Dogs of Our Lives: Canton
Within the city of Baltimore, the Canton Dog Park is the only official dog park -- the only public place where, legally, dogs can run unleashed.
Among those regularly doing so are Cash, a shepherd mix whose Frisbee skills are admired by many; Bryan, a deaf bulldog whose master communicates with him through hand signals; and Cinder, a black lab mix who has solved the mystery of the double latching gates.
Then there are the humans -- some of them just as legendary.
Some are overprotective; some are rules sticklers. Some like to see their dogs dressed up -- one canine once arrived wearing pearls -- and others talk on their cell phones the whole time. There are those known for not seeing, or cleaning up, their dogs messes, and those known for bringing dog treats. There are those who like some space between themselves and the dogs and others who almost seem to love being slobbered on, pawed and even trampled.
The dog park, on Toone Street, is operated and maintained by the Friends of Canton Dog Park, which is the organization that worked to open it five years ago.
The city's Department of Recreation and Parks created and enforces the rules for dog parks -- foremost of which is, if you want one, it's up to you to make it happen. A community group must get approvals, do the planning, build and maintain the park. The Friends of Canton Dog Park have to raise about $2,500 a year just to maintain the park -- not including all the volunteer man-hours that go into it.
As the only official dog park in the city -- though efforts to create at least two more are underway -- it is used both by people from the neighborhood and those who drive miles to get there.
That creates a strain on the park, but there doesn't seem to be tension between outsiders and insiders -- at least I didn't notice any during my handful of trips there.
For a closer look at the Canton Dog Park's cast of characters, we asked an inside source -- a regular park-goer, for the scoop. Her report follows. Your's could be next. Just click on the comment section below this entry.
As far as the dogs there are many that are legendary. First, there is Cash. Cash is a shepherd mix who LOVES his Frisbee and jumps to all heights to get it. Sometimes his owner puts the Frisbee in the big tree and he jumps about 5-6 feet to reach it. Always a show for the newcomers. He also puts the Frisbee in the water bucket when he drinks, so that no other dogs can get it.
Then there is Cinder, a black lab mix. Cinder can open the gate between the little dog park and big dog park by hitting the latch with her paws. Her owner, wiser than she, brings a bungee cord everyday to attach to the fence so that the gate stays shut. After playing for a while, Cinder gets bored and sits at the gate. She is waiting for an unsuspecting human to walk through and not re-attach the bungee cord. We have decided she likes the little dog side more than the big dog side.
Tux is a black and white boxer whose best trick involves his owner. When Tux gets a little too rambunctious, his owner picks him up (sometimes upside down) and carries him off. Tux always just has this look like "I know, I know, I did it again."
Tux's friend Max is a Chihuahua that stays inside his owner's coat and tries to attack the big dogs through said coat. Must see to appreciate.
Molly is the mom of the park and she is also know as the "Giant Pug". She is a Bullmastiff and I believe she got the nickname because someone wasn't sure what breed she was and asked if she was a giant pug. When Molly arrives, all of the female dogs go over to lick her face...all at the same time. She looks like a queen with her people. She also patrols the park to make sure there aren't any problems.
Bimini is known for being social with everyone and stretching out on the bench, no matter who is sitting on it. He has no problem laying on top of people or moving them out of the way. He believes the benches are there strictly for the dogs.
Izzy is a pit mix, and she and Cinder love to kiss. Literally. One will have a toy and they put their mouths inside each others, both playing with the toy inside each others mouths. Quite interesting to watch.
Tag is a little black and white mutt that has a well-known issue. He loves to hump all dogs. He is indiscreet, non-discriminate, and unrelenting. The regulars know him and don't care, but when a new dog comes in, his poor owner is running after him and apologizing constantly.
Sidney and Jax are shepherd mixes that live together. Sidney loves to play with everyone. Jax is a little older and once yelled at me for accidently stepping on his tail. He told me off for 5 straight minutes as I kept apologizing. We have since made up and are good friends.
