Who Let the Dogs Out? Cape Elizabeth Family Fun Day!

This is not Westminster-- all dogs are welcome, regardless of pedigree (don't ask, don't tell!) I hope we'll see you there!

Every Tribe has an Elder

Every tribe has an elder, and there is no need for protocal or rules to determine who will hold this honored position. It is a natural instinct to respect those who have travelled much father than we have through life, and last week, I saw that it is true with dogs, as well as it is true with humans.

As Athena shot like a bullet from the back seat of the car, like she does every day, she bounded onto the lush green field fresh from its winter rest (no seriously, they wouldn't let us touch it-- but it's worth it-- it's like a thick plush carpet!) toward what she initially thought was another chocolate lab. It turned out to be "Sagen" (named for the astronomer), a 15-year old labrador, visiting the park for a gentle mosey in the late morning sunshine.
Sagen still had plenty of energy for tail wagging, and you could tell that he held his own in games of tag for many years, but he was wise enough to let the young pups handle the leg work while he "supervised". Athena and the other dogs were all respectfully gentle around Sagen, and the humans acted like they were meeting a celebrity!

A 15-year old lab is indicitve of both good breeding, and excellent care by Sagen's people. I'm sure that many good walks contributed to him being able to enjoy a long and happy life-- and retiring in Cape Elizabeth-- what could be better?

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Park

Athena lives in topsy-turvy world. Currently, she is on-leash in her own yard, but off-leash at the park. The allure of a neighbor's compost pile is making it difficult for her to remember the boundaries of her own yard, so we're working on that. Wandering on her part makes me very nervous. So I could imagine how another dog owner felt yesterday morning when an older yellow lab appeared in my yard around 5:30 am. I went outside to investigate, and found him to be cold and wet, but very friendly. He had a tag on his collar with a name and phone number in a neighboring town, so I introduced myself and invited "Packy" inside and dried him off and gave him some breakfast before calling the number on his tag. Athena was a little nervous about the sudden arrival, but seemed enthusiastic about welcoming a potential playmate.

The phone number on the tag had been disconnected, so it turned out it wasn't going to be as easy to find Packy's home as I'd thought. I called our local police department, to inquire if someone had reported a dog missing, but no leads there. I called the next town over, as the tag indicated the owner lived in South Portland, but nothing there either.

Then I turned to the internet. I did a reverse look-up for the phone number on the tag, and got the name on the tag with an address in South Portland. Google Maps gave me the directions, and even though I was pretty certain Packy could not have wandered so far and over so many busy streets to end up in my yard, we headed for the address.

The "Beware of Dog" signs in the windows of the house at the address from the internet did not give me confidence. There was absolutely nothing to beware about Packy. He is a true-to-his-breed "be my best friend" labrador. As I knocked on the door, a fiesty dachsund was the reason for the sign, and luckily, the homeowner was up early. It was not, however, Packy's owner. He thought for a minute, and said he thought Packy must belong to the people who had lived there before him, and maybe he had a phone number for them. He gave me the number and I thanked him for his early morning help.

I called the phone number on the slip of paper, and a man answered. I explained that I'd found a yellow lab. He gave me directions to his house, which in the end, was so close to our house that we'd passed it twice already in our search for Packy's home. Packy's owner was waiting outside when we pulled into the driveway, and Packy jumped out of the car and did the happy labrador dance-- you know the one: all wiggling and tail wagging. The owner explained that he'd let Packy out last night, and that every once in a while he wanders off. "Oh I know exactly what you mean", I replied. I'm sure Packy was lured by that same rotten compost pile. It is like the Sirens to the sailors in the Odyessy (or is it the Iliad...), or chocolate in the cupboard to me. So our adventure had a happy ending, and in time for us to be at the park with Athena by 7am! .

above, Packy, looking for his house

For My Angel

This is the time of year that I can't help but think about angels. It was four years ago this week that I lost my Chocolate Lab, Angel. The day before she died was the first day she had not enthusiastically greeted me at the door, and while I thought it was unusual, even then she showed no signs of what was going on inside. By the next afternoon she was gone, too soon, too suddenly, and leaving my poor children with a mother who would burst into tears every time she came through the kitchen door without that lovely dog to greet her.

