LA Dog-Friendly Digs- November 14, 2011- Private Yard

Finding housing in this city with a private yard is next to impossible.  Add to that dog-friendly and you are looking a very few options.  Add to that a budget and you will find yourself in my position 2 years ago.  Nightmare!

However, I got very lucky and found the place of my dreams in a budget I could work with and I am still here over 2 years later.  It took weeks of scouring craigslist and visiting places before I found the right place.

Lucky for you... you have me!  I did a bit of research and found a few options for various budgets/living situations.  A lot of the apartments you will find with private yards are guest houses in the valley, but once in a while you will find something a little different.  Just be patient and flexible...

Pasadena- 1br guest house cottage with fenced yard and hardwood floors- $965

Studio City- 1br second floor guest house with private yard and large kitchen, 1 block from park- $1250

Glendale- 2br rear house with hardwood floors and private fenced yard- $1375

West Hollywood- 1br guest house by The Grove with private yard and utilities/internet included- $1695

Studio City- 1br detached guest house with lofted ceilings and french doors to a private yard with patio- $1700

Pasadena- 3br house in Pasadena's Bungalow Heaven Historical District with fenced yard- $2100

Marina Del Ray- 2br 2.5ba townhouse on the marina with private yard, balcony, and boat slip access - $2150

Ok, so that last one is like my dream apartment but I need a little more money and a job on the Westside to pull that off.  Someday...

As usual, if there is a part of town, budget, or type of apartment you would like me to focus on, please let me know!  Look for our next LA Dog-Friendly Digs post next Sunday.
  

Fun Friday News- November 11, 2011

Happy Friday everyone!  More importantly, Happy Veteran's Day and a big thank you to all of our human and doggy veterans.  I hope that some of you were lucky enough to get today off of work (so jealous!).

Best Friends Animal Society is hosting the first annual National Animal Shelter Check-In Day tomorrow (Saturday November 12) to bring awareness to homeless pets through their Invisible Dogs campaign.  Here's how it works:

1. Go to your local animal shelter
2. Check-in using foursquare on your phone (see website for participating shelters)
3. Take a picture of a dog in need of a home and post it to your Twitter or Facebook account with with hashtag #invisibledogs

As the website says, the campaign is "designed to put shelter dogs in the spotlight so they have the best odds at finding forever homes."  Who can argue with that?

And something else for you to do this weekend... 

Do you have a dog with unusual behavior issues or aggression?  Well you are in luck because auditions for the next season of the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan are taking place in Glendale on Tuesday (and Woodland Hills on the 27th)!  The show requires a video of your dog's behavior as a part of the submission so take advantage of this rainy weekend to start filming!  See the website for more submission and audition details (and good luck!).
  

Feeling Fat and Lazy BEFORE the Holidays?

We are.  And that is terrifying because the holidays only seem to make it worse (i.e. too much turkey and Christmas cookies).  So why not start off the holiday season in a good routine and use your pup as an excuse to get moving?

While there are a million things to do in this city to get some fresh air and some exercise, I have been craving a good hike now that the weather has cooled down.  I went on Meetup.com to look for a group of dog friendly-hikers and stumbled on a few great groups:

Early Bird Hiking- This group has hikes scheduled for almost every day (both morning and evening), so there is no excuse for not being able to find time!  Many of their hikes are dog-friendly (such as tonight's full moon hike at Beaudry Loop... although RSVP is closed already for this one) so RSVP quickly and snag a spot on the next hike.

Los Angeles Dog Adventurers- For the more adventurous, this group does overnight camping trips, rock climbing outings, and even a few parties!

Singles with Dogs!- Not sure what kinds of fun outings they do... but if you fit both criteria, become a member and find out (and let me know!)!

These are just a few of many Meetup hiking groups, so get off of the couch (Bo- I'm talking to you!) and get moving!  There are also dog-friendly yoga groups and groups that do fun trips/social outings so your options are endless.  Find something that works for you, meet some new people with pups, and get ahead of the holiday season fitness lull.
  

We're Baaaack!

It's truly amazing how you can seemingly blink for a second and suddenly months have passed. It's like I opened my eyes and we are smack in the middle of the season of pumpkins and college football!

     

I know it has been a while... I let life get in the way a bit for the past few months. However, it's time to turn over a new leaf and I have a lot of exciting news to share. As usual, the summer was filled with lots of BBQs, parties, visitors, and fun so the weekends tended to slip away (as they always do I suppose!). In addition, Bo and I were so happy to have Walker move in with us last month... now I am outnumbered by boys! Both Walker and I have gotten new jobs recently and Bo has decided that his new "spot" to hang out is on top of the big pillows on the couch. As you can tell, it has been a time of a lot of change! So we are looking forward to a wonderful holiday season now that we are all settled.

I welcome you back to enjoy more dog-friendly fun with us!  We've missed you.  :)