LJ Martoken: Well Loved and Well Fed
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Meet LJ Martoken of Fox Meadow! He is a 13 year old Coton du Tulear. LJ doesn't let his age define him. He has random spurts of energy when he can outrun and play with the best of them! LJ spent his first five years in New York City and while he enjoys the suburbs, he turns back into a puppy when he is able to visit and re-experience the sights, smells and sounds of the city. His favorite daytime activities include lounging on the couch and cuddling with his family. He is an excellent guard dog and goes into full alert when someone walks down the street in front of his house. His favorite treats are baby carrots and LJ knows exactly what needs to be done to get them! He loves any and all attention and treats every house guest as a friend who is coming to visit just him.
LJ doesn't care about getting his steps in for the day. He will only go for longer walks if multiple people from this family accompany him. LJ is a very loved older brother to his sisters, Olivia and Annaliese.
Shelly the Tortoise is a Member of the Family
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- Written by Katy Goldman and Dara Gruenberg
- Hits: 1437
Shelly the tortoise joined the Gurden family eight years ago. She has an aquarium with two lamps, one with a day bulb and one with a night bulb, plus a UV light. They are all on timers to simulate daytime and nighttime.
Her tank is in front of a window, and we catch people waving and talking to her on the video doorbell sometimes. Shelly likes to go outside when it is over 70 degrees, and she grazes on grass and weeds, plus she eats hibiscus flowers. She does not really love the months of December through February, and she digs herself under her wood chips and sleeps for days, and only eats about twice a week. The vet said that she is a teenager now and she has grown to the size of the tank. She would actually grow bigger if we got a bigger tank. Shelly takes a bath every week and the hydration helps to keep her skin and shell healthy. We have a few costumes that we dress her up in when we feel silly - a pumpkin, a turkey, and a dinosaur. Her eyesight is not very good but her sense of smell is excellent. She can sense when we get a fresh Christmas tree in December, and she tends to stare at the twinkling lights on the tree. After eight years she has really started to feel like one of the family.
Pet of the Week: Smiley Miley
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- Written by Katy Goldman and Dara Gruenberg
- Hits: 1686
Meet Miley Fieldston, a 14 year-old Havanese who was born in Queens on January 25th 2008. She is an energetic dog who spends her days barking at squirrels and her fellow Murdoch Woods neighborhood dog friends. She usually follows her barking adventures with a nice long nap while waiting for her three younger sisters, Kayla (12), Samara (10) and Skylar (8) to get home from school. She loves to pose for family pictures (often sneaking her way in the back of them). Her favorite foods are American cheese, turkey and challah! In the evenings you can find Miley watching TV and snuggling with her family on the couch. Miley has many nicknames including Shmie Pie, Milita and the little Schwave. The Fieldstons are so lucky to have Miley as part of their family!
Nikki and Maggie Rule the Roost on Church Lane
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- Written by Katy Goldman and Dara Gruenberg
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Nikki, the white 5 year-old, and Maggie, the black 1 1/2 year-old are the happy standard poodles that run the Starr household on Church Lane in Fox Meadow. They are so loved by Janice and Ira and their sons Eric, Matt (and girlfriend Hannah) and Andrew (and girlfriend Michelle). In fact, the three boys do not hesitate to tell their parents that they come home much more frequently just to see the dogs.
Maggie and Nikki are inseparable. They are always found together in the house. In fact, they usually are sitting or sleeping in the exact position. We think Nikki assumes the position and first and her younger sister is a shape-shifter and copies her.
Maggie and Nikki love to be active. They especially enjoy their walks in the Fox Meadow Neighborhood, Saxon Woods, Rockefeller Park, and the Old Croton Aqueduct. They also love visiting Paws Place Ward Acres Park in New Rochelle but would love to have a local dog park to visit! Maggie does have one distinct love/skill - she is ball obsessed! In the house she can bring the ball to someone 100 times to play catch. Nikki just watches...
Maggie and Nikki are great travellers. On a recent trip to Miami, there wasn't a peep from either of them the whole 18 hour ride down. With their beds in the back of the SUV, they are perfectly happy and quiet in anticipation of the fun ahead! Especially running on the sandy beaches!
Maggie and Nikki have distinctly human qualities. They are sensitive, empathetic and loving. We enjoy every minute we spend with them.
Dynamic Duo Robbie and Zuri
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- Written by Katy Goldman and Dara Gruenberg
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Meet Robbie (age 6) and Zuri (age 1), two aussiedoodles who are super silly, love to play, take walks and will do almost anything for a treat. This dynamic duo can be found at home sitting on a living room bench whimpering as friends pass by, vigorously barking at a wandering squirrel or just pondering life's many questions. They think that they have made some progress on solving climate change and advocate that more humans work from home in order to conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions and increase play time / walks with pets.
When not working on challenging problems Robbie and Zuri like to be wherever their people are. They especially enjoy meal prep time when they receive fresh vegetables, and cuddling with family while watching television. They are great office mates and are frequently right by their parents' feet providing warmth. Every now and then when Dad starts playing the harmonica these two are close by accompanying with their howling. If you are interested in their entertainment they will gladly work for treats.
