Jayadeva's Brooklyn: Dogs, Creativity and Love in Brooklyn

Rest in Peace our Beloved Jaya

2009-03-09T16:43:00.004-04:00

On Friday, February 27, 2009 at approximately 1:15pm, Jayadeva died at Animal Kind Animal
Hospital in Brooklyn.   She had just turned 15 on February 14th and we were so incredibly
lucky to have her in our lives  for that long.  If anyone with a geriatric dog would like to write
re: end of life  decisions, please feel free.  It was painful and difficult, but we knew we were
doing right by our girl.   Her passing was filled with intense love and as much comfort as
possible in her condition.

I found the following comforting and helpful resource online here:
http://www.chai-online.org/en/companion/health/caring_dog_geriatric.htm


When do I know it is time to say goodbye?

Pets offer companionship, emotional intimacy, and feelings of well being
to their guardians. This makes the reality of advanced age, and ultimately
death, difficult to accept. Guardians must ensure a happy, pleasurable,
and dignified quality of life to their pet. When that quality of life
cannot be maintained, alternatives need to be considered.

A decision about euthanasia is difficult to make. Euthanasia is a humane
course of action in cases where the prognosis is hopeless or where the
continued life of the dog would be painful or undignified. Please talk to
your veterinarian about all options available to you, to help you make
informed decisions.

In 2006, Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, issued a
issued a ruling, a Psak Halacha, stating that on the basis of the Jewish
mandate to prevent cruelty to animals, tsa'ar ba'alei hayim, a suffering
animal should be allowed to end its life in a dignified manner.
"Compassion is inherent in our people, a characteristic of the sons of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; therefore, pity any suffering creature and
relieve it of its suffering in a quick manner, by euthanizing it so that
it will feel no further pain."

6/15 Green - 11/16

2008-11-16T18:59:00.004-05:00

Pictures from late Fall at our Community Garden

Colorful watering cans

and a very pretty pond.

Dan is a composting member of 6/15 Green, the Community Garden on 6th Ave at 15th Street

and is pretty handy with a pitchfork!

Something for Nothing - Freebies in Brooklyn

2008-08-31T11:50:00.006-04:00

For those of us with accumulated clutter, or those who need a little more in their lives, there are two great resources:

To check out what's free in Sunset Park, try clicking this link for Brooklyn FreeCycle @ Yahoo Groups. Of course, this is a Brooklyn-wide service; I just keep a link for Sunset Park offers, for obvious reasons. However, if the offer is good enough, I'll certainly consider traveling a little. I also gave away a bunch of stuff when we moved into our apartment: used cowboy boots, hanging closet organizers, hangers, moving boxes, etc.

Also, Craig's List has free listings where you can search exclusively for freebies in your neighborhood. Click here for for Sunset Park freebies.

I also just got an email alerting me to a Free Cycle Swap Meet. The details are as follows:

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle at the Freecycle™ New York City
Back-to-School FreeMeet: it's not just for students!

Date: Saturday, September 13, 2008
Time: 11am - 4pm
Location: Behind the Old Stone House, (5th Ave b/t 3rd & 4th Sts), Park Slope, Brooklyn
You will find the FreeMeet between the Old Stone House and the basketball court.

MORE INFO: www.RecycleThisNYC.org/freemeet

Bring unwanted clothing, housewares and other reusable items to share* or simply bring a tote bag to fill.
Leftovers will be donated or recycled to every extent possible.  As the name suggests, the Freecycle NYC FreeMeet is FREE!

Directions:
Subway F/R train to Fourth Ave, R to Union St, 
or B63 Bus to 3rd St & 5th Ave

*please bring portable items only and log on to www.Freecycle.org to give away furniture and other heavy stuff.

Got WIRE HANGERS? Bring 'em to the FreeMeet so we can hang clothes and recycle the hangers afterwards.
Bring used BRITA FILTERS to donate to the Take Back the Filter campaign.
To get your own alerts about these meet-ups, CLICK HERE: Free Meet Alerts

Picture from the Free Meets website...

