Tag Archives: Riggins

Artsy Fartsy

19 Monday Aug 2013

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Martha Rich art on my walls (just a few examples).

Martha Rich art on my walls (just a few examples).

I’m lucky enough to have extremely talented friends. You’ve read about the film folks but there is another crew that are illustrators (at least I think that is the title they would be okay with). My connection to the “illustrators” is my friend Martha. Martha is an inspiration who quit her corporate job and went back to school graduating from the Art Center College of Design and went on to get her Masters at Philadelphia University (at least I think that is where she went … I’m sure she will correct me if I’m wrong. I was wrong. It was University of Pennsylvania. Which is what I originally wrote and thought it was incorrect). She is a ridiculously talented artist. I am so lucky to own a number of her original pieces and prints. I just adore every single one of them. It’s hard to say which of Martha’s pieces hanging on my many walls is my favorite. The two that come to mind is a corset that she had done for an invitation to some art something or other. It hangs in a “cluster” that includes the page from Rolling Stone that featured a drawing she did of Loretta Lynn. I also really love a colorful daisy. It is really pushing the bounds of “normal” Martha style but at the time she was doing a piece of art a day as a project, and the daisy was done specifically for me (since she knew I would love it) and has my birthday date next to her signature (I don’t think it is one of Martha’s favorites.). Of course I also love the men and women underwear pieces, the pictures of breakfast sandwiches and many more.

Super cool Esther Pearl Watson print.

Super cool Esther Pearl Watson print.

One of Martha’s good (and very talented friends) is Esther Pearl Watson. I own a few of Esther’s prints and I love each and every one. Esther and her equally talented husband, Mark invited me to their X-Mas party last year. It included a white elephant gift exchange of handmade items. It’s a little overwhelming to go to a “handmade” gift swap with actual artists! Needless to say my little necklaces that I had put together did not stack up to the creativity and awesomeness everyone else’s gifts showed. I was horrified (since I certainly didn’t deserve it) and ECSTATIC to walk away with a Gary Baseman original sketch. I’m in awe of the talent that covers my walls and I’m so happy to know such wonderfully talented people.

The last time Martha was in town (she still lives in Philly) I met her and some of her friends for dinner. I was the only “non-artist” and, of course, a small sketchbook was making its rounds (I think it belonged to Mark and Esther’s adorable daughter). Since I have little to talk about in the art world the conversation made its way around to Riggins (which is to be expected). The folks around the table (all of them very talented illustrators in their own individual right) sketched their interpretation of “Riggins.” They hadn’t seen a picture of him, the drawings were simply their interpretation of what they thought he looked like.

OF COURSE I framed them! I actually just got around to doing that this past weekendimage (1). Isn’t it amazing???? It’s so “super cool!” I gotta figure out where to hang it. There has got to be some empty wall somewhere in a premium spot!

Check out Martha and friends sites:

Unmade Bed Vs. Poo Foot

15 Thursday Aug 2013

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There are a few things in this world that make me realize humans can be real suckers.  Sushi, for example.  It’s super overpriced RAW fish … you realize you are all getting scammed right?  Or any cup of coffee over 75 cents.  Personally, I’ll never get over paying for bottled water.  One of the things that always puzzles me is making the bed in the morning.  Making a bed in a room that you will spend very little time in before you are going to jump in and mess that bed up all over again seems a bit futile doesn’t it?

photo (4)With all my dog watching I have gotten much better at my daily bed making.  I make my bed and then throw another sheet over it to “lock” it from any furry beast that may jump up on it during the day.  If at all possible I try to cut down on the number of dog hairs I lay my head on at night!  The last couple of days Riggins and I haven’t had any dogs to host so I haven’t been as gung-ho to take the time to make the bed before jumping in it again either later that day for a quick nap or that night for a long snooze.  During this time I’ve had to admit to myself that I would much rather crawl into a messy bed then a strictly made one.  When I make my bed I tuck in the corners and straighten everything out, as I assume you do.  Then when I get in I have to PUSH my legs down to the bottom and flail around for a bit to get everything untucked, comfy, and wrapped around me (or not).  It’s such a pain!  When my bed is just a giant pile of pillows and blankets I can jump in, pull what I want over me, kick off pillows, and snuggle into my own personal human birdie nest.  In the morning I take anything that got pushed off the bed during the night and throw it on top to be snuggled in again later that day.  If a dog takes a blanket, or for that matter all my blankets, I just grab my afghan (that doesn’t live on the bed) wrap myself up in a burrito and lie back down in my own personal comfy cocoon!

