red Labrador, but all I remember is "something something the English" because I was too focused on Stella's face. If you click on the Labrador Retriever Wikipedia page and scroll down to "Yellow (and similar shades)," you can read the actual history. Or you could just stare at that face.

The Boston Dog Blog Presents: FedWell!

Hey guys, as you know from the "studying for the GMAT" comments in former posts, I want to go to business school. As you also may have gleaned from my former posts (and my creation of this blog in general), my passion is dogs. I'm also super into healthy, fresh food -- for both dogs and people -- so any company that incorporates both those things makes me as happy as a pup with a tennis ball. That's why I wanted to share this awesome story with you - it's inspirational to me, and the by-product can be beneficial to you and your dog.                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                 Emily's dog Fenway, in all his happy glory   

A few years back, Emily was in the Peace Corps in Africa. While she was there, she adopted a dog (really, who could resist? While studying abroad, my roommate tried to convince me to quit school and move to Ecuador to start a giant puppy orphanage because of all the abandoned dogs -- so sad). Anyway, when Emily returned in 2010, she fed her dog Fenway what his vet recommended (the processed pet food that's prevalent in the homes of pet owners), and was shocked to see his health decline as a result. "He developed allergies, bowel issues and would sometimes refuse to eat for days at a time," Emily recalls.

                      "I'm far too cute for processed food."
Desperate to make her baby healthy again, Emily researched what he was eating and found that it was pretty terrifying; like many dog owners, she had been unknowingly feeding her best friend ingredients that she would never eat herself. She started taking cooking classes and created a formula that was both attractive to, and healthy for, Fenway. To her delight, he became healthy again thanks to the fresh food.

As an MBA student at Babson College, Emily seized the opportunity to help other pet lovers improve their pups' health while creating a business. She lab tested and reworked her recipe until it was shelf-safe and market ready, and her food (available in 5 pound bags) will be in stores by mid-August -- you can find the scrumptious canine munch at local boutiques, online, and at Whole Foods.

Sign up now on the FedWell website to get updates as the official launch date draws near!

Thanks Mams!

"Dog Day at Fenway" on Saturday, July 27th

Groundbreaking Bostonian canine news! For the first time ever, your favorite slobbery friend (fingers crossed that's your dog) will be allowed at Fenway Park!

Event/Game: Portland Sea Dogs (how appropriate) vs. Harrisburg Senators

Where: Fenway Park, 4 Yawkey Way, Boston MA 02215

Ticket Prices: $5 - $30, dogs get in free (duh)

Schedule: Gates open at 11:00 am; game starts at 12:00 pm

Prancy Puppy Activities: dog parade around the warning track (pre-game), water bowls (if the beer just isn't doing it for you), photo station, and more

To Buy Tickets: Go to www.redsox.com/futures or call (877) REDSOX-9 (to buy canine tickets, call 877-REDSOX-9). Don't forget to print and fill out the waiver provided on www.redsox.com/futures and bring it with you the day of the game!

Get it? (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

A Joke to Wag About

A friend of mine just sent me this joke, and I had to share (warning: it's cheesy, but it still made me laugh, so I had to post it).

A dog wants to place a newspaper ad to sell one of his bones. The clerk asks what he wants the ad to say. "Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof," replies the dog. The clerk says "Okay, that's nine woofs. We charge $10 for a ten-word ad, so you could add another woof for free." The dog says, "But that wouldn't make any sense."

In other news, here are some old pictures of Otis being smushy to get you through the week.

                 "Downward Smush" 

 

     

           Taking a break from killing the ball to just relax and be (smushy).

And you thought you had back fat!

Positively Paw-some: R-U-MyLitter

Writing about the fluffiest, cuddliest, most slobbery kind of people (sometimes referred to as “dogs”) has its perks. I get to be one of the first to hear about new doggy organizations, products and services, and it’s my duty to share the best of them with you on The Boston Dog Blog.

R-U-MyLitter (www.rumylitter.com) is a new website that allows you to track down your pup’s family members.

My God-dog, Peaches, cuddles with a new friend. Photo courtesy of Lindsey Gurian

The process is simple: register your canine companion by following a few easy steps. Click “Instant Match” on the main page, and enter your name and email address, as well as your dog’s name, breed, gender, date of birth, breeder/kennel name and breeder/kennel city (the creators are currently working on a shelter dog option as well, which is set to launch later this summer). You’ll be notified as soon as the match is made, and receive the email address(es) of your dog’s sibling’s forever parents (drooly play date at the dog park, anyone?) The site also has puppy-pleasing details such as posting space for those with lost or found doggies, as well as a place to post in loving memory of canine family members who have recently passed.

Celebrities with fluffy tufts of poodle and chihuafoundland (okay, I made that one up, but I see an epic Photoshop venture in my future) have already caught on and started researching canine family trees. Valery Ortiz of VH1’s Hit the Floor raves that it led her to information about her Yorkie soulmate, Myli. Rumor has it that other celebs have jumped on the bandwagon as well, but R-U-MyLitter protects user privacy (thank Dog), so their names have been kept under wraps.

The service is completely free, and the creators have reached out to Massachusetts mongrels in the past. When a Boston area rescue organization hosted an adoption event a few months back, R-U-MyLitter donated supplies (all the way from Canada!) That’s not their only special interest in the Bean; they watched every nail-biting moment of the Bruins-Maple Leafs series – with their dogs, of course.

The Boston Dog Blog: Ruby the Scottie

This is Ruby, and let me tell you, she sure knows how to pull off that beard. I'd definitely say she's one of the top 5 most attractive females with facial hair that I know.

