Forest Diner

Richard and I--and Riley and Cody--scouted out 2 walks today. In between the walks, we had lunch at the Forest Diner on Rt. 40. This is not to be confused with the Double-T Diner which was built right next door to this diner. I don't know what the reasoning was behind this, but I decided to pledge my loyalty to the Forest Diner. For one, they were there first. And two, the main reason--they have some outdoor seating and were dog-friendly.

Now, mind you, this is not a glamorous place where you go to celebrate your anniversary or sample nouvelle cuisine. There are about 4 outdoor plastic tables under a canopy on a side deck. (You may need to let the staff know you're there so you can get served.) But we liked it. It was quiet and relaxing for lunch. You have a view of the Forest Motel and ice cream shop (more on that later), the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center (with a PetCo), and Rt. 40 traffic, but that was all OK.

Richard had a "Forest Beer," which was a dark beer--one of several selections on tap. We don't really know its origins, but he thought it was very good, along with his pea soup. I had iced tea, a BLT and coleslaw--which were all good. The Forest Diner serves breakfast all day, and there were lots of standard diner selections on the menu, like liver and onions, burgers, and salads. The wait staff was friendly. The dogs enjoyed the shade of the covered area.

A peek inside was quite surprising. The front area was straight out of the 50s--but not in a "contrived" way like the newer diners aim for. This felt real and looked kinda fun. This place's history actually dates back to the 40s.

After lunch, we walked across the parking lot over to the Forest Motel's "Soft Serve" walk-up ice cream shop. I think the motel and diner were once owned by the same entities, but are now separately owned. There is a wheelchair accessible ramp up to the walk-up window.

We shared a hot fudge sundae and were able to enjoy it in a semi-shaded area with about 6 picnic tables. Although there is a sign on the ice cream shop saying that they do not provide seating, patrons take their ice cream over to the picnic area which belongs to the motel. The motel seems to be OK with this, based on a phone call I made to enquire before writing something up. Overall, this was a very pleasant dog-friendly area to get a bite to eat!

Dogs Eating Grass

It seems the highlight of my dogs' lives these days is the chance to eat grass. As soon as I open the door, they charge out like bulls from a pen and start grazing.

What is it with dogs and grass? I searched the Internet and you get the usual stuff about "settling their stomachs." But basically, they just LIKE it!

I find that my guys tend to vomit only if they gulp it down like it's the last grass on earth. But if they graze slowly and mindfully (ha!), they're usually OK.

Probably the only thing to worry about is fertilizers and pesticides on the grass. Otherwise, I guess it's no big deal.

Million Dog Mosaic

My friend Jo in Australia sent me this link for Pedigree's Million Dog Mosaic. For every dog photo that's uploaded to the mosaic, Pedigree will make a $1 donation to The PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive.

Riley and Cody can be found by clicking on "Browse the Mosaic" and then entering the codes: riley170 and cody121.

It can take a few days for them to work a photo into the mosaic.

Poor Riley

The only walk Riley wanted to do today was OUT of the vet's office. Poor little guy has chronic ear infections because he has "excessively hairy ears," as the vet says. This traps wax and dirt and water and gunk and builds up causing big problems. He woke up the other day shaking his head constantly. The vet managed to get all the mess out and saved the big pile to show me. Wow!

Well, Riley's fine now and is on antibiotics, prednisone, and ear drops. I swear I'll stay on top of this.

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 Parks & Beaches

Here are some links to off-leash dog parks.

Howard County:

Worthington Dog Park

Anne Arundel County:

Quiet Waters Dog Park & Beach

Downs Park Dog Beach

Dog Day Afternoon

The Columbia Association held its annual "Dog Day Afternoon" at Lake Elkhorn on Saturday. They lucked out with great weather and a good turnout of people and pooches.

We were there only a short time and didn't see all the results for the different contests (costumes, raffles, etc.), but it was great to see some of the new (and old) vendors catering to dogs. For one, it looks like we'll soon have several options for boarding and day care. The Coventry School has been around for several years, and Dogtopia opened in Clarksville last year. Also coming is Camp Bow Wow, offering day camp and overnight camp, and due to open in August. It will be located on Oakland Mills Road near Coventry. Club Pooche, on Red Branch Road, will have a grand opening on May 10.

I provided some cards for the Columbia Dog Meetup, so I'm hoping to see some more members sign up.