Dogs ‘n Suds

Jumper gets washed.

Shep is being a good sport.

Nice and cool on a hot day.

At 200 pounds, Pete was our largest dog, and such a sweetheart!

The Burlington Regional Dog Park committee helped out at its first fundraising event today and had a blast!

Working with Horse and Hound Country Store on its Spring Spruce Up event, we assisted with the all-natural dog wash. It was a nifty setup. I was kind of apprehensive about how things would go — I know how crazy Maddie is when she gets washed — but most of the dogs were wonderfully cooperative. Maddie even survived. We used a sprayer attached to a hose, so there was no need to wet the dog before soaping it up. After rinsing, we used chamois cloths to dry them off. It worked very well.

Owners were also able to get their dog’s pictures taken by Wendy Kayser, either before they got sprayed down, or after they dried off and were all fluffy. Wendy donated part of the profits from the pictures to the dog park.

Horse and Hound owners Steve Miller and Jen Sterne were also incredibly generous. After splitting the dog wash proceeds, Steve and Jen donated their half to the park. With additional donations from the generous dog owners, the dog park raised over $200 washing 19 dogs.

We were very encouraged by the support we received today and the interest everyone had in the park.

Thank you to everyone who came out today, and to Jen and Steve (and everyone else at Horse and Hound), and Wendy for supporting the Burlington Regional Dog Park!

Spring Spruce Up Saturday

Burlington Regional Dog Park volunteers will be on hand Saturday at Horse and Hound Country Store to help with their all-natural dog wash as part of their Spring Spruce Up event. Stop by and have your hound washed for a great cause!

A swimmingly good time

Maddie and I headed to Iowa City this afternoon to meet Daddy, our friend Carrie and her dog Toby and go to a dog park.

I am at a loss for words trying to explain how happy it makes me watching Maddie run around and play with other dogs. She loves it so much, and has such a great time.

She went for her first swim, a little tentatively, but she got all the way in the pond. Then of course jumped on me so we were both a mess on the way home. I cannot wait until the Burlington dog park opens. I want all dogs to be as happy as Maddie is when she is able to run free.

Maddie and Toby and their new friends head to the water.

Toby seems to be enjoying the water.

Get the ball Maddie!

It's nice to take a dip on a warm day.

Maddie goes running for Rob while Josie tries to swim across the pond. She turned around and ran to the other side instead.

Toby is a happy puppy.

Maddie plays with her new friend. She is so social. She just loves to meet new dogs and new people.

Ahh, nice and refreshing.

What a happy dog she is!

Another new friend.

He is just so cute.

Poor Josie shrunk when she got wet! She was a spunky dog, playing with Toby like they were the same size.

The four amigos race to the ball.

Burlington Regional Dog Park information

About Us

The Burlington Regional Dog Park committee is now in its second incarnation.

The first group of canine advocates did all of the background work and laid the groundwork for the approval of the Burlington Regional Dog Park. The City of Burlington approved a 1.4-acre piece of land in Dankwardt Park for the dog park in 2008.

Now the focus turns to fundraising.

The new dog park committee is Amber Ver Kuilen, Nick Bergin, Justin Bushong, Nick Stark and Susan Denk.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to support a fenced, off-leash canine recreation area, where well-behaved canine citizens and their handlers can socialize and exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or disturbing people, property or wildlife. The friends of the Burlington Regional Dog Park wants to develop a beautiful and well-maintained space open to dog lovers and friends who are willing to uphold the park’s regulations. The friends promote education, training and recreational activities that facilitate responsible dog ownership and well-behaved dogs.

Volunteer Opportunities

The committee is always looking for committed volunteers to help at events. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Amber Ver Kuilen at 319-753-8130 or e-mail burlingtondogpark@gmail.com

Donations

The Burlington Regional Dog Park is in need of funds for park amenities, and once the park is open, for upkeep and improvements.

Donations can be sent to: Burlington City Hall, Attn. Amber Ver Kuilen, 400 Washington St., Burlington IA 52601

or Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, Attn. Nick Stark, 200 Front Street, Suite 400, Burlington IA 52601

Play day

Rob started taking Maddie off of her line for short periods of time. She has done very well, so far she has not run out of the yard. It’s nice to be able to play Frisbee with her and she doesn’t have to trot to the Frisbee, afraid she’ll be jerked to a stop at the end of her line. We don’t keep her out too long. We don’t want to push our luck.

