Ranger Goes to Laurel Canyon Dog Park

Sensing that Ranger had a bit of pent up energy- he tried to eat my glasses, destroy a sock and he managed to do a number on a bowl of blueberries which were sitting on the kitchen counter, I decided today would be our  first family trip to the Laurel Canyon Dog Park–me, Andre and Ranger!

Laurel Canyon Dog Park

When I was younger and I brought my parent’s dog to the Laurel Canyon Dog Park all the time, and I never really gave it a second thought. But now, after close to a decade of having a dog that didn’t really like other dogs, and having heard all the horror stories, I have to admit I was nervous.

Thankfully, aside from Ranger’s complete disregard for me, my commands or my attempts to stop him from running up the side of the hill- don’t worry it’s totally fenced– I’d say it was a complete success!

He played beautifully with dogs of all shapes and sizes- including one adorable spaniel mix named Nino, who felt it necessary to make Ranger his bitch. But all in all Ranger took everything in stride. It was me and Andre who were stressed out.

In hindsight, I realize 3pm on a beautiful Saturday afternoon might not have been the most mellow time to take our first trip to the dog park, as it was was chock full of Hollywood types including Kevin Connolly who I’m pretty sure I saw roll in as we were leaving. Yet all things considered, it went great!  Our little man Ranger enjoyed himself and hopefully that means we can make it through the rest of the day with our apartment mostly in tact!

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Pasqualina, Our Newly Rescued Mastiff!

My rescue partner Amy picked up a gorgeous new Mastiff girl last week from the East Valley Shelter here in Los Angeles.

We named her Pasqualina because we thought she was an Italian Mastiff; now we’re not so sure of her breed. She may be a Neapolitan, but she also may be a Great Dane, or an English Mastiff or maybe some combination thereof. She’s probably about 18 months old, and weighs in at 92 pounds. That may sound like a lot, but she actually quite underweight.

Part of the reason we can’t tell Pasqualina’s heritage is that she has demodectic mange. All dog have the mites that cause “demodex” as it’s known, but when dogs don’t get proper nutrition, their immune systems sometimes can’t control the mites and these nasty little buggers begin to reproduce causing skin irritation and hair loss. 

In Pasqualina’s case, she has almost no hair left because her previous owners let her mange progress quite far. They then turned her into the shelter.

Demodex isn’t contagious, but it can be difficult to kick if you don’t know what you’re doing. But fear not for sweet Pasqualina, she is being fostered and will be getting the affection, nutrition and treatment she needs to get well soon.

I will keep you posted on Pasqualina’s Progress!

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Dog Danger when Traveling

I’ll say first that this story has a happy ending.  Because it would be too depressing otherwise and who needs that!

Sunny the Bloodhound

Sunny and her parents were visiting Los Angeles from Wyoming when Sunny, who can be a bit skittish managed to get away from her Mommy & Daddy.  It happened in the morning as they were packing up to head back home. Sunny was with her Daddy when another guest at the hotel came by rolling his suitcase. The noise freaked Sunny out, she wiggled out of her collar- hello that’s why I prefer martingale collars or harnesses when taking my dogs outside-and took off. Sunny ran right into the street where she was hit by a car.

Her Daddy didn’t see the actual impact but saw her go flying into the air. He then saw her land and then take off.  They drove off after her;  they canvassed the neighborhood; checked every shelter in the area. But nothing.  She was gone.

They were devastated. This is a dog that sleeps with them every night, and goes to work with her Daddy everyday.

When checking the West Valley shelter, they happen to have been there at the same time as my rescue partner Amy who was pulling a Mastiff (more on Pasqualina later). Amy for those of you who don’t know her is the absolute best. She is quite possibily the biggest animal lover you’ll  ever meet, but I’ll tell you, she doesn’t always trust or take too kindly to all people.

But when Amy heard these people tell their story, she knew they were good dog owners who ended up in  bad situation. Amy went full force networking Sunny’s story to the network of LA rescuers. Sure enough, through these contacts Amy was able to keep an eye on all of the area shelters and when a Bloodhound showed up on the West Valley Shelter’s website a few days later, Amy was like white on rice calling Sunny’s owners who had gone back to Wyoming.