She was my best friend. She was born on my birthday. My sister, with whom I also share a birthday, made the origami angel dog after Angel died, and it sits in a place of honor on my desk, just above my computer. Very few days go by that I don't think of Angel still. She was the puppy for my little girls, she was the listener who never tired of me, even through my divorce. She helped cushion the transition to our new house, and she had an unlimited capacity for snuggling. She was ready to jump in and enjoy swimming in the cellar the first time it flooded, the same way she was ready to jump into the ocean on the 4th of July (and on New Year's Day). She was the the best friend our bunny could have ever hoped for (even if she did ocassionaly swipe his carrot). She made us feel safe.

Angel was partial to the Poor Farm Fields, another great off-leash area in Cape Elizabeth. She would fetch a ball, or preferably a soft frisbee, until my arm just couldn't fling it any more. She allowed us to dress her up in ridiculous costumes (the jester's collar pictured here was nothing compared to most Halloweens in her lifetime).

So today, here's to all the great dogs who have shared our lives and left us a little heart-broken. The best thing they've taught us is to enjoy their company, because it makes our lives better every day that we do.

The Social Event of the Season

The April Scoop was the perfect work party, more workers than work, leaving lots of time for enjoying a gentle foggy morning at Fort Williams. Theresa Fox, "The Furry Godmother" of Cape Elizabeth was the genius organizer, and had a table laden with muffins, bagels, dog biscuits and prizes for the Easter Egg Hunt that was prepared before our arrival.
I am happy to report that in general, the park was in great shape, making it a pretty good challenge to find anything to pick up. The gentler than average winter may have been a part of it; a wonderful community of dogs and their owners who have a respectful admiration for this wonderful place we can come and play freely is the other part of it.


At left, Lola waits patiently for a dog biscuit. At right, Athena says "yes, please" to Theresa's offer of a dog biscuit.

That's "Mister" Ripley

It is high time we showed our respect for the boss of the off-leash area, Ripley. He may not be big, like all the retrievers, or fast like the poodles and the hounds, but he rules the off-leash area of Fort Williams Park with an attitude that commands respect from every dog and human he encounters. He knows he's the boss, and everybody else knows it too. And I don't mean to say that Ripley is bossy, it's not that at all, it's more like the kind of attitude a Hollywood movie star has when they enter a room and silently but effectively command the attention of everyone in it.

That's the same way Ripley does it.

In my life outside the park, I work in a store, and I mentioned, on one of the very nice weather days this Spring, how nice it had been that morning at Fort Williams. The customer I was chatting with said that her son walked there every morning, and I asked if he walked with a dog. She very proudly told me that Ripley was her son's dog, and that she was to have the honor of dining with Ripley that evening. It is not your every day dog who can elicit this type of response.I told her that Ripley was the boss of the off-leash area, and this did not surprise her at all.

Maybe we'll need to organize some sort of celebration for Boss' Day. But for Ripley, he lives as if every day is Boss' Day, and it works.

Beware the Frabbits!

Maine State wildlife officials working with a team of biologists from Harvard as well as universities around New England have announced that a new hybrid specie has been identified from several small animals trapped in Fort Williams Park over the late winter, early spring. The discovery has town officials discussing the possibility of opening the park later, and closing it earlier, to keep residents and visitors safe from the early morning and dusk times that seem to bring the animals out. The sense of danger on public officials’ minds comes from the intriguing mixture of characteristics the animals present—being part fox, and part rabbit. The hybrid, dubbed “frabbit” by the groundskeepers at Fort Williams who first spotted the young animals venturing out into the open, is deceptively cute, while exhibiting the fierce hunting instincts of its fox parentage. The frabbit is causing a stir in the scientific community, being an extremely rare blending of carnivore and herbivore—this animal will hunt and eat anything.

Many residents who are regular visitors to the Fort have noticed a sharp decline in the squirrel population over the last year, and it became a common courtesy to mention fox sightings to dog owners in the off-leash area. No one imagined that the foxes were mating with the population of wild rabbits also in residence at the Fort, though in retrospect, the new development makes sense to the biologists. Global warming, changes in natural habitat and the severe lack of acorns this past fall all contributed to the evolutionary event. Whether these new animals breed like their rabbit ancestors will determine whether this event will usher in a new era of New England Frabbits, or whether the animals will be unable to reproduce and continue their kind.

