DOGGIE DINERS SMALL BITES 70 South Bay Accent TAHTET AACPKP Yes, apps have gone to the dogs thanks to inventions such as Voyce and Whistle. Using a small monitor attached to a collar, these products track a dog’s heart rate, respiratory rate, activity level and rest cycles. The monitors connect with desktops, tablets and smartphones to keep you informed. San Jose couple Michele Kiss and Lee Isensee use Whistle to make sure their dog, Fenway, is getting just the right amount of activity and relaxation. “We find it will motivate us to take him out,” says Kiss. “It essentially keeps you accountable.” Based in San Francisco, Whistle also sells Tagg, a GPS tracking device that attaches to a dog’s collar. Tagg tells you your dog’s exact location and will send an alert to your smartphone if your pooch has wandered outside of an approved area. Feeling lonely? The interactive Petcube Camera and app let you s tay in touch when you’re away from home. A wireless, wide-angle camera allows you to see what your pet is up to, and you can also speak to your dog and play with it from afar using a laser. And if you’re not camera shy, one option allows others to log on and play with your dog. Dining al fresco with your furry companion got a whole lot easier this year, when California’s “dining with dogs” law went into effect. Dogs now legally are allowed on outdoor patios provided they are on a leash and well behaved. However, some eateries still are more dog friendly than others, so websites such as bringfido.com can be helpful in finding welcoming options. In fact, a search on bringfido lets you sort restaurants not just city by city but even by choice of human-preferred cuisine. Possibly the most dog-friendly restaurant in the South Bay is La Fondue in downtown Saratoga. Here, dogs don’t get just a fresh bowl of water; they’re served pieces of steak. Another super dog-friendly restaurant hot spot is San Jose’s Santana Row. Several restaurants along the hippest street in the South Bay welcome canine customers. Dogs are always up for a treat and they are easy to find—especially gourmet treats—in the South Bay. Biscuits Pet Boutique in San Jose’s Japantown is a cute shop featuring big glass jars filled to the brim with a wide variety of organic small-batch treats and doggie ice cream in the back freezer. A favorite local dog treat baker, Five Paw Dog Treats, closed its downtown Los Altos bakery, but the treats and birthday cakes live on at Pet’s Delight in Los Altos and Sunnyvale’s For Other Living Things as well as being available online. A recent fivepaw.com post heralded its latest addition: wheatfree Duck a l’Orange delights crafted from sweet potato, potato and garbanzo bean flour. It’s a dog’s life, indeed. Voyce Biscuits Pet Boutique
South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2015
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