A Very Fun Day

So despite the weather yesterday, complete with howling winds and whipping rains, we had a really fun day at our 3rd Annual Howl-O-Ween Bash.
We had planned on doing our doggie photographs outdoors under a canopy, but when the weather made this impossible, we were rescued by our kind landlord, Bob Trethewey, Trethewey Bros Plumbing in Roslindale, MA . Bob allowed us to use some indoor space for our set up and we were able to get some wonderful shots.
Once again, photographer Chris McLay, and her infinitely patient assistant, Jaimie McLay, posed and carjoled pooches into looking their best on camera.

Many, many thanks to all who helped us make the day a success.
Take a look a some of the results.

Howl-O-Ween at The Pet Cabaret

Join us on Saturday, October 28th for our 3rd Annual Pet Cabaret Howl-O-Ween Bash. This year we'll again have a cool pet photographer, Chris McLay. For the mere fee of $10.00 you'll be able to walk away with a great shot by Chris and know that you'll be helping out some local animal charities as well. Pets in costume are highly encouraged! They'll be treats and fun for animals and humans, so come and join us!

And now for something completely different....

Well, clearly we've been preoccupied by Marley's illness and death for the last few posts, but now it's time to gently move on. So we'll start by talking about a subject near and dear to Marley's heart (and mine as well)...food.

Those of you that shop at our store know that we sell the dog and cat foods that are known as the "super premium" foods. Now while we don't much like that label, we do like the fact that the foods we sell are not loaded with junk. Not that we're picking on a particular brand of food, but we don't feel as though your dog or cat really needs "powdered cellulose" or "peanut hulls" in their diet.

Call us crazy but, we think that you should be able to pick up a bag of dog or cat food and understand the ingredients on the label without first having to head back to college to get a science degree. Simple is better we think, for you and for your pets.

Of course, the ideal would be for all of us, animals and people alike, to eat as much fresh, real food as possible and to minimize the processed foods in our diets. Again, shoppers in our store know that we advocate adding fresh foods to an animal's diet. We love to see people offer their animals things like fresh ground or lightly steamed vegetables, bits of plain meats and fish, organic eggs, yogurt, and cottage cheese.

We also know that it is hard enough to find the time to cook for ourselves and our families, let alone for our pets. So, in the interest of helping out a bit, we're bringing in some new foods such as Dr. Harvery's Veg-to-Bowl mix. This is blend of dried, mixed vegetables and herbs that can be rehydrated and added to your pets' meals. The ingredients include sweet potatoes, carrots, diced potatoes, zucchini, broccoli florets, green beans, peas, beets, parsley, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, garlic, ginger, papaya leaf and peppermint leaf.

We think this is the type of product that can help our customers add more high quality, real foods to their pets' diets without going crazy trying to fit it in to an already hectic schedule.

Marley comes home

We picked up Marley's ashes tonight and so, in a way, he has come home. We will bring some up to Ipswich, MA where Marley grew up and bring some to Provincetown, MA , where he so enjoyed visiting his Uncle Randy and playing on the beach. The remainder will come home with us to rest alongside Tina, another wonderful dog who passed away in 1996.

We'd like to once again thank everyone for being so wonderfully kind and empathetic to us during this difficult time. Please know that your cards, flowers, words, thoughts, and gifts have helped comfort us greatly. It's really been great to have a safe place to grieve the loss of our guy.

We definitely need to get Mary another pal as she is clearly missing her "brother". We have our eye on a little rescue boy that should be coming to us sometime in mid October. If all goes well with Mary and the store we'll be welcoming in a new addition. If not, we'll keep looking.



Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

A tough week

This has been a pretty tough week for us because of the loss of our dear, dear Marley. We feel a tremendous loss and our other dog Mary, keeps looking around for him, and sniffing all his places. Unfortunately, we were not able to let her say a final good bye to him, so we think she might be a little confused, and certainly depressed, about what exactly has happened.

