Wheeler Gorge Campground

We are still in shelter in place orders here,so I am going to do a couple blog posts of places I visited in the past. One such place is Wheeler Gorge Campground located in the beautiful Ojai, California.

 My husband and I spent a few days in the campground with our two dogs a few years ago. When we entered we met the camp hosts who were friendly and polite. They greeted us with smiles and pats in the head for our dogs. Our first choice of campsite had been washed out due to heavy rain a few weeks previously, but thankfully there were plenty of other camp sites available. It was an easy drive in and quick to set up camp. 

The area is gorgeous surrounded by trees and lush green mountains. I spend so much time in the desert I'm always really happy to see anything green. It's a quiet out of the way area and wasn't overcrowded like some places we've visited. After we set up camp we took a hike through the forest. The best part is the campgrounds are a short drive from the beach! We spent the mornings at the beach and the nights in front of the campfire. This trip was one of my favorite camping trips I've taken. I highly recommend making the trip out here if you get a chance. Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos from the vacation. The one above is my golden retriever, Wook peaking out of the tent in the morning impatient for the day to start. 

Wheeler Gorge Campground is located at 17017 Maricopa Hwy, Ojai, CA 93023. You can check the CampOne website for more information. Things to nore: Always double check about pet policies as they can change. Often California campgrounds have restrictions on having a fire and moving/using firewood so check that as well. Happy Travels!

Art in the Community

One nice thing about Santa Clarita is that the community has a big focus on art. There's many places around town where you can find beautiful artwork from statues to murals. Both indoor and in outdoor places where you can bring your dogs along. Here are just a few pet friendly places my dogs and I have visited: 

The mural at the skate park. Offers walking trails and an off leash dog park.

There are many statues around town. All the photos above were taken at Westfield Valencia shopping center. The mall is very dog friendly featuring water and treat stations around the outdoor shopping area. A koi and turtle pond and outdoor seating. Lazy Dog Cafe (located near the Valet parking) allows well behaved dogs on the patio and even features a dog menu! 

Many walking trails feature art. Central Park is one of them. This photo was taken at Ironhorse Trail which you can read on my blog post here

If you'd like to learn more about art in the city click here.

A day in the life... with 17 pets.

If you're new to my blog first of all welcome and thank you for checking it out. I'm Renee and I have seventeen pets. I'm very passionate about rescuing animals especially those most people don't think of when they think of shelter pets, such as mice and turtles. I have four dogs: Wookiee, Luna, Pepper and Kiko. Two cats: Primrose and Persephone. Four turtles: Milly, shelly, Yertle and Ninja Five birds: Blueberry, Kiwi, sherbert, Cocoa and Java. And finally my newest rescues my two fancy mice Chunk and stubby. Having this many pets is a lot of work and responsibility, but also very rewarding. Here's a day in the life with my many rescued pets.

• 5am- wake up to slobbery puppy kisses
• 5:05am- Take dogs out to go potty
• 5:10am- feed and water crew, start coffee pot
• 6am-6:30 eat breakfast,wash breakfast dishes, scrub food and water dishes
• 6:30-7am spend time with birds, free flight time
• 7am-7:30/8am walk dogs
• 8am work online
• 9am housework, clean cat litter, clean yard and water garden
• 10am change paper in bird cages and bedding in mouse cage, more online work
• 11am- lunch for me, play fetch with dogs
• 12 work, housework
• 1-3pm everyone is napping while I do paid and housework
• 3pm feed and water, scrub dishes
• 4pm start preparing dinner for the humans
• 4:30pm set up maze for mice to play in, free flight for birds
• 5pm dinner for humans
• 6pm maybe another walk or playing fetch
• 7pm start setting up for bedtime, cover bird cages
• 8pm potty before bed
• 9-10pm self care routine, snuggle with pets, bedtime

Weekly/monthly/yearly tasks: Full cage clean, grooming, flea and tick meds, check ups, dental cleanings etc. 

This is just to give you and idea of our routine and the kind of work it takes to care for so many animals. It isn't set in stone. I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about my large family. 

Persephone the hiking cat

A few years ago I went to the shelter "just to look." (Famous last words for animal lovers and those like me who do rescue.) When I arrived I looked around. There were a lot of people there looking at the many kittens up for adoption. I thought I might like to adopt a kitten as well. As I looked around I felt a sudden tug on my shirt sleeve. I looked down to see a little paw grabbing my arm through the bars of her cage. I immediately asked the shelter staff if I could hold this cat. She was a beautiful multi-colored tortoiseshell with piercing yellow eyes. When the staff member put her in my arms she started kneading me and purring tight away. I knew then that I had to make her part of our family. When I had to put her back in the kennel to fill out the paperwork she dug her claws into my tshirt and didn't want to let go. I had a feeling this kitty was going to be very special. Frail and skinny she seemed like a very calm cat when I first took her home.

When she met the dogs she wasn't afraid at all she bopped them on the nose and let them know she was the new boss around the house. After a bit of recovery I came to realize she was actually very high energy. Every time I leashed up the dogs for an adventure she would stand at the door and cry and try to follow us. I had heard of people walking cats on leashes, but hadn't tried much myself. The thought of taking a cat hiking or camping seemed crazy. I decided to give it a try and she loved it! There was no looking back for this former feral. Persephone went from homeless to avid hiker and we couldn't be happier that she found her way to our family.