Fenway Bark and Fairy Dog Parents on NBC Nightly News!!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Does your dog have a New Year's resolution to behave better? How about enrolling in one of our training courses?

Fenway Bark believes that our training should be effective, humane, and most importantly fun!  Our training is completely reward based, which is focused on building desired behaviors to replaces the ones you would rather live without!  Check out our class descriptions to see what best fits you and your dog!  If you have any questions or not sure what class you might need, please contact Trisha (trisha@fenwaybarkonline.com) or Tenley (tenley@fenwaybarkonline.com) for more information!

Little League 

Having a new puppy is exciting, fun, but can also be a frustrating time!  Don't worry, we are here to help!  This class will introduce all of the basic training cues, such as: sit, down, stay and come, along with addressing basic household manners, such as: jumping, chewing and leash manners.  In addition to weekly training, your puppy will develop their social skills with supervised off leash playtime.  This is a 7 week class for puppies, 10 weeks to 5 months of age, with no previous training!

Farm League

This 7 week class is perfect for graduates of puppy training or dogs over the age of 5 months with little to no previous training.  Our farm leaguers are introduced to cues, such as: attention, sit, down, stay, come, and loose leash walking.  Once these behaviors are taught, we will then work on proofing thse cues to make the behaviors reliable in any situation.  We will also introduce more advances cues, such as: heel, leave it, and stay with both distractions and distance.  This class will also help you and your dog prepare for the Canine Good Citizenship test.  

Major League

This class is for dogs with previous training or graduates of a basic obedience class.  In this class, we will add distractions to the cues previously taught and add hand commands, in order to give you a new way to communicate with your dog.  We will also add more advanced cues to our heel, including, return to heel, easy and hurry.  This class is a must for anyone thinking about competitive obedience.

Private Coaching/Lessons

Sometimes you just want to work on certain behaviors a bit longer, or maybe your schedule is a bit to hectic to fit into a class we already have running, no worries!  We will also be offering private training lessons for your and your dog.  These sessions will be offered by the hour or by 4 hours, that you can spilt up and use how you like.

We are excited to help you and your family have a well behaved dog and have some fun together, too!

A Message from Jane

As the sun begins to rise in the East over Fenway Bark and the Blizzard of 2010 becomes fully visible from our enviable view on the Boston harbor, I have had time to reflect upon the Fenway Bark vision, our effectiveness so far meeting that vision, and where we need to go from here.

The mission for Fenway Bark has been public and unchanged since we were founded over a year and half ago.  How well are we doing toward our mission with our first Holiday guests on board, the first blizzard and travel challenge, and a array of medical and individual specific needs for our guests as part of our every day agenda all in our first 5 days of boarding guests?

I'm happy to report that we I am delighted with the outcome.  Let me give you some examples of how the mission played out:

• When our veterinary technicians identified an allergy skin issue with one of our guests, they proactively worked with the pet's veterinarian and parents to improve our guest's comfort while in our care and following her departure.  With her veterinarian ordered medication change, our team carefully followed her condition and worked together to improve her comfort level throughout her stay.
• When one of our senior citizen guests had some, well, issues with incontinence, our team understood both the condition that comes with age and how to handle a senior citizen to keep him both hygienically safe, comfortable and loved.
• When one of our young energetic boarders needed regular exercise because he typically runs with his mom daily, we developed a fun, exhausting retrieval game on each shift to wear him out and keep him exercised.
• With a little bit of separation anxiety noted, our staff took turns curling up with the sweetest little Golden/Chow mix and sleeping next to her on her dog bed until she was OK on her own.
• And when a blizzard hit Boston, our team pulled together to make sure that there was coverage of all key positions while ensuring the staff was able to travel safely, a warm area to play and walk in our indoor park, and where established, continued their pledge to take public transportation to reduce Fenway Bark's carbon footprint.

I guess one of the best testaments I can personally give is that given the blizzards imminent arrival, I personally chose to bring my Senior Citizen, Corky, to Fenway Bark because it was a better place for him than home where he would have otherwise had to go out in the blizzard with his arthritis, restricted vision, and unstable legs.  In making that decision, I achieved one of my goals:  to build a dog hotel where I would board my own dogs.


So where do we go from here? 

There is still work to be done to finish the construction of Fenway Bark, add some special offerings we will tell you about in January, and launch most of our key services in the next 6 weeks.  We will resume taking daycare and overnight guests once our main luxury boxes are completed in the last week of January and will be ready to have your pet as our guest for Valentine's Day weekend, winter break, and spring break.  However, we recommend you register now and make sure your reservations are in place soon.

We continue to plan two important events:  1)  Puppy Love on February 12 which brings together a number of rescue organization at one time at Fenway Bark with the hope of helping some fine dogs and cats find their forever home.

