DOGGIEBUS.COM / WHAT IS IT?

What Is

???

I came up with the idea of doggiebus.com as a way for people and their dogs to get out and have fun together for a couple hours on the weekends. Simple as that!

Several of my dog-loving friends that I'd see walking their dogs each night told me they'd love to take their dogs to the beach - or to the dog park - but they just didn't want to get their car dirty, or they didn't want to deal with the parking, or they didn't want to go alone, or whatever... So I told them I was going to find an old bus on ebay, and then I was going to go to the beach, or the park, or just somewhere fun every weekend, and they were all welcome to come along whenever they could make it, and it wouldn't cost them a dime, and then I did it!

I found a bus and bought it back in November of 2006, took out half the seats to make room for the dogs, and decorated the outside with pictures of my two Parson (Jack) Russell Terriers, Josie & Jonny (see the pics at left).

I started making weekly trips on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in mid-December 2006, and have been going every weekend since then. Usually we go either to the Huntington Dog Beach, in Huntington Beach California, or to the Laguna Dog Park, in Laguna Canyon.

For the time being, the bus leaves from Laurel Glen Park in Tustin, CA (13301 Myford Road, Tustin, CA 92780, click here for a map) according to the schedule shown on the doggiebus.com home page.

Since being written up in the OC Register and featured on CNN it's a good idea to email me to insure seat availability for the trips, rather than just showing up. There are 10 seats on the bus and there is room for at least 8 dogs, but I generally stop taking reservations at 8 people and 6 dogs to make sure we're not too full to be comfortable, and so the dogs can stick their heads out the windows occasionally from the vacant seats to the delight of onlookers who often take pics during the trips.

As you can imagine, we have to have a few simple rules so that things don't get out of control, and here they are:

1) The ride is entirely free, but you have to bring your dog. Up to three people can come with each dog. It's also okay for one person to bring more than one dog, but I prefer that each person not bring more than two.

2) You have to keep your dog on a leash the first time you come with us. That's just to make sure that your dog gets along with the other dogs and won't cause problems on the bus. I also reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason, although I'm pretty easy to get along with!

3) You have to be back to the bus on time to make the return trip home with us or you'll get left behind. It's not fair to to make everyone else wait for you. We make every effort to return from each outing to our starting point by 5:30pm.

4) We don't make stops along the way, unless everyone on board agrees on it ahead of time. If enough interest develops that there is a need to make additional stops to pick-up additional people and thier dogs, or to do other fun activities at other times, then this rule might change down the road!

That's pretty much it! If you have any questions or want to make any comments or suggestions, please feel free to email me at cbrixen@cox.net. Hope to see you soon!

Corey

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