Category: Boston Dogs

The Mambe Pet Blanket Gets a Paws Up from All Three of Us

When you have a dog like Poppy who loves to cuddle with her people, a product like the 100% Waterproof Mambe Pet Blanket quickly becomes a family favorite.

Amazon reviewers have convinced me that the blankets are 100% waterproof. So far, our good little girl has not put them to the test.

UPDATE 1/2014: We did have a small spill on one of the sofa blankets. The protection was perfect and the blanket washed and dried easily.

But, if an accident should happen, I'm confident that our bed and furniture will be protected. The blankets are made of Polartec® so I know they are good quality and should last for years.

Here's our girl snoozing on the charcoal Mambe Pet Blanket that is covering our bed. The blanket is soft and snuggy, so she loves perching on it for watching her world or napping in comfort. We're not chasing her away because the Mambe blanket is actually easier to clean than she is.

We love it because it's not as heavy as other waterproof bed covers we've tried. This one simply replaces a blanket we would have used anyway. We have one large for our bed and small ones for the love seats Poppy loves to share with us.

When we find a great product, we want to share it with our friends and readers. We purchased our Mambe blankets from Amazon and hope that if you decide to add one to your dog or cat supplies that you'll begin your shopping right here and support the BostonZest team.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost any more for you but Amazon puts some change in our tip jar.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino
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November 10, 2013
Hotel Chain Recommendation: Extended Stay America Is Our Friday Link.

If you are about to reserve a hotel for holiday travel, we can recommend the Extended Stay America chain of hotels. For us, this company offers special amenities that make them our place to stay when we visit family, friends, or need a home base for business or vacation travel.

Our room in the East Providence, Rhode Island location looked exactly like this one. The chair in the corner is a recliner and faces a flat sceen TV.

Yes, that is a tiny kitchen you see in the upper left. Each room is a studio apartment with a small but efficient kitchen. They give you a full size refrigerator, two burners, a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and a tiny but usable supply of tableware, pots, and pans.

We were in Rhode Island because a family member was in the hospital and checking in locally put us on the scene when needed.

The kitchen made grabbing meals, as we could, a lot easier. Even when we did take-out from a nearby restaurant, we were able to eat just as much as we wanted and save the rest for later.

When you're stressed, dining out for every meal is not always the best alternative.

Pet Friendly

We were also traveling with our Westie Poppy who's on a homemade raw food diet. This makes a refrigerator and freezer manditory when we travel. The hard surface kitchen floor also made feeding her easier. We often have to put down a drop cloth to feed her in carpeted hotel rooms.

Extended Stay does charge a hefty $25 per day, per dog pet fee that tops out at $150 for those who stay for awhile.

They have a designated "Pet Exercise Area" with pick up bags and a trash can. We found this helpful because the scents in that area encouraged Poppy to do her business more quickly than she might have without it.

One suggestion we might have on that pet fee is to quietly return some or all of it as a gift certificate towards a future visit when a family has left no sign that a pet was ever present and caused absolutely no concern for the hotel guests or staff. It would encourage the best possible behavior from guests with pets.

Service & Cleanliness

The chain seems to pride itself on cleanliness and excellent service. For us, they hit the mark on both goals. From check-in to check-out and each time we walked by the front desk, we were treated like VIPs.

And, no, they did not know we were travel writers. We had not planned on writing about this chain when we reserved there. It was in looking back on the great experience and recommending the chain to friends that brought about his post.

You can sign up for a discount before you reserve by joining their travel club. And, you can check the ratings of individual properites on Trip Advisor.

We have already explored the Extended Stay America locations map to see if they have hotels where we plan to travel. While an oceanfront apartment is our usual choice for downtime, we love what these hotels offer when we're exploring an area for travel writing or visiting family or friends.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with room photo and screengrab courtesy of Extended Stay America

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 8, 2013
Hotel Chain Recommendation: Extended Stay America Is Our Friday Link.

If you are about to reserve a hotel for holiday travel, we can recommend the Extended Stay America chain of hotels. For us, this company offers special amenities that make them our place to stay when we visit family, friends, or need a home base for business or vacation travel.

Our room in the East Providence, Rhode Island location looked exactly like this one. The chair in the corner is a recliner and faces a flat sceen TV.