Dexter (cocker spaniel) is staying with us again today.  As soon as he showed up we headed off for a hike.  Once home I forced Riggins and him to pose for pictures for this post.  That is when I noticed that Riggins paw was covered in goop.  When I say goop I’m going to have to assume it is animal poop with mother nature attached to it (leaves, twigs, etc.).  He also smelled a lot like dead animal.  AND HE IS HAPPILY HANGING OUT ON MY UNMADE AND UNLOCKED BED!!!  AAAAAAAAHHHHH! (At one point in our adventure I stopped to take pictures of Dexter and me.  When I turned around Riggins had made his way upstream and off trail.  I assume that is where he picked up the dead animal scent and poo foot.)

Now I not only have to give Riggins a bath and make my bed I also have to change the sheets.  Gross.  Thanks a lot Riggins!  Way to screw up a perfectly good “not doing that chore” excuse!

Don’t Try This At Home

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

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photo (1)

Puppy therapy!

Before I start my story let me tell you I know I’m dumb.  This was stupid.  I know better. Shame on me.  There … I think I’ve covered it.   This incident reminds me of the time I doubled up on my migraine medication because I was going to my birthday party later that night and needed to be able to see (migraines cause me vision problems) so I could finish creating my elaborate feathered hair clip.  What I ended up doing was going into a jittery caffeine frenzy with a migraine!

If you read this blog regularly you know that I went on antidepressants last year (long story that you can read more about here).  Recently I ran out of one (I take two).  Every time I saw the empty bottle I thought “I need to re-order these things” but that never turned into action on my part.  Now I realize I could make the prescription ordering procedure much easier by making it automatic but why would I do something so logical?  I had an empty bottle hanging around for a few days.  Then I ran out of my second medication.  Now I HAD to order some up for sure … except I didn’t.  For someone without a job I’m oddly busy!

Then I got weird.  I realize now (well I realized yesterday) that I was going through withdrawal.  You should NEVER EVER EVER EVER stop any medicine without consulting with your doctor especially those meds that zap around in your brain.  I had become beyond tired.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  Originally I chalked it up to excessive exercise for the few hours I was awake, but even with that it’s not normally to require 12+ hours of sleep a day.  For a bit I thought maybe I had a bug that only made me tired!  I also had become “fuzzy” in the brain.  I’d be trying to do work and then would think, “I wanna watch TV.”  Then I’d get up and watch TV only to discover I wasn’t paying attention and would go crawl into bed for some zzzzs.  Focus, which is usually a strength of mine, simply wasn’t there.

My brain felt weird.  Folks that are suffering from Discontinuation Syndrome describe it as “brain zaps,” “brain shocks,” or “brain shivers.”  Brain shivers is a pretty good description.  All I know is that it was weird.  Something was wrong and yet I still hadn’t put two and two together.  I blame the brain zaps!

Finally I realized I couldn’t tolerate situations that should have been easily tolerable.   Little things people said that I should have shrugged off struck me like a knife.  Yesterday I learned from Kona‘s daddy that Kona had a horrible skin irritation that required $300 worth of vet visits and medication.  I lost it.  The thought of poor Kona and the thought that I did that to her (I realize I didn’t … brain zap remember) made me lose it.  THAT’S when I finally figured out my brain was out of whack!  I immediately called in (well I scanned it in through my iPhone) my prescription.  I’m still out of sorts as everything in my system tries to re-balance itself.  I’m sure it will take a while to undo the stupid thing I did.

This was so horribly irresponsible of me.  I could have suffered seizures as a side effect and caused harm to my dogs or others if I was in the car at the time.  I could have had a harder time figuring out what was the cause and headed back into a darker depression.  I’m not going to let that happen again.  I’m keeping these things filled and when I decide it may be time to come off of them I’m going to talk to my doctor and follow his expert advice!

