Hey, On the Towners, I'm Frank Lecari.

Can you guess what this episode's about?

From a resort where your pooch gets the pampering to the many parks and trails for your dog's ultimate outdoor adventure, and some retail therapy in between.

I'm on a sniffari in search of destinations for discerning dogs.

So grab your fourlegged friends and join us as we go "On the Town in the Palm Beaches," with me, Frank Lecari.

[Announcer] This program is brought to you by Discover the Palm Beaches.

Visit ThePalmBeaches.TV for more information.

We are kicking off this pawesome adventure at Jupiter Beach, where dogs run free for miles.

But it takes a lot of work from our twolegged friends to keep this stretch of beach clean.

Let's meet the people who make it all happen.

A beach that allows dogs?

Tell me about that.

We have probably the longest stretch of beach in the state of Florida that allows dogs.

But not only do they allow dogs, but they allow dogs offleash, which is kinda like, unheard of.

Look at that, I'm going picking!

Talk to me a little bit about the history of Friends of Jupiter Beach.

[Mary] It actually started in 1994, and a group of citizens went in front of the town of Jupiter and said, "Look, we have all these volunteers, "all these friends, that wanna get together "and clean the beach.

"So you give us a stretch of beach "where we can let our dogs loose, "and we will clean and maintain the beach for you."

What is that?

What is that?

Is that anything I should be worried about?

No.

No, okay.

Actually, that actually comes from the ocean.

[Frank] Okay.

I think right there.

Is that styrofoam?

I don't know what that is.

I know that when people come out to the beach, they tend to look for bigger stuff.

Bigger stuff, yeah.

This is the bad.

But this actually is very important.

These are the culprits.

They're very important to pick up.

Yeah, there you go.

So, in this job, it's good to underachieve?

It's to look for the small things.

[Mary] Yeah.

[Frank] Not to go for the big hit.

[Mary] We want to pick up both.

[Frank] Right.

[Mary] We wanna get the big stuff, but we wanna make sure we get the little stuff.

Great job for underachievers.

And that's right in my wheelhouse.

Yeah.

Every month we've got our standard beach cleanup, but we also have other cleanups in between with the young Friends of Jupiter Beach, and a few other beach cleanup efforts that we do.

But once a month, first Saturday of every month, we probably get anywhere between 200 to 300 volunteers.

What?

Show up on their own accord.

And they wanna be a part of keeping this the beautiful gem that it is.

Yeah, for sure!

And that's a lot of people, 300.

You must be getting friends of friends of Jupiter Beach, right?

That's the whole idea.

Tell everyone about more friends.

That's incredible!

You would both say, I'm pretty good at this.

Right?

I think you're winning.

You're getting the hang of it.

I'm pretty good, I'm pretty good, yeah.

You're getting the hang of it.

I learned quickly.

Now it's time for a stroll down the Avenue.

So pack your wallet, your purse, and your pooch for Palm Beach, where only the finest is out for your pawed pal.

We have pet competitions, pet parades, pet fashion shows, all kinds of things going on in Palm Beach.

I didn't realize how much history there is with dogs in Palm Beach.

Absolutely.

Addison Mizner, who became the very famous architect in the 1920s.

Of course.

Yeah, of course.

He loved animals.

He had all kinds of, eventually, animals in his pet menagerie.

He had raccoons, he had a skunk, he had anteaters, he had macaws, all kinds of animals.

And he became famous for that.

Mizner, together with some friends, founded at the Palm Beach Animal Rescue League.

That tradition of tolerating pets and animals and dogs of all kinds started really in the 1920s.

And it's still around today, obviously.

That's incredible.

Is there the famous dog bowls Yes.

That I've heard about?

Well, how did that come about?

Mizner actually designed dog bowls in a section of Worth Avenue where he built retail stores.

But all the other shops on Worth Avenue followed suit, and just about anywhere you go now, they offer dog treats.

And, well, dogs are a big deal here.

Yeah.

Your shop, very cute.

And you have quite a few dogcentric gifts.

