Kind of Wordless Wednesday – Melodrama at the Culver City Boneyard!

Opie: Walkin’ the walk, strutin’ my stuff at the Bone Yard!

Butch: Hey you — Snorkie! You dog enough to play ball with me!?

Opie: Sure, but are you dog enough to jump the fence? It’s straight kibble for me if I do it.

Butch: Sure thing! Meet you by the water fountain… I’ll need to get a running start.

Be there and bring all those new tennis balls under the tree.

Jazz: Psst Snorkie – Over here by the poop can – Saw you talkin’ to Butch. Be warned! He hogs the ball.

Do yourself a favor and stick to the small dog side of the park! Butch is bad news.

Opie: Thanks Bro! You’ve done me a solid. I won’t forget this! No way that lard butt jumps this fence! Heh, heh, heh!

Jazz: Well, forget I said anything.

You never saw me and I never talked to you – Got it. I ain’t no snitch!

Fanny: Opie, you shouldn’t talk to those big doggies.

I don’t like the smell of their hind ends. That Butch has been in the time out pen three times this week.

He never does anything his Daddy tells him, and he has chewed up all the tennis balls on their side of the park.

Opie: Fanny, I’m not sure I like your elitist attitude. We dogs are all equal under the fur.

Fanny: I’m just trying to tell you he’s using you for tennis balls, you dumb mutt! Didn’t you notice they have zero new tennis balls on their side!

Opie: Dumb mutt am I? I wasn’t so dumb while you were trying to play bitey face with me under the bench.

Fanny: Well, I never!

Opie: Well I never either. I’ve was fixed as a puppy!

Fanny: You cruel dog! You’ve broken my heart! I’ll never sniff your butt again! Go on and play with Butch. Enjoy yourself with your new cool friend! (Sniff!)

Opie: That’s the way the dog biscuit crumbles baby! I’m just not a one pup kind of canine.

So here he sits.

Opie, the lone Snorkie. Willing to walk on the big dog side, risk the loss of

new tennis balls and shun the prettiest pooch in the park.

He’s a bad boy.

And that’s the way he likes it!

How I spent Wednesday at Doggie Central

While my family pined away for me

Hi All,

By the time most of you read this today on Thursday. I will be home with my family, probably fresh from a bath! Mama never managed to get the webcam to “save as” the pictures of me at Doggy Central, but Gregory did show her the “snip it” feature on the computer. So we do have some photos.

I’ll let the web cam stills tell the story of my day at Doggy Central.

First, let me say, that I didn’t want to leave my Mama when they dropped me off. I tried to lower my center of gravity and… well I had to be dragged out. I did not really behave in a “dogly” fashion.

However, once I was there… there were so many butts to sniff and bizarre toys to climb on that I ended up having a decent time. I was kind of tired from the dog park. So, after dinner and some of my duck stick bits, I was kind of sleepy.

You see these little blue beds. We can sleep on these. Some dogs take naps during the day on them. I had a blanket last night. Mama told the lady that I’m used to sleeping in the bed with them. I can’t bring my own toys or blanket, but they gave me something warm last night.

Some dogs were kind of noisy during the night. It was not as quiet as it is at my house. Of course, once Mama and Daddy start snoring maybe it’s not all that different. I did manage to get some sleep, but I’ll admit I got up and walked around a little bit.

When I woke up the next day, I had my familiar breakfast of kibble. Additionally, I got a special bonus. One of the guys took me for a walk. I was really excited at first. I thought he was going to take me to my Mama. Unfortunately, he didn’t. When I got back, there were more doggies there and we played a bit.

I really enjoyed playing with the three white poodles. They come to Doggy Central all the time. In this picture we are trying to see what’s going on in the other small dog room. One of our attendants was over there. She smells like treats!

There are four big rooms of dogs at Doggy Central – two small dog rooms and two big dog rooms. I’m in the smallest small dog room. The other small dog room has bigger small dogs in it. Mama likes me to stay with the little guys. I don’t mind. The some of the bigger small dogs are actually big dog puppies and not really that small.

Maybe because I was so tired from my noisy neighbors, my walk or just missing my Mama. I finally just had to lie down and take a nap. Mama told me when I got back that I should try and stay in the line of site of the camera.

I was really in line this time. I was “dog” tired!