2nd Annual Take Your (Doggy) Daughter to Work Day

2008-08-26T18:20:00.001-04:00

Jaya at the office, originally uploaded by maggie1000.

This time, Dan took our love to his new job at Schmatic. Thank you again "Maggie1000" for taking this awesome shot. I'm glad it wasn't Dan getting some shut-eye under his desk ;)

Summer Streets: August 23rd, 2008

2008-08-23T12:49:00.003-04:00

Dan and I wanted to experience NYC's Summer Streets before it ended. We walked up and down Park Avenue and it was quiet and peaceful and we met Teddy and Kathy!

We finally found a lovely, open-air brunch destination. Here I am eating my sauteed onion and asparagus omelet.

Jen @ L'Express - Park & 20th

Here's Dan eating his tomato sorbet, care of the Tour de France Local Tomato Festival.

Do you sense some ambivilance?

That's ok, because his fruit and pancakes were so beautiful and delicious.

Here's another great shot of Teddy...In motion!

7th Ave @ 40th St

2008-08-16T16:53:00.001-04:00

Lovely Summer Afternoon in Sunset Park

All Points West Rocks Liberty State Park

2008-08-13T11:02:00.002-04:00

The Statue of Liberty - All Points West What I saw when I looked away from the stage. Great view, awesome clouds. Just sorry I didn't have a "real" camera.

The New Pornophaphers at All Points West! This was taken by my Palm phone on 8/8/08. What an awesome show. Great weather. Missed Neko Case, but was blown away anyway. My first time seeing them live. Got to the 3rd row, but had to crane my neck (I'm 5'2") to see clearly. These were taken above my head (and those in front of me).

Learn more about this incredible band at, you guessed it, http://www.thenewpornographers.com/ .

Coming Soon - Andrew Bird, Spearhead and more!

Waterfall & Lee

2008-07-09T00:04:00.000-04:00

Addie and Jaya Meet at Sunset Park

2008-07-08T21:19:00.003-04:00

Gazing-up at the sunlight dappled Sunset Park trees...

we spot Signe and Addie!

We spy Signe walking Addie in the park. Jaya doesn't notice from her vantage on the sidewalk, but Addie does. She drags her mom over to the wall and almost right over.

A quick friendly butt sniff and they're all caught up.

I've learned that dogs are not particularly concerned with personal hygiene.

Jaya and Addie's relationship includes, but is not limited to, their shared love of littered leftovers and peed-upon grassy patches.

Finding Art in Sunset Market

2008-07-05T12:39:00.003-04:00

Moving is So Exhausting

2008-06-16T22:44:00.001-04:00

CD Jewel Case Recycling

2008-06-13T10:08:00.003-04:00

Dan and I are FINALLY moving out of our rental and into the Sunset Home Association, where Dan has owned an apartment for over 8 years that he has slowly been renovating. So, I am going through stuff today, packing dishes, putting clothing in clean, black garbage bags and also trying to deal with the tons of CD's I've lovingly amassed through my hitherto extolled favorite sites, LaLa and Swaptree.

After my Crate and Barrel CD tower filled-up, I went onto a milk crate, which was unwieldy and hard to sort through. Now I'm finally giving it and storing my CD's and liner notes in a 3-ring notebook I bought for $.50 at Housing Works and media pages I bought on eBay.

The next challenge was to find someplace that will recycle my old plastic CD cases. First, I looked online. Here are a bunch of resources accessible by mail:

1. CD Recycling Center
Before sending then your recyclables, they'd like you to log in to tell them what to expect.
68H Stiles Rd.
Salem, NH 03079
Phone: 603-894-5553

2. Plastic Recycling Inc.
2015 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Indianapolis, IN
Phone: 317-780-6100

3. Polymer Recovery Services
1440 Norman Avenue, Santa Clara, CA
Phone: 408-748-9715

4. Data Memory Marketing
1610 Lancaster Ave, Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Phone: 800-457-7484

5. Lacerta Group Inc.
Tape Recycle Dept.
120 Southampton St.
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617-386-8952; Fax: 617-386-8969; Email: recycle@lacerta.com

Lacerta recycles VHS cassettes, 3480 & 3490 data cartridges, 9-track computer tapes, 4 & 8 mm tapes, CDs, and CD-ROMs.

