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!

Pimp Your Ride…With a Dog Car Seat Cover

Sure, it’s pretty awesome to take your dog with you on a weekend trip. But after a couple hours of him kickin’ it in the backseat on the way to or from your destination, there’s probably a decent amount of drool, hair, and dirty paw prints back there. (Not to mention, you might as well say goodbye to that new car smell.)

If you want to avoid taking your ride to the carwash to get vacuumed and detailed every time your pooch travels with you, maybe invest in a seat cover. Here are three that I like:

• A hammock seat cover (from Doctors Foster and Smith) protects your backseat from pet hair, dirt, or puncture marks from your dog’s nails. It also acts as a barrier so he can’t climb into the front seat while you’re driving. (The company claims this seat cover will fit in any size vehicle, although I'd measure before buying.) These are $44.99.
• Quilted, padded seat covers are a whole lot more aesthetically appealing, and they have fastening devices that keep them from sliding around.  These ones—from Inthecompanyofdogs.com—sell for $59.95.
• Canine Covers also makes custom car seat covers for dogs. They’re a whole lot more expensive, but you can choose from a variety of fabrics, and their covers can be made to fit the dimensions of any car.

 Has anyone else test-driven any of these?

Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags

If you don’t scoop your dog’s poop in the city, you’ll be slapped with a $250 fine. You’ll also have a whole bunch of pissed off people coming after you on the street. So, you’re going to want to keep your butt covered by carrying little bags around. Sure, there are dozens of dog doodie bags, but one company, Flush Puppies, has created water-soluble, 100 percent biodegradable ones. (The average plastic bag can take up to 1000 years to decompose in a landfill.) If you choose, you can even flush these down your own toilet. (Meh. That would be difficult for me from a psychological standpoint, although admittedly very environmentally responsible.)

Sign by PetPro

According to the Flush Puppies website, in a city of 100,000 people, dogs can generate about two and a half tons of feces per day. That's almost two million pounds a year. Since I have zero math skills, I had someone help me confirm the following numbers: In New York City, where there are approximately 10 million people, that means dogs generate about 250 tons of waste per day, and almost 200 pounds per year. That’s a lot of shit.

Flush Puppies were created by three University of Florida grad students, and their site is pretty damn funny. If you want to try out the product, it’s $3.99 for 15 bags, and you can get them on their website here. 

Take a Day Trip With Your Dog

Living in a city, it’s hard not to feel like your dog is getting shortchanged some days. He’s got to pee on pavement, and the sad, mangled trees that line many New York City sidewalks are few and far between. So if you’re interested in getting your pet out of the city (and you don’t have a house in the Hamptons, Connecticut, or wherever), one really cool company, Blue Sky Dogs, plans day trips for you and your pooch.

Honestly, I was looking at the photos from one of their “canine country days” on their website, and it looked like these dogs were having the most fun ever. Blue Sky Dogs can also help you plan weekend trips or counsel you on dog-friendly travel planning.

For more information, contact:

Blue Sky Dogs
Phone: 212-531-3647
info@blueskydogsny.com
http://www.blueskydogsny.com/

The Power of Flowers

I was having a conversation with a woman in Central Park this morning, and she swore by Rescue Remedy as a legit chill-out product for dogs. It’s a flower essence that is supposed to relax your pet when he or she is in stressful situations—whether it’s a trip to the vet, to quell separation anxiety, whatever. (Touted as “yoga in a bottle,” it’s also available for humans and has been written about in basically every major magazine.)

Rescue Remedy Pet comes in a dropper bottle, and you’re supposed to put 4 drops in your dog’s mouth, on a treat/food, or directly to his or her nose, ears, or paw.

Has anyone tried this—for yourself or your pet?