While I was pregnant this summer, I joked with clients and walkers about making Hana the July Pet of the Month… which would have been so funny! But then I thought about Hana as a little girl. What if she doesn’t like the joke? What if she doesn’t even like animals? Hard to imagine, I know. But I didn’t want to risk it.

SO, here’s to our first ever All-Time ProspectBArk MOST VALUABLE PLAYER! (raaaah! crowd goes wild!)

Have a great long weekend everyone. Get some extra sleep for me.

We can’t believe it’s been almost three months since Justine van der Leun’s debut memoir, Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love, was published. We were lucky enough to catch Justine (and our adorable client, Marcus) for a quick interview. She talked to us about life, love, and being an author – not to mention her wild and crazy adventures in Collelungo, the tiny Italian town of 200 where she met and adopted her beautiful English Pointer. The story she describes here:

According to USA Today, “Van der Leun, a fish out of water struggling to fit into her Italian surroundings, is hilarious. Her relationship with the adorable Marcus is told from the heart.” We couldn’t agree more. Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love is available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, IndieBound, Powell’s, and elsewhere.

This 4th of July, an adorable Westie in the Slope has more to celebrate than just some ol’  fireworks over the park — he’s our July Pet of the Month! Roko gets a treat-filled gift bag, and his newly-wed parents get an 8×10 digital print! Congratulations!

Name: Roko (as in, “Rocco”). My name is Bosnian, where I was born. I am Yugoslav mafioso.

Gender: Very male

DOB: November 4, 2004

Breed: West Highland Terrier

About me: I am unfixed and smart. Dogs my size are of very little interest to me because I prefer a challenge. I presume I hold a grand intellectual advantage over all other canines. When I meet a larger dog, my aim is to have him on his back within five minutes. I’ll then poke him in the eye with my paw and he will respect me. Nonetheless, humans think I am “cute” and I don’t let them know that I care.

My Walker: Katie.

Favorite Toy: The noisy toy I just got–oops!–just tore the soundmaker out.

My Best Friend: My mom, but no one can know that.

Favorite place to nap: My cave. I always find a cave.

The Perfect Day for me would be: Snow! Lots and lots of snow!

Our June Pet of the Month is a spritely little Jack Russel in Prospect Heights named Owan. This lucky pup gets a treat-filled gift bag, and his family gets an 8×10 digital print! Congratulations!

Name: Owan Rocket Federici-Siegal. Owan is actually an acronym, but it embarrasses me so I’m not going to reveal what it stands for.  I also answer to “Owie” — and by “answer” I mean “stare at you briefly and then go do what I want to do.”

Gender: Male, baby.

DOB: June 2003

Breed: Jack Russell Terrier

About me: I’ve had a crazy life.  I was stolen from a pet store when I was a puppy, and then I escaped from those criminals.  I was found wandering the highway by a loving family, but they gave me up because I didn’t get along with their horse (he was a jerk).  Then I was adopted by the Siegal/Federicis and they are fine with three goofball kids who drop enough food by accident that I’ll stick around.

My Walker: Gina!  She is the best person I have ever met, and writes great notes, and she can almost keep up with me.  Sometimes she lets me ride around on her shoulder like a pirate’s parrot.

Favorite Toy: A rubber chicken that Gina gave me.  I loved it and then I murdered it, but I still love it.

My Best Friend: Gina. 

Favorite place to nap: A pile of clean laundry. 

The Perfect Day for me would be: Running around with Gina.  She would spray me with a hose and I would drink the water and then try to murder it.  My family could come too.

Break out the party hat, because this week we turn a CLEAR YEAR OLD! Yep, a whole year.

ProspectBArk started with one curly pup in the Slope, and one lone walker in cowboy boots (that’s me!) heading out to make some furry friends each day before class.

Now, we have a retinue of over fifty regular clients, plus fifty more who have come to rely on us for holiday pet sitting. We’ve gone on over sixty-five photo shoots, cooked one juicy steak for a special older dog in Sunset Park, honored the passing of a Shaman Dog in Prospect Heights, and brought organic, home-made dog biscuits to the pups of Greenpoint. We also interviewed a dog-rescuing chocolatier in Sunset Park, helped raise funds for Walter, the rescued pit bull pup in Park Slope, and Doggie Day-tripped OUT  with a bunch of lucky dogs who ran until they could run no more.