Burlington Regional Dog Park event press release

Burlington Regional Dog Park
Happy, healthy dogs exercise and socialize!

May 15, 2009

For Immediate Release

The Burlington Regional Dog Park is close to becoming a reality, and the dog park committee is asking for the community’s help in giving the park an identity.

The dog park committee has launched a logo design contest to involve the community in their park. 

Original art work may be submitted until June 7. The committee will chose the top three designs to receive prizes donated by Catfish Bend Casino, the Burlington Bees and the Burlington Regional Dog Park committee. The top design will be used as the new park’s official logo at the site as well as on all park literature. For more information on the contest, visit www.freeoftheleash.com.

The dog park committee is also beginning a fundraising campaign to raise money for park amenities, including trash receptacles, biodegradable poop bags, benches and water fountains. 

The campaign’s first event will be a joint effort with Horse and Hound Country Store, working with owners Steve Miller and Jennifer Sterne on their Spring Spruce Up event May 30. The day will feature an all-natural dog wash, a horse grooming clinic, free plants from Zaiser’s, the Wahl Clipper Company, Power House Lawn Mowers, and homemade hot lunches and baked goods. Horse and Hound will donate half of the dog wash proceeds to the park.

The dog park committee has a number of other events planned throughout the summer and into fall.

The committee will host a dog wash at Summer Street Animal Clinic in July, and hold a golf outing at Fort Madison’s Sheaffer Golf Course in September.

The Burlington Regional Dog Park will have a presence at Cyn-A-Palooza. The June 6 event, which celebrates the sixth anniversary of Original Cyns, will be held on the 400 block of Jefferson Street in downtown Burlington. The day will include weiner dog races, a weiner dog parade, games and prizes.

In another cooperative effort, the Burlington Regional Dog Park will team with the Des Moines County Humane Society for Petpalooza and Dog Paddle. The event will be held Aug. 30 in Dankwardt Park.

The Burlington Regional Dog Park will be located in Burlington’s Dankwardt Park on the site of the former BMX track. The 1.4-acre park is scheduled to open early this summer.

For more information on the Burlington Regional Dog Park, the logo design contest, or any upcoming events, contact Amber VerKuilen at 319-753-8130.

###

Lazy day

This is just too good to be true. Miss Madison has just been chilling all day, not once going crazy, running around and nipping. I think the sound of the rain is lulling her to sleep. She’s been laying on the couch most of the day while I watch TV, answer e-mails and write stories, enjoying my final day of vacation. We had a little interlude where I brushed her and fed her chicken, and about two minutes when we played with her squeaky frog, but that’s been it. I should have known it was going to be like this — she let me sleep until 7:30!

I’m sure we will pay for today’s Perfect Puppy with Hell Hound tomorrow.

Miss Social

Maddie had a very busy afternoon (which is why she is snoozing on the couch with Daddy, who had a very rough day on the golf course).

First she headed next door to see Charlie, who is going to be with relatives in Fort Madison the rest of the week while his owner is in Ames. Maddie loved the new mulch in the yard and this time Maddie and Charlie didn’t crush any hostas. Last time she visited they totaled one of the plants.

We started out on our walk, a leisurely pace after several days of running, during which she caused me to shave 6 minutes off of my time even as I added an extra block on the end of the run.

At the end of our street, we stopped to play with Mocha, our chocolate lab friend. The puppy, who is several months younger than Maddie, is now bigger than my little girl. But Maddie is still able to hold her own and several times today had Mocha on her back. I’m thinking that’s more out of respect on Mocha’s part, but I still don’t really understand the dog world.

We continued on once Maddie began to get more interested with Mocha’s bone than Mocha herself.

We moseyed a few blocks down and decided to stop in to see a friend we hadn’t visited in a while. As we talked, Maddie roamed the house, found a green stuffed animal and ripped its insides out.

