Dogs Allowed On Restaurant Patios in L.A. County

I was very happy to read this article yesterday explaining that L.A. County has done away with the old rules and will now allow dogs on restaurant patios.

There were always those places you could go with your dog that had full open air patios, but if they were fenced in, it was known, your pooch had to stay on the outside tethered to the fence.  Not the ideal situation if you want your pooch with you while you dine.

Well, yesterday was a good day!  L.A. County did something for the dogs and their owners that I am sure is making us all very happy.  Now get out there and dine with your dog... but with manners of course.

Below is the full story from the L.A. Times for those of you that missed it.

Los Angeles County will now allow pet dogs to sit with their owners on restaurant patios, officials said Monday.

The old rules banned dogs from outdoor restaurant patios enclosed by a fence, but dogs were allowed to sit near sidewalk tables.

"This is good news for both pets and owners," Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the county Department of Public Health, told The Times.

"This empowers restaurant owners" to invite dogs onto outdoor patios, he said. "I think it's going to mean enhanced business for some restaurants."

He added: "I'm hoping my dog will invite me out for lunch."

The new rules were cheered by the Lazy Dog Cafe, a canine-themed restaurant chain in Southern California that had always wanted to allow dogs on their outdoor patios in L.A. County but were prevented by the previous strict health regulations.

"Now man's best friend can lounge alongside his owner," Lazy Dog Cafe founder Chris Simms said in a statement.

"This new policy presents benefits to both small business and the community," county Supervisor Don Knabe said in a statement. 

The new county rules allow each restaurant to decide whether to allow or continue banning canines from their outdoor patios. County officials said patrons should ask permission from the restaurant before bringing their dog onto the patio.

They also suggested that dogs be walked before entering the restaurant so they will be relaxed while the owner is dining.

The county said pet dogs must enter the patio through an outdoor gate and not be taken inside the establishment. Dogs will not be allowed on chairs, seats or tables.

The new rules go into effect immediately throughout Los Angeles County except in the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon, which have their own public health agencies.

Man Beats Up Vet

Every time your pet goes into surgery, I think we understand that there is a chance that something could happen, but if it did, I think we also hope that the news would be broken to us in an appropriate way.  What would you do if your dog went into a surgery and you got the call that all was fine, then a few minutes later another call came in to say, your dog was dead?  I'm sure any pet owner's anger would flare, emotions would rush and judgment would laps.  I certainly know mine would.  Though I am not condoning what the man in the following story did, I absolutely understand it.

The video below explains the story of the Ojai man that not only lost his dog, but then had to spend a night in jail after beating up his vet.



Again, I am not condoning what Mr. Doornbos did, but I am simply saying I understand his emotions.  The roller coaster of your dog is fine to moments later your dog is dead, I think that in itself is enough to set anyone off.  Should he have beat up the vet, probably not.  But we don't know what the conversation was, how it got to that level of interaction or the biggest question, why/how did the dog die?

No matter who is right or wrong, the one fact that exists is that the 5-year-old Zeka is gone.  The details really do not matter, it is a sad ending and Mr. Doornbos has suffered a loss.  As well, he has found himself in a lot of trouble for moments he no doubt will regret for a long time.

What do you think, would you go to this extent if the same thing happened to your pet?

A Little Girl's Perfect Companion

Since today is Friday, I wanted to share a happy story.  This is not something I read somewhere or saw on the news, it is a real story from my life and something I get to witness first hand.  It is about the cute little dog above, Ginger.

My friend called me on Tuesday, February 7th, the same day as my Pooch Parade, to say she had found this little dog... what to do.  It was rainy and cold and this frail little dog was alone and scared in the industrial area of Fontana where my friend works.  We were both sure that this tiny pooch must have just slipped out of her collar or found her way through a fence, but certainly she had a home. 

My friend did the next reasonable thing to find this little dog back to her owner, she took her to a vet to scan for a microchip that was unfortunately not found.  But the vet did give her a clean bill of health and estimated her age at about 6 months.  Then a check in with the local shelter/animal control with no results, it was decided at that time that my friend's coworker would keep her for the night.  The hope was that it would go well with the coworker's other dogs and husband and maybe this poor little dog would have a home, at least until her owner came forward.

