By Helaina Hovitz

On Friday, May 10, dozens of glamorous dogs — and a few badly in need of a good home — gathered at Han Nari & MG, a dog apparel and accessories boutique at 20 East 20th Street. Fortunately, nobody showed up wearing the same dress.

The event was co-sponsored by lifestyle site City Dog Expert and the East Village based non-profit K9Kastle, an organization dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding homes for at-risk and surrendered companion animals in NYC.

The event included a raffle, bar, discount shopping, dog sushi, puppy cocktails, and a photo booth.

“It’s harder to get senior dogs adopted because they need more care,” explained Tara Ciabattari, Vice President of K9Kastle. “The cost is usually at least around $1,000, for medication, blood work, surgery (if needed), and dental.”

Fortunately, K9Kastle steps in to foot the bill so the dog is more adoptable and ready to go. The organization is able to find foster homes for most of the dogs, but some are boarded in shelters.

“These organizations are desperate for fundraising,” said Kimberly Marie Freeman, event organizer for Senior Soiree.

By the time four Chihuahuas arrived together in a baby carriage at 7:30 p.m., the place was packed.

One of the dogs up for adoption, Twinkie, still recovering from hernia surgery and the removal of a tumor, was lounging on a dog bed on one of the stores lower shelves. He was joined by tiny Italian greyhounds Fiona and Misha, 9, who also need a good home.
“There has never been a greater need to shelter and rehome stray and surrendered companion animals in New York City than right now,” said Freeman.
The number of at-risk and special needs animals in New York City and its boroughs reached its highest number ever in 2012.
Freeman’s dog, Houdini, 5, is a Shih Tzu mix rescue from animal care and control. He was on the kill list because he had behavioral issues.
“It took me six months of training work to get him to allow people to touch him,” said Freeman, who is also a dog trainer by trade.
On Friday, he was good natured trotting around in his tux, greeting other dogs and loving the attention from those who pet him. Houdini earned his name after he escaped from crates and puppy gates six times in his first day home.

Lots of other lucky dogs with good homes and stellar wardrobes came, too, like six-year-old ZiZi, “a couture dog, who is an author, model, and philanthropist that tries to attend all the doggy events she can,” according to her mom, Ilene Zeins.

ZiZi eagerly jumped on anyone who cooed over her bright pink manicure and extravagant black dress.

Another high profile pup, 16-month-old Pomeranian Gia, was wearing a tootsie roll and lollipop dress and matching hair bow. Soon, she’ll make her cover debut with PUP Culture Magazine.

Frankie, 6, who was all hot pink fur head to toe, didn’t seem to mind the unwanted advance another dog made from behind. In all fairness, Frankie was peacocking.

Nearby was five-year-old Suri, wearing a pink polka dot bow with pearls and matching necklace, sitting snuggly in her owner’s tote bag.
“We always go to dog fundraisers, and it’s a great excuse to wear fancy outfits,” said her mom, Artesia Adamo, who lives on Iriving Place and 18th Street. “Too many of these dogs need homes.”

Furry guests were served dog sushi hors d’oeuvres and given doggie bags full of treats to take home, and a pee-pee incident around 7:45 p.m. was handled discreetly and professionally by store employees.

The event, which drew 100 guests to the Gramercy Park store, raised $1,000 for the cause. All proceeds will go towards supporting senior, special needs, and surrendered dogs.

K9Kastle usually cares for about twenty dogs at a time and four to five times as many cats. They’re currently funded, in large part, by donations, because the grant from the Mayor’s Alliance is almost at the end of its run. They are hoping to open up their own shelter soon.

To adopt Misha, Fiona, Twinkie, or another senior dog, please visit k9castle.petfinder.org.

Photo via Flickr / Outlier Dogs

Now that you know how to prepare for a puppy in the city – your fingers should be frozen but strong and your squats impressively stable – it’s time to talk dog breeds. Choosing the right breed can take years of research and careful contemplation, but I’m here to save you the trouble with one simple tip.

