Jeff Cutler reports on the phenomenon of new mothers leashing their dogs to their baby's strollers, at least as observed on Newbury Street:

... I'm pretty certain if a life-size Chuck Wagon truck or a wild deer dashed through downtown, these dogs would be galloping across busy streets dragging mothers, infants and strollers through traffic to certain doom.

And if not doom, definitely destruction.

Where did common sense go off the rails? The likelihood of the Chuck Wagon or the deer showing up on Newbury Street in Boston is a fantasy. But a pickup truck with dogs in the back could happen. And the reality of nearly identical mommy/stroller/puppy combos on the other side of the street is common. ...

The folks at Pet Cabaret in Roslindale report they had to break the news to a caller yesterday that they don't carry ants:

... "Ants?" I say, "Why, no...you can get them outside..."

"Oh." came the reply and a polite "Thank you" followed. ...

This comes about a month after somebody called the store to ask if they sold piranhas (answer: no).

Pomsmith spotted the above sign tonight in front of the Brook House in Brookline.

Rhea reports on the Footlight Club's auditions - for the role of Sandy in a performance of "Little Orphan Annie:"

... When the doggy semi-finalists were announced, they lined up, and guess what? The judges were definitely going for the authentic Sandy look. There were no Lhasa apsos or poodle mixes among them. The young actress who will be playing the part of Annie called each dog to her. The ones that responded became the finalists. ...

David Prior reports what happens when one of your dogs gets loose and decides to go after a skunk, which does what skunks do, after which the dog runs right into the house. You know it's pretty bad when National Grid shows up because the downstairs neighbor called to report what he thought was a gas leak.

The Herald reports the Boston City Council voted (when?) to ban dog rentals in Boston - even as pet abandonments in the state rise threefold.

Ed. English-usage question: The Herald calls city councilors "solons." When did that happen? I thought only senators were "solons." And now I find myself wishing for a story involving solons and jakes.

Fabulously Out There, who does not have air conditioning, came home last night to find her dog really, really hot:

... So I did what any normal person would do....I opened the freezer and made him stand in it.

Worked like a charm.

No, I did NOT close the door on him. He was standing right next to my ice cream and you could tell he was totally cooling down. All that was missing was steam coming off his fur. Once he felt sufficiently cool to the touch, I took him out and made him sleep in front of the fan. ...

They get very specific on their kitten-adoption posters in Framingham.

Michael Pahre reports getting a robo-call from some company asking if he knew the whereabouts of some lost cat in his neighborhood:

... How much does this service cost? A lot! Prices range from $65 for 250 robo-calls (suitable for a low-density rural location) to $425 for 5000 robo-calls in a dense, urban environment.

Note that the organization's website claims that they are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, which would explain why their call went through to my house despite having registered my phone number with the list.

Roslindale's Pet Cabaret provides links for people who want to ban dog rentals in Massachusetts:

... If you think dogs and cats should not be used and returned like ZipCars, now's the time to do something about it. Waiting even a few weeks could be too late. FlexPetz, which rents companion dogs by the hour or day, is poised to open in Boston soon. Once the door is open, other pet rental businesses will follow. All aggressively promote the "disposable pet" mindset, to the detriment of animals--and those of us dedicated to rescuing them. ...