Winter 2025

Leah Mendonca’s dog exploration guide helps dog owners locate safe and fun places for their pets, and her dog walking service provides adventures for local pups. W hen Leah Mendonca was working as a graphic designer in Canada, she found her passion for helping animals while pro- viding services for a humane society. To better understand her projects, she participated in dog training classes and began volunteering with rescues. She also created a map for dog owners to discover safe places to take their pets to play and get exercise. “When I moved to Monterey, I wanted to bring the same safe experiences for local dogs,” she says. Mendonca created a Monterey Peninsula dog exploration guide and also found- ed Monterey Dog, a dog walking service that provides adventures and enrichment experi- ences for pets. ±;I EVI *IEV *VII GIVXM½IH ² WLI I\TPEMRW The designation ensures a compassionate focus on an animal’s particular needs, making sure to match a dog with a suitable activity to prevent boredom, and providing group or solo activities based on the dog’s temperament. “People put a lot of trust in us with their fur babies, and we want them to live their best lives,” she says. “We don’t take the responsibili- ty lightly. It makes me so happy when clients tell us that their dogs are happy.” 8S ZMI[ XLI EHZIRXYVI QET ½RH HSK JVMIRHP] IZIRXW SV XS FSSO HSK [EPOMRK ERH HSK WMXXMRK WIVZMGIW GEPP SV ZMWMX [[[ XLIQSRXIVI]HSK GSQ Monterey Dog Provides Safe Excursions for Local Pups B Y B R E T T WI L BUR SHORT CUTS NEIGHBORS 96 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 Photo: Kelli Uldall