We Like: Marymoor Dog Park


Gary Burghoff (M*A*S*H*’s “Radar” O’Reilly) did a segment about the Marymoor Off-Leash Dog Park on his TV show Pets Part Of The Family. (direct link to video)

Marymoor Off-Leash Dog Park in Redmond, Washington is our favorite dog park. It’s a 40-acre, fenced, off-leash dog park along the Sammamish River. There is water access for hot, summer days. Big, grassy fields for running all out. Lots of paths, dogs, smells, and people for your dog to enjoy. We’re fortunate not to have a tick problem, chiggers, or poisonous snakes either, so all we have to look out for in the tall grass is the occasional dog poop. It’s a wonderful place for people too. The views are lovely, we see Bald Eagles and Blue Herons, walking the trails is good exercise, and it’s always entertaining watching dogs get to be dogs.

We drive about 25 minutes to take Saffron to this park. It was here that her confidence improved so much with other dogs when she realized she can outrun or out-maneuver most dogs. She loves the grass and is interested in the water, but prefers if we get in with her. That has to wait until it warms up more.

The creation of this wonderful off-leash park was made possible by Save Our Dog Area or S.O.D.A. They continue to be stewards of the park today—maintaining and making improvements to it. The environment is also protected—for a section of time every year, some of the water access is fenced off to protect salmon and flooded areas in the winter are fenced off to avoid degradation. We encourage users of the Marymoor Dog Park to support S.O.D.A. by joining them.

Pet Food Recall: Chenango Valley Expands Recall, Includes Ferret Food

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Chenango Valley has expanded the recall of their pet foods due to possible cross-contamination. This new recall includes a ferret food—8 in 1 Ferret Ultra-Blend Advanced Nutrition Diet.

  • DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH LAMB & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT DOG FOOD, NET WT. 6 LBS. (UPC 25141 28244), 15 LBS. (25141 30074), and 30 LBS. (UPC 25141 06043); Date Codes: Best By Feb 09 09 and Best By Feb 26 09;
  • SHOP RITE REDI-MIXT DOG FOOD FOR DOGS, NET WT. 25 LB. (UPC 41190 00555), Date Code: Code C7107;
  • LICK YOUR CHOPS KITTEN & CAT FOOD, NET WEIGHT 4 LBS. (UPC 32976 25915), and 18 LBS. (UPC 32976 25925); Date Code: Best Used By April 29 08;
  • SHEP chunk style dog food, NET WT. 20 LBS. (UPC 41498 14142); Date Code: Best By March 14 08;
  • 8 in 1 Ferret ULTRA-BLEND ADVANCED NUTRITION DIET, NET WT. 20 LBS, UPC 26851 00413, Code: C7072;
  • Bulk Lamb & Brown Rice Formula Dog Food, Date Code: Feb 09, 08, sold to one consignee SmartPak.
  • Health Diet Cat Food Chicken & Rice Dinner NET WT. 1.81 kg/4 LB (UPC 78198 01594), 4 kg/8.8 LB (UPC 78198 01599), and 8 kg/17.6 LB (UPC 78198 01585); Code C7072;
  • EVOLVE KITTEN FORMULA, NET WT. 3 LBS. (UPC 73657 00250) and 7 LBS. (UPC 73657 00251); Date Code: Best Used By Sept 13 08. Evolve has recovered 99.5% of the product from its distributors and is working with dealers to recover the remaining inventory.

Students Make Robotic Ball Thrower For Disabled Student

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Konrad Feldmann got Bingo, his canine companion from Canine Companions For Independence, six months ago. But due to his limited mobility, Konrad can’t throw a ball for Bingo and return the favor for all the work Bingo does for him like turning on lights and opening drawers.

Students from the East Robotics Team 1038 from East Lakota High School and students from West Lakota High School solved the problem and at the same time helped empower Konrad. The students modified a “fetch machine”—GoDogGo—so Konrad can use the robot to throw a ball by applying just a little pressure to a new, sensitive switch.

The Dayton Journal-News has a great video of Konrad playing with Bingo, and of the kids who worked on the machine.


Canine Cancer Campaign

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Morris Animal Foundation (previously mentioned here as one of my favorite charities) has launched the Canine Cancer Campaign. They are raising $30 million in the next five years to fund a global effort to find a cure for canine cancer in the next ten to twenty years. The research will also look at genetic, nutritional, and environmental risk in order to prevent canine cancer from occurring in the first place.

Why should you care about canine cancer? Because it is the most common cause of death in dogs over the age of two years. One in four dogs will die of cancer. Advances in treating canine cancer means advances in treating human cancer, especially pediatric cancer, and vice versa. And while all dogs are at risk, these dogs are at even higher risk of having cancer. (see chart below)

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Check out this video on what this canine cancer campaign will mean for dogs and people.

You can find information on the clinical signs of canine cancer here. (pdf)