SLO has gone to the dogs…

Cici got to travel on a Tiki tour boat and see/hear the sea otters, seals and seal lions in Morro Bay.  She kept looking around and sniffing for fish.

And we met a chi-wow-wow named Lillie who out-diva’d my polka dot princess.  Seriously this tiny pup has x-ray eyes, follows her guardian man Leslie wherever he goes and does not stop shaking until he comes back to her. Then she sat on my chest and went into Zen meditation mode. What a cutie, am missing her already.  (me and Lillie and her dad Leslie at Thomas Organics restaurant in Paso Robles).

Emma, some kind of heeler, herder puppy, two years old, with a black eye, Cici and Emma had some fun together playing, jawing, wrestling, running around on the beach.

April, an adorable Beagle mix, also white but with some brindle/brown markings. Cici and April chased one another, too.  Here are most of the dogs walking with Robyn.

Zoe, the Saluki, kind of kept to herself (I think she is kind of scared of other dogs) and she is a lapdog.

and Demi (who I keep wanting to call Murphy), a Heinz 57 type of gal with her mom Deb at the Ecluse Winery (Deb took all of these photos except the Saluki).

can you imagine a more diverse group of dogs???

All of the dogs are female and they and their owners/guardians and I went on a press trip (very intense) for three days and two nights to San Luis Obispo county (seven cities in three days)… whew !!!     (Cambria, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles).   www.visitSanLuisObispoCounty.com

will be writing more about the FUN we had and the dog friendly places we met along the way in future blog posts including one for  Mama’s Day which is coming up May 12.

All of the dogs also got to meet some white Labs and a blind dog named Toby at the Ecluse winery in Paso Robles.

A great time was had by ALL…lots of divine food, wine and treats and s’mores at Grover Beach…

well except for one day…  every dog has her day…

Cici’s terrible horrible no good very bad day…

well, you know that Cici has three nemesis, right…

1. cats

2. bull dogs

3. skateboards (and scooters)

all three of the above make her freak out… bark and act like she is having a canine melt down…

and guess what happened to my girl?

she met all three of her nemesis in ONE day… and she flipped out….

otherwise, we all had tons of fun…

More about the trip/media tour…

 

http://baywoof.com/featured-article/first-ever-dog-friendly-media-tour-sniffs-out-the-best-in-san-luis-obispo/

http://jetsetextra.com/destinations/north-america/united-states/california/san-luis-obispo/san-luis-obispo-county-welcomes-your-furry-little-friend

Lily

http://www.jetsetextra.com/destinations/north-america/united-states/california/san-luis-obispo/san-luis-obispo-county-welcomes-your-furry-little-friend-day-2

happy 5 years old

wow, time flies when you rescue a puppy and write about her… my baby is all grown up now !

Happy Birthday to my dear sweet polka dot princess Cici !

August 1 is my cici’s fifth birthday… and there are a few items she really wants… a new collar, leash, bed, if you would like to give her a gift, here’s our wish list, http://thegivingpaw.com/member​s/ciciwriter/ thanks !!!

Dear Cici,

Woof woof!

We want to wish you a very Happy Birthday full of love and joy and tail wagging. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate it with you!

Cici will be profiled today with other birthday doggies on Dogster’s special Birthday Stroll.

Since it’s your birthday we want to give you something special, so we have given you 25 Dogster bones and one vote of 5 Paws! Dogster loves you!

Sincerely,
Your Friends at Dogster

 

from Fetch Dog:

 

Cici

 

We are invited to a local seafood restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf with a pet friendly patio so am thinking I shall bring the polka dot princess there for lunch. She has her own menu, choice of burger or chicken patty served on a frisbee, woof !  Will tell you MORE about it after we go… it’s on Fisherman’s Wharf and a local favorite called Abalonetti’s. Lots of calamari, fish and chips, pasta, abalone, clam chowder and other freshly caught seafood. Yum.

http://www.abalonettimonterey.com/review.htm

Would like to go on a whale watching tour, but not with Cici. She’d be licking everyone on the boat and if she could, she would probably kiss the whales and dolphins, too 🙂

http://montereywharf.com/index.php?page=things-to-do

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is going on this weekend, was hoping to go but looks like it’s not going to happen.

if I were going to have a barkday party for Cici, first I’d invite all of her furry friends, including all of YOU…and your puppies…

We’d have pizza full of ham, sausage, bacon and liver… doggie meat lovers pie !

a peanut butter and cheese cake

treat and toy gift bags

Bowser Beer

Games:

play Smash the M. Vick Pinada

Chew the Tail off the M. Vick doll

Chase, wrestle, roll over and run on the grass

Entertainment:

Dog Singer/Piano Player

the birds fly over Jenner…

did you know that Alfred Hitchcock filmed some of the movie the Birds in Jenner and the crows were flown in by helicopters? Tippi Hedrin, the leading lady star of the movie visits Bodega Bay at least once a year and she is a pet lover and animal activist. She founded the Shambala Preserve in Acton, Calif for wild cats and is open to the public one weekend a month. There are more than 177 types of birds in the area including Osprey and numerous places to bird watch including trails. Dogs are not allowed on most trails.

Film locations of the movie The Birds in Bodega Bay include Bay Hill Road, Potter School House, six miles south of Bodega behind St. Theresa’s Church, Taylor Street, Tides Wharf restaurant and boat dock, and Brenner House at the end of the film.

