Dozens of dog walkers couldn't cross that bridge when they came to it yesterday.

The footbridge at Robert E. Lee Park has been closed, shutting off access to Baltimore's most popular dog-walking area. As Brent Jones reports in today's Sun, an independent contractor recently found problems during a structural assessment of the bridge, leading city officials to shut it down.

(The 450-acre park is actually in Baltimore County, but is owned by the city.)

Hundreds of people -- most pulled by their dogs -- cross the bridge each weekend to give their dogs an unauthorized off-leash run in the wooded park.

The city opted to close the bridge after a county-hired company reported the structural deficiencies.

"Now where the discussions will move to is how we get that bridge rebuilt as quickly as possible," County spokesman Donald I. Mohler said. "I think everybody realizes that we need to get that bridge working."

There is no estimate on how much it will cost to fix the bridge -- worn concreted on the underside of deck slabs is mentioned as one of the problems -- and it is not clear which government will pay for it, city or county, according to Mohler.

Kia McCleod, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Recreation and Parks, said there is no timetable for when the bridge will reopen. She also said that all other areas of the park will remain accessible.

The park can still be entered from Falls Road, though that's miles from the main dog-walking area.

If all this makes you want to scream, we have just the place for you.

By clicking on the Dogs of Our Lives feature (in the shaded rail to the your right), you can find our forum for Robert E. Lee and all other dog-frequented parks. For a direct link the the Robert E. Lee forum, click here.

(Sun Photo by Lloyd Fox)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The dog crowd at Wyman Park Dell has its act together.

Not only do they hold their own happy hour on Fridays -- enjoying what I'm sure are refreshing non-alcoholic beverages (alcoholic ones, like dogs off leashes, would be illegal.)

They have a voluminous mailing list of all the dogs and owners that frequent the park.

They chip in and dog-sit for each other when somebody has to leave town.

And they even have their own website (which you can find here), complete with their own unofficial map -- to the right, designed by Rita Venturi.

On the day I stopped by, a couple of weeks ago, there was an amazing cross-section of breeds and sizes, all playing together happily on a huge grassy area shielded from the roads by steep embankments.

It's fairly well hidden, a wedge of green that lies between Hampden and Johns Hopkins. Sometimes, it even takes people who have lived in the neighborhood a while to discover it.

"Even some who live within two blocks," notes Lisa Marie Kiessling, recalling the owners of a greyhound who ran away. The family found the dog in the park, and have been coming ever since.

"Depending on what time one goes there, you might find yourself surrounded with many - or be alone in your thoughts with your dog(s) at your side," said Kiessling, who has three Great Danes.

As a city dweller, she considers the park "a gift beyond worth. ... One can play fetch or chase or whatever in the great lower playing field of Wyman, without fear that your dog is going to run out in the road and get hit by a car."

Between the dog-dog interaction, the dog-human interaction, and the human-human interaction, Kiessling says, "it's the best social hour available."

Of course, not all those interactions have been pleasant.

"In the past 10 years I know of three broken hips that happened when the dogs and their owners were going down the steep hill and got sideswiped be one or more dogs."

Once in a while, there are dog fights. Once in a while, friction arises -- between non-dog owners and dog owners, and even between responsible dog owners and dog owners who aren't keeping an eye on their dog, she added.

But for the most part, it's one big happy family.

Many in Wyman Park get together there for the Friday happy hour, and it's also commonly used by residents for dog-friendly birthday parties and other celebrations.

"It's a great place to meet with different types/breeds/size of dogs," Kiessling said. "We have everything from toys to giants in our group, from purebred to any possible mutt combinations."

Her own dogs -- that's Kiessling with BearBear to the left -- are there every day.

If you've got an ax to grind, some praises to sing, some observations to make when it comes to Wyman Park -- this little enclave of it or any other part -- feel free to use our comment section and get a dialogue going.

To join in the conversation at other parks, click on the "Dogs of Our Lives" logo in the rightside rail.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Chugging around the trail at Fort McHenry this past weekend, Ace and I pulled over to to meet a Chow named Chi.

Ace seemed eager to make the acquaintance of the charcoal-colored fluffball, or maybe he just wanted a break from running with me while I was on a bicycle. Some people call it "bikejoring." I call it easier than pedaling myself.

We were making our second lap around the trail that encircles the fort and its 43 acres of parkland, when Ace veered into the grass, where Chi and Pat O'Malley, an artist and semi-retired art teacher, were sitting.

O'Malley said Chi, who is 10, visits Fort McHenry about twice a week.

Pets are permitted at Fort McHenry, except in the fort itself, but park rules call for them to be leashed and attended at all times.