Of course, this didn’t last long. I was back on my feet in no time at all. Dogs were always running around, barking, and our attendant was frequently on our side of the wall mopping up our little puddles and picking up our little “offerings.”

As you can see, I’m worn out for a moment.

But it didn’t take long for me to perk up to see what was going on.

Mama says that this trip was to accustom me to being at Doggy Central. She wanted me to understand that she will always come and get me. She doesn’t want me to feel abandoned when or if they go on trips.

Well honestly I don’t feel abandoned at all. The other dogs are fun and interesting to play with.

The people are nice enough.

But I still will miss my family and be glad when they return.

Wordless Wednesday – Canine Boarding Photographic Planning

Almost wordless Wednesday

We are going away for a week and Opie must be “kenneled” while we are gone.

In order to accustom him to the boarding facility, he’s been having sleep overs.

For those who are thinking about how to do this here is a pictorial account of what we are doing to get Opie ready for our trip away.

First, off to the Dog Park!

This is so he doesn’t associate riding in the car with going someplace unpleasant –

All the time! ( Trips to the vet, the groomers, the day care — YUCK) Instead, think of trips to the dog park, the pet store and to pick the boys up from school and just to have a really good SNIFF FEST!

Here he is at the dog park!

Good times!

On the way home we stopped at the pet store and bought some new treats and extra food.

Highly recommend – Welcome Home Duck sticks ( really easy to break up into smaller pieces, unlike any of the jerkies which you need to take the kitchen shears to cut reasonably.)

Then we went home for a bit – mostly to gather up his food for the two night sleep over, his snacks and to write his name on his harness (Just like camp – we have to label everything!)

Then…

another Car ride, and soon we were at Doggie Central.

The idea behind going to the park was to make him a little tired before we leave him at the Doggie Central boarding facility. We also wanted to give him some quality play time with some canine pals. Not pictured is all the affection he got at home. Beau coup Tummy Rubs and lots of duck treats for sitting and staying like a champion.

That night we missed him terribly in the night! There was much vocal complaining from his hu-brothers and I’ll admit I didn’t sleep as well without him walking on me at least once during the night. Every time I heard a siren go by I worried that the facility was burning down with my dog in it.  I finally had to get up and play a little IPAD scramble to clear my head.

Yes, I’m a true mom!  Paranoid to the max!
However, Opie seemed to pass a decent night.

Here are today’s Webcam pix.

I love the webcam!

WHEN THE SAVE FUNCTION WORKS AND I DON’T HAVE TO HIT ALT PRINT SCREEN TO GET AN IMAGE OF MY DOG!

Weirdly, the save function for the webcam is not working!

So, sorry for the picture of my screen fellow bloggers.

However, if you choose any facility for your dog make sure they have a webcam. I think it’s stupid for them not to have one. They are not that expensive, easy to install and the peace of mind they give a dog owner is really measurable.

I wonder if they could put webcams in the schools too! At least the pre-schools!  Just a thought.  ( Paranoid Mamas of the world UNITE!)

(And yes, I am doing weight watchers online. I have a blog there that I am not paying much attention to. LOL)

Still, it’s reassuring to see him running around the next morning. He seems calm and the little dominator dogs that were their back in January do not seem to be there today. Excellent!

I fully expect him to be worn completely out when we pick him up tomorrow morning.

Two nights at Doggie Central!

I forsee a special chicken breast dinner for a certain Mr. Furry Pants.

 

Hopefully, these two nights will be enough to prepare him for the 5 nights coming up. It won’t seem as if we’ve abandoned him.  That coupled with a few extra perks we’ve arranged should make it more bearable.

The real question is whether we’ll be able to stand it.

Once again, Thank God for Webcams!

Don’t board your dog without them!  

 

 

Saturday Blog Hop — What if we had a FETCH A THON?

Hi All,

Opie here! You all must know that it’s sometimes hard being the only doggy in the house. The family goes off to some event and leaves you at home for hours. It is a little annoying to be left out of the fun, especially when it involves

BALLS! LOTS AND LOTS OF BALLS!

My hu-brothers were at their school’s Hoop-a-thon! They raise money for their school by shooting lots of baskets. People pay by the basket! Last year they bought new uniforms for the teams and stuff like that.