Learn from my stupidity.  Don’t try this at home!

Hiking in Runyon Canyon – Guest Blog

05 Monday Aug 2013

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A few weeks ago my good friend Robyn was visiting from Kansas where she lives with her husband and darling kitty.  During her vacation she wanted to hike Runyon.  Riggins, who loves to be the center of attention with any human, was happy to meet up with Robyn to play tour guide.  Once home Robyn blogged about her doggie hiking adventure and was nice enough to let me re-post it here on WendyandRiggins.com for you to enjoy (head on over to her blog to read more about her and he adventures).  Take it away Robyn!

Hiking in Runyon Canyon

One of the things I really wanted to do on this trip was hike in the amazing hills Southern California has. but which ones? I thought about Turnbull Canyon in my hometown and Griffith Park, but finally decided on Runyon Canyon above Hollywood.I learned about Runyon Canyon from my friend, Wendy. She hikes it regularly with her dog and posts about it on Facebook and her blog. I looked it up online and it sounded like a great hike. I let her know that I was thinking of hiking there on Friday and we made plans to meet.

Now, let me tell you about Wendy. I have known her since I was in 4th grade and she was in 5th. Her sister was in my class. So we went to the same elementary school. When I was in 7th grade and she was in 8th we went to the same junior high. We went to the same high school and I was in Drama class with her for 1 semester (she is a fantastic actress). Then, believe it or not, we went to the same college!!!!!! So I have gone to school with her all the way from elementary through college!!! I reconnected with her on Facebook.

OK, back to the hike!

We met at the top of the trail off of Mulholland.

She had her awesome dog, Riggins, and 2 guests..Bear and Jax. I loved that we did this hike with the dogs!! Runyon Canyon is dog friendly and for most of it the dogs are allowed to be off leash. I had the honor of walking Riggins when he had to be on leash 🙂

Since we started at the top we went downhill (obviously!). The views were spectacular

We went down the easy trail which is wide and gently sloping. You can see the dogs in these pictures, too.

Down there is the foundation of a home that used to sit in the canyon. I believe the owners gave this land for hiking.

A foggy view of Park La Brea. A housing community in Hollywood

Up above is the hardest trail

And the beginning of it

Wendy gave me a choice of which trail to take back up. I did not choose the most difficult. Now Wendy could and and has done that one, but for me it was a little too advanced! My other choices were the one we had just come down which is the longest or a shorter, but steeper hike. I chose the steeper one.

At the bottom, heading up

Century City?

Hollywood and beyond

On the medium trail, looking across to the easy trail and above is the hard one

Oh, and here is what I am hiking

What was I thinking???? LOL. I needed a break. (with the fabulous Riggins!!)

Great view of the Hollywood sign

Look how far we’ve come!!!!

Maybe I am ready for this one???

Maybe not lol.

Hollywood sign again

We made it to the top!!! Wendy said I did really well and I was very proud of myself. It was tough!! But it will make hiking the Kansas Flinthills a breeze lol

there was a home up here and they had this beautiful bougainvillea

Here I am with Jax, Riggings, and Bear

And the fabulous Wendy!!!

More homes in the hills

And a tour bus!!!

2 days later I took these pictures from the parking garage at the Grove. Just to give another perspective. We hiked the trail on the right!

If you ever get a chance to hike in Runyon Canyon I highly recommend it!!

Robyn’s bio (from her blog) – What can I say about me? Well… I am very random and quirky. I live in Kansas, am married to a sexy biker dude who works for Foot Locker and am mom to a crazy cat. I am a runner and vegetarian and I watch entirely too much Reality TV. I am also a Mormon, explorer, crafter, drama queen, native Californian and Spoiled Brat.

I’m Innocent — Honest! (Re-post)

02 Friday Aug 2013

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It’s Friday and that means I’m re-posting one of my older blog rants for you to enjoy!  Below’s post was originally published on Nov. 30, 2010.  I still heart NCIS and all the male characters! Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

I’m Innocent — Honest!