On the weekends especially, it's a good idea to follow that rule. The park fills up with visitors -- some of them seeking to soak in the history of the fort that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, some of them interested in soaking up some sun. On top of that, there are usually a few picnics going on, and Ace, at least, is prone to wanting to visit those in search of handouts.

Weekdays are a little quieter, and I've seen a few people let their dogs run unleashed when there's no crowd.

Unlike the other parks we've featured in this series, Fort McHenry doesn't have a huge contingent of daily, same-time-tomorrow visitors. But a lot of dog owners go there semi-regularly.

There is no charge for using the park grounds, picnicking or parking -- unless you are going into the fort.

Fort McHenry was built in the late 1700s and bombed by the British for two days in September 1814. Francis Scott Key watched it all while aboard the Tonnant, and, once the British abandoned the mission, wrote the lines to what became the Star Spangled Banner. The fort and land became part of the National Park Service in 1933.

Chock full of history, it's also a good place to strike up a chat, and a fine choice for a stroll. It has lots of grass, plenty of shaded areas and a dog/bicycle/pedestrian-friendly concrete trail that follows the waterfront and loops around the fort.

Whether you and your dogs are regular visitors, or just drop by once in a while, if you have thoughts to share on Fort McHenry, click the comment button below.

To visit and join the discussion in our other "episodes" of Dogs of Our Lives -- Robert E. Lee, Federal Hill, Canton, Patterson Park, Riverside, Locust Point, click on the Dogs of Our Lives logo in the rightside rail and find your park.

(Tomorrow: Wyman Park)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Scully, here, with the poop on Robert E. Lee Park.

Trust me, when it comes to the poop on Robert E. Lee Park, nobody can provide it as well as me.

I am an English Mastiff, 150 pounds and – at eight months old -- still growing.

Three or four times a week, I hit the park with my master, Lat Naylor. He’s an artist.

Sunday was a typical day. We got there early, around 9, parked the car, and walked over the pedestrian bridge past that dam.

Continue reading "Dogs of Our Lives: Robert E. Lee Park" »

Posted by John Woestendiek at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Something tells me that Baltimore's next official dog park -- only the city's second -- is going to be in Locust Point's Latrobe Park.

And no, it's not a Ouija Board (which, by the way, were last manufactured in Baltimore just a block up the road from the Fort Avenue park).

Nor have I gotten word, animal communicator style, from the many dogs to whom the park is already a home away from home -- Dixie, Rocky, Sandy, Turkey, Bogart, Payton, and of course, Natty and Boh among them.

Instead it's the commitment of a spirited group of volunteers who already have received most of the necessary permits and permissions and are more than halfway to raising the amount initially needed to get work underway.

While a dog park may not mean much to Zeus and Apollo (pictured above) -- the two Rottweilers of John And Debbie Kleinsmith stay on their leashes while outside -- to dozens of other dogs and their owners, it means enough to make some sacrifices and spend a lot of time making it happen.

"Dog parks provide a safe and clean place for dogs to interact," said Barbara Wilson, a Locust Point resident who’s helping lead the effort, "and they lead to happier and more obedient dogs, which in a neighborhood as tight as this one is important. It's a stress-free place for them to play."

 The group's web site is locustpointdogpark.org.

Volunteers in the group meet the first Saturday of every month to clean the 14-acre park, as a show of good faith.

And they've held a series of benefits at South Baltimore bars to help raise money to build it. The next one is May 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 pm. at Little Havana.

In another fund-raising event, back in December, they sponsored a have-your-dogs-picture-taken-with-Santa event on the waterfront in Locust Point.

(Santa photo courtesy locustpointdogpark.org)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Sniff around Federal Hill Park long enough, and you're bound to find something interesting.

For those of you with dogs that regularly do just that, this is your, uh, spot.

What -- to a dog and its owner -- is good about Federal Hill Park? (Obviously, the view, for one thing.) What's bad about it? (Not a lot of room to run, it seems to me.) What dramas, large and small, are unfolding there?

If Federal Hill is where you routinely walk your dog -- Ace and I only hit it once in a while -- send us the scoop, the gossip, the dirt (and feel free to do so anonymously) via the comment button below.

My impression is, as city parks go, Federal Hill is, for dogs and dog people, a little snootier, a little less welcoming, a little more clique-ish than most -- maybe because of its upscale location.

Even when I lived halfway between Federal Hill and Riverside Parks, I'd generally choose Riverside -- mainly because (though it's illegal in both, and subject to periodic raids by police and animal control) I felt less guilty about letting Ace off his leash there.

Federal Hill Park just seems a more refined place -- one more suited to strolling than romping, though plenty of that goes on as well.

Because it's smaller, and much of the land is made up of the steep hills, it's not the kind of place a dog can run his heart out. Still, there are a good number that gather there nightly to frolic off leash.