We will have some special guests that day including a book signing by Larry Levin, author of Oogy:  A Dog Only a Family Could Love.  Copies of the book will be available for sale in the Fenway Bark boutique.

Tours, a raffle to raise money for the shelters with some coveted donations made from generous local contributors, entertainment, and refreshments will be available, as well.  Please plan on attending and maybe bringing home a new family member or at least help raise some money to help out the dogs and cats until they find their forever home. 

On February 27 we plan on having our official Grand Opening all day.  We hope you will mark your calendars to attend.

On a more basic note, events aside, we, as a team, are creating something that feels really right, that is working well, and we can be very proud of what we accomplished so far.

We will continue to listen, improve, launch new services, and hopefully delight you as Boston area pet owner.

We look forward to your visit and meeting your furry family members soon.

To register or make reservations, please go to our website through the link.

On behalf of the entire team, health and happiness in the New Year!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas from the guests at Fenway Bark!

Happy Holidays from the Guests at Fenway Bark!

Opening Day!

We are excited to share with you that all the features of Fenway Bark will be opening by the end of January 2011 (except hydrotherapy which will be April). 

Our retail store will be open prior to the holidays and we will be offering some terrific deals on holiday toys, bedding, and treats for last minute shoppers. Stay tuned for more information!

Our hotel/boarding facility, including luxury suites, will be available after January 17, 2010.  Our daycare is anticipated to start approximately the same time.  S


Training classes will begin in earnest on January 17.  See the prior entry blog for more information about training classes.  If you are bringing a puppy into your home for the holidays, we highly encourage you to engage your pup into a positive method, small class training program for puppies like Fenway Bark offers starting in January.  We are booking these classes now and look forward to filling the last few spots in the next week.

On January 16 we will be having a Pet Tech First Aid course at Fenway Bark.  The course is $99 and is a great gift to any responsible pet family member.  We are taking reservations for that course, as well, right now.

Finally, mark your calendars:  we will be having a "Puppy Love" adoption event on February 12 and a Grand Opening party on February 26!!

Stay tuned for more information about our very special soiree for pets and their families!

Fenway Bark Sponsors Fairy DogParents Event on December 11, 2010

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends 

- The Beatles

Those lyrics never rang more true than to those who have been helped by a wonderful organization called Fairy DogParents. 

 
Fairy DogParents is a 501c3 organization that endeavors to provide financial assistance to pet families who are in financial need so that pets can stay with their families and not be surrendered to shelters.  They have been responsible for providing pet food to pet food pantries, grant money for much needed medical procedures, surgeries and prosthetics, and keeping families, human and canine, together during the worst of times.

During difficult and unpredictable financial times, when life throws enough daggers to wound even the most hardy of working warriors, it is comforting to know that there is an organization like Fairy DogParents to prevent a crippling blow to an already difficult life situation by helping avoid the surrender of pets for lack of financial resources.

That's why Fenway Bark decided to sponsor this year's

Howliday Fundraiser for Fairy Dog Parents 

December 11, 2010 

from 3 pm to 7 pm 

Fairy DogParents mission dovetails beautifully into Fenway Bark's celebration of the special relationship between humans and dogs and we are proud to host Fairy DogParent's fundraiser.

The Fairy DogParents Howliday Party will be your first opportunity to preview Fenway Bark before opening for business the next week.  You will have the opportunity to meet our team, see our facility, shop for unique and quality Howliday gifts in our retail shop, and enjoy the Howlidays with other Fairy DogParent patrons.

We hope that everyone who reads this blog will pass it on to friends and family and also plan to attend the December 11 event.  Tickets are sold in advance on the Fairy DogParents website and can be purchased at the door for $10.  Children and dogs are welcome and encouraged.

All you have to imagine for a moment is yourself in the shoes of someone facing the surrender of their family pet to a shelter because of lack of resources and how $10 might make the difference of keeping your family dog or not to decide whether the ticket price is worth it. 

Please plan on joining us!  It will be a howling good time! We will be taking reservations at our concierge desk that evening for dog guests that may want to stay with us in the future.

If you can't join the fun, please consider a donation because it may be wonderful gift you are giving someone who is down on their luck. 

Directions: Please find directions on our Fenway Bark web site.  We recommend you follow the directions because GPS only gets you to the west end of the building.

Parking:  Ample free parking on the North side of building in front of Fenway Bark.

Public Transportation:  Silver Line, Black Falcon Bus Stop

When Customer Service is a Must. . .

Fenway Bark has worked extremely hard to find top notch Guest Services Specialists and we are delighted to announce that we have found a group of outstanding people to join our team who deeply embrace customer service and achieving excellence in their work.  

What do our Guest Services Specialists do?

Simply put, they work with you to ensure that your furry family member gets the services he/she needs while in our care.  

