The Canine Olympic Swim Team

Columbia Dogs-on-the-Go had a great walk today along the Savage Historic Mill Trail. It's the perfect summertime walk--short, shady, swimming. . . and sweets! You start out by crossing the historic Bollman Bridge in Savage, walk about a half mile down the trail, and then take the little side trail down to the river and "beach." About half the dogs in our group decided to take the plunge:

After the walk, we headed over to Bonaparte's Bakery at Savage Mill. There's a great outdoor courtyard--not to mention pastries and coffee. You go inside to order, and they will bring your order to your table outside.

We also ran into some other CDOG members who were having an outdoor lunch with their dog, Beamer, in the courtyard, with service from the Ram's Head. Apparently, you can order inside at the Ram's Head and they will bring your order (including beer and drinks) outside also. We'll try that next.

Directions to the Savage Mill walk are on the CDOG website.

Group Walk: May 4 - No. 9 Trolley Trail

Columbia Dogs-on-the-Go has scheduled a dog walk on the No. 9 Trolley Trail for Sunday, May 4.

"This is another one of those great, easy, historic, scenic walks that every walker in the area should know about. The No. 9 Trolley Trail follows an old trolley line that was built in the 1890s to transport folks from Catonsville to Ellicott City."

Check the Columbia Dogs-on-the-Go page for more details and sign-up info.

Savage Mill "Paws-n-Pastries" - April 13

This was such a great little walk. We did this on Sunday (April 13) as one of the Meetup walks. The weather was a little chilly, but thankfully no rain and certainly no "ice pellets", which was in the forecast for Sunday.

We had about 19 people and about as many dogs--some people had 2-3 dogs, and some dogs had 2-3 people. It's always great to see the mix of little guys and big ones and how well they get along and trot along the trail.

Crossing the historic Bollman Truss Bridge at Savage Mill.

The Savage Historic Mill Trail is very short (about 1.5 miles round trip), but what it may lack in length, it makes up in ease and beauty. You can even take a short side trail down to the river and any dog so-inclined can jump in. And some did. Then you can wind up the walk with a visit to Savage Mill and Bonaparte's bakery. There is a nice enclosed courtyard to relax with a dog and enjoy coffee, lunch and all manner of sweet treats.

Inuki and Scooby sharing secrets

We'll definitely do this one again!

Follow up comments and photos from the walk are on the Columbia Dog Meetup site.

Dog-Friendly Eateries & Shops

The Columbia Dog Talk web pages feature details and descriptions of great walks and dog-friendly establishments in and near Columbia and Howard County.

The "Eateries and Shops" page is an ever-growing list of dog-friendly restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, ice cream shops, and other shops.

The pages are continually being updated with new entries.