As a rule, one runs into more purebreds at Federal Hill, and more "designer mixes," The little dog Ace is checking out above, Deuce (no kidding), for example, is a Shih-Tzu-poodle mix, or, according to her owner, a Shih-poo.

They were enjoying some contemplative bench time the other day, gazing at the city's every expanding skyline, when we interrupted.

Federal Hill Park is also where you will most commonly see Sally Ann Jennings, of Recycled Love, and her crew -- four rescued pooches, the eldest of which she has taken to sometimes pushing in a stroller. (Sally Ann and Federal Hill Park were both featured in my Ace movie, Hey, Mister, What Kind of Dog is That?)

There's probably no better park to sit on a bench and people-watch. It offers a commanding view of the Inner Harbor, and of the rampant condo construction to the east that is gobbling up the sky.

While Federal Hill seems to be a little better maintained than most city parks, it's still riddled with broken glass, especially after outdoor movie nights and assorted festivals take place. While it's quieter than most, it does have its loud moments, like when boisterous high-schoolers pass through after school.

Federal Hill was given its name in 1789 after a celebration honoring the ratification of the Constitution. After the Baltimore riot of 1861, the hill was occupied by Union troops who erected a small fort, with a cannon pointing towards the central business district to ensure Baltimore's and Maryland's allegiance to the federal government.

Today it serves as a seemingly peaceful place to parade one's pooch. Then again, if you take your dog there regularly, you know better than me.

So feel free to get this dialogue going with your thoughts  -- lofty or petty (we accept them all) -- by clicking the comment button and writing the next episode of Dogs of Our Lives - Federal Hill. 

(Tomorrow: Dogs of Our Lives - Locust Point)                  

Posted by John Woestendiek at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

In the shadow of a pagoda built in 1892, purebreds and pit bull mixes rub shoulders at Patterson Park -- 155 acres as diverse in humans as it is in dog breeds.

You're as likely to see a rescued pit bull that once served as breeding stock for a dogfighting operation in Washington (she's 10 and her name is Zora), as you are a purebred Boston Terrier who looks like he's perpetually in a tuxedo, and often has an attitude to match (his name is Buster).

Dozens of dog-walkers gather at Patterson Park daily, one of whom agreed to give us the lowdown:

"Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Baltimore City, and cocooned by the neighborhoods of Butcher's Hill, Patterson Park, Fells Prospect, Canton and Upper Fells Point, local pooches from the area unofficially gather each evening at the bottom of the pagoda for their daily romp ...

"While the seasons and pooches come and go in this favorite doggie hang-out, the 'regulars' can typically be found rolling in the (numerous) mud holes, chasing the local squirrels, playing ball or Frisbee, running in circles, grazing on the grass, and munching on sticks all while keeping a keen eye out for those dreaded men on bikes (the Park Rangers) or the big white van (Animal Control).

"As the weather gets warmer, the beautiful boat lake (with no boats) always seems to look more appealing to every Patterson Park pooch, though usually the dogs are too busy having fun and playing to exhaustion to bother running down there."

There are those who plunge in from time to time -- sometimes to cool off, sometimes in pursuit of duck.

As at all other city parks (except for the Canton Dog Park) dogs are supposed to be on leashes at all times at Patterson Park, but some owners routinely dance around that law.

For more than five years, dog lovers have been attempting to establish a dog park in Patterson -- a feat made even more difficult by the number of surrounding neighborhoods whose approval is required. That group's website is here.

To learn more about Patterson Park, you can visit the Friends of Patterson Park website.

To pass on your experiences in, views of, and gossip about the park, its dogs, and its dog-owners, click the comment button below.

Coming tomorrow: Dogs of Our Lives - Federal Hill.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

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.

Continue reading "Dogs of Our Lives: Canton" »

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

During the War of 1812, what's now Riverside Park served as Fort Lookout. Its panoramic views -- well, at least they were then -- provided a vantage point from which U.S. forces could keep an eye out for any invading Brits.

Today, the skyline has filled up some, with I-95 and Domino Sugar and high-rise condos. Members of the doggie crowd still keep an eye out -- only now it's for invading animal control officers and undercover cops.

As at several other city parks, dozens of dog-walkers -- yours truly included -- have been swept up in periodic crackdowns on those who let their dogs off leash. The signs clearly states doing so is illegal, but we take our chances --- feeling (A) our dogs are free spirits and, if well behaved, deserve a chance to act like such, and (B) there are plenty of worse things that go on in Baltimore, some of them right there under Riverside Park's gazebo.

So, daily, after looking around, we unhook our dogs and let them frolic here in the park named after a popular, crap-shooting City Councilman who was gunned down in City Hall 31 years ago.