Adopt. Now, I’m sorry if you were expecting some sort of dog breed personality matcher with a fun infographic and questions like “Your ideal Sunday afternoon is spent: a) sleeping b) going to the park or c) chewing on things.” Definitely c, by the way. While I know it sounds preachy, I promise that I encourage you to adopt for PURELY SELFISH REASONS.

Now do I have your attention? Good.

So, puppies are cute. Of course they are. Everybody loves a puppy, like a wide-eyed, fluffy-tailed freshman girl at her first college party. But, also like the freshman girl, they can’t handle what they drink and just don’t have much to contribute yet. Sure, sometimes they look really sleepy and fall over cutely, but I’ll take a mellow, grey bearded dog that would give its right front paw for me any day. Just like an older, grey bearded lady – eh, let’s leave that metaphor for now.

Puppies are vapid. They’re fuzzy arm candy. If you want fuzzy arm candy, go buy one of those feather pens from the 90s, or a furry purse or something. They will not shit on your carpet or keep you up all night. Even your future dog will look back on its puppy years with embarrassment. “Ugh, I did what to that Collie?!” “I peed where?! How humiliating.” Adopting an older dog is like skipping directly to the main course when all the appetizers involve labor-intensive truffle-scented foams that only leave you hungrier. Skip the fluff, and the puppy fuzz.

Rescues are also grateful. That entitled purebred bitch knows you paid top dollar for her, and she will never forget it. Moreover, as far as I’m concerned “purebred” means “inbred,” and just like most plates of “raw, mushy beef” would be left untouched while those of “steak tartare” are polished clean, most people would not proudly state that they “only buy inbred dogs.” Again, moral and ick issues aside – we do not inbreed for selfish reasons: it produces fucked up offspring. And medical bills add up fast.

Your dog may look like the one you have dreamt of since childhood – he has been bred to, after all – but what you don’t see are the impending stomach, heart, and allergy problems. You won’t find those problems in the scrappy survivors at the shelter. Obviously you’re not going to let a high maintenance puppy die a Darwinian death, so when you make the initial decision regarding the dog you bring home, choose a survivor. You want the dog that has survived months on the streets eating garbage, not the one who needs boiled chicken and pureed pumpkin with half a Zyrtec served in a stainless steel bowl.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, when someone at the dog run asks what kind of dog yours is, don’t you want to be able to say with a smug smile: “Oh! Darwin? We don’t know, he’s a rescue.” Game. Set. Match.

Photo via Flickr/chotda

As the temperature drops, the thought of spending all your time indoors with a warm, cuddly puppy might sound like an inspired idea.

Sure, that sweet puppy breath will defrost your face when you come in from the cold. And how good will that fuzzy tummy feel sleeping atop your tired, frozen feet? What you don’t realize is that most of your time will actually be spent outdoors willing said puppy to go to the bathroom. At times, begging. Eventually crying such that the tears freeze to your numb, desperate face.

Your new furry friend and his adorably oversized paws will essentially bring the sidewalk into your apartment and – let’s be honest, you big softie – your bed. If that doesn’t get your immune system going, the blustery 3 a.m. walks will. The good news is, with a bit of preparation and some humbling expectations, you too can be ready for a dog in the city.

How to plan for a puppy in the city:

1. Start preparing your immune system now.
2. Drop a Skittle on the sidewalk. Eat it. Repeat.
3. Now try using a gummy bear. Lick it first. Step on it. Peel it off the sole of your shoe and then eat it.
4. Repeat until you can, without hesitation, eat a piece of gum from the gutter.
5. Oh, come on! You think letting a puppy that sniffs every puddle and pile lick your face is any better?
6. Just wait until you’re prying a grimy chicken wing from that locked jaw full of tiny shark-puppy teeth. By the way, in every neighborhood there is someone eating chicken wings by the bucket and tossing the bones to the ground. Beware. Maybe it’s the same person; a lot of ground to cover, but they’ve got a lotta chicken wings to walk off.
7. Begin talking to yourself as you stroll down the sidewalk.
8. Use a giddy, high-pitched voice and smile a lot. Toss your head back in delight.
9. You will inevitably talk to your dog – first clandestinely when you think the sidewalk is clear, then blatantly carrying on full conversations – so at least if you start now, it will seem like a significant improvement once the dog comes.
10. Start doing finger lifts, pumps, and presses. You will end up holding the leash by your pinky finger as you juggle bags, a cell phone, and coffee, so it will need to be strong and agile.
11. Start doing squats. You want to be immovable when you bend over to poop-scoop. It only takes one skateboarder grinding by for your excitable and surprisingly strong puppy to send you flying face first into that pile of “shit!”
12. Of course, always remove scarves, hats, and bags before bending over to scoop. If they can, they will find a way to fall directly into that steaming pile.
13. Start distancing yourself from material possessions. Not only is this a good exercise in general, but the chances of your puppy destroying something is directly proportional to your attachment to that item.
14. The sooner you have nothing to lose the better.
15. Try plunging your bare hands into an ice bath, and then practice handling poop bags to pick up things. This will prepare you for those frosty late night walks, and it’s not a bad way to clean your kitchen.
16. Now it’s time to start preparing financially.
17. Practice burning money, one bill at a time.
18. Don’t go crazy here, you’ll need most of that once the dog comes, but you should get used to the feeling.
19. Set aside $500 in cash for an emergency fund. You know, in case the dog has an emergency medical bill, or chews up the neighbor’s vintage Samsonite. Or cat. Or cat named Samsonite.
20. Now, carefully light that wad of bills on fire and throw it into a pile of your most valuable possessions.
21. You really thought $500 was going to cover emergency medical bills for this little germ sucker?
22. Giardia is about to become such a big part of your life that you’ll start seeing it everywhere – watching Giardia de Laurentiis make her own fettuccine, catching a flight from La Giardia, you get the idea.
23. What’s giardia, you say? HA. Oh, just you wait.
24. Now, wash your hands. That shit (pun intended) is contagious, you’re out $500, and in case you’ve forgotten since your last pinkeye scare – your own healthcare plan suuuucks.
25. Lastly, prepare yourself for crippling amounts of LOVE. The kind that comes in spurts of unbridled, embarrassing “shmoopy doopy doo”s and lets you forgive them for ruining your life, running your life, and defrosting even your cold, cold heart.

The volunteers who commit their time to Zani’s Furry Friends rescue group may share their devotion to animals, but they themselves cannot be pigeonholed. 

They come on Sunday mornings, bags in tow, to the PetCo on the Upper East Side. They assemble and stack crates, pull cats from meowing, thrashing bags and set up camp. They bicker over which cat goes where and who gets what blanket until everything is meticulously in place.

Michelle, a regular volunteer, ties ribbons around the cats’ necks. She calls it the “beautification process.”

“The ribbons can be controversial,” she says. “I think ribbons are the least of these cats’ worries.”

Then they spend the day trying to get the cats adopted.

They are an NYU professor who speaks six languages, a trained psychoanalyst, a CEO of a high finance company and students struggling to afford college or even make it into the city to volunteer their time. One woman works in fashion, another works in a government office, one is a hospice nurse, one a former journalist. They worry about their children and have passions unrelated to animals, they discuss the significance of astrological signs and planetary activity, they pride themselves on being good judges of character.

One volunteer, Jacqui, who regularly shows up in heels, smelling of honeysuckle or jasmine, says: “I can’t paint or draw, so I dress up.”

But don’t ever ask these women how many cats they own at any given time; they won’t tell you. They’ve learned the hard way. When you’re in rescue, you don’t tell people how many cats you have packed away at home, rotating in and out of the fickle system.

You get strange looks, people shy away and the neighbors in your co-op start to wonder. As one woman says, when you work in rescue — with groups like Zani’s, which take pets off the euthanasia list — you do not choose which pets to adopt. You adopt the un-adoptable.

And yes, for the most part, these volunteers are all women. Several note they got involved at a point when they felt they needed a change in their lives.

Tiffani, a 17-year-old volunteer with Zani’s who commutes from the Bronx, explains: “There are a lot of volunteers who come and go, but no guys. I think we freak them out.”

She adds: “I saw a guy volunteering one time. I came back and he was out the door.”