One bright spot in all of this though, has been the incredible love and support we have felt from our friends and customers. We've shared tears and stories about Marley. People have sent emails and cards. They've brought flowers and food. We are truly touched by how generously people have given of themselves, and we can't find the words to thank you all enough.

We're happy to know that our "little man" brought joy into others' lives as much as he brought joy into ours.

In loving memory of Marley

It is with great sadness that I write this tonight. One of our beloved dogs, Marley, passed away earlier this evening. He was suffering from a tumor on his spleen which invaded his liver. He finally grew so uncomfortable that we could not bear to see it go on. We elected to help him end his pain.

He was a fine little dog, energetic, mischievous, silly, and wonderful...all the things a perfect pal should be. We will always remember his antics. We thank him for being part of our lives. We thank all the people that have been so kind to him at the store.We will always love him. He'll always be our boy.

New Hours

Just to let you all know, we are changing our store hours a bit. We hope this will help some of you out with after work purchases.

We'll now be open:

Tuesday - Fridays - 10:00am - 7:00 pm

Saturdays - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sundays - 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Please come by and visit us soon!

Meet our pals

Now that we're back from our vacation to Michigan, we thought you'd like to see some of the friends we hung out with while we were there.


This is Reuben.


This is Rocky.


This is LiLi.


This is Booey.


This is Chewey.

They and their humans were kind and generous hosts and hostesses and we hope we'll all get to see each other again really soon.

Vacation

Hi everyone,

We're having a really great time on our vacation. We're here on Lake Michigan in lovely Ludington and having a wonderful time with our friends Deb and Terry. Terry has a cool store
The Mermaid's Perch Check it out when you can.

I will upload pictures of all the cool animals that we've been vacationing with as soon as possible. They are really all unbelievably cool and sweet, and we think you'll love seeing their darling little faces.

A short vacation

We just wanted to let you all know that we will going on a little vacation for a few days.
We'll have some modified store hours for the time between July 31st - August 6th.

Here they are:

Mon. July 31 - CLOSED

Tues. Aug. 1 - CLOSED

Wed. Aug. 2 - CLOSED

Thurs. Aug. - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Fri. Aug. 4 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Sat. Aug. 5 - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sun. Aug. 6 - 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Mon. Aug. 7 - CLOSED

We'll resume regular store hours on Tuesday, Aug. 8th.

Molly and Robbie will be at the store and should be able to help you with most anything.

Thanks as always for your continued support and we'll see you when we get back.

Seymour is one of the pups we'll be visiting on our vacation.

A big thanks to all of you!

We want to THANK YOU all for voting for us in the CBS4 Boston A List contest. Many, many thanks to everyone that took the time to vote and many thanks as well for all the kind words you left us on our testimonial page.

Thanks as well for voting us #1 Choice for Pet Stores in the Roslindale/West Roxbury area in the annual Readers' Choice Awards sponsored by the Community Newspapers Company.

We really appreciate your patronage and promise to keep looking for ways to keep your pets happy and healthy in as natural a way as possible.

Mary, Marley, and Topo thank you too.

Topo Giogio update

A brief Topo the Cat update for you...yesterday, our pals Marybeth and Joanne came in with their new puppy Kevin, an adorable and feisty 12 week old Cairn Terrier. Kevin was enjoying the place when Topo came up from the basement and noticed a puppy in the house.
Immediately, Topo trotted over to him and placed him in a headlock. Kevin was clearly confused for a second or two and then quickly turned the tables on Topo. The two went rolling off in a puppy-kitty heap up and down the length of the store. This sometimes alarming display went on for several minutes until Kevin chased Topo under one of the cat food shelves. Kevin was disappointed that playtime was over. Topo was exhausted.
We're sorry that we didn't have any cameras around to grab some action shots of the brawl, but we'd like to invite Kevin back for a grudge re - match. Topo is already in training.

