Brooklyn Bark Talks

Simple.  Keep Halloween ON your pup and don't let it get INTO your pup.

Nothing smells as intoxicating as fresh fallen leaves on damp earth, especially in the fall sunlight.

And no music is more beautiful than the crunch of those leaves underfoot.

The leaves still on the trees are such pretty colors and they smile at you and pup, waving in the gentle breeze as you hike down the trail at Clarence Fahnestock State Park.   

Less than two hours north of Brooklyn, you can let your heart soar and your pup run, sniff and revel in being alive.   So get in your car or your zip car and head up the Taconic Parkway. You are a New Yorker. This is your park. And pup’s.

In over 14,000 acres, there are plenty of trails for you and pup to enjoy. Our super favorite is probably the easiest. Turn left at the first Fahnestock exit off the Taconic on to 301 Wes

t and then left again at the first parking lot where you can access a trail around a pond once used in mining iron ore. The trail is about a mile and a half long. Bring your lunch and marshmallows/chocolate bars/graham crackers and a few briquettes for there are plenty of picnic tables and grills for you to enjoy.

Print out a map of the park and find other trails and places

There was a day when “Give me a home where the buffalo roam” did not refer to your neighbor’s housekeeping but rather to the way you both went out to hunt dinner.

Pommy the Pomeranian was hiding in the corner of the dog park, trying not to scratch. She knew the penalty would be a trip to the bathroom tub with her mom’s best intentions bathing her with baby shampoo. She knows that would make her itch 10 times worse. What to do?

“I know how you feel,” sympathized Bruno the Boxer. “Last summer when I had Giardia, my Lady, wiped my butt with paper towels. I know this is a delicate subject but how could I tell her that the wiping hurt more than the pooping?”

Ah, if only our pups – and our kitties, rabbits, ferrets, pet rats and other furry loved ones – could talk. And only if they knew what to tell us.

What to tell us is quite simple. Critters with fur are not us. They have fur, we don’t. They have skin that is protected everywhere by fur, pH balanced at a much higher pH than ours and about 1/3 the thickness of ours. In a word it is much more sensitive than our skin and even human’s m

Doodles is gone and you can’t stop crying inside.

No dog – or cat – lives long enough but she was special being with you for just 6 years.

Friends were supportive but maybe a day or two. And that’s all you could really expect. No one said anything stupid which was more than you could ever hope for.

But she’s gone. And you still see her. You see her walking into the room carrying her favorite doll, the one with only one arm. You see her sleeping in her bed although you donated it to the animal rescue that helped you adopt her. She nudges you for dinner or a treat although you gave them all her food and cookies, too.

You can’t see straight for there are tears in your eyes. You’ve lost pets before and it’s always been hard, so hard. But this is different. You just moved to a new neighborhood a

When you have that close bond with your pet you will know in your heart when her time has come. It is the most difficult gift you can give.

It’s a big week in Brooklyn! School is back in session, traffic is a bit gnarlier, and summer Fridays are over. For the dogs of Brooklyn, it’s a season of change as well as they are spending more time at home alone now that everyone’s fall schedules are in swing. Here are our top 6 essentials for dogs to keep busy and happy while you're away.

Last update:  August 26, 2019 

Many of our Barkers read about the algae in Prospect Park Lake this morning in the New York Times  We had the same situation a few years ago and our good friend, veterinarian Dr. Chris Gaylord gave us the following information on how to handle an algae bloom:

PLEASE NOTE: The interview below is from a few years ago but the science and medical info is the same. As of 8/26/19, Prospect Park Lake is the only body of water closed for dog swimming (and people too). It's best to avoid getting close to this area with pups.  Dog beach remains open but is being tested weekly. We recommend that you check the Prospect Park website and keep up to date. https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/things-to-do/dogs/blue-green-algae/

Interview with Dr. Christopher Gaylord

Brooklyn Bark:  The City of New York is reporting that the Department of Environmental Conservation has identified a harmful algal bloom in Prospect Park Lake.  What in the world does that mean?  And for those who don't know where we are talking about Prospect Park allows dogs to swim in their waters, untethered, during off leash hours.

Dr. Chris:  Harmful algal blooms are caused by blue-green algae which is also called cyanobacteria. It grows in warm sunny conditions in stagnant bodies of water where

Yes, it's 5 letters but as any pet owner can tell you it's a horrible word.  It's a horrible thing.