Today I spent the day walking dogs at the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (B.A.R.C.). I had so much fun and it was great exercise. I walked 3 dogs over a 4 hour period. My first dog, Casper, was an adolescent pitbull mix with tons of energy. Basically, he dragged me around Williamsburg! My second dog, a doberman, didn’t have a name. We started calling her Nelly. She had just been acquired by B.A.R.C. and was in rough shape.. very mistreated. She had scars on her legs, her eyes were infected, she was underweight, jumpy, and had obviously had puppies somewhat recently. After a half hour or so she warmed up to me and was a sweetheart. My final dog was a chihuahua mix named Poppy. She was sweet, but had attitude (kind of like me!). One minute she’d let you pet her and the next she’d bite your hand. It was a great day, but depressing in a way. You feel so bad for the dogs that no one wants.. you just pray they all get adopted by loving families.

Walking the dogs around gave me a good sense for Williamsburg, Brooklyn (called Billburg, for short). It reminds me of Ocean Beach in San Diego because it’s not refined, the shops are small and locally owned, the population is young, and it has a kind of bohemian and artsy feel to it. After walking the dogs, another volunteer and I discovered a great spot for brunch near the shelter called Yabby. For $9.95 you got your choice of juice, tea or coffee, one of the entrees on the menu, and either a bloody mary or a mimosa. The outdoor patio was nice, the whimsical furniture was fun, and the food was delicious… very fresh ingredients.