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| Tuesday |
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5:45 a.m.
The start of typical workday for Annie Lever, L.A.’s best-known,
best-paid dog walker. It’s going to be a long one, but at least the
weather’s nice: Sunny, with an expected high of 72 degrees.
 6:02
a.m.
Even dog walkers have to walk their dogs. Annie takes Olive
Pearl, her
5-pound Maltese, for a quick stroll through their Brentwood neighborhood.
7:20 a.m.
No time for breakfast. A quick cup of coffee and it’s time to head
out to pick up Molly and Ruby, two Aussie mixes rescued from the pound
by a president at Columbia TriStar.
7:35 a.m.
Annie picks up Arnie, a rambunctious poodle-mix belonging to a west side
sculptress. Annie checks the back window-lock to prevent escapes. “I’ve
never lost one yet,” she says, “and I don’t intend to.”
7:55
The fur flies, literally, as Annie zooms down the 405 to pick up Gracie,
an nine-month old black Lab. “I’m a morning person,” Annie
says. “If I could pick up my dogs at 6:30, I would. But most of my
clients aren’t up that early. This is Hollywood, not Nebraska.”
 8:10
a.m.
Annie arrives at the estate of film producer Steve Tisch to collect Forrest
and Elliott, two chocolate Labs that Annie has walked for eight and seven
years, respectively. Forrest has had hip replacement surgery and can’t
jump, so he waits patiently for Annie to lift his backside into the truck.
8:30 a.m.
Annie heads northeast to the Hollywood Hills to pick up Susie Q, a beefy
terrier mix owned by two music company executives. “We’re right
on schedule,” she says.
8:45 a.m.
Annie toots her horn as she passes another dog walker on Nichols Canyon
Road. Annie’s here to pick up Daisy, a nine-month-old white Lab belonging
to a film executive. Labs--lovable and active--are a “hot dog” in
these Hills.
9:00 a.m.
 “Everybody
out!” Annie says as she releases the eight dogs at Runyon
Canyon Park. The rustic park in the Hollywood Hills is a mecca
for dog-owners and dog walkers because dogs run free here among
the rocks and chaparral. People ask her how she keeps all these
unleashed dogs together. “These are all pack dogs so they
naturally want to stay together.”
9:05 a.m.
Annie meets Howard, a Canyon resident walking his yellow Lab, Lulu. Lulu
has been depressed since the death of Howard’s other dog, but today
she joins a of couple dogs in the group in a spirited game of tag. “I
haven’t seen her this happy in months,” Howard says.
9:39 a.m.
Water break! All nine dogs crowd a trough set up by a dog-loving canyon
resident. Some canyon residents resent all the dog walkers in their midst,
but most take them in stride.
9:44 a.m.
Every day the dogs get a full hour of hiking--and Annie gets three. “I
don’t have to go the gym any more--not that I have time.” There
are several trails through the hilly canyon, some tougher than others.
Today, Annie and the dogs take the ridge trail halfway to its highest point
before heading down.
 9:55
a.m.
Their hour almost up, Annie heads her dogs back to the truck. They’ve
been remarkably well behaved this morning. “Arnie! Come here, Arnie!” Annie
barks as the poodle mix strays from the group. “Sometimes they forgot
who’s in charge.”
10:05 a.m.
Annie pulls into the Starbucks on the Sunset Strip for a vente peppermint
frappuccino and a cinnamon roll. Says Annie, “The best thing about
walking 10 miles a day is you get to eat whatever you want.”
10:32 a.m.
Annie starts dropping off her first group and picking up her second. Molly
and Ruby will stay with Annie all day. “Their owners wanted to give
them a special treat,” Annie says.
10:34 a.m.
Annie heads south to Cheviot Hills to pick up Daisy and Scott, two frisky
yellow Labs owned by a pair of studio executives.
10:48 a.m.
Annie picks up Luke and Cookie, two more chocolate Labs. Her 2001 Mitsubishi
Montero SUV now holds Annie, eight large dogs, a photographer and a 5-pound
Maltese, who rides on her lap. “This thing is great,” she says
of the Mitsubishi, which has 51,000 miles on it.
11:28 a.m.
Back to Brentwood to pick up actress Courtney Thorne-Smith’s Basenji,
Ed. Basenjis don’t bark, but they do have an unsurpassed repertoire
of yodels, yips and growls. “No other dog sounds like a Basenji,” Annie
says as Ed yodels loudly.
 11:42
a.m.
Annie picks up Jake, a friendly Golden Retriever, in Santa Monica. “Jake’s
so lucky--he has two daddies, don’t you, Jake?”
11:58 a.m.
