Professor, Dog Set To Embark On Five-Week Study Of Dog Culture In California

For Nick Trujillo and his dog, California's coast will be a bit more golden this summer. Trujillo, a communication studies professor at California State University, Sacramento, will embark on a five-week trip up the California coast this May and June with his Golden Retriever "Ebbet" (or "Ebbie"), who was named after the Brooklyn Dodger's former home, Ebbet's Field.

The two will be traveling from mid-May through the end of June.

During his trip, Trujillo will interview hundreds of dog owners, including border guards, police officers and firefighters, Hollywood celebrities, dog trainers, owners of dog businesses, animal shelter workers, fishermen and dozens of campers and residents. Among his plans are a talk with the manager of the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego about famous dogs that have stayed there, a visit to the war dog memorial at March Air Force Base in Riverside and interviews at a Beverly Hills boutique store for dogs.

Trujillo plans to write a book about the trip titled The Golden Coast: Up the California Coast with a Golden Retriever. It will explore "dog culture" in the state.

Trujillo also will be raising money for Homeward Bound, a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization that rescues Golden Retrievers. His goal is to get pledges of $1 for each mile of the 1,072 miles of the California coastline. He's already close to that goal, as dog owners who have heard about the trip pledged support as well as ideas and places to stay.

"This trip will be part research project, part fund-raiser and part epic journey," Trujillo says.
For more information about Homeward Bound, contact Jody Jones at (916) 655-1410 or visit www.homewardboundgoldens.org. For more information about the trip or to schedule interviews with Trujillo, call (916) 278-6335 or e-mail at nickt@csus.edu. He will check messages frequently. For additional media assistance contact CSUS public affairs at (916) 278-6156.