Embarking on the pet journey

By Jen Colletta
PGN Staff Writer
© Philadelphia Gay News

A December 2007 national study found that 71 percent of LGBT adults own pets — a considerably higher number than the 63 percent of heterosexual adults who are pet owners.

LGBT pet owners form strong bonds with their dogs and cats and other animals, like hamsters, birds and even guinea pigs, and go to great lengths to make sure their pseudo-children get the best care possible. Whether it’s ensuring that Fido has a chic summer cut or that Tigger gets declawed by the most attentive groomer, LGBT pet owners’ attachment to their furry friends is unmatchable.

Just as deciding which car seat is best for a newborn or which daycare center will provide the best environment for a toddler, pet owners must make innumerable decisions about the care of their pets.

The first choice potential owners face is where to find their companion — a breeder, pet store or adoption agency?

While it may be simple to walk into a pet store at the mall and pick out a dog or cat that strikes your fancy, you’d not only be spending hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, but you could be selecting a pet that is in poor health and whose temperament may not be the best fit for your family.

Adoption agencies, on the other hand, offer pets at a dramatically lower price and work with the potential owner to find a suitable match.

Victoria Brownworth, openly lesbian CEO of The Foundation for Feline Urban Rescue (www.ffur.org), said the number of animals who are either on the streets or waiting for a good home in local adoption agencies is alarmingly high.

“There are a lot of stray dogs, but the number of cats is really just unbelievable,” Brownworth said. “PAWS [Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society] has been doing a really good job under the circumstances, but there are just so many of them to handle. This city is overrun with cats.”

Louisa Alexander and her partner founded City Kitties in 2002 to try to provide safe homes for unwanted and abandoned cats in the West Philadelphia area.

“We place our cats in foster homes and make sure they receive the best medical care and high-quality food,” Alexander said. “We really pride ourselves on the level of care the animals get; they’re not kept in cages like they are at some other shelters.”

Alexander said the recent economic slump has led to an influx of abandoned animals in the area.

“With the economy where it is now, people are getting evicted every day and moving out and they just get to the point where they say, ‘I don’t know what to do with my cat’ or ‘I don’t know what to do with my dog.’ The economy is definitely having an impact on the number of abandoned animals.”

PAWS, the largest animal shelter in the city, receives more than 30,000 unwanted animals each year.

The agency’s adoption center, 100 N. Second St., and an additional location at 111 W. Hunting Park Ave., are open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

If you’re hesitant to take time out of your schedule to stop by one of the adoption agencies in the city, the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will bring an array of four-legged friends seeking a new home closer to you.

At 5 p.m. on the last Wednesday of every month, the PSPCA Mobile Adoption Unit hosts “Yappy Hours” at 12th Street Gym, 204 S. 12th St., where you can meet up with a potential pet without straying too far from your normal routine.

Or, before you head out to check out First Friday events in the city, stop by Doggie Style, 315 Market St., which hosts its own “Fur”st Friday every month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. PSPCA representatives are on hand to show off some of the pets up for adoption.

If you do make room in your life for one of these feline, canine or other non-human companions, both pet and owner will face numerous adjustments as the relationship develops.

If your pet has taken to gnawing on your slippers and other household items or you don’t know how to control incessant barking or “backtalk,” it might be time to enroll your companion in obedience school.

The Keeler Canine Training Center, 236 S.11th St., offers clients a variety of options to suit their dogs’ needs, such as teaching them basic obedience skills, working with developing puppies and training them to track scents.

Emma Keeler, who opened the certified professional dog school 11 years ago, said that, as her company is located in the Gayborhood, she works with a diverse group of people and dogs, but that she would advise all pet owners to take advantage of the benefits of obedience school.

“For a lot of people, these are their babies,” Keeler said. “It gives them socialization, helps with aggression and at the end of the day they’re pretty tired out, which is always good for the parents.”

Keeler provides training for dogs with “behavioral problems” for $40 a day, and offers basic obedience classes for $400 a month or advanced obedience training for $775 a month.