On our way back home, we made another stop when we saw the mail truck. Maddie, even though she’s known our mail lady since we got her, barks incessantly any time she comes near the yard. Several times Maddie has prevented our mail from being delivered. So I thought maybe if they met on neutral ground, Maddie would be OK and maybe next time she’s outside when the mail comes, it would be better. Maddie behaved and got a couple of treats from Deb. I don’t know if the meeting will make any difference, but it certainly can’t hurt.

Then I thought it would be straight home, but alas, we had one more visit in us. A neighbor a couple of blocks away likes to sit outside, and there he was, so we stopped to chat. After Maddie gnawed on several rocks and a walnut, we took our leave and finished our journey home.

It was a busy day for the puppy.

Spring Spruce Up

Our first official go-out-and-do-something event will be May 30. Horse and Hound Country Store here in Burlington is putting on an event called Spring Spruce Up, which includes a dog wash. Owners Steve Miller and Jennifer Sterne generously offered to donate half the proceeds from the event to the dog park in exchange for our manual labor (don’t worry, we’ll survive. The committee is a group of young, energetic go-getters who have no problem with hard work!).

Once the event flyer is finalized, I will post it here.

Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

Merle’s Door, Lessons from a Freethinking Dog — Ted Kerasote

For some reason I’ve been putting off writing about this book even though it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I loved every page of it. I’ve written this post several times in my head, but I never seem to be able to transfer those great columns from my head to the computer. Here it goes in what I am sure will be a totally different form.

When I bought Merle’s Door, I thought it was going to be a heart-warming story about a man who finds a dog in the wilderness, adopts him, and they live the rest of their lives together in happiness. On the one hand, that is what this book is about — the author meets Merle on an adventure in Utah, they bond, he brings Merle home with him to Wyoming, and they share the rest of their lives.

But as Kerasote is telling their story, he interjects it with research and science, why dogs do things, how dogs were first domesticated, what dogs want. He really gives insight into canine behavior, using Merle as an example. I found myself fascinated by the science, the why and how, probably because Maddie still is such a mystery to me. Plus, things he believes about dogs and their relationships with humans are things I’ve felt since Maddie came into our lives.

One of those areas is communication. Kerasote cites another work whose author believes “dogs are speakers of a foreign language and if we pay attention to their vocalizations, ocular and facial expressions and ever-changing postures, we can translate what they’re saying.”

“A man has to work to convey his thoughts to an ox or a sheep but he irritates a dog by an ordinary laugh, frightens him by an angry look, calms him by a kindly bearing. Who ever succeeded in frowning away a mosquito or pacifying an angry wasp by a smile?”

Throughout the book, Kerasote speaks in Merle’s voice, interpreting his thoughts from his expressions.

I love trying to interpret Maddie’s sounds and expressions. I’m still horrible at it, but at least now I know others believe as I do, that she is trying to tell me something with her looks and vocalizations, and she can understand me, my tone, my expressions (not that she always pays attention). Even the slightest change in tension or look can communicate something to a dog. For example, Maddie instantly knows we’re going for a walk or run depending on what I put on.

That ability comes from their wolf ancestors, who could interpret any slight change in body language of their prey. Since dogs have no need to analyze prey, they have channeled that ability to read their humans.

Kerasote and Merle lived a good life together, while still having their own lives.

Living outside of Kelly, Wyoming, Merle got a lot of freedom very few dogs enjoy. He was called the Mayor of Kelly, and made his rounds throughout the town, visiting human and dog friends. At the same time, he and Kerasote shared adventures in the wild and quiet times at home. Merle loved to dance and sing, and he and Kerasote would dance around their great room together, Merle’s paws on Kerasote’s shoulders.

I won’t mislead you, Merle dies at the end. I sobbed as I read the final pages of his death, and then the burial ceremony and party they held for him. Kerasote spent Merle’s final days by his side, making him comfortable and making sure he knew he was loved.

Earlier in the book, Kerasote shared a story he found in his research about canid domestication.

Skeletons of a person and a puppy were found in northern Israel, skeletons estimated to be 12,000 years old. The person lay on its right side, knees drawn up, head bowed forward. The fingers of the person and puppy touch. The person’s and puppy’s head placed so they are nodding toward each other in a final gesture of mutual regard and affection.

I can see Merle and Kerasote together like that, sharing eternity skiing and elk hunting, or just dancing together.