Danger! High Voltage in Marcus Garvey Park
(Despite the coming bad puns on the 2003 Electric Six single Danger! High Voltage, this post does address the serious condition of errant electrified ground in Marcus Garvey Park. As a reader points out, this is a consistent problem for dogs, and a real potential hazard for children.)
Fire in the disco? Of course, and we don't need no water.
Fire in the Taco Bell? 89 cent Cheesy Double Beef Burrito. Done.
But Danger! Danger! High Voltage! in Marcus Garvey Park? This is not my desire.
Harlem Fur reader Mickey writes in about the electrical burns one of his sister's dogs suffered from walking in Marcus Garvey Park.
Recently we noticed one of them had sores on her paws so we took her to the vet and the vet said they were electrical burns likely sustained from manhole covers or exposed wires.We walk our dogs in Marcus Garvey Park so we next spoke with the parks workers who told us it happens "all the time". We were horrified! The workers said that the reason we don't hear about it is because it is only reported if the dogs get killed and thankfully no dogs have died at MGP, yet!
What sucks is at least one dog has died due to errant voltage, and it has been over a year since this happened. So you think this would have been resolved.
in June of 2007, New York Post reporter Denise Buffa's 100-pound Italian mastiff Mushy died from a Marcus Garvey Park electrical shock. 100 pounds is no small animal. As was pointed out at the time, there are a lot of kids and dogs running around the park who weigh much less than 100 pounds.
Mickey is looking to connect with other pet owners who have had similar problems. The idea is to approach the city and ConEd in full force. It's not as much as a shameless plug as it could be, but if you want to connect up, the Harlem Fur network (also liked via the box in the upper right) is a place to start.


Every year at some point we realize that the cat needs a friend. Not one of the recluse feline variety, Cimbi is bored when by herself, and angry with us afterward. However, Cheryl's allergies won't permit a second pet (cat, dog, rabbit or Dr. Manhattan - as we are damn excited for The Watchmen!). So we are trying to solve this creatively.




Join the Friends of St. Nicholas Park Saturday, October 6th, in the dog run to preview this season's eclectic foliage collection of brows, oranges, and reds. While you are at it, accent your Fall experience with a smart, discrete donation to the Friends.
Dear Friends,
Curse my not being around this weekend. I open the inbox this morning to see that 
Before we tell you about 
So a while ago 

Some of our readers have written in to ask if life in Harlem is all about
Going off of the "
Better than mixing wine and liquor, 


A reader writes in with news on his missing cat Uli:
The agenda, roughly, will be:
It was Benny Goodman vs Chick Webb on May 11th, 1937, in what became a classic night of dance and jazz in Harlem's historic Savoy Ballroom. So why let the 70th anniversary of a great battle pass without a little reenactment? Enjoy live music from the Savoy Stompers, a smart dance performance, and a free swing lesson just in case 70 year's time has put a little dust on your dancing shoes. Tickets are $20.
Move over big dogs, the little dogs are moving in. Now that big dogs have a place to call their own in St. Nicholas Park, it's time to carve out an area for little dogs (with big dog personalities). Tasks at hand include fence erecting for the small dog run, cutting and moving fencing for the new corral entrance, landscaping around the new corral entrance, and spreading woodchips in the small dog run.

Remember back in the day, October of '06, when North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon, Rep. Mark Foley's come-ons to young male staffers were shaping the final days of the midterm elections, and a woman named Ina sent an email to Harlem Fur telling us not to despair over the nabe's lack of pet services, that she was looking at spaces to rent for a veterinary clinic?
This iz my favorit plas to stay in the stor. And luk! I hav my pilo, too. Jen tuk it to the stor thiz morning. I wuz so happy it wuz ther. I slept on it all day and it wuz niz and cozee.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
See? I do lik the desk. And it iz kloz to the treets, so the ladeez don't furgit to giv them to me!
Cheryl and I visited her parents just outside of D.C. this weekend for Easter. Being that Cheryl's kids, who are extremely allergic to cats, rode down with us, Cimbi became a point of concern. We could not bring our small animal along, and leaving Cimbi either at home or a boarding facility posses complications.
I find it difficult to write about a big old teddy bear Am Staff named T-Bone without wanting to put the blues on, especially as this guy has been going for some time now without a home to call his own.
To anyone looking for a silky black kitten who comes house trained, your prayers are answered.



In these dark days before the arrival of 




Harlem Fur could not have picked a better first 365 days to be in existence.
It's strange how a sensible good time leaves me fumbling for a way to write about it. 
Then, the medium news.
What could be better than a huge pile of new wood chips for the St. Nicholas Park dog run? Lets try a new permanent entrance.


This is the type of pet-rification Harlem Fur was born to post on.
The ASPCA and partner organizations are going city-wide with a month-long pet adoption celebration that includes a countdown to Valentine's Day this weekend. (I know this is kinda late in the posting, but hey, cut me some slack as I reintegrate into life.) This is a great opportunity to spin Valentine's Day to co-workers: "Oh, I have a new life partner. We've already moved in together."
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:
Cheryl, Cimbi and I want to say thanks to all of the readers who are sending in ideas for dealing with Cheryl's allergies.
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.


One of the last things I thought I would do on Harlem Fur is announce that Cimbi is looking for a new home. However, it turns out that Cheryl's allergies are acting up in ways that are not safe for her health.
Sylvie, the silver mother cat who was missing after escaping from her carrier on the way back from the vet, has returned. She is now safe in her apartment with her kitten. Her owners, who rescued them off of the street, are looking for a good home to place them in, together.
Sylvie, the silver haired mother cat in the photo on the right, busted out of her carrier today on 118th Street and Lenox. The feline, who is wearing a red collar, was on her way back from the vet were she was spayed. Her owners are concerned as her stitches are relatively new. They are sure she is in pain, and said her kitten, a 5 month old male, misses her.
Lady's Owner Not That Much Of A Tramp After All
Cat Boarding Recommendations Wanted
Puppy Quest 2006
Camera Hound
Friends of St. Nicholas Park, Columbia University students, and neighborhood dog lovers cleared out a space in in the park for a new dog run this weekend. A sweaty team of dedicated people cleared brush and cleaned up errant debris to ready the spot on 135th Street. Friends of St. Nicholas Park President and proud parent of a Shepherd mix, Shawn, has been working on getting this run off the ground for some time.
Pet-rification takes root on 114th Street as small dogs and big dogs alike will soon be able to enjoy new, permanent fencing at the Street Morningside Park dog run. Black fencing that compliments the park's wrought iron railings and accents replaces the pervious chain link construction. The new fencing looks much better that it's grey predecessor.
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.
I am beginning to feel that I have pioneered a a companion animal movement.
A dirty little Harlem Fur secret is that Cheryl is deathly allergic to cats. We work around this minor inconvenience with general apartment maintenance that includes severe constraints on the use of rugs and cloth covered furniture, running a Honeywell air filter, constant clothes washing, twice daily litter box attention, a sweep-vacuum-Swifer weekly floor regimen, and frequent cleaning of the bedding. This helps to an extent.
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 



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.













