{"id":4332,"date":"2012-09-10T15:23:53","date_gmt":"2012-09-10T15:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/pick-of-the-litter-itchy-paws-is-not-just-a-walk-in-the-park-2\/"},"modified":"2012-09-10T15:23:53","modified_gmt":"2012-09-10T15:23:53","slug":"pick-of-the-litter-itchy-paws-is-not-just-a-walk-in-the-park-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/pick-of-the-litter-itchy-paws-is-not-just-a-walk-in-the-park-2","title":{"rendered":"Pick of the Litter: Itchy Paws Is Not Just a Walk in the Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Cynthia
Itchy Paws co-owner Cynthia Lopez with team member Katie K.<\/em> <\/p>\n

Okay\u2014you\u2019ve adopted your best friend (let\u2019s say it\u2019s a dog). You\u2019ve taken him or her to the vet and to lunch, bought special treats, and romped around the dog beach, and you both have sand in unmentionable places. Now it\u2019s time for a regular walk\u2014but you\u2019re exhausted. And the little guy or the big guy or whatever size in between is all hopped up from the food and activity instead of ready for a catnap, or whatever dogs take. Who you gonna call?<\/p>\n

Meet Cynthia Lopez and Stefanie Villalobos, co-owners of Itchy Paws, a local licensed, bonded and insured pet-care service that does more than snap on a leash and walk around the block. Itchy Paws got the most votes in the Best Dog Walker Category in the Pet Post\u2019s Pick of the Litter survey. My interview with Lopez took place a couple of days later than planned, as she and Villalobos had an emergency with a client\u2019s dog and this took precedence, as any concerned pet owner would expect from a quality service.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always watch the signs\u2014irregular patterns in their behavior. Then we contact the client to see if they want the pet to go to the vet,\u201d Lopez told me when we finally met at Berlin Caf\u00e9 (which has a dog-friendly patio, by the way). \u201cWe never want to put a dog in jeopardy of harming his health. Our clients authorize us to care for their pet in all circumstances\u2014not just walking their dogs or feeding their dogs but their well-being in general. We\u2019re all about family, and that\u2019s why our motto is \u2018Let our family care for yours.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Itchy Paws comprises socialization, pet sitting, transportation, overnight care, dedicated exercise, grooming, and poop cleanup in the yard. Their services menu<\/a> looks like the best summer camp or preschool you could ever hope to enroll your kid in. In fact, Lopez reminded me of a candidate for a camp counselor or teacher hire\u2014and she\u2019d easily get the job\u2014as she answered my questions with assurance, knowledge and humor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with the dogs, I feel like a teacher,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much you can teach them about themselves, and there\u2019s no one method or technique that will work for every dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life partners as well as business partners, Lopez and Villalobos started up Itchy Paws in 2008 when they were looking for a way to spend more time together. Lopez was studying architectural and interior design in Santa Monica and Villalobos was working for a nonprofit, so their hours weren\u2019t flexible.<\/p>\n

\u201cStefanie and I have always had a passion and love for pets,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cAnd we have an excellent team dynamic and work well together. So we thought about what we could do to be there for each other, for our pets and those of others. We came up with the idea of a dog-service company. We learned from companies around us and from other services within the community. We found a way to fine-tune it and make it our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s name was inspired by Lopez\u2019s grandmother, who would use the term pata caliente\u2014<\/em>somewhat loosely, \u201chot-footing\u201d\u2014to describe Lopez and her friends\u2019 activities when they were out and about. Pata <\/em>also means \u201cpaw,\u201d and \u201citchy\u201d was the even looser translation for caliente <\/em>that Lopez and Villalobos felt would be an attention grabber. They were correct\u2014they\u2019ve done quite well, and not just because of the clever name. Itchy Paws now has five bonded employees working with the partners. \u201cThey\u2019re all very valuable team members,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cThey go through extensive training with us. Each of them has experience and also a passion and a love for pets.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Itchy Paws\u2019 walk and exercise routines are anything but traditional. The dogs are exercised and socialized, sometimes on the beach, sometimes skating (the walker, not the dog), other times running, until the dog is ready to go home. Then, there are the field trips. Anywhere from 10 to 15 dogs are piled into their Dog Bus and trundled off to one of the multiple dog-friendly hiking locations in the area to work out. It\u2019s also a valuable opportunity to socialize multiple dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe specialize in is socialization,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cThis is where our dog bus comes in. A typical day of socialization is this: pick up the dog, go to a destination\u2014we have different ones for different daily adventures. For instance, there\u2019s the Trump Trails in Palos Verdes. We don\u2019t have a set schedule because we need to have a feel for what the dogs want. Some days, the dogs don\u2019t feel like going to the beach. Some days, they want to hang out, and some days, go on a hike. It\u2019s really interesting to watch the dogs get into \u2018work mode.\u2019 They know they\u2019re going to exercise but also to work. It\u2019s instinct\u2014by nature, they want to please. They look up to us. After the hike, they get the biggest water bowl we can find, and we give the key words \u2018Let\u2019s go home!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Back <\/p>\n

