Results tagged “pets”

American Airlines has added a creature comfort outside its terminal at JFK International Airport. According to the press release, the new "Pet Relief Area at the terminal's departure level" is for "passengers with pets [to] give their canine or feline friends a final chance to relieve themselves before packing them away in their kennels for the flight." American's Facilities Maintenance Manager at JFK, Joseph Daly, explained, "American Airlines is sensitive to the needs of passengers who travel with their pets. Pets that travel have comfort needs, too, so we wanted to provide a way for them to be comfortable before boarding their flight, just like the rest of us." Here's AA's traveling with pets policy.

A complaint to child services led police to a home in Mastic Beach where seven children were being raised in conditions of utter squalor and prompted the arrests five adults who lived there. Newsday reports that the house had no heat along with "no running water, feces on the floor and bottles of urine around the house, with rotted food in the refrigerator." On top of that, "appliances and lights that were being run off a generator, a television was being charged with a car battery and cooking was being done indoors with propane." The seven children ranged from ages two to thirteen and are now in foster care with an order of protection from their former caretakers. One of the five adults was also charged with animal cruelty after the SPCA discovered two dogs and 14 cats. One neighbor told the paper that she refused to open windows in the side of her house that faced their home. A Suffolk County official said redundantly, "It was obviously a health hazard."

It's hard out there for a pig these days. The Post reports on a 300-pound pot-bellied pig named Romeo, a family pet in Queens' St. Albans section, who is turning into "a porky pariah" with his neighbors in our time of swine. Who does Romeo live next to—Joe Biden? No, not Amtrak Joke, but he does reside a few doors away from 83-year-old Mary McPherson, who says, "It shouldn't be here. I've never heard of pigs as pets, and with the flu, it worries me." Since swine flu is thought to be spread through close contact among pigs and Romeo is a Napoleon Solo, it is highly unlikely that he is a carrier of the virus. Eight year-old owner Jolisa Cummins adds, "I watched about [the flu] on TV, and I was worried he could get sick. But he's never been to Mexico." If the neighbors take their case to the city however, they could get Romeo banished—pot-bellied pigs are not allowed by the city as pets. Jolisa's father had bought Rome as a gift to her mother Lisa, who grew up on a farm in Trinidad.

An Upper East Side man's irksome pets have the neighbors above his backyard asking a question most people hoped to never cross their minds again: "Who let the dogs out?" Today's Post looks into a clash between irritated neighbors and the owner of four dogs (a Jack Russell and three Pomeranians) who claims to be the most penalized pet owner under the city's relatively new noise laws. Rob Ryder has been fined three times over the last thirteen months when nearby residents called 311 for the barking dogs they claim Ryder lets out at 7 a.m., if not earlier. A neighbor above his East 72nd Street brownstone says, "In the spring and the summer, there are people who stick their heads out the window screaming at them, 'Shut your dogs up!' You're never free of these yapping dogs." Since loud pets became a punishable violation in the summer of 2007, 13,557 dog-noise complaints have been lodged through 311. Ryder fired back at those aggravated, "Give me a break! Everybody in this city owns dogs. This is Manhattan. Move to Minnesota if you want quietness."

DJ Honda is known for giving famous rappers a mean scratch, but apparently his pitbulls have a reputation of possessing a nasty bite. The Japanese turntablist and Lower East Side resident is accused of letting one of his unleashed pit bulls eat the face off of a fluffy Yorkshire terrier named Bebe—an injury that required $4,000 in surgery to repair. Bebe's owner, Christine Chin, a celebrity facialist whose clients include Kate Moss and Penelope Cruz, told the Post, "I feel so bullied and so helpless. I said to my husband, 'Should we get a gun now?'" Neighbors of Honda's say that this wasn't an isolated incident, one couple recounting one of the DJ's three pitbulls biting their dog on the neck as he trailed "in pajama trousers with no shirt on." Honda's dog walker denies that the pooches are violent and gives her own account of the Bebe skirmish claiming, "(Bebe's owner) said, 'Is it OK if Bebe says hello to the dogs?' One of my babies said hello and then Bebe snapped and started growling. Then my baby bit her. If Bebe didn't start growling, my dog wouldn't have bit her."

