Why you should microchip your pet

Losing your pet can be one of the most heart-
breaking exper-
iences. One Brooklyn man recently went through the ordeal firsthand, but luckily with a positive outcome:

A dog that went missing from Sunset Park on Monday afternoon was found 60 miles away on Long Island the next day.

The Long Island woman who found the chihuahua took him to a vet, who found a microchip between Boy's shoulders identifying him and his owner.

[Owner] Liu said his dog went missing when he visited a friend's fenced-in backyard and suspects someone picked up the dog "and went the wrong way." As for Boy's health, Pierce said he seems good, "except his feet on the underside seem to be cut up.

In January, a Colorado trucker was reunited with his dog that had run away at a Hudson Valley rest stop. And microchip your pet!

Thanks, Gothamist.

Comic pug

One of my regular go-to bloggers, Cully, has started a new feature based on CraigsList Missed Connections on A Child of Atom. If you're unfamiliar with Missed Connections, it's an area on the CL site that allows strangers to post a description of a random encounter, in hopes that the stranger can find the person they are seeking in real life. Master illustrator Cully (have you seen his Subway Sketches?!) is taking choice posts and illustrating them, and I couldn't help but love his pug in this one:


Update: Cully agrees that his rendering looks just like Olive!

Dog Pedal Parade takes Manhattan

Over the weekend, a unique sight was seen in Manhattan's Greenwich Village: a parade of bikes, with dogs riding along in spiffy little seats and baskets or running alongside. The event was held to raise awareness of bicycles that can ferry pets as well as the need for more widespread adoption of homeless animals. The Dog Pedal Parade was put on by Time's Up!, a self-described "direct action environmental organization."

Check out the video, which includes some pug cameos and a true jam as its soundtrack:

Thanks, Gothamist!

Milkbones beat gourmet concoctions

New York magazine published an in-
teresting taste test this week that offered some of the city's most decadent treats to some of its most discerning palates. The jury was made up of Gordie, a French Bulldog; Bear, a Saint Bernard; and Chopper, a Boston Terrier (right). The treats included Birdbath’s peanut-butter dog biscuit (two for $1), Batch’s foie gras–flavored biscuit ($2.75 each), Bouchon Bakery’s foie gras–flavored dog biscuit ($2.70 each), and Milk-Bone’s Bacon Chip ’n Cheese Flavor Bakery Bites (~$4.19 for a 14-oz. pack).

Luckily, at least for all us budget-minded folks, is that the Milk-Bone was the overwhelming champion:

• Gordy--"The little guy surprised us by coolly sniffing at it for a few seconds and then shuffling over to the Milk-Bone Bakery Bite. He made quick work of it, licking his chops and, with a spirited woof, giving his compliments to the chef. When Gordy declined to eat anything else, we redid the test from scratch, breaking up the biscuits into smaller, Gordy-size bites. But the results were nearly the same. . . "
• Bear--ate pretty much all of the treats
  
• Chopper--"Right away it became clear that in Chopper, we had another Milk-Bone-Bakery-Bite fanatic. She immediately took the Cheetos-colored snack and ran away with it."

No, I am in no way affiliated with Milk-Bone!

Image by Stewert Isbell in New York magazine.

My pet, my child

From Over-
heard:

Woman: How dare you?! How dare you?! How can you say that? How can you tell my child I don't love him? Apologize! Apologize!
Man: It's a dog.
Woman: How dare you?! Apologize right now!

--Tower Records, E 4th & Lafayette

"New dog stroller" image by iTripped.

How we're paying for Nat's nursing school

From Overheard:

Little boy: Hey, can I pet your dog?
Man with puppy: You got a dollar?

--Washington Square Park

I'd be a Golden Retriever

From Overheard:

Boyfriend: I wish I had a dog.
Girlfriend: I wish I were a dog.

--Union Square

"Union Square" image by Das Bobby 2000.

We say weird things to dogs

Nat and I will occasionally talk to Olive in a more articulate way than she can probably understand. Often, Nat will try to rationalize with her, for example, and I often talk to her with overly detailed explanation. Seems like we're not alone, though. Lots of people talk to their dogs as if they were talking to another person, though not necessarily in more sophisticated language:

• Large black man to tiny dog with hacking cough: I told you three times already: Calm yo'self! --Cunningham Park, Queens
• Woman to her two dogs: Sit down... And don't steal anything. --Pet store, Park Slope
• Woman to dog barking at passerby: No, that's not appropriate. --70th & Amsterdam
• Toothless man on bike to Shih Tzu: You gotta watch out! Have some human food. Eat at a Chinese restaurant. You a classy dog! --10th & 6th

Even more.

"Quick! Gimme that jerky!" image by tanakawho.

White Wonder in Brooklyn

We've never seen one of these during our walks in Prospect Park:
Olive would go nuts over a white squirrel!

Dogs & the cabbies that stop for them

From Overheard:

"Young woman: Thank you so much for picking me up with my dog! No one would stop for me.
Cabbie: People who love animals love humans. If you can't clean up the shit of a dog, how are you going to clean up the shit of humanity?
Young woman: Wow, that's deep. I totally agree.

--18th & 3rd"