Unfortunately, the crying of a puppy was just too much for the husband.  This is totally understandable, puppies are not for everyone.  In the mean time, flyers had been posted and my friend registered the puppy on a few lost pup sites, still hoping the owner would come forward.  But now the hope that the owner wanted her back was starting to slip away, they would've been looking for her by now.

But as the second day came to a close and my friend was trying to find a rescue that could take this cute little pup, she happen to talk to her sister.  Now about 2 years ago, my friend got a dog for her sister and her children, but this slowly became the boys dog.  But my friend's niece, the only girl in 4 children, really wanted her own dog or cat.  Her very own special pet that she could dress up, spoil with pink and bedazzled accessories and most of all love.  So when her sister saw the picture, she thought it was perfect for her daughter.

A deal was struck!  When her sister visits California in April from New Jersey, she will be taking this little dog back with her as her daughter's perfect companion.  So for now, Ginger, the name given by her new owner, my friend's niece, is staying with my friend's mom and dad, being spoiled every moment possible.

I had the pleasure of having Ginger stay with me last week to work on some training and mostly just love her while her "foster" mom and dad were away.  She is the sweetest thing and I don't know that my friend could've found a more perfect dog to be a companion for a little girl than this dog.  She will be the perfect princess, dancing and prancing queen and most of all the perfect friend to this sweet little girl that will without a doubt love her endlessly.

The fairytale union won't happen until April, but I think this is about as happy of an ending as you get.  Especially for those of us that have, work with and see rescue dogs.  It is so easy to take a dog to a shelter or hand them over to a rescue, and sometimes that is the best thing to do.  But sometimes, you can rescue a dog yourself and maybe even make your niece think you are a superhero.

Congratulations Ginger!  Enjoy your new home!

For all of you, happy Friday and have a great weekend.  Don't forget to do something special with your dog!

California May Soon Regulate Pet Grooming

I read an article on Dogster this morning that leaves me with mixed feelings.  The Sacramento Bee published an article stating that California may soon pass a bill that requires pet groomers to be regulated.  Below is the Dogster article, I want to share this with you, my thoughts will follow the article.

Grooming may seem like an easy-breezy profession, with shampoo in the eyes or an uneven haircut being about the only consequences of a grooming error. But it’s a serious business, and when things go amiss, they can do so in a big way, including:

• Shearing off body parts such as nipples, ears, and even tail tips

• Wounding a dog, gluing over the wound, covering the injury with fur, and the wound later becoming severely infected

• Dropping a dog, resulting in serious bodily injury

• Dogs dying from heat exhaustion in cage dryers

Most groomers are extremely conscientious, and little accidents (nicks, cutting to the quick of the nail) can happen to anyone. But a few careless or ill-educated (completely noneducated in some cases) groomers can cause the whole industry to be questioned, and can keep people resisting a trip to a groomer in order to keep their pets safe.

San Diego Senator Juan Vargas is trying to make the industry safer, and has crafted a bill that would require vocational training for groomers. It would mandate that they pass a state-issued exam, and obtain a license that costs up to $350. If the bill passes, California would be the first U.S. state to require a vocational license for groomers.

Some groomers think it’s a great idea. Others say no education can take the place of experience, and that experience should be taken into account.

“You can’t regulate experience. If you’re trying to regulate the problems, you potentially mislead the consumers into believing the regulations or licensing is an equivalent of skills or experience,” Pamela Demarest, the owner of Sacramento’s Launderdog & More! grooming service and pet shop, said in an article in The Sacramento Bee. “To have the state of California be the tail that wags the dog is a mistake.”
...

Vargas thinks groomers should uphold professional standards in the same way as hairstylists, lawyers, and doctors, and hopes that this kind of problem would be far less common if the bill passes.

I think you can all see my concern.  Much like the training world, just because someone passes a few tests and has a license, it does not make them a good trainer... experience does.  This is where my mixed feelings come in, I do believe the education and licensing is important, I just would hope they would allow people that have been grooming for years to opt out of the class and go straight to the test for the license.

