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.