Absolutely, yes, indeed.

Yeah.

Obviously, that's by design?

Yes.

Are any of these your own creation?

Some of them, yes, some of them.

Yeah, I see that, you've got that personality.

They call us the happy store.

Yeah, it's very, very happy.

But you also are very involved in this little contest that they do here?

[Sherry] Oh yes.

I started it.

[Frank] Yeah.

So 30 years we've been doing it.

[Frank] It's amazing.

It shows you how petfriendly this town is.

Some of the outfits that they come in, I mean, it's a show.

There are people that come to see the show.

[Frank] Of course, because it's cute.

[Sherry] Because it's so entertaining.

[Frank] Who doesn't love dogs?

[Sherry] Put on an event, they will come.

It's a fun thing.

30 years, and you're still creating this spirit.

Still doing it.

It's no secret that pets are like family.

What better way to capture the essence of your beloved pet than through artwork?

This local artist's, oneofakind sculptures are featured in galleries across the Palm Beaches.

Let's meet Gin Blische.

The amount of work that goes into this guy.

Like, what?

[Gin] And I would say to myself, "You know what would be really fun?

"Is just to add a little pink to that belly."

Because when you're rubbing a dog's belly, you always see [Frank] It is a little pink!

And he's got the grump.

He's got the grump.

Yeah, he's got the grump.

He's gonna have a skateboard.

[Frank] Is that right?

I'm building him a skateboard.

You're gonna be skateboarding.

Wow.

Because you always see bulldogs are always on skateboards.

You notice that?

I have never noticed that.

It's revelatory, what you just said to me.

Yeah.

I loved sculpting so much.

Really spoke to me.

And wool just kind of seemed to be the ticket, oddly.

Could I get a little wool on these hands?

I absolutely want you to try this.

Pick a color.

Oh, I love this, okay.

I am... How about a little mustard?

[Gin] Reach into here, and you're gonna grab a piece of wool.

[Frank] Okay, I'll start with this one.

And just like, grab a tuft of it.

Oh, just a little?

Like a tuft.

[Frank] Okay.

So weak!

I didn't know you had to be working out to do this.

I love expressions.

I love creating faces in my art that just speak to a person, where you're looking at it, and you have to smile, because it's like, gosh, look at that!

It looks like it could almost talk to you.

This is what I build mostly everything that I create out of.

Now stick that piece of wool on there.

Okay.

Pick any one of your needles that you have in your little collection.

[Frank] All right.

[Gin] You don't look up, and you just poke into it.

And that's how I sculpt.

And then [Frank] What am I doing?

Am I just [Gin] What you're doing is you're taking all the fibers, and it's knotting those fibers Into the Into itself.

Depending on what you're building, you sculpt the presculpt of that.

[Frank] Yeah.

And then, you would take the wool, and pretty much build over this armature.

Yes.

[Gin] And this is just the first leg of it.

Right, ha, no pun intended!

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

[Gin] Then if you take a color [Frank] Yep.

[Gin] This is what you'd consider a top coat.

[Frank] Okay.

[Gin] And you would just poke that.

[Frank] And it makes it intertwine with the other one?

[Gin] It does.

And it's stuck, see, just like magic.

So with doing that, I create [Frank] How do you?

[Gin] These pet portraits and other sculptures.

How's it coming?

[Frank] What I'm doing?

[Gin] Side by side.

What I'm doing?

Oh, I see.

You see?

It looks kinda like a dog now.

Oh!

It's like, one step away.

Right?

It's yappy hour, and we're headed to the popular waterfront restaurant Darbster, named for the owner's late poodle Darby, to enjoy vegan treats for you and your pup.

I found out your names are Ellen and Alan, and I thought, what a beautiful name for a restaurant.

And why didn't they call it "Ellen and Alan's?"

So what's the story with Darbster?

Tell me the name.

We had a rescue poodle when we first moved here in 2003, and Darby was her name.

And so then in 2009, when we bought this place, I thought, I don't wanna call it, "The Vegan Cafe," or "Earth Green."

