A local shelter in Queens has come up with a creative way to encourage donations.  For a small ($25) donation to the Animal Shelter of Queens, you can have a litter box or a dog kennel lined with pictures of your LEAST favorite candidate!

Just think about how good you will feel knowing that you helped unfortunate animals AND that a picture of your least favorite candidate is being urinated on by one of those unfortunate beasts.  Talk about a win-win!

Oscar had a great time at the My Dog Loves Central Park Country Fair on Saturday.  Our favorite part of the event was the mini-agility course.  For a $2 donation, we got 5 minutes of 1-on-1 instruction and got to run the mini-agility course a bunch of times.  Of course, Oscar ROCKED the agility course, here he is jumping like he’s a stallion competing in a steeplechase…

Oscar blew away the competition -  he’s a natural!  He did have two agility lessons before an unfortunate toe injury side-lined him.  I think we’re going to have to sign up for another class. 

Here are some more pictures of Oscar being cute at the Fair…

Were there any other dogs there?  (You might be asking yourself….since all of the pictures are of Oscar.)  But yes, there were TONS of other dogs…a good time was had by all.

Oscar’s 21st birthday is coming up (so, he’ll be 3 in people years) and what better way to celebrate his 21st than letting him crack open his first doggy beer??

So, I was excited to find Happy Tail Ale (non-alcoholic beer for dogs) made by the Dog Star Brewing Co. 

Unfortunately, their website says, ” We have decided to put operations on hold for now and are not selling product at this time.”  Uh-oh…that doesn’t sound good…I searched around, but couldn’t find any info on WHY operations are on hold??  Does anyone have the scoop?

Oh well, maybe we’ll have to celebrate Oscar’s 21st with strippers and gambling instead!

Bobaji the Sidecar Dog is neutered and lovin’ it!!  Since we’re all about being a good neighbor here at SnifNYCDogs, we had to give a shout out to Bobaji who is hitting the streets to publicize responsibe animal ownership.  From Bobaji’s website…

“RAO [Responsible Animal Ownership] entails making sure your animal is spayed/neutered and does not infringe on the rights of the animal-ambivalent. New animal owners must recognize that not everyone loves their animal like they do. Each animal owner is the primary beneficiary of their animal’s love and devotion, and therefore bears the sole responsibility for its conduct. In return, municipalities must recognize the rights of taxpaying animal owners by providing space for animals to socialize with each other and other humans. Humans and institutions must work together to make sure that humans and animals can live in harmony in human-oriented society.”

You tell ‘em Bobaji!!  Here’s a video of Bobaji hard at work spreading his message here in New York!  He was right in our neighborhood!

Iams is sponsoring Home 4 the Holidays - an adoption drive with a goal to place 1 million(!!) orphaned animals into happy and loving homes during this year’s holiday season from October 1, 2008 to January 5, 2009.

Felicity Huffman has teamed up with Iams to help raise awareness for the millions of homeless dogs and cats throughout North America.  Here’s a cute video of Felicity and her dog Tucker, that was taken during their Home 4 the Holidays photo shoot…

Every cat, dog, puppy or kitten that is adopted during Iams Home 4 the Holidays will go home with an Iams Adoption Starter Kit that contains food samples, coupons and important tips and information about pet care, behavior, training and nutrition

Last year, Home 4 the Holidays helped nearly 500,000 families experience the joy of pet adoption, so the goal of 1 million this year is pretty ambitious!  If you or someone you know is interested in adopting a pet, check out the list of participating shelters.

So, I have stooped to a new low…while house-sitting for my parents up in the country for 2 weeks, I was reduced to picking up the poop of wild animals!!  Otherwise, my poop-eating dog snarfs it up like it’s prime rib!! 

Now, I could kind of understand when Oscar ate deer and rabbit poop - it’s kibble shaped…must have seemed like a regular all-you-can-eat salad bar set up especially for him.  But twice now, I’ve caught him feasting on some random animal feces!!  I have no idea why he does it…I’ve heard people say that dogs eat poo because they have some kind of nutritional deficiency, but I highly doubt that’s an issue for Oscar - he eats a WAY more balanced diet that I do!  And my 20lb toy dog is certainly not starving…oh well, I love my shit-eating dog, anyway!

In other poop news, Israel is piloting a program to use dog DNA to identify which dog owners aren’t scooping the poop.  That’s pretty hardcore…I am all for prosecuting people who don’t pick up the poo, but WOW! 

I’m not sure how many offenders they will catch, since the DNA swabbing is voluntary.  I’m assuming the offenders wouldn’t volunteer to have their dog’s DNA on file - but they are trying to encourage people to get their dog in the DNA database by offering pet food coupons and toys to owners who put their dog’s business in appropriate waste disposal bins. 

Hmm…will be interested to hear how this experiment works out…

Some exciting news!!  (Well, exciting for me anyway…)

Oscar is the Bowchies Dog of the Month for October!! 

If you aren’t already familiar with Bowchies, they make really amazing custom collars, leashes, harnesses and other accessories.  You can choose from almost a hundred different patterns and get a beautiful collar/harness that is the perfect size for your pooch.

In addition to the collar that Oscar is wearing in the picture, he also has one in the “Blue Jester” print and I’m pretty sure that we’ll be continuing to expand his collar collection.  After all, we need to have a collar that matches with each color combination of his customizable SNIF Tag!!

Stop by any NYC Pet  location in Brooklyn during the month of October and enter the GO!PETDESIGN raffle for a free eiCrate! 

The raffle winner will be chosen on November, 2nd.  Only one entry per dog, please.

Okay, so I would love to hear what you think about the Dog Powered Trike…

At first, the dog sledding references conjured up negative associations for me, but after watching the video I could see how it might be a good way for elderly or out-of-shape people to make sure that their high-energy dog gets enough excercise, while getting a low impact workout themselves…as long as owners follow all of the safety recommendations. 

I must say that the soundtrack makes the video a worthwhile watch on it’s own!!

I’m not sure I agree with the website claims that it would work for every breed and urban environments. (I’m really having trouble picturing me & Oscar cruising down the streets of Manhattan in one of these.) 

I think it would probably be more appropriate for suburban environments and to be fair, it does later say that it is only for dogs weighing 35lbs or more (which unless you know any 35lb Chihuahuas, seems to be in conflict with the “every breed” statement).

So, what do you think?  Good idea or silly cycle?

Times Square goes to the dogs for a fun-filled afternoon of canine camaraderie to raise awareness for Animal Haven’s Adopt-a-Pet program

WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 2008

WHERE: In the heart of Times Square at the intersection of 7th Avenue and Broadway.

It’s Halloween for hounds as the Times Square Alliance presents THE FOURTH ANNUAL TIMES SQUARE DOG DAY MASQUERADE, a canine costume contest that’s free and open to the public.   All participants will receive complimentary Gift Bags while supplies last.