Pets

“I think someone is missing their dogs and I am not sure what I can do to help.”

By Prince Of Petworth


via google maps

“Dear PoPville,

I was walking my dog today morning around 6.20am when I noticed two dogs (a medium size that looked like a terrier/boxer mix-(brown and white) and a tiny dog- creamish in color) walking alone at the crossing of 14th and Montague NW (Brightwood). I did not see any one around them and they refused to come close to us. On my way back around 6.50ish I saw them around the 14th and Colorado area walking on the sidewalk. I think someone is missing their dogs and I am not sure what I can do to help. I plan to go to a couple of places in the neighborhood after work today to ask around but I thought you could help spread the word.”

“A Better Plan B For The Columbia Heights’ Dog Park”

By Prince Of Petworth


11th and Park Road, NW

The following letter was also sent to Mayor Bowser.

“We are writing you on behalf of a concerned group of residents in North Columbia Heights regarding the WMATA owned property at 11th and Park Road. It is our understanding that the District of Columbia has offered $2.1 million for the parcel to preserve it as a dog park but that WMATA must by law take the highest bid. If the city’s offer is not the highest bidder then a private owner will close the park and develop the property. In that case, we have heard that there is a push to turn the Triangle Park at Sherman Avenue and Park Road into a dog park. We would like to explain why that would be a bad idea and suggest a better alternative.

The Triangle Park as currently configured is one of the last multi-use green spaces left near an 11th and Park neighborhood that will see an additional 60+ condominiums added in the next several years within three blocks. Several hundred apartments and condominiums will be added within an eighth of a mile on Georgia Avenue in the same time frame. Residents regularly utilize the Triangle Park green space for church events, yoga, children’s play space, neighborhood parties and leashed dog walking. It is a truly multi-use space for the entire community that is used on a daily basis by the entire community.

If this park is enclosed and becomes a dog park, all other alternative uses will effectively come to an end. (more…)

Rest in Peace Dear Dingo

By Prince Of Petworth

Today is a very sad day. My daily companion for the past 13 years has passed. Unfortunately Dingo had cancer (among other issues.) As long time readers know she was truly the greatest cat one could ever ask for. She was loving. She never judged. She was great with kids. She loved everyone. Except mice. She was a great mouser. (more…)

“advice on what to do if you see someone horribly mistreating their dog on a walk?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I wanted to write and seek any advice on what to do if you see someone horribly mistreating their dog on a walk. On Tuesday night, 1/22, I was walking my dog on 18th between Ontario Road NW and Summit Place NW around 930pm and saw a man walking with his very large dog, which looked like a Rhodesian Ridgeback, though I’m not certain the breed. I saw him pulling the leash when the dog tried to sniff something, and not just a light pull to redirect attention, but hard enough that the dog was yanked across the sidewalk. As we passed, the man seemed nice enough and said “Oh he’s a big friendly puppy” and kept walking. I turned around to watch as he walked away and the yanking of the dog just seemed to be getting worse. He was just a puppy, so he clearly had a ton of energy and he was large enough that I’m sure he is hard to handle. The dog went to pee and he paused, let the dog walk ahead of him a bit, got his footing sturdy, then pulled the leash back so incredibly hard that the dog spun around 360 degrees. He did this about 3 more times before getting to the end of the block and the last time he did it, after the dog spun full circle, he wrapped the leash around the dogs neck until it ran out and was choking and yelling at him. The dog didn’t yelp or cry, but every time he did it, I thought he was going to snap its neck. I’m not even sure a harness would have been safer since the force he was pulling could have caused more harm than good. (more…)

“We only want to make sure that we know what kinds of vaccinations and shots the dog has for my husband’s health.”

By Prince Of Petworth


17th and S St, NW

“Dear PoPville,

At 11 AM today, my husband was running past S Street Dog Park in Dupont and was bitten on the arm by a dog (Doberman mix?) that was leaving the dog park. The owner walked away with his dog. When a bystander caught up with him, the owner said he was going to drop off his dog and then come back.

My husband waited around for about 5 minutes and then went to a nearby clinic to get his wound treated. We’re just trying to figure out if the dog has all the necessary shots, so we’d like help IDing this person and the dog. We only want to make sure that we know what kinds of vaccinations and shots the dog has for my husband’s health.

Any tips on this can call 202-579-3243.”

IMPORTANT Post Snow PSA

By Prince Of Petworth

While we absolutely love snow dogs, truly, when you walk your pup please remember to pick up your dog’s poop. This is a friendly reminder that the snow doesn’t magically incinerate your dog’s poop. So please, please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top – don’t be an asshole.

“How did anyone not see this coming from miles away?”

By Prince Of Petworth


11th and Park Road, NW

“Dear Popville,

I’ve been following the dismayed reaction to the news that the 11th Street dog park is now for sale and I have some questions.

1. How did anyone not see this coming from miles away? WMATA properties must, by law, be disposed of at market rate. The dog park is zoned as MU-4, is over 7,000 square feet and sits directly in the middle of a high density, high value corridor. It was never going to be worth anything less than $2,000,000. And guess what, the opening bid for the property is now a minimum of $2.1 million. So remember that $1.5 million that the Council voted on to ‘save the park’? Yeah…that was never really a thing that was going to work. You should think about whether or not that’s why it passed.

2. Did anyone think about the propriety of spending public money for this use relative to what the overall needs of Ward 1 are? (more…)

View More Stories