As soon as they got Amy’s call though, they hopped in the car and started the 1300 mile drive back to LA to get their girl.  While no one should ever have to go through such an ordeal, thank god for people like Amy!

For more information on keeping your dog from being lost read my article on DoggedHealth.com. It’s a great site! It’s like WebMD for your dog!

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Who Says You Can’t Take Them With You?

Casper, Angelita & Gizmo in a Stroller!

Last night I stopped by a signing for a very funny book –The A-List Playbook– by E!’s Answer Bitch (Leslie Gornstein) at Barnes & Noble at The Grove.  The book event space (where I hope to have a book signing myself one day soon) is on the third floor.  I got on the escalator behind what I thought was a baby carriage. But as we reached the top floor, I realized there wasn’t a human baby in that carriage, but rather three cutie patootie dogs named Casper, Gizmo and Angelita. Their mommy was bringing them to The Grove for their maiden voyage in their new puppy stroller.

Gizmo seemed a little intent on exploring and getting outside the carriage, but for the most part the dogs were just happy to be in the mix! And while well behaved dogs are welcomed at The Grove, because there is a cafe at Barnes & Noble , dogs are not welcomed anywhere in the store. That is unless you sneak them in inside their stroller-i.e. no one noticed or said anything.

Ranger and Friend Auggie

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Ranger to The Rescue

Ranger

Last week my best friend Nell– we went to high school together–was perusing Adopt-A-Pet dreaming about getting a dog (she has wanted a dog but timing hasn’t been right) when she realized oh, I could look for a dog for Betsy; like an anorexic girl baking for her fat friend she dove in looking for the perfect dog for me (in this scenario I’d be the fat friend and she the anorexic- get it?)

Knowing that I wanted another Labbie, Nell sent me the profiles of three dogs- Adopt-A-Pet has a very easy way to share a pet’s profile. She sent a profile for a yellow lab, and two black ones. For some reason- I say divine intervention- only one came through and that was for an Adult Yellow Lab Named Phoenix who was up for adoption through one my favorite rescue groups: Molly’s Mutts & Meows. Okay, so with a friend’s group, good with cats, kids, dogs and on and on. He was so perfect it just couldn’t be real. And yet it was.

While I am friends with Molly, I also know rescues have rules and bylaws. It’s what makes them function and I respect and admire that. Besides, having been the one reading applications for mastiff rescue, I hated people who would not take the time to fill out an application. Just sending in a note saying I’d like to adopt so and so, doesn’t really impress rescuers. If you won’t sit down and do it, what else are you not willing to put effort into. So I immediately– and I mean immediately filled out the application. I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of me getting this dog!

By the way though (good English, right?) being on the adoptee end of things for once in my dog life, I have a new perspective on how crappy it is to fill these things out and then never hear back from anyone, or worse be rejected. The apps ask all sorts of personal questions for good reason (so that the dogs don’t end up back in bad situations similar to the ones they came from) but for the potential adoptee putting some of that stuff on paper to be judged by a nameless faceless entity is kind of creepy and off putting. And to make everyone feel better I, who is arguably the craziest dog person ever, seem to have been rejected or at least passed up on by French Bulldog Rescue. Of course I’m glad that happened now, as I now have Ranger the Perfect one. But last week, I was a mess. I likened it to sending a Match.com prospect a picture of myself in a bathing suit and waiting for a call back. My mind went wild with rejection scenarios and I knew that it was probably a clerical thing, or that they weren’t interested in me because I rent. (Rescuers often prefer to adopt to homeowners because, well before toxic mortgages at least, homeowners were less likely to have to give up a dog due because they couldn’t find a place that took dogs) but it sucked nonetheless.

Anyway, I digress from Ranger (formerly Phoenix). Did I mention that he is perfect?

Thankfully I was able to be in touch with Molly’s group soon after submitting my application and we set up a meeting at the adoption Saturday.  Andre (boyfriend) was out of town for the weekend so my mom and Dad came for support. My Dad is my number rescue supporter and fan and was eager for me to get Ranger. We arrived at least 30 minutes before we needed to, just to make sure no one else could stand in my way!