Apollo and Brody, black lab mixes with different owners, both have atomic energy that the most hardcore aerobics instructor would envy. These guys could play all day and never get tired.
Jersey, a small mixed breed, is one of the many vocalists. Get her excited and it's tough to quiet her down. Jersey's little friend, Patten, is a mutt that is known as "Mini-Bimini". They look exactly alike, although Patten was actually born from a German Shepherd. Everyone thinks Bimini and Patten are father/son.
Bryan is a deaf American Bulldog. His owners have learned to communicate through hand signals. Sweetest dog ever.
John is the big-dog human of the park, loved by all dogs. He would risk his life for a dog. If there is ever a scuffle, John is the first one there. We joke that when there is a scuffle, there is never any dog blood, just John's. He likes to sit on the ground and let all of the dogs lay on him, jump on him, and kiss him. He truly loves dogs. And they love him. I don't know that anything portrays a dog's love for John as well as Izzy leaping into his arms (while he's standing) and climbing onto his shoulders in order to lavish his ears/nose/cheeks w/ kisses. Mind you, Izzy weighs about 40 pounds.
Comments
As the weather gets warmer we have an increasing number of young children that come to the park. The rule is that no children under 16 are allowed without a parent. These children are with their parents. And I'm talking young, young children.
I recently saw a dog getting yelled at because it was chasing a child who was running through the park. I have a real problem with dogs being reprimanded *in the only place they can legally play off leash* because they are following their chasing instinct.
Parents need to understand that not all dogs have been socialized with children. Just because your dog lives with a child, many do not. Many dogs do not know how to react to a child's quick movements and sometimes wild behavior.
If you bring your child into an off-leash dog park, expect the following to happen:
1. Your child will get jumped on by very large dogs. Many scratches may result.
2. Your child may get knocked over (on concrete) by a very large dog.
3. If your child is eating food (which isn't allowed in the park, btw), dogs will try to eat the food also. Please note that not all dogs know the difference between a child's fingers and food.
4. If your child is sitting on the bench, a very large dog may sit on their lap. This may not be so comfortable for your little one.
5. A dog will chase, and possibly take down, a running child. Once the child is on the ground, all bets are off. Keep in mind, dogs hunt by chasing their prey.
All of the above are a dog's instinct and NOT THEIR FAULT.
If you do not want any of the above happening to your child, perhaps they should watch from outside the park!
Posted by: Carey Hughes | April 30, 2008 7:08 AM
"In Defense of Sticklers"
Being non-confrontational person myself, I admire the "rule-sticklers" for thier passion in protecting the sole bastion of doggy freedom in the city.
The rules may seem too much or the enforcers seem...well, like enforcers. But there really is a good reason for each one. (Yes, even the squeaky toy one. Squeak = prey animal sound)
Consider this, as the only dog park in town it is under constant scrutiny from the city. One bad report makes it that much harder for other dog park hopefulls. For example, the "Leptospirosis Outbreak of 2006" in which the reporter chose to stand in front of the Canton Dog Park sign even though the dog who fell ill had never visited the park.
This report created an image in peoples minds that the park was dangerous to both dogs and people. Keep in mind the people who decide the fate of our little park either do not have dogs or don't live in the area. They don't see all the great things that happen every day and the community that has been built up around it.
I say, Hail to the Sticklers! Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 30, 2008 8:47 AM
Here's a Canton Dog Park comment -- anonymous -- that was on the Riverside Park page. So I'm copying it on here:
Drama? You want drama? How about a certain "official" dog park being the center of a heated political race. I'm talking about the last election for 1st District Councialman of course. Rumor has it that a certain democratic candidate (who was so obviously republican) ran against the incumbent just so he could shut the park down. The "Friends" of course were able to rally together and the best man won.
