ohmidog!

 
Letting your dog off leash at Patterson Park — if and when it becomes legal — will most likely carry a fee, city officials said at a Thursday night meeting to discuss proposals that range from creating off-leash hours to building a dog park.

Described by Baltimore Sun Unleashed’s Jill Rosen as heated, the meeting drew about 100 people, and resulted in some news: Park rangers will be given the authority to issue citations for off-leash violations, and enfocement will be increased, according to city Department of Recreation and Parks Director Wanda Durden.

But as for what manner dogs might be permitted to play off leash, that, after years of pushing, still seems up in the air.

One suggestion is to build a fenced-in, 20,000-square- foot dog park along Baltimore Street on the western end of the park.  That proposal, drafted by Friends of Patterson Park Dog Park, calls for, rather than full time dog parks, two zones, both northwest of the lake, for off-leash hours — one for small dogs, the other for large ones.

Otheres prefer the idea of designating certain areas to be leash-free during certain hours.

While the city hasn’t figured out the what, when and where, it did have plenty of rules ready, among them:

An annual fee of $20 for those who wanted to use the off-leash area, as well as proof of a city dog license and current vaccinations. A limit of three dogs. Professional dog walkers can’t use the area for business. No dogs in heat. No dogs under four months old. No children under 8 years old. Children 9-15 must be accompanied by an adult. Dog handlers must be 16 years old or older. Dogs must wear a collar or harness with an ID tag, a special off-leash tag and rabies tags.

The city of Baltimore’s only existing dog area is Canton Dog Park, built by private citizens. The first city-funded dog park, in Locust Point, was supposed to open this summer, but with delays, September is now looking like the earliest it might open.

Maybe I’ve been here before
I know this room, I’ve walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah …

What brings me to quote Leonard Cohen?

Because – Hallelujah! — I’ve completed my book manuscript,  that major occupier of my time, mind, heart, soul and life for the past 12 months.

Twelve months that, like the once-reclusive Cohen, I became something of a hermit, venturing out pretty much only for book-related research trips, groceries and to walk the dog — totally wrapped up in my own thoughts and ignoring friends and family even more than I normally do.

Not to mention putting off focusing on the one thing I need most — a job.

Anyway, given that listening to Leonard helped me through the final stretch of the book — a non- (and-stranger-than-) fiction account of  dog cloning’s journey from conception to the marketplace —  I thought this song, appropriate on numerous levels, would serve as a good, low-key celebration. (Nobody can crank up the low-key like Leonard.)

Although the song has been covered by many, it’s only right that we bring you the original, sung by the composer, as opposed to a cloned version.

One of the Bauer family’s two Blue Lacy game dogs returned after it went missing in the wake of Hurricane Ike.

But, after nearly ten months, they’d all but given up on seeing the second one again.

Earlier this month, after another resident of the neighborhood spotted the second dog, she was reunited with the family, 14 pounds lighter, covered in ticks and fleas, but in otherwise good shape, the Houston Chronicle reported.

“We were telling the kids all the time that if there’s any dog out there that is going to make it on its own, it’s Daizy,” recalls Joe Bauer, of Clear Lake, whose family owns the two Blue Lacy game dogs.

In September, the two dogs, Daizy and Hank, escaped from a kennel after Hurricane Ike. Hank returned, but despite repeated efforts to track down Daizy, she couldn’t be found. Nine months later, though, she was spotted by another resident, who was able to follow the dog in her car to an overgrown easement area she’d apparently been staying in, near some electrical towers about a mile from the kennel.

LaRocca alerted the Bauers, who were able to track Daizy down.

The Bauers went to the area, whistled Daizy’s favorite tune, and the dog came running. The pet was in good shape according to the veterinarian who examined her Friday.

The Blue Lacy, a hunting dog that was named state Dog Breed of Texas by the 79th Legislature, was developed by three brothers from Kentucky who reportecly began interbreeding gryehounds, scent hounds and coyotes.