Real party animals

FOR the dachshunds, French bulldogs and miniature pinschers of the Silver Lake Dog Park’s small-breed section, friendships are sparked by the wag of a tail, just so, or a whiff of scent from an especially fragrant rear end.

The owners of these feisty little dogs bring them there to socialize, and socialize they do, chasing each other from end to end of the small dirt patch, wrestling one-on-one or warding off unwanted advances with a growl.

As the humans watch their dogs at play, they test the social waters with their own species. The standard greeting is not the tail wag but a pooch query: “How old is he? What kind of dog is he?” Thus have friendships, business relationships and even romances been born.

“Ted!” Lindsay Stewart cried one recent afternoon as she plucked her cocker spaniel-Shih Tzu mix off a Yorkshire terrier and resumed a conversation with Joey Franks, a new acquaintance, about how to upholster a sofa. A few minutes earlier, the two women had discussed a potential business deal: Franks makes chalkboards, and Stewart thought she might need one for the flower shop where she works.

“I come here every day, and I’ve met some really great friends,” Stewart says. “People say they come because of their dogs, but there’s a dual purpose.”

Our canine friends, invaluable as givers of unconditional love, also function as a social lubricant, not just at dog parks but on city sidewalks, the patio at Starbucks and everywhere else they go. That chocolate Labrador puppy, bouncing jauntily at her owner’s heel, is playing a key, if unwitting, role in strengthening the loose social fabric of a car-dependent city where self-absorption is the unfortunate norm.

Much has been made of the aromatherapy massages and Gucci sweaters bestowed on dogs, who in this age of delayed childbearing and high disposable incomes are regarded as surrogate children.

But even pooches who are not materially pampered are more likely than in times past to emerge regularly from the backyard for a trip to the beach, Sunday brunch at a cafe, organized activities such as agility and sheepherding or even shopping on Rodeo Drive. Nightlife venues are emerging that cater to people who want to have their dogs with them when they party.

“Los Angeles is such a difficult place to meet people. When you have a dog, it forces you to get out, get up to the dog park, Runyon Canyon, it opens up a whole new world to you,” says Zack Grey, a Hollywood dog trainer. “Having a dog makes it easy to be approached. You can approach people you’re interested in dating or having a drink with and talk about the dog. When you compliment the dog, you’re complimenting the owner.”

Making the scene

The number of American households with at least one dog has increased by almost 3 million since 2002 and now exceeds 43 million, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Assn. More single apartment-dwellers in their 20s and 30s are getting dogs, even as they continue to frequent hipster bars and hot new restaurants.

Small wonder, then, that dogs and nightlife are starting to mix. No longer are a night on the town and a night with the pooch mutually exclusive. And wherever dogs are, people come out of their shells. If still not quite as unabashedly friendly as their canine companions, they are much less reserved, much more likely to initiate a conversation with a stranger.

At SKYBARk, a new downtown warehouse party that bills itself as “a place for both humans and canines to live it up late at night,” dogs are everywhere, frolicking in a play area laid with squares of real sod or lolling about as their owners drink and chat.

There are big dogs, little dogs, white dogs, black dogs, brown dogs, spotted dogs and dogs in tuxedos and pink satin party dresses. The humans parade in filmy tank tops and 3-inch stilettos to match the attention-grabbing outfits they have chosen for their canine companions.

But despite all the glitzy trappings, SKYBARk has more in common with the dog park than not. Think of it as a dog park with cocktails and live music.

“If they have a dachshund, they’re a cool person,” says Sharon Olan, 36, surveying the May 20 SKYBARk with her husband, David, their dachshund, Stanley, and their chow mix, Kona. The Olans relax on a sofa with three other dachshunds and their owners, some of whom are old friends and some of whom instantly bonded because of their mutual affection for the floppy-eared, long-spined dogs.

Brandon Hochman, a 33-year-old former professional snowboarder, conceived of SKYBARk both as a promotion for his PETaPOTTY product (a sod contraption that gives apartment-bound dogs a place to relieve themselves) and as a rare chance for people to go out on the town with their dogs. A silent auction at every event benefits a rotating roster of animal rescue groups.

More than 300 people and 98 dogs attended SKYBARk’s second party in May. A “Woofers Ball” took place over two days last weekend, and Hochman is planning a Fourth of July bash, complete with fireworks viewing from the rooftop deck. (Gunpowder-shy pooches, do not fear -- the pyrotechnics will be too far away to be frightening.)

“A lot of people think of their dog as their date. They come alone, and they’re here to meet people in the same situation as their own,” Hochman says. “When the conversation goes stale, you can reach down and pet the dog.”

