Photograph by Scott Lechner

Trevor's Saturday mornings used to be pretty routine until he got involved in a walking group with his mistress.

New dog-walking group provides social interaction for pets--and owners

By Shari Kaplan

For Los Gatan Trevor Borges, Saturday mornings used to be just another day to rise and shine, stretch, eat breakfast and hang out at home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With no job, no car, no siblings and only a few friends, there wasn't much to do. Little did he know the turn his social life was about to take.

Things changed for the 2-year-old Sheltie this January, when he joined a singles' dog-walking group started by his owner, Terri Borges, and her friend Holly Lepore of San Jose. Every Saturday morning, long-nosed Trevor and Borges come down from the mountains to meet up with kindred spirits from Los Gatos and other neighboring cities.

The group, which is still working on an official name--and website--gathers at 10 a.m. in the Los Gatos Town Plaza , at the corner of N. Santa Cruz Avenue and W. Main Street. Approximately 10 to 15 people turn up each week, Borges says, and even rain does not damp the participants' enthusiasm.

The group had its genesis when Borges and Lepore were discussing various types of safe, social interactions for busy singles.

"The two of us are single and are kind of tired of the bar scene," Borges says. "We both have dogs and love dogs. One day Holly threw out the idea of getting a dog-walking group together." The group grew thanks to word-of-mouth, conversations struck up by passersby and small notices placed in local newspapers.

It's a win-win situation, Borges adds, because owners get exercise, dogs get exercise, owners meet individuals with whom they already have an important common bond--"we're all dog-people!"--and the dogs themselves can meet new playmates and improve their socialization skills. It's not even limited to singles. The only rules Borges and Lepore set is that dogs must not fight or bite, should be well-mannered toward humans and other dogs, and be on leashes.

"As we've gone along, we've picked up some non-singles also. One person said, 'I'm not single, but my dog is! Can we join?'" Borges recounts with a laugh. "Initially it was a singles thing but we're evolving into more."

Borges and Lepore are planning a variety of dog-friendly social events for the coming months, including "tail"-gate parties, hiking trips and a dog-washing night at the new Bonz Dog Wash on Los Gatos Boulevard--while pooches get pampered, the owners will dine at a nearby pizza parlor. At the gathering that precedes each Saturday walk, the women have also arranged for brief presentations from guests on topics such as leash- and obedience-training and dog health care.

Kika Costa, an ebullient 1-year-old Labrador retriever, is very excited about the group, says her owner, Robert Costa of Boulder Creek. And he's pretty happy himself. "She loves it because she gets to play with all the dogs. She loves other dogs but she doesn't get out much. As a puppy, she's absorbing all of this knowledge and socialization," he says. "It also gives me an opportunity to be in a committed walking relationship with my dog. I'm very busy and don't always have a lot of time to spend walking her."

For more information, call 354-4409.

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