Alice

I’m an animal lover at heart. My favorite moments of my life have involved animals – the dogs, cats, lizards, hamsters, mice, and rats that filled my childhood afternoons with joy, the kitten I adopted while living alone in India, the dolphin that brought me my engagement ring at Seaworld (while my husband got down on one knee in the water), the dog that ran through our wedding ceremony on Mission Beach, the baby lion I got to kiss in a Mexican zoo, and now my little flying Herbie Bugg bullet. Animals are pure joy. It’s too bad I’m allergic to most of them!

I have the unique super-power of motivating anyone to want to study math. I have honed this skill through years of working as a tutor for The Princeton Review. I also teach SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, ISEE, SSAT, PSAT, DAT, and almost any other standardized test you can throw at me.

When I’m not at flyball or in the classroom you can find me trying to read my way through the list of the 100 best novels of all time, taking community college math courses for fun, learning to cook tasty ethnic foods, hanging out at dog beach, cuddling with my husband, or enjoying dinner parties with friends.

Herbie

My mother ducked out of her arranged breeding with another Pug and pursued a relationship with a younger male, a 9-month Boston Terrier. I am by far the most active and extroverted of my three brothers and sisters, though I don’t know what they’ve become or where they now live. We were born in the Tee – Santee, that is.

I now enjoy a posh existence in the suburbs of Carmel Valley, where I spend most of my time frustrated that my humans won’t play with me every waking moment. I understand that they’re lazy and out of shape, but that doesn’t mean I have to be too.

Like most men, I tend to focus on one thing at a time, frequently on balls. Tennis balls, baseballs, basketballs… if it moves, I’ll chase it.

Being a mixed breed isn’t easy. I’m not recognized by the American Kennel Club, and I can’t compete at those stodgy dog shows. But I will soon become a ninja master flyballer, much like my Chinese predecessors of yore.