Black Lab/Pit Mix found at Beasley Park this afternoon

Just posted on Craigslist and FB too. This afternoon this puppy was wandering around the field and was saying hello to every person and dog entering the park. He's a total sweetheart and we let him and he played really well with all the other dogs.

He's not wearing a collar and has no tags. He is unneutered and looks underweight. Black with a white bib - looks like about 30-40lbs - and very very cute.

As of 4:30pm this afternoon, he was safe and sound and happy. He was going to be let back out into the field when folks left the park. Hopefully he'll stick close by for a bit until we can find somebody to take him in.

Dog Park Shelter Design

As a community volunteer effort, the idea of a small station/cover has surfaced as a project that Greenline Architecture would like to design and help install in Mother Matilda Beasley Dog Park. Their efforts could help facilitate the design on construction and help through the County permit process as possible. The park community would help construct the structure. We understand there is already a collaborative effort of ideas flowing for needs and maintenance; and there have also been discussions of ideas and communications with the County. The purpose of this post is to generate ideas and thoughts, reasonable needs/wants from you the users and members of the park community. The restrictions of the structure are that it can't be too big, low maintenance, and no cost to the County, therefore simple. Thoughts of needs/ideas to date are: *Fixed permeable area at hose bib for the water bowl and possible pool area (to prevent mud puddles); *an area for signage postings; *area to store dog toys, ropes, etc.; *additional dog bag storage; *possible sitting area, ie., built-in benches with small cover; *storage for County as needed (limited maintenance). Please submit any ideas you may have so that as a joint effort we can design something useful for all. If we can gather as much info over the next week, we can get started on design as soon as possible. Hopefully we can work with the County (owners) and have something constructed by next spring! Thanks.

Canine Influenza

"Dog Flu" is in 30 states now including ours. Daisy got vaccinated this week and will get the necessary booster shot in 2-4 weeks. (Dr. Martin at East Side. $19.) The vet says she's already seen some cases of dog flu in her practice and suggests that dogs in frequent contact with other dogs, at boarding kennels or the dog park, should be vaccinated.

Here's some news I googled about Canine Influenza (excerpt):

The canine influenza virus (CIV) is a newly appearing virus in dogs, and it is now considered a part of the respiratory disease complex that includes parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bacteria. Kennels, groomers and veterinary hospitals have required protection against these two pathogens for a long time.

CIV is a highly contagious virus that will infect virtually every dog that is exposed to it. About 80 percent of dogs infected will show clinical signs, which include fever, malaise and prolonged cough. Of those showing clinical signs, some patients will develop a severe form of the disease, which often involves a secondary pneumonia manifested by a thick, yellow-green nasal discharge and high fever.

These cases frequently require extended and expensive hospitalization stays in strict isolation with intravenous fluid, antibiotic and respiratory therapy. In spite of the best treatment regimens, it is estimated based on experience that 3 to 8 percent of these patients may die of the disease and its complications.

The vaccine has been shown to have virtually no side effects and is highly effective in either preventing infection or lessening the clinical signs and duration of infection and virus shedding. Dogs over six weeks of age are protected by getting two injections of vaccine, given two to four weeks apart. (My boldface - Susan)

— John G. DeVries

Just for fun: Intelligent Dogs By Breed

http://petrix.com/dogint/intelligence.html

Ryan, perhaps we should just let poor Abby continue to blissfully roll around in the mud, unaware that she's ranked in the "lowest degree of intelligence" range. :)

Ahab at the Wedding

Good times were had by all of us...Ahab more than anyone as he was the star of the show. Forget that we were the ones getting married - he had all the attention!

Nuclear Rabbit Centerfold

Unleashed and uncensored: Daisy's shocking photo bio

Dog Park Regular seeking a home for a Found Puppy

You may recognize me and my crazy 2 dogs. It's been a long time since we've been able to stop by. We no longer live downtown so making the trip down is sometimes hard to do, and the heat makes the trip sometimes pointless. But I have Giir the red doberman, and a little yorkie/jack russel named Saleen. She doesn't make her appearance there much, but Giir does.

