"To Infinity...and beyond!"; Long Beach Dog Beach; 02.20.11

Buzz Lightyear soaring over LBC

P-u!  Someone stinks.  So we took our offending canine family member out for some last beach frolicking before we take him to his b-a-t-h.  Since we have a dinner to go to in less than 3 hours, Huntington Dog Beach is out of the question.  So we decided on the Dog Beach Zone instead.  This is a 3-acre, non-fenced, off-leash dog beach in Belmont Shore.  Entrance to the parking lot is between Argonne and Roycroft Avenue, off Ocean Boulevard.  The best way to get there is to take the 710 Freeway, and exit on Ocean.  Make a left, and take it all the way past Livingston.  We parked on the street off of the Granada Street entrance, not knowing the ample parking lot behind the wall.  The dog beach is also known as Rosie's Dog Beach, named after a late English bulldog by a Long Beach resident Justin Rudd. 

Restroom



Kiteboarders



Happy dogs!

Lifeguard truck watching the kiteboarders

These dogs were gunning for some half-ball thing

Vincent Thomas Bridge

We took the 110 freeway, so we passed by this bridge.  I LOVE bridges.  And churches.  Just about anything that's made from great architecture and engineering. 

The beach: I've never seen so many happy dogs!  And happy owners, of course.  But the dogs are just all over the place, running around, chasing balls, chasing Tico who's too busy chasing balls, Tico chasing them back, and off they all go to "fight" over some blue-green half-ball and around and around they go.  It was a doggie-dog fun day at the beach today.  And then there was a little yorkie chasing after some pigeons who were brave enough to be lounging around in the orange-coned dog beach area.  This place is not fenced in, but the orange cones clearly mark the area where you can safely keep your pooches off the leash.  Once you get out of the coned zone, make sure to keep your pooches leashed.  We made that mistake before, and we scared off some unsuspecting biker at the bike path just a few feet away.  Tico tends to bark whenever he gets nervous, so it's not a good situation to those people who are just carrying on with their own business and this scary-looking Cujo is barking at them.

There were a bunch of people kiteboarding today, thanks to the windy day and the rental gear provided by Windsurf Center  next door at 3850 E Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach.  This of course, made for a great photo-op with the Shoreline Village to your right, the blue ocean in front, and the kiteboarders to your left and in front of you.  And the dog in the sandy beach background.  Albeit the windy weather, it was a great day.

There were also pretty kites flying about, one of which is the Buzz Lightyear being flown by a teenaged girl just a few steps from the dog beach zone.  But being a couple of old folks, B and I couldn't handle too much of the wind, so we decided to walk instead, once Tico started lying around.  We passed by a few dozens of pigeons lying around the bike path, if only we could let Tico roam leash-free, this would have been a great photo-op. 

We then got in to our car, and headed further into Ocean Boulevard, and passed by the marina and the pretty houses along Naples/Alamitos Bay .  The 54th Street and Ocean Boulevard I remember being in, to kayak in the Naples area back in 2004 with the Outdoors Club.  That was a fun memory, because we parked our kayak by the Jamba Juice/Starbucks at the mall behind PCH.  I thought that was pretty cool.  But the kayak rental I believe was $19/hour.  If I was going to do some kayaking, I would go to Sunset Kayak and instead kayak in Huntington Harbor, since Sunset still charges $12 for 2 hours or longer. 

But Naples also offer Gondola Rides for the lovebirds.  The address to that is 5437 E. Ocean Boulevard; rates are from $85 for two.  I've never done it, so it will be something new for Bryan and I to try on one of these days.  And of course, Belmont Shore and their fabulous shops and dining spots is just up the street on 2nd and Redondo/Livingston.

Dog-friendly hotels in Long Beach I would recommend to is Renaissance and Hilton, who are both near Downtown Long Beach, at the beginning of the 710 Freeway; which is a few miles of this area.  But that downtown area in itself is a great spot to visit, with Rockbottom Brewery and the Shoreline Village just down the hill.  There's the Long Beach Performing Arts, the Aquarium, and the race track in the area.  Food-wise, you got CPK, the Yard House (love!), and Islands.  But your pooch is not allowed in Shoreline, so keep that in mind. 