Valerie, Zani’s expert on cat behavior and nutrition, explains women tend to be more drawn to cats in general.

“Women, especially older women, get into cats, when they’re not valued by society in the same way,” she says. “Cats are warm and affectionate — they fill a void.”

Valerie is careful to distinguish between those who hoard cats as they might other material possessions — the stereotypical “crazy cat lady” — and many of the women in rescue.

“I’m not a crazy cat lady,” she emphasizes.

Valerie, who originally got involved with rescue because she was looking for something to do, says she keeps her place clean and wants few possessions. She concedes sometimes, however, she finds herself wearing a “blanket of cats” while watching television.

Further, Valerie explains there’s an adage that tends to ring true — when you’re young you want a dog, when you mature you want a cat. Despite any stereotypes, cats, like one or two of Valerie’s, still have the potential to be incredibly needy. Cats are very social creatures, just not perhaps in the way we understand — or desire — socialization.

They may have prodigious knowledge of the animal world, but Jacqui says Zani’s volunteers are really just regular people.

She describes a fundraising benefit Zani’s threw the night before our interview, complete with cabaret acts. “Someone called us the prettiest girls in rescue,” Jacqui says.

A few other volunteers scoff at this remark, betraying their no-nonsense attitude. “There’s a reason we’re no-nonsense,” says Valerie, when I point this out. “We go through hell.”

“I don’t know, Anjellicle [Cats Rescue] is very pretty,” offers another. Anjellicle, a “competitor” to Zani’s, occupies the temporary PetCo home on Saturday afternoons. Unlike Anjellicle, Zani’s also rescues dogs and the occasional rabbit or bird.

Dismayed perusers often come in looking to hold the cuddly kittens Anjellicle shows. Zani’s peppers their cages with signs forbidding all but the most interested from touching their cats, as illnesses are easily spread to the stressed animals.

Young people, who adopt from shelters, tend to enjoy the playfulness of a young kitten, but sometimes they return the cats when the animals age and lose their liveliness or when the pet would rather play with another kitten and have nothing to do with its owner. Zani’s does everything in its power to combat this mentality.

“People don’t really understand cat behavior,” says Valerie, “but once you get it, you get it.” She explains a cat’s head-butt is the ultimate sign of love and respect.

Valerie points to a statistic about Americans: approximately 70 percent of Americans say they prefer dogs, while something like 25 percent prefer cats.

Yet cats have overtaken dogs statistically as pets in the United States. The seeming discrepancy is explained by the fact that cat-owners tend to own more than one cat.

The hands-on experience of showing the cats in-store is essential, as rescue groups like Zani’s have saturated the internet market. Pictures and bios of the animals, written and rewritten tirelessly by volunteers, also play a critical role in whether an animal will be placed. Valerie says people respond best to visual depictions.

Sometimes which cats will get adopted — if any — just depends on the day.

One woman browses the cats while I talk to the volunteers. I ask if she’s interested in adopting. “I’ve got eight animals,” she says, sheepishly, “but it’s so hard not to look.” Others meander by and stuff dollar bills into the group’s donation jars.

Jacqui says the group is financially indebted to their veterinarian. Besides squatting at PetCo once a weekend, Zani’s operates entirely out of volunteers’ apartments.

The founder and executive director of Zani’s, who asked to remain anonymous, started volunteering at the ACC of NYC shelter years back when she realized “the real need is in rescue.” While working at the shelter and for a rescue group, she was told she was too good, and needed to form her own organization. Allergic to cats at the time, she began her own dogs-only group, and says Zani’s grew from there.

She adds cat rescue is like the mafia. “Once you’re in, you can’t get out,” she says, while clipping a cat’s nails. (She often clips the nails of passersby’s pets or offers up solicited — or unsolicited — pet advice.)

For all its struggles, Zani’s has just as many success stories, including adoptive parents who write in to thank Zani’s, saying their newfound pets have been more therapeutic than they could have imagined.

“They rescue us more than we rescue them,” explains Jacqui.