Our very first Pet of the Month, last September, was Lazlo the Labradoodle, and our first TeamBArk MVP was Sam Rudolph, for her hard work this past Christmas. The ProspectBArk family spans over 23 zip codes, has the best Field Coordinator and Trainer (Heidi Ryti), Office Manager (Olivia Wong) and Bookkeeper (Sean Clark) we could ask for, and continues to serve both affluent and “up-and-coming” neighborhoods alike. After all, there are no rich pets or poor pets, only DESERVING PETS.

As this Summer wraps us in its warm embrace, I look back with gratitude on all the wonderful animals, and their incredible people, who have helped me make ProspectBArk something truly special in the world. May we continue to serve Brooklyn with the best care we can give, the most vigorous walks, the most patient training and the unconditional love  your pet deserves!

…and for our next year? Roll out the Red Carpet, ‘cuz we have BIG PLANS!

CALLING ALL CATS!  Our clients’  cats are the cutest around. Here’s a contest to prove it! Email us a favorite picture of your feline/s.  The most adorable gets some really purring prizes: one free half hour visit, a bag of kitty treats, and Anitra Frazier’s book The New Natural Cat – the definitive handbook for concerned cat lovers everywhere!

Contest Deadline is July 4th, 2010..send up to four entries per household!!

Our May Pet of the Month is the loving, adorable, and (as her name suggests) extremely playful, Frisbee of South Slope.  This lucky pup gets a treat-filled gift bag, and her dad, Garth, gets an 8×10 digital print! Congratulations!

Name: Frisbee (Miss Fris)

Gender: female

DOB: June 30, 2004

Breed: Jack Russell Terrier

Favorite Toys: a giant Frisbee or a big stick–preferably with the trunk still attached

About Me: My job is squirrel patrol. Prospect Park is full of them and somebody has to keep those furry little suckers off the lawn.

My Walker: Hollie

Best Friend: Guinness, the chocolate lab, who also makes a great launch pad

Favorite Place To Nap: The bed of course!

The Perfect Day For Me Would Be: food, beach, frisbee, food, beach, stick, food, beach…you get the idea

All our Walkers work hard every day, braving the wind, rain, and a whole host of dog-walking challenges on the mean streets of Brooklyn. However, each month we feature one person who rises above the storm, above and beyond the call of (doggie) duty — above all others.  This month, that Walker is Michael, our man in Prospect-and-Crown Heights. Though he is a relatively new addition to the Team, Michael has proven himself to be one of the most compassionate and hardworking people we know.  His positive attitude and devotion to the company make him this month’s MVP!

pB: Michael, what’s your favorite part about walking dogs for a living, and how did you wind up with pB?

Michael: My favorite part of the job so far is when I’ve been able to win over a more challenging pooch.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the natural born sweethearts to pieces – but there has been something particularly rewarding when having to earn the trust and affection.

And I ended up at pB the best way possible – through the kind referral of a previous MVP!

Michael: Oh, I would say more so! For one thing it has introduced me to breeds I had never had any personal interaction with before. Just as an example – who knew how much I’d love Pit Bulls?  Not me before pB.

For me the biggest challenge is the same as with any job – and I’ve had many from film and TV production to corporate database coordinating – and that’s mustering my start-of-the-day initiative.  By the time I arrive at my first walk I’m flying smooth though, and the dogs have a huge role in this.  My time with them is simply more rewarding than past jobs have been, and everyday is guaranteed to be different!

Michael: Well, I can’t seem to get over their instinct to roll around in the grass.  Something about that expression of glee always makes me crack up!

Michael: Patience is indeed the key.  Look, we all have our quirks and we all have them for a reason.  I just remind myself that for some of these pups we don’t even know what their early experiences consisted of.  Sympathy is much more productive than judgement in such cases.

Michael: That’s an easy one. Always remember that your first priority is the animal, and not just safety (which is a given) but general best interests – regardless of the weather, your own mood, etc.

pB: What else do you do, when you’re not walkin’ those dogs? Who IS Michael Schiff?

