terra non firma

this is not my dog.

this is luke. and matteo. matteo and I volunteer for a very worthy organization called PawsLA. the purpose of this organization is to provide animal care for people with terminal or disabling illnesses. They provide a variety of services free of charge, including veterinary care, pet food, grooming, transportation of animals to vet and grooming appointments and services such as dog walking and litter box cleaning.

matteo and I have been fortunate enough to be matched with luke - a sweet, happy black lab/golden retriever. one of my new years resolutions was not necessarily to volunteer more (I thought I fulfilled my community service requirement at the schindler house) but to walk more in Los Angeles. now I walk luke several times a week, exploring west hollywood at dusk. its a great neighborhood to explore on foot. beautiful homes, vibrant street life (on santa monica blvd), everything is in bloom right now and smells amazing at sunset. and LA is the most dog-friendly city I've ever lived in. restaurant owners bring out water for luke, a dry cleaners on SM leaves doggie biscuits by the door for the neighborhood pets, trader joe's sells organic, all-natural chewy chicken sticks. you'll have to excuse my wide-eyed wonder - I've never owned a dog and am still getting accustomed to the serious subculture of dog owners in this town.

we've also found (thanks to matteo) a great, almost secret park on curson and hollywood, combining the landscape architecture of Mexico, Japan, and the Mediterranean that luke likes to run around in. if you have the time, I highly encourage you to look into this organization. and luke, matteo and I will meet you at the park.

posted by marissa @ 9:35 PM