Thursday with the dogs before the new job is a good reset, and I would not burn it on another Sierra haul. You already know Angeles and Cleveland, so Los Padres is the interesting one: Mount Pinos or Lockwood Valley, close enough the drive does not eat the night, and dogs usually fare better in the forest than on national park trails. October up there actually gets cold after dark, which is the point. Holcomb Valley above Big Bear if you want the shorter option. Where are you starting from?