These two little cuties, dubbed Horatio and Gitano, were found outside a bodega on Stagg Street between Waterbury Street and Bushwick Avenue last week and are currently being fostered by volunteers from the BARC Shelter. The boys haven’t had an easy start in life - as Lisa V. reports:

There was a “string” wrapped around Horatio’s right rear leg that was probably his mother’s umbilical cord. He lost his foot but that is the least of his problems right now. It appears his legs have some kind of developmental defect as they are weak and “rubbery” He isn’t able to support his weight, although he tries to keep up with his unaffected brother Gitano. We’re looking into the right kind of physical therapy and possible treatment for Horatio.

From all accounts these little guys have a lot of spunk, but they need your help to thrive. Please check out the BARC Kitten Wish List and Network For Good for ways you can contribute.

(Photo of the Bushwick Boys by Lisacat on Flickr; see their photoset here, and a short video clip of Horatio here)

Nobody ever accused Bushwick of having quiet streets…but other than that, the Brooklyn Paper story about the dog-friendliness of our hood is spot on. Our writer Matt was interviewed and BushwickBK.com itself was mentioned in the article, which notes the threat of attack by “fighting dogs” and the problem of chicken bones all over the sidewalks. Also mentioned is Matt’s goal of getting a dog run installed at Maria Hernández Park, though not the planned Bushwick Dog Owner’s Association. After also interviewing a Morgantown resident about stray dogs threatened by trucks in the industrial area, the piece concludes, “this just isn’t a safe place for dogs.”

One of the reasons my boyfriend and I chose to move to Bushwick (besides the affordability factor) was that so many apartments seemed to be pet-friendly. While I was not naive enough to imagine a bucolic neighborhood of friendly pooches and mini-societies based around the local dog run, I did assume that it would mean Bushwick would be a great place for me to acclimate my dog to New York City life. She is young (7 months), was born in Arizona, and then lived with us in a resort-style apartment complex complete with dog runs, Olympic-size pools, and miles of walking paths. I feared for her sanity upon our arrival in Brooklyn.

Well, Bushwick has certainly acclimated her to city life, but I’m not sure if it is the kind of city life I want her to get used to. I live right next to Maria Hernandez Park, so I often take her there for short walks, but other than that I have nowhere for her to run and get used to other people and dogs. Most children are terrified of her (because they have been taught to be wary of the neighborhood dogs, rightly so in many cases) and I don’t trust most of the dogs around here enough to let her get anywhere near them. The sidewalk is always littered with trash and, most disturbingly, chicken bones, which I am constantly pulling from her mouth so she won’t choke.

I would love to have a dog run in Maria Hernandez Park, but then again, do I want my dog to be set loose with the dozens of untrained (and un-neutered) neighborhood “tough-guy-status” dogs? Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against pit bulls (I used to have one, they are wonderful dogs), but I know that these local dogs aren’t getting the kind of training and socialization that their breed requires, which makes me nervous. Just the other day I had to walk quickly away from a man who’s pit was chomping at the bits to get at my dog.

While I love many aspects of the neighborhood, I would like to see it become more pet-friendly in the future.

Any thoughts from fellow Bushwick pet owners?