Impressions Of Trip From Boston Area, Doggie Wise

[bina]

well, have just come back from 10 days int eh states, after not being for 6 years; well, that was major culture shock in more ways then one... on my american shopping list was dog stuff since pet supplies here are very expensive, limited selection ...

was taken to petsmart. well, i just stood in the middle of the store for about 10 minutes trying to get my bearings: ihad done research on the internet and knew what i wanted but hadnt realized that there was so much of the same but different: harnesses for dogs. having no dog to try the harness on, the sales person brought me a manniken the exact size and weight of lilee the lhasa; we tried on several harnesses and lo and behold, the one that fit best was ":gasp! ceasar milon's harness. never thought i would have to get a name brand dog harness but tried it on her here in israel, fits great, with room for her grown out fur in winter, now no more trachea problems from minor tugs of the leash. also managed to find ear cleansing stuff, using good quality herbals , bought up several different brands; and a face/feet cordless clipper which ive not seen anywhere here. couldnt believe the line of doggie sshoes, sandals!? in teacup sizes, etc. although IDF dogs wear boots in army service to protect from metal and glass in hostile areas, cant imagine shoeing most dogs... amazing america.

was totally impressed by the doggie poo cans in and around boston and outlying area, and the fact that every dog i saw was tagged, leashed or playing in a controlled fashion, and poo was collected everywhere, including some state parks we went to with sis's aussie shepherd, luna. (luna got her present from me, a name tag in hebrew). luna has been banished from the dog park because she tends to 'herd' the other dogs, but has play dates... gets organic dog food, and has a vet named, dare i say it: kat. hawk,dvm.

what i didnt like was that there was no dogs out partrolling at night, no dogs barking to warn u intruders in and around the houses (all large houses with yards, although relaxed atmosphere, not a huge walled community).and i didnt see a single cat outside apart from obvious house cats sitting on window sills. also met lots of dog friendly people unlike here where the reaction is to move away from a dog...

just impressions of a spcific area, but part of my complete reverse culture shock (self checkout lines! u have got to be kidding... would never work here. ; but wasnt impressed with seeing fresh sliced mushrooms in the store: people dont know how to slice a mushroom?; and the was a serious lack of good fetid smelling cilantro even in the asian stores i went to shop (wanting to cook food with spices and flavour, never mind organic and saltless...)..

bina

israel

[sbk]

My sister lives in an area where any cats outside end up coyote food. So, when I see a cat outside I try to catch it and call the owners.

[bina]

yep, same as my parents: coyotes, wild (bob) cats, and a couple kind of raptors that like small yorkies and such... there are apparently coyotes now in newton boston area; we saw a skunk in someone's yard too... but we have jackals hyenas and foxes and also feral dog packs, but i think jackals dont eat dogs, and hyenas are shy... just hte foxes with rabies are a problem... the feral dogs are a major headache though.