Long Beach’s claim to be one of the pet-friendliest cities in the country is moved up a notch every time a new pet boutique or park opens, and we’ve covered a number of them this year. Most urban areas have their fancy districts, and Second Street is now the fur patrol fashionista’s main stop for five-star service, accessories and goodies. Chuck and Toby’s, a fresh bakery for dogs and cats, opened on Park Avenue. Just around the corner on Second Street, Pussy and Pooch, a high-level service store for pets and their people, has finally opened its doors at the former Wiskers site.

Before we go further, we can’t ignore the Great Dane in the room. When the opening announcements were posted, there was some flap from pursed lips about the name: “This is a family street!” and “That’s just terrible.” If we can have Phuket Thai, who sells tongue-in-cheek (sorry) T-shirts that tell you how to pronounce the name, and the Rubber Tree, whose proprietors have always sent out a positive message about their products, and have no evidence of irreparable damage to young psyches, we can have Pussy and Pooch. Furthermore, it’s a valiant attempt on the part of the shopkeepers to reclaim the term.

“There are people walking down the street near our L.A. store and they complain, but they’re generally people who have problems with everything,” said co-owner Rob Gaudio. “Most are huge fans and praise us.”


The Cat Climb, shown above, is made from nesting boxes with holes in the sides and top that even the most weight-challenged feline can poke through. It’s made of particle board and comes in two color schemes: warm (above) and cool. Beats beige shag carpet on a stick in the living room.

Pussy and Pooch is far from louche. The shop is billed as the “urban oasis for pets,” and it certainly resembles a high-design establishment than it does a boutique. Unique and mid- to higher-end items are placed in eye-appealing sections on walls or featured in modular arrangements on the floor. Everything they sell, Gaudio said, has a function. Different-size soft mannequin dogs model some of the outfits for sale; the mannequins can also be placed inside a carrier or bed to see if a live pet of a similar size will fit into them. There are collars of several designs and materials, ecofriendly toys (you’re asking for it if you put the Pawbreaker, a hard ball of pure catnip the size of a golf ball, on the floor if more than one cat is in the room), and stylish designer carriers and beds. There’s a grocery section with bags and cans of organic meals and several pet-safe products to deal with unpleasant odors. All products are biodegradable in order to reduce the “pet carbon paw print,” as the staff says. We found something with the intriguing and evocative name Urine Finder, made to track down the source of that smell like a bloodhound.


Knowledgeable staff at P&P can explain the use and manufacture of any product. Here, Janet Peters discusses the nutritional merits of a pouched dog meal with client.

Gaudio and his wife, Janene Zakrajsek, opened the first P & P in Los Angeles in 2007, patterning it on the Starbucks model of a “retail experience” in which a client could explore, shop and hang out.

“We were amazed by the tight pet community of Los Angeles,” Gaudio said. “When we looked for another urban location with a pet community, we found Belmont Shore.”

Hanging out at P&P is a trip for dogs, cats and their humans when they sit at the Pawbar®. The bar has three cubbyhole “tables” and can seat up to three pets, with Long Beach’s famous water as a beverage, unless the dog wants to lap up a Bowser Beer (nonalcoholic). Manager Lisa Cone, a former employee of Alpha Pet Care pet-sitting service, serves up meaty meals, stews, yogurt treats and snacks for the dogs and washes her hands after every serving. Because it’s a family affair, the snacks are pleasing to the human palate as well as those of animals (we tried them—the oven-baked ginger bits and the cheddar cookies are yummy, with a soupçon of malt.).

“With a little coffee, it works,” Gaudio said.


As soon as we got Thurston Howl to pose at the Paw Bar (it wasn’t difficult), Kim Chi rushed in. Both dogs live with Lisa Cone; Kim Chi was a “failed foster” from a rescue that sent dogs over from Korea. Kim Chi was about to be a meal in a puppy mill where they breed dogs for such purposes. Now, she’s enjoying one, and who cares about the angle!