 I wish I could have gone. I think I could make a basket. I can fly through the air and DUNK! Like a DUNKIN’ MACHINE!

I can nose dribble, and in a game I’m good at tripping up the other guy.

My hu-brothers agree that I have SPEED! AGILITY! HEART!

THIS SNORKIE CAN JUMP!

Maybe because I am such an AWESOME BUT
UNDER APPRECIATED PLAYER

My hu- brother let me wear his Hoop-A-Thon Medal.

I think I look quite snazzy. Mama just needs to sew up the ribbon so that it will fit me properly. (I love the fact that I can probably chew the medal a little bit if it dangles down a bit, but don’t tell Michael that!)

Maybe we should have our own DOGGY–THON! I know some of you don’t have my MAD BASKETBALL SKILLS, so maybe we could make it something that every four legged FIDO can participate in. How about a Doggy FETCH-A-THON! We don’t have to limit it to Balls. It could be anything you like to fetch – balls, Frisbees, sock monkeys, stuffed squirrels. We could have it in a big green sunny dog park! Ahhhh! Sounds like heaven doesn’t it?

I’m going to talk to Mama about this. There are so many good causes to raise money for!

BEST OF ALL – we could have neat medals for our participation! And think of the treats!!!

What do you say doggers?

Gotta run! Michael wants to shoot some HOOPS with me! I have to be gentle and not beat him TOO badly. He  is my LITTLE hu-brother!

Grins and Licks Fellow Doggers!

Your Pal,

Opie!
>

Friendly Friday – Opie and Friends!

My Buddies – Doggy and Human!

 

Hi All, Opie here. I thought it might be fun to show you some of my buddies!

So here they are – Opie and Friends!     

Poppy and I are really “gettin’ it on” Good times!

Here’s a better shot of Poppy!

This is Woody! We are just reacquainting ourselves.

It was a good day at Oberrieder Dog Park. Don’t know these guys but we had fun!

I didn’t catch this guy’s name either, but he was only interested in a quick sniff. He didn’t stay long.

And here are my best friends in the whole world! My big hu-brother Greg!

And my little hu-brother Michael!

They are my “bestest” friends in the whole

DOGIVERSE!

 

Great news – Hallelujah Our Dog Park will Reopen March 1st!

Keep your paws crossed for me fellow doggies!

Our beloved Bone Yard — The Culver City Dog Park is reopening on March 1^st.

I’ve been without this wonderful place since September of 2010. Some of you already know the story. Just in case you don’t — essentially some nasty oil company had a leaky oil pipe or something that polluted our park. So they had to fix it. Then they found another rotten pipe and had to fix that!

Here’s what our dog park looked like while they were working on it for ALMOST SIX MONTHS!

It made me so sad to see it closed!

It made me mad to see this big mess!

This is the view right above our dog park!

Mama took this from the car so she apologizes for the glare.

The security guard for the oil company was giving her mean look!

I think it was because Mama was giving the oil machinery a mean look!

I didn’t know that Mamas could growl!

I’ve been to one other dog park … and I didn’t like it! (Too small and not enough nice doggies!) Mostly, I missed my buddies.

I’ve been kind of mad at the oil company for a long time. Now I’m going to reminisce with my photos of all the fun stuff we did there! Expect a great blog in March about how wonderful it will be to be back at the park!

I can’t wait to get back to see my buddies!

This is me and my friend Poppy! He loves to wrestle!

He’s a great wrestler!

This is me checking out the big dog side of the dog park!

They have REALLY big dogs on that side. I can’t wait to see them too!

This is me running at my park. I’m the grey blur running toward that lady! 

 See it’s big for a city park!
You can’t even see the whole thing here.

>

Occasionally, it would get kind of hot at the dog park.

Here’s Daddy washing out a water bowl!

Gee Dad don’t you know there’s a bowl right here near me!

Yeah I know it’s full of sand, so what?

Maybe the best part of the park was chillin’ with my buddies.

This is Chase! We’re checking out the newcomers

before we race down the hill. Heh, heh, heh!

On your mark, get set……!

When I was first adopted, I was a little grumpy.

I didn’t like anyone except my new mama.

Mama brought me here to get “socialized.”

I don’t really know what that means, but I do know that I made a lot of

doggy and human friends here. I’m not so grumpy now because of the dog park. I can’t wait to get back. I know Mama misses some of her friends too. They were new friends.  She was just getting to know them when the park closed.