Right.

It's just a turnoff.

Yeah.

So we figured we'll just call it Darter.

It's nice.

What's the involvement in the community, in the dog community?

Well, we opened the restaurant, we kinda did it as a hobby.

'Cause we wanted somewhere to eat.

And so we decided to put the profits into a foundation called Darbster Rescue.

So what we do is we now rescue dogs and cats from South Florida, and we move them up north to two brick and mortar shelters that we have in New Hampshire.

Yeah, so to date, we've saved about 17,000 animals, yeah.

Are you kidding me?

No.

[Frank] 17,000?

[Ellen] Yeah, 17,000.

[Frank] And it's all breeds, right?

[Ellen] Yeah, it's a lot of square hits.

Like our friend Poppy here.

[Frank] Yeah.

A lot of cats, a lot of kittens.

So a lot of animals that would be overlooked.

So we work with other rescue groups, we work with our volunteers, and we have a small staff that helps us out.

Are you just exhausted?

Yeah, yeah, we're exhausted.

What?

Yeah.

No wonder you opened up a place that you can just relax and eat!

We've been here for 14 years now.

[Alan] A lot of regulars.

And that's rewarding.

[Frank] Yeah.

Do you allow dogs in the restaurant?

[Ellen] We do.

You do?

We encourage it.

I know you had yours here, but I figured that was a perk of being an owner.

No, Sunday nights we actually give a discount if you bring your dog.

Do you really?

Yeah.

Why?

Why so passionate about it?

What is it?

I think if you are successful, you owe it to your community to give back.

You should change your names from Ellen and Alan to Superman and Wonder Woman.

Really!

Greyhounds are known for their speed and racing abilities, but they also have another strong sense.

We're at Okeeheelee Park, where I'm meeting up with some greyhound dog owners to see what we can sniff out.

Everybody's so well behaved today.

Bravo!

Love it.

Is the trail you go, is that the Sniffari?

Because I love that name.

So you gotta give a little bit of background on that.

So, a walk is a walk.

You walk your dog, either right by you I appreciate you, I appreciate you, yes Left hand, here we go.

Demonstrating a walk.

But a sniffari allows the dog time to sniff around, and it's more of an enrichment walk.

Gotcha.

So they're not rushed to be walked from point A to point B.

We let them explore the different sights and scents that the venue has to offer.

Their hearts are actually larger in order to accommodate the amount of blood that pumps through their system as they're running, yeah.

I'm telling you, they're designed.

They're designed.

[Frank] Wow.

[Deverie] Their purpose is for running, and speed, and hunting, and [Frank] Yeah.

[Deverie] They're really cool.

[Frank] Well, how did this come about?

[Michele] People were always asking, well, where can my dog run?

My dog came off the track.

[Frank] Yeah.

And now they can't go anywhere to run anymore.

So that was some goals that some of us had to find a place where they could do that.

And we said people would really love to be able to run their greyhounds.

[Frank] And they're just so sleek.

Yeah, they're very aerodynamic.

Yeah.

When the sun shines through, you can see, there's like, certain parts that are paper thin.

Yeah.

Where the sun shines through.

I noticed, one of the the skin, yeah, on the legs.

[Deverie] Yeah, exactly.

Can see right through there.

Dogs are pack animals in general.

Sure, sure.

But the way that these dogs were raised was in large kennels, and in groups, and as a pack.

So when they're coming off the track, or their time is retired, they just enjoy getting together.

And I think as greyhound owners, that's what we acknowledged.

All of us who are here today, we're here 'cause of our dogs.

[Frank] Yeah.

[Deverie] And we want the dogs to be together.

And as owners, we find joy in our dogs getting together.

And as a result, we make friends, and partnerships, and find out commonalities amongst each other.

Friends of friends of friends.

Friends of friends, and it starts with these dogs just getting together.

So it's not a business, it's a passion for us.

[Frank] It's awesome, is what it is.

It's great.

How often are we vacuuming?