Guest Services Specialists are the first point of contact for you when you call Fenway Bark and are the same people who ensure your billing is correct, your questions are answered, and that you have the appointments you need in the future to ensure your pup, for example, has a mani/pedi on the books when the holidays roll around and you need your pup in your family portrait.  Our Guest Services Specialists know our products and services and if they can't answer a question directly, will ensure we get a resource from the team to address your question quickly.  

Our Guest Service Specialists will be answering the phone live starting December 13 to book your appointments, answer your questions, arrange tours and temperament testing.  Fenway Bark's phone number is memorable, 617-464-4DOG!  Until the 13th, please leave a message on our voice mail box or email us and we will return your call within 24 hours.  


We apologize for the delay in launching our on line reservation system.  We have given our webmaster some breathing room in light of some personal challenges in her family.  We should be up and running by the 13th, we suspect.

We would like to introduce you to one of 
Guest Services Specialists today, 
Rachel Costa! 

Rachael Costa has always had a passion for animals. Born and raised in Brookline, MA, she has always called the Hub her home.  Her passion for animals is evident through her volunteer work with the Standish Humane Society and Fairy Dog Parents and the grooming salon she owned and operated for four years. 

Rachel always enjoys seeing her regular clients and loves getting to know the new ones.  

We know that you will enjoy working with Rachel as much as we do.  Not only is she really knowledgeable but is also a consummate professional and a really delightful person!  We are so happy she has joined the Fenway Bark team!

Look for more information about Fairy Dog Parents and Fenway Bark in blog posts coming up very soon!

Casting Call for Animal Planet!

Animal Planet has a casting call for a number of their upcoming productions and show ideas.  According to a message I received from their Associate Producer:

NOW CASTING!!! Our hope is that all of the above Specials and Series will get renewed for another season on Animal Planet. We would love to hear your NEW great stories or watch your NEW endearing home videos of your dog or cat to see if they would be a good fit on one our new Specials or Series. To apply simply email me at jward@powderhouse.net – include your contact information with a description of your story or a link to your videos (depending on what show you are applying for).

Must Love Cats.  Do you think our host should visit you and your cat because your story truly unique?  If so, we want to hear from you.  See below for some ideas:

FUNKY FELINE PEEPS - These are people who's world is cat centric. In the first season of Must Love Cats we will meet a performer in Chicago who performs along side her cats, a man in Seattle who rescues cats out of trees as a living as well as a man in Minnesota who has transform his entire house to be a cat paradise.  Do you have a story that tops these?

THAT IS ONE AMAZING CAT - These are cats who are one of a kind.  In the first season of Must Love Cats we will meet a cat in Seattle who is a photographer, a cat in San Mato who is a klepto cat and a four-ear from Illinois.  Is your cat extraordinary?

KITTY CITY - These are stories about big populations of cats - but are NOT cat hoarders. These are places that are really cool and unique - filled with cats.  In the first season of Must Love Cats we will visit Cat House On The Kings in CA who currently has over 500 cat residence as well as visit Cedar Hill Sanctuary in Mississippi who provides homes for both big and little cats.  Do you have a kitty city that is rare and unusual in its own special way?

CAT LAB - These are stories about cat research where we find out cool information about cats. In the first season of Must Love Cats we get the 101 on why cats spray, kitty litter, obesity in cats as well as why cats love catnip.  Should we visit your cool cat research?

CAT LOVE - These are extraordinary stories of love between a cat and his person. These are current stories about a cat who saved his person’s life, cats who overcame amazing odds to be with her family, or people whose lives were dramatically changed by their cat. Is this you and your cat?

America's Cutest Dog & America's Cutest Cat 
Everyone can participate!  Send us a link to your NEW adorable cat and/or dog YouTube videos along with your contact information to be in the running for America's Cutest. NOTE:  If you have sent a video in for a previous Cutest show, please do not resend your clip.  It is automatically submitted to the next Cutest show.

DOGS 101 
Though we have featured quite a few breeds on the first three seasons of DOGS 101 but we are still looking for unique stories on the following breeds:

American Foxhounds, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, Bearded Collies, Bedlington Terriers, Belgian Tervuren, Briards, Black Russian Terriers, Bluetick Coonhounds, Belgian Malinois, Bouviers des Flandres, Brussels Griffon, Canaan Dogs, Clumber Spaniels, Dogo Argentino, Dogues de Bordeaux, English Setters, English Toy Spaniels, Finnish Lapphund, Finnish Spitz, Flat-Coat Retrievers, Giant Schnauzers, Glen of Imaal Terriers, Great Swiss Mountain Dog, Ibizan Hounds, Irish Red & White Setters, Japanese Chin, Keeshond, Kerry Blue Terriers, Kuvaszok, Lowchen, Lundehund, Miniature Bull Terriers, Neapolitan Mastiffs, Norwegian Elkhound, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Otterhound, Pharaoh Hounds, Petit Basset Briffon Vendeen, Plotts, Polish Lowland Sheepdogs, Pyrenean Shepherds, Schipperkes, Scottish Terriers, Sealyham Terriers, Spinoni Italiani, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Swedish Vallhunds, Tibetan Terriers

PETS 101 
Do you have an unusual pet (bird, reptile, rodent, fish, farm animal, ect) with an amazing story?  If so, we want to hear from you!

