Harlem residents and region-wide Schnauzer organizers Corris and her pup Roxie let us know that Sunday's Schnauz-a-thon was Schnauz-tastic. Roxie writes:

We had about 35 Schnauzers in attendance and they all romped and played in the sun, while their owners gathered for friendly conversation and cordial introductions. The dog days of summer are long gone, but we gave out free dog sweaters in preparation for the upcoming Fall/Winter playdates we host outdoors. Schnauzers also went home with tasty carob candy bars. All the goodies were donated by Jennifer and her Schnauzer Benny, owners of The Dogs Business; she bakes wonderful dog treats and creates doggie birthday party kits in her home in Brooklyn.

In the photo above are Assistant Organizer Savannah with her dog Quincy (on left) and new member Stephanie with her dog Angel (on right). More photos of the day are up on Corris' Schnauzer MeetUp site. In addition to the MeetUp link, Corris included a link to New York City Schnauzers on their new station. It's hilarious. Serious, it's people like Corris who brighten my day.

In case anyone with a Schnauzer (or Schnoodle) missed Sunday's romp in the park, Corris ads an addendum to Roxie's Sunday review with October happenings, which are waiting for you after the jump.

UPCOMING SCHNAUZER SOCIALS

NYC Schnauzers Love Central Park
Saturday, October 14

It's time for NYC Schnauzers Love Central Park Country Fair! Well, it's really called The 5th Annual My Dog Loves Central Park Country Festival, but you get the idea. :-)

** YOUR HOSTS: Savannah & Quincy. **

Come join hundreds of other dog lovers on Saturday, October 14, 2006 as we celebrate Central Park and the dogs who love it! From 11 a.m.-4 p.m., midpark at 72nd Street (near the mall and sheep’s meadow), there will be booths and events ranging from low cost microchipping to agility to the best tail wagging contest! FREE ADMISSION

This is an awesome event, you're sure to bring home free goodies and have a lovely time on a beautiful fall day in Central Park! Newcomers and children are very welcome!

So let's have a good showing of Schnauzer Power!

For more info, click here.

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NYC Schnauzers Play Uptown!
Sunday, October 15

It's time for Uptown Schnauzers and Schnoodles to romp and play! Come join us for fun and frolics at the small dog run at 72nd Street & Riverside Drive in Manhattan. FREE

Bring your dogs, friends, and get ready for a good time.

What to Expect: While the dogs play and socialize, you'll meet a group of friendly Schnauzer and Schnoodle enthusiasts who discuss everything from their favorite pet carriers, best groomers, and you may even spot a Giant Schnauzer!

Come be a part of the pack!

**********

NYC Schnauzers Play in Brooklyn
Sunday, October 22

It's time for a Schnauzer/Schnoodle playdate in doggie paradise.

Get up early with other Schnauzer enthusiasts for off leash fun and frolics with your dog. Prospect Park is a beautiful place with plenty of with wide-open spaces to roam freely and explore.

Bring your friends, family and furry friends. It's going to be a howling good time!

YOUR HOSTS: Jennifer and her Schnauzer Benny.

Jennifer is the new organizer of our Brooklyn Schnauzer playdates and owner of a company inspired by her Benny (http://www.thedogsbusiness.com) she also donates to dog-related charities and causes. FREE TREATS FOR THOSE WHO ATTEND!

*** Meet at the dog beach in long meadow at 8 a.m. ***

Don't miss this playdate! No sleep ‘til Brooklyn!! :-)

**********

Posted by Chris at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Once again, Cimbi (and Cheryl and I) would like to thank everyone who is sending in ideas for dealing with allergies and offers to re-home her. She is especially excited with the number of Uptown residents willing to open their doors to her. After all, she is Harlem Fur. We are getting back to everyone who writes in, which is taking a little bit of time.

I should also clarify Marley's situation, as I may not have been as clear as what I could have been. Don't worry, it has a happy ending.

As I wrote before, Marley was literally deathly allergic to something in our apartment. A couple days after he came, Marley would dry cough day and night between breathing with his mouth open. Two trips to the vet and X-ray examinations from two veterinarians showed that Marley had an allergic reaction that was causing his throat to close, making breathing incredibly difficult. Our vet told us Marley did not have a simple cold. He lives off of Central Park West in the 80's, so he has to be good to afford that address.

For nearly two weeks, Cheryl and I tried antibiotics, two different inhalers, and pills to suppress Marley's reaction. Additionally, not knowing what was causing the allergic reaction, we switched out Marley's food and litter, and cleaned the apartment as best we could without using harmful cleaners. The only noticeable effect this had on Marley was his medicine drying out his mouth and making his bowel movements hard enough to cut diamonds. He hated the pills and inhaler mask, and grew increasingly less trustful of Cheryl and I when we picked him up, least he should be pumped full of some new medication.