The Dog Bus is a light-green VW van that\u2019s instantly recognizable by the Itchy Paws contact information on the bumper and the slogan What\u2019s your dog doing? <\/em>decaled on the rear window.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the idea that it would be great to provide the animals with a form of transportation that gave them a full 360-degree view of their surroundings,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cOne day, we were driving down the PCH, where Volkswagens are ubiquitous, and we spotted a van, and it felt right. As you know, Volkswagen vans have plenty of windows. So we tore it all apart and made it perfect. It\u2019s an awesome ride. It\u2019s got a sunroof\u2014plenty of air\u2014windows from every direction, a big comfy couch.\u201d<\/p>\n

No wet bar?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s in our next bus,\u201d Lopez said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 \"Bravo
<\/strong>Bravo enjoys his moment.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sometimes, weather won\u2019t permit hikes, but if a dog is scheduled for an outing, it\u2019s in Itchy Paws\u2019 policy to do an abbreviated version of the walk to give the dogs a potty break. And sometimes, certain dogs aren\u2019t socialized\u2014Lopez would add yet.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe that there\u2019s any dog who won\u2019t socialize,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cIf you can get to the root of the problem and see it from a certain perspective, you can help them work through the hurdles.\u201d Lopez cited a senior German shepherd-boxer mix as her breakthrough. He was a rescue and had lived in a crate most of his life, and he was timid and fearful of most humans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I met with him and his family, I was very nonchalant and didn\u2019t overstep my boundaries,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cHe bared his teeth and told me, I\u2019m scared, so back off and don\u2019t challenge me, because I will bite you. I respected that without necessarily showing him that I was fearful, and instead showed him that I understood that he needed to be afraid. He was definitely a dog who really helped me see things differently\u2014after we worked through his aggression and his challenges, there was a bond and a trust that will never fade and that I believe to this day is still strong. He is one of my star dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no cookie cutout of a person\u2014or dog\u2014who needs Itchy Paws\u2019 services, Lopez says. There are dogs with behavioral needs from the aggressive to the goofily affectionate, like Henry, a collie mix who jumps up and wants to hug Lopez all day long as if they were at a high school dance. There are families who have to rush out of town and don\u2019t know a responsible person to deal with the details and schedule. And vaccines are key, too\u2014dog parks, Lopez said, are a great place for dogs to recreate and have fun, but socialization, as in any schoolyard, could involve passing germs back and forth, so immunization is essential.<\/p>\n

All in all, Lopez and Villalobos are there to educate everyone in the family. \u201cI love what I do\u2014that\u2019s obvious,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cBut I must say that the dogs have taught me everything I know. They\u2019ve definitely taught me patience. They\u2019ve humbled me. They show me how to see the world from a different angle. I\u2019m looking forward to more people learning about what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong> \"Walking\"<\/p>\n

\n

Walking the dog, I\u2019m just a-walking the dog.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know how to do it, I\u2019ll show you how to walk the dog.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

~Rufus Thomas<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n

Visit Itchy Paws on their website<\/a> or Facebook page<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Virtually Pets<\/h3>\n

\"Fred<\/p>\n

Would you believe that they named this guy Fred Astaire? If he looks like any entertainment figure, it\u2019s Scooby-Doo or Jerry Lewis, but no doubt that he\u2019ll dance your way right into your heart if you meet him. Fred\u2019s a German shepherd mix about 2 years old, and he is performing presently at Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St. in Long Beach, near El Dorado Park. Ask for ID#A475330.<\/p>\n

Breaking Pet-Lines<\/h3>\n

\"Skippyjon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Skippyjon Jones Makes Celeb Appearance<\/strong><\/p>\n

The beloved big-eared cat who claims Chihuahuas as his imaginary friends made a guest appearance at BelmontShore\u2019s Apostrophe Books http:\/\/www.apostrophebooks.net\/<\/a> on Friday, Aug. 31. The weather was paw-pad-scorching hot, and Chuck and Toby\u2019s Scott Rinehart and groomer Ray Anguiano offered up a cool bath. Despite the affectionate hug (for the press, no doubt), Skippyjon assured the petmeisters that he\u2019s self-cleaning, like all felines.<\/p>\n

\"Ol<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Family Dawg enjoys Pet Sounds at Rose Park Bluegrass Festival<\/em><\/p>\n

Pet Projects<\/h3>\n

Pet Appreciation Fair and WALK for the Animals, Saturday, Oct. 13, 9AM\u20133PM, El Dorado Regional Park Archery Range, 7550 Spring Street at the 605 Freeway, Long Beach. Parking: $7.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Registration is now open for this annual Friends of Long Beach Animals event, presented by the Petco Foundation. WALK participants can strut their stuff for their Long Beach shelter counterparts and have a chance at winning great prizes! Participants and spectators will also enjoy exhibits, activities for kids, food trucks, vendors, judged pet\/owner contests, canine demonstrations by So Cal Disc Dogs and Surf City Fly Ball demonstrations, and entertainment, including a special flash mob appearance by actress Megan Blake, who\u2019ll have you dancing with your doggie. Preregistration includes the $7 parking fee. You can register or donate here http:\/\/folba.org\/walk.html<\/a>. All funds raised go toward low-cost spay\/neuter and humane education. Bring your pet or come alone and enjoy this great annual event!<\/p>\n

Donations Needed for Animal Care Services, Pitchford Animal Companion Village, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, (562) 570-PETS<\/strong><\/p>\n

ACS thanks everyone who provided donations for their wish list! The list has been further winnowed down; if you feel generous or just have any of the following items around your house, bring them to the shelter (and take home a pet, if you are so inclined!).<\/p>\n