Silver Lake Los Angeles California

Posted by Charlene Eberle on November 27, 2014

I went to LA last week for a business trip and visited some friends.  My friends who live in Silver Lake took me to a reservoir called Silver Lake. The “Silver” in Silver Lake is not because of the water’s color, but named for the local engineer who built the reservoir. It’s not much of a Lake today due to the drought they are having it’s more like a giant puddle. As you walk around the lake you’re dodging runners, strollers and people walking their dogs. On a bend as you loop up a hill (depending which direction you’re coming from)  you will pass a very large dog park. I totally recognized it from reality TV  shows (ya I do have bad taste in TV). The park is a GIANT sand pit and they don’t allow poop bags. So how do you pick up the poop? With a very large scooper and put it in the garbage. Genius idea BUT with the hot sun beating down on the garbage bins the wafting smell is overwhelming. Enough to knock you out. Having dogs myself I’m so use to the smell of dog poop but this poop smell was just WOWZERS. I thought to myself the surrounding houses that line the park must love the smell.

Smell aside the dogs were having a blast, Running, Jumping, Humping, Sniffing everything. Lots of doggy play dates were happening while their owners took refuge in the shade and watched their dogs play. It was great to see how much Silver Lakers love their dogs. If you can, check out this dog park if anything it’s an easy walk around the lake.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Silver+Lake+Dog+Park/@34.092252,-118.264631,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x142b77db64a80c73

Seymour Demonstration Forest – North Vancouver

Posted by Charlene Eberle on November 6, 2014

Fall is here! And even though it’s been raining Cat’s and Dogs here in Vancouver, the sun did make a  brief appearance last weekend. So we decided to take the dogs  to the Seymour Demonstration Forest in  North Vancouver. This park or forest area is HUGE. So many beautiful off leash trails. After days of rain and the dogs not getting a full run, they went bananas on the trails. So much to sniff, chase, pee and poo on :). This is a fabulous area to go for walk with or without dogs. There are many stops you can make along the the drive up once you’ve entered the forest area, but we drove to the very top just before the gate and parked in the lot to the right of the gate. When facing North we walked to right of the parking lot and found the start of a trail. It was a steep walk down that then evened out along the river. Once you hit the Bridge you can either go across it and keep going or what we did is loop back to the parking lot. That trail walk took about an hour and 45 min. I highly suggest you check it out, especially on a beautiful fall day. The tree’s were just glorious. I give this trail a 10 out 10.

https://www.google.ca/maps/search/Seymour+Demonstration+Forest+-+North+Vancouver/@49.3217493,-122.9889785,13z

The beginning of the trail

Jake posing for me

Cool Tree

Sammy the log model

A doorway to a forest unknown

The Bridge up ahead

The 3 amigos by a water fall

The 3 amigos again at the top of some stairs – Look at those happy faces 🙂

Jake and Oliver Adventures

Posted by Charlene Eberle on September 2, 2014

I’m back! Well I should say Jake and Sammy are back from a lovely summer up at our cabin, so let the blogging commence 🙂

On this somewhat dreary Labour Day weekend we met up with Oliver (a 1 year old Dachshund). Oliver is such an adorable dog. He and Jake just got along so well they didn’t even notice the crappy weather.

We decided to try an off leash park in Burnaby call Confederation Park. At first glance while walking down the paths it seems like any other off leash park in Vancouver. but it was’nt.  The paths are really wide and maybe because it was raining not many people were out walking their dogs. The paths also all intertwine so you can’t get lost, I always get lost 🙂 The park paths are a bit of a downhill /up hill walk so you do get some great exercise too.

Once you get to the top of the park you stumble across some spectacular views of the Burrard Inlet. It was a really crappy day so my pictures are not that great of the inlet. On a sunny day it would be a nice place to stop and enjoy the view. One thing to beware of though, is that there are trains that  run through the top of the park so please be mindful of this as you get closer to the water to have your dog on a leash. Confederation Park is really lovely and despite the noisy trains the views and lovely path make up for the noise. I give this park a 7 out of 10.

On a side note they do have a small Kiddy train if you want to take the kids and the dogs for a walk. The mini train looked like it was hopping busy.

Mini Train

Jake and Oliver (Start of the Walk)

Oliver on the run

Jake at the bottom of the Stairs. We found a path that lead us back up so we avoided these stairs up 😉

Burrard Inlet View

Oliver approves

He approves this view too

Jake and Oliver Pooped

Ok one last Happy pets…I love pets 🙂

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Confederation+Park+Off-Leash+Trail/@49.2838761,-123.0023278,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xceb3c3d735a5041c

Shoreline Trail Port Moody BC

Posted by Charlene Eberle on June 22, 2014

First day of summer!! Went on a fabulous trail walk with my friends super cute dog named Portia. The shore trail has these wonderful views of Deep Cove. The tide was low so it looked like you could walk across the water to the North Shore. I’m sure when the tide is high the view would be even more spectacular. As we walked along the trail we met up with some lovely dog owner and one Australian Kelpie dog who did some fabulous tricks for us. On a beautiful sunny day this was a fabulous trail to walk along. If you live in the Tri City  area and or are looking for a new place to visit with your dog, I give this trail a huge thumbs up.

http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/shoreline-trail/

The Dyke in Maple Ridge

Posted by Charlene Eberle on June 5, 2014

Summer is here! What a beautiful day to go visit a friend who lives in Maple Ridge BC. After our visit I decided to take the dogs to the Dyke. It was so beautiful..The Dyke path that we walked along runs through some vast farmland with gorgeous mountain views. There was a lot of horse poop so I would imagine people take their horses down this same trail so just be on the look out. As you walk along the dyke you can hear this weird bird or frog noise…Not really sure but it was definitely coming from the lily pads in the Dyke. The dogs found a little pond and took a dip to cool off and then off course they ran down the dusty path to rub their wet furry bodies into horse poop and dirt, OH MY!. We only came upon 2 other dogs and their owners seem friendly but who can be grouchy on such a beautiful summers day.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.2424119,-122.622379,17z