Cheryl and I both agreed that all of this was horrible for Marley. If it had just been her allergies alone causing problems, I know Cheryl, against my recommendations, would have held onto Marley as long as she could have. For his health as much as hers, however, we wanted to get him somewhere outside of the apartment as soon as possible.

Also, as I wrote before, I called known no-kill shelters in the area (I think eight in total), but all said that they were full. I finally went back to the 110th Street shelter, armed with the medical reports and his small portable pharmacy to argue Marley's case. And as I wrote before, the person working intake at 110th Street was impressed with how much effort we had put into Marley's allergies. As a result, they said they would take extra consideration of Marley. They kept their word, and found a rescue organization that took Marley. This is not a lie that they fed me. I spoke to the general manager about Marley, and this is really what they did for the little cat.

I would like to add that I am disappointed some people, although just a small minority, have such a negative view of the people who work and volunteer at the 110th Street shelter. Granted the facilities are not the most uplifting I have seen, but the people who work and volunteer there do care about animals. This is where we adopted Cimbi from two years ago, and the staff was incredibly helpful.

When I first came in to surrender Marley back to the shelter, they were not happy with me at all, as it seemed Marley simply had a cold. However, after reading over the vet reports, and seeing what we did do for him, they were very helpful in working out the best possible solution. As I said, the person working intake that day told me they would watch out for Marley, and they did.

Posted by Chris at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Harlem Schauzer organizer Corris and pup Roxie will be hosting The NYC Schnauzers Playgroup this Sunday, October 8th in Washington Square Park. Doggie sweaters will be given to attendees while supplies last.

For more information on the free event, check out Corris' MeetUp page.
· NYC Schnauzers Playgroup [MeetUp]

Posted by Chris at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cheryl, Cimbi and I want to say thanks to all of the readers who are sending in ideas for dealing with Cheryl's allergies.

· Cat Lovers Lining Up for No-Sneeze Kitties [New York Times]
· Finally, you can enjoy the purr without a sneeze [International Herald Tribune]
· Company To Grow Custom Cats That Wont Cause Sneezing [Boston Globe]
· Cats in the News [Gothamist]

Posted by Chris at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Cimbi makes it into an October 4th IHT story on hypoallergenic cats. Cimbi, as one can understand, provides the example of a non-hypoallergenic cat.

Cheryl and I are deeply grateful for Elisabeth Rosenthal including Cimbi in the article, as it should help in our quest for finding her a new home. Despite all of the allergy complications Cimbi causes, we don't want to give her to just any person.

There have been some unintended effects on Cimbi thou as her notoriety grows. She now smokes Gauloises, said collaborating on an album with Stephane Pompougnac "might be cool," and wears a shell of ennui so impenetrable not even Joyce Cohen's cat dancer can hold her attention.

· Finally, you can enjoy the purr without a sneeze [International Herald Tribune]
· Cimbi Is Looking For A Good Home [HarlemFur]
· Joyce Cohen: Writer, Cat Toy Expert [HarlemFur]

Posted by Chris at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Cheryl and I really wanted to keep both Cimbi and Marley, the orange marmalade tabby we adopted less than two weeks ago that she was insanely allergic to, until we could find a proper home for them. However, Marley had to go back to the pound he came from this weekend. Cheryl made the decision not so much because of her own insane allergies, but because the cat was deathly allergic to something in our apartment.

Marley had a reaction to something we could never pinpoint. A few days after coming into our apartment, his trachea swelled so much it nearly closed.

We tried changing the litter and the food. We constantly dusted (using dry pads sans cleaning chemicals) and vacuumed. We gave the cat his medicine as best we could (cats really do not like using an inhaler). Nothing worked.

If it was not for Marley's allergies, Cheryl probably would have tried to keep him, as he reminded her of an orange cat she used to have. However, his condition was bad and, due to vet bills, was easy to quantify.

· First vet visit (with 5 day dosage of liquid antibiotics): $385
· Second vet visit (with Aerocat inhaler chamber and prednisolone): $145
· Albuterol inhaler: $25.99
· Flovent inhaler: $187.99 (yes, that is the real price)

Anyway, you get where this was going.

So this weekend, with both Cheryl and Cimbi looking heartbroken, I brought him back to the 110th Street animal shelter. I had called around trying to find a different place to take him, fearing what his fate might be at 110th Street, but everyone I spoke said their place was full. We even tried friends and neighbors.

Much to our relief, the person working intake at 110th Street was impressed with how much effort we had put into Marley's allergies. As a result, they said they would take extra consideration of Marley, and watch to see how he was doing. Whew.

We are still looking for the right home for Cimbi. After we saw how much she enjoyed Marley's company, we now want to make sure she will be with a friend where she goes.

Posted by Chris at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)