Here’s a fun, light-hearted blog for you today! As many of my clients, readers, and friends know, I’m a dog person. I love all dogs, and especially my Weimaraner, Bodie. He is my loyal companion (even if he thinks he’s the world’s biggest lapdog!). Bodie has traveled far and wide from Reno, Inverness, Monterrey to Tahoe … just an awesome companion!
Me and Bodie!
Better Homes and Gardens shared this list of Top 50 dog names in 2020, and I thought it would be fun to share! I didn’t see Bodie on there, but the freelance writer on my team has two dogs: a boy named Milo and a girl named Penny – both made the lists! Would love to see your dog, so share a picture with their name!
Top 25 Female Dog Names
Bella
Luna
Lucy
Daisy
Lola
Sadie
Molly
Bailey
Stella
Maggie
Chloe
Penny
Nala
Zoey
Lily
Coco
Sophie
Rosie
Ellie
Ruby
Piper
Mia
Roxy
Gracie
Millie
Top 25 Male Dog Names
Max
Charlie
Cooper
Buddy
Milo
Bear
Rocky
Duke
Tucker
Jack
Oliver
Teddy
Leo
Bentley
Zeus
Jax
Toby
Winston
Ollie
Louie
Finn
Murphy
Moose
Loki
Gus
My freelance writer’s dogs, Penny (L) and Milo (R).
Even though Bodie didn’t make it, Finn did! I always said if I got another Weimaraner I’d name it Finnegan and “Finn” for short, whether it was a boy or girl. Did your dog’s name make it?
I went to the Walnut Creek Oktoberfest at Civic Park a few weeks back – an event I’d recommended in a previous blog! It did not disappoint, however, I don’t think the people running the event had any idea what they were in for. They ran out of beer fairly quickly, and also didn’t have enough pretzels or funnel cake for the hungry and thirsty masses!
Overall, it was still an awesome event. There were a few people dressed up and the beer they did have was served from Brauerei Weihenstephan, which is apparently the oldest brewery in the world. They also had some local artisanal beer selections, as well as wine. The main issue (besides running out of it!) was that the drink lines were so long, that you had to wait for 20 minutes to get a stein or in this case a glass of beer and then you could only have up to two at a time.
So, even though the food and drinks were good, the crowd was large, and the Civic Park venue was much more appropriate than the old location on Locust St., there were some operational issues to work out for future events. There was a kids area, plenty of food vendors, art vendors, beer batter dipped french fries (What?!), music, and a bunch of new people to meet. I went towards the end, but the consensus seemed to be that it was a very successful event.
Oh, and did I mention it was dog-friendly? What a bonus! I would have brought Bodie if he would do well in crowds with dogs everywhere, but I didn’t want to risk it. Still, what a great event for downtown Walnut Creek that will surely be replicated in the Octobers to come and may surpass Clayton – just with more beer next time! Did you go? Let me know what you thought!
Welcome back to the newest installment of Event Round-Up! As always, this is where we gather five of the best Bay Area events taking place over the next month or so. Let us know if you go to any of these, and if so, how you liked them!
1. Walnut Creek Uncorked (Weds., June 20)
Walnut Creek Downtown presents a brand new event, designed for the wine-lovers in our town. Tickets are $40 in advance, and get you access to wine tastings, restaurants, artisan fashion and jewelry stands, and live entertainment. You must be 21 to buy a ticket!
2. Danville Summerfest 2018 (Sat., June 23 & Sun., June 24)
Danville has a little festival of its own that you may want to check out! Our neighbor has a cute downtown that will be filled with local music, art, and food vendors. There is a classic car show on Sunday, and the event is family and dog-friendly. Danville Summerfest will take place from 10-5 each day.
3. Alameda County Fair (Fri., June 15 – Sun., July 8)
It’s that time of year again! The Alameda County Fair at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton kicked into full gear yesterday, and will carry on through the weekend after 4th of July. If you don’t have larger travel plans, you can trek over to Pleasanton for this awesome annual event – LeeAnn Rimes, Blue Oyster Cult, and Sean Kingston are some of the many musical acts expected to perform this year.
4. 4th of July Fireworks (Weds., July 4)
I don’t have any particular event or link for you here. There are generally tons of good spots to choose from to watch East Bay fireworks on the 4th of July. Take the kiddos, your leftover BBQ, and a blanket to enjoy the show. My favorite place to catch them is up at Tahoe.
5. Walnut Creek First Wednesdays (Weds., July 11)
Another stellar outdoors event to celebrate all that Walnut Creek summers have to offer! There is free parking after 5 p.m. in many major downtown garages to help you get around. If you’ve never experienced a First Wednesdays celebration, it is chock-full of live music, food trucks, drinks, games and even a Kids Fun Zone. Check it out from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Cypress St. in downtown.
Everyone loves dogs! I love my dog! You love your dogs, too! It seems that millennials especially like their dogs, as a recent Time article explained that “space for a dog” is the third-most common reason cited by millennials for buying a home in today’s market.
