A hot August day

close to home, originally uploaded by phaird.

Another week at the park with lots of the regulars. My official summer is coming to an end quickly but at least I always have the park to come to. It was another busy Sunday and everyone stayed close to the water.

In the photo, the dog by his owners legs just got a grooming which normally means, jump into the nearest mud hole and rub down on something gross. His dogs were being good and staying close to home. He also had a bag of treats for training.

Some people have said that bringing food to the dog park is a really bad idea but I'm not really against it. If socializing is part of the training, then treats are a good reward. I agree that it can get overwhelming quickly but, at least at this park, I've never really seen any problems. What is important is to be aware that you have treats and be sparing on giving them out. If you forget about them, a sneaky dog could put a hole in your pocket without you ever noticing.

Back at the park

Sunday dog day in Acton, originally uploaded by phaird.

Sunday was another nice weekend day. It was good to be back at the park, taking pictures and tossing the ball for Toby. Toby was even excited about being back in the park after 3 weeks. He got into a little scuffle but it was good for him to be put in his place. He really needed to be shown how big he is (or isn't).

Because Toby has been having issues with other dogs, We've been coming early, around 9:30 instead of 10. Some days, we are the first ones their and other days, like this week, it was already already busy. By the time we left around 10:30 there was another large group of people coming.

I talked with a guy who had his 2 goldens with him. He says he's been coming to this park for over 10 years. It's a trek for him to get to Acton but this park is the best thing for his dogs. I wonder how far people go to bring their dog(s) to a dog friendly park?

Back home in MA

I'm back from my vacation and almost caught up with everything that was put on hold while I was away. For my trip around the south and back up north, I found dog friendly stores and places everywhere I went. It is a good feeling to know that even places that don't have too many places to eat while on the road, there is still places for dogs.

Every rest stop on the road had a place just for pets. They were all well maintained too. Some even had fenced in areas so you could let your dog off leash and stretch their legs. There were lots of small town pet stores and friendly pet owners. I did see one stray dog in SC but over all, every dog I saw was well taken care of. I know there are different ideas of what it means to keep a dog, especially down south. I did see a few dogs chained to a dog house on a small cement patch around a lot of grass but I was just driving by so I don't know for sure if that is a bad thing or not. For some it is but I hope not all.

I'll be back at the park tomorrow and am really looking forward to it. Toby is liking having us back and with my wife (a teacher) still off for the summer, he's getting lots of attention at home.

Dogwood Park, Knoxville TN

German shepherd, originally uploaded by phaird.

Well, I'm on my road trip and as promised, I'm stopping at every dog park I can find. A reader mentioned some dog parks in Knoxville and I was able to find Dogwood Park. It's a nice fenced in park that has the double gate to get in and out without loosing your dogs. Lots of people were there the day we went by. I got to talk to a nice lady who had 2 beautiful german shepherds. One she was training to be a service dog. The other she said was to scattered. He just couldn't focus.

There were quite a few dogs there but most were lounging in the shade with their owners. I think there were a lot of regulars. Many showed up with their folding chairs and just sat in the shade and let their dogs play. Some of the dogs were just hanging out. Others were looking for other dogs to chase.

I have to remember to bring my note pad with me when I go. I didn't write the names down of the dogs I met or the other park she mentioned. There is another park that isn't officially a dog park but a lot of people bring their dogs there. It is open and dogs are often running around she said. I can't remember where though.

This park is nice because it is right next to a long walking path, open fields, children playgrounds (where my son and wife went) and even frisbee golf. What is better then that.

I'm going to be heading to SC next and near Pickens County so if you know any place around there, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to stop by.

Anna - the sled dog reject

anna, originally uploaded by phaird.

Anna has become one of the regulars at the park over the past few months. She is only about a year and loves her time at the park. This weekend, her owner was talking about how she came about getting her. She was bread to be a sled dog but ended up not making the cut because she likes people more then dogs so she got to be adopted instead. She is also a little on the small size but she still has lots of energy. I often see her running with other dogs or just on her own. She'll jump in the water then through the bushes, picking up all kinds of stuff in her coat. Anna Really does love people though. She has gotten to know many of the regulars and will come up to get some attention when she can. Her owner takes good care of her to make sure she does become better socialized with other dogs.

Oscar's growth is back

Oscar all wet, originally uploaded by phaird.

Oscar is a wonder dog. About 2 years ago, Oscar was diagnosed with cancer in his leg and they were going to amputate. Oscar had lost lots of weight and the lump in his leg was getting big. He was given maybe 6 months if they took the leg. His owner decided to wait, and just give it a few days. Oscar was put on some meds and each day he did a little better. With in a few months, Oscar was running and going like his old self. He was only 3 at the time.

Now the growth is back. You can see in the photo the lump on his leg but that still isn't slowing him down. His owner is worried and is doing everything they can. Much of that is to see what happens. Oscar beat back the growth before, he isn't letting it slow him down this time. He is still running and swimming and playing with the other dogs in the park. His owner says he's sleeping more at night but he doesn't need much of a break during the day. Oscar has just decided that nothing will slow him down. He's 5 years old and wants to be as active as a 5 year old should be.

I'll be looking for you, Oscar, every weekend. We're pulling for you.

Keeping up with what's next

Part of why I started this blog was to keep me focused on publishing a book on dog parks. I've lost site of that a little bit lately but it is still in the back of my mind. I've been also trying to start a pet photography business while holding down my day job and taking care of my family.

So in the spirit of the book and keeping my readers up to date I thought I'd share what I need to do next. As you can see by just scrolling though my blog, I've got lots of photos. That is my strength and what I love to do the most.

What I need to do next is;
Collect stories by interviewing some more people at the park.
Find a publisher or agent who will take on the project. (SO Difficult)
Find a writer who loves dogs like I do and would want to help create this book.

Once these things fall into place, I can move to editing, designing and printing the book.

I've been sending out requests to different publishers but they don't make it easy. If you aren't already part of their world, it is hard to get anyone to listen. I'm not giving up though. I know this is a good project and you and others have agreed with me. Just getting my foot in the door is becoming the hardest part.

If all else fails, I will take it the into the fine arts process. I create a limited addition publication with limited addition prints to sell to a small audience and show it though a gallery.

The more I do this work though the more I want to do. My next project will be called something like "Working Dogs". I want to travel around and photograph dogs that work. Police dogs, circus dogs, dogs that sniff out cancer cells (yea wild huh), service dogs, etc. There are so many. It could be great.

Keep reading and I'll let you know what happens or if you've got suggestions, please let me know. I've gotten some really good responses from my readers that have helped.