Meet Bedford’s Emily Brill, journalist, entrepreneur, and dog lover.

We recently caught up with Bedford resident Emily Brill to talk shop regarding her locally grown, nationally known business The Canine Review.

Talk to us about The Canine Review.

TCR combines my two favorite things in this world: journalism and dogs. When Nellie, my now five-year-old Labrador, entered my life and I had questions about care, products, training, etc., I found myself at the mercy of Google search results, ad-sponsored glossies, and blogs.  An independent, credible news organization that catered to my obsession with my dog simply didn’t exist. I saw an opportunity not only to provide a much-needed service but also to make money.

As a northern Westchester resident and dog owner what are your favorite things to do here?

Nellie loves the BRLA (Bedford Riding Lanes Association) trails and is on them two or three times a day. It’s dog heaven here. My favorite walks with Nellie are along St. Matthew’s River. The trails reach all the way back up to our property; it’s a great hike if you’re feeling ambitious.

Nellie and I also try to catch the farmer’s markets at John Jay Homestead on weekends. They have so many great vendors and it’s a fun Bedford people scene.

Would you like to give a shout out to your local vet?

Megan Duffy at Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center is the best and my family has been with her for nearly two decades. I always tell people that since all of my own doctors are in the city, I would want them to take me to Katonah Bedford in an emergency. And, I can certainly vouch for KBVC’s emergency services because Nellie has managed to make more appearances in their emergency room in her first five years than most dogs make in a lifetime.

About Emily

Emily was born and raised in Manhattan, but much preferred Bedford, where her family has always had a second home. After eight years away at boarding school and college in New England, Emily returned to Manhattan to pursue journalism, working everywhere from NBC to Charlie Rose to CNN, while taking on reporting assignments as a freelancer. She then moved to Seoul, Korea for graduate school work, and then to Beijing for journalism work and intensive mandarin study. When she decided she had had enough of the black Beijing air, she returned to the U.S., but decided to unpack her bags in Bedford, rather than set up shop in Manhattan again, having had enough of city life for the foreseeable future.

Emily now spends the majority of her time with her dog and head blogger Nellie Brill in Bedford, though the pair often stay in the city on weekends, where Nellie insists on doing things the Bedford way (e.g. swims in the Central Park sailboat pond, runs off-leash down Fifth Avenue, etc.). Emily loves the challenges and rewards of tough, accurate, and fair reporting. She began her formal journalism career at prep school, writing and editing the school paper, but long before her formal start in journalism, Emily had a weekly family newsletter (subscription-only, of course) for five years, The Brill Family Times.