6. MRC Polymers
Phone: (773) 890-9000
Mail-in Program: 3307 S. Lawndale Ave., Chicago, IL 60623
General Info: Mail-in program for recycling of CDs and cases (jewel cases). Prior to shipping please remove all paper, film plastic, and other materials -- these are contaminants.
Plastic This vendor handles:
* #6 PS-GPPS (CD jewel cases only.)
* CD / Jewel Cases: #6 PS-GPPS
* CDs / Laser Disks - Recycle
* Polycarbonate (CDs & laser disks only.)

7. Polysource International Inc.
13505 Yorba Ave, Unit R
Chino, California 91710

They write: "Please help our cause by spreading the word on recycling CDs & Jewel cases. You can refer people you know to our website or to our address to send their CDs to. You will be doing our environment a BIG favor."

8. 3R Living
Finally, for the service I plan to use, Brooklyn's own 3R Living! My favorite, friendly, neighborhood source for recycling and recycled goods.

276L Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 832-0951
Store Hours:
Sunday thru Wednesday: 11am to 7pm
Thursday thru Saturday: 11am to 8pm
By Subway:
M or R train to Union Street. Cross over 4th Avenue at President Street.
Walk up to 5th Avenue. Make a right and walk 2.5 blocks.
The store is in the middle of the block.

They are also now in Maplewood, NJ:
147 Maplewood Avenue
across from the Maplewood Train Station

I want to thank Fort Collins, CO Recycling for leading me to the first 4, Costa County, CA for number 6 and my husband, for reminding me about number 8. 

I also found a few sites that offer some innovative solutions for your old CD cases.

A.  Apartment Therapy

B.  The blog, MakeZine also has some cool ideas.  Here are just a couple:
* The DIY jewel case desktop calendar
* Jewel Case photo frames

C.  The blog, CraftZine even shows a birdhouse made from old CD cases.

D.  Blogspot's own Geekware features a lovely office supply box crafted from old jewel cases.

E.  Craft Chi shows her creative solution for turning her jewel cases into specialized storage boxes.

F.  How about a jewel case chandelier?

Noah's Ark Pet Adoptions

2008-06-02T15:56:00.000-04:00

I just received a link from this wonderful Petfinders site http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/AZ76.html
from Mutts Comics.

Title Trader Disappoints & Lala Thrills!

2008-04-28T10:42:00.002-04:00

Alas my friends, I must change my previously glowing testimony about Title Trader. They've changed their format and if you're not careful, you may end up listing your item for Zero points. This happened in one of my trades and when I emailed Title Trader, weeks ago, I never received a response. I believe a site is only as good as their customer service, therefore, I have suspended my inventory there. Also, most of the bands in their music section are now wearing cowboy hats.

LaLa is my new best friend, because shipping is so easy with their pre-paid envelopes. It cuts down on a lot of time and cost (it's $1.00 a trade). Plus, I find a lot more of the music I'm looking for faster. My wish list usually has music I've discovered from Pandora or compilation CD's from WFUV, KRCW, or $2.00 ones I find at Housing Works.

My Incoming List contains:

Rei Momo by David Byrne,
The American by Angie Aparo,
Play Me Backwards by Joan Baez,
Capable Egg by Lullaby Baxter Trio,
Is This It by The Strokes, Star Maps by Possum Dixon,
The Future Soundtrack For America and
Hard Up by The Witnesses.