Posted by: john woestendiek | April 30, 2008 9:45 AM
Here's another Canton-related comment that was posted on the introduction to Dogs of Our Lives.
I think it will find a better home here:
"Well, at the moment, I take a dim view of some of the non-dog-owning neighbors here at the Canton park. The hours when the park is open have been curtailed quite a bit because of Fear of Noise. And I do mean Fear of Noise, because the actual noise is quite moderate.
"As far as I can see (and hear) humans talk quietly among themselves and dogs go about quietly doing whatever it is dogs are always doing--but they don't bark. And if ever a stray bark escapes, the responsible human is quick with a correction.
Now, whenever there's a loud party (frequent) or somebody decides to drive down the street at double the speed limit (more frequent) or somebody's absurd car alarm goes off for no reason in the dead of night (most frequent of all), I find myself wondering: Dog person or dog-noise-fearer?
I'm not even going to talk about the woman who sits across the street in her SUV every morning at seven a.m. honking frantically because she can't be bothered to get out and go knock on the door. I'll just observe that at this point, people and dogs can't go to the Dog Park at seven.
I have to say that the volunteers who run the Dog Park do all they can to ensure that everyone is kept happy. It can't be easy. I'll also say that if you want a monastic suburban hush, you should probably go buy a house in the suburbs.
Posted by: Anne Onymous
Posted by: john woestendiek | April 30, 2008 1:43 PM
Carey, you make some very good points. So do you, Anonymous.
I think any number of Dog Park regulars have probably been ignored, or worse yet, told off, for pointing out the posted rules. And I'm speaking as a parent, having raised two children. Kids need to have a bit of size on them, and they need to be able to fully understand their responsibilities, before being brought to the park. The age limits are a good way to ensure this. Dogs also discipline their own young by nipping at them. All it would take would be one dog annoyed by one child putting his/her face too close.
Anonymous, I'll admit to being baffled by the whole "Lepto" thing. I wondered at the time if somebody not too friendly to the local dog population might have called the TV station. Oddly enough, while it is transmissible to human beings, lepto can also be treated in humans. Dogs suffer far more from it, and it is often fatal to them. Anybody living in the city, and especially so close to the water, needs to get the leptospirosis shot for their dogs. The whole thing seems to be part of some sort of oddball urban/suburban mindset that baffles me. As with noise, if you don't want the trappings of the city--move to the suburbs. That also goes for the *responsibilities* that go along with an urban environment.
I'd also like to point out that the Canton Dog Park sits at the very edge of a vast, largely vacant and always-locked-up field that seems to be used mostly by non-public schools for their field hockey and lacrosse games. There's also a set of basketball courts used largely by adult males from other parts of the city. I would like to see the hockey and lacrosse moved back out to the County and have some of that land allocated for (a) a playground or tot lot for our human kids who have no place to go now; and (b) an expansion of the Dog Park. I particularly dislike seeing kids playing ball in the streets while all that acreage remains locked up. I also dislike the congestion and parking problems we have when there are games. The benefits of that field should go to the people paying taxes to live here.
Posted by: Anne | April 30, 2008 4:58 PM
Here's a post from the Patterson Park DOL page, which I repost here as it concerns all parks.
Hmm. I have another idea, and it's actually a bit more feasible than the Michael Vic Dog Home.
What we need is bumper stickers that say something like I OWN A DOG IN BALTIMORE CITY, AND I VOTE. And on the next line something punchy about wanting citywide dog parks NOW.
The stickers could be sold at neighborhood festivals, dog-friendly establishments, dog park committee meetings, and probably lots of other places, with the proceeds being split among the various dog park committees. They'd also begin sending a pretty clear message to those we've elected to represent us.
We could all sport them on our car bumpers--or, in that time-honored East Baltimore tradition, display them in the front windows of our row houses.
I would stroll off humming "Alice's Restaurant," but then everybody would know how old I am.
Anne
Posted by: john woestendiek | May 6, 2008 8:49 AM