You know I heart NCIS.  It is the greatest show on TV.  I have to say that despite my love for them I was horrified at how the characters came to the conclusion that a victim/suspect was lying and most likely the killer in a recent episode.  (To be honest it may not have been a recent episode as I spent most of the TV summer hiatus watching re-runs.)  My boyfriend (aka Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo – but again to be honest all the male characters are my boyfriend.  Even Ducky.  Seriously.  I love them all.) concluded that a woman was lying since she said she slept alone when her bed was messed up on both sides (meaning no alibi).  It turns out she was indeed lying and was a mistress to some married man and didn’t want to get him in trouble — drama!  When Ziva (or some other logical woman character) suggested she didn’t make her bed everyday (again being fully honest here I don’t remember who said what exactly) he came back with the logical, “but you always sleep on the same side.”

Here is the zinger … I do sleep on both sides!  Not only am I a restless sleeper who can take out any number of blankets, pillows and a comforter within just a few hours I do sleep on both sides of the bed at one night and since I’m lazy, often don’t start with the bed being that put together in the first place.  Here is how my night goes:

Bed hogs! (Picture not part of original post)

Bed hogs! (Picture not part of original post)

I stand over the bed and analyze my strategy.  Then I grab, what may or may not be the corner of a sheet and comforter from the foot of the bed, or one side of the bed, or the floor.  I then toss it up haphazardly to give the illusion of a squared off blanket start to the night.  Then I crawl in on the side of my bed that has the nightlight since I almost always read before going to sleep.  During the reading time I’m wiggling and kicking and willing the covers to make it over my entire body.  This seems easier than just making the bed correctly from the beginning.  Then I set my book down, turn off the light, wiggle closer to the middle, and go to sleep.  At some point, as you know, Riggins decides he wants to come up and join me.  Since he is no dummy he doesn’t go around to the cold unused side.  Instead he stands by the side I’m mostly on and cries until I roll over to the cold unused side, lift up the blankets, pat the bed, and tell him to “up up up.”  (I sometimes have to stand up for him to get the gist and then immediately plop back down on my new side.)  Now I’ve got a few hours to mess up the other side of the bed!  I use my time wisely wrapping and then kicking off blankets and flipping around and around in a pattern that sometimes mirrors Riggins circle, circle, flop routine.

So you see Mr. Special Agent Hottie I DO SLEEP ON BOTH SIDES OF MY BED.  After a night of “sleep” I stand up and it looks like there was a crazy party in my bed the night before.  When in fact it was just me … Riggins and me!

 

Not Patient enough for Pretty

25 Thursday Jul 2013

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Table top low curl turned out and with an unamused Dragon.

Table top low curl turned out and with an unamused Dragon.

At one point during the hour of a Bar Method class you get to ab work.  After knee lifts, shoulder work, arm work, stretching, thigh work, more stretching, and butt work, you move to some leg work that also includes your abs and then you move straight into “kill me know” ab work.  A few days ago the instructor, who just happens to be perfect in every visual way, came up to me and put her hands further away from my already outstretched arms in an attempt to make me work harder and get to a higher sit up position.  I grunted and did it and while doing so realized my gross, dirt caked, dog smelling nails were having to touch her perfectly manicured hands.  I was HORRIFIED.  Not horrified enough to fix it as it happened again the next day with another perfect instructor.  Know your faults and be okay with them.  That’s my theory.  One of my faults is my inability to care about some girly grooming activities.  Nails being number one on that list.

Downward facing dog on a dog.

Downward facing dog on a dog.

I just don’t have the time for it.  Do you realize how stressful and boring it is to sit in one ofthose mani/pedi chairs and have someone do it for you?  Gah!  I almost always screw up something on my way out because I don’t have it in me to wait long enough to let them dry.  I envy those lovely ladies who find the activity relaxing and have a standing weekly appointment at their local nail joint.

I don’t know what my problem is.  I’m super girly in other ways.  If it was socially acceptable I’d be wearing a corset right now.  If I was allowed to walk around in a costume from the Moulin Rouge my life would be so much happier.  My theory about heels?  “The higher the better.”  I managed to do some things, like get my eyebrows waxed.  That only takes a few minutes and is an AMAZING transformation from hideous hairy beast to normal human.   Nails?  Nope.  Ain’t got that kind of time.