This vaccination thing

So this is the time of year that we see a large number of puppies and kittens. Lots of adorable little ones are coming into the store and we are so happy to see all of them...the cuteness factor has been cranked up so much that it is almost too much to take.
Many new owners are coming in with lots of questions about how best to care for their new pets and we are delighted to help in any way we can. There is though, one particular topic we'd like ALL pet owners to think about. That is how frequently you are going to vaccinate your pet.
Typically, yearly vaccinations have been recommended for cats and dogs but now the necessity of this practice is being questioned. Indeed, yearly vaccinations may in fact be doing more harm than good. Illness and allergic reaction can occur in otherwise healthy pets after a vaccination, especially for older pets or those with an already compromised immune system (i.e. many, if not most pets taken from "stress" situations like a shelter).
We're going to recommend that you visit a couple of Web sites that spend quite a bit of time discussing the vaccination debate. One of those sites is Shirley's Wellness Cafe and the other is Jeane's Holistics
You don't have to believe or agree with any or all of the information that is presented in these forums, but we ask that you educate yourselves to the choices around vaccinating and to the alternatives to vaccinating, such as using homeopathic nosodes.
Please BE AWARE of what your choices are and don't just blindly do what your vet (or doctor) tells you to do unless you thoroughly understand it and are comfortable with it. We all want our animal pals to live a good, long, healthy life and we're responsible for making decisions about their care. Let's try to make the best, most informed decisions we can make for them.

The newest addition

So I've been holding out on you kids a bit because I have neglected to tell you of a new addition to The Pet Cabaret family of animals. Currently we have Marley the 12 year old Cock-a-poo, Mary the 12 year old Mini Poodle, now the "newest" boy, 10 year old Topo Gigio the cat. Both Marley and Mary are rescue pooches. Marley comes from The Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA and Mary comes from Poodle Rescue New England.
And now, thanks to our pals at the Mass. Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(MSPCA), we have Mr.Topo.
He is a very good boy and adapting well to being a "working cat". He seems to love dogs and trots out to greet most every visiting dog that comes into the store. He plays with the smaller dogs very nicely and likes to "light up" bigger dogs by running by them in a big hurry. Our pal, Scott Dunmore, who is a wonderful dog trainer (617.892.5042 ) installed a kitty door for Topo and now he seems to know he can engage in this risky behavior and still get away safely. At least he has a hobby...Topo, that is, not Scott.

Nag, nag, nag...all you do is nag me.....

A reminder for those interested in attending the Animal Communication lecture on Wednesday, June 21st, at 7:00 PM. It is filling up, so please give us a call at 617.327.4211 or drop us an email at petcabaret@rcn.com to register. The last lecture was fun and informative and the readings were great, so feel free to drop by and hang out with us.

If you haven't done so already, it'd be great if you could vote for us as "Boston's Best Pet Store" at http://cbs4boston.cityvoter.com We'd really appreciate your vote.

And not to be a nag but...flea and tick season hasn't yet kicked into high gear so...while you still have a little time, we'd strongly urge all dog and cat owners to come in and investigate our chemical free flea and tick repellents by AromaDog and Quantum Herbal Products. Please consider a less harmful alternative (for your pet, for yourself, and for the environment) than applying harsh chemicals to your animal. We're finding our non-chemical choices to be effective and safe so please call us or drop by to check them out.

Quick updates

Hi there,

Just to let you all know a couple of things...The Pet Cabaret just got nominated as "Best Pet Supply Store" in the Boston area on CBS Ch.4. If you have a moment, it'd be great if you could navigate over to http://cbs4boston.cityvoter.com/CategoryList.aspx and cast a vote for us. We're under the "Shopping" category, in "Pet Supplies". We'd really appreciate it.

Also, due to popluar demand we are having our animal communicator, Janet Kennedy back for another talk. She'll be at The Pet Cabaret on Wednesday, June 21st, at 7:00 PM for a lecture and readings. Like the last time, Janet will do 15 minute readings for attendees after the talk. The talk is free, but the cost for those readings will be $25.00. The last talk was very well attended so please sign up early for this one by calling us st 617-323-7387.

