Results tagged “san pedro” from South Bay Pets

Fort MacArthur Museum is hosting a yard sale on its grounds to benefit the K-9 Corps Guard Dog Cemetery. The cemetery is the final resting place for many dogs who served in the armed forces.

The event runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 29. It's at 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro. Call 310-548-2631 for more info.

San Pedro's Harbor Animal Shelter is celebrating St. Patrick's Day a wee bit early with its St. Patrick's Weekend Adopt-a-thon. There probably won't be too many green pets, but there will be a huge variety of great dogs and cats to choose from.

And, to make the adoption event even more appealing, those who adopt a dog that weighs 35 pounds or more will get a free luxury dog bed (while supplies last) for their new friend to sleep in. There will also be a $10 discount off adoption fees for the first five dogs over 35 pounds adopted throughout the weekend; and a coupon for a free dog wash at Tidy Dog Grooming for every dog adopted.
Adoption hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at 957 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro.
Call 213-485-8755 for more details.

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Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro and the American Cetacean Society are throwing a welcome home bash for some of California's largest visitors - the Pacific gray whales.

The Whale Fiesta is Sunday. Click here for details. 

The Whale Fiesta marks the return of the migratory mammals to the coast of Southern California. The event mixes educational talks by bird, whale and other marine experts with hands-on activities such as the making of a life-sized sculpture of a Cuvier's beaked whale and a duct tape whale contest.

When you take your pooch to the dog park, you tend to pay more attention to the other dogs than you do the people. It's not uncommon to know the name of someone's pet and not theirs. I'm sure more than a few people around town know me as "Rocket's Owner."

But when you're watching your dogs sniff and play and sometimes fight with each other, you pick up casual friendships with the folks there. You may have nothing else in common, but you share a love of dogs and you're a dedicated enough owner to go to the park in the first place.

So I probably know more about Maureen than I do her owner. She is about a year old now, is a brindle-colored bundle of energy. She's probably part pit bull, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. She likes to play more than any dog I've ever seen. Upon entering the park, she makes a straight line for the nearest dog and tackles it. Or she finds a toy to steal and runs around in circles taunting the other canines. She's even a bigger toy stealer than my dog.

The story around the San Pedro dog park is that her owner named her Maureen because that was his sister's name and he wanted to ensure that somebody took care of the dog if something ever happened to him.

It's a funny story and if it's true, it turned out to be prophetic. Last week I learned that Maureen's owner died.

Me and idiot dog had just barely arrived at the San Pedro dog park this morning when some guys in trucks showed up and made us all leave.

Rumor was that they were not only spreading even more wood chips, but more importantly, they were going to put in new benches with awnings.

That's great news. There isn't a lick of shade in that park and when you're there during the day, the sun can beat down pretty hard.

I'm not sure who to thank for this addition, so I'll just send a shout out to the Port of Los Angeles, who owns the property.

Finally some new wood chips have been scattered at the San Pedro dog park!

While I'm not a big fan of wood chips -- I prefer grass -- the new ones are nice and have cut down on the toxic dust clouds that swirl around every time dogs run by.

I took Rocket there yesterday. There were tens of thoussands of new chips to chose from, but he and his friend Maureen were having a tug of war over one particular piece. They both wanted it, but neither one wanted to share.

And yes, Maureen is a dog. I think she's 9 months old and is probably the most playful puppy I've ever come across.

Last week, we posted an item about a dog that was removed from its San Pedro home.

Well, we have some good news: Kimbo is home.

Here's the e-mail I got from its owner:

I'm reposting this entry from yesterday because I'm hoping that someone will see it and help find Kimbo.

I also just heard from Kimbo's owner, who informs me that her dog was stolen from her backyard. You can read her entire letter in the comment section.

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Just got an e-mail from a friend who let me know about a missing dog in San Pedro. I'm not sure of the details, but I wanted to post this as soon as I can.

Kimbo the rotweiler went missing from his home near 10th and Pacific.

If anybody has any information, please call Andrea Kowalski at 310-433-3349 or Mike Rivero at 310-720-3407. There is a reward.

Keep in touch with me and I'll post any updates.

I heard from a friend of mine who needs to find a new place to live for her and her pets.