Thank you so much for supporting Powderhouse Productions and Animal Planet!

Jessie Ward
Associate Producer
Powderhouse
(M) 617.908.4899
(F)  617.284.2929
212 Elm Street
Somerville, MA 02144
www.powderhouse.net

Welcome to the Fenway Bark team Vickie Bunty, licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist

We would like to welcome Vickie Bunty, licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist, to the Fenway Bark family!

Vickie has over 25 years of experience in the health care field including therapeutic massage, speech-language therapy, sports medicine, aromatherapy, and of course, acupuncture.  She has treated a wide variety of animals including dogs, cats, and horses.   Specializing in orthopedic injuries, headaches, and digestive problems, Vickie's expertise will allow you to rest easy, knowing that your pet is in the hands of a trusted professional.

Being a teacher at New England School of Acupuncture, Vickie is able to keep up-to-date on the latest developments in acupuncture & alternative medicine, making her an invaluable asset to Fenway Bark. 

We look forward to having Vickie on our team!  

Vickie will be at Fenway Bark every Monday.  While your dog is at Fenway Bark, why not include a therapeutic massage or acupuncture to your pup's stay? Your dog will thank you for the extra level of care.

Welcome to the team, Vicki!

Register today at Fenway Bark by clicking here.

Howl-o-ween Celebrations in Beantown!

Boston may be rated the 4th worst place to have a dog but Fenway Bark and a lot of fun loving people (and dogs) are trying to change that ranking for the better by offering really cool events.  This coming October 30 is clearly Howl-o-ween in Boston!  Here are a couple of events you may want to consider:

•  Liberty Hotel Howl-o-ween, October 27, 5:30 - 8:00 pm
• Mike 93.7 FM - Dog Howl-o-ween costume contest at Faneuil Hall
• Audrey's on Newberry Street - ARL adoption event
• MSPCA Howl-o-ween adoption events October 29 - 31, 2010.

Remember that Fenway Bark on Facebook is having a virtual Howl-o-ween parade all month.  Post a picture of your dog in costume and possibly win a two night stay for your pup in one of our luxury boxes!

Here is a recipe for pumpkin dog cookies that you and your pup might enjoy making and taste testing together.  While you are at it, how about carving a pumpkin in your dog's likeness?
If you know of other Howl-o-ween events that you would like us to publish before Saturday, October 30, please send them to jane@fenwaybarkonline.com and we will be happy to send an update to the Fenway Bark community.

Our on line registration is now available!   Register now so we are ready to have your pup as a guest when you need us. Registering now will also afford you the opportunity to receive promotions and discounts from Fenway Bark when we open in late Fall.

Register Now at Fenway Bark!

We are delighted to share with you the link to our registration page!  We recognize that completing the registration will take a few minutes but it is really important to capture important information about your pet so that we can provide best in care service for you and your pet.  Depending on the special needs of your pets, the form should take 5 - 15 minutes to complete.

You will need your veterinary vaccination records and the name of your pet's food to complete the registration.

We highly recommend that you register now even if you don't have an immediate need so that your records are up to date when you need dog or cat care services in a crunch.  Once your registration is complete, making a reservation will be as simple as going on line or calling 617-464-4364 to talk to our concierge.

Our online reservation system will open shortly.  We will do our best to return phone calls for reservations as quickly as possible.  We apologize for return calls taking more than 48 hours.  We are increasing our staff imminently to meet the demand.

If you would like to secure a $10 gift certificate to Fenway Bark, please complete a 10 questions survey telling us about your needs and preferences.  The $10 certificate will be sent to you shortly before we open toward the end of November.

Click here to take survey

Thank you for your input and we look forward to meeting you soon!

We want to get to know you and your pet(s) better!

Fenway Bark will be opening soon and before we open we would like to get a better understanding of you, our valuable future customers.  Please take a moment to answer a brief 10 question survey that will help us understand your needs and your priorities.

If you complete the survey and provide your contact information, we will send you a $10 gift certificate for your time and effort helping us understand you and your pet's needs.

Click here to take survey

Our on line registration window will open tomorrow evening and our reservation phone line will be opening on Tuesday with on line reservations soon to follow.  Please be sure to have your pets vaccination records on hand for the registration.