Leone-Riverside Park, named for Dominic Leone, was one of the city's first parks, and is known for its tremendous swimming pool (where kids can still swim for $1 a day). When the pool opens -- June 21 this year -- there's an influx of children and families, who sometimes have to walk through a phalanx of frolicking dogs and don't always appreciate it.

Among the dog-walkers, there are divisions as well. Most congregate near the gazebo and let their dogs off the leash to play en masse. It's not unusual to see 20 loose dogs or more weaving about. Others, fearing that's asking for trouble, keep to the perimeter, away from the big group. Some stick to the the athletic fields on the south end. Some just jog with their dogs.

Of those in the big group, some humans, like some dogs, see it as a chance to be social; some keep to themselves. With me, it depends on the day.

Some find their paths crossing again outside the dog park, as was the case with the humans of Argus and Buckley.

Recent developments? Probably the biggest has been the absence of Stan the Biscuit Man and his fat black dog, Louie. Stan, famous for bringing a gigantic bag of dog biscuits and tossing them to the crowd of dogs that inevitably formed around his bench, underwent back surgery a few weeks ago and hasn't been to the park since. (Stan was featured in my movie, "Hey, Mister, What Kind of Dog is That?")

Riverside Park -- even with all the gentrification of its surrounding neighborhoods -- still attracts folks of all kinds, black and white, homeless and homed, blind and sighted (the National Center for the Blind is right across the street), white collar and blue, upscale and old school.

It's a mutty kind of place, and Ace and I dig the mix. You can hear well-heeled Riversiders discussing next year's vacation plans one minute, blue collar South Baltimoreans pondering that night's dinner the next. "You want to get something to eat?" a woman said to the child whose stroller she was pushing the other night, a block from the park. "OK, but I'm not walking all the way to the shopping center. Let's just get some f---ing chicken tenders."

Seen something interesting at Riverside Park? Got a gripe? A compliment? An observation? Some gossip? Your own personal run-in with an odd character, or the long arm of the law?

As for my off-leash offense, on Sept. 10, 2007, a hearing was held before the city's Environmental Control Board (and leave it to a "board" to think it can control the environment.) For the results of that hearing, click here.

OK. Now it's your turn. Click the comment button below and send your tale, your thoughts, your experiences, your observations, along. Yours could be the next episode of ... Dogs of Our Lives - Riverside

(Tomorrow: Dogs of Our Lives: Canton)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
                    

It occurs to me (well, actually it occurred to a friend, and I've stolen the idea), that our local dog parks -- official and unofficial -- are teeming with, among other things, drama.

As places where we city dwellers (often lacking our own backyards) regularly congregate with our dogs -- conversing, connecting, bonding, bitching -- they are the perfect setting, if not for a sitcom, at least for a soap opera.

So let the soap operas begin.

In the coming weeks, we will be introducing, in the form of blog entries, our new spring lineup -- think CSI meets One Life to Live -- of dog-park soap operas, conceived by me (with help from Steve, whose dog is named Joey), produced by the Mutts blog, and written by ... YOU.

We'll start with Dogs of Our Lives -- Riverside, it being the park with which Ace and I are most familiar, and move on to DOL-Canton, DOL-Patterson Park, DOL-Locust Point, and DOL-Federal Hill.

Each version (and feel free to propose a new one) will be introduced on the main blog here with a scene-setter, and they will be findable later by going to our categories section and clicking on "Dogs of Our Lives."

The various versions will then show up in the form of blog entries. And the comments section of each will be where the dramas -- large and small -- play out.

What's the latest park gossip? Who's (dogs or humans) involved in a budding dog park romance? Who's not picking up their dog's poop? Which dogs might benefit from some therapy? What dog owners might benefit from some therapy? And what of the ongoing discord between dog people and non-dog people?

What we're really after -- as opposed to name calling and replaying tired arguments -- is insight into the intricacies and dynamics of dog park behavior, and by that we mean not just that of the dogs, but their humans as well.

Look at it as an ongoing, exploratory dialogue for dog park denizens -- one for each park.

Why is it we (or at least I) can remember dog names, but not human ones? Is talking about the weather the human equivalent of butt sniffing? Are owners of big dogs compensating for something? Is it appropriate for yuppies to be shouting "Five-Oh" when they see police or animal control officers arriving at the park?

(It should be noted here that the Canton Dog Park is the only one in Baltimore where dogs are  allowed to run off leash -- the only official dog park. At the rest, many of us are regularly -- brazenly -- breaking the law. How's that for added drama?)

Anonymous comments are allowed (since they're usually the best ones) and maybe even advisable (since these are people you hang out with everyday), but let's try and stay civil and use clean language so I don't have to edit it out.

Otherwise, where this goes is pretty much up to you. So click on the comment button and spill.

And, by all means, tune in tomorrow for the next episode ...

(Graphic by Emily Morrow/Baltimore Sun)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)