Today....

Luckily, today was pretty relaxed and I was able to take a few pictures along the way... Here are my favorites! Hope they make you smile, because I just adore these animals.

Possible New Dog Run at Polliwog Park

Just got an email from Marty Friedman (he runs FIDO) with some exciting developments for MB dog owners:

"The Community Dog Advisory Committee will present a proposed dog run in Polliwog Park at the Parks & Recreation meeting on Monday, October 26th at 6:30 pm. I don't appreciate too much opposition, but it is always helpful to have a bunch of dog owners present to demonstrate support for additional recreation opportunities for our dogs. We are supposedly the first idem on the agenda, so hopefully we will be on at 6:30 and finished by 7:15.

Assuming the Commission recommends approval, we will try to get on City Council's Agenda in one of the two November meetings.

Please support us!"

More Zero pictures!

This past weekend Zero stayed over.

Luckily he doesn't mind the camera..... I went a little crazy with the picture taking (click on pictures to enlarge, if you'd like):

Little dog, BIG shadow:

He couldn't be happier than when he's playing fetch...

But sometime he also looks a wee bit crazy obsessed over it all...

But it does look like he is smiling!

Peter Zippi Fund

This past weekend at the Hermosa fair, I had the pleasure of seeing Leslie at the Peter Zippi booth. Leslie & I know each other from my past days of working at the VCA Animal Hospital. If you know of anyone ever wanting to adopt a cat, I can honestly say this organization is amazing. I can HIGHLY recommend them.... They have such a fantastic group of volunteers that work so hard to make sure each and every one of these cats have a loving home. They are very meticulous and make sure all the cats are current on vaccinations, deworming, are spayed/neutered, and are overall loved & healthy.

Thanks Leslie & your amazing team for doing so much for these homeless kitties. You are such an inspiration.

Meet Skipper

Skipper is a sweetie... She may only have 3 legs but she is FAST.

I just adore her. I was able to snap this picture earlier this week...

Thought you'd like to meet her.

HEAT!

This week I've been asked twice on two separate occasions: "How can you walk dogs in this terrible heat?"

Here is my answer for those of you that are curious....

Obviously our #1 concern is safely for the animals. We stop for water several times, and are constantly seeking shade. I've found that the east side of Ocean Ave is perfectly shaded by the houses from the strand.

We tend to walk slower when it's THIS hot... It's pretty easy to just follow the pace of the dog (they certainly appreciate it)... We also are checking the heat on the ground. Some surfaces like black pavement are hotter than lighter colored concrete... We pay close attention to these details and try very hand to accommodate these necessary precautions.

When possible, we move the walking schedule around so that walks can take place in the early morning or late afternoon....

And the #1 thing we do to keep the furry ones comfortable: Pour fresh cool water on their necks & backs. At first they don't like it (but with a little neck massage, they love it).

Time to hire a new person!

Over the last 3.5 years, Walk the Dog has grown and grown... I'm so thankful and appreciative of all the fantastic clients I have (the 4 legged - and 2 Legged ones). It's amazing that I've been able to grow this business solely on referrals and a few business cards at the VCA animal hospital. I'm truly blessed.

I love my "job" and the work is incredibly rewarding ... So working 7 days a week (and holidays) isn't really a big deal for me. But there's only so much that Penny and I can do in a day. We looked into scheduling our time based on a 26 hour day, but the logistics involved for slowing the earth's rotation seemed a bit daunting. Looked into cloning too, but apparently that's still only an option for sheep that live in the Netherlands. Ha Ha Ha....

Our research left us with the slightly more conventional conclusion... it's time to hire a new crew member.

It's going to be a hard task of finding someone I trust. I'm really a picky person when it comes to interviews. When I hired Penny (over a year ago), I went thru over 100 applicants. Phone interviews first, then face to face interviews, endless question asking, checking references... Then finally background checks & possibly even a drug test (I'm slightly neurotic when it comes to hiring someone who is going to be representing ME!).... We're looking with someone who is trustworthy, has a love for animals and their well being, has general common sense, is able to stick to a schedule, has above average communication skills, has an honest & general kind soul, can function as a team player, is respectful of our clients homes & personal lives... just to name of few... In other words, on a scale of 1-10, they've got to be a 10!

Initially, our new hire will be helping carry the load on weekends and holidays... Once they get into their groove, we'll be looking to you, our clients, to help spread the word about Walk the Dog to your friends and family in the South Bay.

Thanks again to every one of our loyal clients who trust us day in and day out with their 4-legged babies. I'm confident that whomever joins our team will be able to help us to better meet the needs of our current clients, as well as help serve the needs of other loving pet parents across the South Bay!

Wish me luck, the search is about to begin!!