Begging apologies...

We have to beg your apologies for our extended silence here in lovely blog land. We've been a bit pulled thin, having to do many things in our personal lives as well as at the store so some things have slipped through the cracks...el bloggo being one of them.
In the next few weeks things should begin to settle down a bit and we hope to be chatting more regularly. There are, as always, SO MANY THINGS to talk about...

There are a few things you should know about in the short term though:

We will be CLOSED on Tuesday, February, 26th to take care of some personal business. This is for one day only. We'll be back the next day, Wednesday, February, 26th for our regular tour of duty.

Also, some new foods that you should taks a look at include Orijen Six, a grainless, fish formula Orijen product that is going very nicely and feeding well.

Wellness has expanded its Core (grainless) line to include a fish based offering as well. Again, feeding very nicely. A little lower protein and fat than the other grainless products making it more suitable for some dogs.

These two new fish based products give some more options to those of you that have been feeding Timber Wolf's Ocean Blue kibble, which is sometimes difficult to get.

Holiday Update and Hours

Just to let you all know that we still have some great holiday treasures for your best pals. There are treats and toys including lots of new stuff that we haven't carried before. We did, however, sell out of all the vinyl doggie beer bottles, so if your canine pal was planning on a holiday bender he will have to rethink his plans.

Anyhoo, we did want to let you know that we will be open normal hours throughout the holiday season.
That means we are open:
Tuesdays through Fridays 10 am - 7 pm.
We are open Saturdays 10 am - 6 pm
Sundays 12 pm -4 pm

We WILL be OPEN Christmas Eve from 10 am - 5 pm

We will be open normal hours again through December 30th.

We will be CLOSED for a short vacation from Monday, Dec. 31 through Thursday, January, 4th.

We will reopen on Friday, January 5th.

Many thanks to all of you for making our first year at our new location so much fun and so successful. Happy, happy, merry, merry to you all.

Come on down!

Hi kids,

We have lots of new things to tell you about. There are new pictures of neighborhood dogs in the store's window boxes. They are from our holiday photo shoot and they are really quite fabulous.
Take a good look at Riley the Jack Russell's smile and Wolfie the Poodle's antler set up. Excellent!
We have lots of new merchandise in from foods and treats to toys and jackets from Foggy Mountain Dog Coats.
Please also say "Hi" to some of our new pals that are helping us out at the store. You'll find Elaine, Roberta, Whitney, Kelly, Liz, and Heather at various points throughout the week.

Remember kids....

There are only a couple of spaces left for our Holiday Pet Photo shoot that will be held this Sunday, November 18th from 11 AM to 5 PM.

These are private sittings with photographer Chris McLay and are $50.00 each. These great photos will make wonderful holiday gifts or excellent keepsakes.

Call the store right away at 617.323.7387 to reserve your spot.

Your pet could end up in one of our window boxes.....

Holiday items for the pooch or puss in your life are being put out daily. Check in for gift ideas and more new foods each day.

COME ON DOWN!!!

A few words

So sorry that we have been silent on the blog for so long. Things have been very busy (thankfully) at the store. We are trying to get a handle on new merchandise and have been moving things around like crazy in the shop. Please come in and take a look around at some of the new stuff we brought back from the trade show we attended in October.

One of our biggest hits has been some wonderful freeze dried products from Companion Natural Pet Foods in Wisconsin.This is a great small company with a hands on owner who really cares about her product and it truly shows. Just the kind of company we like to do business with.

We've also had good feedback about the Petganics cleaning products we've been selling. We've been using them at the store for a while and have found them gentle and effective. We decided that bringing them in wasn't a bad idea. See what you think.

Also, we wanted to let you know about this new recycling/fundraising program we just learned about called Project KOPEG.It is an organization that will help non-profit groups through a Green Recycling Fundraiser Program. This program allows organizations to collect "e - waste"; things like cell phones, ink cartridges, and other electronics. Project KPOEG will then pick up this waste and give the collecting organization a check. What a great way to keep this stuff out of landfills and give some money to places like schools and animal shelters! We think this is definitely worth looking into.

Back from "Out There"

So off we went to Chicago to our yearly trade show where we found lots of fun stuff. Not too much was shockingly "new" though the advancements and refinements in food development are really amazing.

We picked up some cool kitty stuff including a most impressive scratcher that kitty can lie in, sleep on, or even scratch. Also got some hand knitted kitty toys and different types of tempting feline treats. Kitty will also soon have a great new food line to feast upon, Weruva. We haven't heard a bad report about this food from any kitties or their humans.

We picked up a number of tasty treats for our canine pals including this year's new chewing sensation...the skate tail. Got some tough toys for the kids to bang around the yard and some plush ones for them to toss about the house. Picked up a few hand knitted pooch sweaters including a few small ones with hoods for that very special South American look. We think you'll like some of the new collar and leash lines we're going to be bringing in as well. Take a look at the wonderful pieces from The Kenyan Collection, Dublin Dog, and Bowchies. Your pooch will be truly stylin' in these duds.

