saturday at the loftydog's bark-er park

Is anybody else headed over to The LoftyDog Academy's Open House at the Bark-er Park? It's downtown's only indoor dog park and one of Wonton's favorite places to hang out (he loves to slide down the doggy slide). Stephen wrote it up on Angelenic and took some great pics, check it out if you haven't already. As they mentioned, it's a membership dog park, which gives me some peace of mind since they screen the dogs to ensure they're healthy and flea-free. The Open house is from 2pm -5pm today - it's a good way to try out the park and their facilities before committing to a membership. Wonton and I hope to see you and your downtown dog there!

The Loftydog Academy
525 South Hewitt
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-617-BARK (2275)

Open House: Saturday, September 6th, 2pm-5pm

Regular Hours:
Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm
Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 5pm

wonton update

Not only does Wonton now have balls, he blogs about it.

He's also on his best behavior so that Jim and I will take him to the inaugural Downtown Dog Walk at Pershing Square this Wednesday, hosted by DLANC and Wonton's friend, Dodger.

In other downtown news, The Lofty Dog launched a blog and this Thursday's Yappy Hour is also a Howl-O-Ween Fashion show. Did I mention that Wonton will be a model in the show? I think we may be reaching new heights of ridiculousness.

cry "attica" and let loose the dogs of downtown

I'm exhausted. Last night, Jim and I took Wonton out for his debut to the downtown social circle - Dog Day Afternoon at the Cathedral. Wonton has been out before, playing with his sister and other dogs while waiting to get groomed at The Lofty Dog. This was different. This was bigger. And it was one of the best events I've ever attended downtown. The plaza was filled with dogs, their owners, and friendly downtowners without dogs. Wonton was so excited, I thought he was going to shake his tail off.


Photo courtesy of trainedmonkey

Jim blogged about it, that's his pic of Wonton interacting with Tank, an English Bulldog. Since we both had our hands full managing Wonton, we didn't take many pictures of him with Joe's dog Ruby (they got along swell, Wonton let Ruby have three of his treats), the hosts of the event Buddy and Joaquin (and their owners Hal Bastian and Monsignor K), or any of the pony-sized dogs that Wonton bravely approached. Thankfully, Ed and Don were there with their cameras. Don blogged and posted some pics of me and Wonton. I love this pic that Ed took of Wonton and yet another large dog, and this pic of Wonton getting sniffed by Ben's dogs, Luca and I forget the name of their other dog.

After a while, Wonton calmed down and just made his way through the plaza, greeting dogs and charming people. At one point he tried to sniff Buddy's butt (he's a Golden Lab), but was knocked down by one sweep of Buddy's wagging tail. Hilarity. We met some other downtown Shih Tzus and their owners - Kimberly and Kloey, who just moved downtown from Las Vegas (welcome to downtown!) and Dalai, another Lofty Dog customer. Unfortunately, we didn't see Wonton's sister, or his brother Tubby, both downtown dogs. Co-organizer and downtown booster extraordinaire Hal Bastian said he wants to organize another downtown dog social, so hopefully they can make the next one.

Next up on Wonton's list of things to do - my mom's birthday lunch at our loft this Saturday, The Lofty Dog's Yappy Hour during the Downtown Art Walk next Thursday, and he's launching his own blog. Yes, a downtown dog blog. Stay tuned.

last weekend started on wednesday

This is how far behind I am, the pic above was from the Bloggers & Beer event at the Library Bar - not last week, but the week before. I know, I suck. Anyway, we started by attending the DLANC Board Meeting at the Palace Theater. I almost forgot how funny downtown booster Hal Bastian is. He was such a riot, he added a shot of comedy to an already hilarious meeting. We ate pizza, discussed stuff, and then Dave projected his downtown filming notifications map on a large screen. If you'll notice, I placed a permanent link to it on my sidebar, for easy access. Hal also announced a community event for downtown Los Angeles dogs of all faiths (and their humans), comprehensively called "Downtown Dog Day Afternoon at the Cathedral". Sadly, I don't think my Wonton will be old enough to attend.

Afterwards, Dave, Penelope, Jim and I walked over to the Library Bar to check out the Bloggers & Beer thing. I was hoping to finally meet Mondo Rick-o, but I don't think he showed up. I also realized that most of the pics on his blog are of him sans shirt, which would make it difficult to recognize him since he'd most likely be wearing a shirt. It was a fun event and I'll probably go back to the Library Bar when it isn't lousy with bloggers (not that there's anything wrong with bloggers).

downtown dog owners beware!

I read the craziest thing over at newdowntown - first there was this:

"Dear New Downtowners,

Please keep an eye on your dog when walking him/her in the downtown area. Apparently, there are a couple guys who are making accusations towards dog owners saying they "stole" their dog and are demanding that the dog be returned to them. They say their dog jumped out of the window of their car and then say you are taking the dog. They even go so far as to call the police. Please be very careful when leaving your dog - even for a minute - while you pop into a store or run in for a
coffee."

Kind regards,
Nancy-Jean Carlson, Owner
Pet Project,
Downtown's Exclusive Pet Food Home Delivery Service

Then, from Joe (you know Joe, he's always walking his beautiful dog Ruby around 4th and Main) comes this horrifying story:

"Thank you for posting the warning, Nancy-Jean.

Unfortunately, I was a victim of the two Hispanic guys yesterday (4-25). I was returning home from a dog walk around 4:30 pm with my bull terrier Ruby when they confronted me on the street at 6th and Main and tried to take Ruby away from me.

A police car stopped and the men told the police I took Ruby from their car. The police believed the men! One cop asked me how old Ruby is. I told him 9 years old. He told me that Ruby is two years old. "That is not your dog," one cop told me. "You have to return their dog."

I was pushed against the parking lot fence and handcuffed. Then I was placed in a police car while Ruby remained with the two men.

The officers were abusive. They asked me if I was under the influence of medication and if I wanted a white dog just like one I had when I was little.

I finally convinced them (after much begging) to take me to the San Fernando Building to establish the fact that Ruby is mine. Another cop car arrived and stayed with the men and my dog. One cop said "coo coo" the whole two block trip home. They also referred to the cardboard box they thought I lived in.

Things changed when I reached home. The building security guard, neighbors, the management crew, business owners (including Nancy-Jean) and Tom Gilmore and Trish Keefer all vouched for me and Ruby. The other cops brought the two men and Ruby to the building and everyone identified her. A third cop car later arrived. The handcuffs were finally removed and Ruby was returned to me.

Despite all of that, though, I still had to take the two cops to my unit to show them proof that I live with a dog. Then later they returned to take pictures of Ruby and me together.

I have filed a complaint against the two cops and I am going to meet with them and the head of Central Division on Monday afternoon. I was abused by those two cops and I will do my best to make them accountable for their bad behavior.

...and the two men? They were turned loose and could still possibly be around the area. Other dog walkers should wisely take Nancy-Jean's warning to heart."

Joe

As a former dog owner (Flagg passed away in 2004 after 13+ wonderful years) and fan of Ruby (we ran into them often when Jim lived at the San Fernando), I was sick when I read of Joe's encounter with the police and wish him the best of luck on Monday when he meets with the head of Central Division. I shudder to think that the two men were left free to prey on other dog-owners. Be careful out there!