My recently shipped CD's were:

Besides by Sugar
Dummy by Portishead
Titanic Days (Disc 1/2) by Kirsty MacColl
Short Sharp Shocked by Michelle Shocked (Disc 1/2)
Music Of My Mind by Stevie Wonder
Viva! La Woman by Cibo Matto
Oral Fixation Vol. 2 by Shakira
MTV Unplugged by Alanis Morissette

Have fun!

My Favorite Dog Songs

2008-04-14T12:50:00.007-04:00

It's been a stressful weekend on the dog front, with Jaya still imprisoned in her Victorian collar at night (though she's not bumping into quite as much now) and Dan telling me that we need to "starting thinking concretely about..." and though he didn't finish his sentence, my heart raced and I replied that he would have to keep hugging me and our conversation would stop and start through my tears. We never got around to talking about it, but Jaya's benign tumor behind her left shoulder blade keeps growing and the strength in her back legs continues to deteriorate. I'd love someone to write back with positive "end of life" tales to help me through these thoughts and ultimate decisions.

Therefore, on a positive note, I thought I'd post about the songs that make my heart smile with furry joy.

1. Dog on Wheels - Belle and Sebastian. The first time I heard this song, I cried and it has since made it's way onto two mix CD's for friends and family.

2. I Love my Dog - Cat Stevens. Click on this link to watch the BBC video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWT2qHVftGk. I first learned of this song while watching Year of the Dog and immediately bought the soundtrack on eBay. However, I was so bummed to learned that it was not included on this! Alas, now I'm waiting for the Cat Stevens CD it's on to show-up on Lala.com.

3. The Shepherd's Dog - Iron and Wine. Ok, this song isn't really all that much about dogs, but there's a dog in the title and I adore this song and just about everything by Iron and Wine.

My beautiful friend and fellow dog-lover, Katie Fleissner, sent me the following dog song suggestion...

4. Dogsong AKA Sleep Dog Lullaby - The Be Good Tanyas

Be sure to check-out Katie's awesome Planetary Pastries. Here's some pictorial evidence of her beautiful work. This is a gorgeous chocolate ganache cake with chocolate decorations. All her ingredients are unrefined, organic when possible,
and which can be obtained directly from the source, and/or origins of which she can trace.

I am crazy for her tarts!

That's all I can think of at the moment. What am I missing? Send me more dog songs please!

At Home Veterinary Care

2008-03-30T21:52:00.006-04:00

Poor Jaya had been licking a sore till it was raw. Dan decided that we had everything we needed at home. While I hugged Jaya around her neck and scritched her ears, he shaved the area with his buzzer and applied hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin.

We put our biggest Band-Aid on her wound

We were amazed about how thick fur was and how good she was throughout her ordeal.

Sick Day - Day Four and a 1/2

2008-03-27T14:52:00.005-04:00

I'm so very sick of being sick. Yes, I love being home with Jaya and even took some experimental pictures of us.

The one thing that made me smile, laugh and even cry a little, was my catching "The Ride of Our Lives"by Mike Leonard. I loved how irreverent, loving, respectful and funny all their relationships seemed and the fact this range of emotions is probably how they could live together a RV together for so many weeks.

Ok, I really like "Between the Lions," too.

p.s. Happy Birthday, Alyse!

The Scarsdale Alternative School Reunion

2008-03-26T13:02:00.005-04:00

This is an idea whose time has come. My alternative school, which had such an impact on my, and most likely countless others', development and personal orientation, is finally reunited all it's fans from throughout the years. In 1992, the year I graduated, the school celebrated its 20th anniversary. 15 years later (yikes!) some folks started planning its first even reunion. As there are only 80 students at a time, spread across Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors, we are arguably become quite close. Therefore, having a specific year reunion would feel incomplete. I think this SAS history-wide reunion is the best possible format and am looking forward to seeing you all again!