It’s the same every Thursday evening at Tails of Santa Monica, a pet boutique on Main Street. No dog event is complete without a canine-related pun, so this party is known as Yappy Hour.

Tails owner Jenna Wicks began throwing the parties three months ago, and typically at least 20 people drop by with their dogs for complimentary wine and cheese and gourmet dog biscuits.

The dogs roam the store and front patio, for the most part getting along but occasionally busting out in a canine version of a barroom brawl, while the humans engage in mostly dog-centric talk -- “Which labradoodle is yours?”

“People with dogs like to be social, so it’s a good combination -- socializing with dogs and socializing with other people,” says Swig Miller, 35, attending with his Siberian husky, Elka.

Dogs are so much a part of the neighborhood fabric in Venice that Craig Weiss is willing to defy health regulations to welcome them into his Abbot Kinney bar, the otheroom, which opened in March. For the same reason, he allows children to accompany their parents inside.

Early in the evenings, before the place gets too crowded, dogs can be spotted sitting on the plush olive banquettes as their owners sip premium wines.

“Married couples want to bring their babies -- they don’t want to be stuck at home,” says Weiss, who has similar pups-and children-friendly policies at bars he owns in New York and Miami. “Dog owners don’t want to leave their dogs at home.”

Canine connection

It is a dearly held belief among some dog people that those who do not share their enthusiasm for canines must harbor some serious defect. According to this school of thought, dog people must be kinder, gentler, more loving than everyone else, for who but a coldhearted soul (read: a cat person) could fail to love these loyal, affectionate creatures?

Naturally, these snap judgments carry over into the arena of romance -- just ask Diane Lane’s matchmaking sisters from the 2005 film “Must Love Dogs.”

“Why would you want to network with someone who isn’t a dog person? They can’t be trusted,” says Nathan Marsak, co-founder of the 1947project, a Los Angeles history blog. Marsak lost his terrier mix in a divorce and is now a constant companion to his girlfriend’s two dogs. “Non-dog people are the one-night stand people. Dog girls are the girls you marry.”

On websites like Datemypet.com, dog people can look for love in a virtual roomful of other dog people, posting photos and descriptions of their pets alongside information about themselves. Here, at last, is someone who will accept Boomer’s meaty breath, his propensity for swallowing socks and his warm body on the bed at night.

But for the urban dog owner, a typical day of neighborhood walks and dog-park visits can render online profiles unnecessary. Take the case of Jerry Oliviera and Rondi Spurling.

Spurling was walking down Wilshire Boulevard in a very bad mood: Her purse had been stolen while she was working a bartending shift. Then she spotted a white dog with half-cocked ears and a dark patch over one eye. She couldn’t help exclaiming, “What a beautiful dog!”

Spurling and Oliviera, the dog’s owner, realized they had met once before through mutual friends. This time, the two exchanged phone numbers. They soon began dating and have been together for about a year.

Considering her mindset that day, Spurling says, there was no way she would have approached Oliviera had it not been for Tucker, an American bulldog.

“I was crossing the street and I saw Tucker,” recalls Spurling, 29. “It made my whole day. I stopped to look at the dog, then I saw Jerry.”

Dance fever

If the dog park is like a playground, with dogs standing in for children, then the freestyle dog dancing class at Jump Start Dog Sports in Yorba Linda is like Little League, or perhaps more aptly, a junior figure skating class.

Apollon, a black chow-Labrador mix, gracefully weaves in and out of Gretchen Mavrovouniotis’ legs to the strains of “Footloose,” moving back as she moves back, turning as she turns. Can it be that he is really dancing in time to the music?

Actually, he is just obeying carefully timed commands from Mavrovouniotis, his owner -- still no small accomplishment, since he must learn commands such as “Circle!” “Loop!” and “Pull!” and respond to them instantly to create the illusion that he is dancing.

Apollon and his classmates at Jump Start -- a Shetland sheepdog, a dachshund, a vizsla, a miniature poodle and a golden retriever -- travel together to competitions and performances. They visit convalescent homes at Christmas, spinning and leaping to the song “Santa Claus Is Comin’ (In a Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train).”

Boogie-woogieing with a dog -- or trundling him out to an empty field so he can boss around a herd of sheep -- may prompt guffaws from skeptics who think that a daily walk is all a dog needs to be fulfilled.

But it’s not just about the dogs. As with youth soccer or Little League, camaraderie develops among doggie “parents,” who drive to competitions together and never tire of discussing their little ones’ individual quirks.

“My kid was gone, so I thought, OK, I can’t be a soccer mom, so I’m going to be a dog mom,” says Donna Johnson, 56, a retired insurance administrator who dances with her 2-year-old golden retriever, Huxley.