If you’d rather have your pet trained in the comfort of your own home, you can enlist the help of Ms. Whisperer, aka Nicole Silvers.

Silvers, owner of the newly launched dog-training business Silver Sky Canine Behavior Consulting, works with clients throughout the East Coast, designing specialized programs for each dog and its owner. Silvers is available to meet with owners in the pre-puppy stage to prepare them for what’s to come or can also be called upon to evaluate behavioral problems and implement a behavior-modification program.

Silvers also offers training sessions for pet owners, showing them the proper way to discipline and teach their dogs.

Silvers said if dog owners are having trouble controlling the pets or just don’t know how to connect with their animals, they should “get help, and the sooner the better. It’s cheaper and more effective than if you let it go. The longer you put it off, it grows out of control.”

Although you may feel comfortable enough with your pet’s new behavior makeover that he or she won’t tear apart your sofa when you go to work, the separation anxiety that begins to surface if you have to leave your furry friend behind each morning may be too much to handle.

Queenie’s Pets, based in Mt. Airy, recognizes the close relationships pet owners form with their animals, and seeks to fill both the physical and emotional gap felt when owners go to work or out of town.

Adina Silberstein, who said she’s been surrounded by animals since she was born, founded Queenie’s two years ago. Silberstein, an open lesbian, began dog walking as a teenager and, over the years, accumulated so many clients that she quit her full-time job so she could devote all of her attention to the pet business.

Queenie’s offers both dog-walking and pet-sitting services for clients in the Northwest Philadelphia area.

The dog walks range from 30- to 60-minute trips up to five times a week; Silberstein and her five employees, however, do not just strap a leash on the animals and stroll them around the block. Depending on the client’s preference and the animal’s abilities, Queenie’s takes the pooches on hikes through Fairmount Park, swimming in local creeks or on play dates with other canines.

Queenie’s employees are also available to stop by clients’ homes to check in on the animals; whether it’s feeding, playing with or sleeping next to the dogs, cats and other pets, Queenie’s employees appreciate the pets’ need for normalcy.

“We want to keep the same rhythm and routines the pets are used to,” Silberstein said. “If the dog likes to sleep on the bed or the cat likes to sleep on top of your head, they still get to do that. We feed them breakfast, go for a morning walk and go about our day and then check in on a regular schedule.”

If you’re looking for some quality time with your pets when you return from work, why not treat them to a night on the town?

From 5-7 p.m. July 31, Aug. 28 and Sept. 25, Tavern 17, 220 S. 17th St. at the Radisson Plaza Warwick Hotel, will host its own take on “Yappy Hour,” with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the PSPCA.

Since April, Tavern 17 has welcomed pooches on the terrace, and the restaurant offers a special Canine Cuisine menu for four-legged diners that’s available all day, from breakfast to late-night.

Jennifer Hughes, director of food and beverage at the hotel, said Tavern 17 created a dog-friendly atmosphere to meet the needs of its clientele.

“Rittenhouse Square is such a dog-friendly neighborhood,” Hughes said. “There are so many wonderful pets who reside here and visit our dog-friendly hotel. We wanted to come up with a way to welcome these animals to our outdoor patio at Tavern 17 beyond the traditional bowl of water. Our culinary team came up with a nutritious and delicious menu of treats that the pets can enjoy while their owners dine on our artisan bites and flights throughout the day.”

As owners take advantage of the restaurant’s happy-hour drink specials — which feature $1.70 sliders, $3 pints of draft beer and $4 glasses of wine — dogs can chow down on a Hot Diggity Dog, an all-beef hot dog cut into bite-sized pieces; a Bow Wow Cluck, pulled chicken; or Hound Dog Heaven, a ground-beef patty. Tavern 17 also offers selections for dogs conscious of their figures, such as a Gobble Up, a lean ground-turkey patty, or a Veggie Pup, a fried green tomato.

Whether you’re just beginning your relationship with your pet or are a seasoned owner, Philadelphia has a lot to offer four-legged companions in these dog days of summer.

Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.