Thank you again for taking the time to complete the survey.

American Dog - Halo

Halo wasn’t born at a posh breeder’s facility, wasn’t promised to a loving family before taking her first breath, or showered with puppy toys early in life.  Halo was born at the MSPCA in Boston and although finely cared for while in their steed, didn’t find a home until four months old.  Halo was brought to a foster home where she quickly learned commands, and after a number of months, was given a stellar report card.

 

Enter Linda.

 

Linda, believing in adoption as the way to find the perfect dog, adopted Halo and brought her into her home.  She and her husband, Russell, made Halo a part of their family.  With the love, affection, and security of her forever family, Halo blossomed into a wonderful spirited and devoted dog who is Linda’s best friend. 

 

A perfect companion and greeter, Halo now joins Linda as her co-worker at her new business, Urban Exchange, at 36 A Street where Linda features upscale consignment home furnishings, edgy artwork, and unique items to decorate a home with style.  It's about recylcing those special pieces for someone else to enoy.

 

If you happen to be heading to the Red Line at Broadway, swing around the corner and say “Hi!” to Linda and give Halo a good scratch.  You will be glad you did and your home will undoubtedly be treated to a refreshing new item, too. 

Dogtoberfest 2010 - SoWa Sunday

We had so much fun at Dogtoberfest at the SoWa Market in the South End on Sunday, October 10.  We met (and gave some love) to well over 250 dogs, as calculated by the amount of frozen doggy yogurt dispensed!. 

The South End is such a vibrant, wonderful community and we truly appreciated your warm welcome, your interest in Fenway Bark, and your suggestions for ways we can continue to enhance our product offerings to meet your needs.



It is our continued dialogue that will help us shape Fenway Bark to continue to be the Premier Destination for the Discriminating Dog! We thank both Dr. KC from the South Boston Animal Hospital and Yoghund for joining us to meet and greet the South End community and the pups that are part of making it great!


Registration and reservations begin on October 18!  Based on feedback yesterday and the NABB parade the prior week, we will have a full house for the holidays so we recommend your reserve early! 

Today is International Dogs Rule Day! Prepare to Register Your Dog/Cat with Fenway Bark

Today, according to the Pedigree website, is International Dogs Rule Day.  The website provides you with 101 Ways to Show Your Dog You Love Them.  There are a lot of good ideas on this list, many of which I am sure your well loved dog appreciates you for already.

One thing your dog is hoping you will do to show him/her your love is to begin to prepare to register your dog at Fenway Bark!  It is only a matter of 10 days before we open our registration and reservation systems!  We are beta testing our system this week to shake out any bugs and all is going very, very well. 

What do we mean by "prepare to register" your dog?  Well, we are going to warn you in advance that our registration form is comprehensive (but efficient for multiple dogs!).  We ask a lot of questions so that we have as much information as we feel we need to ensure our future guests have a very positive experience from day one.  The information helps us ensure that your pet has current vaccinations, what type of playgroup is likely to work, and anticipate your pet's needs and more.

We offer an apology upfront for the length of the registration form but there is a very important benefit to you, the caring and thoughtful parent:  Once you register with Fenway Bark, the records are automatically accessible by our daycare staff, hotel staff, groomers, physical therapists, customer service specialists, food experts, and the entire professional staff of Fenway Bark. 

You no longer will have to provide individual providers with updated records on vaccinations, allergies, behavioral bug-a-boos, food preferences, medicine administration requirements, and more as long as long as you choose Fenway Bark's services for your pet's care (obviously if you choose services outside of Fenway Bark, you will need to continue to provide all the important records to your other care providers and keep those records up to date).  If you haven't been asked for this information by your groomer, dog walker, etc., it is one more reason you should consider Fenway Bark going forward.

Additionally, if you need to make a change to your pup's profile (e.g., change of medicine), you can go on our registration site any time of night or day and make an adjustment to your pet's registration to ensure that all the information is current and accurate. 

Even if you don't have plans to use Fenway Bark's services in the immediate future, we recommend that you carve out time between October 18 and October 31 to register your dog(s) and cat(s) so that when you have to make a reservation, all of your information is already up to date and you are ready to make a reservation without delay. 

Proactively registering your pets will reduce your stress when you get sent out of town for a business trip unexpectedly or a New England Nor'Easter changes your well honed travel plans and your pet care plans are suddenly shaken to their foundation.

Preparing is simple.

• Make sure all of your pet's vaccines are up to date.  Our health requirements for dogs are on our website under game rules. Our cat requirements will be posted shortly.  

• Secure a copy of your individual pet's veterinary records and complete the registration form.  Giving your veterinarian's office a window of a week or so to give you the form will put less stress on them and their busy days.