Neither one of us can wait!

March 1^st is going to be a HAPPY DAY!!!

What I got for my Birthday and How I scared the Stuffing Out of Mama!

Sunday was my actual birthday! When I woke up mama wished me a happy birthday and then rushed off to take Gregory to some kid’s house. When she came back, I got a lovely piece of turkey sausage in my breakfast and lots of tummy rubs. Turkey Sausage is so, so yummy. I had a smile on my belly all day after that! Mama promised me that my next presents would come on Monday. And they did! But before I tell you about them, I have to tell you about how I scared the stuffing out of Mama.

In the afternoon, Mama took me with her to pick up Gregory from that kids house. We drove a long time, longer than it takes me to go to the far dog park or to pick the kids up from school. It was a great ride. Mama let me ride in the front seat and let the window down a little. I had my head out the whole time! It was great! That was a present in and of itself. We finally got to the kid’s house. Mama turned off the car and my leash to the arm of the car seat and let the window almost all the way up. There was only a little bit of room left. She told me she’d be right back. She was getting Gregory from the kid’s house. I could hear lots of kids and even some dogs barking. I didn’t want her to leave me. I wanted to come too. She took the key out of the ignition and got out of the car. She locked the car with her car keys and made the car beep.

Mama waved at me and walked up the driveway. She said she was sorry, but she’d be right back. Well, I knew she would be but I couldn’t help whining and crying. And I really wanted to go with her into the house. There were more kids and dogs in there. So I jumped around a lot in the car. Guess what? The leash came loose. It just came off the arm of the car seat! Wow! Then I put my paws on the door of the car. I put my paws on the special button, and the window started to go down. Yippee! Usually only Mama can make the windows go up and down! So, being a dog of action I jumped out of the car and went looking for my Mama, my leash dragging behind me.

I found her. She was just walking back to the car with Gregory. She was really surprised to see me — really, really, really, really surprised. Gregory was surprised too. Mama grabbed my leash and asked what I was doing out of the car and how I got out. She told me what a good boy I was for coming straight to her and for not barking at any of the people in the driveway. She rubbed my head, scratched my hears and told me what a good Opie I was for being so smart to come straight to Mama. She wasn’t the least bit mad!

When we got back in the car, though, she was really upset about the window. She couldn’t figure out how I got it down if the car wasn’t on. I think she’s still scratching her head about it. She kept playing with the window and turning the car on and off when we went on my B-day trip to the Dog Park. On the car ride back she told me that I was a good boy, but I scared her really badly. She said I could have gotten really lost and that would be such a tragedy on my birthday to be lost. I could tell she was really scared. I wondered if she’d ever let me ride in the car again. She muttered something about it being a cold day some place (I didn’t catch where. She was muttering) before I got left in the car again. That’s fine by me. I don’t like being left in the car. Maybe from now on Mama will take me everywhere. Wouldn’t that be great?

Oh My Presents!

 

Okay, let me tell you…

I got three happy birthday tennis balls. I got Mr. Greenie to replace Mr. Weenie (I tore up Mr. Weenie a few days ago. He’s in the toy hospital.) Here is Mr. Weenie. I had him a week but then I tore his head off. He has the best little hat to chew on. I guess I got carried away.

 

Here’s my new Mr. Greenie. He’s got a cool head to chew on as well. Mama hopes he’ll last longer than Mr. Weenie.

 

I hope so. Mr. Greenie squeaks. So do my tennis balls. I also got a tennis ball bone. It’s great! It squeaks too. I also got my own personal portable water container for any dog park we got to.

Here I am playing with Mr. Greenie and my tennis ball bone. I can’t decide within one I like better. I love them both. I fetch and play tug of war with both of them. They are so fun!

 

 

 

Mama got me a new seatbelt harness too. I’m not too fond of that. Daddy and Mama put me in it today and adjusted it so I can’t get out of it and I can’t bite it very well. Mom muttered something about seeing if I could escape from this. I don’t’ quite know what she meant by that, but she kept telling dad to make sure it was good and snug. I kept thinking, “Okay, already! It’s snug enough!” I’m not keen on this particular present, but I am still grateful for ALL of my presents.

