Support Local News in Alameda.
Donate Now!

Alameda Housing Authority Apply to the Wait List

Coast Guard K9 Memorial

Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – K9 Veterans' Day

As I announced last week, March 13 was National Canine Veterans Memorial Day, so I sent my human companion and editor over to Coast Guard Base Alameda to represent me at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – Wall of plaques commemorating K9 heroes

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – K9 veterans dayWhen he got back to the office, he showed me the pictures of the Coast Guard K9 memorial and said:

“The Coast Guard, along with the other branches of the service recognize and respect the K9s for the service they give to the country along with their fellow Coasties. Their memory is appropriately honored when they retire or give their lives in service as demonstrated by the memorial and the ranking officers that participated in the ceremony.”

Ribbon Cutting Final

A big howl out goes to the Coast Guard Foundation that took the lead and made this all happen. Many of their board members were there and participated in the ribbon cutting.



Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – Bongo the Coast Guard dog with his human handler
Photo USCG K-9 Unofficial Facebook page.

My human companion got a chance to meet Coast Guard K9 Bongo  and learned about all the skills a USCG K9 needs to know like sniffing out explosives and drugs and being lowered from a helicopter.  YIKES!! That would scare the 💩 out of me.

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – Ricky the Coast Guard K9

I included an image of Coast Guard K9 Ricky decked out in his protective gear and ready to practice his vertical delivery proficiency skills. You can see Ricky in action in this short clip found on the Military.com website:

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – Taz the Coast Guard K9 goose chaser.
Photo USCG K-9 Unofficial Facebook page.

Not all Coast Guard K9 jobs are that exciting, but they are equally important in servicing the country. Take Taz for example:

“Taz is a highly-trained, ferociously cute Border Collie who is responsible for geese control. He is an officially certified Good Dog. Geese and other birds can pose a hazard to aviation. Taz is trained to stalk geese, moving like a predator, but does not harm them.” (According to the “USCG K-9 Unofficial Facebook page.)

As you can tell, this was the highlight of my weekly reporting, but it wasn’t the only thing going on. So, here’s what happened in Alameda this past week.

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – Mouf sports a green paw band for St. Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick’s Day was Tuesday, and there was plenty of par-tay-ing around town. Since I was not info painting my fur green, I opted for a paw band instead. The corned beef was yummy, but I passed on the boiled green stuff.

Auto splash

Another one of those atmospheric rivers hit Alameda, and there was water everywhere!

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – Mouf in his lighted vest

I took some extra precautions and used my lighted vest to increase my visibility, and my human companion was especially careful at blind driveways and every intersection. I didn’t even cross the street until I was sure that all the cars were stopped at the red light. Even then, I looked behind me for cars making right turns who might not see me.

Alameda Post - Bear's-Eye View of Alameda for March 19, 2023 – 39th birthday cake for Jeff Cambra

I am not supposed to be reporting this, but we celebrated a birthday in my house. Not saying whose it was, but… he has an opposable thumb, he feeds me, and takes me out to walk the Alameda beat. When asked about the significance of turning [BLEEPED OUT], he replied, “39 again… Live the myth, baby.”

I have to admit, the non-dairy—vegan by any other name—birthday cake was tasty. White cake with peanut butter “butter cream” frosting that tasted just like the real thing. Yummy.

Next week, I will be visiting a possible dog park site as part of the Tilden-Clement project and investigating a flamingo sighting on Encinal Avenue.

Hope to see you on the street.

Bear's paws

Mouf, Roving Reporter
Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda

Mouf and his human companion can be reached via [email protected]. Their stories are collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jeff-Cambra/. All photos by Jeff Cambra unless otherwise indicated.

KQED Curated Content
Thanks for reading the

Nonprofit news isn’t free.

Will you take a moment to support Alameda’s only local news source?
Now through December 31,
double your giving power with NewsMatch!