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The Pet Shop Girls

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

The health bug seems to be hitting just about everyone these days. And we are not the only ones going organic, but so are our pets. I have had several people ask me where they can find a wide selection of all natural foods and treats for their pets. So I did some research and found a great pet shop that has all amazing products for your dog or cat.

The Pet Shop Girls located in the South End sells all the best products available for your pets. A lot of the time people tend to stay away from smaller pet shops because they feel their products are going to be super expensive, or that the bigger pet shops have a lager variety of products along with the lower prices. However, you will find a much smaller selections of all natural pet foods at the bigger pet store. The Pet Shop Girls sell their products at competitive prices and their selection of pet food and treats is pretty unbelievable. They research all their products to make sure they have nothing but the best. The women that work in the shop are super friendly and very helpful. They want your pet to have exactly what they need so they will work with you in order to find just what you need.

They also sell health supplements, toys, crates, books, pet beds, etc. If you decide to check out the shop, don’t forget to leave there without a treat from their bakery. Your pup will go crazy for them!

400 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 357-7387

www.thepetshopgirls.com

Posted in Dog Friendly Places

Lucky Dog Organics

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

Now, normally I blog about places you can take your pup, but this time Riley came shopping with me on the Internet! I came across a dog website called Lucky Dog Organics. Lately I have been all about the organic products and Riley and I have been loving them.

What really made me like this website so much was an article that the owner had posted. He wrote about how we need to be more conscious of what we are buying and how long it will actually last. I feel the same way, that people need to consider how products are made, what they are made of and how long is it going to last. Instead of buying a product that you feel is fashionable for your pet and made out of cheap materials, consider maybe going a different route. By buying products that are made of quality materials, they will last longer and save you money in the long run. And in today’s economy, who doesn’t want to save money?

My roommates and I have been trying to be more “green” friendly so I figured, why not have Riley contribute a little to our green ways. This website has a lot of cool things to choose from. Some of the products include, hemp collars, recycled sailclothed dog beds, oxo-degradable waste bags, all natural dog treats, zogoflex dog toys that will last forever and so much more. So if you are going green and you want your pup to get on board, I would suggest that you check out this website.

www.luckydogorganics.com

Posted in News Articles

Joe’s American Bar and Grill

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

It’s always fun to take your pup out to dinner. Some of the Restaurants I have posted have been a little on the pricey side. And in today’s economy, some of us don’t have the luxury of going out to eat as much as we would like. But if you are looking for good food for a good price than Joe’s American Bar and Grill is a good spot to hit.

I know there are several Joe’s American Bar and Grilles around but on a nice summer day, I suggest to hit the one in the North End. You get the experience of dining out in the North End without the North End prices. The best part about sitting out on the patio is that it is right on the water. You will enjoy watching the sailboats go by while your pup gets to enjoy a night out with you and a cool ocean breeze. I would suggest getting the fried calamari for an appetizer. I absolutely loved it, as did my roommates. And for dinner i went with the steak tip salad, which I would also recommend. You will find yourself staying there much longer than your meal will last just to take in the waterfront. Add a couple of drinks and you will want to stay all night.

North End
100 Atlantic Ave
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 367-8700

Posted in Uncategorized

Jamaica Pond

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

With this amazing weekend approaching, I would suggest planning on doing all outdoor activities with your pup! There is nothing better than taking you pup for a long run of walk when it’s nice and sunny out. There are many places to choose from but if you would like one of my top picks, I would suggest Jamaica Pond.

I recently took Riley to Jamaica Pond and I fell in love with it. The path is 1.5 miles long, so if you want a great workout, you might have to go around a couple times. So many friendly faces, both human and four legged fur-balls. Riley was in heaven when she saw the pond and how it was filled with ducks. Normally if she was off-leash, she would have dove in head first to try and chase them. However, I had to restrain her from doing so to keep the peace among all the animals at the pond. It was awesome to watch all the people sailing around in the little sailboats that you can rent, along with Rowboats. I brought a ball for Riley because there are open fields to play fetch. Just remember that the pond is not enclosed and I would only let your pup run free if they listen well and will come when you call them.