Best of all, Mama got me a beautiful doggy blanket. It’s just for me. I can sleep on it in my bed or on the couch or have it in the car. It’s soft and it has bones all over it. This will make for good dreams, right?

Oh and I went to Oberrieder Dog park today too. I hadn’t been in a long time. Luckily, there were some dogs there this time. I played with a little grey dog for a while. I tried to race with another dog, but she just wanted to smell everywhere. I did that for a while too but I was itching to play.

I had a great time. I’m going back again soon I think.

I want to thank all of you for my birthday wishes. It feels great to be 1. Michael says that I’m really 7.

I wonder if that means he’ll let me play Legos with him.

 

Opie Ponders Leaking Oil Issue at His Favorite Dog Park

Hi All,

Opie here!

I’ve been getting into lots of trouble lately.  I can’t seem to control myself. I’ve figured out why,  though.  I’ve got too much EXCESS ENERGY.  Why do I have this excess? Well, I am  part Schnauzer, and I do need my OUTLETS!!!  I NEED MY DOG PARK BACK!

Mom was taking me to the dog park pretty regularly SEVERAL WEEKS ago but then that rotten, no good squirrel loving oil company had an accident in our DOG PARK, and it’s  been closed for over a month.  Mama says it’s supposed to reopen in another week or two, but look what damage they’ve caused!

I’ve gotten into trouble chewing stuff up,  and NOW I have to learn how to like this crate.  I kind of like it, but I like being free so much better.  I have too much energy to be left alone.  When I went to the dog park, I was good and exhausted. I played with my buddies!  The other dog park is BORING!  The humans don’t bring anybody to the park until LATE!  We have stuff to do when it’s late. I have to greet my boys and get belly rubs from them. I have to be HOME in the afternoon!

I’d really like to sink my teeth into some of those Oil company people who made a mess at my dog park. My mama always cleans up MY mess when we go on walks.  I think it’s just rude to make a mess, a BIG mess like that,  in someone’s dog park and take SO LONG to clean it up.  IT’S BEEN ALMOST TWO MONTHS!  I know what me and my friends would do to anyone we saw messing with our Dog park!   We would ALL participate! I am so STEAMED!

Doggy revenge against Oil Company Mess at Culver City Dog Park!

Dog Park Hijinx

Opie and Friends at the Dog Park

This has sound so adjust your volume. Enjoy!

The Boneyard vs. Oberrieder Dog Park

Nothing could have been more disappointing than driving up to the Boneyard and seeing it locked up and covered in  yellow caution tape.  City workers were standing about so I drove up to them   while Opie waved his tail happily at the familiar trees.  Why was the park closed? What happened? 

 PXP – our local BP wannabe 

What happened?  PXP, our local version of British Petroleum, had some weird seepage into our City dog park.  By the way, the Dog park is on the outskirts of a fairly well loved and well used city park. Joggers, children, hikers and dogs are frequent users.  Some pipe of theirs was leaking something icky into the park. To add insult to injury, there was some issue regarding methane gas as well. Our neighborhood association is constantly and justifiably on the warpath against this company. 

I could tell Opie didn’t understand when I didn’t pull into our usual parking spot and get him out of his hated seat belt harness. He’d endured strangers invading the van to get the boys out for school and now no dog park! No wrestling with Poppy, Chase, Isabella, Lola, Woody and his new friend Rocky! Oh Foul, foul despair!   We went home and both of us had our walk with our tails dragging the ground. 

 Saturday, we went to see the Owl Movie, (Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole)  and left Opie at home.  When we returned, we discovered that he’d destroyed two living room pillows from the couch.  The living room looked like a blizzard had hit.  I would have taken a picture but I was too busy trying to pick up up a mountain of cotton batting and forgot all about my camera.  This was PXP”s fault! Not Opie’s! He was bored. He had no fun times with friends!  He’d ignored the pillows for months.  Why destroy them now?  We weren’t even gone that long! 

 Checking out a New Dog Park! 

