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Community Corner

The Dog Man of Santa Cruz

Rick Siegler says he Is a "Dog Magnet."

“Maya is a Velcro dog, meaning a dog that follows you everywhere,”  says Rick Siegler. He had just started as a volunteer with County Animal Services eight years ago when Maya, a cattle dog mix, was brought in.

“Someone had just left her on Sunset beach. She had a lot of problems when we first got her, like separation anxiety, because she was abandoned and she ate a lot of my wife’s things.

“She’s turned out to be a wonderful dog. We have a kitty named Shalom and they sleep together. Two different species and they’re best friends.”

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Rick was trained as an adoption counselor.

 “I’m a good judge of dogs and people, and it’s like a sixth sense. I can tell when it’s a good match for a dog and a person.”

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Rick looks for bonding signals.

“Does the dog get close to them or does he shy away? If they already have a dog, we do a 'dog to dog' where we introduce the dogs on neutral ground to see if they get along together.”

 “‘Reliable’ is Rick’s middle name,” says Jenny Smith, the volunteer and foster coordinator for Santa Cruz County Animal Services. “In the last few weeks we’ve changed our name from Santa Cruz County Animal Authority to Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter because ‘shelter’ speaks to what our heart and goals are, what we really do.”

What’s Rick’s favorite dog park?

“We bring her here to Fredericks Street Park just about every day. It’s really different because most dog parks have fences around them, this one does not. Also it has grass which is much easier on the dogs. I used to spend a lot of years going to the Aptos Dog Park. It has wood chips and the dogs don’t like to walk on them.

“I like to take Maya to a big grassy park like this because she loves to run. It brings out her youth and me too!

“I was part of a big group that got a petition together for a dog park here. It was only supposed to be a six-month pilot program for the city, and now it’s gone on for six years. It’s obviously been very successful. At first we had complaints from the neighbors that live by the park but that’s even died down.

“We all get together here with our dogs every weekday after work.” Rick brings water for all the pooches since there is no dog fountain.

Does Maya like the beach?

“Maya loves the beach, although she has a tendency to roll around in something, something dead. We have taken her to Carmel. We love Carmel. There are a lot of good places to go walking with your dog. I don’t think that Santa Cruz will ever be like Carmel. But little by little they’re becoming more dog-friendly.”

A top official with our State Parks District said they are not giving tickets at Its Beach on West Cliff Drive. However, a spokesman for the Santa Cruz Police Department said, in response to allowing dogs on Pacific Avenue, that they will give tickets to residents and warnings to tourists.

What is your favorite nearby beach?

“I would definitely say Beer Can Beach which is below the Seascape Resort. There’s a paved public trail that goes through Seascape and goes onto the Beach. If you go to the left, you can walk two or three miles with your dog off-leash. It’s a private beach but they don’t enforce it. We love walking out there. Hidden Beach in Aptos is another great beach.”

Why are you “The Dog Man”?

“I have just naturally been attracted to dogs and dogs are attracted to me. Here at Fredericks Street, when there are tons of dogs out here, they all come to see me. Dog magnetism.

“I also have a dog sitting and training business called Rick the Dog Man. I’m hoping to eventually do that full time. My website is www.rickthedogman.com.” In his “people” job, he works for a winery.

“All week long I think about going to the animal shelter on Saturday. It gives me a good feeling that I am helping dogs become adoptable and finding their forever home.”

 

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