ohmidog!

Dog park or ball park?

Ace and other Winston-Salem area dogs have at least two entertainment options to choose from this Sunday, and unfortunately they overlap.

“Tanglewoof,” the long-awaited, much delayed dog park at Tanglewood holds its grand opening Sunday — around the same time that the Winston-Salem Dash has its first “Pups in the Park” baseball game of the season.

What’s a dog to do?

The Tanglewood event kicks off with a blessing of the dogs at 12:45 p.m., followed by an afternoon of presentations on doggie topics ranging from health to agility training.

From 1 to 5 p.m., there will be presentations every 30 minutes, along with vendors offering food and more. Admission is free, but organizers are asking people to bring a donation of food, kitty litter, paper towels or bleach for the Forsyth or Davie humane societies.

The three-acre park, which features small and large dog areas, was built with donations from businesses and private donors. The village of Clemmons pitched in more than $9,000 for plumbing and Forsyth County donated the land in Tanglewood Park. Money was also raised through earlier dog-friendly baseball games held by the Dash.

The minor league team’s first “Pups in Park”  game this season is Sunday at 2 p.m. It’s one of three listed on this year’s schedule. (The other two are June 9 and Aug. 25.)

Pooch passes must be purchased in advance, and written proof of rabies vaccinations are required. (For more information, contact Sarah Baumann at 336-714-6878 or email sarah.baumann@wsdash.com.)

There was at least one “Scout” in the crowd last night at the Winston-Salem Dash game, and he, or she — I didn’t check — was wearing a purple bandana.

The Dash, a Minor League baseball team, has made a major commitment to dogs this season, holding five “Pups in the Park” nights.

The events are sponsored by the Forsyth Humane Society, and last night’s was the second of the season, featuring some of the dogs who have graduated from its prison program, “A New Leash on Life,” in which inmates at Forsyth Correctional Center train dogs that go on to be adopted.

Here’s one of the graduates arriving now:

Last night’s canine attendees — all of whom watch from a grassy knoll in left field — included lots of boxers, like Colby and Cypress (below left) and Gunner (below right).

Also in the crowd was Darwin, a three-legged beagle who seems to be a regular on Pups in the Park night:

Here’s another fan we’ve seen at every game we’ve gone to:

The Humane Society’s mascot was there (played last night by my son, Joe), and he got a chance to meet the Dash mascot, Bolt:

For more information on “Pups in the Park” games, visit the Forsyth Humane Society and Winston-Salem Dash websites. And if you haven’t been to one with your dog, give it a try — it’s a great night, whether you love the game, or just love your dog.

Remember when the truth about Santa Claus slowly started dawning on you? With me, it was when I started seeing him too many places at once — more places than any one person could be, and looking slightly different each time.

Now the same thing has happened with the canine star of “The Artist,” and it was Jimmy Kimmel who exposed the Uggie truth.

A perceptive member of Kimmel’s staff noticed that the Uggie who appeared on Kimmel’s show, on the Ellen DeGeneres show, and at the Oscars, had slightly different markings than that of the dog in the movie.

On Tuesday night, Kimmel showed video that seemed to substantiate differences between the dog in the movie and the dog making media appearances, and he raised the possibility that a fake Uggie, or, as he termed it, a Fuggie, had appeared on his show and the others.

Uggie, who has retired from movies and now serves as Nintendo’s spokesdog (or so we’re being led to believe), was invited back on Kimmel’s show Wednesday, appearing by satellite with his trainer, to clear up the confusion.

Trainer Omar Von Muller explained that three Jack Russells were used in filming — Uggie, who carried most of the load, his brother Dash, and a third named Dude. All three wore make-up so their markings would exactly match each other and have the same brown patch behind their ears — a larger one than Uggie has in real life.

As shattered fantasies go, it’s relatively minor. There were, after all, nine collies who played Lassie (and all were male); there were 22 Labs used in the filming of Marley and me; and there are, of course, thousands of stand-in Santa Clauses who appear in malls to assist the real one who can’t be everywhere at once.

The Winston-Salem area is about to become even more dog-friendly, with the opening, as early as this summer, of a third dog park — the dog park at Tanglewood.

On top of that, the Winston-Salem Dash, the minor league baseball team that held its first “Pups in the Park” game last summer, has announced it plans to hold five this year.

A spokesman for the group raising money for the dog park at Tanglewood (off Highway 158 in Clemmons) reports that $135,000 of the $150,000 it needs to build the park has been raised, and construction could begin in April or May.

If so, Dan Greer told the Winston-Salem Journal, the park, with separate sections for large and small dogs, could open almost a nearly year ahead of schedule.