There's just TOO MANY things to do in Long Beach.  After all, it's the 6th largest city in CA, and the 39th nationwide.  It boasts half a million residents on its own.  And being 20 minutes away from downtown and just about anywhere in greater LA, this is a good alternative city from the West LA/Beach Cities/Downtown LA hotel options.  And they offer dog parks aplenty.  The best pet-friendly city in LA.  For dogs and their owners, the activities are just limitless, and - - ahem...infinity.  Or make that infinity times two.  Or infinity times infinity.   

Afterwards, we took Tico to Tidy Dog for a wash.  The address is 4110 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA  90803.  They have self-wash for $15; $16 if you pay card instead of cash.  The place is clean; TIDY.  It is huge, and has several washing tubs.  The lady owner has an english accent, and her assistant kept busy cleaning around, running vacuums and sweepers that drove Tico crazy.  This place is GREAT.  They provide oatmeal shampoo and conditioner as standard, and provide you with 2 hand towels and a large towel as well as two aprons, blow dryer, several brushes and cottons and ear cleaners, swabs, and treats for after wash when your dog is good.  We gave Tico the biscuits anyway; even though he howled and cried and barked at the staff and customers each time they pass by his tub area.  Feeling bad for the mess and the noise, I tipped well.  We'll definitely come back here.  On top of which; she gave Tico a long jerky as a treat after the bath. 

The place also sells doggie treats and supplies, and they provide cage-free, concrete free boarding.  Parking is aplenty, and the place is easy to spot.  Just keep your eye on the shopping strip to your right, after you pass Livingston, driving on Ocean.  I believe the street is Bennett, which is probably the street you turn to get to the Belmont Olympic pool.  It's on your way to the dog beach.  One thing is that, since the shampoo and conditioner is aready pre-programmed with the water hose, I feel like my dog is not getting enough soap.  So bring your own soap if you want your dog foamy.  I do.  It's a preference.  For me, foam aplenty = very clean dog.  Still, Tico looked handsome and fluffy after the bath, though.  And he smelled like oatmeal.  I wrestle-hugged him today, and he passed the EPA (Ew, P-u Animal) test.     

 Toy Story was another Tom Hanks movie that I liked.  But not having the luxury of being around kids, I lost track and interest with Toy Story 2 and 3.  And when they started messing around with Mr. Potato Head's face, that was it for me.  I love mainstream cartoon movies in general, but the sequels rarely do justice to the original versions most of the time.  I did, however rented Shrek Forever After because I wanted to see the fat cat with the funny accent slide down the scratch post.  And of course, Eddie Murphy's donkey.  And Ryan Seacrest.  And Princess Fiona.  And Mike Myers.  But that's it.  And maybe Rumpelstiltskin.  I thought he was genius. 

All I'm saying is that I'm over cartoon sequels.

But I wouldn't mind checking out Mike Wazowski on screen again.  So excited.

"Surf's Up, Ann-Marie!"; 01.08.11

Yes, this blog has officially become a movie quote-friendly Tico the dog's adventures blog.  This quote is the best quote that I could find from the movie "Blue Crush" that applies to today's blog.  This is when Ann-Marie, played by Kate Bosworth, was getting fired by her supervisor at the resort hotel that she and her two other roommates worked at.  The movie's director itself is great; since he took some surfing shots that are very competitive with most surfing movies you could find.  Even the story line was not too bad.  And having lived in Hawaii for 16 years, the culture, the type of people that live and work in the hotel and that part of the island itself, are true to point.  The acting and dialogue on the other hand, not so good.  But still, it's one of my favorite movies, shamelessly enough.  Point Break would have been a good movie reference, since "Johnny Utah" is one of my favorite Keanu Reeves character.  But alas, no personal meaningful reference I can relate to out of that movie for today's blog.