As many families celebrate religious holidays together today, The New York Post has a unique tale of family melodrama as one of their featured stories. Much to the Post commenters' sadistic delight, pets columnist Julia Szabo shares her story of continuing to live with her ex-husband in a 2BR railroad flat for years on account of their six dogs. The couple even continued sleeping in the same bed because as she puts it, "Our dogs are very good in bed, and there were so many of them curled up between us, around our heads and feet (and sometimes on top of one or both of us), that neither he nor I noticed the other's existence." Eventually the animosity between Szabo and her ex grew so great that the two do decide to part, but not before the columnist struggles over what will happen to the dogs. She then brings in an animal psychic to speak to the favorite of her dogs, Angus. Szabo writes, "Angus told me, wordlessly but loud and clear, that although he loves my ex and me equally, protecting John is his duty."

The Post reports that a family is fighting their Chelsea co-op to keep their beloved Mastiff—and that the co-op board secretary, CNN's Soledad O'Brien, is especially critical. Steven Lyons, who bought his 4,000 square-foot apartment in 2003, says, "[O'Brien] told me at a shareholder's meeting that my dog stinks." Ugo, a 150-pound mastiff, arrived in the Lyons household in 2007, but O'Brien noted his "size, slobbering, shedding, drooling, gassiness and odors" in an affidavit (the family gets him groomed three times a month and sprays him with a deodorizer). The co-op allows pets, but Lyons's wife Monica Nelson tells the Post that other board members hold their noses when they share the elevator with her—even when she's without the dog! The co-op board has terminated their lease, and the Lyonses may have to leave their apartment or get rid of Ugo. Interestingly, O'Brien put her apartment on the market last October—you can see it and her cat in this video.

Note to self: When bringing a 7-foot python to a friend's house, the python might get curious and wander off. Because that's what happened to David Fennell. Fennell, who lives on Parsons Boulevard, was visiting a friend on 149th Street in Jamaica when the python around 5:30 p.m., according to the Post. "Emergency Service Unit cops arrived at 5:55 p.m., and found the python curled up in a hallway 20 minutes later." The python (no pet name given) was then taken to an Animal Care & Control facility because the Department of Health prohibits pythons as pets. Wacky, but not as insane as the story of the 7-foot python a Brooklyn woman found...in her toilet.

Yesterday's three-alarm fire at a Bronx strip mall destroyed a number of businesses, including a pet store. According to the Daily News, over "100 frantic birds, reptiles and small animals died trapped in their cages" at Stephanie and Amanda's Pet Center. Joel Rivera, the store's manager, said of his cousin, who owns the store, "He just couldn't stay and watch what was happening." Rivera added that firefighters helped save "parrots, parakeets, rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards and other reptiles, at least two cats and a pair of guard dogs." A neighbor told NY1, "I feel sorry for all the animals because that is the first thing that God made. And you got to have mercy for them." The other ravaged businesses include a barber shop, grocery store, and a dry cleaners, where the fire began. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries.

    

Today was the sort of day rain dates were made for. After getting washed out yesterday, Tompkins Square Park had plenty of autumn sunshine for what is claimed to be the country's largest dog costume parade. Thousands of dollars in prizes including six iPods were given away to the owners of the winning dogs.

The best part of Halloween is unequivocally being able to dress your pets up in costumes without being dubbed "crazy." This weekend some totally normal humans will be showing off their costumed canines in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park at the 10th annual Great Pupkin Dog Costume Contest. Get there at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday if you want to register your pup, and shortly after if you want to be a spectator. Wonder how many John McCanine and Bark Obama outfits there will be!

