The Urban Hound + Best Buddies

Posted on by Olivia | File under News

The Urban Hound made a resolution this New Year to be more socially involved and civically engaged. We have been fortunate enough to be introduced to the amazing Best Buddies organization, and the M Team, one of its fundraising crews. We are so excited to be involved with some great events over the next few months, all of which benefit the Best Buddies organization. Read on for more information about how you can join the cause.

To donate to our team, please use this link. Thank you!

Donor Thanks & Raffle Drawing
April 26 at the Urban Hound, 6-8pm
From now until April 26th, anyone who donates to our Best Buddies fundraising cause will be entered into the Urban Hound Super Raffle! Simply by making a donation, you will be entered into an amazing raffle full of Urban Hound services and goodies. There are a bunch of items up for grabs, including:

  • One month of daycare (2 winners)
  • One week of boarding (2 winners)
  • One 1-week Resident Board & Train/Day School with Nick
  • One 2-week Resident Board & Train/Day School with Nick
  • One full groom with Pupgrade (2 winners)
  • One week of walks
  • A full year’s worth of spa pupgrades (2 winners)
  • A birthday party for your pup & 20 friends
  • Urban Hound swag basket for you and your Hound (2 winners)

On April 26, we will host a “thank you” event for all of our donors, and we will announce the winners of the raffle. This event will be held at the Urban Hound and will feature beer, wine and snacks. We’ll also have some of the wonderful advocates of Best Buddies and the M Team on hand to answer any and all questions about the organization and the Urban Hound’s partnership with the M Team.

Best Buddies Challenge Hyannisport
June 2 at Craigville Beach in Hyannisport, MA
The organization’s flagship event, the Best Buddies Challenge, offers a variety of ways for individuals and families to contribute to an amazing cause. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can sign up for the 100-mile bike ride along with our fearless leader, Rebecca. If you’re into biking – just not that far! – you can sign up for a 50-miler or a 20-miler. If “it’s just like riding a bike” isn’t a phrase that makes sense to you, join me (Olivia, along with trainers Nick and Nicole) for the 5k run/walk. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll be rewarded with a 5-star lobster and clambake, massages, an open bar, and great live music. Oh, and did we mention Tom Brady will be there…?

If you can’t join us for any of these events, please consider making a donation. Any amount means the world.

Employee Spotlight: Keri

Posted on by Olivia | File under Staff

A little about Keri…
Keri was born and raised in Massachusetts and is a lifelong Bostonian. Her favorite thing to do is hang out with her dog, Otis. More on him in a minute! Keri has been with the Urban Hound for 5 years now, and is one of the most valuable members of our team.

Where have you seen her?
Clients will recognize Keri as our Daycare Manager. She brings their dogs out to them at the end of the day and chats with clients as needed when they have questions. Prospective clients will recognize Keri as their tour group leader on Saturdays. Behind the scenes, Keri is always working hard to make sure that our play parks are the safest, happiest environment they can be for all of our pups.

Does Keri have a dog?
She sure does! Keri has a Schnauzer/Westie mix named Otis, affectionately known also as “Chicken” or “Chicken Wing.” Keri and Otis do almost everything together, and Otis’s favorite days are the days he gets to come to work with his mom.

What does Keri do for fun?
In her free time, Keri loves taking Otis for long walks and hikes. Keri does yoga to relax, sometimes Otis does, too. Keri’s favorite human is her nephew, Ryan. They have a lot of fun together watching old movies. She also enjoys traveling (most recently to New Mexico), and is on a constant mission to find the best tacos in Greater Boston.

#ThankDog

Posted on by Olivia | File under Miscellaneous

We’ve got all kinds of things to be thankful for here at the Urban Hound. First of all, we get to spend our days with dogs. What’s better than that? Whether it’s another day of craziness in the news, your immune system finally succumbing to flu season, or just a week of waking up on the wrong side of the bed, not much can’t be cured by slobbery dog kisses.

Other things we’re thankful for include:

  • A staff who work hard everyday to create a happy, safe environment for our pups
  • Blackbird Donuts being right up the street
  • Clients who start our days with smiles
  • The essential oils diffuser that keeps our lobby smelling fresh
  • Totally 80s radio on Pandora
  • …and so much more!!!

We’ll be sharing everything else we’re thankful for on Instagram throughout the month of November using the hashtag #ThankDog. We’d love for you to join us! Using Instagram, tag us and use the hashtag #ThankDog to share the dog-related things that make your world go ’round, and we’ll share yours with our followers. We’re looking forward to seeing what you share!

A Note About the Ongoing Construction Behind Our Building

Posted on by Olivia | File under News

We are writing this blog post to make you aware of the ongoing construction behind our building. There are two concurrent projects that are slated to continue for quite some time. While the majority of the construction should be relatively quiet and non-intrusive, they are currently in the pile-driving phase, which can be quite noisy.

Between the two projects, the pile-driving will be consistent through the end of August. The workers begin around 7am and are finished for the day by 4pm, Monday through Friday.

As you can imagine, the dogs (and humans!) do not like the loud noises or the occasional vibration of the ground outside. We work hard to make sure that each and every dog is safe and happy in our play parks. This construction has created an obstacle for us as caregivers, but our commitment to our dogs stays the same. 

We have taken the following precautions to help our dogs adjust to the noise:

  • Calming music in the play parks
  • Limited outside time unless the pile-driving is paused
  • Quiet, dark rooms for decompression
  • Keeping the dogs engaged and distracted at all times

While not every dog will be affected by the construction, we believe some will, and we’d like to make sure that you know we are doing our best to accommodate the changing needs of our dogs during this process. 

Please keep an eye out for irregular behavior from your dog and do let us know if you think that there is something else we can do to help your dog specifically. Please also remember that we offer walks in the South End and Back Bay. If you think that this will be a better solution for your pup than daycare until the pile-driving phases are complete, feel free to reach out at any time.

We apologize for the inconvenience that the construction has presented to you and your dogs. As always, we will be paying close attention to each and every dog and will keep you updated if yours begins experiencing anxiety related to the noise.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. We appreciate your patience with this matter.

Thank you.

Rebecca & the Urban Hound Staff