At one point I worked down the street from a nail place and forced myself to go there during the summer on a regular basis to get my toes done.  I was pretty happy with myself and my toes actually looked good in summer sandals.  Of course I refused to get away from black nail polish, even in the dog days of summer.  It’s the only color that makes sense to me.  Don’t ask for the logic behind that statement.  There is none.

Cutie Kira with her "my nails are prettier than my Aunts" face.

Cutie Kira with her “my nails are prettier than my Aunts” face.

I’ve never gotten my fingers done on a regular basis.  That’s a SERIOUS waste of time. With my active schedule they look like crap in a matter of hours.  Years ago I was in my boss’ office for a meeting.  A boss I actually respected and looked up to.  She was super stressed and eating lunch as we talked.  I noticed her nails.  They were short.  Really short.  I loved them.  I saw it as a powerful nail cut.  Don’t mess with the chick who has the guts to cut her nails super short.  That’s been my style ever since.  No fuss no muss!

My sister often sends pictures of my niece with her nails newly painted.  She’s 4.  A 4-year-old has more patience than me.  Seems about right.

Discovering LA’s Parks

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

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image (19)Last week while taking the long way (aka I got lost) to the Hermon dog park I passed by the LA River Center and Gardens.  Since I was once an avid customer of the LA River bike path I had read about the center a number of times but never really knew where it was.  I was excited to return and check it out.

Monday Riggins, Dragon, and I set off on our adventure.   The park is located near the corner of Ave. 26 and San Fernando.  Unlike other locations in Los Angeles, it has a huge parking lot.  I assume this is to accommodate special events when they are happening but on a typical Monday it was a breeze finding a shady spot.  I was a little nervous walking in with two dogs.  I had my “the web site said dogs were allowed so f* off” speech all ready.  I never had to use it.  The only people we saw were those who were either working on the gardens or in the few nonprofit organizations that reside within the garden buildings (Friends of the Los Angeles River, Northeast Trees, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, and the National Parks Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.  And yes, I did immediately return home and check their web sites for open positions I could apply for.).  The folks there didn’t seem super happy to have a crazy woman and her two dogs invade their little oasis but they left us alone.

Inside the buildings courtyard is pretty darn amazing.  Oddly enough it reminded me of the Leela Palace in Bangalore that I had visited while I was there.  Except it wasn’t as grand, you couldn’t get an amazingly americanized brunch, and Bangalore wasn’t just outside the gates.  It did share the fact that it is a lovely oasis in the middle of a city (and, if we were being honest, not the best area within the city) with beautiful plants and architecture that gave you a place to get away and just wander around.  The dogs and I did a couple of loops checking out all the nooks and crannies and looking for the perfect photo backgrounds.  Much to Dragon and Riggins dismay there were almost limitless pretty picture options!

photo (16)Just outside the courtyard you will find the bicycle staging area.  It has a drinking fountain, tire pump, and other facilities cyclists may need.  I had expected the center to back up right to the bike path but it doesn’t.  There is train tracks and the actual river between the end of the bike path and the center.  To get there on bike you would have to take some LA streets.  Not my favorite on my bike, but good to know it is there if I ever need it.

Just past the courtyard is the actual River Garden Park.  It’s kinda crappy.  I’m sure it’s amazing when it is clear of weirdos hanging out and the water element is on but that isn’t what we experienced.  It’s tiny and separated from the center so not really a positive or negative addition.

I have to say the courtyard would be an AMAZING location for a special event.  I’ve spent the last hour looking at photos of folks who have had their wedding there.  There is even a beautiful outdoor fireplace and a built-in bar.  It’s designed for a party.  Based on the reviews I read it is crazy expensive.  Still, it would make a wonderful location for my 40th birthday party.  I just need to win the lotto and make a crapload of more friends before next March!