Cleaning up after the kids

So we all know that living with pets is largely a very enjoyable thing. We love them, they love us, we play with them, we talk to them, we hang out...mostly all cool things, until we get to cleaning up after them.
Needless to say we should all be cleaning up after them on walks. It's just too easy to do. There are dozens of poop bag holders and many different types of poop bags. We sell quite a few at The Pet Cabaret and we don't even scratch the surface of the "world of poop paraphernalia".
For those with yards cleaning up is also an important, if not elegant chore. It's really an important thing to do as the weather becomes warmer. Disposing of dog doo helps keep your yard free of pests and disease and is an important step in keeping pets healthy. It's one of those things that just has to be done.
To make things even easier, there is a new service in the Boston area that can help out with maintaining pristine puppy territory and it's called Pup Cleanup. These lovely people come to your home and take care of your dog's "output". They'll pick it up and dispose of it, so you don't have to. They'll come on a regular basis or for a one time cleanup and their prices are resonable, so give them a call. There's no more excuses.

Party time and You're Invited!!

Hey kids, this is to let you know that a great local all breed rescue group, Underdog ResQ, is having their first annual Cocktail Party/Urban BBQ.

It'll be taking place on Sunday, July 16, 2006 at the 33 Restaurant and Lounge, on 33 Stanhope Street in Boston. Festivities will go from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. They'll be games, auctions, raffles and lots of great food and drink.

Tickets are $75.00 for one ticket or $125.00 for two tickets.

There are excellent raffle prizes including two first class US Airways tickets to anywhere in the US and a 1 week stay at a dog-friendly, 4 bedroom Nantucket home. Raffle tickets are $20.00 each and are available at The Pet Cabaret.

Event and raffle tickets can be purchased at www.underdogresq.com and donations are welcome if you cannot attend the event.

Please think about attending this event if you can. The Underdog ResQ people are a very cool, very caring, and very dedicated group of all breed rescuers that richly deserve our support.

Again with the Herbal Flea and Tick Repellents

So the news is good with the herbal flea and tick repellents from Quantum Herbal Products and from AromaDog.

We sold completely out of our first shipment of products in less than a week and are getting excellent reports on their efficacy. So far, all of our users have reported that their pets are remaining flea and tick free. It's true that we haven't yet gotten into the high heat of the summer, but many people were finding ticks on their pets even this early in the season, so we see these early reports as very positive.

To help keep your pets healthy and pest free we recommend the following:

1. Feed a minimally processed diet. If home cooking or raw-feeding is not for you, feed an excellent quality kibble such as Wysong, Innova, Artemis, or Solid Gold and add fresh foods to the animal's diet.

2. Supplement pets with a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement such as Nupro or Wholistic Pet Canine Complete. This helps to build and maintain healthy immune systems. A healthy animal is much more resistant to parasites and other pests.

3. Use herbal or homeopathic flea and tick repellents, carefully following the application instructions.

4. Check your pet often for fleas and ticks. If you do find one (or more), remove it with a flea comb or a tick puller. Drown the univited visitor in a small container filled with water and a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid.

5. Remember that all these cool foods and products are available at The Pet Cabaret.

"Talk" to you all soon.

Herbal Flea and Tick Repellents

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our new line of herbal flea and tick repellents from Quantum Herbal Products. We are carrying their 100% Natural Flea and Tick Spray and their Worm/Parasite Formula tincture. We look forward to using these two products in tandem to help protect pets from fleas and ticks this season with out using that harsh chemical junk.

We're also carrying the Calendula tincture and their Pet Cream salve. Both products have wonderful skin healing properties and the cream is especially good for wounds and hot spots.

Let us know if you'd like to try these great products, or if you've had experience with them in the past. We're excited to have them in the store to complement our other line of natural flea and tick repellents from Aromadog and Natural Chemistry.