San Diego - Del Mar Dog Beach

Man oh man do I wish L.A. had a dog beach! We had a blast down in San Diego back in May...hit up the dog beach in Del Mar...the pictures speak for themselves...a great time had by both human and canine (even though the human got a hefty parking ticket)...

Memories of Sydney, Australia

Ahh what a trip...back in 2006 I went to Sydney, Australia's biggest, oldest and most cosmo city. I gotta say, it is one of the cleanist cities I have been to, surrounded by national parks and beaches, and containing perhaps the world's most recognized harbor (with the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge so visible).








I saw so much in Sydney, so I will have more posts on the Taronga Zoo, Manly Beach, Bondi Beach soon...

Some fun facts I learned while I was there...

• A resident of Sydney is known as a Sydneysider





• Approximately 4.5 million people visit the Sydney Opera House each year





• Most of the convicts to Australia were English and Welsh (70%), Irish (24%) or Scottish (5%)





• Historically, more convicts were sent to American penal colonies than Australian (although Australia was mostly designated a penal colony whereas America had various religious refugees, needless to say, this is why Australia is known for its prisoner roots)

• Some convicts had been sent from various British outposts such as India and Canada and there were also Maoris from New Zealand, Chinese from Hong Kong and slaves from the Caribbean

Stay tuned...more to come

Sup? I'm Eli...

Where do I begin? I agreed to foster a young cocker spaniel back in January, I wasn't sure if I was ready to adopt after my dog Timmy passed away in November. A nice couple found the dog roaming in a river basin, limping but still full of energy. They cleaned him up, got him his shots, but had several cats which this young dog enjoyed terrorizing.

The dog rescue I was working with, Cocker Connection, told me they had not met the dog yet but it sounded like he was about 3 years old and white (although cocker spaniels usually don't come in white). I was shying away from light colors, since my last dog was tan.

So they brought the dog over, he was very handsome and right away I could tell he had a great personality. He did seem younger than 3 yrs old though. I like to say I "fostered" him for about 15 minutes...then there was no way I would give him up. I named him Eli, pronounced EE-lye. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "high", which describes exactly where my dog fits on my list of priorities.

I quickly learned Eli was most likely around 1 yrs old, potty trained and knew how to sit. He liked to chew, but nothing too destructive. Keeping him tired has been my best strategy at keeping him 'out of trouble'. We go on several long walks a day and he goes to doggy daycare at least once a week, which I highly reccomend if you work a 9-5 job and can't take your dog to the dog park for hours on end. Doggy daycare has taught him so much, and he comes back really pooped.

Eli loves the beach, Runyan Canyon, NPR and he is obsessed with tennis balls. I spoil him, which really shows when people come over to visit and he doesn't listen to a word I say, just looks at me and laughs with his eyes.

We have a great time together, I couldn't have asked for a greater pal...more to come...

Ummm, St. Louis has the Arch and stuff...

OK...I may have not been the biggest fan of St. Louis. Maybe it started with my check-in to a downtown hotel at 9 p.m. when the staff told me

"Hello sir, downtown St. Louis isn't like a lot of other cities, it really isn't safe to travel around alone downtown and nothing is open. We suggest you stay inside and order room service."

Nice.

I was there for work, so no biggie. Worked with the St. Louis Cardinals on a project, they were amazing. My room had a nice view of the Arch, which was impressive. I saw that Arch and I knew I had to play tourist and go to the top.

I walked over and explored the museum beneath the Arch and took some pictures. Kind of snoozy, just my opinion. The ride to the top was via these 4-seat pods...I never even know people went up to the top of the thing. Nice views, to be expected.

Would I choose St. Louis as my next vacay spot? Probably not...but Im glad I can say I've been there and I would explore more of the city if I was there again for some reason. Go cards!

Ahhh Seattle

I was in Seattle back in 2005 for work and I took an extra day to bum around and do the whole tourist thing. I saw the space needle and took the "duck tour" which I highly reccomend...it was funny as hell....you see the city by land and air...check it out.

The space needle was very cool too. Seattle is a great town, kind of like an LL Bean catalog...everyone was so friendly. I stayed at the W Hotel downtown and I swear it was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I got to hang out with my buddy Mikey who lived theere at the time and he told me about the Seattle Underground (which I didn't have time to see) and got me some cow chip cookies...good stuff.

Of course I checked out the Pike Place Market and had some great seafood at this little italian place tucked away, overlooking the water...would have been romantic if I wasn't alone, lol.

Did I mention it was July and felt like November? It only rained once though. Really beautiful city...I can't wait to go back some day.

Ode to Timmy

So I finally saw Marley & Me on Sunday and I cried like a baby...I'm sooo glad I didn't see it when it came out last Christmas....especially since my dog Timmy passed away in November. It was a good movie, very sad ofcourse. To be honest, I tried to read the book years ago and just couldn't get into it. Its a movie that anyone who has lost a pet can relate to.

I adopted Timmy, a tan/buff cocker spaniel, when he was about 10 yrs young from Sue Kroyer at Cocker Connection. Getting an older 'senior' dog actually worked well for me, I worked a lot, he slept a lot. He only wanted to hang out with me a few hours a day when he was awake. He was house trained and a great dog in general. The vet bills did pile up, which I wasn't expecting, but I got through it...he was well worth it. We had some great times together. I could write a book...oh wait, I kinda did - its on my side bar :)

The movie hit home for me because I only had Timmy four short years and lost him similar to how Marley passed. Really complications due to old age, his stomach twisted and he got bloat, which is very scary. Timmy was fine one minute, then he literally looked like a beach ball the next, and he was in great pain. He survived that night, but it was a rough two weeks after.

When I had to make the very hard decision to put Timmy to sleep, I knew it was the right thing to do and a power greater than me was helping me that day. Now I'm glad I was there with him at the time and he didn't die alone or in pain. They say 'you know when its time'...and you really do.

Not long after I decided to foster a few dogs, which helped me at the time (I highly reccomend fostering if you are not ready to adopt). Then Eli came along...which is a WHOLE other post. I will say this, when Sue told me about him and he sounded like the same coler (tan/buff) as Timmy, I thought 'no way'. I didn't want to replace Timmy. Then I met Eli, who was probably 1 yr or so, full of energy.

Its funny, I always wondered what Timmy was like in his youth, and the first time Eli squeezed out of his collar and leash and charged two large standard poodles across the street...I think Timmy was laughing up in doggie heaven at me..."you wanted to see what I was like as a puppy, here you go..." Oh boy do I have my hands full now, but in a good way!

I'll never forget you Mr. Tim...thank you for all you taught me.

Pasadena Humane Society Needs Help Due to CA Fires

I was forwarded an email today about how the Pasadena Humane Society has taken in more than 350 animals that have been evacuated from their homes due to the wild fires in SoCal. Staff remains available round the clock to accept these evacuees - but they need more help.

"Responding to a disaster of this scale is an expensive and exhausting endeavor. It requires a huge amount of manpower, and hours upon hours of overtime. Our commitment to feed, shelter and care for the animals affected by this fire is unlimited, but unfortunately—our financial resources are not. "

-- PHS/SPCA

You can help by making a financial contribution by visiting the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA Web site.

If you can't donate money, they also need pet food, blankets, crates (this is what I heard they need the most of).