• Make note of medicines and herbal remedies currently administered and the frequency it is provided.  

• Have a digital picture of your pet ready to upload (optional but encouraged, particularly if you have multiple pets).

• Finally, either ask your veterinarian or take a moment yourself to fax a copy of the vaccination record to Fenway Bark at 617-507-8271.  Make sure each pet's name is clearly noted on the form.

 We know this is a new system for securing all of your adjunct pet care needs in one place and it will be a new experience for you instead of trying to reach many providers with your valuable spare time.  Although it is new, we are confident you will like it! 

Welcome to a new world where the best vetted adjunct care and advice can be found under one roof (note: our advice is never a substitute for your veterinarian's sound advice). 

Welcome to a New World. . .Welcome to Fenway Bark!

IED Sniffing Dogs Working with Marines

Here is a GREAT story that captures the important role that dogs play in our lives.  The Marines are deploying dogs to help sniff out IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) which may result in more of our soldiers coming back alive and uninjured.  I'm thankful for every dog and dog handler that has helped our troops and the innocent people who are at risk of being killed and injured by IEDs.

We are also proud to have NEADS as one of our charitable partners to supply service dogs to combat veterans returning from the Middle East who are injured in the service of our Country.



To those in old Southie who are posting tasteless and concerning signs because of dog poop left behind, take a moment to watch this video and then think about what you are saying and what kind of message you are sending to your neighbors, children in the neighborhood, and what signs like that say about you as a person. 

As Gandhi said,  

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”.

Fenway Bark's Dogs Have Talent!

Hello, this is Jess Ward with America's Cutest Dog II.

I work for Animal Planet's television network on their special - America's Cutest Dog II. We are currently searching for cute dog videos to air on our special – especially dogs in cute costumes! These can be home videos – they do not have to be professionally done!  All it takes is 30 seconds to 1 minute of doggie cuteness to be in the running for America's Cutest Dog.  NO PICTURES PLEASE - ONLY VIDEOS!

Submitting is easy and can be done on-line in just a few minutes. Our show will feature the best videos of dogs and puppies doing the most amazing, hilarious and just plain adorable things.  We have narrowed down the categories are are looking for the following videos:

• DRESSED TO THE K-NINES - dogs in cute costumes looking adorable
• DANCING WITH THE DOGS - dogs that like to shake their booty (without music)
• LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE - dogs that snore, bark, dream, or walk in their sleep
• THE HOUND OF MUSIC - dogs that like to sing, play a music instrument or both
• AWWWWW INSPIRING - dogs that have an amazing talent
• ODD COUPLES - dogs that have an unusual best friend - pig, horse, bird, baby
• THESE PAWS WERE MADE FOR WALKING - dogs that walk in an usual way - on two legs, backwards, in doggie booties, ect.
• DOGS DO THE DARNDEST THINGS - dogs doing something that makes you laugh

If interested, please follow the below instructions and email me at dogsvscats@powcasting.com with the below info:
1. Subject: America's Cutest Dog - Attention Heather & Jessie
2. Your Name and contact information
3. Your dog's name, gender, age and breed
4. quick description of video(s)

Instructions on how to upload your video are attached. It takes less than 3 minutes via SendSpace on the Internet.  Also included is our Animal Planet Release, which states you own the video(s) and are allowing us to submit it to America's Cutest Dog II.  YOU STILL OWN THE RIGHTS TO YOUR VIDEO(S) - NOT US!

If you want to know how your clip would be used please go to America's Cutest Dog I to see some of the clips we picked for last years show:
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/top-10-cutest-dogs/

If you dog does make the top 40 you will be notified of the air date and will be sent a DVD of the show once it airs.  If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email or give me a ring at 617.908.4899.

Videos must be submitted ASAP - latest October 11th!

Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you soon.

Announcing the Fenway Bark virtual Howl-een Parade!

Throughout the entire month of October we invite you to post pictures of your pup in costume on our Facebook site! We will pick winners on October 31. The grand prize is a two night stay for one dog in a luxury box at Fenway Bark! We will have some additional prizes, as well.

We have a great Fenway Bark community and I look forward to seeing our future guests mugging it up for the camera!

Neighborhood Association of Back Bay (NABB) Pooch Parade!

We had a lot of fun meeting the nice folks and their dogs who were participating in the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay Pooch Parade!  We met everything from toy poodles to Bernese Mountain Dogs who were walking Commonwealth Ave for the event.  Each enjoyed a frozen cup of yogurt courtesy of Yoghund and Fenway Bark!

From Videos

If your neighborhood association would like to learn more about Fenway Bark, please let us know when we can join an upcoming meeting and we will be happy to come and share more information or participate in a neighborhood event!

Thanks to NABB for inviting Fenway Bark to their parade. We look forward to seeing your neighbors at Fenway Bark!