Thankfully we were the first ones there, even before Ranger arrived. There was another great dog there; a petit Aussie Mix with a gorgeous coat and a wonder demeanor who loves kitties, named Cheyenne. Seriously she is edible, and anyone looking for a great dog should check her out. But something in me said Ranger (then Phoenix) was my guy. Watch a Video of sweet Cheyenne below!

But back to Ranger… about 15 minutes after we arrive, he came barreling into the park with his foster mom

He’s shorter than Bella was, and he’s built like a fireplug. 62 lbs of muscle and kisses wearing a big cone on his head (to keep him away from his recent neuter and the stitches on a cut he has on his foot); the goofy guy just made me smile and my parents melt.

Ranger with Me, My Mom & Dad and his foster Kelly!

I filled out the paperwork and followed the appropriate rescue procedures and away we went.

I miss my Bella sooooo much that I still burst into tears at least once or twice a day, particularly when someone sees me with him instead of her for the first time,  but having Ranger around makes things quite a bit better. It’s a weird transition though; full emotion ranging from sadness over the loss of my girl and then guilt that I shouldn’t be loving another creature. But I guess that’s the price you pay for loving your dogs as much as i do, and I’m willing to pay it.

Thank you Nell; I love that this dog came from you and to Kelly (Ranger’s Foster Mom), Molly (Molly’s Mutts and Meows) and Karen Perkins (Fetching Companions Lab Rescue) who has been my rock through this whole process of losing Bella and finding Ranger.

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It’s A Boy

I took the plunge and I have adopted (from Molly’s Mutt’s And Meows!) the sweetest Labrador boy and his name is Ranger. He is 62 pounds of Lab Love!

Ranger, Me & JoAnn Worley, Loretta Switt, Jamie Farr, Henry Gibson

More details to follow, but I couldn’t not share the news. Here is a picture of us from yesterday’s Woofstock 90210.  His is the squishiest sweetest munchkin ever!

Stay tuned for more pics and deets!

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No More Puppy Mills! GO Woof Worx

On Thursday night I went to the opening of a great new store called Woof Worx. It’s a pet store, and it sells dogs. If you knew me at all you’d be in shock that I actually put those two sentences together. But it’s true!

Woof Worx

Woof Worx rocks because they are the first (in hopefully a long line) of pet stores which operates under Best Friend’s Puppy-Store-Free Campaign, i.e. Woof Worx has adorable puppies that come from the shelter instead of a puppy mill. Indeed the pups at Woof Worx are creatures not commodities.

Previously, the space located in the Glen Center (a Betsy favorite from way back a little shout out to Santo Pietro’s, Vera’s, Shane on the Glen and Sushi Ko), was occupied by a seriously vile place called Pets of Bel Air that you may recognize from the news. It was busted for it’s inhumane and illegal practices “A fraud and false advertising lawsuit against Pets of Bel Air claims animals the store said were from private breeders actually came from puppy mills and were less than healthy and hardy.”

Thankfully those days are gone and it’s now a gorgeous store that we all must support because, its success will hopefully inspire other puppy stores to follow in its footsteps. And if sheer inspiration doesn’t do it, I’m hoping the growing sentiment against and deserved suspicion of puppy stores will make them obsolete in the very near future!

Visit Woof Worx at
2924 North Beverly Glen Circle
Los Angeles, CA 90077
310.474.1211

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Take A Picture of Your Dog

Bella & Her Bone

The weekend before Bella passed, I was lucky enough to have scheduled a photo session with Miss Elisabeth Caren (Elisabeth Caren Photography.) She is an amazing photographer who I also have the pleasure of being friends with. She does still photography on movie and film sets and she also does fashion and celebrity shoots.  Yep she’s pretty fancy, but she also is a devoted dog mom who has done amazing work photographing dogs.

