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07-19-2006, 10:18 AM | #1 |
YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 6,238
| [News] At This Club, Party Hounds Raise the Woof After 13 years living in Southern California, I'm finally walking down the red carpet. But the camera flashes are for the honey-eyed redhead who has accompanied me to the Woofer's Ball, a special event at SkyBark. That's not a typo. SkyBark is the canine version of SkyBar, the Mondrian Hotel's iconic gathering place for the Hollywood elite. Like its namesake, SkyBark also offers spectacular views of L.A., only this club -- and only this club -- allows dogs to accompany their owners for a couple of drinks. (Rover can sip on "Dogwa.") And who cares if SkyBark is just a "seasonal private party" held at the headquarters of PETaPOTTY (the dog version of Port-A-Potty) in a seedy section of L.A. The dogs certainly don't. And the human beings don't seem to mind either. "So who's this?" emcee Addison Witt shouts out. "This is Star," I respond, laughing to myself. Unlike the real stars this late June evening, my Star, an 18-month-old Heinz 57 rescue, was so named because of her role in a veterinary endoscopy video. Tonight's soiree is showcasing the "Dream Team," seven four-legged clients of LePaws, the first talent agency for pets that's open to the public. The spotlight is focused on "VIPooches" like Lola, a three-year-old Pomeranian who looks more like a teddy bear. "She has her own Lamborghini and lives on the ocean in Laguna Beach," her owner, contractor Ron Hudson, tells me. He's only half kidding. Lola has her own room as well as a personal assistant responsible for picking out her wardrobe. Mr. Hudson's wife, Melissa, says 20 to 30 people a day come into the shoe store where she works just to gawk at her -- Lola, that is. Ann Scherz, my other date for the evening, calls me over to check out the silent auction area -- tables with gift baskets brimming with pet treats and other high-end canine products like White Bites, an "oral care dog treat"; SnoreStop, "a homeopathic anti-snoring oral spray"; and Animulets: "Fine Healing Jewelry for Pets and their People." Unfortunately, the magic of the moment is interrupted by an all-too-familiar smell wafting up from the floor -- the perfect time to brave the chaotic currents of frantic dogs underfoot and find another location. Miss Scherz struggles to hold on to Star as we head to "The Survivor's Wall." Posted here are the tearful tales of dogs like Walden, Teddy and Sedona -- all cancer survivors. If you think this has all the makings of a reality show, you'd be right. Unlike the previous evening's mellower gathering, tonight's party is being taped by Lifetime TV for its coming docudrama "Off the Leash," a show about turning pets into movie stars that is scheduled for October. "It's a good thing this is also a benefit," Miss Scherz tells me. "Or else people might think this is over the top." Looking across the room, I see a minuscule pink Maltese licking the fingers of a woman in pink. No matter. Each SkyBark event donates a portion of the proceeds to an animal-worthy cause. This includes 10% of the cover charge plus all funds from the silent auctions. The inaugural event, in late March, raised over $4,000 for New Leash on Life, an animal rescue organization. Tonight it's Animal Avengers, a local rescue founded by actress Shannon Elizabeth. SkyBark is the brainchild of 33-year-old Brandon Hochman, a former pro snowboarder who invented a portable potty device. Because he traveled so much, Mr. Hochman had to rely on dog sitters, who weren't always reliable. After several carpet soilings, courtesy of Lucy and Lucky, his two black Labs, Mr. Hochman thought, "What if I bring the lawn upstairs?" "I put some sod in a little wooden box and without any coaching they knew exactly what to do." Soon afterward, Mr. Hochman found a partner, secured funding and created PETaPOTTY in 2002. Then, following Hurricane Katrina, he came up with the SkyBark concept. He could help raise money for animal rescue organizations while promoting his product. "We're the first people to charge admission for dogs," Mr. Hochman says. Come August, the bow-wow boîte hits Boston. In September, it'll be in Las Vegas. As for the pink pup, Miss Kisses, I sensed a bit of competition with her owner, Kitten K. Sera, a 40-something recording artist and Doris Day look-alike in a pink sequined evening gown. TV aficionados may have caught Ms. Sera on Dr. Phil. "I've worn only pink for 20 years. Everything I own is pink; the vacuum cleaner, the TV and the DVD player's pink." Ms. Sera has Miss Kisses dunked in red food coloring every two weeks. "She just thinks she's getting a bath." One can't help wondering if such unrestrained pampering is good for the species. Renee Olson, a volunteer for Animal Avengers, worries about people "going to extremes." "Their hearts are in the right place, but they tend to focus on their own dog and don't think about all these other dogs in the shelters or on the streets." And putting dogs to work? Aly Hartman, head agent at Le Paws, says her clients are evaluated to see how they handle different environments and the Humane Society is always on set to monitor their treatment. Besides, with a minimum of $300 a day, these dogs are well compensated. But this is not about money, she insists. Enter Yampa, the Dream Team's biggest beast, a 150-pound blue Great Dane. With Yampa in his dashing tuxedo (handmade by his owner, Ranji Singh), it's easy to focus on the flash and bling, but Ms. Singh, a 30-year old actress herself, is doing this as a "bonding experience." "I wanted something Yampa and I could do together," she says. Ms. Singh saw an ad on Craigslist and auditioned. "Suddenly I'm filming a reality show and things have been kind of crazy ever since." "Crazy" clearly describes the atmosphere, and we haven't even gotten to the actual SkyBark yet. So with the air quality steadily deteriorating, we make our way to the fourth-floor roof deck. As I step off the elevator, it's not the skyline or doggy dance floor that catches my eye, but a video showing PETaPOTTY in action. "A Pet's Place of Business" reads the tagline. Star, however, is more interested in the 2,500-square-foot turf, a supervised play area where she's finally able to run free. Meanwhile, a local band's jazz lounge music competes with the barking. The weird thing is that it's all beginning to seem perfectly normal. In fact, though alcohol is served, it's really canis familiaris that acts as the social lubricant. "Dogs are a great icebreaker," Mr. Hochman says. Following a few minutes of interspecies mingling enhanced by Irish stew served in Martini glasses on a silver platter (for the dogs) and ceviche shooters and chicken salad "on a spoon" (for the humans), Mr. Witt grabs the mike. "We've got a very, very, special group of outstanding canines," he announces, before introducing Yampa, Lola, Boo, Miss Kisses, Mellow, Buddy and Bela, lined up beside their beaming owners. But not all the dogs present are would-be stars. Indie, a 10-week-old Shepherd Rottweiler mix, just wants a home. Ms. Olson, who's cradling the pup, found him in East L.A. a couple of days earlier. The good news: Ms. Olson met a woman at SkyBark whose neighbor ended up adopting the dog. Who knows? Indie may also walk the red carpet one day. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1153...N=wsjie/6month |
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07-19-2006, 10:30 AM | #2 |
YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Steeler Town
Posts: 428
| OmG that sounds like so much fun and it's nice to know that some people care about animals as much as we do!!
__________________ I'vE bEeN eGgEd!!! |
07-21-2006, 01:22 PM | #3 | |
Mojo, LilyGrace & Me Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: cuddling with my babies<3
Posts: 17,329
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__________________ Hi I'm Jenn Mom to..... Mojo,LilyGrace & DD Kate RIP Mojo FOREVER in our hearts! | |
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