Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 8, 2014

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDSMountain Views-News Saturday, March 8, 2014 10 JUST FOR BEST FRIENDSMountain Views-News Saturday, March 8, 2014 10 
Happy Tails 
LEX WOOFER: 

Famous 
4-Legged 
Treasure of 

by Chris Leclerc 

Sierra Madre 


It is no secret to the citizens of Sierra 
Madre that our village is blessed with 
a plethora of treasures, some more 
hidden than others. If you happen 
to be a resident who spends time 
walking around town, it is likely that 
you’ve brushed elbows with a furry, 
four-legged friendly fellow named 
Lex Woofer who, as it turns out, is 
one of Sierra Madre’s most precious 
hidden treasures. And, if you did 
happen to come across this cute, 
kind canine, there is no doubt that 
he most definitely caught your eye. 

My first encounter with Lex Woofer 
(Lex, for short) was on a warm 
summer evening while he was out 
walking with Karol Ballard, one of his 
beloved owners, and I was walking 
one of my canine clients on the same 
street. I couldn’t resist initiating 
a chat with Karol, mainly to get a 
closer look at that beautiful babe she 
had on leash. Lex is a gorgeous black 
and white border collie, and I mean 
it when I say I could see him smiling 
at us from across the street! Karol 
took the time to let us meet and 
greet, and even invited us to come 
into their backyard where the two 
dogs enjoyed a play date. Let me just 
say that Lex turned out to be the host 
with the most, and Karol and Lex’s 
other owner, Kathy Mickaliger were 
both equally inviting and charming. 

I later connected with Lex Woofer 
through his Facebook page (yes, he 
has his own page, thank you very 
much!), at which time I learned that 
he is a renowned model and actor! 
Who knew we had a famous four-
legged film star living among us, 
right here in our hillside village? 
When I told Karol I had questions 
about how Lex broke into his acting 
career, much to my delight she was 
kind enough to accommodate my 
curiosity. 

Q: So, Karol, Lex is an amazing dog. 
He is ever so smart, oh so sweet and 
absolutely gorgeous. Where did you 
find such a gem of a pup?
A: Kathy and I had lost our two 
elderly dogs, Kody and Sedona in 
quick succession, and the heartbreak 
was enough for us to vow never to 
get another dog. A couple of months 
later, we were enjoying a barbecue 
at the home of our best friends John 
and Karen “KK” Suarez in Monrovia, 
and they asked us how we were 
handling our loss. We admitted we 
felt a void and were thinking maybe, 
at some point, we might consider 
opening our hearts and door to a 
cat-friendly dog that needed to be 
rescued. Well, without skipping a 
beat, they jumped on the chance to 
tell us about how their neighbor who 
had a dog that needed a loving home 
right away. 
Their neighbor had a year-old border 
collie they had gotten from a family 
who’d moved into an apartment and 
could no longer provide for him. 
They thought Lex might make a 
good companion for their 80-pound, 
domineering German shepherd, but 
at only 40 pounds, lean and lanky 
little Lex became more of a victim 
than a companion to the aggressive 
shepherd, so after months of trying 
to work things out, the owners 

decided it was time 
to find Lex a new 
home.

 Lex burst into 
the backyard 
BBQ, thrilled 
to see everyone, 
ran around like 
a Banshee, and 
exuberantlybounced up into 
our laps. We looked 
into his eyes and 
realized he had one 
blue eye and one 
brown eye. Our 

first thought was about the two 
beloved dogs we’d just lost. Kody 
had 2 blue eyes, and Sedona 
had 2 brown eyes. The sign was 
undeniable -they had sent us 
an angel! We decided if Lex was 
cat-friendly, he was in. When he 
walked into our kitchen where 
our cat Buddha lay in his chair, 
the look on Buddha’s face was 
pure joy. He missed his dogs! They 
had a smooch-fest right then and 
there, and we had a dog that would 
change our lives! 

Q: How old was Lex when you got 
him? And, how long have you had 
him? 
A: He was 1 ½ years old, all ganglylegs, 
gawky and wiggly when we 
adopted him, and we have had him 
ever since. We have to be coy about 
sharing his age, after all he is an 
actor! Let’s just say he’s over 21 in 
dog years. 
Q: How did Lex Woofer get his 
name? 
A: It’s a spoof on Lex Luthor, 
legendary villain and enemynumber-
one of Superman. 
However, as Lex himself told animal 
communicator, Lydia Hiby, “My 
name is Lex WOOfer. Our names 
may sound the same, but unlike 
Lex Luthor, I am a good guy!” That’s 
when I first realized that Lex “gets” 
everything! 
Q: What prompted you to introduce 
Lex into the wonderful world of 
entertainment? 
A: I was producing a short film, and 
Lex accompanied me to the set. He 
loves going places and being around 
people. The lead actress, Concetta 
Tomei is an animal lover and she 
immediately fell in love with Lex. 
It was her idea to add him to her 
character’s side in the film. Lex 
nailed the part like a pro! A friend 
had given me several books about 
border collies and they all said the 
same thing; border collies need to be 
given a job to do, or it is just plain 
cruel. They tend to get frustrated 
without a purpose to serve. So, I 
decided if Lex was going to have a 
job, it should be one that pays! 
Q: What was Lex’s first acting part?
A: Lex’s first part came when he was 
just a puppy. I got in touch with his 
breeder, after he’d started modeling 
and acting, and she recalled that Lex 
was one of a litter that had been used 
in a Target print ad depicting an adult 
border collie with a shoe, and border 
collie puppies shown with baby 
shoes. Sarah Clifford was the trainer 
for that shoot, and she confirmed 
the story. Interestingly enough, Lex 
told Lydia, the communicator that 
he had been on that shoot. At first I 
assumed Lex was relating a story he’d 
heard Sarah tell, but Lydia said to 
me, “Absolutely not, Lex WAS there.” 
And indeed it was true; Lex was on 
that shoot. Mind blown! 
Lex’s first big-time gig came in 
2009 when Sarah sent us to Newport 
Beach for a Ralph Lauren Rugby 
and Chaps division photo shoot. He 
took to it like a duck to water. In fact 
they were able to use the very first 