Furriers from Boston have already approached town officials looking to purchase frabbits with the hope of farming them for their luxurious coats. Town Manager Mike McGovern issued a statement from the town council that decried the use of animal fur for clothing, and vowed to seek any and all government protections for the small group at Fort Williams. “If the Fort needs to be closed and declared a wildlife sanctuary, then so be it. In these tough fiscal times, the town would save a bundle”.

The implications for Fort Williams Park, arguably, one of the most popular destinations in Maine and home to Fort Williams Light, the most photographed lighthouse in America, could be serious, and may elicit strong opinions on the part of town residents and neighbors, except that reports such as this, offered on April Fool's Day should be regarded only as fun for this day of Fools.

(pictured here, Athena on guard at Fort Williams, keeping us safe from the frabbits)

Countdown to a Sunny Day

Enough with the rain already! While we have ventured out to Fort Williams on two rainy mornings and met other slicker-clad people with soggy furry friends, Athena does NOT like the rain. I attribute it all to her origins in Louisana around the time of Hurrican Katrina, but other than romps at the park in the rain, I pretty much have to pull her off the covered porch on a leash to get her to go outside.

Tomorrow we are promised sunshine and increasing amounts of warmth that may make us a little giddy here in Maine-- we are unacustomed to Easter without heavy winter coats. But the signs of new life are all around us-- you can almost stand and watch the Earth becoming greener. On Sunday, before the rains moved into New England, we saw a feather in the becoming-green grass, and the most tell-tale sign of spring of them all, a kite in a tree.

The hill in the center of Fort Williams Park is heaven for Kite flyers all through the spring and summer, but someone probably went home very unhappy last weekend, without their Toy Story kite.

Before we headed home we met two Lolas and a Lucy-- One Lola was a gorgeous boxer-shar pei mix puppy-- way too busy to stand still for a picture, but the others, Lucy and Lola, attracted spectators to their odd wrestling match-up. Lucy the Golden Retreiver got completely beat up by Lola the Basset Hound. They are in fact the best of friends, and you did kind of get the idea that Lucy was playing with Lola in the same way adults sometimes play games with young children, letting them win. Don't tell Lola.

Remember the "April Scoop" on Saturday April 3, starting at 9am. Hope to see you there!

The April Scoop!

Be there or get a cat!

Last year we stumbled upon this very good idea as it was happening-- this year we're delighted to have seen the posters placed around the off-leash area, so we'll come prepared and hope to see lots of other off-leash area community members helping to spiff up the park for spring. Fort Williams is such a wonderful place; it really is a privilege to be part of the stewardship of this lovely park. To whoever thought of it: THANK YOU!

Circle the Waggin's

Oo-la-la, what a day. When spring arrives in New England, it is not a particular day on the calendar, it is a day when the weather feels like the first kiss of true love-- and that day was today. When you can enjoy a walk near the ocean without pulling your coat closer, life is good, it's that simple, and when you can do that in March in Maine, it is magic.

The morning walk was accompanied by both the chirping of birds that every year I intend to learn to identify... maybe this year I'll add a few to my list of one-- cardinal; and the fog horn of Portland Headlight. It wasn't that foggy, and it wasn't cold and damp this morning, but a mist hung over the water, and I'm sure the morning fishermen and lobster boats appreciated the headlight, as mariners have for over two hundred years.

When I left work at the end of the day, there was only one thought in my mind-- extra walk night. The weather was too perfect to pass up the opportunity. In this part of the country, you do not expect the same weather on any two consecutive days. It is important to enjoy it when it happens. Fort Williams was strangely quiet at 6pm, but Athena was sooooo happy, she ran along with her tail wagging in complete circles. To try and imagine how that would work, try to imagaine hoola-hooping and running at the same time. I don't know how she does it. As she prances ahead of me, occasionally she breaks into something that I can only describe as skipping-- I never thought dogs could skip, but Athena can.
As she runs along, well ahead of me, passing other walkers to catch up to their dogs, I see the people gesturing to each other, mimicking with their hands the way Athena's long silky ears flap up and down when she runs. She runs with sheer joy, and she makes people happy just to see her joy. The most common comment people make is "That's a happy dog" and that is the truth. Athena is all happiness, and tonight, after a bonus evening run, she is a good tired dog. It makes me forget the couple of rough days when it rained something like 5-inches in 48 hours. Athena still seems traumatized by heavy rain, and on Sunday it was 4pm before I could get her off the porch. That kind of day leads to major mischief, and Athena can be an evil genius.

