This blog post was originally included as an article in the Bella Vista Neighbors Association's Summer 2019 Newsletter. I’m a dog lover. My life revolves around dogs. I make a living working with dogs. As a company we have completed over half a million LEASHED dog walks in the City. And we are HUGE leash advocates. Why? Let’s start with the basics. Dogs are animals. Even if your dog is a wiz at verbal commands, recalls without fail and is and a certified therapy dog, your dog

In our line of work we deal with a lot of leashes. (Over 200 per day to be precise.) After time, like most things, leashes need to be replaced. Why? The leash clasps have a shelf-life just like any other item and can become worn and dangerous over time. Last week Minder Shannon had TWO of her leashes malfunction. Shannon was able to quickly grab both dogs (two in one week!), but it could be tragic. Upon inspection both leashes exhibited the same problem. The "bar" was no long

We received a friendly reminder from our vet, Companion Pet Hospital about a recent uptick in Leptospirosis cases in the region. (One of our clients had a Leptospirosis scare in August of this year so we thought we'd pass this important information along!) Quick things you should know: Leptospirosis can be transmitted to humans so this is important information for everyone and there is a vaccine available right now for dogs (call your vet to learn more). From Companion Pet Ho

We're about to head into the double whammy of holidays for fearful pups: Memorial Day and Fourth of July. For those of us living in Philly, we know that Philly loves fireworks. (Even when they were illegal.) The explosive celebrations can start days before, and last for days after the holiday. (I never quite understood that. For pre-holiday fireworks, are people testing their loot? And after, using up any they didn't set off on the holiday?) Either way, especially in South Ph

Did you know that every dog in Philadelphia is required by law to be licensed but less than 20% are? Is your pup licensed? If so, great! If not, what are you waiting for? (You probably didn't know it was a requirement. It's not well publicized, don't worry. You're not alone!) Licenses are only $16 for a spayed/neutered dog. On ACCT's (Animal Care and Control Team) website you can easily renew or purchase your license. You’ll receive a tag in the mail from ACCT for you

A few days ago we were sent this scary tale from one of our clients: “We are switching leashes permanently. I have been using a retractable leash, and yesterday we had a very scary incident where Zorra could of been severely injured after darting into a very bust street of South Philly. She got loose from my grip because she got spooked by a loud noise, the sound of the retractable leash handle hitting the ground freaked her out so bad that she darted and the vicious cycle b