DOGGIE

I’m not going to lie – what first attracted me to Le Chien dog boutique was its name – it sounded chi-chi, but inviting and not pretentious. The store offers all the standard pet boutique and spa services – but with a serious track record to back them up: they’ve been in business as one of NYC’s premier pet salons for almost 30 years. They offer the things you’ve come to expect from a one-stop pet shop including boarding, day care and grooming, but what I think stands out about Le Chien is their amazing, high end store (which you can see here in panoramic view).

They cater to tiny pups and large pooches alike, knowing what type of care to give to each one – whether they’re searching for the perfect grooming experience or a designer coat.

The site talks extensively about the owner and founder Liza, and her penchant for all things pooch and her ability to recognize the needs of pets and pet parents alike and keep people coming back to the store – whether virtually or in person – again and again. After finding her picture on the site, it’s easy to see why the store is so clearly top-notch.

Stop into Le Chien, find out what Liza may prescribe for your dog, and you may be back again and again!

~happy pampering!

*alexis

Many of us feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day! And while most of us dog-lovers make our pooches one of our top priorities, sometimes it would be nice if someone would just take them off our hands for a few hours and return them to us tired, good, and well-behaved. Believe me, I know this feeling – I just adopted two six-week-old beagle puppies!

If you’ve had this feeling too, prepare to have your dog training dream come true, at least in part! Pets at Play offers a number of  services to Manhattanites, including day care, boarding, the usual. But one thing they offer that goes above and beyond the offering of many of their competitors is that they also offer training. But not just any training. Training while your dog is at their facility. Of course, they’ll also come to your home or dog park and work with your pup on her home turf. But if you want to literally achieve two things at once, consider this: while your dog is boarded during your vacation or at day care during your work day, you could get him returned to you and he, say, is biting less. Or barking less. According to their website, the training programs at Pets at Play “are designed to correct behavioral problems that affect your dog’s relationship with you such as leash aggression, leash pulling, chewing, barking, fear, toileting, aggression, begging and biting.”

Of course as any good pet parent knows, training is just about as much for you as it is for the dog, so you can’t expect to do nothing and have a perfectly behaved dog. You’ll still be required do put in some work and make sure you’re consistent with your pooch. But wouldn’t it be nice if the foundation was already there?!

~happy pampering

*alexis

Not only is that a catchy little phrase, it’s also the name of a perfectly-place doggie day care, or – I should say – a doggie day spa in the Financial District. We say “perfectly placed” because the day care, boutique and grooming facility caters to all you FiDi-ers out there but providing you a convenient place to put your pooch while you work hard for your money. This means you don’t have to leave your pooch alone all day, and you don’t have to spend a bunch of time carting her around to points further outside the city center. You can bring her with you when you head to work and drop her at day care!

Another thing I love about the day care is that it’s eco-friendly and staffed with specially-trained employees who know a thing or two about off-leash dog care. According to the website, “Our supervisors are caring pet professionals who understand canine behavior, communication, and the nuances of off-leash group play. Our play groups are small, and our facility is big! So every pup has plenty of room to exercise and socialize in a safe, fun and oh-so-comfy environment.” That’s what we like to hear!

This is also a great place to drop your pup off for some grooming while at work, or pick up a cute fashion statement while on your way home. AND you’ll feel good about your pup’s time spent at Bow Wow Wow, or about your purchases there because, “From food to fashion to bling, every product we carry is natural, luxurious and delectable!”

~happy pampering!

*alexis

In an area as big as NYC, you could be doing something charitable just about every free moment you have, and still not be doing it all. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for dogs-related organizations, and if it were possible I probably would spend most of my free time giving back to our four-legged “community.” But since I have to pick and choose, one of the organizations that tugs on my hearstrings is Loving Touch. They are fully run and staffed by volunteers and provide shelter and – ideally- adoptive services for animals for  $10 per day – costs which are off-set by donations and proceeds from their online store.
If I’ve made you eager to help Loving Touch, you’re in luck! They’re having a fundraiser this Saturday, August 2nd from 6:30-10:00 p.m. at North Presbyterian Church, 25-33 154th Street, Flushing, Queens.

Join other animal lovers celebrating in Hawai’ian style, win some raffle prizes, play games, and just have fun while helping homeless animals. Dress tropical or colorful — buy a lei or hair clip and win a prize! Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children over 5.

The money raised from these types of events helps the organization provide care to as many animals as they can by providing a vet check, tests, vaccines and, if necessary, spaying or neutering services.  Since Loving Touch doesn’t have a facility, they rely on foster parents and homes to take care of the animals they take in.

If you can’t make it to the event, consider volunteering with them, by going here.