Let's not drag Porky into this....

One of our astute readers states:
"Porky Pig got into the same trouble when someone noticed he doesn't wear pants.
I guess they didn't notice his friends, Bugs and Daffy (when they weren't cross dressing) were completely nude.

Oh - what to do about this "naked animal" epidemic!"


We'd like to suggest a journey to: http://drawn.ca/2006/01/27/almost-naked-animals/

Naked Rubber Chicken Furor

So you know, most of the time the pet business is a relatively safe and fun business. 99% of the time the people that come into the store are totally cool. They bring their pets and aside from an occasional misplaced pee-pee or poop or puddle of drool, things go well. We all have fun. We sell nice foods, we sell tasty treats, and we sell doggie and kitty toys. What could be wrong with that?

Funny you should ask.

It's the end of the day and we're getting ready to close. The phone rings and a rather desperate sounding man asks if we are the store with the "naked chickens" in the window. Thinking it's one of our friends, Lisa S. says "Why yes, we are."

At this point the guy gets a touch mental and accuses us of selling "pornographic materials" (in the form of a rubber chicken dog toy). He asks how he is supposed to walk his children by our store and explain to them why there are naked chickens in the window. He begs us to remove them so he and his children can walk the streets unmolested by the buxom, suggestive, and latex Henrietta Chicken.

Lisa explained to him that all chickens are naked, they usually don't wear clothes. By contrast, Henrietta was wearing a purple polka dot bikini, and so was not naked.

He remained unconvinced. He threatened to call the Mayor's office and report us. (I am not sure which department of Mayor Menino's office deals with rubber chickens. I'll get back to you kids on that.)

I've posted a picture of Ms. Henrietta Chicken, a dog toy, so that you can judge for yourselves.

I'm also adding an excerpt from her bio so you all can get a taste of who she really is.

"Now retired, Henrietta lives a quiet life, far from the Vegas footlights, in a swanky trailer park near Fort Lauderdale. Hand painted, poly-filled latex dog toy. De-feathered for canine pleasure. She comes in two sizes."

Boston Pet Stores

What kind of things do you all want Boston area pet stores to carry? As you know, at The Pet Cabaret, we're into the natural, organic and holistic foods but are there certain brands that you kids want that are currently harder to find?

We currently carry Wysong, Innova, Artemis, and Canidae among others. But let us know what you'd like to see.

What do people think about Azmira, about Urban Wolf, about TimberWolf Organics?

Please let us know.

Did I tell you kids

that we're working with our pal Kristie Helms on developing something of a marketing strategy for the store. Kristie is cool and has written this cool book, "Dish It Up, Baby" which was actually published and available at real bookstores and online book stores and other real retail outlets.

These are Kristie and Katherine's kitty cats clearly sleeping off some kind of bender or other. We'll say nothing more of their behavior. It does not necessarily reflect on their home situation.

Anyhoo, we're going to be doing some fun events in the near future so keep all your little eyeballs peeled for goings on here at The Pet Cabaret. Until then, read Kristie's book, which you should, of course, try to buy at your local INDEPENDENTLY owned bookstore, like Pazzo Books.

Have you noticed

that dogs are often calmed when you wrap them in some way? So I know that this sounds strange, but what I mean is sort of swaddling them. A nice firm swaddle in a towel will many times work wonders. This method works for cats too, and we've found that in stressful situations like nail clippings, wrapping a cat securely in a towel or a blanket will often settle them right down.

This is not a theory that I am making up. Temple Grandin has written extensively on the subject. She speaks from personal experience.

There is also a product called the Anxiety Wrap which can help animals overcome nervousness, fears, and anxiety issues.

Hey, the way we think is that it is always better to try to solve problems in the least invasive way possible. Let's try wraps, let's try herbs and homeopathy before we subject our animals (and people!) to drugs. It couldn't hurt to try. Right?

Chilly today...

Chilly tomorrow too, windy as well. Snow squalls. Weeee!!!!!!!

The dogs are all coming in looking windblown and crazed. Much with the Don King look.

It IS February after all.

So what is it with...

dogs and their toenails? We trim doggie and kitty nails here at The Pet Cabaret and let me tell you, it is often quite and experience. Ten pound dogs and cats turn into little Tasmanian Devils sparking around, making ALL kinds of crazy noises. Toenail trimmers take their lives in their hands.

I am thinking it must be some sort of Samson thing with the animals.

"The source of my power is in my toenails..."

I have no other explanation.

Let's all run over to Pazzo Books on Washington St. in Roslindale to explore the Samson power myth thing. We have to come to the bottom of this.

Thanks Pet kids!

So you know, I was thinking this morning, while listening to NPR about how much crap in the world there is to be nervous, worried, afraid about. I was also thinking about how little good it does to be nervous, worried, and afraid.
Then I was thinking about what made me NOT feel these emotions as much, but rather what made me laugh and relax. What made me feel compassion. I realized that it was often Marley and Mary, my dogs, or other animals that come into the store that made me feel good. I think this is true for many people. Our pets bring us comfort and joy. Pets help us feel a little safe. They give us a great gift.
Thanks to them all.

Animal Emotions

Did anyone see the Sunday New York Times Magazine article a couple of weeks ago on the subject of animal "personalities"? It spoke of how research was being conducted that now seems to indicate that animals, from insects to dogs to primates, display what could be considered "personality traits". You know, things like timidity, aggression, cleverness, thoughtfulness, and many others that I bet you kids could think of.
I have to ask why is this such a surprise to people?! Those of us that live with animals or observed animals have no doubts that they possess complex and nuanced personalities. Why do we as humans belittle what we cannot understand? I don't get this at all.
To say that animals do not have personalitites is akin to denying the existence of a language that we cannot understand. Just because we don't get it doesn't mean that it isn't real.
Am I totally off the wall here?

Let's hear it for this kitty!

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/02/09/kitty_cat_helps.php