Dogs are big part of cross-country reality show

Food, water and poop bags - not to mention a hefty bank account for gasoline - are all Adrian Martinez thinks about these days.

In a little over a week, he'll hit the road, along with his four mop-top dogs and a producer, to film their own cross-country road trip/reality show.

The 40-year-old musician and music producer is billing the three-month, coast-to-coas trek as "Off Leash in America," designed to showcase the nation's best pet-friendly events, hotels, resorts, parks and restaurants. There will be plenty of guest interviews with dog owners they meet along the way.

"We've been invited to a lot of yappy hours, and we'll be attending a lot of bark-a-thons," said Martinez, who now lives in Torrance, Calif., but also has lived in Eagle Rock and spent all of his life in and around the Los Angeles area. "The goal is to see the best pet-friendly destinations through their (dogs') eyes."

Which brings us to the doggie cam.

Some of the filming will be done using a camera attached to lead dog Sammy's back.

Martinez, who launched the wildly successful DogCatRadio in 2005, is counting on enough "lightly edited" fun and mayhem to make this road trip an audience draw.

Discovery Communications is considering featuring the new road show in its lineup, he said, and his upcoming trip will serve as something of a pilot to shop around to media outlets.

But even if the idea is turned down by Discovery, the show will go on, broadcast online at DogCat.TV and DogCatRadio.com. Included will be some live events such as dog birthday parties or other special stops along the way.

"I'm just as happy having it broadcast on both of our websites, especially DogCatRadio.com since it has an international following," Martinez said. "Ultimately, my goal is to have 'Off Leash in America' reach the global pet community."

The trip is scheduled from early April through early June.

His dogs - Junie, Sammy, Hazel and Bertha, all rescues - are no strangers to car trips.

"They're always eager to go," he said. "As soon as they hear my keys, they line up and they're ready."

They've also kept Martinez company in the recording studio through the years. He recorded a special CD for them called "A Moment Shared" to use as travel music in the car.

Martinez is confident the trip will be a viewer success.

"It's not just in Los Angeles," Martinez said. "People love their animals everywhere."

And pet travel is more popular than ever.

"A lot of people are traveling with their pets, a lot of hotels are opening up to pets," said Martinez, who said he learned responsibility by feeding and picking up after his family dogs as a kid growing up in South Central Los Angeles.

He'll be driving his dogs - with pet seat belts lined up in the back seat - in a hybrid SUV as a production crew follows in a separate car.

They plan to visit a city each week. So far, planned stops include San Diego, Las Vegas, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and San Jose.

But he'll kick off the journey with a morning film shoot close to home at Rancho Palos Verdes Beach on April 8.

City officials recently approved a pilot program to allow off-leash dogs on the beach just below Trump National Golf Club.

While it might sound crazy to most people, a coast-to- coast road trip filming his and other people's dogs, Martinez said, makes all the sense in the world to him.

"My dogs have always been my inspiration," he said.

The first show should post on or around April 13 at www.DogCat.TV and at www.DogCatRadio.com. Information about the upcoming shows and times will be posted on the websites early next week.