As for those who I remain in touch with, here are some website links for their most current projects:

Sasha Kopelowitz
Lee Gross
Danny Katz

Yeasaying in Sunset Park

2008-03-23T22:41:00.006-04:00

While watching my favorite New York 1 show, New York Noise (Dan's favorite is the 15 minute, In Transit - the host is quite cute, so I don't mind), I see an "Intimate Encounter" with Yeasayer, a new band I've recently discovered I love. I think I found them via Pandora

So I was very excited to learn that the lead singer lives in Sunset Park. Just writing, I guess, to brag that my neighborhood is that cool. That's it. Check out Yeasayer at their website or via Lala

I just learned on New York Noise, that you can submit a video, send a DVD or mini DV right to them at:

Shirley Braha
New York Noise/ NYC TV
1 Centre St., 28th Floor
New York, NY 10007
sbraha@tv.nyc.gov

I need to pass this news onto my fabulous musician friends, like Chava and Rene and get them to digitize pronto!

Discovering Deity in Brooklyn

2008-03-22T22:41:00.008-04:00

Dan and I after a very tasty and fun dinner and drinks at my new, comfort-food favorite, Waterfront Ale House (155 Atlantic Avenue),

where Dan had vegetarian chilli (a medley of Beans, Grains, Vegetables and Spices. Served with Rice) and some wheat beer I didn't like and I had the tandoori veggie burger (Marinated with an Indian Spice Blend & served with Fruit Chutney) with Sweet Potato Fries (hand cut with Brown Ale Honey Mustard) and an Original Sin Cider.

For dessert, Dan and I shared an sundae made with Ben & Jerry's Beer and Donuts Ice-Cream (a tie in to the Simpsons Movie, a stout flavored ice cream with donut chunks mixed in - thanks, Chowhound for helping me figure out the origin of this crazy, but crazy delicious delight).

Then Dan and I were walking to the D train at the Atlantic/Pacific Terminal and even though it was raining and kind of cold, we kept walking, because there's so much that is new and interesting on Atlantic Avenue.

First, we stumble upon Acorn: A Brooklyn Toy Shop (323 Atlantic Avenue) where we simply wish we had kids that we could shop for there, because buying all those beautiful toys for ourselves may seem somewhat, I don't know, would it be retro, or regressive? We saw those mobiles and I simply wanted to move into the store.

Admission: I already bought some wooden toys for myself from Magic Cabin. Ok, I really got the catalog for my nieces and nephew, but the rainbows reminded me so much of my 70's childhood - somehow soothing, you know?

Alas, I digress. We're walking down Atlantic Avenue. We see the most beautiful, inviting, yet somehow intimidating facade.

We walk in anyway, but kind of tip-toe, as it looked like a private party's going on.
It's Deity (368 Atlantic Ave) and it is the most beautiful former synagogue turned night club I've ever seen.

The inside was even more fabulous. They were welcoming and had gorgeous displays of local artistry and alcohol. Dan and I agreed that they employed very cute bartenders and waitresses too.

Unfortunately, by the time we finally walked by this lovely, ice-cream store, it was closed! However, we spent quite a while looking at the flavors board and fantasizing (Blue Marble Ice-Cream, 420 Atlantic Ave). Then, double bummed, there are these unbelievable decadent looking cupcakes staring at us from their darkened window a few doors down (Betty Bakery , 448Atlantic Avenue. Anyone who saw my 2007 Birthday Bash pictures from Perch knows how I revel in a good cupcake! (This pictures features Perch's famous "Cupcake in a Cloud" dessert.)

Finally, there's Kimera (366 Atlantic Avenue), where Dan and I were entranced by the silky, color-block gowns and the adorable mock-ups fit on a few lucky Barbies.

When we finally got to the D, we were chilly and damp on the outside, but warm and toasty on the inside, thinking how lucky we are to live here (and to be going home to our Jaya).

Finding Art with Jaya in Sunset Park

2008-03-16T00:38:00.006-04:00

This is one of the lovely co-op's overlooking Sunset Park on 41st Street, between 7th and 6th Avenues. They do not allow dogs, so we never considered living there. However our friends just bought a great apartment there with a terrific view. They did a great job decorating too, so the inside is just as nice as the view outside.