What I will say that I agree with is that something has to be done to ensure the safety of our dogs.  Beyond what is mentioned above, there are serious behavior issues that can arise in a dog because of things that have happened at a groomer.  I have a client that has a young dog and she has always been friendly and excited to see other people until her groomer changed and they nicked her, glued the skin and fur over the nick and sent her on her way.  Luckily my client found the glued hair and got it off before infection set in.  But it took us months to get her to approach people again.  Her world was shattered that a place that was safe, fun and rewarding turned into a negative experience.

If there is a way to make sure the groomers have a specific set of knowledge about technique and follow specific guidelines for safety and cleanliness, I will of course support this, but I just hope that they make it fair to all those groomers out there that learned in a non-traditional way but are very good.  I do think that if these groomers were tested, they should be able to pass no problem.

What do you think?
 

2012 Downtowners of Distinction Awards

I had the pleasure of attending the 2012 Downtowners of Distinction Awards last night.  This is an event I look forward to every year.  For some of the attendees, this is our once a year "meeting".  It is always such a good time to catch up and find out all the new and exciting projects Downtown has going and a great time to check in with some old friend.

The night was another hit!  The Athletic Club is always the perfect place to hold this event.  No matter how many times I walk into that building, I am always struck by it's beauty and charm.

The food was great, the wine flowed and the awards were handed out.  Congratulations to all the winners!

Thank you to the Los Angeles Downtown News for inviting us to this fabulous event again.  We always look forward to it.  Another thank you to all of the Bark & Clark friends that gave us so much of your time and attention, it is always great to mingle with you!

Bark & Clark had a wonderful time.

A Human And Dog Paradise

This weekend I treated myself to a camping trip with a great group of friends.  We went to the Anza-Borrego Desert and saw all the beauty that is there!  Not only is this a great place to relax and enjoy nature, but you can have your dog with you almost anywhere you go. 

The campground we were at was completely dog friendly, you just needed to keep your pooch on a leash.  But almost all the hikes or adventures at your fingertips are okay for dogs too.  There were a few places that I saw, and I didn't go everywhere, that had "no dogs past this point" signs, but the rocks and step climbs would've turned most dog owners away.

I didn't have my four-legged friend with me on this trip.  Neville is not good with a lot of new people and I wasn't sure how it would be for him in terms of what I could take him along for.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the dogs I did.

Wind Caves

One adventure that we went on was exploring the Mud Caves!  What a beautiful thing and so much fun!  I would never take my dog there, but there were other cave like areas that would've been his dream come true.  The Mud Caves were pitch dark and you had to rely on your flash lights, such a thrill!

The next time I go, I will certainly be taking my Neville.  To allow him to explore the desert will be a fun adventure for me too.

If you have the chance to go, with your dog or without, see the Mud Cave, Wind Caves, and don't miss taking a dip in the natural hot springs pool!  But above all, at night just look up.  The amount of stars and shoot stars we saw were just amazing.

Music Arranged For Dogs Hits Billboard Charts

Dogster broke the story a couple of days ago that the album Through A Dog's Ears hit #19 on the Billboard Classic Chart!  This is a first that an album made for dogs is being recognized by Billboard.  More importantly, the music on the album is documented as actually helping dogs chill.

Through a Dog’s Ear: Music to Calm Your Canine Companion, performed by Dogster favorite Lisa Spector, ranks at #19 on the chart this week. The album is the first in a series of solo piano recordings clinically demonstrated to calm the canine nervous system. The music has been selected and rearranged to help dogs suffering from anxiety issues.

I am so excited by this news.  I certainly want to go pick up a copy and see how it might help my own dog in certain situations.

In this same Dogster blog, it is explained that Dogster creator and blogger Maria Goodavage did an article for the San Francisco Classical Voice about how music can calm dogs.  The article is great and you should all check it out, especially if you have a fearful dog or one that is suffering from anxiety.  To read the whole article, bark on the link:  BARK!

Happy Friday!  I wish you all a good weekend and don't forget to do something special with your dogs.  For those of you with a three day weekend... enjoy the extra time!