May Favorites
Hi there! It’s time again to share some of my monthly favorites! I like to carve out some space on the blog to not only write about dogs or photography related things, but also to highlight some local SF Bay Area favorites and other new discoveries. I hope you enjoy and find something new!
Muttville Forever Home Announcement
Last month I was happy to report that San Francisco Animal Care and Control was getting a new shelter and now I’m doubly happy because another beloved San Francisco Bay Area dog rescue is getting a forever home: Muttville! Muttville is an extremely special organization that has saved almost 9,000 senior and special needs dogs. They have been a model for animal rescues all over the country and were actually the first cage-free facility in the nation. Their new permanent headquarters will be located at 750 Florida St. in San Francisco’s Mission District (only a few blocks from their current location). The future home will have a veterinary suite for more comprehensive and complex vet care, a protected outdoor space for play, a special kitchen to make meals in, more space for general increased capacity, a new dedicated community meeting area, and more! So far they have raised almost 16 million of their 25 million goal. If you’d like to make a donation you can do so here. You can also follow their instagram here where they feature lots of adorable photographs of their dogs. As a SF Bay Area dog photographer with a special place in my heart for senior pets you know I love following them and learning all about where they came from, what their unique personalities are like, and what family they end up becoming a part of.
The King’s Feet
One of my favorite things to do in the San Francisco Bay Area is to try out different restaurants and cafes. With the reopening of many restaurants (and me having both of my vaccines) I’ve been able to do that a little bit again this month. I recently went to dinner at The King’s Feet in Berkeley and I will definitely be going back again. The King’s Feet is a vegan Italian restaurant owned by the same team behind The Butcher’s Son, which is another delicious completely plant based restaurant in Berkeley. I would describe the food as creative, rich, and comforting. Yum!
Vashti Bunyan
I’ve been listening to a lot of Vashti Bunyan’s music recently. I find something calming and almost melancholy in her quiet folk songs. She actually had an unusual musical career in that she left a career in music after a discouraging start only to return when she found thirty years later some of her songs had developed a cult following. Some of my favorite songs of hers include: “Don’t Believe,” “Diamond Day,” “I’d Like to Walk Around in Your Mind,” and “Train Song.” Here’s a great interview with Vashti from the 1970s that just so happens to feature a few dogs.
Hill’s Natural Soft Savories with Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats
Well, this review is more from Minna than from me… but she has gone totally bananas (or should I say peanut butter and bananas) for Hill’s Natural Soft Savories with Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats! Out of all of her dog treats at the moment she likes this one best! Since Minna is missing a handful of teeth and has quite the sensitive stomach, finding dog treats as well as other dog food products can be tricky. These soft savories are easy enough for her to chew, gentle enough on her stomach, and enticing enough for her to break her stubborn focus on a squirrel or a cat onto us when we take her out on walks. I’m also happy with them as they can break into smaller pieces and contain no artificial flavors or preservatives. This snack is something that we’ll keep stocked in our kitchen pantry at home and in our fanny pack on the go!
Old Dogs by Sally Muir
As I was browsing for a Mother’s Day gift at one of my favorite shops in the whole East Bay, Flowerland Nursery & Store, I came across a wonderful new book of senior dog art by Sally Muir. Here’s a description of this beautiful collection from the publisher:
“Following the success of A Dog a Day, Sally Muir returns with a collection of new, but crucially old, faces. Several years ago Sally Muir began a Facebook project, posting dog art daily, which became the best-selling book A Dog A Day. Through the project she was introduced to endless people and their dogs, and the distinct personalities and complex emotions that owners attribute to them. More recently, Sally’s project changed focus and she asked the public to send in photographs of their old dogs. Featuring grey muzzles, milky eyes and wobbly legs, as well as tender anecdotes picked up from a whole lifetime of companionship, Sally Muir’s paintings of our more senior canines are collected here for the first time. Sally Muir is well known for her portrayal of dogs, with Elderly Dog featuring in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2018 and Hound following up in the Summer Exhibition in 2019. The popularity of Elderly Dog has fuelled Sally’s desire to continue to paint older dogs, and celebrate the ageing process of our favourite pets in grace and style. From loose sketches and lithographs to potato prints and oil paintings, Old Dogs includes a range of mediums that Sally has become known for, and embraces dogs of all shapes and sizes: big, small, pedigree and cross breed.”
That’s it for May! I’ll see you back here next month for the next series of current favorites. Take care.
