The very first people to buy a ticket for the Afternoon Tea Pooch Party on June 4th in Los Angeles are coming with their adorable dog Yuuki, who joined their family in a very special way. On their wedding anniversary day, Kelley and Naomi rescued a fuzzy, brown eight-week-old puppy who had been dumped on a friend’s property in Victorville, California. Naomi first spotted the pup huddling alone in a gusty, pouring rainstorm. They named the terrier-sheepdog mix Yuuki, which means “brave” in Japanese. Kelley and Naomi are training him to become a therapy dog for children and senior citizens. Over the past three years, they have taken Yuuki on many adventures all over California.
I am thrilled to be welcoming them to the Pooch party on June 4, which will kick off the Dog Film Festival in Los Angeles June 5th at the Crest Westwood theater, at the start of a cross-country tour which has been made possible by a grant from the Petco Foundation and continuing support from our Founding Sponsor, Halo. For all the dates and destinations – and to get your tickets early for what will be sold-out events – please visit http://dogfilmfestival.com/. I can’t wait to meet Yuuki and his family!
Tracie began her fascination with dogs and cats by turning her eye as a former investigative reporter on every aspect of living with them, resulting in her encyclopedic resources THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and then the THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know. Before long, Tracie was established as a leading pet wellness advocate as her all-encompassing books covered everything from medical issues to behavior, nutrition and environmental enrichment.
Tracie began her career as a radio personality with a live show – DOG TALK® (and Kitties, Too!) – on the local NPR station in the Hamptons, Peconic Public Broadcasting (WPPB) from Southampton, New York (the show is now also carried on the NPR station Robinhood Radio in Connecticut and the Berkshires). DOG TALK® won a Gracie® Award (the radio equivalent of an Oscar) in 2010 as the “Best entertainment and information program on local public radio” and continues weekly after more than 450 continuous shows and 9 years on the air. Tracie’s live weekly call-in show CAT CHAT® was on SiriusXM satellite radio for seven years until the Martha Stewart channel was canceled in 2013.
Tracie lives in Vermont where the Radio Pet Lady Network studio is based, on 13 acres well-used by her all-girl pack – two lovely, lively Weimaraners, Maisie and Wanda, and a Collie-mix, Jazzy.