[Michele] Every day.

Every day, right?

They're not bad shedders, though.

No?

Not like, on the scale of shedding.

Yeah.

They're pretty low.

You know It's more like glitter.

If I don't vacuum Yeah, I'm sure I've ingested so much dog hair over the years.

But it's great, I mean, there's just no replacement for a dog.

After all that running around, if your pooch is pooped, it's time to get his tail wagging again with the royal treatment at Lush Dog Resort.

You guys, this just can't be real.

How do you come up with this thing?

I mean, this is fun.

It's paradise in Florida for dogs.

They get to play outside all day with their friends.

We get to play with them.

It's a resort life.

I mean, it legitimately feels like, all right, we're just gonna hang out and run around for a little bit.

So I'm a dog lover.

No, I make no bones about it.

To go from dog lover who loves dogs to opening up this place is massive.

How did this come about?

What was the genesis of this?

So, Lush Dog Resort was opened up in 2010.

We're a 12,000 square foot facility, one of a kind.

We've got five outdoor yards, three indoor climatecontrolled playrooms.

We've got a grooming salon, we've got a boneshaped pool behind us.

I mean, we have a pet spa.

We've got it all.

Ready?

Go, go, go, go!

[Frank] This is so cute!

Hey Austin, when are we installing a diving board?

What's the rules?

Are we just letting the dogs?

Is there any rules here?

Or are we just kinda just?

So we've got some rules.

Yeah.

But the whole point is for them to come, have fun, play, make friends, get love from some counselors.

Dogs love routines, so they love coming to the same place every day, meeting the same friends, seeing the same things in the yard, hopping in the same pool.

So they thrive on routine, and so does our club.

It's a country club.

Totally.

Yeah, we have different supervised groups based on their energy level, their size, and so they get to play with their favorite counselors, their friends.

There's all kinds of activities and play equipment for them, and they love it.

Then we've also got training.

So Sarah's one of our trainers here at Lush.

[Frank] Oh, look at that, training a dog right now.

[Cristina] Absolutely.

[Frank] Wow!

Good boy!

I don't even think I could do that.

Wow.

That's pretty cool.

[Cristina] Whatever they want, they get.

It's truly a resort.

I gotta be honest with you, this is actually better than some hotels I've stayed in myself.

Oh, that's for sure.

Right?

That's right.

I mean, you don't get this kinda outdoor activity.

People ask us, they're like, "Can we stay here with our dog?"

I wouldn't put it past somebody.

You put a couple suites upstairs, I could stay here with my pets!

Next, we're throwing a leash on our fur baby and heading to Jaycee Dog Park in Boynton Beach, where the dogs are really digging all of the activities.

This doesn't even look like a dog park.

It's gorgeous.

And it's fairly new, right?

Yes, it is a fairly new dog park.

[Frank] Normally I bring my dog to a dirt patch, right?

Like, this is like, really lush.

Originally this was just an open green field, and this was grass that was here.

We did resod it in order to make it sustainable for a dog park, and dogs to use it and run and play, and give that kind of accessibility to dogs as well.

Two different runs.

One for the large dogs, one for the smaller dogs.

Wash stations, pavilions here provide shade for the owners to sit and watch their dog, and just let 'em run free.

It's nice, it's very nice.

Not just the dog park, but though you do also do events, right?

For like, dog owners and stuff?

Yeah, we are a dogfriendly city.

We have several parks that are dogfriendly, which allow owners to bring their dogs to the park on a leash.

Fortunately you can allow your dog off leash, but we are preparing for our Oceanfront Bark, which is our annual event, which allows dogs to have free time or play at our Oceanfront Park, which is our beach.

Well, so right on the beach?

[Kacy] Correct.

Right on the beach.

[Frank] Really?

[Kacy] Yes.

[Frank] Well, that's fun!

You had an opening day recently.

We had vendors, food for the participants, dogfriendly toys, giveaways, anything to kinda entice people to come out to the park and enjoy this brand new park here.