Dog park organizers have until the end of 2012 to raise the money needed to build the park, and they hope to raise the remaining $15,000 by selling custom bricks, engraved with donor’s names, or their dog’s, that will be part of the entrance.

The bricks are $125 each, and they can be ordered here.

The other two dog parks in the Winston-Salem area are at Washington Park and Horizons Park.

Meanwhile, at BB&T Park, home of the Winston-Salem Dash, dogs will invited to five baseball games this coming season.

Pups in the Park nights are scheduled for Tuesday, April 24; Wednesday, May 30; Wednesday, June 13; Wednesday, July 25; and Wednesday, August 15.

Dogs require proof of rabies vaccinations. For additional information or to reserve your tickets, contact Sarah Baumann at sarah.baumann@wsdash.com or call 336-714-6878. More information can be found at the Forsyth County Humane Society website.

The Salem Red Sox beat the Winston-Salem Dash 16-10 last night, and Ace didn’t like that at all.

That’s not because he’s a huge Dash fan, but because — I’ve ascertained after our second dog-friendly minor league baseball outing — he prefers shutouts. The crack of bat striking ball, like thunder and fireworks, seems to unnerve him, if only fleetingly.

Still, slugfest that it was, Ace — and scores of other dogs — seemed to enjoy the first pooch-friendly night at Winston-Salem’s  BB&T Park.

In particular, he seemed most impressed with the kiddie pools, which he could both climb into and drink from at the same time, the treats, the attention from other fans, the treats, the canine fellowship, and the treats.

The Dash threw together its first “Pups in the Park” event in the waning days of the season, but pulled it off, it seemed, without a hitch.

To me, it proved again that, when it comes to baseball, the Minor Leagues — where salaries aren’t pumped up, concessions aren’t too inflated and heads aren’t yet swelled — aren’t just the most dog-friendly, but the most fan-friendly, and perhaps there’s a connection between the two.

I did pay $7 for a beer, but there were $1 hot dogs to be had (I just couldn’t find them). Besides, I don’t mind inflated prices if I get to bring my dog along.

Those who brought their dogs were restricted to the lawn in left field. It’s a pretty steep incline, leading a few dogs and humans to slide downwards, or rollover more often than they intended, but most people seemed to find comfortable spots to lay down their blankets.

A beagle named Darwin — rescued after he lost one of his front legs to gunfire — had no problem cozily settling in:

The Forsyth Humane Society — a sponsor and beneficiary of the event — was there with several adoptable dogs and their mobile unit, which Ace found fascinating, either because of its smells or the animals depicted on its sides:

Ace also got a chance to meet the Humane Society mascot, shown to the left.

Some of the proceeds from the event are also going toward the building of a new dog park in Tanglewood.

You can learn more about that project  here.

We got to see a lot of great dogs — including two we’ve run into before, Stringer, a chocolate Lab, and Gatsby, a Great Dane.

We also got to meet Louis, an English bulldog not quite three months old (left), a massive St. Bernard named Cooper, a charming little pug named Meatball, and dozens more.

Every single one was well behaved, acting as if they’d been going to baseball games all their lives.

Some rested quietly, some sought diversion — but then that could be said of the humans, too, depending on how many $7 beers they’d had. 

There was some mild frolicking, but all of it in moderation.

This one decided he wanted the blanket he was sharing with his owners all to himself:

This one was playing tug of war with his leash, until a home run soared overhead, the ball landing not far away:

As for Ace, he couldn’t seem to get comfortable on the hill, until we figured out that if I lay downhill from him, with my head on his belly, he wouldn’t slide, and I would have a pillow, not to mention a somewhat level spot, my belly, on which to rest my $7 beer.

The photo to the left was taken by Lauren Carroll, a photographer, otherwise off-duty, for the Winston-Salem Journal.

The high point of the game came when the Dash got their 12th hit — thereby entitling every fan to redeem their ticket for a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, ensuring my belly will become even less level.

The highlight for Ace, though, was after the game, when he got to go with his friend Stringer to his favorite bar downtown, Recreation Billiards, a highly dog-friendly establishment.

After getting oodles of attention from customers, he was handed a treat from the bartender, prompting him to stare longingly at her for the next 30 minutes.

Eventually he came out of his trance and joined his friends in the booth, where, though tempted with beer, he abstained.

–
Name: Meatball

Breed: Pug

Age: Turning two this month

Encountered: At a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game

Backstory: Most people get a dog and then come up with a name. Julie Hurd did it the other way around. She came up with a name — Meatball — then started looking for a dog that fit it.

Being a pug, Meatball has that facial expression that seems to be perpetually asking why — in this case, why don’t you give me some of that sandwich, boy?

His puggish perseverance paid off. Meatball got a few bites from his new friend.

To see all our Roadside Encounters, click here.