She has a house in San Pedro, but is putting it up for sale and is looking for a pet-friendly place, hopefully in the same area.

The German shepherd is Xena, who is 7. The Shepherd mix is Annie, who is 5. And the pussy cat is 8-year-old Albee.

They're all middle aged and way past the trouble-making stage. And they're all friendly. Here's what my friend said about them:

All good. Dogs are friendly  - all my neighbors love them. Xena is a great watchdog, but neither of the dogs are excessive barkers.  I keep the yard clean all the time...  I like to keep a nice yard and love to garden.

Things like this are happening all over now. With the housing crisis and hard economy, people are finding themselves having to move. But it's tough with pets. If anybody can help my friend out, or know about rentals, let me know and I'll forward the info to her. You can leave a comment on the blog or e-mail me at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.

My friend has a nice job and would make a fine addition to any neighborhood.

I was playing with Google Maps yesterday and found these cool pictures of cats living in the cliffs of San Pedro. It was taken at White Point. Or is that White's Point. Or maybe Whites Point. I can never remember.

Anyway, there are tons of stray and feral cats living in the rocks up and down the coast. They grow pretty big and they look pretty healthy, so maybe that sea air is good for them. In any case, a lot of loyal people show up to make sure they're well fed. And some people catch the wild animals, fix them and return them to their homes in the rocks, so they can't reproduce.

A lady I met down there once drove like a hundred miles a couple times a week just to make sure the cats were had enough food. They recognized her and would swarm around her. The time I saw her, there were about 20 cats standing in a circle around her. The amazing thing was they were all black.

I asked her about this and she told me that the black cats are descendants of cats brought over by Spanish sailors hundreds of years ago. I didn't believe her story then and I don't believe it now. But it sure makes for a good story.

The dog and I went for a hike up in Friendship Park this morning. The yellow flowers (I think they might be mustard plants, but I'm not sure) were so tall that as I walked through the narrow trails, all I could see around me was a sea of flowers. The birds were chirping and there wasn't another soul around. It all made me feel like I was a million miles away from San Pedro.

It always amazes me when you go somewhere and suddenly find yourself all alone, even though there are millions of people with just a few miles of you.

We saw a billion lizards scurrying around the trails and bushes. Rocket was fascinated by them at first, but lost interest pretty quick. Then we saw a rabbit and Rocket went into hound-dog mode. He loves them furry little critters, he does.

Finally, we saw a giant rattler sunning himself in the path in front of us. I never enjoy seeing those guys. I pulled Rocket close to me and walked around it. Thankfully they both ignored each other.

But the encounter reminded me of a couple of things: There are lots of rattlesnakes in the hills of Los Angeles. And now that summer is coming, they're going to start appearing more frequently. They want to be left alone, but dogs don't always know that. A rattle snake bite isn't always fatal, but it invariably will cost you a lot of money.

It's a blessing to have so many trails around here. But make sure you keep your dogs away from those snakes. 

Every dog owner in San Pedro has heard of it.

"Been down to Trumps?" they'll ask.

They don't mean the golf course. What they're referring to is a stretch of isolated beach near Donald Trump's golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Donald Trump doesn't own this pristine piece of land. And he doesn't really strike me as a dog person anyway -- unless you count the one he wears on his head.

It's the worst-kept secret among dog walkers, but it's a secret nonetheless because, well, it's probably not exactly legal -- government officials tend to frown on dogs running unfettered on local beaches.

It's perfect for people like me. Not only is it fairly close to home, but the last time I took the dog to the stretch of dog-friendly sand in Long Beach, he got halfway to Mexico before I finally caught him. A row of pylons signal the end of the dog beach there, but it's not like I expect my dog to know what a pylon is.

Anyway, the local beach is great. It's secluded. It's mostly surrounded by steep cliffs and rocks, so dogs have a hard time escaping.

The bad news? Well, it's a fairly steep climb getting up and down. That's not really bad news, but if you're not up to it, you'll have a hard time making the journey. And since it's so isolated, there's always a rotting seal carcass or two to make the place smell bad.

So how do you get there?  I'm no snitch. And I don't want to abet lawbreaking so brazenly. But e-mail me and I'll fill you in on the details.

People ask me, "Josh, is Rocket really the loudest dog in the South Bay?"