Clean and Happy

Another advantage to Old Town Doggie Wash is that when the dog shakes the water off his coat, which they all do at the first opportunity, you don’t have a splattery mess to clean up all over your bathroom or kitchen. Nor do you have to wash the tub or sink afterwards. And finally, going to the Doggie Wash means that Fido gets to go somewhere with you in the car. What doggie doesn’t love that?

This poodle was enjoying himself immensely. What a little cutie pie!

Really Big Sinks

After stepping inside Old Town Doggie Wash and taking the tour, it was clear why this is a great idea. Sinks are huge, and there are little ramps so that large dogs can walk up them and right into the sink without having to be lifted. When I got there, Paul hadn’t had any customers yet. But about ten minutes after my arrival, customers had practically filled up the place! “You brought me good luck!” said Paul. “Stick around!!” I was glad, not only for Paul but for myself! Photos of a dog wash without any dogs would have been much less interesting.

This woman’s full sized collie had room to spare in the sink. Not only are the sinks huge, but they’re also at just the right height so that there is no need to stoop or bend over to get the job done, which becomes more and more important the older you get!

Old Town Doggie Wash

Carol of Chattanooga DP did a post on doggie day care last week. Well, here’s a doggie business that I hadn’t heard of outside of Alexandria. How have I managed not to notice this place before? Paul Bradley, the friendly owner of Old Town Doggie Wash, told me there had been a dumpster parked in front of the sign for a long time. The Doggie Wash, which has been in business for two years, is off Duke Street near the animal hospital.

Why would dog owners bring their dogs to be washed here instead of doing it at home in the sink or the bathtub? Paul showed me. I’ll show you tomorrow.

Friends of Geese

These folks like Canada Geese so much, they have a pair that they keep as pets. They feed them so well, the geese are now too fat to fly away. I have to admit, for a half second, I thought these were real. That does solve the problem of lawn muffins, though.

Geese Crossing

Byproducts or not, Canada Geese have become so much a part of the community here that they merit their own street crossing signs. (Anyone besides me notice that those are ducks on the sign and not geese?)

It’s tough to cross busy Eisenhower Avenue even for a human, but with Cook Lake on one side and Holmes Run on the other, sometimes a goose just gotta do it.

Look Who Just Dropped By

Nuno of Porto Daily Photo loves geese. Well, parts of them, anyway. These are Canada Geese and are quite common in this area. These two are taking a break at Holmes Run from their frequent flier miles.

Although Canada Geese are very tolerant of people and have gotten used to staying around densely populated suburban areas, people are not always happy to have the geese in their neighborhoods. Canada Goose “byproducts” are quite large, and they happily produce enormous quantities of it, making some school sports fields very “dangerous” places to play.

Carol also has a post about Canada Geese in Chattanooga Daily Photo today.

Holmes Run

More surprises in the West End are the scattered little oases, pieces of land untouched by development, reserved for whatever wild creatures there are left. And I’m not just talking about joggers. There are dozens of these wild places, some big and some small.

This is Holmes Run, a creek that winds its way through all the highrises and houses, providing a quiet place where people can walk and observe a little bit of nature. Tomorrow I’ll show you a couple of frequent visitors.

It’s What, Again?

Okay, all you foodies! Know what this is? This had me totally stumped. I’ve never seen it before, had no idea what it was or what was made from it, so I checked the internet. Dawadawa is a Ghanaian dish made from fermented locust beans. There’s that “fermented” word again. Pass.

By the way, the form of the question I used as today’s caption is how someone in Ghana would phrase such an inquiry. I would be more inclined to say, “What did you say that was?” or “Would you repeat that, please?” Ghanaian English is filled with such fun phrases as “I’m coming,” when the person is actually leaving. That’s their version of “I’ll be right back.”

Okay, enough food shopping. Tomorrow we go outside and do something else.

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