Look at that little bathmat muffin. She's all fluff. Just a little zamboni cloud scooting across the paths of the esplanade. At just a year, she's already learned how to turn on the charm -- she had boys flocking to her, even with that solid spray of thick, black hair dangling from her chin. Ruby, teach me.

Peaches, Official Celebridog of the Boston Dog Blog

Tell me this isn't the dramatic chipmunk.

The Boston Dog Blog in Providence: Bun

Soooo you'll have to forgive me, but I forgot this critter's full name. It was very intricate, and it included the name "Bun," which was her nickname.

This dog was such a firecracker! She was beyond excited. Like, just-completed-a-Tough Mudder-and- having-a-beer excited. She would run up to my friends and me, pant with some awesome Pom-mix crazy eyes, then take off like a freaking bullet.

I want some of whatever she was on.

St. Doughball's Day

Well, I'm only 10 days late. Hope you're all proud. Spent St. Patrick's Day weekend with my little dough muffin, and she was so good.

I've never been to the Southie parade before, and let me clarify: it is no place for dogs. Let's reflect on the horrendous environments we transitioned through:

1. The T: Oh, dear God.

I assume most of you have seen Titanic. There's a scene where the ship is going down, and Rose and Jack look at each other from separate places on the bow with an expression that says, "We're in this together, I feel your fear, we'll get through this." I saw one other dog owner carrying their terrified baby in their arms, and with just one look I experienced the panic of the Titanic sinking.

2. Getting out of the T station:

Endless seas of screaming, wasted college students suddenly noticing that "Oh my Goddddd she's so cuuuuute" in some scrambled cousin of English destroyed by too much Jameson. Then, without fail, a chorus of idiotic drinking songs surrounding us. Oh, you feel bad for her with all the noise and crowds? Me too. But I'm not SINGING IN HER DAMNED EAR.

Somehow I made it to the elevator, which I'd forgotten existed in the T, and through the terror of just one block of W Broadway. Peach and I both ended up panting in a parking lot with (much appreciated) breathing room, next to a building where strangers were peeing on an apartment while the tenants fought back by pouring soda on the offenders. Maybe it wasn't soda, but for the sake of my sanity I'm going to run with that.

3. The pizza place parking lot:

I was able to give some cash to some nice, decently functioning boys outside the nearest operating shop to buy the little nugget a much-needed bottle of Aquafina (she drinks only the finest, duh). She seemed much happier after that, and I was relieved.

4. Walking to my friend's friend's place:

Pretty much a repeat of the T, minus the hot, sweaty atmosphere and complete inability to move. Every 3 feet she had a new admirer. These people were like me on a normal day -- it's like they'd never seen a dog before.

FINALLY we made it to our destination, and things just went up from there (where else could they go?) Peach got to go off leash in the fenced-in, grassy yard and run to her heart's content. She still had the admirers, but they asked before petting her, and gave her her space. She was one happy little lady. I say "little," but that's relative to a woolly mammoth. My arms felt like I'd been lifting anvils for two days after carrying her around for less than an hour on the T.

Peach and her new doughy boyfriend! It was a romantic encounter of epic snortiness.

Tuckered out and snuggling with Dan on the T ride home.

On the way home, my friend Dan had to hold her for 5 minutes at Park Street while I ran upstairs to use the bathroom. She's a dude magnet when she's with me, and it damn sure works the other way around. In Dan's words, "That dog did more work in 10 minutes than I've done in my entire life."

Her mom said she snored the whole car ride home.

Hello Again, My Pets

Last time I wrote it had been a year, and that was back in 2011. So that happened.

Awesome. Anyway, in a sudden burst of brilliance and creativity, I realized that re-starting this blog would be an excellent spout for my never-ending dog blabber, as well a decent form of procrastination as I feverishly avoid studying for the GMAT. Also, I think my co-workers are sick of assuming I'm speaking about friends, only to find out moments later that "Larry" is just an extremely affable beagle that I happen to run into from time to time. I remember the first time I spoke for several minutes about my God-daughter, the way my colleague's face suddenly twisted into a horrified frown when I fondly mentioned Peaches' searing underbite. My God-daughter, as you may have guessed, is an English bulldog, as wrinkly as they come.

Want to see a picture? Of course you do. Here she is, in all her smushy glory:

If it's not blatantly obvious why I'm obsessed with her, then you haven't been paying attention. She was even more of a gem when she went through her awkward stage, her teeth jutting straight out instead of wrapping flush around her top lip, her head too circular to fit her bulldog face. And her fragrance -- well, her mother described it as "a foot with parmesan cheese on it." Delightful didn't even begin to cover the sensation of sharing a room with her on a hot day.

But now she's developed into a lovely young woman, and I'd like to think that I've evolved as well. My dream now is to work for a canine-centric organization (think BarkBox). Don't know what it is? Think Birch Box for dogs. If you're not excited now, then kindly leave my site.

In the meantime, I'm very happy at my current job as a Financial Assistant at a top-level institution of higher education (snooty, much?) No, but really -- I love my job, and naturally I've mapped out the entire building for dogs. You'll see lots of pictures of Otis, another doughy young English bulldog who works in my building. People always crack jokes when I say he's a dog who works in my building, but I don't understand why. The man's got to make a living somehow.

Anyway, ta for now! Back to re-teaching myself middle school math and erasing any shred of confidence I've accrued over my 23 years in a single set of practice questions.