Anyhoo, Tico is due for a bath.  It's been two months, and boy; he needs one so bad.  His breath also smelled of poo and whatever you can imagine, so a quick trip to "Le Target" was also necessary today to get some doggie biscuits, which helps counter the bad breath.  And then we'd give him his Frontline which he absolutely hates and try to charm his way next to you so you can rub his back off of this oily mess, while whining.  He learned to whine from the neighbor's German Shepherd dog who stays outside of the house.  Tico's whining drives me absolutely mad, but it's taking us some time to wean him out of it.  Anyway, since we are going to give him a bath, we figured we'd give him another day of running around in cold, damp sand and salty beach water in our favorite stomping ground, the Huntington Dog Beach (http://www.dogbeach.org/).  We love this beach. 

Today, there was a surfing competition; and I have taken great photos of Tico with the surfers in the background.  I've also taken photos of the neighborhood and the streets.  You can get to HBDB by taking the 405 freeway, exit on Goldenwest, make a right on Goldenwest, and take that all the way until you reach the beach.  Address is 100 Goldenwest Street, Huntington Beach, CA  92648.  The start of the HBDB is on Seapoint, and it ends on Goldenwest, off of the PCH.  You can get free street parking on the residential streets just south of Goldenwest, two blocks from the PCH.  Otherwise, there are paid meter parking, some only takes coins, and the ones that are on the beach itself takes debit/credit cards.  It's about $1.50\hour.  This is a great beach for surfers and dogs alike.  And you see on a daily basis, the joggers and runners on the jogging patch up the hill from the dog beach on the side of the PCH, and there are picnic tables as well.  And the landscaping up the hill is marvelous, add a backdrop of million-dollar homes across from the PCH, and it's nothing quite like it anywhere in the world, as far as I'm concerned. 

I dream of owning one of those townhome-looking million-dollar homes that are Venetian in style; with balconies that see straight across the highway, and on to the big, blue ocean that is the start of the dog beach to the right of Goldenwest.  The dogbeach.org volunteers supply the poop bags regularly, and there are sufficient trash cans to put away your dog's poop.  So no excuses.  As much as I am jealous of those million-dollar homes that laced the PCH Highway on our way to the actual beach from the residential street parking, we do understand the frustration of trying to maintain a beautiful lawn area only to be defecated by dogs whose owners don't give a darn.

Tico is a very fascinating dog.  He is not the friendliest dog, and he works alone.  Whenever we go to parks and beaches, he's very focused.  He'll hang out with us all of the time, and wait for us to throw the ball.  He hardly makes friends, and never joins the pack.  Bryan and myself are, as far as he's concerned; his pack.  And he's our fearless leader.  Dogs of different shapes, sizes, and age ranges will be fascinated by his fascination with the ball, or twig, or whatever we throw to Tico to fetch, but Tico never loses out of focus.  Dogs will follow him - - chase him, even; when Tico runs back and forth while fetching the ball.  But Tico ignores these dogs because he's on a mission; to catch the ball/twig/what-have-you; and to keep it.  Not to return to us to throw again - - like other dogs, but to keep it, and run around with it.  Only if you have another ball/twig thing, will he drop the ball currently in his mouth, and only then will he chase the second ball.  Sometimes, he'll keep both balls in his mouth.  I've seen him hold three.  That was something else.

Today is one of those fascinating days for me.  He's done this a few times, and I don't know the whole reasoning behind it.  He'll drop the ball in the sand, and dig a hole around the ball.  He'll be so focused on digging the hole around the ball, and he'll dig with so much energy, intensity and determination, to the point that he gets so frustrated that he's not digging fast enough to meet his standards.  He'll dig enough to fit about 10 of him, and then maybe he'll stop.  After digging, he'll plop down, and rest, and then dig some more.  One day, we were sunbathing near his "artwork" and a lady passes by us.  She said "when I come back and don't find you two (Bryan and I), at least I know where you're buried".  I don't know where he learned the digging, and the reason behind it; and I am fascinated to know.  He definitely keeps me on my toes.