The Jenner Inn where we stayed is a very quaint, romantic and historic location… The rooms at the Jenner Inn are named for the Jenner men, Captain Will, Charles, Elijah (one of them was a writer) and other rooms are named for birds and a madame.

the six pet rooms (there are 21 rooms total) all have porches and several offer easy access to a big meadow where dogs can explore, run around and sniff… the meadow has a creek and meditation spots. the pet friendly rooms include the Tree House, Fanny Jewell, Lookout and Hideaway, two bedroom rental homes with private hot tubs, fireplaces and satellite TV, Captain Will’s and the Mill Cottage. There is a pet fee of $35 per dog and pet amenities include treats and waste bags.

we stayed at the Captain Will’s suite, a cottage with kitchen and living room and bedroom, fireplace and its own porch with a lovely view of the river… there is TV and internet access, lovely antiques, and a loft with ladder for kids. there also is a computer in the parlor in the main house…

down the Highway, a few miles is Goat Rock beach, part of which, 2-1/2 miles, is supposed to be dog friendly but we could not access it (blind beach) because of the BIG HUGE ROCKS plus there was a sign that said that it was one of the most dangerous beaches, daunting, the other part of the beach is not open to dogs because of the seals who are having seal pups right now. Jenner’s visitor center is open two days a week and is run by volunteers of an environmental group.

Afternoon tea offers delightful scones and coffee and tea. A vegetarian breakfast is served at the restaurant in the morning with scrambled eggs, scones or muffins, tea, coffee, and fruits.

Weddings, retreats, and workshops happen at the Inn and returning guests. One couple stayed at the Inn on their honeymoon.

There is a gas station and market next door to the Jenner Inn, a cafe across the street as well as a dog friendly shop with crystals, fun educational games/toys for kids and crystals, sea shells and other gifts plus hand lotions and massage oils. The owner, Joel Martin, has also been in the area for 30 years.

Pooch friendly restaurants in Bodega include The Boat House, with the yummiest fish and chips ever, Road House Coffee, Brisas Del Mar, Spud Point Crab Co., Lucas Wharf, Island Deli, The Dog House, and Captain Daveys…

a few miles away from Jenner is the town of Duncan Mills which offers a bunch of dog friendly stores and a wine and cheese shop (tastings cost money and the people although they allow dogs did not give treats nor seem particularly human friendly)… some fun shops included Jim and Willies (with a cute dog named Willie), Pig Alley, Weavers and Dreamers (with very lifelike stuffed dogs, even a Dalmatian, so cute and most importantly, treats for dogs), Studio Nouveau (scrumptious chocolate), Horse and Butterfly tea shop, Worldly Goods (on site dog sometimes there), some antique stores, and more.

And a few more miles down the road is the town of Monte Rio which has a dog beach, and two guys that spin dog and other hair into yarns and make hats and other items for sale.

three mary’s who work for the nunn’s…

Many tourists come to Cambria to visit the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, a few miles north…Another popular point of interest is the Elephant Seal Rookery.   we did not visit either place.  We did go to the East and West Villages in Cambria where there are many shops and restaurants and found out that there is a dog bakery, where Cici got some special treats and sampled her little heart out. The owner is moving the shop either into town or the bay area, she wasn’t sure.

There is also an animal rescue place, not very friendly.

And the people in town, tourists and shopkeepers seemed very pet friendly. The farmers market does not allow dogs and a few other places said no dogs…  there is a dog park, we didn’t go to either. And a shop that has rubber stamps of wild animals and dogs…

Now for the best part, really fun, beautiful and one of the best inns EVER in creation…

You can’t make this up… The three innkeepers who work for the Nunn’s at the Blue Whale Inn are mary margaret, mary helen, and mary ann…

ok this is paradise, just so you know…

Love is in the details… and Real honest excellent customer service…

When staying at a bed and breakfast, right across from the ocean, this inn has all the right touches, our room was delicious, the outside of the inn is decorated with pumpkins, like a cute little gingerbread home, my bed had a canopy with French and English fabric material across the top, my room also had a very romantic fireplace, that works with a flip of the switch, an armoire, writing desk, waters in the fridge, a couch, Mary put the dog sheets on the bed and couch plus a dog bed, gave cici a gift bag of Halloween doggie treats, dog bowl, and dog toy….

this is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the gorgeous beach.  mary gave me chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies that were very yummy, and there were chocolates in a jar in the room, all of the homey touches add up… customer service was the best, K9 approved FOUR PAWS UP…

and breakfast was scrumptious, fresh fruit with yogurt, scrambled eggs with spinach and onion and cheese, plus orange juice, chicken sausage, and english muffin, and fresh coffee cake.

they have six rooms with two pet friendly ones… they also have other inns and cottages (see below).

The Blue Whale Inn is Cambria’s only AAA rated Four-Diamond Bed & Breakfast located on the bluffs above the ocean on Moonstone Beach Drive in Cambria.  These are quiet, luxurious mini-suites in a beautiful garden and oceanfront setting.

http://www.bluewhaleinn.com

The owners also offer beach cottages in Cambria and properties in the Paso Robles wine country. One is at the airport, the other accomodates horses and is on Creston road. Paso Robles is approximately 25 miles inland from Cambria.

View the vacation rental properties online at:

http://www.cambriabeachbungalow.com
http://www.ameliasloft.com

http://www.crestonroadhouse.com

800-753-9000