At herding classes like those offered by Terry Parrish of Action K9 Sports, border collies, Australian shepherds and other herding breeds learn the techniques their ancestors used to drive sheep from pasture to farmhouse pen.

The sheep in the practice herd that Parrish trucks each week to La Puente from her headquarters in Escondido may not really need to be chased from end to end of a field by a darting dog. But increasingly, dog owners shell out up to $45 a session to give their house pets a chance to develop their herding instincts.

Kathy Morris, who founded Jump Start 10 years ago, has seen enrollment in agility, freestyle dancing and other dog enrichment classes skyrocket because of the increase in childless people who treat their dogs as members of the family.

“It’s very social,” Morris says. “They go on weekend, go to trials, meet with friends. The dogs have a good time. They’re more like family members than ever before, and they need an outlet.”

Dog parks abound

For dog park devotees, it is hard to imagine life without a public place where their dogs can romp with other dogs off-leash. But L.A.’s first dog park, the spacious Laurel Canyon Dog Park, did not open until 1990. Now there are more than 20 dog parks in Los Angeles and surrounding cities, as well as off-leash dog beaches in Long Beach and Huntington Beach.

Each park has its own character, which often reflects that of the surrounding neighborhood. Silver Lake has its share of hipsters and is heavier on the pit bulls than Westside dog parks, where golden retrievers and Labradors are more common. The dog parks in Brentwood and Redondo Beach are among the best-maintained.

Most of the parks have separate areas for small and large dogs, which works just as well for the humans, since German shepherd owners tend to view Chihuahua owners as an alien breed (and vice versa).

At the Barrington Dog Park in Brentwood, an active volunteer association sponsors an annual “Bark-B-Q” and sells lemonade on summer nights. It is a place where a dental assistant, a graphic designer, a makeup artist, a jewelry designer and an entertainment marketing executive can become fast friends.

Tabitha Mollo, the dental assistant, who was accompanied by her two dogs, Daisy and Bailey, says she was having a hard time socially in L.A. when she moved here from Florida.

“I moved here a year and a half ago, and it was hard to meet friends,” Mollo says. “Once I got a dog, it opened up a whole different world.”

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Cindy Chang (and her border collie mix, Stella) may be reached at weekend@

latimes.com.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Dog-friendly

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The city of Los Angeles oversees nine off-leash dog parks. Many other cities, including Claremont, Redondo Beach and Calabasas, have their own dog parks. Here is a selection of local dog parks and beaches, as well as some social activities that attract dog owners:

Parks and beaches

* Barrington Dog Park, 333 S. Barrington Ave., L.A. Open dawn to dusk.

* Silver Lake Dog Park, 1850 W. Silver Lake Drive, L.A. Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. except Tuesdays and Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

* Runyon Canyon Dog Park, 2000 N. Fuller Ave., L.A. Off-leash hiking dawn to dusk.

* Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park, 17550 Victory Blvd., Encino. Open dawn to dusk except Friday, when park opens at 11 a.m.

* Pasadena Dog Park, East Orange Grove Boulevard at Sunnyslope Avenue. Open dawn to dusk.

* Huntington Dog Beach, Pacific Coast Highway between 21st and Seapoint streets, Huntington Beach. Off-leash beach, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

* Long Beach Dog Zone, 1 S. Granada Ave., Long Beach. Off-leash beach, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Nightlife/activities

* The otheroom, 1201 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. (310) 396-6230. Best times for dogs are off-nights or early in the evenings.

* Cat & Fiddle, 6530 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. (323) 468-3800. Dogs welcome on the outdoor patio.

* Yappy Hour at Tails of Santa Monica, 2912 Main St., Santa Monica. (310) 392-4300. 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Complimentary wine, cheese and dog biscuits.

* SKYBARk Canine Carnaval, 1026 S. Santa Fe Ave., L.A. 6 p.m. to midnight July 4. $20 per person and $10 per dog in advance; $30 and $15 at the door. Silent auction and a portion of the proceeds benefit canine and feline victims of Hurricane Katrina. (213) 891-1722; www.skybark.com.

* Dog classes at Jump Start Dog Sports, 4691 Valley View, Yorba Linda. (714) 985-1555; www.jumpstartdogsports.com. Obedience, agility, flying disk, freestyle dog dancing.

* West Los Angeles Obedience Training Club, Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, 2551 Motor Ave., L.A. (310) 851-6350; www.wlaotc.com. Obedience, agility, conformation.

* Action K9 Sports, 455 S. Rall Ave., La Puente. (760) 739-8673; www.actionk9sports.com. Sheepherding lessons for herding breeds and herding breed mixes.