What really struck me about the article is this: “space for a dog” is listed ahead of “children” or “marriage” as reasons for purchasing a home. It came in only behind “more living space” and “building equity.”
Now, isn’t that interesting? We know millennials are getting married later and having fewer children than previous generations, and the housing market has become so expensive across the county that it prices out people who have spent money on marriages and providing for children, but it’s still surprising to see it behind a reason like “space for a dog.”
The rental market prices have also skyrocketed, which makes me think that millennials would rather pay a mortgage in some cases and have their own home with ample room for their four-legged friends, than pay a monthly rent in properties with strict pet policies.
I guess you can always buy a home first, let your dog break it in, and then bring in a partner and children! Whatever works! It’s just funny to see the difference between their generation and mine, and why they pursue home-buying.
Around this time every year, we always find out what the top baby names in the country are. That’s always interesting, but what about our other babies’ names?
As a dog lover, this blog caught my attention a few months back. It included this infographic that broke down the most common names of dogs, and then went further and broke it down by most popular name by breed, too.
Apparently the top dog names in the U.S. right now are Bella, Max, Daisy, Bailey, and Buddy. My dog is named Bodie, so I was pretty close!
Our team here at Walnut Creek Lifestyle Group is full of dog lovers, and we wanted to share some photos of our fur children here with you to start the New Year. I think we did a little better on creativity with our naming!
Let’s start with my boy Bodie, an 8-year-old Weimaraner rescue:
“Just 15 more minutes, Mom!”
“I’m a scaredy-cat ready for Halloween!”
“Where’d that squirrel go?”
We got Bodie when he was 18 months old. We rescued him through NorCal Weim Rescue where they found him running around Fresno. He quickly warmed up to us and became a loved member of the family. Bodie is a big, 90-lb Weimaraner (the type that basically takes you for walks rather than the other way around!), but he loves to cuddle and play. In fact, he usually feels left out if he doesn’t get to sleep on the bed!
Let’s move along to Liz, and her two dogs, Poppy and Willow. Poppy is a 3-year-old miniature poodle, and Willow is a one-year-old Cavapoo. Liz bred Willow herself, and Poppy is the mother! For those wondering, a Cavapoo is a mix between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle. Here are a couple pictures:
Liz started breeding Cavapoos two years, ago, and kept Willow from the most recent litter. Cavapoos are wonderful dogs, combining the look of the Cavalier, the non-shedding coat of the Poodle, and the sweet temperaments of both breeds. Also, Cavaliers are great dogs, but have been so inbred throughout the years that the majority of them develop a deadly malady called Mitral Valve disease. Since poodles are not largely affected by the disease, the cross-breeding drastically lowers the Cavapoo puppies’ chances of inheriting that disease.
For more information on Cavapoos, you can check out Liz’s company California Cavapoos, which bring healthy, beautiful, friendly pets to the best families. Take a look at her Facebook page!
Lastly, our freelance writer Jeremy has had dogs in his family forever. From a golden retriever when he was a baby, to a black lab throughout childhood, to the current ARF rescue mix his family loves…meet Sydney, the 8-year-old Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler/Hound mix:
Sydney (or “Syddie” for short – she responds to that especially well if you use a high-pitched voice) has an endless amount of energy and absolutely adores humans. If Sydney isn’t on her back with all four paws in the air, begging for a belly scratch within 30 seconds of meeting you, there’s something wrong. As you can see from the photos above, Sydney also loves to go to the Open Space in Walnut Creek!
Share some photos of your dogs – do you have any with creative names?
A great perk of working in real estate is that you meet all types of people with various hobbies, interests and a wealth of knowledge. A past client and I were trading stories about our dogs as I admired the beautiful coat on his Dalmatian. He went on to tell me about the raw diet he feeds his dog and the benefits he perceives from doing so. I felt it was worth a try and have started my Weimaraner Bodie on this diet.
Creston Valley Meats, is a modern day traveling butcher. Every two weeks they venture up to Northern California from the San Luis Obispo area in their white freezer van full of boxes to distribute. They offer both the Raw Diet options for dogs as well as human consumption food with a specialty of wild game.
You can follow their delivery schedule on twitter and they call/text you about a half hour before they arrive at the designated stop. In Walnut Creek it is at the Park & Ride parking lot on Rudgear. I jokingly refer to it as my canine drug deal. They open their van as you say your name they hand over the items you ordered in exchange for a check.
One day a K9 police officer unit was hanging out in the parking lot and I asked if he was hear to get raw dog food too. He had no clue what I was talking about, but went over to check it out. Apparently it doesn’t look like a drug deal going down 😉
I usually get a combination patty of chicken & banana or currently he is eating pork & anchovies. I also ordered some buffalo bones and had to give a lot away because my freezer did not have enough room. For $10, I got 20 bones. Bodie loves dinner time, I mix 2 patties with Honest Kitchen Base Mix and top if off with yogurt or cottage cheese (whole fat), he might even eat better than me – no sugar! Check them out: Creston Valley Meats or Yelp.