Fenway Bark at Back Bay Dog Parade on Saturday!

Fenway Bark and Yoghund have joined together to celebrate the return of a Back Bay tradition - the Dog Parade!  Fenway Bark and Yoghund will be rewarding all the dogs who participate in the Back Bay parade with a free frozen yogurt.  If you are in Back Bay around 11 am on Saturday, please join the celebration!

We were shopping and enjoying the best of Newbury Street on Saturday and stopped in Audrey's at 296 Newbury Street to meet Brittany, the store owner, and her husband.  They have a wonderful pet supplies shop in Back Bay.  If you haven't stopped by, be sure to head in and see what they have to offer. Brittany is super nice and they are a small business that needs support.  Thanks for taking the time to visit them.

On of our very own Board Members is getting National recognition on Friday.  Be sure to keep your eyes tuned to the blog and Facebook for more information about one of our own in the spotlight!

Finally, the video below is viral at this point but if you haven't seen it, it is worth a few seconds out of your day.  It is another example of how dogs are just extraordinary in so many ways.  Enjoy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Did Animals Make Us More Human - Interesting Article in the Boston Globe

Where animals are part of society, society advances.  Very interesting article on Boston.com.
What does this say about people who are adverse to animals or are cruel? Food for thought around the water cooler.

Slide Show of MSPCA Walk

Enjoy!

Reporting from the MSPCA: Walk for Animals

We had a wonderful time meeting fabulous dogs and their families at the MSPCA walk yesterday!  We handed out over 500 Yoghund frozen yogurt treats to the dogs that walked and raised money for such a terrific cause!

If you missed the fun or you would like to see yourself in the parade of over 1,000 dogs, take a look at the video below at the start of the parade!

From MSPCA Event September 12 2010

Free Yoghund!

Happy Friday Fenway Bark Fans!

Sunday is the MSPCA Walk for Animals and we hope that you have taken a little time to give what you can afford, even if that is only time volunteering.  The MSPCA does some really terrific work and if you are a fan of this page, you probably understand the importance of their organization.

If you want to participate in the walk or give, click on the link for the MSPCA.

A couple of things:

1)  Fenway Bark and Yoghund will be at the finish line giving out free frozen yogurt to dutiful dogs completing the walk.  We will be in front of the Yoghund van wearing Beansie's picture on the front and the brand logos on the back.

2)  If you "Like" Yoghund in Facebook between now and the end of the walk, you may win a free CASE of Yoghund for your pack.  Can you say Puppy Party?

We look forward to seeing you at the charity walk on Sunday.  It is going to be a grand day!

PS - If you sing the Name Game song ("Banana Fanna Fo Fanna") song with your dog's name at the MSPCA Walk, you may win a special prize!

Fenway Bark and Yoghund Rewarding Dog Walkers at the Finish Line at the MSPCA Walk for Animals!

 

Can you help us with some market research about recreational, fun dog sports?

Click here to take survey

The impact of dogs at Ground Zero on 9/11

Such a moving video from The Dog Files. Thanks to Life with Dogs for making me aware of it.



To those Southie detractors who don't believe dogs belong in cities, I doubt the families of the 9/11 victims would agree.

Does Your Dog Have What It Takes?

Fenway Bark Stay.Play.Heal. has the tag line "The Premier Destination for the Discriminating Dog" for a number of very important reasons.

One reason is that we want to create an environment where you and your dog can come and visit together year round, perhaps as a visitor, a guest, or even a Fenway Bark team member on one of our competitive teams!

We are confident from our floor dimensions that we will be able to offer competitive FlyBall at Fenway Bark!  If you don't know what Flyball is, take a peak at this short video from OK that gives you a 360 degree look at a Flyball competition.

There isn't much FlyBall in the Northeast yet but Fenway Bark plans to change that!  Its too much fun to miss out!  Perhaps the other dog care facility in the area will want to form their own team and it will be like the Sharks and the Jets from West Side Story but the dividing line is I-93. :-) (Rebecca - That's a Flyball Throwdown to you! Let's have some fun in 2011!)


Flyball is great exercise for your dog, a fun time for you and allows you to meet other dog parents (and their pups) who are as passionate about having fun with their dog as you are!

So does your dog have what it takes to be a flyball competitor?  Does your dog have a NEED to RETRIEVE?  We will be introducing our certified agility trainer to you this September who will champion the Flyball team! 

So if you want your dog to be considered for the Flyball training team starting late this Fall, let me know by contacting me at mailto:contactus@fenwaybarkonline.com.  We will have our agility trainer reach out to you in September and we will begin some basic training before we open.

Let's have some fun!