Now you said food for the participants, I'm assuming you mean the adults.

You have food for the dogs as well?

Do you got a little food dog truck?

There are little snacks for the dogs, but then also, we have to take care of our owners as well.

Of course, yeah.

You know, that's interesting, maybe that's an interesting little ad.

A little food dog truck.

Right?

Next up, our tailwagging trek takes us to Clematis Street, where dogs rule at The BRK Republic.

Weirdest concept.

[Lindsey] Yes.

Right?

Like, what?

And yet, genius.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

All yours?

Yeah.

I actually had the idea at a brewery like, seven, eight years ago.

And I was like, this could be a fun thing.

And it is.

Yeah.

We wanted a warehouse.

We really envisioned it being an indoor/outdoor park.

We wanted there to be a space on those hot summer days where it's fully air conditioned, like we are here.

Yep.

It's unique to be able to have an outdoor space and an indoor that's seamless.

Yeah.

[Frank] Now I'm a dog owner, but I have to do, there's an application process, right?

[Lindsey] Yeah, it's all for your dog's safety that we have it.

[Frank] Yep.

[Lindsey] And then we have day passes, or monthly memberships as well.

All dogs are a member.

[Frank] Yep.

Once you're in our system, you get a little doggy tag with your number on it.

[Frank] Nice.

And stuff like that, to make for checkins really easy and seamless.

Especially if you're a VIP monthly member, your dog can come anytime.

[Frank] That's what with VIP is?

[Lindsey] All day, as many times as you want.

Are there drink specials for VIPs?

Yeah, you get 10% off, and you get early access to all of our events.

Talk to me about some events.

What are we talking about?

So like, our BeerFest is great.

We actually take over our parking lot.

[Frank] What a smart cookie!

[Lindsey] Ah thanks, I try.

I feel like every city needs a BRK Republic.

I would agree with you.

Yeah.

[Frank] It's time to let the dogs out, and we're headed to Peanut Island for some snorkeling and swimming.

On today's seaside adventure, I'm hopping aboard a water taxi.

And you can bet there's plenty of room for your best friends.

Why aren't they all doing this?

[Anthony] That's what the dogs tell us.

[Frank] That's right.

Now how did we come up with this idea?

'Cause obviously, it seems like a nobrainer.

Well, Peanut Island's always been dog friendly.

Right.

So we've encouraged it.

We have a tendency to love dogs and tolerate people.

[Frank] I get that!

He's like, "Scoot over, that's my seat!"

[Frank] Any dog lover's gonna take advantage of this, I would imagine.

[Anthony] Correct.

And we do take a lot of dogs over there.

To the point where we have to make sure we've got the right dogs in the right place, on the right boat.

[Frank] Is that right?

[Bernadette and Anthony] Yes.

[Bernadette] Most people come like, a couple times a week.

Some people just come on vacation when they go camping on the island.

[Frank] Sure.

[Bernadette] And then they'll bring their dogs with them, 'cause it's a petfriendly place.

[Anthony] Now we do get a lot of repeat business people that have dogs.

You know, we recognize 'em from their dogs, rather than who they are.

[Frank] Sure.

And they come over every week, and they're coming over, just 'cause the dogs love it.

They get very excited.

You can see them getting excited before they get on the boat.

I would imagine too, they make friends too, right?

Absolutely.

Definitely.

Right?

Regulars, the dogs know each other.

Yep.

That's so fun.

[Anthony] The dogs have to be on a leash.

[Frank] Gotcha.

[Anthony] The whole time.

They can walk around anywhere they like, but on low tides, we do have the sandbar, and that's where dogs can go out there, and the beach becomes available.

[Frank] Very cool.

[Anthony] And there's a lot of activities out there for dogs, when they do that.

Why not go walk your dog on Peanut Island?

[Frank] Sure.

So it becomes a good activity for your dogs and families to go over there.

Oh, I would do this all day.

And they must love it.

Do they get to go in the water when they get there?

Absolutely.

Yep.

Yeah?

[Anthony] They love going in the water.

