DOGGIEBUS.COM / WHAT IS IT?

What Is

???

The doggiebus isn't meant to be a business, and it's never going to be one... It's very simply a free weekend service that I offer to anyone who wants to tag along with me and my dogs and spend a few hours having fun with their dogs.

The idea of the doggiebus came about as a result of talking with other dog lovers in a small park next to my home where me and my neighbors walked our dogs every evening. Several people told me they'd love to take their dogs to the beach or to the dog park but they 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... Since we all seemed to enjoy each others company I decided I would try to find a way that we could all do things with our dogs as a group. I came up with the idea of a bus where dogs were welcome, and there was plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the ride.

I found a bus on ebay back in November of 2006, bought it, took out half of the 24 seats to make room for the dogs, and decorated the outside with pictures of my two Parson (Jack) Russell Terriers, Josie & Jonny. I started making weekend trips in December 2006, and have been going nearly every weekend since then. The idea of opening up the trips to anyone who wanted to come along came about initially as a result of local media interest and it has expanded from there.

I am happy to report that after 2 years and over 100 weekend trips the doggiebus has yet to experience any problems that might lead me to think the service wasn't worth doing. There's just something about "dog-people" that seems to create a positive bond. I know I've certainly met some wonderful people in the 2 years since I started doing this!

I installed a 42" Plasma TV in the bus recently to make the 40 minute trip to the beach more fun and now we watch Dog Whisperer episodes or anything else we want that is on DVD during the trips.

The bus is air conditioned and professionally cleaned before each trip. Currently the bus leaves from Laurel Glen Park in Tustin, CA (13301 Myford Road, Tustin, CA 92780, click here for a map). Trips are generally on Sunday afternoons, most weekends but not every weekend. Trip info is posted on the doggiebus home page, which I try to update every week.

There are 12 seats on the bus and there is room for at least 8 dogs. The bus trips are rarely full, but that can change as new press and new articles come out (there's something about doing something for free seems to generate a lot of free press!).

We only have a few rules, 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) We currently don't make stops along the way. If enough interest develops that there is a need to make additional stops to pick-up additional people and their dogs, or to do other fun activities at other times, then we'll just change the rules!

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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