(Don't let the look of that sweet dog curled up in the chair fool you-- turn your back and you will be missing a box of Girl Scout cookies)

Spring is here, perhaps ahead of the calendar's schedule, but we will definitely welcome an early check-in. You can almost stand still for a few minutes and see the grass starting to green up. If there was no spring, winter would be impossible, but spring is such a wonderful thing to look forward to, we make it through to the end of winter, and we welcome Spring every year like a long lost friend. It is good to catch up with a long lost friend.

Afternoon Recess

I do enjoy the quiet of Fort Williams in the morning. The faithful every day walkers with dogs may be there (though they weren't yesterday-- Athena and I were all alone in our frost covered solitude), but it is quiet enough to gather your thoughts in the morning, or to just soak in the sounds of the birds and the waves and hopefully soon, the leaves on the trees. Sunday afternoon, it was a lovely day, much more spring-like than typical for early March in Maine, so we headed back to Fort Williams in the afternoon for a bonus walk.

The afternoon is a completely different place. It was a really lovely day, but instead of one or two cars parked, as in the morning, I started to worry that I wouldn't find a place to park my car! And when we entered the off-leash area, it looked like some sort of a dog convention! There were dogs everywhere, joyfully chasing balls and each other. Some we knew, like Rambo (pictured at right below), the giant labradoodle, and we met quite a few new dogs and their owners. New to to us, but not to each other, as many of them are afternoon regulars, another distinct community, this one a bit more energetic and busy than the morning dog community.

Afternoon recess is perfect for dogs, perfect for people-- why the work day doesn't somehow adopt it in its purest form, I don't know. A coffee break just does not do for you what the things we did at recess as children. would--a quick game of dodge ball or jump rope. You'd know you were alive again. Someone wrote a book about all the important life lessons learned in kindergarten. Maybe dogs are in our lives to remind us of these.

The Incorrect Number of Retrievers

One of the first friends we made at Fort Williams was Linda and her herd of Golden Retrievers. The number can go up and down a bit from time to time, because Linda does fostering for a rescue organization, but for the last year or so, her three, Callie, Maddie and Frankie, were her constant companions. Maddie taught Athena to love the apples that fell at the end of the season, and it seemed the rottener they got, the more Athena loved them. Frankie was always ready for a game of tag with Athena, but Callie and Maddie were more sedate, choosing to visit with the people who would pass by, and one or the other would sit close to my leg and lean against me for a pat.
The very first day we saw them, it was near a holiday-- I can't remember which one... Halloween? St. Patrick's Day? Whatever time of year it was, Linda used to get them each a holiday bandanna, and they were a picture just waiting for a calendar-- especially when they would start a spontaneous game of chew the bandanna off each other. It was a riot.
This past summer, Linda took in Travis, a young spirited golden retriever who it was hard to believe anyone couldn't love, but I am the first to admit that rescue dogs can have their issues. I adore Athena, but in the first few months (okay, pretty much the whole first year), I could be driven to tears, and would lament "puppies aren't supposed to make you cry!"
The wonderful thing about someone like Linda is that she really gets to know a dog, and she can really help to find the right family-- she won't let someone make the mistake of adopting a high spirited dog without committing to making sure the dog gets enough exercise. By the fall, it was clear who the right family was for Travis-- Linda's family, so then there were four goldens in variegated tones, some slower some faster, but all happy swishy tail wagging friends.
When I saw them yesterday, I found myself continuing to scan the landscape trying to find the right number of retrievers, but I couldn't. We found out that Callie has been diagnosed with bone cancer, and was home resting, the park now too much exertion. In this funny little neighborhood where we live for just an hour or two each day, where at least half the friends have four legs, it is a tough blow whenever anyone is hurt or sick or when there is the pain of the loss of a faithful companion. We miss Callie and send her our love in our thoughts. We are glad that she is in a home where she is surrounded by love and is well cared for at the end of a long adventure. Time to start a batch of home-made dog biscuits...

