Dog O' the Day - Mirka

Fresh from the North Pole, our latest Little Pup Lodge guest arrived super-volumed with PPI (Play Per Inch). Actually, Mirka came by way of Scotts Valley, but since she’s a Toy Eskimo dog, somewhere cold and snowy sounded better. While more than a few of those that show up for dog boarding are initially frightened and confused, not Mirka. Give her a ball and a place to run and she’s in heaven.
Mirka - will work for tummy rubs
 

Dog O' the Day - Sadie

Sadie has vacationed with us for at least a year. Not all at once, of course, but a day here, a couple of overnights there. She looks like an Italian Greyhound with a skosh of Min-Pin thrown in for good measure.
Sexy Sadie

Family Values

While Kim Kardashian (and that 72-day marriage that earned her 19 million bucks) represents one facet of God-fearing family values, I prefer my friend Kimberly’s grasp of the concept. Her son Trevor wanted to celebrate his eighth birthday at Hooters so off they went. Not to be outdone, his sister asked to celebrate her 15^th birthday at a drag-queen cabaret. Last Friday Carly Jeanne, her mom and a few assorted friends went to Diva Night at San Diego’s Lips, which bills itself as “The Ultimate in Drag Dining.” A marvelous time was had by all.
My, they grow up fast...
 

Doccupy!

Why let the protesters in Oakland and Wall Street have all the fun? Dog lovers want Big Brother’s giant foot (as well as leashes), off their dogs’ necks and have decided to take a stand as well. Hence, Doccupy Santa Cruz. A few dozen folks and their dogs gathered at my once-favorite beach with howls of protest, demanding just a few lousy yards of beach to let their dogs run free.

  We are powerful - hear us bark!

What's Next for Candi?

The latest foster dog to arrive at Little Pup Lodge has had a rough time of it since being here. Candi showed up emaciated and no matter how much she ate she continued to lose weight. The ancient Chihuahua would have been fine at 6 or 7 lbs., but came to us at 4 lbs. and dropping. Candi had her blood drawn, an ultrasound and x-rays. Turns out her intestinal wall had thickened, making it impossible to absorb nutrients.


 

Trouble in the 'Hood

Trouble in the ‘Hood

Years ago, we’re talking the mid-‘80s, San Diego decided to “revitalize” downtown, i.e. get rid of the pushers, bums and hookers. It worked; the gritty urban landscape transformed into a vibrant destination for shopping, dining and nightlife. However, those pesky problems it displaced had to go somewhere. Eventually, hookers were pushed as far north as Encinitas, a quiet little surf village with surprisingly few johns.
But they love dogs!!

Oh (Un)Holy Night

Candi is a very, very senior dog and cadaverously underweight. Probably on the shady side of 17 years, she is toothless, practically blind from cataracts, deaf and not too terribly spry. I saw her picture on the web, read about all her health problems and said to myself, that’s my next foster. A wonderful organization, Peace of Mind Dog Rescue, saved the half-starved Chihuahua from euthanasia. POMDR tends to rescue and re-home dogs whose humans can no longer care for them due to illness, death or other challenging circumstances. Candi was not one of those cases however. Candi was dumped in the night drop box at Monterey County Animal Services. On Christmas week. Fortunately, POMDR also rescues senior dogs from the shelter.