photo they took for the ad. The crew 
asked me how long Lex had been 
modeling, and I said it was his first 
time. They told me he was definitely 
in the top one percent of dog 
models, and they had worked with 
many. I credit his godmother “KK” 
who is a photographer and loved to 
take pictures of Lex along with her 
own dog (Lex’s BFF) whenever she 
could. She is the one who taught him 
to really hold a pose. 

Q: Does Lex have his own personal 
chef on set, like a lot of other famous 
actors do? 
A: As a matter of fact, he does have 
his own personal chef - me! But he 
also loves the craft service table, 
especially the little carrots. There’s 
always some sort of chicken morsels 
on set too, so I try to put together 
something special for him, for which 
he is always very appreciative. Oh, by 
the way I am also Lex’s hair & makeup 
artist, chauffeur and masseuse! 
Q: How do production companies 
go about finding Lex for projects?
A: Studio trainer Sarah Clifford’s 
company, AnimalSavvy.net has Lex 
listed on her website for hire. She 
and I both submit him for calls. We 
also get referrals from people who’ve 
worked with him on past projects. 
Sarah trained Uggie for “The Artist” 
and the original French bulldog 
in “Modern Family”. Some of her 
projects have won Academy Awards 
and Emmys! She’s been a great 
teacher to both of us, and an avid 
supporter of Lex’s career. 
Q: From my experience visiting your 
home, Lex seems like a real down-toearth 
kind of guy. He doesn’t seem to 
have let his fame and fortune go to 
his head, wouldn’t you agree?
A: The best part of being an animal 
actor/model is that you get to be 
around so many other dogs and 
people. He has a vast capacity for 
warmth and love; no room for 
snobbery in his heart! 
I had so many more questions for 
Karol, about Lex and his glamorous 
career, but due to space and time 
limitations, I’m afraid I have to end 
it here. I feel honored to know this 
fabulous, famous four-legged furry 
treasure of Sierra Madre, and I hope 
you get to meet him too! For more 
information about Lex Woofer, 
check out his Facebook page, or visit 
these websites to learn more about 
his success as an animal actor: 

http://w ww.ha llmarkchannel.
com/acrushonyou ~ Feature film 
“Crush on You” airs March 20th on 
Hallmark Movie Channel 

http://www.newhall.com/gallery/ ~ 
“Awesometown” campaign 

http://www.sleepypod.com.au ~ In 
Australia for safety harness 

LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND,,, 


........And loyal companion??? 


So is Rupert! This is not a dog that will be happy simply lying 
around your living room or locked out in the backyard. Rupert is a 
handsome German Shepherd Dog, approximately 6 years old. He 
is a very active boy who likes people and will be a loving and loyal 
family companion. Also known as an American White Shepherd, 
the breed is consistently one of the smartest, most trainable and 
most popular dogs in the US. They love strenuous activity and 
love to play ball or Frisbee. They need to be taken on a daily, brisk, 
long walk, jog or run alongside you when you bicycle. Ten to 
fifteen minutes of fetching along with daily walks will tire Rupert 
out quite nicely and give him a sense of purpose. 


Please come in to meet Rupert who will happily sit for a treat!
He currently resides at the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society 
located at 851 E. Grand Avenue in San Gabriel. We are located off 
San Gabriel Blvd., north of Mission and south of Las Tunas. 



To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Rupert (aka….9725), please stop by any time from 10:00am to 
4:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday. 

His adoption fee is $135 which includes his neuter surgery, a microchip, first vaccinations and a free 
wellness check-up at a participating veterinarian. Feel free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for more 
information on Rupert. 

See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for information and photos of all our available pets……… 
We have bunnies too!! 

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE!
Call Patricia at 626-818-2698 Today!
PET OF THE WEEK 
MORENA: ANIMAL ID #A4678061 
Morena (A4678061) is the type of 
deserving creature that you just 
want to love! Morena (also known 
as Onyx) is a stunning one-yearold 
black and white female Short 
Haired Chihuahua mix puppy 
who was left at the gate of the 
Baldwin Park Animal Care Center 
on February 20th. Weighing 7 ½ 
pounds, Morena sports a shiny 
blue-black coat and struts like a 
diva on a leash. She is a little shy 
at first, but quickly warms up 
to people and loves to be petted 
and pampered as she cuddles on 
a soft lap. Morena seems to be 
housebroken and she gets along 
fine with other dogs. This petite 
pup will make a spectacular indoor 
companion for anyone in any living 
situation, especially someone in 
an apartment or condo. To watch 
a video of Morena please visit the 
following link: http://youtu.be/CbErcC2yXrU 
To meet Morena in person, please see her at the Baldwin Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, 
Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She is currently available 
now. For any inquiries about Morena, please reference her animal ID number: A4678061. 
The shelter is open seven days a week, 12 pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-
Sunday. This is a high-intake shelter with a great need for adoptions. For more information 
about Morena or the adoption process, contact United Hope for Animals Volunteer Adoption 
Coordinator Samantha at Samantha@hope4animals.org. To learn more about United Hope 
for Animals’ partnership with the Baldwin Park Shelter through its Shelter Support Program, 
as well as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes available for adoption in local shelters, 
visit http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/shelter-support-program/.