With the book coming out, I have been asked for PR pictures and had been thinking about setting up a shoot with Elisabeth. But truth be told I’d been in saving mode preparing to take on the expenses related to promoting the book. But again truth be told, I’m terrible about denying myself something I want, I can be fabulously vain and also mostly I really wanted Elisabeth-quality photos of Bella. So I decided to blow my budget and go for the pics, and thank god.

Me & B

It’s hard to believe Bella would be gone just three days later.  Getting the pictures done with Elisabeth were both divine and as far as I’m concerned divine intervention. Elisabeth spent hours with us and took hundred and hundred of frames. She is so thorough and thoughtful. Take a look at a few of my favorites as well at some simple tips about to to take the best pictures of your dog!

SIMPLE BACKGROUND

Keep the background of your photo as simple as possible. Your dog should be the center of attention within the frame with no distractions or clutter. Nothing ruins an otherwise good picture like a random soda can, pile of papers or worse lurking in the background.

NATURAL LIGHT-FILLED BACKGROUND

One big problem with dog pictures is red-eye or even green-eye that happens as a result of the flash. To avoid this rather attractive phenomenon, take photos of your dog during the day in a well lit area.

DOWN ON ALL FOURS

Get down on eye level with your dog and make sure that you aren’t too far away. Your dog should be dominant in the frame. A picture in which you are either too far away or too far above the dog will flatten out their cute face.

A GOOD DOG MODEL IS A SEMI-TIRED DOG-MODEL

Getting a dog to sit still can be one of the biggest hurdles to taking a good dog photo. While you don’t want your dog to be so pooped that they can’t appear engaged or alert, you might want to think about running him or her around the block a few times to take the edge off. They might be more apt to sit or lie down for a picture if they’ve just expended a bit of energy.

Squeaky Toys Work Wonders

SQUEAKY TOY

God bless squeaky toys when it comes to taking pictures. These otherwise annoying inventions can make all the difference when trying to get your dog to perk up their ears. The look a dog gets when he or she is focused on something behind the camera will always deliver the best picture possible; that is, if

FAST SHUTTER

Even a tired dog will tend to move in the time between when you press down on the button of a digital camera and when the image is actually captured. For this reason, if it’s possible (OY, I know it’s just another expensive thing to add to the list), get a camera with a short lag time. This way the picture you take is the picture you get. If you’re not able to go out and buy a fancy and fast camera, pull out one of your old film cameras and use it. They tend to have a faster shutter speed and film can still be developed digitally so that you can share your photos… with everyone.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

Finally, remember that your dog is a dog. He or she isn’t a full-time model (most likely) and doesn’t understand how you can be so close to them and not be petting them. You might need to patient with your dog and practice a few times before you get things right. Whatever you do, don’t get frustrated. While they don’t understand your words, they will understand your tone. If you find yourself getting aggravated, take a break and try again in a few minutes. While pictures are important, you can always take more… just don’t take too long

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Walking the Walk

Losing Bella and the aftermath there of- -grieving, taking in a foster, contemplating looking for another forever friend has really put me through my puppy paces.  It is one thing to write about these events in the book and on this blog but certainly another to live them.

Bella & Me Feb 28 by Elisabeth Caren

Bella was no spring chicken when she passed; probably around 12 or 13, maybe? And so for about the last year or maybe six months, especially since the loss of my beloved dog from college, Tucker, I had taken moments as Bella and I did our daily routine just to say to myself: Betsy this drink in. Remember this time fondly because life is precious. Maybe I thought doing that, having that memory would help me control the eventual pain that I knew I would face when she passed.

Um, super good, control-freaktastic idea. But it still totally sucks to lose her. And I am sort of a basket case.

But instead of taking it easy and compensating for the fact I have had major problems sleeping, I somewhat-hastily tried to take in a foster dog.  Her name is Tiki; she is absolutely most elegant, beautiful 10-month old German Shepherd girl I have ever met. She was dumped by her family because she requires medicine that cost about 40 dollars a month. And while every penny counts these days, her former parents could afford it, but just chose not to and turned her into German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County which is a wonderful rescue group that everyone should know of and donate to!

