Santa Barbara, CA is blessed with many places of natural beauty and some of them let dogs run free. The Douglas Family Preserve is one of the best, offering exquisite beauty and room to romp. Located on 70 acres at the western end of the Mesa, the property was home to the Wilcox Nursery from 1949 until 1972, and then languished for 24 years until the Trust for Public Land purchased it for a city park. It was named in recognition of actor Michael Douglas’s generous contribution.
People come to this idyllic place for peaceful ambling, biking, hang gliding, great views of the mountains and ocean, checking out the action on Hendry’s Beach from the high cliffs and even chilling in a hammock, but it really has “gone” to the dogs, who love it even more than their human companions. Paco adores going there and in this little movie he’s joined near the end of the ramble by Australian shepherd Venus and border collie Brea, his great friends from Oak Park, his daily neighborhood stomping ground.