The shop will soon be installing their full-service trademarked Bathhouse® with pet bathing and spa services. They are looking into featuring pet adoptions and bringing in such services as dental cleaning. Be sure to watch for this week’s grand opening celebration, with weeklong festivities kicking off Oct. 31 and running through Nov. 7. There will be free Pawbar tastings (1 per customer), daily raffles for a variety of products and services, and other treats for our pet community. Be sure to check out the Bulldog Kissing Booth at the upcoming Haute Dog Parade (see Pet Projects). P&P is sponsoring the booth. Makes sort of a poetic sense: Pussy & Pooch mentors a smooch.


Judy and owner Rob Gaudio hold up one of the many designs and covers for the Eco-Mats, good for a snooze. If the dog won’t get off the bed anyway, they’re pretty comfy for people to curl up in.

Pussy & Pooch is located at 4818 E Second St., Belmont Shore.


Howling good time at Chewsy Dog Halloween Party

The party season started early at Chewsy Dog, 4107 Viking Way, at its Hounded Howlloween Costume Pawty. Lots of little goblins were gobblin’ Halloween cookies especially made for dogs, and PetPhoto Pros was there to take portrait photos.


Mandy’s costume: for sale at Chewsy Dog. Spock ears: not available.


Chewsy Dog proprietor Eva Kuncewicki holds her beloved Lola in the Ducky Doodle Dog costume, one of many available at the store.


Oh, Mummy! Can this really be the end? (Courtesy Chewsy Dog)


Virtually Pets: Adoption opportunities


Bobbette is named not for the group that sang “Mr.Lee” but for her cute little stub of a tail. She was tossed out into the streets and was rescued by a kind citizen who brought her to ACS. Adult cats aren’t generally as popular as kittens, so Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) took her to Chewsy Dog, 4107 Viking Way, Long Beach, (562) 354-6040, where she’s on display in the fabulous pink condo. She’s been microchipped and spayed, and is current on all shots. Her adoption fee is $90. So endeth Bobbette’s short tale—heh heh. Come give her a long, happy life.

Pet Projects and Boxer Briefs
ACS offers advisory about flea-borne murine typhus
Murine typhus is a disease carried by fleas and displays such symptoms as high fevers, severe headaches, body aches and a rash. The disease is rarely fatal. Be sure to apply safe veterinarian-recommended flea treatments to your pets and take care in your own backyard. Public Health Officials will continue to monitor and test for evidence of the disease in areas of Long Beach. For complete information in addressing sources of the disease, click here.

Oct. 31, Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade
This year, Halloween actually falls on a Saturday! On Halloween Day, at 2:30 p.m., the ninth annual parade will start and finish at Livingston Park, 4900 E. Livingston Dr. at Park Ave. in Belmont Shore (be at the corner of Livingston Drive by 2:20 p.m., and don’t forget to bring your registration slip. The new six-block sidewalk parade route travels down the middle of Park Avenue from Livingston Drive to 2nd Street, heads east on the sidewalk along the north side of 2nd Street, hangs a right on the sidewalk along the south side of Livingston Drive in front of the park's playground and empties back in to the park. The parade expects 600-plus dressed-up dogs and lasts about an hour. Bring your own folding chair or rent one on Park Avenue for just $5. All proceeds go to the Community Action Team (CAT). Kids in costume are invited to lead the parade and are eligible to win a prize! There will also be vendors and an adoption fair. Click here for details.

Nov. 17, We Love Long Beach: The Books Club reviews Water for Elephants
Sarah Gruen’s brilliant, shadowy novel of an old man’s memory of his life as a young adult as a traveling circus vet recounts a touching communication between the kindred souls of a human and an elephant. It also deals with dignity, love, treatment of the elderly and the inhumane treatment of both humans and animals in circuses. Click here for meeting details.

Ongoing—Pet Literacy at ACS
Pet Literacy is a City of Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) program at the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village. The program promotes humane treatment, socialization of animals, creating a connection between animals and humans, and literacy through reading aloud to the animals. Wednesdays–Sundays, 2–3 p.m., 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach

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