Release the hounds! Annie pulls up to Barrington Dog Park, a popular canine
hangout just down the street from her home in the Brentwood section of
Los Angeles. Her charges romp and play with each other and with the other
dogs visiting the park. “They love this so much” she says. “It’s
so important for dogs to be with other dogs.”
12:20 p.m.
She stoops to conquer: Picking up dog waste is Job One for professional
dog walkers like Annie. “I’m so used to it,” she says, “I
can pick up poop with one hand and eat a doughnut with the other.”
12:39 p.m.
Annie gives the dogs a work out with one of their favorite toys, the “Chuckit.” It’s
a ball tosser that helps Annie throw tennis balls further. “I throw
a ball about six feet myself, so this thing really helps.”
12:42 p.m.
Annie stops to talk with Tiffany, another dog walker who frequents the
park. They talk about how business is, how their dogs are, who’s
traveling. “Now that it’s ski season a lot of these dogs will
be taking the private jet to Aspen,” Annie says.
 1:10
p.m.
Back on the road to drop off her second group and pick up her final group
of day. Annie keeps all her appointments in her head and hasn’t forgotten
one “in years.” Still, she has a recurring dream where she
has forgotten to walk one of her dogs. “In the dream I always
go back at night and walk the dog.”
1:15 p.m.
Annie picks up Maddie and Rocky, a pair of standard poodles. “People
think you can make your own hours when you’re a dog walker, but it’s
not true. You have to stay on schedule.”
1:24 p.m.
West on Westwood Boulevard to pick up Jake, a Belgian shepherd. Annie’s
Maltese, Olive, barks loudly as Annie puts Jake in the back of the truck. “Who’s
the alpha dog in the group? I have to fight Olive for that title,” Annie
laughs.
1:44 p.m.
Annie stops at the home of film producer Gaye Hirsch, (“Shattered
Glass”) to pick up Taylor, a 10-year-old yellow Lab, and Lee, a 9-month-old
Corgi mix. They are the 17th and 18th dogs of the day.
2:32 p.m.
Back to the Barrington Dog Park for an hour of R&R. “A lot of
my dogs prefer the park to the Canyon. The young ones like the action,
and the old ones like to sit in the sun and watch.”
2:45 p.m.
 Annie
takes a moment to reflect on her unusual job. “Sometimes
this job is just so Hollywood,” she says. “Like one
day I went to pick up Forrest and the housekeeper said, ‘Oh,
didn’t they tell you? Forrest isn’t here today. He’s
over at Paramount doing his close-ups.’”
3:12 p.m.
As she watches her dogs play, Annie explains why she only walks “pack
breeds.” “Basically, there are two types of dogs: the pack
dogs descended from wolves and the lone hunters descended from jackals.
The lone hunter breeds won’t stay in the group, so they really have
to be walked alone.”
3:32 p.m.
The day’s walking is through but Annie still has two hours of dropping
off left--through heavy L.A. traffic. “People have no idea how much
work this is. The reason I make more than most dog walkers is because I
walk more dogs.”
 3:37
p.m.
A quick stop at Maria’s in Brentwood for a slice of cheese pizza
to go. Taylor, a yellow Lab, sticks his nose in the front seat, eager for
a taste. “It’s usually a race to see if I can finish it before
one of them makes me drop it.”
4:02 p.m.
Annie says “I just found out this week that one of my dogs is sick
with cancer. He’d been acting aggressive so I had to drop him from
the group--now I know why.” She plans to visit him later in the week. “It’s
so sad, we were really attached to each other.”
4:31 p.m.
Annie comments on the smell of her SUV. “I know it reeks,” she
says, “but you get used to it.” She says she’s been thrown
out of car washes that refused to clean her dog mobile. “Now I pay
this place $80 to do it.”
 4:39
p.m.
As dusk gathers over the Hollywood Hills, Annie drops off her last dog,
Malachy. “I feed most of the dogs dinner. Turn on the lights so they’re
not in the dark. And I always say ‘I love you’ because, well,
you never know.”
5:20 p.m.
Ten hours after leaving the house, Annie and Olive arrive home, both exhausted.
She draws a bath, feeds Olive and checks her phone messages.
6:15 p.m.
Annie calls Cookie’s owners to let them know that their four-month
old puppy is now big enough to jump over the gate. “I don’t
call every client every day, but I like to let them know what’s going
on with their dog. Sometimes it’s something about their health, sometimes
it’s just little a little accomplishment or adventure they had.”
7:05 p.m.
 Annie
fixes herself dinner--a giant bowl of pasta and a ready-to-toss
Caesar salad--and turns on the TV. “I’m usually too
tired to even think of going out.”
10:25 p.m.
Annie announces, “I’m pooped.” She gathers up Olive and
gets ready for bed.
11:20 p.m.
Lights out. In seven hours Annie will rise for another day as the hardest
working dog walker in Los Angeles. |
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