Yes, that is a tiny kitchen you see in the upper left. Each room is a studio apartment with a small but efficient kitchen. They give you a full size refrigerator, two burners, a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and a tiny but usable supply of tableware, pots, and pans.

We were in Rhode Island because a family member was in the hospital and checking in locally put us on the scene when needed.

The kitchen made grabbing meals, as we could, a lot easier. Even when we did take-out from a nearby restaurant, we were able to eat just as much as we wanted and save the rest for later.

When you're stressed, dining out for every meal is not always the best alternative.

Pet Friendly

We were also traveling with our Westie Poppy who's on a homemade raw food diet. This makes a refrigerator and freezer manditory when we travel. The hard surface kitchen floor also made feeding her easier. We often have to put down a drop cloth to feed her in carpeted hotel rooms.

Extended Stay does charge a hefty $25 per day, per dog pet fee that tops out at $150 for those who stay for awhile.

They have a designated "Pet Exercise Area" with pick up bags and a trash can. We found this helpful because the scents in that area encouraged Poppy to do her business more quickly than she might have without it.

One suggestion we might have on that pet fee is to quietly return some or all of it as a gift certificate towards a future visit when a family has left no sign that a pet was ever present and caused absolutely no concern for the hotel guests or staff. It would encourage the best possible behavior from guests with pets.

Service & Cleanliness

The chain seems to pride itself on cleanliness and excellent service. For us, they hit the mark on both goals. From check-in to check-out and each time we walked by the front desk, we were treated like VIPs.

And, no, they did not know we were travel writers. We had not planned on writing about this chain when we reserved there. It was in looking back on the great experience and recommending the chain to friends that brought about his post.

You can sign up for a discount before you reserve by joining their travel club. And, you can check the ratings of individual properites on Trip Advisor.

We have already explored the Extended Stay America locations map to see if they have hotels where we plan to travel. While an oceanfront apartment is our usual choice for downtime, we love what these hotels offer when we're exploring an area for travel writing or visiting family or friends.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with room photo and screengrab courtesy of Extended Stay America

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 8, 2013
Hotel Chain Recommendation: Extended Stay America Is Our Friday Link.

If you are about to reserve a hotel for holiday travel, we can recommend the Extended Stay America chain of hotels. For us, this company offers special amenities that make them our place to stay when we visit family, friends, or need a home base for business or vacation travel.

Our room in the East Providence, Rhode Island location looked exactly like this one. The chair in the corner is a recliner and faces a flat sceen TV.

Yes, that is a tiny kitchen you see in the upper left. Each room is a studio apartment with a small but efficient kitchen. They give you a full size refrigerator, two burners, a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and a tiny but usable supply of tableware, pots, and pans.

We were in Rhode Island because a family member was in the hospital and checking in locally put us on the scene when needed.

The kitchen made grabbing meals, as we could, a lot easier. Even when we did take-out from a nearby restaurant, we were able to eat just as much as we wanted and save the rest for later.

When you're stressed, dining out for every meal is not always the best alternative.

Pet Friendly

We were also traveling with our Westie Poppy who's on a homemade raw food diet. This makes a refrigerator and freezer manditory when we travel. The hard surface kitchen floor also made feeding her easier. We often have to put down a drop cloth to feed her in carpeted hotel rooms.

Extended Stay does charge a hefty $25 per day, per dog pet fee that tops out at $150 for those who stay for awhile.

They have a designated "Pet Exercise Area" with pick up bags and a trash can. We found this helpful because the scents in that area encouraged Poppy to do her business more quickly than she might have without it.

One suggestion we might have on that pet fee is to quietly return some or all of it as a gift certificate towards a future visit when a family has left no sign that a pet was ever present and caused absolutely no concern for the hotel guests or staff. It would encourage the best possible behavior from guests with pets.

Service & Cleanliness

The chain seems to pride itself on cleanliness and excellent service. For us, they hit the mark on both goals. From check-in to check-out and each time we walked by the front desk, we were treated like VIPs.

And, no, they did not know we were travel writers. We had not planned on writing about this chain when we reserved there. It was in looking back on the great experience and recommending the chain to friends that brought about his post.