We got on the Internet and looked at Dog parks in our area. It turns out that there were several other parks i the area.  Yelp.com  had reviews of all of them.  I decided that we would make a game of visiting them all to see  how we liked them.  The first one on the list was Oberrieder Park in Playa Vista, a mere 2 miles from the house. The pictures looked great. Here they are: 

Oberrieder Dog Park

 There’s no doubt about it.  This Play Vista Park is beautiful.  The trees are all grown in.  There is ample shade. It’s nestled in the heart of a rather upscale new Playa Vista Development.  The parking was free and easy and it’s a quick drive from the house.  It was definitely a nice alternative to the Boneyard.  However, I couldn’t help making comparisons to my beloved Boneyard.   To be fair, here are pictures of the Boneyard.

Wahooooo!

As you can see there  are a big differences between the two dog parks.

The most obvious difference is that the Oberrieder Park is greener and shadier.  However,  it is also considerably smaller on the small dog side of the park than the small dog side at the Boneyard.  The Boneyard small dog side is roughly three times larger than Oberrieder’s small dog section.  The ground cover is different as well.  Oberrieder has dark brown dirt and wood bark.  The Boneyard has light colored sandy gravel.  To determine which one is better for our family here are the pros and cons about each dog park.

  Oberrieder Pros 

1. Shady
2. Beautiful Scenery
3. Virtually attached to the picnic area and ideal for full family outings
4. A mere 2 miles from the house
5. Smells pretty good since owners must use plastic bags to pick up poop instead of pooper scoopers.

 Oberrieder Cons 

1.  Tree bark and dirt make it difficult to see dog poop to pick up
2. Water fountain for dogs is shallow trough which creates Mud Dawgs in any weather.
3. It’s tiny
4. The anteroom area where dogs enter is shared by the big dog side. Be careful as you enter and leave with your small dog in case a big dog is leaving or entering as you do.
5. It’s 2 miles from the house, but completely out of my way if I am bring the dog after dropping the kids off from school.
6. Our best buddies are not there — this is a big one.
7. Park and Playa Vista Development are located in a Tsunami zone
8. Residents may have forgotten that the development is sitting on a pool of natural methane. ( Big LA scandal years ago)
9. I was politically opposed to this development since it encroached on the delicate Wetlands area. I feel like a turn coat.

     Boneyard Pros

1.  The park is big on both the small dog and large dog side.  
2. The water fountain is raised to minimize Mud Dawg creations 
3. The sandy gravel makes poop highly visible 
4. Pooper scoopers do not create excess garbage ( i.e. poop bags) 
5. Segregated entrances for big and little dogs 
6. Time out area for naughty big dogs that get into fights 
7. Located within large city park with lots of facilities. Also possible use for a huge full family outing that includes skate park, playground, hiking, basketball, walking and climbing to the top of the hill for amazing city views. 
8. Amazing city views possible at the Dog park.   
9. Our morning friends  frequent the park 
10. Boneyard was created through a grass roots campaign by local Culver City Friends of Animals Group. My democratic tendencies sensibilities feel comfortable here. Power to the People and their pets! 
11. Culver City Police Department frequent drive bys and ( donut breaks in the parking lot next to the dog park) 

  

Getting to know you, getting to know all about your, hmm, hmm.. cup of tea..

 

 Boneyard Cons 

1. Little shade 
2. Sandy and dusty 
3. Smelly 
4. Hot when it’s hot and cold when it’s cold 
5. Owners who don’t pick up poop ( However, from my reading about all the Dog parks everyone has this problem.) 
6. Small crime problem in the parking lot. ( Car break ins. Not to me but others have told me stories. This may be going down with the increased patrols of CCPD. )

 

Faithful as Fido 

Clearly, there is nothing objective about my listing of pros and cons.  The bottom line is that I love the Boneyard. I am a Culver City Resident with a licensed Culver City Dog. I am as loyal  to my city as to my dog.  I’ll visit Oberrieder Dog Park. It’s got some good points, but our hearts will be with Opies’s very first dog park, where people have noticed Opie’s improvement in socialization. They remember when he used to hide under my bench, when he didn’t engage with any dogs at all, when he was possessive and wouldn’t let another dog near me and the boys. They noticed when he fetched for the first time, when he started playing and when he was friendly and easy with everyone in the park — male and female!  So, I’m loyal.  We’ll go the new parks, but we’ll be checking on the Boneyard and agitating against PXP ( Don’t get me started on them! ) to make our park safe for two legged and four legged park goers. 

Related Articles

• Methane gas closes Culver City dog park (latimesblogs.latimes.com)