             

All those Banksy billboards that popped up around Manhattan proved to mean something after all - they were to promote Banksy's show/installation in Greenwich Village, which opened today.

There are few things more heartwarming than hearing about a dog who was returned to his rightful owners after 5 years (and over a distance of 850 miles, thanks to a microchip), and the press naturally descended upon Rocco the beagle. The dog had gotten out of his Queens backyard, and it's suggested someone in the military took the dog from the Big Apple down to Georgia, where he was found. Eleven-year-old Natalie Villacis, who was 5 when Rocco went missing, told the Post , "I don't think he recognized me, but I told him I loved him as much as always. Rocco seemed a little confused, but happy. He looked at me like, 'I don't know who you are, but I love you, too.'" AW!

Following a string of horrific attacks by pit bulls on civilians, one pit bull has actually turned hero. In an incident that occurred early Thursday morning, a stranger punched his way through the half-gated window of a young woman's bedroom in Rockland County--across the Hudson River and a few miles north from NYC. The assailant, apparently intent on raping the woman, climbed onto her bed and proceeded to punch her in the face several times.

Pet-owning tenants of eight buildings in the Bronx are distressed over letters recently sent out by the South Bronx Management Company, who took over the buildings that were once owned by the city. The letters point out that leases prevent the keeping of pets in the building and threaten that if tenants don't get rid of their animals, they will be evicted. This sounds like a case for the pet lawyers!

One month's free rent! Pets allowed! These are some of the new strategies from Tishman Speyer for its market-rate rentals at Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village complex. Which is a far cry from its past as a complex where building workers would be rewarded with $150 gift certificates if they narced on pet-owning tenants.

Some dogs traveling to the U.S. from Iraq weren't dogs of war or trained to sniff explosives. Instead, they provided a little comfort and unconditional love to soldiers stuck in a war zone. With the help of the International SPCA's Baghdad Pups program, two dogs named Liberty and K-Pot have been adopted by soldiers' families.

New Yorkers can walk the streets--and their pets--with renewed confidence this winter. Con Ed is reporting that one's chance of electrocution via stray voltage is down more than 20%, based upon their most recent survey. Of course, being electrocuted while walking around is a very remote possibility, although it does happen, especially in winter, when salt water and slushy water become simultaneously a corrosive agent and an effective conductor of electricity. The utility recorded only 295 accounts of people being shocked last year, versus 378 the prior year. That's a 22% reduction.

Okay, maybe pets aren't so into the holidays, except when it comes to scraps that fall to the floor or the prospect of a new chew toy. But that doesn't mean that pet owners aren't enthusiastic about projecting the spirit of the season onto Fido and Fluffy.

In addition to searching for the Ninja Burglar, Staten Island police can now look for the couple that stole a beloved Blue Sable Chihuahua. Rosie, a rare bread of chihuahua, was stolen from Deseree Fisher's home Tuesday night at around 8 p.m. by a pair of daring thieves. They didn't seem to be after electronics, jewelery, or cash when the broke down the door of the house while people were inside, just the dog. Fisher's son Jesse and his girlfriend were upstairs playing Guitar Hero when they heard a loud noise. He ran downstairs to see a man and woman rushing into an SUV. Ms. Fisher doesn't know who would buy Rosie, but her son may have told people how much she could fetch on the open market.

The 9 year-old boy who perished in a house fire on Staten Island late Sunday apparently died while trying to save his pets. Tommy Monahan apparently had been with his mother as they tried to escape the fire, but he raced back to his room for his dog, lizard and fish. A 12-year-old neighbor told the Daily News, "Everybody thought he was outside but he wasn't.

Above are Oliver, Scout, and Simon Little, three Brooklyn siblings currently without a home. Fortunately, they have a kind neighbor who leaves them food and water and has some outdoor housing in her backyard. The other day she found Simon on her windowsill, caught out in the rain and looking forlorn. With the arrival of winter and snowstorms, these cats need a home. We spoke to their human friend (who would love to take...