Bruno, one of Bidawee's dogs looking for a home

Bideawee, an animal welfare organization that has been helping pets find homes for over a century in New York and Long Island, is struggling to recover from the damage of Hurricane Sandy.

From Bidawee’s website:

Despite all of the prior planning and precautions for Hurricane Sandy, we will be feeling the impact of this historical storm for a very long time. Bideawee in Manhattan has been on the edge of the East River for more than 100 years and suffered heavy flooding when the storm surge pushed the river over its banks. The rush of water swamped the isolation units and holding areas and destroyed the elevator that is used to transport animals from the adoption center to the animal hospital to receive their life-saving medical care. Due to this damage, Bideawee is still not open in Manhattan and can’t serve the needs of the animals and people that rely on us. 

Checkers the cat

Thankfully, all of the animals were evacuated safely to our Wantagh facility on Long Island that has been relying on generator power since the storm first hit metropolitan New York. Our dedicated staff was working around the clock with the aid of the generator until it failed after 11 straight days of use. Undeterred, the staff continues to care for the animals by using flashlights and extra blankets, ensuring the health and safety of every animal in our care. We are working to secure a large portable generator, but as you can imagine in the midst of all the destruction generators are in very short supply. 

To help the recovery efforts at Bideawee, you can donate through their website here. The adorable puppies and kittens will thank you.

Photo Courtesy of Alissa Fleck

By Alissa Fleck

What do dogs need in order to thrive while their human companions are away? Opinions may vary on the subject—between minimalists and pet pamperers—but D Pet Hotels, soon to arrive in Chelsea, has luxury down. They can guarantee your pet won’t miss you too much while you’re away.

The luxury pet hotel recently opened a location in Scottsdale, Arizona after its initial success in Hollywood. Now the chain is taking on New York City, and New Yorkers love their dogs, so the hotel’s lavish amenities will likely come as a shock to no one.

D Pet Hotels caters exclusively to dogs, and the New York edition will feature 10,000 square feet of pooch paradise. The hotel’s rooms offer full-size beds and flat-screen TVs, while the hotel itself boasts a doggie gym, lounge, spa, boutique and chauffeur service, reports the Daily News. (Once your dog gets a taste of the human bed experience, he may be reluctant to come back home.)

Dog parks at D Pet Hotels are air-conditioned, chauffeur cars are Lamborghinis and Porsches and the boutique carries only the classiest, organic dog treats and plushest beds.

According to the News, “The spa menu includes ‘pawdicures’ and oil treatments for dry coats. The fitness service offers a private fitness trainer and a chef-made meal including brown rice with vegetables, lamb or chicken.”

The News also reports luxury dog hotels like D Pet Hotels are becoming increasingly popular, perhaps a surprising trend considering the economic recession and, particularly, New York human living space becoming ever tinier.

It’s not exclusively an American trend though—the arrival of D Pet Hotels in Chelsea also comes on the heels of the eight-story doggie love hotel being built in Brazil.

Meanwhile, a pet hotel in Melbourne, Australia is perhaps the most decked out yet—it features “push button sliding glass doors and personal automatic fresh water drinkers…and under-floor heating,” reports the News.

Of course, many will argue economic downturn or not, it should have no bearing on how we pamper our cuddly, furry companions.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

A police officer shot and killed a pit bull in the East Village at approximately 4:25 p.m. on Monday.

The officer was one of four to respond to a call to check on the dog’s owner, who appeared to be passed out on a sidewalk at 14th Street and 2nd Avenue in front of a KFC. When the officer attempted to wake up the man, the dog allegedly lunged at him, and he opened fire.

Neighboring businesses, friends and residents at the scene told DNAinfo that the man had come to the U.S. from Poland, and that he and his dog frequented that corner. He was 29 years old, suffered from epilepsy and had frequent seizures, they said.

A witness who called himself a friend of the unconscious man told the Local East Village that the man is known as Pollock and that the dog was named Star.

An East Village resident on the scene said to Gothamist that at first the officers were “not aggressive” towards the man or the dog. “The dog was barking very loudly, as though it were protecting its turf,” the resident said. The officers sprayed mace at the dog, according to the resident, then shot it when it advanced towards them.