I mean, I'm a little envious.

A little jealous.

Is this a real job?

This is an amazing job.

Right?

I get to bring my dog to work with me every day.

[Frank] And everybody that comes on has gotta be happy, 'cause most of the time they're either on vacation, or they're taking a break.

[Bernadette] You're going to the beach.

[Frank] You're going to the beach!

[Anthony] And if they don't bring their dog, they've got other dogs to see.

So it's a great atmosphere.

[Frank] Let's face it: when we get busy, sometimes we need a little help caring for our canines.

Let's meet a couple who's taken dog walking to a whole new level.

Come on, guys!

[Frank] About how many dogs are you guys walking at one time?

We do no more than six at a time.

We really wanna keep the groups small.

[Frank] Sure, of course, yeah.

So we don't have too many dogs.

And that just overall just helps with their experience in outdoor adventure.

So obviously this is a dream job, right?

Like you guys just went, "You know what?

"That's it."

We decided to really just put our two passions together.

We have a passion for dogs.

We have three dogs of our own.

[Frank] Yep.

[Melissa] And we also have a passion for adventuring and hiking.

And we really wanted to just put the two together and see where it goes.

[Frank] That's amazing.

Now, do you have a staff, or is it just the two of you?

Yeah, so far it's just the two of us.

That's so cool.

Are there friendships that are made here?

Do these dogs meet each other and go, "Oh my gosh, it's that one again!"

Do they, yeah?

Yeah.

The first time that we take them, they're usually kind of shy, and they're not too sure what's going on.

Right.

And then, they start to form the friendships.

And the second time that we pick them up, they already know what's happening.

[Frank] Of course.

[Melissa] Yeah.

They're like, very excited.

They run to the van.

[Frank] Yeah.

Sometimes they're barking, and Well, these two led me to the trail.

Yeah.

They knew where they were going.

They know exactly what's happening.

[Frank] So you're taking them all over.

[Melissa] Our trips are about two hours long.

So we do beach trips in the morning, and then we do a hike in the afternoon.

[Frank] Wow.

So by the end of the field trip, they're pretty tired.

[Frank] Right.

So we've seen, and we've heard even from dog owners, that this has helped with a lot of anxiety.

So anxietyrelated behaviors like digging, and chewing, barking, all of that.

[Frank] Yeah.

It's helped tremendously with their dogs.

It's incredible.

Yeah.

That's awesome.

Now you have a van.

It's not just for pickups?

Like, do you take these guys on little cruise trips?

Like, do they get to like, you know?

Like, do you take 'em on little, like, "Hey guys, to your left?"

[Melissa] Definitely, the dogs do enjoy the cruising part.

[Frank] Yeah.

[Melissa] Yeah, especially because our van has a lot of windows.

[Frank] That's what I noticed.

[Melissa] Yeah, they're always like, just enjoying the view.

So cool!

Is there, like an application process?

Like, do you go through an interview with dogs?

Like to make sure they're not like, loopy?

We will only want to do dogs that are specifically trained with recall.

Right.

And have good behavior with other dogs.

Yeah, so you need a dog that's got good temperament, listens well.

So basically I'd be a horrible candidate for you guys, if I was a dog.

[Melissa] We really went for an adventure.

Sure did!

This has been so much fun.

But I think I got it from here, if you don't mind.

Are you sure?

I am absolutely positive.

We hope you'll get out and enjoy everything the Palm Beaches has to offer.

Take your furry friends along, and join us the next time we go "On the Town "in the Palm Beaches" with me, Frank Lecari.

Onward, friends!

So guys, now that we're alone, tell me about these two.

What are they really like?

They treatin' you well, huh?

Be honest, it's a lot more fun with me than those two, right?

Come on, who's more fun than me?

Right?

Guys, I think I'm lost.

I don't know where I went.

You guys may never get home again.

I hope you like your surroundings.

[Announcer] This program was brought to you by Discover the Palm Beaches.

Visit ThePalmBeaches.TV for more information.