September 1, 2010
by AnnB
Pet-centric and stylish homes via Moira at Dog Art Today
For some animal lovers, that means not just buying aesthetically pleasing pet supplies, but creating their own animal-friendly design solutions to complement their human-centric décor.
Amy Britton, an interior designer who owns Artisan Kitchens in Osterville, Mass., on Cape Cod, said that more of her clients are asking her to include amenities for their pets as part of their renovations. One example is a kitchen island with alcoves for food and water dishes, drawers for leashes and treats, and roll-out storage bins to hold bulk kibble.
The Scottie News especially likes the feeding station for cats and dogs. We’re not so sure about the giant turtle in the living room.
Topics: lifestyle
One of the things I love about Toronto is that they allow leashed dogs on the streetcars and subways. It’s a rarity in North America so when I see a woman like this abusing the system, and potentially spoiling it for responsible dog owners, it really makes me furious. I took her picture on Saturday, but she was oblivious. Something tells me that might be her normal state of mind.
Topics: lifestyle | other dog news
Charlotte Reed (author of The Miss Fido Manners Complete Book of Dog Etiquette) and Cheryl Smith (a certified dog behavior consultant and author of Visiting the Dog Park: Having Fun, Staying Safe) tell NBC’s Dog Daily how humans should behave at the dog park. Here’s a sample of their advice.
Q: Aside from being a great place to exercise my dog, isn’t the dog park also a perfect place to find love?
A: Perhaps, but keep the former purpose at the forefront. Reed once witnessed a flirty woman become so enamored with a male dog owner that she didn’t notice her terrier escape the dog park and run away. The dog was smart enough to run home, but as Reed points out, “You should love the ones you’re with and not lose them by looking for love at the dog park.
Imagine this happened to your Scottish Terrier while you were flirting.
Topics: lifestyle
So, yesterday, my daughter and I were taking Bridget out for her evening stroll. Three houses down the street, she stopped on the lawn of neighbours I don’t know and emptied her bladder. We continued on. Then we realized someone was yelling at us. It was the neighbour screeching, “Clean up after your dog.”
I was flabbergasted. It was all I could do to reply that she had only peed. My daughter — who, apparently, is more observant (or better sighted) than I — had, it turned out, spotted a dog poop on the neighbour’s lawn, and she told him that the offending pile was not from Bridget. Then, before things could escalate, the neighbour’s wife dragged him inside and that was the end of that.
But, of course, once begun, these things are never over. On this morning’s walk, just when Bridget and I strolled past the irate neighbour’s house, the curtains were being drawn back. I pulled her leash taut and reflected on the injustice and unnecessary tension of it all.
I mean, really, how likely is it that a mother and daughter, from three houses down and armed with a plastic bag, are going to leave a present on your lawn? And couldn’t he tell that the offending poop was not fresh? What next? Will we be involved in our very own Baltimore-style dog poop DNA case?
Or maybe I doth protest too much and karma was catching up with me for my publicly-documented transgression.
Topics: lifestyle
