Dog-gone days and deals: Year in Review: July

PALM SPRINGS/RANCHO MIRAGE, CA; JULY 2010
Well, it's Fourth of July weekend, and B's mom arranged for B and myself, B's sister Michelle and her husband Jerry, and B's mom Cyndi to have a nice weekend in their family Rancho Mirage condo, which is a resort community in Palm Springs area. It was a great condo, with three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. And our backyard is the golf course, where we just crossed the greens, and got a great view of the fireworks in the town's baseball park. You can also rent condos in Palm Springs and other places via vrbo.com; which is a great place for those who would like to get a cheaper and unconventional way to spend vacation than staying at a chain hotel. The good thing is that you can cook your own food, there's no crowd, and you don't have to pay for resort fees, etc. like you would if you'd stay at a hotel. The condo is also for rent. If you're interested, I'll get you connected to the property management company that handles the condo for B's grandfather.

Tico of course, was shunned by PetSmart Torrance, and they refused to take him in for the night (more on that later, but that was the end of our PetSmart hotel business). So we ended up taking him with us for the weekend. Here's a picture of B and Tico in front of the beautiful outdoor mall just outside of the condo's grounds.

CAMPING WITHOUT TICO/WHISKERS AND TAILS, AUGUST 2010

In August, we took another camping trip with our friends Mai and D, and their boyfriends/husband and other friends to Arroyo Seco, in Greenfield, CA about 4-5 hours from LA. This time, I left Tico at Whiskers and Tails, a cage-free boarding for dogs, located in Gardena. (http://www.whiskersntails.com/). Their address is 546 West 182nd Street in Gardena. Unlike PetSmart, the ladies there are not afraid of Tico, and they don't make me and my dog feel like second class citizen becuase he's a large GSD. Their price is less than PetSmart, and during the day, he gets to roam around and play with the other dogs at no extra charge. We opted to have him take a bath on the last day, and his coat felt like cotton for days, like he was a totally new dog. He was there for two nights, which was the longest he's been away from us. So when I picked him up, he whined and was hating on me the entire 7-minute ride back home. I love Whiskers and Tails. They were a great find. If you happen to live near the Gardena area, I would recommend them.

DOG GROOMING IN OC/LA AREA:

Speaking of grooming, we were novices on places we could take Tico to. The Whittier PetSmart and HB's for that matter, does not like my dog. So we usually take him ourselves to the Doggie Spa when we lived/around HB area http://www.thedoggiespa.net/locations.html they are located in the Seacliff Village strip mall, where Albertson's is at. From the 405, exit on Beach, and just take a right on Main Street on your way to the beach, and it's on the corner of Yorktown. They charge $15 for you to wash your dog, and just leave a tip for the use of their comb, shampoo, towels, and bath tub. The first few times, Tico didn't like to take a bath, but he got used to it. He still hates the vacuum dryer, but that's another story. This place is great after a swim trip to the Dog Beach just down the road.

But since we moved to LA, we found another dog wash in downtown LA, which is 6 minutes from our new house. It is called Pussy and Pooch, on 564 Main Street. http://www.pussyandpooch.com/ Like Doggie Spa, you get to wash your own dog, but this place is so clean, modern, and have all of the gadgets and toys that Paris Hilton's Tinkerbell would be excited to have. They don't take tips, which was great. Parking is a hit or miss, but if you got patience, the weekends are not that bad.

FILIPINO FIESTA, SAN PEDRO, CA; FALL 2010

Every September, the local filipino community puts together a Filipino Fiesta, a two-day cultural event in in Point Fermin, just at the end of San Pedro. You just take the 110 freeway all the way, exit/turn left on Gaffey, and take it all the way up, until you reach the park, which also houses a lighthouse. Here is Tico with one of the ladies who came over and petted him during the our trip to the Fiesta. He's a real chick-magnet. He takes after B. The other picture is of me and him next to the lighthouse.

Since we were planning for a Fall wedding, we found this place, in San Pedro as well, just across the road from Point Fermin, in the Angels Gate Park. It has a Korean Friendship Bell, with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the neighboring Catalina island. Here's Tico posing again with B, and then we went to spend an hour in the San Pedro dog park again, just down the hill on our way back home.

We also hung out there one hot summer night (it was really record-breaking hot!) when the portable AC was just not gong to cut it. Not much of a lighting because of the Iphone, but we also saw a great view of the catalina island a night, with all of the house lights shining bright across the ocean. Here's a photo of the boys:

DOG BEACH, PALOS VERDES; FALL 2010
We found another dog beach contender in the Palos Verdes area, just down the hill from the Trump National Golf Club. It's a great day beach, and you can really get a nice workout going up and down the hill to the beach area. I would say bring some food and water, and plop down the rocky sand area with beach towels and something to read, and let your dog roam around the beach with their newfound friends. Apparently, not too many people knows about it, but here's more information about it, as well as directions.