Fraser River Off Leash Dog Park

Posted by Charlene Eberle on May 27, 2014

Fraser River Park is an adorable off leash park. It’s located in the up scale neighborhood of Shaughnessy. As you walk along the paths on one side is the Fraser River, the other is lined with large beautiful homes. You can park your car/truck in the parking lot which overlooks a large park area. Once you walk towards the river from the parking lot you will see the paths that will take you down to beaches. The walkways are lined with beautiful blooming trees this time of year. The dogs loved coming across the beaches where we met up with other friendly dogs and their owners. Follow the paths going east and you will come across an area that explains the history of the park (a must see). This would be a great place to go for a picnic and take the dogs. The sun was hot and glorious when we were there.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir//49.207915,-123.150862/@49.2081831,-123.1547534,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m3!4m2!1m0!1m0

Charleson Park (False Creek)

Posted by Charlene Eberle on April 13, 2014

Charleson Park in False Creek brings me back to my time in New York. This little parked tucked away in False Creek is so beautiful. You enter the park off Moberly Road, just off of 6th ave. You can miss it as the park sign is on the right hand side as you drive onto Moberly off 6th (so keep an eye open). There is plenty of parking as well. As you walk into this small forest area you can’t believe that this park is even here amidst all these residential condos. Its a narrow path that then leads you to this oasis that Huge Hefner would be envious of. There is a small grotto, with a beautiful waterfall. The off leash area is lined with beautiful Clematis, Jasmine  and huge Willow trees. The Dogs went nuts! They ran around met some new friends and dove into the water. You can just relax, bask in the sun, while sitting on a rock and watch them all run around having fun. After the dogs had their fun we decided to take a walk down to the Seawall. Depending on where you want to go, the Seawall can take you to Granville Island and or to Science world. As you’re walk along the Seawall you come across birds loving the area ponds, beautiful trees and happy smiley people. I give this park 10 out of 10, a must see if you live in Vancouver. If you’re a visitor this place will make you fall in love with Vancouver, regardless if you have a dog or not.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/49.2669468,-123.124664/49.266995,-123.1242/@49.2665722,-123.1248893,17z/data=!4m3!4m2!1m0!1m0

Macdonald Beach Park (Airport)

Posted by Charlene Eberle on March 30, 2014

WOW what a miserable day we had here today but me and the boys headed out to another Dog Park anyways. MacDonald beach located by the Vancouver Airport. This beach runs along the beginning part of the Fraser River. You can do the trail walk or the River walk. We chose the River walk, maybe next time we will do the trail. The wind and rain were very strong today so we were alone for most of the walk but soon ran into other die hard dog walkers. This park hosts a lot of dog walking companies and one of my favorites called Ruff Stuff. Sammy and  Jake LOVED chasing each other around even though it was COLD and RAINING. Up and down the logs they ran. I think on a sunny day this place would be even better. The River walk is not that long but if you’re lucky and get to catch up with other dogs then its so worth it. Watching them chase each other all of the beach is quite a giggle. This Beach is rated a 5 and I would also rate it a five. This is a great off leash park for the dogs to run…and is very dog friendly.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Vancouver+International+Airport/@49.213939,-123.1671543,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x54860b348627a39b:0xba68ccac86348084

 IMG_5217

Fraser Foreshore Park

Posted by Charlene Eberle on March 25, 2014

I love this park or shall I say pathway. Located at the bottom of Byrne Road in Burnaby BC. This park’s pathway takes you along the Fraser River for 3.9 km. If you’re a bird watcher or photographer, you would love this place even more. As you walk along the path with the old huge willow tress above you cascading into the river you feel like you have left the city behind. The people you meet are super friendly and there are a lot of people walking their dogs. I even saw a girl walking her cat…thank gawd I saw her before Jake did or he would have jetted after the Black feline. There are great places to picnic along the way. Watch for the signs that dogs are not allowed in the picnic areas but if your dog(s) are on a leash that’s fine. Sammy and Jake loved taking pit stops along the way to go have a dip in the water.  It’s a nice walk not a hike you could go back and forth if you wanted more exercise for you and your pooch. I would suggest checking this area out now before the summer months as I have a feeling it will be packed on those hot days. Oh and bring a towel your dogs will get dirty 😀

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Burnaby+Fraser+Foreshore+Park/@49.190362,-122.997124,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x5486760111ae0ae5:0x5587199eb88a23b4

Mcspadden Park East Vancouver

Posted by Charlene Eberle on March 14, 2014

This cute little park located along Victoria Ave, just east of Commercial drive, is a great park for Family’s and Dogs. There is a small little play area for the kids,  tennis courts and a large wide park to throw the ball for the pooch. The people there are super friendly and so are the dogs. IF your dog has bad recall I would not suggest taking your dog off leash as this park is close to a main and somewhat busy street.

The surrounding neighborhood of East Vancouver is super cute. I just love the old homes that line the back end of the park. Jake LOVED it because I threw the ball for him. Jake is a ball obsessed dog but if he chases the ball to much he hurts later so we have to do it moderation now since he’s getting older. Sammy loved it to for the EAR DIVING into smelly goose poo and he like chewing on the grass. If you’re new to East Vancouver and have a family or a dog or both, check it out.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=McSpadden+Park&client=safari&oe=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=mcspadden+park+vancouver&cid=6805787154759669527&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A