As a Public Service Announcement, Harlem Fur wants you to know that people speaking a different language are talking about you.

Tourists seem to forget that our little town has a cosmopolitan thing or two about it. People speaking something other than English feel free to openly critique and discuss those right next them. But strange as it may seem, some of us take our understanding of other languages beyond "Donde esta el bano?" (Where is the bathroom?) and "Ich bein ein Berliner" (I am a jelly donut). This evening's subway ride home was one such example.

(A little bit of background: Cheryl speaks 'language.' Having a gift for picking up languages, she studied a host of them, taught a couple, and understands many more than a normal person should. Cheryl's caught people talking about those right next to them, sometimes us, in Spanish, French, Italian, German and more. So, on with the story...)

Packed in this evening with roughly 46.1 million people on the uptown 2, I leaned over and gave Cheryl a quick kiss as a means of saying 'Don't worry, we'll get through this together.' When I did this, Cheryl could swear she heard the mother from a family of four standing right next to us say in some language 'Look, he kissed the black one.' Wondering if she heard it right, she asked me to give her another kiss. I did, and the woman said, roughly translated, 'Oh my God, he kissed the black woman on the lips!'

This wasn't 'Oh my God, we are in this great big diverse melting pot of New York and look, everyone gets along!' It was more like 'Gross!' Always able to entertain ourselves, Cheryl and I started exchanging small kisses and saying, in English, 'Oh my God!'

As the ride continued, the four of them (mother, father and two teenage children) kept talking about us in their language, and we kept doing things in response. Finally, they caught on that we just might understand them.

The mother sent the male child over to stand by us and listen to what we were saying. 'Over by us' meant he moved all of 5 inches. Remember, we were all crammed so close together on the train that I'm shocked none of us are pregnant. So when Lorenzo (because at this point we knew his name) came over and leaned in to hear what we were saying, Cheryl and I looked directly at him and continued lightly making fun of the four. He then made the 5 inch trek back to the group, and told them 'She understands our language.' They then continued to talk about us, but in lower voices.

Anyway, the family stayed on the train until 116th St, and then got off with us. Thinking this was too much fun to pass up, we guessed they were staying at the new hostel on 118th (correct!) and planned to walk behind them all the way. Looking to ditch us, the parents ducked into Fine Fare as the kids continued on to the hostel. Cheryl and I easily lost interest, and headed across the street. We would have continued home, but looking back, we saw the parents come out of Fine Fare, see us, and go back in.

This was too much. We hung out on the other side of the street, waiting them out. When the parents finally emerged from the safety of the grocery store, Cheryl and I walked over with big smiles and asked to take a photo with them. Totally confused, they agreed, and we posted the photo here for your enjoyment.

Posted by Chris at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

While on a Saturday stroll, I spotted Grisha, which is the Russian nickname for Gregory, sunning himself on his Lenox Ave stoop. Having read a lot of Dostoyevsky, I expected him to greet me with a steely smile, bow- but come down so low as to offend me, then throw himself at my feet begging my forgiveness, and when I accepted, smile upon it ironically.

However, Grisha did none of that. He basically looked on with a disinterested contentment like any good cat.

Posted by Chris at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ella is a very energetic 3 year old pup who you can see was quite eager to get her photo taken. But she didn't let her desire be known right away.

She cleverly hid her excitement under a veil of disinterest and white fur until I was ready to take the shot. Then, Ella let it all hang out.

Posted by Chris at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Confirming previous rumors that my neighbor's Boxer Romeo has the hots for Isis, the German Shepherd down the street, I offer this photo.

For this shot, Romeo protectively moved just a little ahead and stayed ready on all four paws, while Isis chilled in the back with a big grin.

Posted by Chris at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Decked out in her jogging attire is Isis, a white German Shepherd rumored to be the love interest of neighborhood Boxer Romeo.

Although I had never seen her, Romeo's humans told me about a certain German Shepherd pup he goes crazy for, and I happened to ask this dog's owner if she is the one when spotting her on the street. Yes, she is the one.

Posted by Chris at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bianca is a beautiful American Staffordshire Terrier Cheryl and I met in Central Park. Like many energetic dogs, getting a profile shot can prove to be a difficult task, so we are settling for the arial photo.

Cheryl kept commenting on what a great coat Bianca has, and her human said that if we think she looks good, we should his other Am Staff, who looks like Pete the Pup from the Little Rascals.