Ok, I really shot this, because I love squirrels and rarely see them out of the park. Jaya walks so slow these days, that I have time to take pictures while she sniffs. She literally seems to experience life through her nose these days and while outside, the only times it's not glued to the ground, is when her mouth is opening to some revolting, semi-edible tidbit. The sad thing about this building though, is that a group of incredibly efficient, Chinese masons created a beautiful, new, brick front to this entire building in a matter of weeks. However, it's been steadily more and more covered with graffiti since then and hasn't been cleaned. I think it would be great to get a multi-lingual, volunteer graffiti clean-up crew for this block.

A caretaker and child stand in the "Baby Pool" area, enjoying the trees and winter sunlight.

These shots I liked because, perhaps I was feeling a little loopy this day, but I was delighted to watch Jaya's shadow walking with her.

Now we're back home and I find Jaya's sometimes friend, sometimes nemesis, Jazz, cushioned in her little nook under my bed. Jazzy used to be able to walk with us, when we lived in Pelham, NY. Neighbors would stare in wonder at Jaya walking down the block, sans leash, with me (in those days) always few steps behind her and Jazzy even further behind us. A few enchanted folks would tell us we should film these nightly walks for Animal Planet.

As soon as we moved to Brooklyn, though, this changed. Poor Jazzy Kitty was terrified by the noise and commotion of the city streets the one time she found herself outside. Dan and I had a chore luring her back to safety and she never traveled out again. Now I have a window perch for her, where she loves meowling at the birds who sometimes sit in my landlord's grape vines wrapped around the front
porch.

Jaya loves sitting with her daddy while he computes, but is clearly pining for her next trot outside.

More Free Music & Less Conspicuous Consumption - Part II

2008-03-15T13:23:00.008-04:00

Ok, thanks to another user on Swaptree, I've discovered a 3rd use of my time and trader of my music.

LaLa.com!

They're a little different from the others, in that there is a $1.00 charge for every trade. However, you also do a lot less work. For example, they send you prepaid shipping envelopes and inserts and you don't send the CD case. The only catch is that your lovely, eco-conscious, recycled cardboard CD cases, which are essentially the best artwork, can not be sent along, unless you want to pay extra. Also, for some reason, promotional CD are not accepted. Anyway, I really recommend this site and have already had a lot of fun trading. This site is CD's only.

They have another benefit, of being able to upload your entire music collection online to share with other users (though I must admit, I have not yet been able to pull this off) and manage online.

Enjoy!

http://forgetgiuliani.org/

2008-01-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

My friend just put together a New Yorker's comprehensive website exposing Giuliani's awful mayoral track record in order to wake-up voters before his campaign goes too far. Here's his introductory email:

I've put together a new website explaining why Rudy Giuliani would be a
lousy President, http://forgetgiuliani.org/. Giuliani has been basing
his strategy on doing well in the next two major primaries.

Florida's is this coming Tuesday, the 29th. Then "Super Tuesday" is
February 5th, with 24 states, including New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, etc. [1]

I'm hoping this site will help reduce his traction in those states. If
he does poorly in this round, I suspect he'll pull out of the race.

Please check it out and let me know what you think, particularly if you
have refinements. More importantly, please let your friends know about
the site. Thanks!


He offered the following Wikipedia link about Super Tuesday as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Tuesday_%282008%29

Husky House & the Curse of Adorable Dogs

2008-01-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

It seems there's a phenomenon of irresponsible Husky owners. So much so, that there are even devoted rescue organizations, thanks to Barbara Lukowski and friends at Husky House NYC. Barbara was kind enough to help Dan and I when we found an abandoned Husky in Sunset Park. Before I go into that story, here are more helpful links:

On March 8th, 2007, I met this beautiful puppy. He was with a random man who apparently didn't speak any English, motioned to a Husky and to Jaya and me. We'd walked over to them, because I thought it was Max. He motioned to us and walked away. I thought the Husky would follow him, thought the man was his owner, but the Husky was a puppy and simply bounded around the park without glancing at the retreating back of the man. Long story short, he came home with me and I struggled to find his owner and/or someone who could foster him. Jaya wasn't too psyched, the cat was pissed and my landlord was quite hysterical (especially because the puppy ran in through their open door, found his way into his bedroom and kissed his dog-phobic face all in the flash of an instant we turned our backs).

