Harlemite, member of the Friends of St. Nicholas Park, and avid dog lover Julia is looking to launch a new pet carrier aimed primarily at dogs (but it can be used for cats too, especially by those who enjoy taking their cat to the park). To make sure the carrier is the best it can be, Julia is looking for local feedback.

If you live in Harlem and own a dog between 5 and 15lbs, we're looking for you! I'm launching a Harlem-based dog carrier line and will be holding a focus group to get feedback on our new product. We need volunteers who love their dogs! We have a couple possible dates and will require only 2 hours of your time. Food and beverages will be served. For details, please contact Julia at papooch |at| gmail |dot| com.

We haven't seen the carrier yet, but Cheryl and I are excited for a neighborhood-inspired prodcuct for transporting Cimbi to and from Central Park this summer, as well as to and from a South Harlem vet...

Posted by Chris at 02:58 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 (2)

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 (3)

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 (0)

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)

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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