An appellate court ruled this week that a 71-year-old woman could remain in the West Village apartment she shares with her two cats, despite a no-pets clause in her lease. Siiri Marvits has lived in the same apartment for 43 years and has had her two cats Athena and Apollo for more than ten years. The Daily News reports that according to the New York City Law Journal, a landlord must begin eviction proceedings within...

Forget terrorists or crippling airline delays: Cats are enemy number one at JFK Airport. After years of airport and airline employees taking care of the many feral cats who make Kennedy their home, the Port Authority is trapping the cats. Rescue groups are worried, because the cats are feral, they are very unlikely to be placed in homes - which means they will probably be killed.

Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire investor who New York called an "International Moneyman of Mystery" back in 2002, may be set to plead guilty to having sex with underage girls in Florida, but now there are claims that he was preying on the young in the Big Apple. Maximilia Cordero is suing Epstein for "repeatedly" luring her to his East Side townhouse for sex back in 2000.

We visited the Cathedral of St. John the Divine yesterday to participate in the Feast of St. Francis service - and to see all the animals that flocked to Morningside Heights for the annual animal blessing. Many people brought their pets - mostly dogs, but there were quite a few cats, birds and bunny rabbits - and the cathedral was packed.

This Sunday, The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine will be holding the annual Blessing of the Animals, to mark the Feast of St. Francis. Many churches celebrate St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and birds, either on his feast day (which was yesterday) or the first weekend near it.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a child was found at 115th St. and Nicholas Ave. in Manhattan, an unusual incident at Columbus Circle in Manhattan with a man atop the globe in front of the Trump International, and a double shooting on Hegeman Ave. in Brooklyn.
• A worker fired from her job at the substance-abuse outreach organization Odyssey House said that her former supervisor would talk of his sexual exploits constantly. One of the weirder boasts: he would have sex in front of his cats, which would really turn the pets on.
• The New York Post looks at the most international pick-up spot in town: the Delegates Lounge at the U.N. The view is great, the drinks are strong, and many are looking to practice their international language skills.
• The second thresher shark in a week washed up on Rockaway Beach yesterday. A park manager and police gently pushed the three- to six-foot shark back into the water and it swam away.
• Alain Mariduena, or the graffiti artist known as Ket, pleaded guilty last Monday to painting a subway train in Brooklyn. He received probation, but his deal stipulated that he owes the city one mural to be commissioned by the DA's office, as long as it does not "condemn graffiti as an art form."
• The Gowanus Lounge helpfully points out why it's never a good idea to loan your shoes to the random guy who's already had his shoes, phone, and watch stolen, or let him crash on your couch because he has no idea where he lives. You probably won't get your shoes back.
• World leaders will be descending on midtown Manhattan this week as the 62nd U.N. General Assembly begins Tuesday, and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be a featured speaker. Prepare for heightened security measures and nightmarish traffic situations.
• 21-year-old New Yorker and Mets fan Matt Murphy auctioned off the record-setting 756th home run ball, hit by Barry Bonds and that Murphy caught, for more than $750,000.

Leona Helmsley sure loves Trouble. Trouble, her dog, that is. How much did Helmsley, the hotelier who was known by some as the "Queen of Mean" and passed away last week, love her pooch? Enough to leave the white Maltese $12 million in her will, more than she left four of her grandchildren. In addition to the $12 million trust, when Trouble dies, she'll be buried next to her former owner in the family mausoleum. The dog appeared in ads for the Helmsley Hotels and was usually seen by Helmsley's side in her later years.

What is wrong with people? The director of the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter found three boxes full of kittens (63 of them!!!) on her doorstep. Paula Young believes that the kittens were used as bait during dogfighting in Westchester and possibly the Bronx. She told the Journal News, "It is impossible for one person to have all these kittens, calicos, tabbies, males and females."