We'll also be looking into Weruva food for dogs as well as Canine Caviar/Feline Caviar.
We doing our research now about these lines.

So be sure to come in to see us soon as the new things begin to arrive.

And come in to sympathize with us about how we were trapped at O'Hare airport in Chicago for nearly two days as flight after flight to Boston was canceled due to "mechanical" problems.

A reminder

that we will be CLOSED from Friday, October 12th through Monday, October 15th.

This is not because we are jetting off to the islands, but rather to a trade show in Chicago.

We're really sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause any of you. Please forgive us but our staffing has not yet caught up with our expansion.

The upside of all this is that we should be bringing in some cool new stuff for pups and kitties, bunnies and birds.

Thanks for your understanding.

A Puppy Scorned

As I sit writing this, Panda is in my lap...a puppy scorned.
Our last customer tonight was Willa the Aussie and try as Panda might, she could not get Willa to even look at her.
Panda twirled, she licked, she jumped, she whined, she begged, she rolled over and exposed her belly to the enitre store but Willa ignored her. Totally ignored her.
Finally Panda gave up and fell into a puppy depression. And there she remains.

We'll have to get Topo in to light her up which shouldn't be too hard to manage.

Oh yeah, also want to let you know that we're having our annual Howl - o -ween Photo Shoot on Sunday, October 28th! This is always a total sell out so please book early. Photographer Chris McLay will be working her magic on your costumed and humiliated pets.

Cool customer Josh Glenn has a new book out entitled "Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance". Find it at Pazzo Books in Roslindale Square. Buy it. It's cool.

New stuff in the store

Just a brief update on some new items that we have lurking about in the store...

There's some new dog biscuits to try, Sojourner Farms Good Dog Treats in the new Blueberry Cobbler flavor. Yummy, adorable, and filled with antioxidants. We also have Sojo's newly formulated Dog Treats in a variety of flavors. The bacon is a real hit here at the store.

Take a look as well at some of the new products by Artemis. They have a variety of new products including a kitten food, a senior cat food, high proteing foods, and an organic dog biscuit. Users of Artemis products know how nicely these products feed and are received so we encourage you to try some of these new items.

We have some new lighted collar covers in from Polybrite that we think will work nicely for the upcoming shorter days.

New coats will soon be in from Foggy Mountain dog coats. Stylish and durable. What more could an urban pooch want?

We'll soon be off to our yearly trade show at the beginning of October so we'll have some spankin' new things for the holiday season.

Let us know what you you're interested in.

See you all soon.

Photo Day

We had another really successful pet portrait photo day on September 9th. Again, photographer Chris McLay of Unleashed Photography did a great job handling all sorts of pet and animal portraits that day. Even being cuffed off the head multiple times by a camera shy kitty cat did not deter Chris' assistant Jamie from wrangling all the pets into beautiful poses for their shots. They truly are an amazing pair.

Look for some new shots in our window boxes in the near future from these portraits.

We're planning our next photo day for Sunday, October 28th and we'll be sending out an email soon about that.

Please call us if you're interested in reserving a space for that session which is our Halloween shoot.
Believe me, this one will sell out very early.

Catching up

Hi kids,

Well it's been REALLY busy since we've gotten back from our little vacation and I haven't had the time to post here at all. So here is a quick catch up post.

Panda and Mary visited the beach while on vacation and it was Panda's first time. Initially, she was a bit afraid of the whole thing but then the sand between her toes sent her off into puppy heaven. She ran like a nut in circles watched by a puzzled Mary who's had many beach experiences. All in all though, her visits were a great success and she definitely interested in returning and eating and rolling in some more dead things.

New products

In our continuing search to bring in "greener" products we've recently begun to sell AKC dog toys that are made from and packaged in recycled materials.

We're bringing in the AKC Green Planet collection of plush toys and other items utilizing as many recycled materials as possible. Fortunately, the pet industry is hearing the consumer demand for greener products and practices so our ability to provide more environmentally sensitive products to you should only increase.

Along those lines, we've also just brought in another new flea and tick repellent product called Tic Clip. The Tic Clip is a tag worn around the neck of a dog or cat. It provides flea and tick repellent properties for up to two years and is safe for animals of all ages as well as sick or compromised snimals. We've had good reports from customers that have been using the Tic Clip this season and we're excited about providing you with another chemical free pest control method.



Just so you know, we're also looking into a way to provide reuseable shopping bags to our customers in an effort to reduce the waste that we generate as a business. Let us know if you have any ideas that might help us to operate in a more environmentally friendly way.

Tattoos.....

So on a bit of a different note, we both decided to have tattoos last week. This was not a random decision. We thought about it long and hard and finally decided that we were MORE than old enough to make this decision.

Naturally enough I guess, we both went for animal tattoos, a robin, and a Marley drawing, (our boy dog that passed away last September).


Here's what they looked like just a few days after they were done.







Both pieces were ably and beautifully done by Darlene Di Bona of Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plain, MA.
Our sickeningly talented designer Bob Quinn drew the Marley cartoon and it was important to us that the tattoo remain faithful to the original work. Darlene did that like the true artist she is.
She worked from a number of sources for the robin essentially creating her own piece.

