I just returned from an invigorating hike in the beautiful hills above Hollywood, California, in Damon Runyon Park.

On a day like today, when a steady, but not significant rain has just stopped falling, the greens and blues and purples of the scenery are spectacular, and from this elevation you can see downtown Los Angeles on the left, and the Santa Monica Bay, on the right.

The site is spotted with little and big dogs, all of them well behaved, who are obviously regulars, here. Not only do they leave people alone, or come up for a quick pet-in-passing, but also they play with their canine colleagues, or happily ignore them.

Even the occasional firefighter, who drives through the curves of the canyon, is on a