Michael: Michael Schiff is first and foremost a lover of all things creative.  I majored in film and am always in the midst of writing a screenplay.  I also adore theater, music, dance, and the fine arts - and seek to surround myself with people involved in or at least passionate for these things.  I also place a great deal of stock in remaining genuine (which, incidentally, is a big plus amongst canines and felines alike). Being genuine doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with professionalism, as many of us know far too well, but I find it incredibly interesting to constantly pursue a reconciliation between the two.  I’ll save my political and existential beliefs for another interview!  )

I remember bringing you home.  You were so big and beautiful with your huge paws and soft fur.  It felt like we had been together for many years, yet we had known each other for only a couple of hours.  I knew there was something special about you that very day, that we would have a bond like no other.  You came home making a mess of the house and getting into the garbage became a passion.  When I scolded you, you just put your head down and looked up at me with those innocent eyes, as if to say, “I’m sorry, but I’ll do it again as soon as you’re not watching.”  From the start, you protected me by barking at anyone who came up the stairs to our house.  When I had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for me with your tail wagging and doing the Timba body slam just to say, “Welcome home.  I missed you.”  You never had a bad day, and I could always count on you to be there for me.  When I sat down to read the paper and watch TV, you would jump on the couch, looking for attention.  You never asked for anything more than for me to pat your head so you could go to sleep with your head over my leg.

As you got older, you moved around more slowly.  Then, one day, a degenerative disease finally took its toll, and you couldn’t stand on those wobbly legs anymore.  I knelt down and patted you lying there, trying to make you young again.  You just looked up at me as if to say you were old and tired and that after all these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me for one last favor.  With tears in my eyes, Vic and I drove you one last time to the vet.  One last time, you were lying next to me and having treats that you couldn’t have before and you looked so content.  For some strange reason, you were not nervous; you were so calm, as if to say “Mom, there is more work to be done on the other side and that everything will be OK.”  As the vet started the anesthesia, you stopped for an instant, turned your head and looked at me as if to say, “Thank you for taking care of me.”

I thought, “No….  Thank you for taking care of me.”

- Eulogy from Timba’s memorial service, written by Jen, Timba’s mom

Timba, our January Pet of the Month, passed away shortly after she was featured on our blog, in mid-February.

Timba was born on December 23, 1998, and adopted six years later by her loving mother, Jen.  The beautiful Belgian Shepherd lived in Prospect Heights and enjoyed hanging out with Jen by the fountain at Grand Army Plaza.  A Certified Therapy Dog, Timba would visit sick children in the hospital and was considered to be a wonderful healer.

At the end of 2009, Timba was diagnosed with degenerative spinal myelopathy, a neurological disease for which there is no cure.   Even still, she remained positive and strong for the rest of her time on Earth.

The memorial service was held at Tacamack Park in Rockland County NY – one of her favorite hiking spots.

As a reminder that when one door closes, another one opens, Jen and her partner have just adopted a new baby pitbull named Brooklyn.  As we look forward to the amazing life ahead of this young pup, we will always remember that of Timba: the wise soul, compassionate healer, and long time best friend.

This adorable little pitbull, Walter, was found in Park Slope on Easter Sunday by Alex Darsey. Alex, who lives in the neighborhood, noticed the forlorn pup at 15th Street and Third Avenue. He had an extreme case of mange and was severely malnourished and dehydrated.  And that’s not all, the previous owners (who, according to a witness, dropped Walter out of a car and sped away) had used some chemical – bleach or ammonia – in a “cruel and misguided attempt” to get rid of the disease.  Darsey took the hairless and frightened animal to the emergency room and then the vet.  The vet estimated that Walter is between two- and three-months-old and says that he may get better if treated very carefully.  Alex, along with four of his friends made a pact to watch over Walter.  Currently, he’s still very sick and undergoing in-patient treatment  at the veterinary emergency clinic on Warren Street between Smith and Court Streets.  Alex and friends plan to keep him there until he gets better, but unfortunately, pet medical bills are extremely high at $2000 for just two days.  Walter’s five new parents have started a blog asking for donations to help get him healthy and out of the hospital.  It states, “We wouldn’t want to make a decision about this little guy’s future based on an inability to continue to pay for medical care. We are all doing our best to come up with whatever we can, but our pockets are only so deep.  Though Walter has only been on this earth a few months, he has suffered greatly and had only known a life of pain, neglect, and abuse until he found us. Please help us give Walter a new start and a chance to live the life he deserves, one filled with love, and happiness (and lots of treats!)”  If you’d like to make a donation (any amount will help), you can click here. For more pictures, updates, and to become a fan of Walter please visit his Facebook page.