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Birch is at the dog park?
10/28/2012 5:30 PM by John M
This dog, I believe his name is Birch, seems to escape from his owners, run to Chimborazo Park, and cause a general nuisance several times a week. The owners need to find a better way to secure him, or give him to someone who can. Otherwise, he will be found splattered in the road one day. I found him and locked him in the dog park, since I dont know exactly where the owners live.
If this is the same dog, a previous comment indicates that he might belong on 32nd Street. Anyone know the owner?
The owners do live on 32nd at the park. Not sure of address…. These people really need to do something about this.
he lives at 314 (i think that’s right) 32nd st…between broad and marshall. maybe people should start calling animal control instead of continually returning him. his owners haven’t even bothered to buy him tags.
Did anyone take this pup in tonight? I would hate for him to be out in the storm. Any update?
There are tons of birches at the dog park.
Birch made it home safely.
The issue is not as much about Birch making it home this time. It is the 3 to 4 times a week that he gets out and wanders the neighborhood. Next time he wanders up to me, I might take him to the humane society so he can wind up in a new home that keeps him safe.
Don’t you think that if Birch gets out 3-4 x per week and he’s been doing it for years that he knows how to navigate the immediate area? He doesn’t need to be locked up in a dog park, or the tennis courts or taken to the humane society. He makes it home or to one of the neighboring homes every time he gets out. Furthermore, he’s not a nuisance at all. If you live anywhere on Chimborazo Park, you’d know that he’s a friendly dog who plays with all the other neighborhood dogs and is cared for by all who see him on a daily basis. The 32nd St area is a very tight-knit community and doesn’t need anyone to pick up our dogs and take them anywhere. We do well enough looking after each other and our animals.
I understand that many of your concerns are for Birch and not for the family. While appreciated, It’s not your place to take away someone’s well cared for dog. Please continue to enjoy the park and all the fun critters that call it home. Know that Birch and many other resident animals who may roam from time to time have loving homes they enjoy coming home to after a healthy jaunt.
It should be noted that his owners have taken successful measures to keep him from escaping. Living here working from home, I can say that he is out far less than he was this time last year. Birch is a bit of an athlete and an escape artist. Just like any dog, he wants to play and run.
If he gets out, we’ll get him home. Please DO NOT take actions into your own hands.
It’s true actually. I once captured Birch and stuck him in my fenced backyard and he escaped within an hour. Our fence is about 4.5 feet high and Birch had to have jumped it since there wasn’t any sign of digging (which he also does sometimes). I couldn’t have him inside, since my own protective Birch-sized dog doesn’t take kindly to other dogs near “his” (human) baby.
SO, when Birch wanders into traffic it is ok? Hmmm
Birch is NOT a well cared for dog, and he most affirmatively is a nuisance. First of all, he shits wherever he jolly well pleases and nobody picks up. And I’ve personally seen him wandering in front of traffic, and have taken back home. And guess what? The owners could have cared less, as evidenced also by the fact that he doesn’t even have identification tags.
Hmmmm, human honey badger. He’s managed to evade the traffic successfully for years without injury. I think it’s safe to assume he can make it from his house to the park and back. I really don’t see anyone else freaking out about him being out. While you all sit here and gab about saving animal’s lives, we’re all in the park enjoying ours “with our dogs”. I don’t want him running in traffic either, but he’s only in the street long enough to get where he’s going which is literally just across the street.
He’s not a dangerous animal and poses no threat to anyone in the neighborhood. Just leave the dog alone. Don’t like it, move to the Fan.
The poo thing sucks, I’ll admit that. The comment about not being well cared for is simply not true. That dog is in great health. He eats turkey sandwiches with me all the time and plays with my dog for hours.
The owners are always thankful when we bring him home and they’ve actually started letting the dog stay part time with a girl in Chesterfield.
Is “if you don’t like it, move to _____” the Godwin’s Law of CHPN?
Tom – you can’t just justify this dog roaming around the neighborhood on the regular without supervision. Right? He may be harmless but we don’t all know that. Think about the kind person who took the dog down to the dog park and wrote in here to let everyone know? Put some tags on Birch at the very least!
Tom,
I believe a leash law is in place for a reason. Birch must be smarter than his owners, if he somehow always finds a way out. Responsible dog owners do not let their pets roam freely (to poo, to bother, to wreak havoc, etc.)…well-cared-for pets are not repeatedly left in harms way. “He’s managed to evade the traffic successfully for years without injury.” Hmmm, so he’s been pretty lucky thus far…maybe the next time, he won’t be. Also, it’s never “safe to assume…” anything. As I said earlier, you’ve got to be smarter than the dog. Nonetheless, irresponsible behavior should not be rationalized or facilitated…
Tom – you need a reality check:
Are you really justifying that it’s OK for Birch to be roaming around in traffic, off a leash, because he’s done it for years and is still alive? What happens when a car has to slam on its brakes, and the car following behind slams into it? What if someone was injured or there were kids in the car? Would you still find it OK for Birch to run in front of traffic?
Instead of those finding Birch to be a nuisance and told to move to the Fan, maybe the owners should move out to the country where they’ll enjoy a bigger yard for Birch to roam freely. Of course, I’m sure they’ll still need to legally put tags on the dog.
Also, If I’m not mistaken, it’s against the law to NOT pick up your dog’s waste, isn’t it? Maybe you wouldn’t mind if Birch left a big lump of turd in the front of your house, but I sure would – especially if I was on my way to work and noticed it too late. Because this has happened to me, and I didn’t notice it until I was already in my car – when I had already stepped on my floor mat.
Maybe – instead of justifying the owner’s actions – you should have respect for your neighbors and their concerns? Because your neighbors aren’t just those on your block, it’s all of us living in Church Hill together. And maybe you should encourage the owners to act more responsibly? Because they are the ones who chose to live in the city (in a confined space) and they are the ones who chose to get a large dog.
Tom, not everyone who visits the park reads CHPN. What about some doggie lover that’s visiting the park and thinks that this is a LOST dog. The owners are fortunate that no one has picked him up and taken him away.
I walk in the park on a regular basis and I’ve seen him running around numerous times without a leash and crapping in people’s yards. This IS a nuisance, and if he craps in my yard anytime soon then you can bet I will be placing a friendly visit to the owners front porch to return the offending feces.
@13 – yes! Because Church Hill is the only neighborhood in the world where you have to agree with everything your neighbors think if you want to live here.
(That’s sarcasm for those of you who are dense. If you don’t like sarcasm move to Midlothian.)
@12: pancreatitis
Richmond doesn’t have a humane society. It has, instead, “Animal Care and Control” which euthanizes a large number of surrendered animals every year. Richmond’s SPCA does not take animals directly but picks some lucky ones from local “pounds.”
The point is it only takes one car not stopping and Birch will be maimed or crippled. If you have never come across a dog hit by a car, well,it is a pretty gruesome and heart rending thing.
Birch is a very sweet dog, but he is a nuisance. He frequently meanders down to the dogpark, a newcomer will find him and frantically search for his owner, finds out he’s a roamer, and takes responsibility to walk him home because none of us want him to get hurt on “our watch.”
A reader sent this in:
“Just a few minutes ago I saw a handsomely shaggy yellow dog near the Chimborazo playground tennis court and garden wearing a collar with a tag on it. I think it read BIRCH. I tried to see if there was a phone number but the poor guy was too skittish to let me get a closer look. I hope he makes it home soon; it’s very cold outside.”