You can sign up for a discount before you reserve by joining their travel club. And, you can check the ratings of individual properites on Trip Advisor.

We have already explored the Extended Stay America locations map to see if they have hotels where we plan to travel. While an oceanfront apartment is our usual choice for downtime, we love what these hotels offer when we're exploring an area for travel writing or visiting family or friends.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with room photo and screengrab courtesy of Extended Stay America

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 8, 2013
Weighty Matters: Is Your Sunday Dog Overweight?

Weight matters!

Just as in humans, there is an obesity epidemic in companion animals. And, the people who love them are responsible for it.

“Over the past five years,” according to a national survey of 2.5 million pets by Banfield Pet Hospital, “overweight and obesity have increased by 37 percent in dogs, affecting approximately 1 in 4 pets.”

Start with Your Veterinarian

Any weight reduction program should begin with an assessment by your veterinarian to be certain a health or medication issue is not responsible for the weight gain. You should discuss what type of exercise and diet might work best, and if any medical support is needed to succeed.

I sat down with in-home, mobile veterinarian Brian Bourquin, DVM of Dr. B Concierge Veterinary Clinic to learn how your veterinarian can help. He explained that first you need to have, “…a realistic goal of where the dog should be.” To do this, he takes into account the breed characteristics and recommends an ideal weight for that particular dog.

Log that Food

Next, he asks the client to figure out what they are actually feeding. “Everything that is ingested by the dog counts as calories,” he said. That includes food, treats, chews, and table scraps. And, he requests actual measurements in cups, pieces, or ounces.

It may not be just what YOU are feeding your dog. How about the rest of the family? Dog lover, Lynne Schneider told me how she finally got the cooperation of her husband and three sons who were overfeeding their Golden Retriever, Prince. “When I couldn't make one of the vet appointments, my husband filled in and took the dogs – and was told that Prince needed to lose a lot of weight or he would die very early.”

Apparently, the doctor was able to convince the guys to change their ways and Prince is now a trimmer, healthier dog. So make it a family vet visit and family project for best results.

Regular Weight Checks

Do a regular weight check on your animal and keep track of it. Not only is it a way to track progress, but it also can alert you to anything that might be going wrong. “It happens rarely,” Dr. Bourquin said, “but, you can actually lose weight too fast. It needs to be a slow gradual loss.”

More on this Topic

We'll hit this topic again soon with tips on increasing the exercise and calorie burning half of the weight loss equation.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Previously published as one of Penny's City Paws newspaper columns.
Photos: Courtesy of Pooch Hotel

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 3, 2013
Weighty Matters: Is Your Sunday Dog Overweight?

Weight matters!

Just as in humans, there is an obesity epidemic in companion animals. And, the people who love them are responsible for it.

“Over the past five years,” according to a national survey of 2.5 million pets by Banfield Pet Hospital, “overweight and obesity have increased by 37 percent in dogs, affecting approximately 1 in 4 pets.”

Start with Your Veterinarian

Any weight reduction program should begin with an assessment by your veterinarian to be certain a health or medication issue is not responsible for the weight gain. You should discuss what type of exercise and diet might work best, and if any medical support is needed to succeed.

I sat down with in-home, mobile veterinarian Brian Bourquin, DVM of Dr. B Concierge Veterinary Clinic to learn how your veterinarian can help. He explained that first you need to have, “…a realistic goal of where the dog should be.” To do this, he takes into account the breed characteristics and recommends an ideal weight for that particular dog.

Log that Food

Next, he asks the client to figure out what they are actually feeding. “Everything that is ingested by the dog counts as calories,” he said. That includes food, treats, chews, and table scraps. And, he requests actual measurements in cups, pieces, or ounces.

It may not be just what YOU are feeding your dog. How about the rest of the family? Dog lover, Lynne Schneider told me how she finally got the cooperation of her husband and three sons who were overfeeding their Golden Retriever, Prince. “When I couldn't make one of the vet appointments, my husband filled in and took the dogs – and was told that Prince needed to lose a lot of weight or he would die very early.”

Apparently, the doctor was able to convince the guys to change their ways and Prince is now a trimmer, healthier dog. So make it a family vet visit and family project for best results.