Posted by Chris at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here we have Boomba, a dog I spotted over a block away for his striking resemblance to a pup I had for a mere five days last December. Yes, this here Boomba looks much like Parkway, a rescue dog I sought to adopt until finding out that Cheryl's cat allergies are nothing in comparison to her dog allergies.

I keep meaning to post on the yet-unblogged-about five days of the pooch, but an uncontrollable pain wells up each time I remember having to let go of the best dog on earth.

Parkway, thou, he could probably care less. Those five days were but a mere layover on his ride to pure bliss. He is now an hour and a half outside of the city living a constant life of dog Disneyland.

Posted by Chris at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continuing the theme of small Harlem dogs, we have Maxie Girl posing for the lens. Maxie is a clam and friendly Lhasa Apso whose tail gives her emotions away.

Posted by Chris at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few Harlem Fur readers have wrote in to ask if the nabe and its dog runs are friendly to smaller dogs. It is, for both the streets and the Morningside and St. Nicholas dog runs, as they have sections specifically for small dogs. The Marcus Garvey Park dog run is a toss up, and those with any dog should check it to see who else is inside before entering.

If the question is based on the frequency of large dogs featured here, that is probably due to a slight personal Fur preference coming through.

So, to help even the score of featured Harlem Hounds, we present Bugzy, a camera hound / Chihuahua mix. Bugzy can be seen around the nabe with his admiring human, Halstead broker Danni Tyson.

Posted by Chris at 07:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

This six-week old Burmese Mountain Dog looks and acts just like a giant stuffed animal. A word of caution to anyone who meets Uller on the street- any time spent in his presence will make you want one.

Posted by Chris at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Winston is a two year old Harlem French Bulldog who likes to step out dressed in black. Although he was making a solo run when I met him, he has three siblings at home to keep him company.

Posted by Chris at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chupe is a beautiful, gentle pooch Cheryl and I ran into outside Karrot on 117th. He has a striking coat of reddish and chocolate colors. His human, who adopted him five years ago from a shelter, said he is probably a mix of Rottweiler and Mastiff.

Posted by Chris at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Lucy is another cat who enjoys playing outdoors. However, on the day I saw her just outside Central Park on Lenox and 110th Street, she was on her way to the vet. Lucy has been battling a cancerous tumor for the past couple years. Lucy's owner recently lost her mother to cancer, so she is greatly appreciative of the fight the cat is putting up against the disease.

Posted by Chris at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Homer, the happy Golden Retriever above, was ready to greet everyone who passed by Saurin Parke Cafe while his human ducked inside for coffee to go. A five-year veteran of Harlem, the shiny-coated pooch seems fully accustomed to the nabe's ubiquitous redevelopment.

Posted by Chris at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rockefeller, a three year old Norwegian forrest cat, was out for her second stroll this weekend. Rockefeller, who also goes by Rocky, gets her name from Rockefeller Park, where she was found.

Her cat line competes with her namesake for having a distinguished family history. According to Norse mythology, the goddess of Love and Fertility, Freya, had a chariot pulled by two of these large and hearty felines.

Having been a city cat for only two years, Rocky still holds some of her wild qualities. Her incessant need to stalk anything that moves compliments her lynx-like ear tufts and large, furry paws.

Posted by Chris at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I am beginning to feel that I have pioneered a a companion animal movement.

When biking in Central Park today I spotted not one, but two cats out on leashes. They were climbing around on a row of benches just outside Sheep Meadow facing Tavern On The Green. Their human was quietly looking on, with a Sherpa bag by his side.

Starsky & Hutch are the names of the two young cats. Starsky is the black cat in the background, and Hutch is the orange one in front.

Their human said he has been taking them out on a regular basis so that they become accustomed to the city. They seemed accustomed already. When I set my bike against the a bench beside them, they bounced over and began sniffing it at once. They only stopped sniffing when I offered them the chance to sniff me.

Anyway, I am glad that I have been documenting Cheryl and I taking Cimbi to the park. When it becomes commonplace to take a cat out, I will be able to lay claim to starting the trend.

Posted by Chris at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So, Cheryl and I are not the only whack-o's who take their cat to the park. Beanie, who I met in Central Park, rides around in a green KittyWalk pet stroller.