We hadn’t done nearly enough walking to poop out the dogs so on our way home we stopped by another park, Rio De Los Angeles State Park.  What a friggin’ gem that is!  It is image (21)huge, very clean, and pretty.  They have some spectacular playground equipment complete with a water park!  It also has tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, softball fields, soccer fields, and a walking trail.  The dogs and I took the walking trail.  It’s an easy loop that takes you down close to the railroad tracks (and therefore the river).  It has been restored to look like the wetlands the area once was, which makes it another time-out from the city just beyond the gates.  When we were there the majority of folks at the park were on the soccer field.  There were only 2 kids on the play equipment and only 1 very smart child having fun in the water.  I got close to take pictures and couldn’t help but laugh at his happy giggles.  He was having way too much fun.  I wanted to leave the dogs with his nanny (I’m assuming) and go have fun with him!  I honestly don’t know why everyone with kids isn’t there everyday!  My mom suggested perhaps it wasn’t a safe neighborhood.  Ok.  I’ll give you that.  Outside the gates is a bit of a crapshoot.  That area is mostly industrial.  The FedEx joint is next door and the Kia dealership is a bit further down the road.  When I had a crappy Kia that’s where I’d go for service and then walk across the street to this dive burger joint for THE BEST breakfast sandwich of all time.  I was the only woman customer there and the only person that would mark “white” when asked ethnicity on a form but I never felt unsafe.  It is technically on the edge of Glassell Park which isn’t known for its safe and gun free neighborhoods but come on … what neighborhood is really safe?  The park is clean, well-kept up, and oodles of fun.  Just hit the ground if you hear gunshots.

Trash the Retractable

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

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pizap.com13746056976801I had an incident this morning that caused me to have to push the other topic I was planning to discuss today and write about it instead.  I was driving Riggins and Dragon to the Silver Lake reservoir to walk around it and spend some time in the dog park.  On a major street heading that way I eyed trouble about to happen on the sidewalk.  A woman (I’m horrible at ages but let’s say mid 50 ish) was walking her two small dogs with a skateboarder coming straight toward her.  This teenage jackass proceeded to skate almost in between the woman and her dogs sending both her dogs into a tizzy.  That caused the skateboarder to become off-balance adding to the chaos.  One dog, freaked out by both the skateboard and the skateboarder almost falling on him, ran for his life.  Ran for his life right into the street which he was able to do because he was on a retractable leash and had the freedom to do so.  To stop from hitting the dog I had to come to a very sudden stop sending poor Dragon, who was not in a seat belt (get your dog a seat belt), slamming against the back of my chair.  I stayed there for a good couple of beats before the dog walker managed to get over the shock of her near collision with the asshole skateboarder to even realize her dog was almost under my car.

Let’s pause for a second to think selfishly about me.  Do you realize how traumatized I would be if I hit a dog with my car?  It would be the end of my fragile mental state as we know it.

There was more than one person that caused this almost disaster.  First of all the skateboarder.  Dude, what are you thinking?  EVERYONE knows that dogs don’t like skateboards and usually anything with wheels.  Don’t act dumb.  Sure you may think it is the dog owners responsibility to train his/her dog not to overreact to you zipping by but 90% of us (including me) haven’t taken the time to do this.  So what are you thinking?  You vs. dog (any dog) you lose, so stop being so dense.  The youngins in my hood have had the snot scared out of them enough that they now pop up and off their board carrying it as they pass Riggins.  Smart kids.

Now for the dog walker.  I use to be nice, skating around the issue of retractable leashes.  I didn’t like them but if you wanted to use it so be it.  I’m done with those niceties.  DON’T USE A RETRACTABLE DOG LEASH.  There was an article recently on one of the dog blogs (if I wasn’t so lazy I’d look it up for you) talking about the rules of using a retractable dog leash so that it is safe.  This woman was going against two of these rules (as I remember them):

  1. She was walking more than one dog at a time.  Retractable leashes shouldn’t be used but they REALLY shouldn’t be used if you taking more than one dog on a walk.  It’s too hard to control the leash when you are dealing with multiple dogs.  Not to mention it adds a level of danger to the safety of the dogs and you as they get tangled up together.
  2. She wasn’t aware of her “leash circle.”  When using a retractable leash you need to be constantly aware of the area ALL AROUND you where the dog can go.  This is true of a non-retractable lead as well but at least it doesn’t have the choice of getting larger.

Now with all that said I’m still standing firm by my earlier exclamation.  Don’t use retractable dog leashes.