Frankie, leaning against my pocket-- the one that holds the dog biscuits

Dogs + Snow = Fun

With the sound of generators still in the distance telling us that some people were starting day two without electricity, the Sunday morning dogs were ready for some fun in a light coating of snow. This morning we met Damita, one of the most striking looking dogs I have ever encountered, and true to her name (translation "young lady"), a gentle mannered sweetie. And fast! So fast. Athena is usually ready to race any four-footed runner, but she totally gave up. It was cattle dog day at Fort Williams, as Damita was joined by Fawnie, who also had amazing markings (I would have totally named her Polka, for the dot pattens on her fawn colored coat).

To the left, Fawnie. Above, Damita

As we finish out February in a very unusual winter, the dogs in the off-leash area of Fort Williams remind us that every day can be a great day, even coming off two days of flooding, no electricity, and yards and some roads littered with trees downed by the nor-easter that tore through Maine on Thursday night. Happily, it was only a "one dog night" on Thursday and Friday nights. Temperatures were in the 40's during the day, and even with the severe weather, it is very clear that the earth is preparing for spring. Our dogs can definitely smell it, and Athena has taken to testing sticks on the ground for signs of life. Soon the gloves and scarves and hats of all the dog owners will be able to stay home, and the feral tennis balls of the off leash area will be easier to find!

Professor Tucker

This morning at the park, Professor Tucker mosied toward us, as he does most mornings. The "Professor" designation is not part of his official name, but it is how I always think of him, as I watch him studying the edges of the path, sniffing... thinking... sniffing... it appears that he is doing very scholarly research on the smells of the off-leash area of Fort Williams Park. Once he finishes with his research, he becomes much livlier, happily fetching a tennis ball heaved from a "chucker" that is always in his person's hand.

This morning, however, as he approached, something was different. He had something in his mouth, but it wasn't the orange tennis ball that can give him a wacky clown-like smile which is always a little incongrous with his very dignified Springer Spaniel demeanor. This morning, as he came closer, I could see what was hanging out of his mouth. "Is that a rawhide chew?", I asked his person. "He won't put it down", she laughed, the tennis ball and chucker, hanging down from her hand. I should have taken his picture then, but I was giggling so much I'm not sure I could have held the camera steady. Obviously, he was on to a new type of research, or else, to him, a rawhide chew was like a Nobel Prize medal. I'll have to wait and look for Tucker another morning to see if he puts the rawhide down...

Sunday Run Day

It is very difficult to convince Athena to sleep in on the weekends. I try to tell her all the good dogs are still asleep, but usually I give in and we head for Fort Williams fairly early, even on a Sunday morning. This morning, Athena was delighted to find her friend Gibson (the yellow lab, above, with Athena as "It" in a rousing game of tag). Today it all ended well. Athena has been known to get Gibson into trouble, one time leading him off into the woods, which caused

Gibson's owner to hunt for him for a good half hour.

As you can see here on the right, Gibson is the picture of a good dog. Athena is like a kid at school you wish your kid would not hang out with.

Thanks to Gibson today for giving Athena a good work out. It will help her to be patient on a long boring day traveling to take her human sister back to school. Good dog, Gibson!

The Faithful

Every day, as the sun comes up, Athena begins nagging me. "Is it time to go to the park?" "Now is it time to go to the park?" Somehow, my dog has figured out that the sign at the entrance to Fort Williams Park says "Open at Sunrise; Closed at Sunset". And every day, as soon as I've had at least part of a cup of tea, we head for Fort Williams.

We take the same route there every day, and as we get closer, the excited whining in the back seat reaches an ear-splitting crescendo. You would think she's returning to a most favorite place after being away for decades... maybe that's exactly how it feels to a dog, because each day, when I open the back door of the car and let her out, it's as if I've just approached the entrance to Disneyland with a 6-year old.

The backside of Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, has been designated as an off-leash exercise area for dogs. There I have met some of the nicest people, and their best friends. Almost everyone is an every day visitor-- and in the middle of a Maine winter, you can tell who really loves their dog by who is out in the worst weather, because most of the dogs are oblivious to the elements. Their ability to relish every day, to celebrate every moment, to delight in seeing a friend they see almost every day, is some of the best role modeling I could imagine.
So this blog is dedicated to Athena, who may appear blurry in photos because she seldom stands still, and the dogs she plays with at the park, who make her so happy her tail wags not just back and forth, but around in complete circles.

Athena and Noodle the Poodle 2-20-2010