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