Blogs for November, 2012
checkout the archived city farm blog articles to learn about our takes on farm & city life
checkout the archived city farm blog articles to learn about our takes on farm & city life
Lets start at the very beginning…My story as an animal trainer starts back in 1987. I had moved to Florida from my native England and wanted to train dolphins. In a nutshell that’s what I did. I started at Ocean World (a now defunct 60’s era marine life park) as an assistant/trainee/fish cutter/apprentice…Luckily Ocean World was one of the few marine life parks that still trained on the job, I loved every second of it. I stayed for about three years and then left to drive cross country to Hollywood, California to become a studio animal trainer.
In 1994 I started working at Studio Animal Services. Based approximately 45 minutes north of Hollywood it provides the industry with animals of all shapes and sizes for any production, whether it be a movie, a print campaign, commercial or television show. I have been working as a trainer in the studios now for close to 19 years.
Training animals for studio work involves a lot of creativity, patience and dedication. Of course, a strong love for animals is a must. No day is the same, every day brings new challenges and along with that a varied and somewhat erratic work schedule, which is part of the reason I like it. Variety is the spice of life!
What works for one dog as far as training, may not work for another. And sometimes you only have a day or two to train something. Aside from dogs, I have trained lots of different animals, there have been squirrels, rats, ducks, cats, mice, goats, chickens, pigeons and wrangled everything from snakes to cockroaches and flies! Nothing exotic though, no bears or lions. I’d prefer not to be responsible for someone’s life!
Telling you how I started in the animal training world wouldn’t be complete without briefly telling you about Beans. Beans was the first dog I trained for studio work. I found her in a local shelter when she was approximately six months old. Beans was an exceptional dog and I’d like to say I knew what I was doing when I plucked her from death row, but at that stage it was more like dumb luck. She did like tennis balls. I knew enough to know this was a good sign. Beans made me look good as a trainer – she picked things up quickly, was very adaptable to many different scenarios and was pretty fearless. She would try anything and was specifically requested for many jobs over the 12-14 years she was in this business. Sadly she passed away around 15 1/2 years old – a fantastic dog who will never be forgotten.
Over the years I have been asked by actors, directors, producers etc., to train their dogs. It’s a nice balance – being able to step away from training a squirrel to retrieve something to getting back to the good old basics of puppy training. Puppy training has to be on the top of my list as my favorite project. They are so receptive and willing to learn (for the most part) their minds are like little sponges, waiting to soak up all this new information – teaching them the good stuff is by far a better way to go than trying to retrain later and break bad habits.
In this blog I will be sharing lots of information. There will be quite a few posts based on training, some fun post from my days on movie and television sets in Hollywood. Along with that I would like to share places that I come across in my travels that are pet friendly – from hotels to restaurants, parks and vacation spots.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions about your pets, ideas for posts and any places that you have visited that are pet friendly that you would like to share and we will get the word out!
Spa in a Soap..Avocado Infused! The surprise sponge in our Avocado Soap provides the ultimate exfoliation system that leaves an energizing tingle on your skin. Never again will early rising be a problem. You will feel fresh and clean with a lingering scent of citrus, and just a hint of an early springtime bloom.
You have to try it to believe it.
Once you have tried it, treat your friends to their very own soap duo, wrapped in The City Farm gift bag. They’ll toss out their old Loofas and make way for a new bath-time world order.
Enjoy!
While I appreciate all gourmet dessert chefs, I am not one. Instead, I found what I consider better; A Sprinkle and a Dash, My Cup of Cake Chocolate Souffle.
Our Belgian Chocolate Souffle in a coffee cup is a spectacular treat. It arrives in its own gift box with all of the ingredients packaged and ready to go in five to six minutes. Ultimate instant gratification, wouldn’t you say? Hot, molten chocolate soufflé? Yum.
It is the perfect gift. Fun, fabulous, and affordable. You don’t even need your cookbook to satisfy your craving for a splurge extraordinaire. Your friends will love, love, love it, order enough for everyone!
When I was eight years old, my mother called me into the kitchen for “a taste of something special.” Half an avocado, with the pit still in it, lay on the sink, and on a plate the other half was laid out in slices. She cut a slice in half, and placed it on a crisp cracker. She added a sprinkling of kosher salt and held it out to me.
“Taste this,” she said. I put the whole thing in my mouth.
And so began my love affair with avocados. They are fabulous in salads and omelettes. And I think guacamole ought to be a separate food group! I still like them plain…on a crispy cracker with a little salt. Here is one of my favorite avocado recipes. I have been making this soup for years. It’s very rich so keep the servings small. Enjoy! Judy
Avocado Soup
1 (13 3/4 – oz.) can chicken broth
2 medium avocados, seeded, peeled, and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. dried dill weed
3/4 cup light cream
In blender container combine chicken broth, avocado chunks, dry sherry, salt, onion powder and dill weed. Cover; blend until mixture is smooth. Stir in light cream. Turn in to refrigerator container.
Cover; chill well. Top each serving with slices of avocado or dollops of sour cream, if desired.
Enjoy! ~Judy