I didn't know what to do. Animal control was already gone for the evening and there was no answer at the ASPCA. I placed an ad at the Found Bin and on Craig's List. I received help from a lot of folks online.

Here was one response:

Hi. He may be microchipped so you should contact the NY cacc in case his owner is searching for him...but please hold onto him until someone trustworthy could foster him. Do you know if the handsome guy is neutered? If not PLEASE have him neutered before you adopt him to someone...they may use him to breed... and as you know there are too many animals dying in the shelters...so thank you for not bringing him there. Make sure you get an adoption fee of at least 200-250 to cover the cost of your neutering/feeding him. Never give an animal away for free..too many wackos out there! You did a great thing! He must love you already for saving him from the cold! Also...have you contacted "HUSKY HOUSE?" As per their name... they rescue Huskies! He is beautiful. Please let me know if you need help with anything ( low cost neutering etc)....They are neutering at the Bronx CACC for only 35.00

and unfortunately, here's an example of the other kind of response I got:

were u at i go see him

Finally, Anna, a foster parent with Husky House contacted me to say that our puppy foundling looked similar to the three 6-7 month old "owner surrenders" they'd recently encountered.

After much hard work in which we tried and failed to find him a true home, Barbara, the Husky Angel sent me the following email:

I picked up "Alan" the husky pup from the people in Sunset Park two nights ago. He is very cute and sweet. He is going to be neutered on Wednesday and microchipped, updated on shots etc. He is in a foster home in NJ with good friends of mine, their 4 female Siberians and Dragon who we believe is "Alan's" brother/littermate.

I do not know who the Brooklyn back yard breeder is. Wish I knew. I do know from the people that gave up Dragon and Shadow (who has since been adopted) that there were 8 pups in the litter one of which was all white (we think this is Malibu/Timmy who is also in foster care. He was found as a stray on Linden St. in Brooklyn).

So if all four boys are littermates....they are the same age and look similiar that means there are still four more littermates out there somewhere :(

While writing this post, I thought I'd check-in with http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/huskyhousenyc.html to see their "Already Adopted" list and there was my puppy! Apparently his name is now Elvis and they're using the below picture I took of Puupy/Alan/Elvis in my living room.

Poor Max is now a Lucky Boy!

2008-01-14T12:39:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken last week on our slow, slow morning walk. As I mentioned in my post to Marjorie from WI, Jaya's doing so much better, no head tilt, no darting eyes, or vomiting. However, the poor girl's slowed down considerably and will quite often stop and sit, or even lay down, during one of her three daily walks.

As I've mentioned in several previous posts, Max, our Chinese Husky neighbor, is a wonderful friend to everyone in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, he is almost always stuck behind a pretty repressed gate.

In the picture to the right, one can see that Max is taking advantage of Jaya's new style of Chill-walking and straining his snout to the max (pardon the pun) and stretching his paw underneath his iron door. Jaya was kind enough to lay close to this barrier, but not too concerned about granting greater access.

First the bad news. Max apparently waits for any opportunity to flee. The family seems to be renting their front yard for parking spaces and unfortunately one day, someone let Max out and he ran right into one of the cars that careen down our street as if it were the BQE. Thank goodness, Max only injured one paw. If one looks closely, one may partially make out a little gauze wrapped around one of his joints.

Now for the good news. It seems Max now has a foster family! We met these 4 folks walking him (or trying not to choke him to death as he attempted to drag them) down the block. They said that one day Max escaped and joined them in the park with their Husky-mix. Once they discovered where he'd come from, the most likely Mandarin-speaking friend negotiated a fostering deal with the family.