Brooklyn Bark Talks

In 2002, as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s pledge to make New York a No-Kill City, he seriously upgraded Animal Care and Control (ACC). It is no longer a place of neglect and death but rather one of the most loving, helpful agencies in New York.

What if your cardiologist went to the old fashioned butcher in the old neighborhood and brought home “parts” for your dog?  Parts such as heart or liver that we humans don’t put on our dinner plates, but that our doggie (and even kitty) friends would love to feast on, given the chance.

8 Tips to Keep your Pup Calm and Comfortable!

My husband and I had a wonderful time in Miami. We visited relatives and stayed at a luxurious B’n’B that didn’t want for anything.   We couldn’t have been happier. That is until two or three days after we came back to New York and started itching like crazy. Big red welts. And that meant a visit to Urgent Care.

The nurse practitioner was lovely. “See those bites in threes, triangles or a string of, uhhhum, pearls? We call that ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner and you brought bedbugs home from your time in Miami Beach.”

And that’s how I quickly became an expert on Sniffer Dogs. I learned they go to school for 6 months and their handlers for a month. To achieve WDDO certification (World Detector Dog Organization) a canine/handler team must pass a double blind scent 

detection examination in their field and must stay current with regular training. Curiously, April was selected from a high-kill shelter in the South because of her excellent sc

Every pet owner has dealt with recovery from surgery or injury. We’ve all had our babies spayed or neutered so they wouldn’t have babies. And from there, some have lead lives more interesting than others, medically speaking that is.

Much like the myth that vaccination causes autism caught on in the human population, grain-free diets caught on for dogs and cats. Well, actually there was one case in 2007 when, according to the NYTimes there was a batch of tainted kibble from China and the misinformation exploded.

At one time grain-free foods were a rarity but now close to half the high end manufacturers produce one or more grain-free diets. Consumer demand.

However, in July 2019, the FDA issued a warning that feeding your dog a grain-free diet may lead to an irreversible condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM. And now, at Brooklyn Bark, we are seeing Barkers with DCM.

 Since chocolate-covered tennis balls aren't an option, here are our top 5 picks for a great valentine day surprise for your pup! We love some wordplay so we're dubbing this our 'Tail-entines' gift list! 

Every dog is gorgeous. We believe this and so does our friend James Morrissey who is the Westminster Dog Show portrait photographer. “Truthfully,” says James “all dogs are love and beauty wrapped in warm fur.   If people want to make a fuss about some dogs that’s fine.  I love them all!”

Especially BEWARE in the winter with our freeze-thaw cycles and with salt added to the mix. Water conducts electricity and no matter what, there will be stray electricity.

We wear shoes and sneakers with soles of leather. Pups walk barefoot on the pavement, grids and manhole covers.

Con Edison, National Grid, City contractors, private contractors.

And nature.

This is a City of 8 million people and something is bound t

You’ve been living on the streets, dodging humans and loud noises. Or you’ve been abused. Or you were brought into ACC (Animal Care and Control) by the family you lived with and loved and you have no idea why they left you here in this st\range place.

But however you got to your 2’ x 4’ cage you are terrified. You can’t run. You can’t hide. There is no one to assure you, play with or love you.

What often goes through the mind of a pup or a kitty brought into ACC must be one word, “Terror”. No matter how wonderful the staff and the volunteers at the shelters are, it’s a new, unfamiliar, scary and enclosed space for any new resident.