If you check out Jamaica Pond, leave some feed back! We would love to know what your thoughts are of the Pond!

507 Jamaicaway
(at Pond St)
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 522-6258

Posted in Dog Friendly Places, Parks and Beaches

TORO

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

One of the best parts about the weather getting warmer is that Riley can come out to restaurants with my friends and I. We don’t usually go out to eat very often because it’s usually too expensive. However, sometimes you have to treat yourself. Especially when you hear about a restaurant that people can’t stop talking about. And my friends have not stopped talking about Toro.

Toro is located on Washington Street in the South End. When I went inside to tell the hostess how many people were in my party, I couldn’t believe the inside. I absolutely loved it. It had such a cool vibe to it. The outside was awesome too and the waitress loved Riley. The wait staff was really great, super friendly and very helpful in answering all our questions about their food and wine. Not only were the people that worked their super friendly but so were the other customers. The food is what everyone had told me about and it was everything they said it was. I couldn’t get over the grilled corn, I’m still thinking about it. Being in the South End, the prices were a little high for me. So, I wont be going back till I have some extra money to spare. But, if you are looking for a great night out and want to take your pup alone, I suggest checking out Toro. I haven’t heard a bad thing about it yet.

1704 Washington St
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 536-4300

www.toro-restaurant.com

Posted in Dining Out, Dog Friendly Places

Green Dog

Posted on April 9, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

Being a dog walker and a dog owner, I like finding the best places to take the pups to get some exercise. When I want Riley to be able to run free we go to a lot off different dog parks. However, I find that the fenced in parks that allow you to take your pup off-leash are often overtaken but other dog walkers. I have gone to several parks and have seen 7 to 8 dogs all with one walker! I usually stay away from these parks because if just one of those dogs starts trouble, chances are the other dogs will get involved. And just one person can’t always control 8 dogs at once, but when we want to take your pup off-leash, we don’t have a lot of other options.

Green Dog is a program that is trying to help make more parks more dog friendly. They have had great success in Brookline and now are making their way over to Arlington. Basically, they are finding the parks that are not fenced in that are best suited for off-leash play. They also wouldn’t single out just one park. What is great about having several parks to go to is that it will prevent overcrowding, which is a huge problem in the Boston area with off-leash dog parks. There are several rules that would be enforced to ensure the safety of dogs and people. The parks would only have set off-leash hours that would usually be in the morning. Owners must clean up after their pup, dogs must have a collar with their tags of identification and vaccinations presented, owners must always have their pup in sight and be in control of their dog and if a dog shows any aggressive behavior towards another dog or person, that dog must be removed from the park. There is also a limit of 3 dogs per person.

I hope that Green Dog continues to be successful and make it’s way to other towns. Having an off-leash park for Riley to run free is something I would love to have in Somerville and I’m sure other dog owners would love to have it in their area as well!

Stay tuned for more about Green Dog!

The Blue Hills Reservation

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

With the nice weather finally approaching, Riley and I decided to go for a hike this past weekend. I played soccer in college and sometime during preseason we would hike Blue Hills Reservation as a fun workout. So Riley and I ventured over to Milton to take me back down memory lane.

The cool thing about Blue Hills is that there are 125 miles of trails and it is opened year round. There are paved trails and dirt trails which Riley and I hiked on both. My favorite part of Blue Hills is when you reach the top. There is a stone tower called Eliot Tower that you can go into. At the top of the tower there is an amazing view of Boston. Hiking isn’t the only thing Blue Hills has to offer. You can bike, horseback ride, camp, fish, have a picnic with the family anything you can think of. The reservation is beautiful and has a ton of wildlife and amazing plants and flowers. There is a lot of History behind Blue Hills Reservation and the Trailside Museum is a nice place to learn more about it.

Reservation Headquarters
695 Hillside Street, Milton, MA 02186
617-698-1802

Posted in Dog Friendly Places, Parks and Beaches

Bark Park

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

Riley and I go to dog parks just about everyday. I never really thought about how a park is run, or how it is even established as a “dog park” until recently. The Bark Park that was just opened in South Boston had it’s annual meeting recently, so I got to hear a little about what needed to be done in order to keep the park going. The meeting was to vote for who would be a part of the Committees for the park (I never knew a dog park even needed a committee). But, you learn something new everyday!

