I was a lucky kid growing up in Germany. During the week I lived with my parents in the city, and most weekends and holidays I spent with my mom's parents in the countryside. Every year, as soon as summer vacation started, we packed up the car and drove down to Sicily to spend six weeks with my dad's side of the family. As you can imagine family, food, nature and animals were a huge part of my life, and I was taught to respect and love it all alike.

I now have a dog of my own, Oskar, the cutest Frenchie on the planet.

When I met my little guy there was no question that he “picked” me. Like I said, I grew up loving pets but I didn’t expect to be falling in love so completely that I was ready to change my life for one. Well, that’s what Oskar accomplished (in a split second, no less), and I am happy to admit that I am obsessed with his well-being.

However, I found myself among the many pet owners who never seemed to find the right food for her pets, or the right toys, or a decent bed, or a sweater for the winter. And as it turned out getting the best for Oskar wasn't all that easy living in Astoria.

Oskar has made many friends since he moved to Astoria, and we wanted to make sure that they, too, could get all the great stuff the big city dogs can get. And since we realized that there wasn’t a decent place to shop we decided to open one for Oskar and all of his friends. The Jumping Bulldog was borne out of love and out of necessity alike, and here it is: The first true pet boutique on 23rd Avenue!

Don’t be shy. Stop in to browse, or to pick up a free treat for your little buddy, or just come by to say hello to Oskar -we’d love to have you!

Woof, woof and meow for now.