Regular Weight Checks

Do a regular weight check on your animal and keep track of it. Not only is it a way to track progress, but it also can alert you to anything that might be going wrong. “It happens rarely,” Dr. Bourquin said, “but, you can actually lose weight too fast. It needs to be a slow gradual loss.”

More on this Topic

We'll hit this topic again soon with tips on increasing the exercise and calorie burning half of the weight loss equation.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Previously published as one of Penny's City Paws newspaper columns.
Photos: Courtesy of Pooch Hotel

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 3, 2013
Weighty Matters: Is Your Sunday Dog Overweight?

Weight matters!

Just as in humans, there is an obesity epidemic in companion animals. And, the people who love them are responsible for it.

“Over the past five years,” according to a national survey of 2.5 million pets by Banfield Pet Hospital, “overweight and obesity have increased by 37 percent in dogs, affecting approximately 1 in 4 pets.”

Start with Your Veterinarian

Any weight reduction program should begin with an assessment by your veterinarian to be certain a health or medication issue is not responsible for the weight gain. You should discuss what type of exercise and diet might work best, and if any medical support is needed to succeed.

I sat down with in-home, mobile veterinarian Brian Bourquin, DVM of Dr. B Concierge Veterinary Clinic to learn how your veterinarian can help. He explained that first you need to have, “…a realistic goal of where the dog should be.” To do this, he takes into account the breed characteristics and recommends an ideal weight for that particular dog.

Log that Food

Next, he asks the client to figure out what they are actually feeding. “Everything that is ingested by the dog counts as calories,” he said. That includes food, treats, chews, and table scraps. And, he requests actual measurements in cups, pieces, or ounces.

It may not be just what YOU are feeding your dog. How about the rest of the family? Dog lover, Lynne Schneider told me how she finally got the cooperation of her husband and three sons who were overfeeding their Golden Retriever, Prince. “When I couldn't make one of the vet appointments, my husband filled in and took the dogs – and was told that Prince needed to lose a lot of weight or he would die very early.”

Apparently, the doctor was able to convince the guys to change their ways and Prince is now a trimmer, healthier dog. So make it a family vet visit and family project for best results.

Regular Weight Checks

Do a regular weight check on your animal and keep track of it. Not only is it a way to track progress, but it also can alert you to anything that might be going wrong. “It happens rarely,” Dr. Bourquin said, “but, you can actually lose weight too fast. It needs to be a slow gradual loss.”

More on this Topic

We'll hit this topic again soon with tips on increasing the exercise and calorie burning half of the weight loss equation.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Previously published as one of Penny's City Paws newspaper columns.
Photos: Courtesy of Pooch Hotel

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 3, 2013
Encore Presentation: Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

We ran into former Sunday Dog "Harvard" recently and this handsome guy looked just as buff as the day of our original photo shoot 2-years-ago.

Since that feature continues to be a fan favorite, we'd like to share it with anyone who might have missed it or those of you who just want to see it one more time!

Enjoy this Sunday Dog Encore – Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Time to think about what your dog will wear to all the Halloween events that pop up around the city. Amazon has a great selection of Halloween costumes for dogs to give you some ideas.

Details:
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people that are part of the places and services we cover. Often, those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 27, 2013
Encore Presentation: Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

We ran into former Sunday Dog "Harvard" recently and this handsome guy looked just as buff as the day of our original photo shoot 2-years-ago.

Since that feature continues to be a fan favorite, we'd like to share it with anyone who might have missed it or those of you who just want to see it one more time!

Enjoy this Sunday Dog Encore – Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Time to think about what your dog will wear to all the Halloween events that pop up around the city. Amazon has a great selection of Halloween costumes for dogs to give you some ideas.

Details:
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people that are part of the places and services we cover. Often, those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 27, 2013
Encore Presentation: Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

We ran into former Sunday Dog "Harvard" recently and this handsome guy looked just as buff as the day of our original photo shoot 2-years-ago.

Since that feature continues to be a fan favorite, we'd like to share it with anyone who might have missed it or those of you who just want to see it one more time!

Enjoy this Sunday Dog Encore – Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Time to think about what your dog will wear to all the Halloween events that pop up around the city. Amazon has a great selection of Halloween costumes for dogs to give you some ideas.

Details:
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people that are part of the places and services we cover. Often, those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 27, 2013