![photo[12]](http://fenwaythedogdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/photo12.jpg)
Floating Down Pennsylvania Avenue
Hello patient followers:
It has been a busy winter and I can’t wait to tell you about: Christmas at Fenway, a new addition to Bentley University …and about being Santa at Greenfield Community College’s holiday party and wish you a happy new year. I can do that really fast- Happy New Year. The rest will have to wait until after….
this Sunday,January 21st
Because I will be in the Inaugural Parade with 56 CCI assistance dogs and dogs-in-training! Dream come true for Canine Companions- could be better than winning the World Series (if it happened more often). I know that Governor and Mrs. Patrick have a fine lab- perhaps we can all have a sit down while we are all in town to discuss some issues small and large like: covering service dogs for military vets with PTSD, health care, gun violence, and that silly trillion-dollar coin (they are all serious as a cliff- “the” cliff, but the coin has to be a joke from a Saturday Night Live skit that the news got confused with a real story).
Here is some information about the parade before I float too off track:
2013 Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 21st in Washington DC.
CCI is one of 43 organizations from across the nation selected for this honor from over 2,800 applicants. 134 CCI assistance dog teams, puppy raising families, volunteers and supporters will march in the parade, along with 57 assistance dogs and dog-in-training, which will be viewed by millions across the globe.
“The President has placed a big emphasis on the idea of service – including a National Day of Service as part of the inaugural tradition – and many of the groups chosen to march in the parade reflect the idea of serving one another and giving back to the community”, according to the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Take a look at the News 9 coverage and story (WUSA9.com in case the link doesn’t work):
http://www.wusa9.com/dontmiss/236395/283/Canine-Companions-For-Independence-Will-Walk-In-Inaugural-Parade–
More later…hope you will be watching the parade.
thanks for following,
Fenway the Dog
Winter Pause For More Fall
Maybe winter could hold back for a week or so. Fall is so great…and Sandy blew the good part away (I found one last leaf).
I am so happy that my fellow CCI* pups and family members are safe after having lived through 8 days without power in our training facility on Long Island. Hope you all will look on the Canine Companions for Independence website…you will be able to see graduation photos. Also, there is a link to a Eukanuba live puppy cam. Nothing is cuter than puppies…babies are a distant second, and then, I guess…well…those are the only cute living things that i like. Kittens maybe.
thanks for following me,
Fenway the Dog
*Canine Companions for Independence
Not a Trick…here come the treats
Hello Everyone!
Even Hurricane Sandy cant keep me from coming to town this week to see my friends. I will be handing out some treats at Halloween at Fenway (please come), and blowing around town giving some Fenway the Dog Treats to dog-friendly businesses. We landed some at Angell Memorial last week for their Hall of Fame Dinner and for their Pit Bull Spay/Neuter clinic. (if you go there, I can’t promise it will still be hanging on the letter d…but please go visit them and their adoption center while you are there…tell them I sent you).
Not to be a tattle tail but, some dog friendly places I know of for starters are: Fast Frame in Washington Square in Brookline Village. Hsui-Lan, the owner, always has her greyhound in the store, and recently coordinated a dog-friendly community Wag-A-Thon, Serenella on Newbury Leslee the owner raises lots of money for animal support organizations, of course Fairmont Copley Plaza where my pal Catie Copley lives (she almost always in the lobby meeting and greeting)…I am giving them all some treats for being so nice. There are tons more- please feel free to write me and be a dog-friendly dog catcher. Nothing makes me more happy than to see a nice water bowl outside of a place of business. Why is it that people are so worried about touching public bathroom door handles while we are sharing slobber and drinking out of toilets? I am not saying that God likes us more….but don’t you think it is remarkable that we can eat some gross dead thing we find on a walk, while humans get sick from a slightly old bologna sandwich?
In case you are a high school senior and looking for a dog friendly place- Bentley University might soon be dog friendly…and have some Canine Companions puppies on campus being raised (just as i am doing at Greenfield Community College)! It is nice of them to also have Canine Companions blue and yellow colors like we do. Stay tuned for more on that.
See you around Boston this week!
love,
Fenway the Dog
Vacation
Ode to Joy
This is Joy, who started out as a Canine Companion puppy like me about 15 years ago. Part lab, part golden and really smart . Although she didn’t make it to advanced training, she went on to bring love and companionship to a wonderful man named Brian. I recently read a story (tail tale) of Joy’s life with Brian, and hope that he will write to share it with all of you. I would retell it here, but he is a brilliant writer and I might dog it down too much. Brian is tall, bold, boisterous, gentle and powerful….and has a heart so big that it barely fits in California. And Joy, well, take a look above…this photo is a thousand-word essay on both of them.
I hope you all are having a great summer, I have missed writing and have so much to share and catch up on.
Thanks for reading,
Fenway the Dog
Head over Heels
Well, I will say that many things happened on the field this Friday including a baseball game, but for some reason this moment keeps drowning out all of the other moments that day. I will never wash my head again, Paula kissed me.
I am in Love,
Fenway the Dog
P.s. I was downloading some of Paula’s music today… all of the lyrics are also now stuck in my head. They speak to me…Promise of a New day, Will You Marry Me, Under my Spell….yes, Opposites Attract.
- Fenway Park June 8, 2012
Run to Home Base
Hello Everyone!
I hope you all are looking for something important and exciting to do tomorrow morning. The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital and New Balance are holding a walk and run at Fenway Park to support the Home Base Program. Please join me at the Park to cheer on over 2000 runners and walkers. I will be there selling Girl Scout Dog treats to support the Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass and Canine Companions (tomorrow’s CCI proceeds will support their work with the military). Please come and meet me and other Canine Companions puppies, service teams and trainers.