“There were a lot of people around, and I didn’t hear them tell anyone to clear off,” the resident told Gothamist. “There was a little boy closer to the scene with his dad, and he started bawling.”

Chef Eddie Huang tweeted a photo of the incident, and told the Observer that “everyone around was like: Put the dog out of its misery. The cops left this dog wiggling and flaying, blood coming out of its mouth. They shot it in front of a public bus.”

“He was protecting the owner, like what animals do. He doesn’t know any better, he’s a dog,” a witness told NY1. “They could have handled it differently, rather than shooting the dog.

“I talked to the cop afterwards,” said another witness to NY1. “He was very shaken up. He’s a dog lover and it ruined his week, if not his year. And he did what he had to do to protect himself.”

The unconscious man and the police officer were both transported to local hospitals following the incident, an FDNY spokesperson told DNAinfo.

Unleashing our inner bitchy selves

I was on my way out of St. John the Divine, on 112th Street, after a Saturday night concert when I heard a woman behind me say in a loud, distinctly annoyed tone of voice, “But I don’t understand; why don’t they allow dogs in here?”

At first I was taken aback. For heaven’s sake, how ridiculous, I thought. Dogs in a cathedral? With the barking, the peeing, the panting—maybe even the biting? What kind of an animal fanatic was this woman, anyway? The concert we were coming from had featured solo harp music, during which even bodies shifting in their seats made too much noise; I could only imagine what a dog whimpering away would have been like.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a cat owner. Cat owners and dog owners are a bit like the Jets and the Sharks: In general, dog owners think cats are cold, finicky, standoffish animals; conversely, cat owners are enormously bewildered that anyone would intentionally structure his life so he would be regularly picking up his pet’s poop in the rain at 6 a.m.

However, on my way home, I started thinking about Paris and the way people there are allowed to take their beloved pooches to restaurants and cafes. Who can argue with the super-civilized behavior of the French? After all, dogs are loyal companions, and it would make a big difference to a lot of people if their owners could take them with them more often. Under New York City’s health code, pets are not allowed inside restaurants unless they are service animals, even though some restaurants allow it anyway. But why not? Is the toting of small dogs in carriers really that much different than bringing babies in strollers? Is my health really endangered by the close proximity of a lap dog?

By the time I got to my apartment, I was feeling some solidarity with the complaining stranger. After all, this kind of “uppity” behavior is one of the things I love about New York City. Where else could anyone be totally incensed that her Cairn terrier was not allowed to enjoy Bach’s Fugue in D Minor at a famous Episcopal cathedral? The brashness, the feeling of freedom and entitlement and desire for progress that Americans are traditionally known for is intensified in New York.

In D.C., Boston, London—indeed, in most other Western cities—people will line up in an orderly fashion at the train station. In New York, they tend to rush the gate. It’s not a myth; we really are pushier here. I may have been brought up by mild-mannered parents, but after 20-plus years of living in New York I find myself challenging the rules, testing the boundaries, pushing the envelope much more than if I had lived somewhere else—though I always try to smile when I find myself saying something like, “That doesn’t work for me; is there any way you can make an exception?”

New Yorkers are the best in the world at moving the line just a little farther than where it started. If a rule does not make sense, we challenge it. This keeps things stirred up, but also engenders progress. We are always demanding our rights (or what we see as our rights), always wanting more, never satisfied with the status quo—Why can’t I use my mobile device everywhere I want? Why can’t I eat my dinner on the subway? Why can’t I bring my kid to this adults-only thing? Why can’t I take flash photos of this museum exhibit? Why can’t I buy exotic fruits from Japan all year round? Why can’t I go topless in public? Why can’t I bring my dog to the harp concert?
Dogs might not be able to get into St. John the Divine, but what they can do in New York is get married. What was reportedly the most expensive dog wedding in history was held just a few weeks ago at the Jumeirah Essex House Hotel on Central Park South. It cost $158,187.26—though, alas, it was not a church wedding.

Keep on pushing, New Yorkers. If you don’t, who will?

