Pet-Friendly Restaurants in NYC

A friend of mine recently passed along City Pet Guide, a free local resource guide. It has so many cool things in it, but one item I particularly loved was a list of pet-friendly dining spots in Manhattan. (This is, of course, only for outdoor seating.) I’ve copied their list below in case it may be useful.

Fetch, an UES restaurant that welcomes dogs in its outdoor seating area

• 79th Street Boat Basin (W. 79th St between Riverside and West End)
• Barking Dog Luncheonette (1453 York Ave at 77th Street)
• Da Rosina Ristorante (342 W. 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues)
• Dolci on Park Caffe (66 Mercer St at Broome)
• Fetch (1649 Third Avenue between 92nd and 93rd)
• Firehouse (522 Columbus Avenue at 86th Street)
• Gavroche (212 West 14th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues)
• George Keeley’s (485 Amsterdam between 83rd and 84th)
• No Malice Palace (197 E. 3rd Street between Avenues A and B)
• PJ Clarke’s on the Hudson (250 Vesey Street at the Hudson River)
• Philip Marie Restaurant (569 Hudson at 11th Street)
• Von (3 Bleecker Street)

Do you know of any other restaurants where you can bring your dog with you and sit outside? I’m sure there are many more!

August 12 is "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day"

Dogs over 2 years old. Big black dogs. Pit bulls. Shy dogs. Petfinder.com is hoping everyone will spread the word to help these harder-to-place animals find homes. They've named this Wednesday, August 12th, "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day."

Large, black dogs often get looked over at shelters. Photo via www.startseeingblackdogs.com.

Petfinder conducted a survey asking rescue and shelter groups which pets have the most difficult time being adopted. They responded:

• 30% — senior/older pets
• 15% — pets with medical problems
• 13% — victims of breed prejudice
• 10% — shy pets
• 10% — those who need to be the only pet

So sad, right? Riley was incredibly socially awkward and shy when I got her. It just took a little time for her to gain some confidence.

Petfinder compiled a list of “reasons they love ‘special’ pets.” I included a few of them below…

• Older pets are mellower—you don't have to worry about your lamp getting knocked over!
• With "bad reputation" breeds, you get the chance to prove people wrong with your great dog!
• Dark-furred pets make it easy to accessorize—black goes with everything!
• Pets with behavioral issues allow you to form a tight bond as you overcome obstacles together!

For more information on Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day, click here. You can even search for dogs in your area.

Rachael Ray Creates “Mutt Madness”

Rachael Ray announced yesterday that she’s launching a pet charity contest to support “no-kill animal wellness.” She’s looking for 64 qualified organizations to compete in a brackets-style program in which the public will vote for what they feel is the most deserving pet cause in the country. (Entries must be submitted to her website by September 30th.)

Rachael with her first dog, a pit bull named Boo. Jim Wright/AP

According to the Associated Press, “Each of the top 64 groups gets $1,000. Winners of the next several rounds, chosen by online votes, will get another $1,000. The final voting showdown is worth $25,000 for second place and $50,000 for the winner. The champ will be announced in early December, Ray said.”

Rachael—whose first dog was a pit bull named Boo—also started Rachael's Rescue, an organization committed to helping at-risk animals through adoption, medical care, training and outreach.

For more information, read the AP story here, or go to Rachael’s website.

Foster a Dog in New York City

A new blog, Foster Dogs in New York City, is updated daily with dogs from shelters around the city looking for a foster or permanent home. Check out the site here: http://fosterdogsnyc.blogspot.com/. Once you read their stories, you’ll understand just how dire their situation really is. Many face euthanasia within days or even hours.

Beau and Jolie, two NYC dogs currently looking for foster homes.

Please, please think of fostering a dog if you can. Many of these dogs have such little time left, and they just need a chance and some love. And definitely forward a link to the Foster Dogs blog to your friends!

For When Your Dog is a Fur Machine

Riley is a little bit like Pigpen from the Snoopy cartoons. Not in the sense that she smells or is covered in dirt, but because she forever has a cloud of little hairs coming off of her. The shedding is so intense that I’m often surprised she doesn’t wake up one day completely naked, with no fur suit at all.

I grew up with Wheaten Terriers, a non-shedding breed. So, I had no clue what kind of mess shedding dogs are capable of. I’m so hypersensitive about having little caramel-colored dog hairs on my clothes and furniture that I vacuum my apartment three times a week. (Pretty sure my neighbors think I’m insane.)

I recently discovered the Pledge Fabric Sweeper for upholstered furniture. It is, in a word, glorious. It gets every single hair off of furniture, and you can even use it on your coats if you don’t have a roll-y brush. However, some people criticize the product because the hair collection container is not reusable. Once it’s full, you’re supposed to dispose of the product. (Yes, SC Johnson, shame on you. Why not just up the price slightly and make it reusable? We’re in a recession, damn it. And whatever happened to your claims of running a “green” business?) But, with a little creativity, you can jimmy open the top with a knife, pull the hair out, reattach the top, and use the product over and over again. (I learned a lot about how to do this by reading the product reviews on Amazon.com.)

The Pledge Fabric Sweeper usually retails for about $9. If you can’t find it at your local Walgreen’s or Duane Reade, you can get it on Amazon here.