I'm writing because I have a dog that I found 2 weeks ago running Montgomery x roads with a huge chain and pad lock attached to his collar. He's under weight, was covered in fleas, and a sweet heart! I'm looking for a forever home for him. I've named him 300 hes around a year old. terrier mix of some sort. I took him to the vet to get his rabies, and he's also heart worm negative, and is now flea free. He has not been fixed yet and does great with other dogs, cats, and kids. If you could post his info on the blog to help get the word out that would be great. I'm also going to try and stop by the park with him for others to meet him.

He will be at Petsmart on Abercorn from 11am to 3pm this Saturday August 22, and every Saturday after that until he gets adopted. If anyone is interested in him they can write me at this email - Michellextras@gmail.com. Or contact Save-a-life at 912.598.SPAY (7729)

THANKS!
Michelle

The 2009 Summer Redneck Games

The Summer Redneck Games.

Fun!

This Week in Sports
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4999736/ns/multimedia

Redneck Slideshow
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31877139/from/ET/?beginSlide=1&



xo
stephen

Free to a good home. We have a beautiful beagle named Apollo, he's a little too hyper and we don't have a yard for him. He needs someone who will exercise him well. He's house trained and knows a few tricks. Please contact me at 703-338-8701 to set up an appointment, ask for Kati.

Pet Airways

There was a bit about this new airline on NPR this morning as I headed into work. There's a new airline, Pet Airways, starting up to service 5 major US cities (unfortunately not Savannah) that only transports cats and dogs. This means that they have outfitted the passenger bay of the plane for animal transport as opposed to having them in the cargo. Check out the commercial.

Bo Obama

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/04/12/Meet-Bo-the-First-Dog/

Fancy Schmancy

I'm so thankful that we have our space, but honestly I don't think that I would mind taking Ahab to a doggie water park after picking up my latte at the cafe. Check out this article about a new commercial dog park in Dallas.

Couldn't agree with you more, Lola

xoxo Jack

Dear Diary, It's me... Lola! 3.25.09

Dear Diary,

Dude, sometimes you just need to take some time out of your day to get a good nap in. I mean, it gets so exhausting running around sniffing things, licking myself and spazing out every time my human comes home. So to keep myself refreshed and looking young, I like to get a few Z's in each day. It keeps my hairs nice and soft and my mind sharp.

I highly suggest you do the same my furry brothers and sisters. It will keep you fresh for all the licking and sniffing you'll need to do throughout the day.

Refreshed and soft,
Lola

Dog Park Supporters Meeting

If you are interested in sharing your ideas regarding dog park maintenance and care, please come to our first Beasley Dog Park Supporters Meeting. It will be held at 558 East Jones Street (on the corner of East Broad) on Tuesday 3/24 at 6:30pm. Please DO NOT bring your dogs so that we may all focus and move through the meeting quickly.

If you are unable to come to the meeting, please e-mail your thoughts to beasleydogpark at gmail dot com.

DOG NEEDS HELP ASAP!!!

I came across this on Craigslist.

Please check it out. If you aren't able to help this dog out, maybe you know someone who can. The person who posted it seems so thoughtful and anything we can do to help would be wonderful. Since Lola was found out in the woods left to die, this situation hits close to home for us both.

much love,
dawn and lola


Here's the posting from craigslist on 3-17-09: http://savannah.craigslist.org/pet/1079620223.html

We found Nala abandoned under the bridge at the Louisville and Boundary Road intersection -- she was left to starve inside a shut-off construction area. The Humane Society in Savannah did not want to take her because she did not look "adoptable", so we were forced to bring her to Animal Control instead, where she will be put to sleep in FIVE DAYS from today. I felt terrible bringing her there, and I have vowed to do everything in my power to find her a home before then. (I would take her myself but I am a SCAD student who lives in student housing and there is simply no way I can have a dog.)

She is SUCH a sweet and beautiful girl. Medium sized, about 1 years old, and what looks to be a Shepherd Mix. She did not growl at us once -- she just needed to be comforted and fed. I am DESPERATE to find her a home -- I will even help you to secure a cheap voucher to get her spayed if she is not already.