When I first got Riggins I knew little about dog training and dog ownership.  I quickly started reading and watching how-to videos/books.  Every single dog specialist said to get pizap.com13746081854961a non-retractable lead and a majority even call for leather.  When I’m doing something new I tend to look to those who are better than me for advice.   Seems sane right?  If they are better than me they must be doing something right so why don’t I take advantage of that knowledge.  Pre-research I was planning on getting a retractable leash (gasp).  It just seemed more convenient.  Some of you are shaking your head thinking how big Riggins is and some pro-retractables will say big dogs shouldn’t have them just the tiny ones.  Let me remind you as a puppy Riggins was tiny.  Super tiny.  I felt like his lead dwarfed him and was even questioning my decision at that point.  Once we went to puppy classes and anyone with a retractable leash had to go buy a lead that very second, I knew I had made the right decision.  The trainer wouldn’t even allow retractable leashes in his class.  That was good enough for me.

Now I know if you use a retractable leash you are going to say you can handle it and that you are fully aware of your surroundings.  I can guarantee the dog walker I saw this morning would have said the same thing.  That was until some moron came careening at her on a skateboard.  What I’m saying is that you can’t predict what is going to happen so I’m not buying this pro-retractable argument.

You are going to say that you are an expert at “locking” the leash and pulling it back.  I will say that I’m good at texting and driving.  It doesn’t make it safe.  Not buying that point either.

You are going to say that you have a small dog and have total control of him/her while on a walk.  Again I’m sure the woman I saw this morning would say the same thing.  Her dog almost got squashed.

pizap.com13746051413031In fact in that pro-retractable article I mentioned earlier (okay I’ll try to find it for you) I read a number of the reader comments and I didn’t buy a single one of the retractable arguments.  Those folks are putting a lot of faith in the outside world, a heaping of luck, and on their own mental sharpness.  I don’t know about you but my mind wonders while I’m walking the dogs.  I’m not on 24/7 alert for that entire hour to two-hour jaunt.  I can admit that why can’t they?

I’m not being nice about it any more.  Trash the retractable.  Head to your local pet store, or online store, and buy yourself a non-retractable lead.  It can be skinny if your dog is small.  It can be huge and fat if your dog is big.  I don’t care the size of your dog, what kind of retractable expert you are, how trained your dog is … TRASH THE RETRACTABLE.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

18 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by in Riggins, Uncategorized

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The Bad & The Ugly –

photo (13)Today I took the Fantastic Four, Riggins, Bear, Jax & Dragon up to the observatory via the Fern Dell trail.  They all did great, and once we took a time out at the top we started back down.  On the way up we had passed a dozen or so dogs and even more humans.  My pack had no issues with anyone.  Some dogs they ignored while others everyone wanted to say hi (aka sniff butts).  There was no growling, no fighting, no lunging, no issues.

On the way down I had gone just a few steps when I saw a women coming up with 3 dogs.  She looked like she had stopped in the shade to rest (she wasn’t in the best of shape).  As we got closer she started to scream “PULL YOUR DOGS BACK.  PULL THEM BACK.  PULL YOUR DOGS BACK!”  Her dogs seemed fine at that moment.  One was crouched down in a “staking” mode but that isn’t uncommon for dogs.  The other two didn’t seem to care one way or the other that their mom had gone crazy.  I ignored her as I walked past keeping my guys as far away as the path allowed.  She kept screaming at me, which triggered one of her dogs to lose his shit and start barking aggressively.  Smallish dog … I didn’t think it was a problem as I figured, even with three dogs, she could keep such a small guy contained on leash.  Finally, after more outbursts from her, I had to point out the obvious:  1.  She was crazy.  2.  If she was so worried about her dogs meeting other animals she shouldn’t take them to a public location.  Well, that did nothing but throw fuel on the crazy fire.  She went, what I would consider, “ape shit.”  Looking back she is lucky I was in no mood for a fight because it would have been so fun to fight with her.  She started following me screaming that I had no right to have 5 dogs that I couldn’t control (Please note my puppers where pretty afraid of the woman shrieking at them so where keeping as far away as possible, not barking, and not causing any problems … which is actually pretty shocking).  It didn’t help that my response to this was that she couldn’t count.  5 dogs?  Was she counting me?  By then I was far enough away to mumble, “bitch” under my breath before moving on.