These Committees include, Fundraising, Financial, Membership, Rules, Site and Governance. Each part has its specific duty in helping to make sure the park runs smoothly. The most important part of the meeting I thought was that the land is leased from the state, so if the park isn’t maintained well and if the rules are not followed, the state can take the land back and make it into something other than a dog park. However, if state is pleased with the way the park is being run then they may give more land to expand the park. So if you visit the park, make sure to follow all the rules and help clean up after your pup. Dog parks are super important, they keep our dogs exercised and socialized which we are all fans of!

South Boston
1600 Columbia Rd
Boston, MA 02127
www.sbbarkpark.org

Tagged with: Boston bark park, how to start a dog park, SOuthie dog park
Posted in Dog Friendly Places, Parks and Beaches

The Pet Cabaret

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

Whenever I want to get Riley some new toys or treats I like to find new stores that have a selection of products that we wouldn’t normally find at your typical pet store. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem going to petsmart or petco, but I feel that they always have the same old products. And I also like to support the smaller business and so does Riley.

The Pet Cabaret was just what we were looking for. The minute we walked in Riley’s eyes lit up, as did mine from all the bright colors of the store. The women there were super friendly and, most importantly, they were incredibly helpful when we had questions. The best way to keep me coming back to a store is by having informed employees who know about the products they sell. I could tell how passionate they were about pets and the products they provide just in the way they spoke. It was nice to be in a store that wasn’t just trying to make a sale, but that genuinely cares about your pup and wanted to make sure you left with they best products for your specific needs.

Some of the foods the have are, Innova, Wysong, Wellness, Orijen, Natural Planet Organics, Solid Gold, TimberWolf Organics, Artemis Fresh Mix, Nature’s Variety, Pet Guard, and Eagle Pack Holistic Select in our store, and they also sell raw food diets including Bravo, Primal, and Nature’s Variety.

This is definitely a store to check out!

4404 Washington St
Roslindale, MA 02131
(617) 323-7387

www.thepetcabaret.com

Hours:

Tue-Fri. 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Sat. 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sun. 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Posted in Dog Friendly Places

Brendan Behan Pub

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Jana — No Comments ↓

Living right near Davis Square, my roommates and I love that we are in walking distance to all the local bars. However, there isn’t one bar around here that I would be allowed to bring Riley into and I never really thought I would find a bar that would. Well, there is in fact one out there. Brendan Behan Pub, located in Jamaica Plain is a dog friendly pub! Once we heard that we jumped at the chance to check it out.

It is a classic Irish pub, one you would typically find in Boston which we love. Inside there were lots of people, some with dogs, some with children and others with groups of friends. Riley didn’t know how to respond since she has never come to a bar with me before. She was great though, she kept by my side and would smell anything that was in a 2ft radius of us, but no farther than that. The beer selection was great, we were super impressed. The atmosphere is pretty cool, friendly people and the bartenders were pretty funny, giving us a hard time about living in Somerville. All in good fun though. The prices weren’t anything to complain about either. The couple next to us had the cutest chocolate lab, so Riley had someone to hang out with. We told them it was our first time at the pub and let us know that it probably wouldn’t be our last, “You’re never going to want to go to another bar without your dog, this place spoils you.” Which they were right. It was great being able to have Riley there and not alone at home. It’s definitely a bar to check out with your friends and pup.

Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain
378 Centre St
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 522-5386

www.brendanbehanpub.com

OPEN HOURS:
Noon – 1am : Monday – Saturday
1pm – 1am : Sunday

Posted in Dining Out, Dog Friendly Places

The Pet Shop Girls

Lucky Dog Organics

Joe’s American Bar and Grill

Jamaica Pond

TORO

Green Dog

The Blue Hills Reservation

Bark Park

The Pet Cabaret

Brendan Behan Pub

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Dog Walking

Pet Sitting

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