Commentary | Cambridge Canine

Dog Mommy Wars

Do you place your puppy's needs above your own?

The Mommy Wars flared up again last week over Democratic party strategist Hilary Rosen’s ham-handed quip that stay-at-home-mother-of-five Ann Romney had “never worked a day in her life.” I don’t have a dog in that fight anymore (the youngest of my three kids is about to graduate high school), but lately I’ve pricked an ear to the politics of doggie daycare. Think I’m joking? Read on.

When I decided to get a puppy last spring, I called several cockapoo breeders to ask about litters in the pipeline. I was a little taken aback when, right off the bat, one of them them pointedly inquired, “Who will be with the puppy during the day?” Continue reading “Dog Mommy Wars”

North Point Ho!

NorthPoint_dogs — North Point Park offers Zakim Bridge views

My dog Eddie and I recently ventured out to an area of Cambridge that I’ve heard about for years, but never visited: North Point (or “NorthPoint”). I’ve lived in Cambridge for almost two decades, and I used to work in real estate, so I knew big changes were afoot in the Lechmere area, but when I mentioned North Point to a few friends, I drew blank stares. A dog walker I met there appeared astonished when I told her I’d come from all the way across town. “How in the world did you find this place?” she asked, as if I’d travelled 400 miles from my house in West Cambridge, not four. It’s hard to believe that in a city of just 7.1 square miles, any neighborhood still could be uncharted territory to many Cantabrigians — it’s almost as if “Here there be dragons” were scrawled across that corner of the city map.

Now that I’ve made the voyage and returned safely home, with a well-exercised dog and a bunch of good photos, I can attest that if you’re looking for a dog-friendly outing, North Point Park is worth the trip (vaux le voyage in Michelin Guide parlance). If you have the time and energy, nearby North Point Common also rates a stop (mérite un détour). Continue reading “North Point Ho!”

Lost & Found

Last Friday morning I was outside my house, saying good-bye to a friend who had visited, when a small white dog ran by on the sidewalk across the street, without an owner following or even a leash trailing behind. The little dog was trotting at a good clip and heading right for busy Fresh Pond Parkway, a perilous four-lane artery less than a hundred yards away.

Apologizing to my friend, I took off in hot pursuit but, clearly frightened, the poor dog sped up when it saw me. Continue reading “Lost & Found”

I Want My DOGTV!

When a friend told me about DOGTV, I assumed it was a joke. A new cable TV channel with programs for — not about, but for — dogs?! The Onion must be jerking our chain again, I thought. But no, DOGTV (billed as, what else, “a new breed of television”) is for real, a new digital media entrant in the race to grab a piece of the $50 billion dollar pet industry.

When a friend told me about DOGTV, I assumed it was a joke. A new cable TV channel with programs for — not about, but for — dogs?! The Onion must be jerking our chain again, I thought. But no, DOGTV (billed as, what else, “a new breed of television”) is for real, a new digital media entrant in the race to grab a piece of the $50 billion dollar pet industry. Continue reading “I Want My DOGTV!”

Thundershirt to the Rescue!

As every superhero knows, wearing a body-hugging unitard will make you feel more confident, even capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Now, thanks to the invention of a nifty garment called the Thundershirt, dogs can feel as brave as superheroes — or at least less likely to cower under the bed during a storm.

The Thundershirt (and its more prosaicly named competitor, the Anxiety Wrap) work on the same principle as swaddling a colicky infant; by applying steady, low-level pressure, a snuggly-fitting shirt exerts a calming effect on the dog’s central nervous system, miraculously curbing anti-social behaviors triggered by anxiety, fear or over-excitement. Continue reading “Thundershirt to the Rescue!”

Plan B Nation Welcomes Dogs

I’m proud to be today’s guest blogger on Plan B Nation, a wonderfully enlightening blog, whose subtitle “living creatively in challenging times” is a trick we would all do well to master. Plan B Nation is the brainchild of my friend Amy Gutman, who used to live in Cambridge and has a cat. My guest post (in which I compare myself to a Border collie on the World Wide Web!) is called “The Dogs Days of Plan B Nation.”

Here’s how it begins:

This Valentine’s Day I sent my 23-year-old son a card with a photo of a young man and his dog sitting side-by-side, wearing identical frizzy red wigs: “May you never grow to look like the one you love,” the card teased. With neither a sweetheart nor a pooch, my son is in no imminent danger of this romantic peril. The joke was on me, as it’s certainly no secret that his old lady has been crushing on her puppy lately.

I’ll let you be the judge of whether I’ve yet begun to resemble my dog, physically, but I have begun to recognize, and even embrace, a few emotional parallels. [READ MORE on Plan B Nation]

Of Letters and Lists

The stars aligned today to bring together the dual inspirations of my blogging life (dogs and E.B. White) when I discovered a post about E.B. White’s dog on a delightful blog called Letters of Note. Serendipity or synchronicity? Who can say that Facebook is a waste of time when it regularly conjures this sort of magic? Continue reading “Of Letters and Lists”

Don’t Be a Sydney!

With actor Jason Segel in Cambridge this week to be roasted as the Hasty Pudding’s 2012 Man of the Year, the time has come for a post on the subject of people who don’t pick up after their dogs.

Jason Segel (L) as Sydney in "I Love You, Man"

With actor Jason Segel in Cambridge this week to be roasted as the Hasty Pudding’s 2012 Man of the Year, the time has come for a post on the subject of people who don’t pick up after their dogs. Continue reading “Don’t Be a Sydney!”

Fresh-PO Is In Da House

Regular visitors to Fresh Pond often greet each other by asking, “Did you see him? Is he there today?”

The uninitiated may be excused for wondering what local celebrity could be the subject of such intense speculation. Is Matt Damon back in the ’hood? Might Ben Affleck be scouting locations for another film set in his old stomping grounds? Has Larry Summers taken up power walking to slim down? Is Justice Stephen Breyer riding his bicycle again after his accident last year? Does Skip Gates jog to keep ahead of the Cambridge police? Continue reading “Fresh-PO Is In Da House”

Turkey’s Street Dogs: A Doggone Shame

Having visited Greece and Italy I was not surprised by Istanbul’s ubiquitous cats, but I was totally unprepared to see so many stray dogs.

This dog appeared to be "supervised" by merchants on the street near our hotel. — This dog seemed to be "supervised" by merchants near our hotel.

In my last post (“Cutting the Apron Strings”), I was anticipating the mutual separation anxiety that my now eight-month-old puppy and I would feel when I left him at home – not alone, I hasten to add – for a week while I traveled to Istanbul. The trip would be the first time Eddie and I had been apart for more than a few hours, let alone overnight. I am pleased to report that we both survived. Speaking for myself, I realize that our trial separation was healthy. I wish I could say the same for the TV remote control and my husband’s reading glasses, both of which unfortunately served as Eddie’s transitional objects. Continue reading “Turkey’s Street Dogs: A Doggone Shame”