Yes we have your info and we're excited to meet Hudson. Actually added a new recruit to the group this morning in the form of a 5-year-old rescue female who put the brakes on a block away to wait for Jackson to catch up and say hello.

We go to Towne House Grooming on 8th Ave between 24th and 25th. The woman who runs the place (Ellie) is very nice and she actually knows how to groom our cat well, which is why we go there but Jackson is always super happy going in and out and we like the results. I think the standard golden package is ~$85. That includes a bath, cleaning of the ears, nail trim, trimming the hair around toes and underbelly, and expressing the glands...we ask them not to give Jackson a full-on haircut or shave so I can't speak to how well they do that if that's what you're looking for.

We generally go once a month unless the weather forces us to take him more often. He's going in next weekend given the rain/snow we've had. Beyond that, we occasionally give him a basic bath in our apartment if needed plus we clean his ears and brush his teeth about every other day.

Any objections to including a few golden doodles in the group? It's the only other breed we've encountered that consistently has similar personality/energy to the purebred golden and Jackson has several golden doodle friends in the West Village. Figure it will help boost our numbers at the outset without disrupting the chemistry.

Also for reference when it gets hot in the summer: Open (Social) Swim | Water4Dogs.com
It's not free so not suggesting it as a regular activity for the playgroup, more a reference if you're looking for a place to take your golden swimming. Prospect Park in Brooklyn has part of its water roped off for dogs, that's the only free swimming I know of in NYC.

No objections here! Thanks for the swim info, sounds like lots of fun.

When do you think the first meet-up will take place? I have yet to recruit any of the golden owners in my neighborhood simply because it would be a little odd for me to mention it w/out having a dog , BUT, we are getting Hudson this SATURDAY!!

Really looking forward to this group!