30 ish seconds later I let Riggins off leash to trot along beside us without being tethered to me.  You know what happened when I let that vicious creature that I couldn’t control free?  Nothing.  He walked all the way down past many more dogs and many more people and didn’t have a single problem … none of us did.

On the other hand I could hear crazy yelling at more people further up on the trail.  I assume she left carnage from her ridiculousness all the way up and down that path.  This “incident” had two things that make me insane and start to feel all stabby.

image (17)First of all, don’t question my ability to care for my dogs.  Don’t you dare.  This happens more often than you would think and usually I get adequately pissed off to cause a scene.  Once a young man was walking down the street to Runyon with Riggins and me scolding me the entire time about Riggins wearing a retriever bell.  I was polite at first and then verbally destroyed him to the point he turned around and went back to his car.  RETREAT!!!  I care for Riggins and my guest dogs with love and extreme passion.  For you to suggest otherwise really chaps my hide!

Secondly, this woman couldn’t admit SHE was in the wrong.  Obviously she had gotten in too far over her head bringing her dogs there (BTW she did yell at me that her aggressive dog was a shelter dog and I needed to have more compassion … yah I really need to work

Walking nicely together.

Walking nicely together.

on showing more compassion to dogs … it’s a huge problem for me) and instead of apologizing and moving on she choose to channel her embarrassment into angry toward an innocent bystander.  Why?  All that does is make more people feel bad.  When I walk aggressive dogs, like Bud, I ONLY walk them alone and when passing a dog that looks like he/she will get close tell the owner that my dog isn’t being very nice today so I am going to keep him away from their dog.  SEE WHAT I DID THERE … MADE IT TOTALLY MY RESPONSIBILITY … BECAUSE IT IS … I BROUGHT THE AGGRESSIVE DOG … MY RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE IT IS DONE SAFELY.

This happens a lot in life.  How many times have you seen something like this play out in the work place?  Embarrassment or fear causes us to push blame on others instead of accepting it.  It’s so much better to accept, apologize, find a solution, and move on.

The ugly part?  Well that chick was ugly … YOU UGLY!

The Good – 

I have found a new favorite dog park.  The Hermon Dog Park right off the 110 just outside image (19)of downtown LA.  When I walked up to the park gate I wasn’t really impressed.  It is smaller than other dog parks I go to and is all dirt.  There is a sign that says it was named one of the best 10 parks in 2009 (or something like that … don’t quote me on those numbers) and my first thought was, “why?”  It’s pretty much a big ol’ fenced in dirt lot.  Turns out I was wrong.  It is really a very nice park and what makes it that way are the people.

Dog park people are weird.  I’m allowed to say that as I’m one of them.  Each dog park has its own personality and its own “type” of people.  Hermon Dog Park, like the area it sits in, is home to many different types of people.  My experience is that they are like the Silver Lake dog folks but less freaky and more grown up.  That’s a good thing!

I can go to a dog park and not really interact with anyone.  There is usually the “regulars” who form a gang at a central location and you enter at your own risk.  It’s a lot like high school.  Normally I head to a location that is comfortable, stick in my earbuds, and laugh out loud to an Adam Carolla podcast.  At the Hermon park everyone was so nice and welcoming I had to take my earbuds out in order to have conversations … I know … wacky.  I had invaded their park with 4 dogs (dog parks around here only allow each person to bring 3 dogs so I was technically breaking the rules … not something I suggest doing) and they were nothing but sweet and nice to me and the pups.  They get a bright shiny gold star from me!

My previous favorite dog park was the Pasadena Dog Park and it still has a place in my image (16)heart.  I had avoided taking all 4 dogs there simply because it is full of Pasadena Dog Park people … who can sometimes be a little judgy (don’t tell them I said that).  Yesterday I planned to take only my guest dogs to the park but Riggins looked so sad I added him to the outing at the last-minute.  Turns out, that day and hour, I had nothing to worry about and the folks at the Pasadena location were super nice and not judgy at all … shame on me for assuming otherwise.

Jumping to that conclusion was my fault.  I am sorry.  In the future I won’t make assumptions based on sweeping generalizations I make about other visitors of the parks.  Have a good night!  (accept, apologize, find a solution, and move on … see not hard!)