And speaking of cats touring the city, Lizz at NY City Pets is looking for cat photos. As she writes, "I feel a little one sided when I post mostly dog photos... I try to catch pets on the street for photos and I obviously have trouble finding people walking their cats!"

And speaking of sending in cat photos, Stuff On My Cat is holding a photo contest whose winner will be rewarded with 4 shirts, 2 buttons, 1 magnet, some stickers, a mouse pad, a daily calendar, a brand new wall calendar and an engraved iPod.

Posted by Chris at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Morgan is a 10 year old Harlem Golden Retriever. Morgan, who his professional photographer human says is a bit camera shy, gave us this nice profile shot.

You can catch Morgan playing at the dog run in Morningside Park.

Posted by Chris at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cimbi and I tried going to Morningside Park this weekend. It confirmed that the best, and safest, place for taking a cat outside in Manhattan is Central Park's great lawn.

Cheryl's cat allergy is a dirty little Harlem Fur secret. Ninety-eight percent of the time she keeps her allergies well under control, but Sunday helped make up that two percent when cat dander gets the best of her. Cheryl asked that I take Cimbi to the park so she could rest her nose for a while. Looking to avoid parade day crowding in Central Park, and not wanting to have to protect my animal all day from Staffordshire Terriers in Marcus Garvey Park, we left for Morningside Park after Cimbi climbed into her Sherpa backpack.

Having a cat on a leash can draw a lot of attention, and I was not looking to field questions all day. So, Cimbi and I settled down where I could read the paper on an out of the way patch of grass. At first I was a little apprehensive about the area as five unsupervised kids ranging from 4 to 7 years old were running around nearby. It turned out Cimbi liked them and they liked Cimbi. The only people they were going to bother were themselves, as they spent the afternoon climbing back and forth over an 8 foot tall chain link fence.

Cimbi likes to go to the end of her 16 foot leash and sit there looking at whatever is nearby. It must give her some sense of independence. This has never been an issue.

As the afternoon wore on, I dozed off laying in the grass with the cat's leash in my hand. I was awoken by Cimbi's cries and slight tugs from her leash. When I looked in the direction of where she was, I saw three teens on bikes circling and taunting her, their bikes causing tugs on the leash as they ran over it. They took off as soon as I got up and yelled at them, but Cimbi was terrified for the rest of our time in the park. For the next half of an hour, my otherwise outgoing cat sat glued to me and quivering. The scare ruined the day, so we went home.

Back in the apartment, Cimbi quickly recovered. I went from being her hero to being her chew toy in a matter of hours. Right now she is sitting behind me and is fine.

Posted by Chris at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

About a week ago I took my cat and Scott's dog to the park for a cat versus dog in the park comparison. The basic conclusion was that outside of central Park's Great Lawn, the cat stands a good chance of being eaten, and Scott's dog is nuts (in a good way), and further research on the dog end of things was needed.

So I ran into my neighbor in the elevator a few days ago as she was coming back from walking her and her boyfriend's one-year-old Boxer. After the obligatory exchange of hellos, I quickly asked between floors if I could walk her dog and we agreed on Sunday.

On Sunday I stopped by, and within the first five minutes found Romeo sitting on top of my head nibbling my ear, serious. Although this did not bode well, Romeo snapped to attention as soon as we were out of the apartment.

Continue reading "Cat Vs. Dog In The Park: A Dog- Romeo" »

Posted by Chris at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Okay, I will have to use the indefinite, not the definite article, when talking about the dog-time part of the comparison. No "The," as not all dogs are alike.

I originally set out to compare time in the park with our cat and our friend Scott's Brittany Spaniel . Her name is Honey. Not only did I throw an unfair variable into this experiment by taking the cat to Marcus Garvey Park and the dog to Morningside Park (specifically the dog run), but I now realize the dog is also a variable.

This is because Scott's dog is nuts.

Continue reading "Cat Vs. Dog In The Park: A Dog- Honey" »

Posted by Chris at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

One of the reasons Cheryl and I want a dog is that we can take the dog to the park. However, we already have a pet, the cat, so I want to compare cat-time in the park vs. dog-time in the park to see if we are not simply overlooking an opportunity we already have. (In case you do not read ahead, we are not missing any current opportunity.)

Continue reading "Cat Vs. Dog In The Park: The Cat" »

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