Jeanne Martinet, aka Miss Mingle, is the author of seven books on social interaction.  Her latest book is a novel called Etiquette for the End of the World.  She can be reached at JeanneMartinet.com.

The dog days of summer can be hazardous for your pet. Be a cool owner and help your canine companion beat the heat this summer.
It is important to realize that people and animals differ greatly in their ability to regulate internal body temperature. Humans have hundreds of sweat glands, all over the body, that help us stay cool by releasing moisture which evaporates on the skin’s surface. Dogs have very few sweat glands, all of which are located in the pads of their feet. Dogs cool themselves primarily by the process of panting and breathing, with the moist lining of their lungs, tongue, mucous membranes and windpipe serving as the evaporative surfaces. Dogs also release heat by dilating blood vessels in the face, ears and hairless areas of the body like the armpits and groin. This allows blood to flow closer to the skin’s surface, where it has a chance to cool down.

Minimizing your dog’s exposure to extreme temperatures can prevent a life-threatening condition called hyperthermia, which can lead to heat stroke. A dog’s normal body temperature is 101–103 degrees Farenheit. Hyperthermia is a sustained core body temperature over 105, due to the dog’s inability to cool itself efficiently. Certain dogs are at higher risk because of their body conformations or medical conditions. At-risk dogs are those that have thick hair coats, flat faces (like bulldogs), lung/breathing or heart problems, or that are older or overweight. Symptoms include hard and harsh panting, deep red gums, drooling, sluggishness, disorientation, vomiting and diarrhea. Internal body temperatures over 105–106 degrees can quickly lead to organ failure and death. These temperatures can be reached even with moderate heat and exercise. I have seen this happen to a dog who sat under a hair dryer too long while at the groomer!

Never leave your dog unattended in a parked car, even for a minute. Temperatures inside that vehicle can easily reach 160 degrees in a matter of minutes. Five minutes inside can lead to death. Consider leaving your dog at home when you run errands on a hot day.
I see many dogs being walked with canvas muzzles in place, presumably because they don’t get along well with people or other dogs. While you may be trying to prevent a bite, you are also preventing your dog from panting and cooling off. Basket muzzles are a much better alternative, as they allow your dog to pant freely, but also add the layer of protection you are looking for.

If you enjoy exercising with your dog, do so at the coolest part of the day. Noontime jogs are not a good idea.

If you think your pet may be experiencing heat stroke, take immediate steps to cool him/her down, then seek veterinary attention at the Animal Hospitals at Bideawee or from your veterinarian. This usually entails hosing your dog off with cool water or submerging him/her in a tepid bath; it may not be enough to just bring your pet into an air-conditioned room. Ice packs applied to the armpit and groin can also help cool your dog. Once at the vet, further cooling procedures can be administered. However, some of the consequences of prolonged, extreme elevations in body temperature can cause an irreversible process of multi-organ system failure leading to death.

On hot days, the coolest thing to do may be to leave Fido at home.

Robin Brennen is chief of veterinary services & VP Program Operations at Bideawee.

Tavern on the Renovation
The city will begin work on the renovation of Tavern on the Green this week, according to a Department of Design and Construction (DDC) spokesman. The “pre-construction” will involve removal of an underground fuel tank and other preliminary work; full-on construction won’t start until next month.

While this is good news to those anxious to see Tavern reborn as a new eatery, it’s bad news for parkgoers who currently use the temporary visitor center housed there, as it will close on June 20.

As construction continues, the DDC will restore the landmark structure and remove additions that don’t fit with the historic character of the building. They will also gut renovate the interior and upgrade the HVAC systems in preparation for the new, yet-to-be-announced tenant. The whole project is expected to cost $9.8 million.

Asphalt Green Olympics
Five young swimmers from the Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics team have qualified for this year’s U.S. Olympic team trials, which will be held June 25 in Omaha, Neb. The swimmers are 17-year-old Lia Neal, ranked fifth in the 200-meter women’s freestyle and sixth in the 100-meter women’s freestyle in the country; 16-year-old Michael Domagala, who has qualified in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter backstroke; En-Wei Hu-Van Wright, who will be swimming the 200-meter backstroke; Isla Hutchinson-Maddox, who will be swimming the 200-meter butterfly; and Griffin Schumacher, who will be swimming jointly for AGUA and Harvard in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle.

