Testing: Bark Place's DIY Dog Wash

Archive for the ‘Pets’ Category

TESTING: BARK PLACE’S DIY DOG WASH

Posted by A. J. Downey on 4/14/2011 at 11:42AM | No Comments

By: A. J. Downey

Last month, my chocolate Labrador had a little encounter with Boston’s most potent skunk. (Note: This blog post also doubles as a formal apology to any and all Southie residents around I St. and Day Blvd. area, where the stench definitely lingered for at least 36 hours. (Sorry, everyone.)) So, when I heard about Bark Place’s DIY dog wash a few weeks later, I could think of no better subject than my curious (and curiously rank) pup, Ellie. Click through the slideshow below for a tour of the South End facility, and find out if their vanilla-and-blueberry facial worked out the Pepe Le Pew perfume from her fur:

1721 Washington St., Boston. 857-362-7494, BarkPlaceSouthEnd.com.

STORE OPENING: FISH AND BONE

Posted by A. J. Downey on 10/1/2010 at 11:59AM | No Comments

Just the other week, Back Bay’s newest pet boutique, the Fish and Bone, officially threw open its doors with a wine-and-cupcake-catered launch party, packed with some of Boston’s most adorable (read: four-legged) residents.

The shop joins the area’s existing pet havens, like Pawsh, Bark Place, and Four Preppy Paws. For owner Kathy Palmer, it’s an urban take on her Portland-based shop, Fetch, and specializes in wares both stylish and practical — perfect for the New England pragmatist with a penchant for their pet.

Here, a web-only peek at the new shop’s opening party:

The Fish and Bone is at 217 Newbury St, Boston, 857-753-4176, thefishandbone.com.

WHAT’S IN STORE: PAWSH DOG BOUTIQUE

Posted by Rachel Baker on 12/10/2008 at 12:45PM | No Comments

1228927241 It has all the essentials of any trendy boutique: funky t-shirts, stylish apparel, fun accessories, fragrance sprays, fun toys, and hip bedding. But at Pawsh, it’s all for dogs.

Back Bay’s only dog boutique opened last month just a few steps from Newbury Street by Mike and Nancy Maida and their charming Boston terrier Balki.

A year ago, the couple noticed the increasing four-legged bodies strutting the streets and also the absence of options to buy food, warm clothing, and fun toys for these pooches—observations that soon cultivated into Pawsh’s very cute and semi-practical inventory. READ MORE

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS, PART 1: THE CAT

Posted by Alyssa Giacobbe on 11/17/2008 at 1:04PM | 1 Comment

1226941109 As the hassles of the holidays begin to bear down, it’s important to plan your season wisely. And so this weekend, before the travel and relatives and debilitating amounts of food began, I set out intending to get a start on my holiday shopping.

Most of the friends and family on my list are fairly easy (though, Dad, if you’re reading this, you might want to ask Santa for the new Judge Judy DVD; I can’t do it). But there’s one problem:

What to get the cat who has everything?

Though I’ve invested in a variety of carpet, sisal, and catnip-dusted cardboard cat scratchers, I’ve thus far resisted getting my pal Joanie a good piece of cat furniture. So she uses our couch, chair, and rugs—anything but the aforementioned cat scratchers—as her posts.

Now, our (and by our I mean my boyfriend’s) furniture looks like we have a cat, or maybe eight. But while it’s fine to take a risk on a $40 post that the cat uses twice, it’s much harder to take the leap on a piece of furniture that can run in the hundreds. (Nevermind where to put it so that guests don’t look at you funny.)

So after some extensive research, I’ve narrowed it down to three: READ MORE

HOMEGROWN, WHITE HOUSE-CALIBER PUPS MAKE TV DEBUT!

Posted by Rachel Baker on 11/12/2008 at 3:19PM | 13 Comments

1226519625 Ahead of the curve as usual, we first discovered breeder Denise Ronayne‘s well-mannered Yorkshire terrier pups almost two years ago.

This morning, just when we thought that we (and the rest of America) had reached cute puppy overload, we got word from Ronayne that the she and her Yorkies will make their national television debut this weekend when they star on Animal Planet show Dogs 101 (Saturday 11/15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday 11/16 at 7 p.m.). READ MORE

CHILL YOUR PET OUT DURING THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Posted by Rachel Baker on 7/9/2008 at 11:39AM | No Comments

1215617865 While Boston heat waves (like the one we’re experiencing right now) usually transform the masses into frenzied A/C fiends, we usually get by just fine. But what about our four legged friends who share in that stifling misery?

We asked four area animal experts for advice on keeping your pets cooled down and safe as the mercury continues to rise. READ MORE

WWJD: NEW APARTMENT PURCHASES

Posted by Alyssa Giacobbe on 4/21/2008 at 2:27PM | 1 Comment

1208802367 The trend in extravagant, truly silly purchases—coupled with our already established pet obsession—continues this week, as I make myself at home in my new apartment. My first big buy—not a flat screen TV, or a Wii, or even a pimped out coffeemaker—was a super deluxe, $200 self-cleaning litter box system, which I brought home from PetSmart before the first box was even unpacked.

This is not the first time I’ve fallen for a stupid pet accessory. Some work (Joanie really does hydrate more out of the bubbling fountain); others don’t (Panic Mouse). And while I don’t necessarily mind litter box maintenance —actually seeing the fruits of the cat’s gastrointestinal labor satisfies something very Italian in me—I reasoned that since my bathroom got an upgrade, Joanie’s should, too. READ MORE

CATTY PICKS FROM THE NEWEST BOSTONISTA

Posted by Rachel Baker on 4/16/2008 at 1:51PM | 1 Comment

1208368103 You love Joanie. You got to know Tyra. Now, it’s time you meet the newest member of Bostonista‘s feline family, Margie.

We first fell in love with the 8-month-old tabby (with orange highlights) on a Saturday afternoon visit to the Animal Rescue League‘s South End shelter. Though all of the cats were cute, when the Chelsea stray reached her paw through the metal cage and picked us out, it was love at first sight. She was the one.

Margie’s been home with us for a week now. And though we suspected it since the moment we laid eyes on her sassy short-haired coat, Margie is proving to have terrific taste.

A few of her favorite things: READ MORE

Archive for the ‘Pets’ Category