Olympic trials at Mecklenburg Whitewater Center draws dogs, duck

by Deborah Parkhill Mullis

Bark in the Park (2008) may seem like the obvious place for a dog lover but because I have 'been there, done that', the Whitewater Center's Olympic trials won my attention on Saturday, April 26. I have nothing against Bark in the Park - a wonderful event that I would have gladly attended again this year - but forced to pick between two dog-friendly events on the same weekend, many dog lovers made the same decision as me and took their pets to a world-class sporting event. A bit pricey for people - it cost me $55 to park my van and gain admission for two adults and one child - pets were actually a better bargain as companions to the Whitewater Center this weekend as they were admitted for free! (Sorry, Blanco and Okami, I should have brought both of you with me and left the human pack members at home.)

Springer spaniels, Olive (front) and Tillie, live close to each other in Charlotte and visit the Whitewater Center about once a month, according to Olive's owner, Amy Zimmerman. Olive didn't have a favorite competitor in the slalom on Saturday, said Zimmerman, but she did have a favorite event: taking a quick splash in the "river" before the race began. Tillie, however, was pulling for all the women in the kayak competition as stated by her owner, Leah Smith. (In addition, to world class sporting events, I'm told these two sophisticated pooches also frequent the Mint Museum of Charlotte but that's another photo-op.)

Dobermans, Charlie Brown and Lucy (front), lead their owner Madeline around the Whitewater Center on Saturday.

Rachel and Austin Laminack of Charlotte took three-month-old, Shadow, a Rat Terrier/Yorkie mix to watch her first world-class sporting event on Saturday.

Doug Gailor of Weddington and his nine-year-old terrier mix, Stillwell, stand by the Dragon Boat Association display at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in western Mecklenburg County. Gailor's daughter, Rachel, works at the center. Doug and Stillwell were rooting for Rachel's friend, Pablo McCandless, to win a spot on the Chilean Olympic team for the Beijing Games.

Where are your pink "I love Pablo" t-shirts, guys?

Five-year-old German Shepherd/Lab mix, McAlister had his hair cut for his first visit to the Whitewater Center, said his owner Courtney Adams, a Cabarrus College student.


While eating dinner at the Whitewater Center's restaurant/bar, I noticed Nora, a shepherd mix just under two-years-old at a nearby table with her guardians from Project Halo.

The group's volunteer coordinator, Heather Stickney, said Nora was rescued three months ago from a home where she and eight other dogs spent all their time tied to trees and surrounded by broken beer bottles. Nora was so severely neglected by her owner that she had heartworms and such a bad case of mange that she'd lost fifty percent of hair, explained Stickney. Young Nora was not spayed and had had at least two litters of puppies, she said.

Thanks to a concerned citizen who convinced the owner to give up some of the dogs, Project Halo has been able to provide Nora with foster care and medical care. Nora is now heartworm-free, mange-free, spayed, vaccinated and well-socialized enough to attend world class sporting events. If you are interested in giving this well-behaved girl a permanent home, contact Rhonda Thomas at projhalo@bellsouthnet or call 704-562-8939.

Okay, okay ... I'm a dog reporter and I thought I was done for the day but then I saw these people walking their ... er ... duck.

Chris Osborne (left) of Spartanburg, SC and Marisa Serrat of Cleveland, Ohio met at Clemson University and fell in love. Naturally, the next step was to adopt a duckling!
Kuhsie, a magpie duck, goes everywhere with the couple - including kayaking. Kuhsie will weigh four pounds when she is full grown and have black and white spots. (Kuhsie is German for she cow. ) Check out this couple's travel blog.

JULY PERFECT FOR HOT DOGS IN THE PARK, Charlotte Dachshund Meetup Group trades "Doxie" tales and tips

Hot dogs in the park present a different picture if you are a member of The Charlotte Dachshund Meetup Group. "Doxie" owners and their dogs meet regularly. The group has 135 members. For more information go to :www.dachshund.meetup.com/334/

Pretty long-haired dachshunds, Ginger and Holly, attracted lots of attention during a recent outing to the park. Their owners are Anne and John - no last names please - both girls have done some modeling and need to protect their privacy!

Crash, an 11-year-old dachshund, proves he still has digging skills.

Sporting stylish bandannas, 11-year-old brothers, Peanut and Crash, are enthusiastic about their owner, Taffy Tyler, bringing them to Park Road Park for The Charlotte Dachshund Meetup Group's July event.

Deborah is a freelance writer/photographer living in Indian Trail, NC with her husband, two children, two dogs and one cat. Send your dog-related news to dogreporter@hotmail.com or add your comments about the above story by clicking on the link below.

Pound Puppies Dog Show Pictures

Kim Blutreich holds, Gus, a 12-week-old German Shepherd-Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) mix available for adoption from the Union County Animal Shelter during the Pound Puppies Dog Show in downtown Monroe on Sunday, May 20th. Gus has two siblings also available for adoption at the shelter.

Shelter volunteer, Barbara Lopez chats with Wixe radio personality and Pound Puppies Dog Show emcee, Britt Pope about Ricky. Like the other puppies in the show, Ricky was part of an unplanned litter that wound up at the Union County Animal Shelter this spring. The necessity of spaying and neutering pets to decrease Union County's pet overpopulation problem was stressed throughout the event. Donations were accepted and tickets to a December quilt raffle were sold to benefit the opening of an on site spay/neuter clinic at the Union County Animal Shelter in the near future.

Amber Cato admires two participants in the Pound Puppies Dog Show: Flash, a young Jack Russell Terrier mix and Simon, a four-year-old purebred Dalmatian. Both were up for adoption from the Union County Animal Shelter on Sunday, May 20, during the Pound Puppies Dog Show.






Michelle Feemster of Go Dog Productions and her rescued shelter dogs entertained the crowd at the Old Court House in downtown Monroe during the Pound Puppies Dog Show on Sunday, May 20th. Wixe Radio and the Union County Sheriff's Office presented the show to help dogs from the Union County Animal Shelter find homes as well as raise public awareness about the pet overpopulation problem in Union County and raise money for an on site spay/neuter clinic the shelter plans to open in the near future.

Deborah is a freelance writer/photographer living in Indian Trail, NC with her husband, two children, two dogs and one cat. (Several of these photographs were also published in Volume 2, Number 21 * May 25-31, 2007 of Union County Weekly) Send your dog-related news to dogreporter@hotmail.com or add your comments about the above article by clicking on the link below.