Hope to see you,
Fenway the Dog
Here is more information:
THOUSANDS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE “2012 RUN-WALK TO HOME BASE PRESENTED BY NEW BALANCE” AT FENWAY
SUNDAY, MAY 20th
Run-Walk Benefits the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program for Local Wounded Veterans and their Families
The Run-Walk to Home Base Presented by New Balance takes place on Sunday morning, May 20, 2012, at Fenway Park. Some 2,000 runners and walkers, including several hundred active military service members, will participate in this 9K run and 3 mile walk, benefitting the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. Home Base provides clinical care and support services for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury and their families. Home Base also provides community education and research.
The event starts and ends at Fenway Park, with a timed finish at the iconic Green Monster and “photo finish” crossing home plate. Participants include active duty military, wounded veterans, Gold Star Families and civilians honoring those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. All are raising awareness of these two common war injuries, often referred to as “the invisible wounds of war.” Last year, more than 10,000 people came to Fenway to enjoy the event and honor our veterans.
Members of the public are invited to cheer on participants at Fenway Park. Free family fun activities, including making care packages for troops serving in Afghanistan (package contents will be supplied) and military, veteran and sponsor exhibits. Public entrance at Gate B starting at 5:30 a.m., and Gate E starting at 6 a.m.
The Old and the New Come Together at Fenway’s 100th Anniversary Game
Here are a few more shots from Friday’s game. The fly over, pre-game ceremonies with Red Sox greats taking the field, Girl Scouts stopping by to show the Fenway the Dog 100th Anniversary Dog Treats to Mayor Menino*, and last one….I am not sure, and I don’t believe in ghosts- but it looks like this is “Nuf Ced” McGreevy at the game. Today’s Red Sox fans just don’t bring megaphones,wear bowler hats…and certainly are able to detach themselves from their unlit cigars for the game – I think they are a choking hazard too.
My favorite was seeing all of the old players return to Fenway Park. If I were able to have tears, I would have cried- it was touching. Actually, tonight’s game is rained out…maybe Someone Up There is having a really big cry for our team. People tell me that they always feel better after a good cry, not sure how that feels, but sounds like a good idea. Maybe after the Big Cry things will be better, hope there is not thunder, and I am bummed there won’t be a rainbow because it will be dark. As you know, dogs have less colors in their rainbows: they are still cool.
One more great thing that happened at that game- Kevin Millar and Pedro Martinez lead the crowd as toastmasters to set the Guinesss Book of World Records record for the largest toast (I might have a photo of that coming for you- it was hard to hold the cup and take a photo and I was afraid they might count me as a non-participant).
There are a great deal of magical memories at Fenway Park- people witness and experience them there. Some are painful, but most are rich and happy. Fans bring these memories home with them, re-live them in their minds, and keep coming back for more. Call me sentimental, but I like that memories are gifts which can be shared and can’t be taken away from you. I hope you all remember how it feels to have a winning season rise from the tears of loss.
thanks for reading and believing,
Fenway the Dog
* The Girl Scouts even sold some to Mrs. Menino and Dan Shaughnessy some Dog Treats.
Nuf Ced*
This was my colleague and me at the Fenway Open House Thursday- I chose it because this is how I feel after this game today and it looks like he is concerned and comforting me. Right now, I am trying to remember the bright side of this week, which includes recalling that 54,000 fans came to walk around the Park that day. I was also touched to have so many of those visitors stop by to share their stories about the Girl Scouts, service dogs, beloved family pets, and their devotion to the Red Sox through good times and bad. That is some of what we, as service dogs are trained to do- be there to smooth out the rough spots. Those things help me to refocus on what is important, and that I am a proclaimed optimist. At today’s painful loss to the Yankees, I think we needed an army of Canine Companion dogs to console our fans.
I am planning on keeping the faith. That is what Red Sox fans do…please stay with me.
thanks for following,
Fenway the Dog
*these were the words of “Nuf Ced” McGreevy ” Above is his photo and some background from Wikipedia which I found very interesting- maybe you will too, and hope it distracts you from any pessimistic thoughts which might be swirling around in your head about the season.
Michael T. “Nuf Ced” McGreevey was the leader of the most vocal fans of the “Boston Americans”(now the Boston Red Sox), today known as the ”Royal Rooters”. McGreevey owned the Third Base Saloon, which got its name because, like third base, it was the last stop before home. His saloon was Boston’s original sports bar – it was decorated in a baseball theme, with pictures of the players, and a scoreboard on the outside wall. His nickname “Nuf Ced” was given to him because that was what he usually shouted to end barroom disputes, usually about the Boston Americans and the Boston Braves.
McGreevey amassed a rich collection of photographs, clippings, and other baseball memorabilia. When Prohibition forced McGreevey to close Third Base, he donated his collection to the Boston Public Library. Author Glenn Stout (A Red Sox Century) helped popularize the collection when he worked at the library.
The theme song of the “Royal Rooters” was “Tessie”from the Broadway musical “The Silver Slipper”. McGreevey was immortalized in a 2004 remake of the song by the Irish American punk band Dropkick Murphys. It subsequently was part of the soundtrack of the movie Fever Pitch concerning fans of the 2004 season of the Red Sox.
In 2008, Dropkick Murphys bassist Ken Casey re-opened Third Base, although it is no longer known as such. Now the tavern is known as McGreevey’s and can be converted to open-air. There is also a sign on the front of the bar that says “1200 Steps to Fenway Park.” It is on Boylston Street and is right across the street from the Hynes Convention Center located in the Back Bay of Boston.
(Fenway Park just opened a room named after him at Fenway Park called the Royal Rooters’ Club”)