Please, please, please save this poor dog's life. She was left for dead, and she deserves a second chance. I DO NOT WANT ANIMAL CONTROL TO PUT HER DOWN.

E-mail:
comm-kjmnx-1079620223@craigslist.org

I know I'm not a dog... but I'm lost and I need to get home.

Hey gang... Lola found this kitty last night and let me know by snorting and kinda barking from the balcony. The kitty is really friendly. I walked down to see if she was ok and she followed me to the backyard where she is now on the porch eating and playing with yarn. She is way too friendly to be just a street cat and she is declawed-probably spayed. She is a little dirty and was really hungry but she must have belonged to someone for sure. Found on the corner of Park and Ott. If you know anything, please let me know asap... or if we can't find her owners, is anyone up for adopting this amazing little kitty???? I call her Bunny, 'cause she's just that cute! Email me at whyistheworldsocreepyshesaid@yahoo.com

~dawn and lola!

Steven's photos of Okefenokee

Not exactly a dog item, but Steven Morton's photos of Okefenokee Swamp are published here:

4/14/09 New York Times.

Given that gators were slithering around, Phoebe stayed home.

Park Maintenance Ideas

As some of you are aware already, a conversation seems to be coming to a head between the county commissioners and the Savannah Tree Foundations and dog park users about how best to maintain the park. In thinking about some of the possibilities, I found it useful to start investigating what other dog parks around the country are doing. Here are some links that I found interesting and food for thought.

Long Beach Recreation Dog Park
Ocean City NJ Dog Park
Best Friends Animal Society
Austin Off-leash Dog Park Committee Considerations
Culver City Dog Park
Dallas Deep Ellum Dog Park

It seems that every park has faced the dilemma of ground cover. One suggestion that repeatedly seems to be occurring is decomposed granite (thanks Tara for first mentioning it). Here's are some pro/cons for different types of ground cover:

Grass - most aesthetically pleasing, soft on padded feet, stays cool ; but obviously it requires a lot of maintenance to keep it from wearing away.
Wood Chips
Decomposed Granite

the snooty snout

the snooty snout boutique is closing. their close out sale dates are saturday, february 28th and sunday march 7th! for those of you who dont know the location 8 east liberty street (across from the hilton) i thought i would pass the info along. just to prewarn all the big dog owners, most of the items are for small dogs!! but they do have gourmet dog treeats yum yum

DOG SITTER EXTRAORDINAIRE!

KELLY MICHAEL LOVES ALL KINDS OF DOGS...
LET HER LOVE YOUR DOG TOO!

KELLY MICHAEL: DOG SITTER EXTRAORDINAIRE!
CONTACT: gracekellydress@gmail.com

Anika needs a home - Forward from Voice for Pets

Anika was rescued from Animal Control. She is right around 1 year old and mostly Basset. There may be a little Chocolate Lab in her. She has lots of brown and her fur is incredibly soft. Anika weighs only about 35 lbs. which is a good thing as she thinks she is a lapdog. Anika had her spay surgery yesterday and at the same time the vet removed a pellet from the side of her head/top of her ear. It amazes me that dogs that have had bad experiences still love humans. What jerk shoots at a dog? I know, happens all the time but that doesn't make it ok. I am still hoping for 'what goes around comes around'. Anika is the most loving dog you can imagine. She does not have a bad bone in her body. She loves humans, big and small, cats, dogs, my bunny, the Guinea Pig and doesn't bother with my pet rats. She is the best dog anyone could want. If anyone would like to give her a permanent loving home please contact me at voiceforpets@bellsouth.net.
Thank you
Carmen

"Puppies need homes!" Info was false.

Sorry for the posting regarding puppies needing homes. It was a hoax. It really upsets me to think there are people out there that thinks this is funny. Anyway....my apologies.

Ryan

A chat with Commissioner Holmes.

