Urbanhound

Originally uploaded by lools.

Every time I see dogs being walked around Manhattan, I'm reminded of the joys of being a dog owner. What I love most about dogs is their capacity for unlimited, unconditional love and totaly loyalty. Dogs have such a special way in which they make you feel like the most important person in their world.

Even though I grew up in big cities like Bangalore and Bombay, we always had dogs at home even when we didn't have backyards. I'll admit that they were small to midsized breeds like Cocker Spaniels, Terriers and Lhasa Apsos, but nonethless I believe that a home without a dog is incomplete.

Manhattan is an incredibly dog-friendly city which makes it even sadder that we don't have a dog. Harsha subscribes to the school of thought that people without yards should never have dogs, ever. I'm trying to convince him otherwise but it's going to take a while..

In the meanwhile, I get my doggie fixes in Manhattan by logging on to Urbanhound, the city dog's ultimate survival guide. This website is unbelievably rich in content and of the most useful sites I've ever come across - if only I could actually use it!

From a comprehensive list of dog runs around town to guidance on finding a Burberry coat for your pooch (sigh), Urbanhound has it all. I was most fascinated to learn from the website that more and more Americans are commissioning professional potraits of their pets these days. There is even a specialized breed of photographers who make their living taking pictures of pets all day long!

Now if I can only find the perfect excuse to sneak a dog into our apartment and look after it forever...