Hi there! My name’s Kevin and I am a proud member of the Dogtopia of the Tri-Valley team! Chances are you haven‘t met me yet, but if you have watched the “Sally’s Journey” video posted online earlier this week, then you have already met three of my dogs – Sally, Marylin and Carly. Well – actually only Sally is mine. Marylin and Carly are both foster dogs looking for good homes and, yes, Carly is really that crazy about half the time! The other half (like right now, as I write this thing), she just usually lays at (sometimes on) our feet and dreams about whatever it is she dreams about!
Filming Sally’s Journey last month was definitely an interesting experience. I can say that squat-running around with a small camera and a stuffed dog (dog nose cam, I call it) certainly has its challenges. Filming the actual dogs did. too – they tend to dictate the shot and rarely follow direction, lol.
I came up with the idea of Sally trying to find her happiness because a) it struck me from the get-go that Dogtopia of the Tri-Valley is going to have a happy kind of vibe to it and b) my Sally dog is known for having this hilarious “sucking worms look,” as we call it, for no apparent reason unbeknown to herself. She’s part hound, and when she droops her head down while “in her mood,” she looks almost like a sad vulture (for you Peanuts fans out there, just check out how Charles Schulz drew Snoopy, also a beagle).

On the left, we have Sally during Christmas two years ago wishing she didn't have that jingle colar on... and on the right, we have "vulture Snoopy." See the resemblance?
Gotta love the Peanuts! Anyway, dogs have always been, and continue to be, a big part of my life. For the past 15 years, so has animal rescue. My family and I are members of Tri-Valley Animal Rescue, where we have rescued and found homes for over 200 dogs through the years. Granted, sometimes the home we found was our own, and many a dog have become members of the official “Metz pack.”
With each of those dogs comes a story, a funny or a touching moment that any dog-lover can relate to. I hope this blog will serve as a platform to share with you some of those stories. Likewise, I hope you will share your dog “tails” on here, too. Comments and stories are always welcome and will be posted
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And when Dogtopia of the Tri-Valley opens its doors on Saturday, July 11th (updated opening date!), you better believe there will be more fun dog stories to tell each and every week. Who knows, your pup may even have a starring role! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to wake up a big black lab who is sleeping on my feet!
Kevin Metz
Dogtopia of the Tri-Valley