On Sunday District 2 Chatham County Commissioner, James J. Holmes stopped by after church to see how everything has been going at the Beasley Dog Park. I had the pleasure of chatting with him about the pros and cons of our wonderful park. He mentioned he would soon ask the County to do an assessment on the park.
Mr. Holmes has shown an interest in the park since day one. I believe he was instrumental in getting the second waste station with bags installed on the South side of the park. On Sunday he voiced concerns about the dead grass, missing plants and overall wear and tear of the dog park.
As many of you know the park has been open nearly a year and is the only publicly owned dog park in Chatham County. Although it was funded by the county, Park and Tree Officials have requested dog owners maintain and police its use.
In our short conversation, I mentioned to Mr. Holmes the deteriorating condition of the fence, lack of mowing from the Nelson Group (contracted by the County to maintain MMB Park) and the problems with standing water at the front gate and around the faucet. He promised to look into it and address urgent issues such as the fence immediately. I also asked that someone provide a pile of dirt to back fill the holes left by neglectful dog owners.
BEASLEY DP BLOGGERS: Please either post your concerns and comments or email me directly at sbmorton@gmail.com. Keep in mind that WE are responsible for most of the mess at the park and WE should take measures to clean up after our pets and keep an eye on our dogs at all times.

Respectfully, Stephen Morton

Some of my best friends....oh and their owners too.

sweet boxer needs a home - asap...

today we found a stray wandering around henry st. and waters ave. with a little coaxing and some hot dogs, we managed to catch the dog and put her on a leash. at first, she was very scared of us, but hot dogs can do wonders for new relationships. she is a very cute older boxer mix who has had a litter(s) of puppies at some point. she is actually really sweet and wants to stay with us, unfortunately we have 3 dogs and the economy has not been nice to us. we tried to call the humane society & animal control but apparently they don't work on sundays. we can't bring her into our house and have nowhere else to put her. as of now, she is laying on our front porch with a blanket and some food & water. she's in pretty good shape, a little starved and has some kind of skin rash on her tail, but nothing serious. she is really a sweet girl and we want her to find a good home. if you have any advice or are interested in adopting her, please comment on this post or email me at heatherom@msn.com. thanks!

chuck-it

today we had a sad loss at the park. the brand-new chuck-it is now dead. I'd say it lasted about 2or 3 weeks? It showed up suddenly at the park one day and all the fetch-playing dogs loved it. I would like to take this opportunity to thank whoever left it and also apologize that it didn't last longer....

why my baker is good with little dogs!!

this is baker last year with his girlfriend the ferret! her name is lilly and she loves to bite ears and toes...

january pics

louie wants up on the picnic table...

Rocky entertains himself with a rubber bone. that chuck-it has seen better days...

brrr its cold today....

there's always one who likes the pool and one who prefers the mud....

it's moi....

Baker was big pimpin in Cali!!

so this is how Baker was livin in nor-cal~ he had his manhood still. party girls let baker get crazzzzzzy!!! disturbing and funny all at the same time!!!!

Please consider helping out

The following email was forwarded to me from the voluntary animal welfare program Voice For Pets. Since they are the organization that brought Ahab and I together, I want to publicize their efforts. If you can even donate a few dollars to save a little pup, it would be helpful.

"Not good news. The newest rescue puppy from Animal Control has parvo. Remember, the cute little Shepherd mix... Samantha, the foster home took her to the ER today and she'll stay there until morning. We may have to do the VCA thing again if I cannot come up with another option :(. The ER does NOT give us a break at all and we also know that VCA overcharges and has reduced the animal welfare discount to just about nothing! Samantha will have a huge bill and we need to collect donations for it and donations to help the pup in the coming week. Please keep the puppy in mind and if you have any friends who might donate to help her please let them know her story. As a consequence of this we can (yes, again) not rescue from AC for a while. Have to pay off this bill first. Then, also, no more puppies at all. I am saying that to myself much more so than to you. I am the one who forgets....
Thank you
Carmen"

i dont really have an explanation 

HAPPY 2009

i hope everyone had a great 2008. it was nice meeting all the dogs from the other dog park while their dog park was getting a face lift. maybe we will still see some of the dogs still... :)