She was very patient and gentle with two newbies and we really appreciate all her hard work and tremendous talent.

Stick up for your pets....

It seems to us that flea season has suddenly gotten really bad. People come in every day and say that their pets and their homes are infested with the little critters. They're in a panic because their pets are suffering and often they're suffering as well with concerns over the welfare of their families and pets.

We maintain our conviction that the best way to avoid or ease a flea outbreak is to keep your pets as healthy as possible. Feed them well. Supplement their diet. Provide fresh water and good exercise for them. Use repellent products that are derived from natural ingredients such as herbals or essential oils (remember, no essential oils for cats. We have special formulas for them.), such as Quantum Herbal's 100% Natural Flea and Tick Spray,
Halo's Cloud Nine Herbal Dip, Aroma Dog's Flea Flicker Spray, or Dancing Paws Flee, Flea!

We sell all of these products because we use them and truly believe that they represent a real and healthy alternative to chemical pest repellents. Honestly, we just cannot get our heads around using all this chemically based flea and tick repellent junk. It seems to us that there are enough potentially dangerous chemicals in our lives.

This stance has not made us popular with local vets and we're not exactly sure why. We're not advocating that you disregard the advice of your veterinarian. We're merely suggesting that you know your options. We're suggesting that you open a real dialogue with your vet. That you ask about what is being done to your pet and what the possible ramifications are. Advocate for your pet's health the same way you advocate for your own or your family's. It seems to us that any good vet should be willing to discuss concerns with you and consider new treatment avenues as well.

There ARE other ways to do things, we just have to look for them and be willing to try them.

There's some new stuff in

We just wanted to let you know that we have some new foods in the store that you kids may be interested in trying.
The first one is Orijen, a high protein, low carbohydrate, grain free food from Canada.
The second is Natural Planet Organics, a new organic food certified by Oregon Tilth.
We also have some new canned food in by Tripett, a couple of different kinds of green tripe and a tripe, duck, and salmon mix. Very nice for sensitive bellies or picky eaters.

Please come by and take a look at them and see if they might be right for your pals.

Also, we will be closing the first Sunday of July, August, and September. We'll be open all other Sundays as usual from 12 PM - 4 PM.

Panda arrives

So yesterday was the big day for us; we went to pick up Baby Panda. We felt sad about taking her from such a nice environment complete with all kinds of other wonderful animals to fascinate and occupy her. While there, we watched her play with kitties, other poodles, baby donkeys and whatever else happened by.
She seems to be doing beautifully however. She's eating well, taking visitors, pooing and peeing outside like a little champ and taking lots of naps. She's playing with all her new toys and meeting new people. Mary seems to be accepting her well and Topo will get back to us on the whole thing.
So come by and visit her soon. She will keeping an eye out for you.

Also, we are just starting to do some email communication. Just trying to let you all know what is going on at the store and what things will be coming up. Please send us your email address if you'd like to be included on our list. We will NOT slam you with trash email. I have to write them and that would take WAY too much time.

Something to be aware of...

Hi all,

Just so you kids know, we will be closed this upcoming Sunday, May 13th, for Mother's Day.

We will be CLOSED THIS SUNDAY ONLY and will reopen as ususal at 10 am on Tuesday, May 15th.

Thanks as always for visiting us and keeping us "off the streets".

Lisa, Lisa, Mary, and Topo and soon Panda...

Also, our wonderful photographer, Chris McLay is doing another pet portrait day on Sunday, June 17th.

She'll be doing individual sittings with pups and kitties and their people, really whatever you'd like.

Chris' portrait days ALWAYS sell out so preregistration and pre-payment is necessary.

Call soon to book a space with Chris!

Panda in the great out of doors

So Panda had an outing today and these candid shots were taken of her on her excursion.

These are some of her pals that she passes the time with. What a gang of little beauties!

Spring babies

Here are some other new residents of White's Farm in Pittsfield, NH.

It's crazy with the cuteness up there and spring is cute time more than any other time of year.

Baby Panda should be with us in the next couple of weeks, so be sure to stop in and make your hellos to the little girl.

Also a reminder to please vote for us on the WBZ-TV4 A-List when you have a chance.

A big thank you

We'd like to extend a very big thank you to Dr. Regina Downey of Holistic Animal Healing Clinic (1-603-772-7387) for doing an excellent lecture for us this past Friday night. She talked to us about different healing modalities including homeopathy, homotoxicology, acupuncture, herbal medicine, NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques), and BICOM . She stated, of course, that all health and healing begins with proper feeding and good nutrition and we couldn't agree more.

As we've all seen recently, it's imperative to feed excellent quality, REAL food to our pets to keep them healthy. It's also vitally important to look into different forms of veterinary care for our pets. I think that we owe it to them and to ourselves to look into forms of care that are less dependent on harsh chemicals and medicines...not that medicines are bad, but they are over used.

What harm can it do to take a step back and try a gentler approach?