New York Dog

New York Dog

Issue #1
Editor	Leslie Padgett
Publisher	John Ryan
First issue	Late 2004
Country	United States
Based in	New York City
Language	English

New York Dog was an unsuccessful lifestyle magazine for animal lovers based upon women's fashion and lifestyle magazines but instead featuring dogs. It was owned by the publishing empire of John Ryan, now known for his 2009 RTÉ Two comedy television show This is Nightlive, which mimics the antics of Ireland's newscasters and other newsroom members. Before its collapse the magazine was lauded by respected international publications such as The New York Times. It was based in New York City and intended to sit alongside Vogue and Cosmopolitan. New York Dog began publishing in late 2004. The frequency of publication was anticipated to be a ninety-six page glossy every two months. A team based in Dublin was responsible for design and production, whilst content and advertising was sought in Manhattan by Ryan and his editor, Leslie Padgett.

Background

The idea for the magazine came from the Irish magazine publishers Michael O'Doherty and John Ryan. Ryan's publishing company inititally owned the publishing venture Stars on Sunday which folded with losses. He then set up the New York Dog magazine, which he promoted on The Late Late Show, and a New York City-based website, blogorrah.com, which was described by the Irish Independent as "a sort of Phoenix without portfolio".^[1] The site was edited by Derek O'Connor but mysteriously stopped filing new posts in July 2007. Ryan was also known for his business partnership with Michael O'Doherty, the owner of VIP magazine. After the collapse of his business empire in early 2007, Ryan was declared missing after he claimed a pet-food scare led to the closure of New York Dog. Staff at Manhattan's Cinema Café, a regular haunt said: ‘He would come in here with his dog pretty regularly, but we haven’t seen him for months. The last time [we] saw him, he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders’, whilst his partner O'Connor declared that he had not spoken to Ryan since he had left New York City a few months previously and said his email address was ‘out of commission’. O'Doherty said he had not heard from Ryan for over a month.^[2] Before his disappearance Ryan had attended the Electric Picnic music festival in the company of fellow publisher Trevor White and soon after appeared as a guest on The Tubridy Show. However, a rival website then accused him of mistreating his workers and he left the country.

Features

The New York Times praised New York Dog for its quirky features such as "The 10 Best Walks in Manhattan" and guidelines on how to keep a dog in a custody battle as well as plans to include photo shoots of dog haute couture, dog horoscopes and obituaries, dog dieting tips and pop psychology advice for dogs. An alternative view on its subject was sought in the shape of prominent New York journalist Jimmy Breslin, who dislikes dogs. He wrote a column titled "The Back Yard".^[3]

References

1. ^ "Andrea gives Ryan some dog's abuse". Irish Independent. 2006-10-29. http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/news-gossip/andrea-gives-ryan-some-dogs-abuse-136202.html. Retrieved 2009-01-12. 
2. ^ "Publisher John Ryan ‘missing’.". Random Mostly Irish News. 2007-11-25. http://neilmichael.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/publisher-john-ryan-missing/. Retrieved 2009-01-12. 
3. ^ Lavery, Brian (2004-08-16). "For Dogs in New York, a Glossy Look at Life". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/business/media/16dog.html?ex=1250481600&en=af74ad9eca12ed6c&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland. Retrieved 2009-01-12. ^{[dead link]}

Articles

• "For Dogs in New York, a Glossy Look at Life" - The New York Times
• "A new publication on Flea Street" - The Irish Echo