The following scene, and accompanying conversation, was seen, and heard, at the famous Dog Beach, in fabulous Surf City USA, Huntington Beach, Ca., on Friday May 28th, 2010, at around 1pm.
Daddy was on his way to work and, with a half hour before his bus, on PCH, he decided to check out the scene at Dog Beach.
Dog Beach is located on the west side of Pacific Coast Highway between Seapoint Street on the north and 21st Street on the south, and is always a happening place for the Bow Wow Set (5am-10pm, 7 days a week!), who take their humans out for a few hours of romping on the sand, and surf, not to mention butt sniffing, and comparing notes about the best Fire Hydrants, and Trees, for peeing on, in the county (The Dogs engage in these last 2 activities, not the Humans!), and many other subjects of interest only to Dogs.
What are the rules for the Dogs?
1. Maintain control of your Human(s) at all times.
2. Make sure they pick up after you and dispose of your poop in the trash cans.
They even have Doggy Bag Dispensers in the area.
Not every Human is trainable (There was a Monthly Clean-up for years, apparently, to help keep things presentable.) , in this task, but don't give up trying to do so!
The website includes this warning: ENTER DOG BEACH AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Whether this message is aimed specifically at Cats is unclear but, from the scene that Daddy witnessed, it appears that the local Feral Cat Community MAY be making use of the area between at least 11pm and 3am several nights a week.
The website makes no mention of whether Cat Waste is part of what they cleaned up on the Monthly Clean-ups, but the President's Message proudly makes the following claim:
All entrances to Dog Beach are monitored by our representatives and working closely with Lifeguards and Law enforcement.
In the past ten years, there has been no need for Animal Care to visit Dog Beach on a regular basis.
Dog Beach has teams of cleaners working seven days a week and with sixty five dispensers over the mile and one quarter beach and using one million dog bags each year, and with the water being tested up to five times a week, Dog Beach is renowned as the cleanest beach in the twelve mile stretch of Huntington City Beaches!
Obviously, from what happened to Tiny, they must have missed a spot last week. ;-D
Was this just an aberation? Something left by a Feral just passing thru, and Tiny is just imagining things, or is there a serious problem?
I've written to the folks at this organization to see what they have to say about what Daddy witnessed, and the concerns expressed by Tiny. ;-D
SUBJECT: Cats on Dog Beach?
Dear Keepers of Dog Beach:
My name is Nikita.
I blog, and have done so since 2002.
I am an Offishul Repurrter for The Cat Blogosphere and, with the research assistance, and photographic skills, of my Human do a lot of investigative reporting, and serious commentary, among other things.
Anyway, on his way to work, the other afternoon, my Human stopped by Dog Beach, and saw, and heard, something of great interest.
I wonder if you might be able to shed some light on the issues raised?
Seen & Heard #2: HB'S Dog Beach - Where Two Million Dogs Can't Avoid Cat Poop? (Link included in e-mail)
Sincerely yours...
MR. NIKITA CAT
Proud Pussy Pundit Since 2002!
Offishul Repurrter of The Cat Blogosphere Website
MOTTO: You Giva Me No Trouble - I Giva You No Smack!
Personally, based on what little I know about the beach from reading about it online, and in the paper, and from what Daddy knows...I think Tiny needs to relax, and not freak out over a little poop (Catching a few waves will clean him up in no time!). ;-D
Anyway, the website has lots of interesting, and useful info, Dog Member pictures, a cool video, a gift shop, and more.
In case you missed the introduction of the Seen & Heard Series, & want to learn more about it, you can go here. ;-D
***UPDATE - Memorial Day - 7am***
Regular Commentor Whicky Wuudler makes an interesting observation, well, 3, actually. ;-D
I wonder why it's always cats who end up in the firing line?
There are stray dogs who probably use the beach at night, interested in the mass of doggy smells.
What self respecting feral is gonna be interested in dog smells?
Of course they wouldn't.
These are obviously 2 very self-respecting Dogs, disgusted by one of them stepping in the "Presents" we Felines prefer to bury instead of leaving out in the open for everyone to paw over, analyze, wisecrack about, and possibly even nibble on by mistake or, horrors, deliberately! ;-D
***END UPDATE***
NOTE: For more from the Daddy Cam see the Archive!
Daddy, like the fictional Dr. Doolittle, understands the words of many critters, and the things he's heard them say, about Cats especially, have always been interesting to me.
Far too many Humans have no clue how often Cats come up in conversations among other animals...now Daddy, and I, set out to reveal what is going on right under their noses. ;-D
Seen & Heard: Critters With Cats on the Brain
"nibble" hahaha!
Nikita you are a devil and just made our ape pull the most horrible face.
We are laffin' our paws off!
Whicky
Posted by: Everycat | May 31, 2010 at 12:41 PM
Whicky makes a good point.
We BURY, and dogs just leave it laying there.
With all that sand we feel certain that any cat weerd enuff to wander onto the beach would find burying their, um, er, offering would be a cinch.
We conclude that it musta been doggy in origin.
Posted by: Zippy, Sadie and Speedy | May 31, 2010 at 04:41 PM