Tiki

While I had never thought of myself as a German Shepherd girl, I love the group and this girl needed a foster. But sadly she was a bit too much dog for me. (I should have never gone for a younger dog, something else I write about in the book. Check out the Senior Dog Project for why Senior Dogs rock.) Tiki really needs a home, even a foster home with a yard (she never peed on the leash once in 3 days) and another dog to play with. I just couldn’t provide that for her. But if you know of anyone who might fit the bill please pass on her info. I do LOVE HER!

Ugh, so through heaving tears I brought her back to rescue- but thankfully GSROC is a rescue not the pound and Tiki is safe and will find great home.  That is why it is ALWAYS a good idea to adopt from a group. Dogs will be safe if it’s not a match and dogs have been fostered first so more can be known about them.

All that goodness aside though, having to bring her back made me, on top of feeling devastated about Bella, feel like an ass. What kind of dog person amd I?

And then I realized I’m a human dog person for lack of a better term. I realize, almost as I write this that I am not a perfect dog owner. Far from it and I hope that writing from that place will make more people relate to the book and this blog. Bella while loved more than any dog I know didn’t eat at the same time every day, and that sometime I left her for an hour longer than I should have. And while she went to doggie bootcamp to get along with other dogs, there was no way I would be able to maintain her good canine manners after the course ended because I couldn’t keep her training up for a variety of reasons which can be best summed up with I’ve been a single girl trying to live my life (dating working, etc.) And that doesn’t mean you can’t be a great loving dog owner. You just have to be smart about it and find the right situation for your life.

Clearly a 10-month old German Shepherd was not the right situation and I will find the right one in time. But just like anything else in life, I have realized the hard way rushing through or into something just isn’t going to take you anywhere you want to be. So I’m going to take my time, miss my baby Bella and see what the Universe sends my way.

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To Live is To Love

As much as I knew it would be coming, Bella’s passing has been beyond devastating. Being a quasi-pragmatist, OK planner/control freak– I tried to intellectualize my way around the pain: I made every right decisions, she experienced far less pain than other dogs with Osteosarcoma and she knew that I love her so deeply–blah blah blah. It ends up that there is no way to work around the stark truth that she is literally missing from my life and that just hurts like hell and it feels weird to go on with normal life without her.

Hall & Oates

I find myself totally fine and then something trips me up and I break out into tears. I do however have a new appreciation for some classic sad songs which now dominate my mental ipod (i.e. I can’t effing get them out of my head.) These tearjerker “classics”include She’s Gone by Hall & Oats and When It’s Over by Sugar Ray; music snob I am not.

And people by thy way (probably many of you reading this) been so supportive and amazing. Thank You all truly so much. I heard some extremely helpful things. One that hit close to home was regarding the sadness and how it’s just different. As opposed to other sadnesses a single girl in her 30′s has no doubt experienced i.e. a bad break-up, being laid off or having a falling out with a friend, when losing a dog  there is of course sadness, but it’s uncomplicated. There is a sweetness to a dog and our relationships  with them. Losing it that connection just hurts; in your gut.

So what to do? For some people it doesn’t feel right not having a dog. I have friends who have beloved dogs and years later can’t even fathom getting another. For me I knew I couldn’t be without one for long. So… meet Zsa Zsa my new foster.

Zsa Zsa

She is a sweet German Shepherd girl who was turned into to Orange German Shepherd Rescue because she has an enzyme disorder and needs 3/4 of a teaspoon of enzyme powder on her food to aid digestion. I love people. She was in boarding and needed a foster and  I needed to give some puppy love. So while I have never pictured myself with a GSD, let’s see how we do!

Bringing  Zsa Zsa into our lives will be quite the test for me. My book, The Complete Single’s Guide To Being A Dog Owner, which is currently available for pre-sale (shameless plug) among other things gives the 411 on bringing a new dog into your home. It seems like god’s little joke that as my book comes out and I will hopefully be sharing dog advice with the world, I am now in the position that I must walk the walk not just talk the talk–i.e. I’ve got to put into practice the very advice I have given! OY!

Of course I am only fostering sweet Zsa Zsa but fingers crossed we are a match!

Stay tuned.

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