Another thing that I like about the HBDB is that they have volunteers there every weekend who sets up their tents, and provide free water, and tennis balls to the dog owners.  And it's a convenient way to donate to the organization by either giving cash; or purchasing one of their sweatshirts, shits, caps, leashes, dog toys, etc.  We have purchased things like a sweatshirt (about $30) and a chuck-it (about $10) from them.  And they are pretty sturdy and of great quality; they last very long.  We got there pretty early and we were already leaving when the volunteer just started setting up his tent; otherwise, a pair of T-shirt would have been nice.

After a year of living on Main Street, I often wondered how things would have been if we stayed in Huntington Beach.  When I was house-hunting, I came across a 2-bedroom, 1 bath, 900-square foot condo in HB for my price range.  It came with a community pool across from the condo, and there are no neighbors on either side of our unit, or upstairs or downstairs, but there is only one right behind us.  But the night before I was going to see the condo, I called my realtor and told him I can't see it, because I know I will love it; and knowing that I have a large dog and large dog = backyard; we can't possibly be living in a condo with no yard.  We'd be miserable.  Because large dogs liked to play outside.  Supposedly.  My dog, on the other hand, became an indoor dog.  He does NOT; like to go outside.  He stays indoors all day, Monday to Friday.  He gets out in the yard only to do his "business".  So now I often wondered what our life would have been if we did get that condo, which is only 3 miles to this beach, and on top of it, it's in a better neighborhood, with better school systems, and is walking distance to shops and restaurants, and a movie theatre who charges $3\movie.  When we lived in the HB apartment, I could take Tico to the beach almost every other day.  Now, we'd be lucky of we go once a month.  Hence the reason for the blog, to keep us accountable to get him out and about whenever we can.

After today's beach fun, we took Tico to the Doggie Spa http://www.thedoggiespa.net/, who has great people working there; and they never make us feel guilty about leaving the bath tub a mess.  I've taken the liberty of taking photos of Tico in the bathtubs.  He's used to the bath itself, but still hates - HATES the vacuum dryer.  I wish I could take pictures of him trying to eat the dryer, but he moves faster than my 2nd generation Iphone can take.  I also took a picture of the store front and the spa owner's ride.  I thought the license plate is cute.  The address to Doggie Spa is 19365 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92648.  They also sell HBDB shirts and other things there.  For a $15 self-wash, they provide two water-proof aprons, a prep area, a large bath-tub, an ear cleaner and cotton balls, a couple of hand towels, shampoos, and comb.  They also provide other grooming service ($25 and up) and sell other dog-related toys, leashes and food stuff, but we are there on a purpose, so get in and out of there in 30 minutes tops.  We get in there with a dirty, wet, sand-laced dog, and we come out of there with a very clean and nice-smelling, huggable (when he lets me) dry dog.  I usually tip $5, but for all of the dog hairs and watery mess that we make and leave in the tub, out of the tub, on the floor up to 10 feet away from the tub, and black hair on the tub wall up to six feet high - - I swear, giving a bath to Tico is like an exorcism of 5 pounds of sand and dog hair sets - -  we could easily tip this establishment's staff $50; but alas, we are broke. 

The actual bathing of Tico is a challenge in itself.  Tico is not a quiet dog, so he barks and whines at us, and barks to everyone else that are remotely in his line of sight - - as if to say; "don't look, I am at my vulnerable state!", or maybe "please help!" - - I would like to think it's the first one, but it could very well be a combination of the two.  Being bathed is not really his happiest moment, because he's being forced to stay in one spot, and get touched and probed and scrubbed in every single crease of his body by four hands.  And this is a true testament on how much I love my dog - - I lift up his tail and make sure that there's no sand stuff "under there".  His lipstick on the other hand, is B's department.  We'll see how well we'll do once we start having a family and have a baby boy. 

Year in Review: July - September 2010

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.

http://www.in-and-around-los-angeles.com/los-angeles-dog-beach-rancho-palos-verdes.html