They will be competing with 2,000 other swimmers from around the country for a spot on the Olympic team, as well as for a place on the National Youth Team. Neal, Domagala, and Hu-Van Wright are recipients of the Swim for the Future scholarships, supported by a memorial fund for two Asphalt Green Masters swimmers—Andrew Fisher and Doug Irgang—who died in the World Trade Center attack. There will be a community send-off for the swimmers on June 22, 4-6 p.m. at 1750 York Ave.

Rent-a-Dog in Central Park
Graduate student Katherine Long has always enjoyed giving to charity, but sometimes she just comes up short. So Long decided to rent out her collie-retriever mix named Ocho to strangers for $5 for each 20-minute walk in Central Park. According to DNAinfo, she has already raised over $100 for Ruff Start Rescue, the Westchester-based no-kill shelter where she adopted Ocho. Only two hours after creating a sign and holding it up in the park, Long had received 12 walkers. So patrons won’t steal the pooch, Long fibs that she has a tracking device on him. She collects the walkers’ names and cell phone numbers, texting them reminders to come back. The next Rent-a-Dog event is scheduled for July 1, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

New UES Power Source
At a ceremony on June 11, Mayor Michael Bloomberg flipped the switch to activate a new wind turbine on the rooftop of The Town School, a private nursery and K-8 elementary school on the Upper East Side. The first to be installed at a New York City school, the turbine will convert wind power into electricity, providing the building with a renewable energy source. The Town School is a member of the Green Schools Alliance, which educates students about climate change and environmental sustainability.

Soccer Mom Madam’s Bail Cut
A New York appeals court reduced the bail last Tuesday for Manhattan’s so-called “Soccer Mom Madam” from $2 million to $250,000 after she spent more than three months in prison. Anna Gristina faces one felony count of promoting prostitution and has been detained at Rikers Island since she was arrested Feb. 22. Prosecutors allege that Gristina was running a high-end brothel out of an Upper East Side apartment and that she drew in millions of dollars catering to wealthy and connected Manhattan clients.

A panel of judges unanimously ruled last Tuesday that the original bail set by the trial court was “unreasonable and an abuse of discretion,” noting the single nonviolent charge and Gristina’s longtime residence with her four children in suburban Monroe, N.Y. Gristina, who pled not guilty, is working to raise the funds to post bail sometime next week. If released, she will be required to wear a monitoring bracelet at her own expense.

Council to Legalize Brunch
Add this to the list of laws you never knew you were breaking: outdoor brunch in the city is illegal on Sunday mornings.

The obscure 1971 law that forbids restaurants from serving customers outside on Sundays before noon has long been ignored citywide, but recent complaints of crowded sidewalks by residents in Greenpoint prompted the city to crack down on violators. According to CBS New York, the city ticketed one business and issued a summons to another.

In support of local business owners and lovers of breakfast burritos, lawmakers have introduced a bill to the City Council that would allow patrons to dine at sidewalk tables on Sundays starting at 10 a.m.

“New Yorkers will not be denied their Sunday brunch in the beautiful weather,” said Council Member Dan Garodnick in a statement. “This regulation is outdated, widely disregarded and hostile to business and brunch-loving New Yorkers. It needs to change.”

The pro-French toast al fresco bill is widely expected to pass the Council. The law that prohibits the sale of alcohol before 12 p.m. on Sundays—we’re looking at you, mimosas and bloody Marys—will still be in effect, though many restaurants casually flout that one as well.

Correction
In last week’s profile of one of our Blackboard Award honorees, Laurel Nyeboe of P.S. 40, there were a few incorrect references to the principal who hired her, Tanya Kaufman. Kaufman’s first name was misspelled, and it was Nyeboe, not Kaufman, who said: “One mother I’m still friends with claims I helped her raise her child.” Also, Kaufman is retired and will not be Nyeboe’s principal when the teacher moves to a new school next year.