PS - I have this image in my head as I write this of dog parents all over New England sitting next to their prized pups and giving them the pep talk like in Rocky or the opposite, a dog whimpering over not being given the option like Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront- "I could have been a contender.  I could have been somebody.  Instead of dog, which is what I am."  
I guess I have a very vivid imagination, but no more vivid than the fiction that was delivered to my doorstep yesterday.  More to come on that - I truly love a good piece of fiction.

Update

Hi Everyone!

As the summer draws to a close I want to provide you with a brief update on Fenway Bark.

First, I am grateful to all of you who have spread the word about Fenway Bark.  We couldn't ask for a more helpful group of advocates than the Fenway Bark community.  Please continue spreading the word about Fenway Bark.  We hope to make it a place where you and your pups will enjoy visiting together!

Second, I want to convey to you that Fenway Bark is committed to bringing a wealth of vetted dog services to Boston and although we had hoped to open in October, we will be delayed a bit by process and will keep you up to date as things develop.

Here are a couple of things you can look forward to:

• Fenway Bark will be participating in the MSPCA walk on September 12.  Look for us!
• If you didn't see the Facebook post, South Boston Running Emporium on W Broadway is willing to give people a 10% discount if you buy new sneakers from them and give an additional 10% to the MSPCA if you mention Fenway Bark.  As a female, I have to say you can never have enough shoes and the MSPCA walk and the start of the school year are as good of excuses as any to buy new shoes.  Visit Bill Hartford and get some good fitting shoes then take the pup for a long walk on Castle Island.  The MSPCA, Bill, and your dog will thank you!
• If any other non competitive small businesses in South Boston that support the MSPCA and Fenway Bark want to match Bill's offer in an extension of goodwill to the MSPCA, let me know and I'll be happy to use my blog network to cast out the information to help a good cause.
• Fenway Bark will have a booth at the South Boston Street Fair on September 18.  We will have some special giveaways so please bring your pup with you to the festival!

Finally, we are so proud of our charitable partners, Alliance for Animals and NEADS.  When we open we will be working with Alliance for Animals to bring a pet food pantry to South Boston.  NEADS is doing some extraordinary work and they were featured in a Worcester Magazine article today. 
Please take a moment to learn more about them.  We look forward to providing Boston working space for NEADS at Fenway Bark after we open and to have their graduates visit us!

As we slog through some additional process issues, it is a great time for you to provide us with feedback on what you are looking for in a dog care destination and share any ideas you might have. We pride ourselves on listening to our future customers.  We have made some great adjustments to our layout and business plans by listening to you, our future clients, guests, and neighbors

Have faith!  We will open.  Welcome to small business in the 21st Century! Thank you for your support and patience.

Jane

Pet First Aid - Items to have on hand

We know you are a responsible pet parent because otherwise you wouldn't be hooked into our blog.  We are grateful for the growing legion of pet parents who subscribe to Fenway Bark's blog and interact with us through our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and, of course, in person!!

As thoughtful pet parents, I am sure you would be interested to know what types of materials you should have on hand for pet first aid.

This is a contemporary topic for the Fenway Bark Board of Directors having nursed a hot spot this weekend, a tear duct cyst this morning, and a sprained ankle over the past week.  It has been a banner week for the Board of Directors!  Luckily, we had all the right tools on hand and years of experience and training to know what to do to bring them back to their healthy, happy "homeostasis".

So with the thought that you, like us, like to be prepared (once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout), here is a useful list of items that you should have on hand for Pet First Aid. 

Know someone who is just adopted a dog? Why not surprise them with a gift pack of first aid items?  We will have ready gift packs in our retail shop or simply pull together the items from your local supply store and put them in some creative packaging!

Courtesy of PetFinder.com, please find below a list of useful first aid items.

• Sterile gauze pads (3" x 3" and 2" X 2") and gauze bandage rolls (1" and 2")
• First-aid adhesive tape, 1" roll
• Cotton swabs (Q-tips®)
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Plastic freezer/sandwich bags
• Small bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide
• Styptic pencil or cornstarch (stems blood flow from minor cuts)
• Antibacterial ointment
• Antiseptic cleansing wipes
• Kaopectate® or Pepto-Bismol®
• A current pet first-aid book
• Eyewash
• Eyedropper
• Mineral oil (a lubricant and laxative when given by mouth)
• Digital or rectal thermometer in a plastic case
• Leather work gloves (to protect you from being bitten)
• Latex gloves
• Leash
• Thin rope
• Splint materials (tongue depressor, 12-inch wooden ruler or thick magazine)

Place the contents in a storage box where you can easily access it if there is a first aid situation.

On a final note, Fenway Bark will require all its employees to be certified not only in Canine CPR but other first aid and basic care needs.  Additionally, we will be offering pet first aid courses in our meeting room throughout the year.

Please take a moment to vote on the poll to the right of this column on other courses that you may find of interest.