Vintage carny dog

Tennessee State Fair, Nashville, Tennessee; The Mighty Bluegrass Shows, 2003.

 

 

Don't remember ever seeing this until now.  

Carl and Trish

Carl and Trish on  the deck of the Skywheel after work.

STellabration

Well it was a big day for me and Stella. Yesterday was our anniversary - year three. We usually try to celebrate the day of but this year was a little busy so this morning we went over to the fairgrounds and hung out on the midway for awhile. We walked down on the old midway too, now a parking lot of sorts and sat on the exact spot where we met. I asked Stella if she was cool with the fact that I'd retired her from the carnival life but she was busy sorting out all the wonderful smells vying for attention in her nose to answer. She'd found an entire corndog on the ground earlier and I (almost) felt bad not letting her have it. After the midway we went and got lunch at the taco stand by K&S World Market (best taco stand in Nashville if anyone cares). We sat on the curb and had a little picnic out in the grass there and a whole car full of Mexican guys stopped and flirted madly with her.

After lunch we drove up to the feed store for dog food and on to one of Stella's very favorite places, Lowes. The last time we were there a guy heckled us (surely I wrote about it?). He started ranting to everyone in earshot that next time he came to the hardware store he was planning to bring HIS dog and wouldn't THAT be fun. Like a third grader. When he left the guy behind the counter looked at me and said: " I hope his dog has a better attitude than he does." Today was more fun though and just about everyone we saw was happy to see us coming. It was the first time Stella's been away from the house for any length of time since her boyfriend got here.

United road dogs of America

This one is an old shot of Lucky and James taken in 2005. Lucky isn't with us anymore but James is (last I heard anyway).

One of my very own New Year's resolutions (this time around) is to locate and photograph as many carny dogs as possible over the next year. In years past I haven't made the dogs a priority, focusing instead on the owners and their lifestyles but it's always fun to change it up a little and the fact is, for a lot of carnival workers/showmen, just like the rest of us, their dog is family. In many cases, maybe more so because on a carnival lot, you can't just let your dog out in the back yard and forget about it. You have to be engaged and thinking of the dog's welfare twenty-four hours a day or things can go downhill fast. I've known a few guys that backed over their own dogs with a truck or left them tied up too close to one of those oh-so-delectable power lines. Talk about having your day ruined..

Many of you already know, there are all variety of dogs that travel with the carnival. Owners too. Some are spoiled rotten and some fend for themselves. They can be overfed, underfed, silly, angry, bored, and happy; happy to be bored, neurotic, athletic, entertainers. There are thoroughbreds and mutts and everything in between. As I've said before though, they're generally the most social dogs you'll ever meet. They have friends galore.

Having said that, I'm off to make them their very own Facebook Page. Please go over for a visit and "Like" it (them) and pass the link along to anyone you think might also like to see some magnificent road dogs from time to time. If you are one of those special people who actually owns a carny dog, we'd love to have you post a photo on the page as well and tell us in the caption a little bit about your dog. You never know, Stella and I might very well show up and photograph your best friend for next year's Carny Dog calendar!

Note: The calendars arrived last night and they are brilliant. My arm is cramping from patting myself on the back over it. In case anyone wonders, they start with February and go through next January. That way when you forget to get a new one next year, you'll still have an extra month of knowing what day it is ;-) Giveaway rules are forthcoming.

Ramblin' man

Well my father was a pitbull down in Tampa
He wound up on the wrong end of a gun
And I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus
Rollin' down highway 41      The Allman Brothers Band (kinda')

I had occasion to sift through a ton of carnival pictures the other day and happily ran across a picture of Stella's daddy (above) along with her little brother (below, left). When these pictures were taken you understand, I didn't realize that I'd leave there with a dog or I might've made some effort to snag some family photos before we headed out. You know, posterity and all. I don't know his name or anything but I'm reasonably sure that it's him seeing as he was described to me by his owner Julian (the gentleman in the green shirt), also seen below holding the puppy that looks like a mini-version of the dog above.

I was moved to dig into the carnival pictures after (somewhat impulsively) deciding to make a Carny Dog calendar. It was loads of fun to make and it's filled with shots of some of the coolest dogs on America's midways. It should arrive sometime this week and I ordered an extra one to give away to some one of our regular readers which will no doubt be more fun than actually making the thing :) Stay tuned.




Ride Inspector

Nobody awake on this particular midway this morning so we didn't find any (other) carny dogs to photograph. Stella's nose was getting some work out though. Hot dogs, I'm guessing.

Yesterday she walked up to a planter at LP Field, where the Titans play. Obviously there was something in it she was totally interested in. When I looked down into it sure enough, there was a whole bag of popcorn from Monday nights game. I offered her a piece but after all of that sniffing and snorting, she didn't take it.

Kite Flyer

"You don't always get the dog you want,
you get the dog you need." ~Cesar Millan
Occasionally, I tell people she's half Pit Bull and half Carny. It's meant to be funny but it's also true. She's Latina too but I usually leave that part out in case someone were to ask to see her papers. We are in Nashville after all. It's hard to know which of those three groups is more discriminated against. As if just being a dog weren't enough.

This morning we made a trip over to our neighborhood big-box office supply store. Stella's been going there with me for nearly two years. I try to walk her a couple of miles before we go in. She loves it there because the floor is really cool and as soon as I find an aisle I like she can just lie down and soak it up. She doesn't move until I pick up her leash and say "okay". This morning we were approached by an exuberant young man who wondered if I needed any help. Holding up a box of jewel cases, I thanked him and told him I'd already found what I came for. Then he broke down and said what was really on his mind.

"Ummm, Ma'am, is that a service dog?"
He made little circles with his index finger, pointing at Stella.

"No," I said "but she's been in here many, many times."

"No one is allowed to bring dogs into the store unless they're service dogs" he said.

"I got permission from the manager" I said, "before I ever brought her in the first time. She comes in pretty often."

"Well they're clamping down on us now to keep dogs out" he said "and if that isn't a service dog, well then..you'll have to go."

This is the point at which I resisted the urge to ask him if he had some desire to have a middle-aged woman up his ass at nine-thirty in the morning.

"Actually, she is a service dog", I said.

He looked baffled for just a second and then with nowhere to turn, he said "She is?"

"Uh-huh. But thanks for letting us know about the dog policy." I smiled my best smile at him and we walked away.

Now I know that civilized societies have rules and generally speaking, I wouldn't consider myself a rule breaker (you people in the peanut gallery - hush up) but I'm keen to tackle this one since it makes so little sense. Bad dogs rarely show up in public places. Bad dogs are at home, usually on a chain; alone and psychologically neglected (clue: that's why they're bad dogs). Nobody thinks of walking into a retail store with an angry, unpredictable dog and the fact that someone thinks I'd bring that sort of dog into a place of business, where there are strangers and possibly children, is not only an insult to me personally, but a testament to how fearful and litigious and ignorant we've become. [end of rant]

One might also ask (and reasonably so): What's the big deal about taking your dog into a store anyway? Why not just leave him/her at home?

Well, it's simple really.
It's fun having her along, I like her and I believe the people we run into on a daily basis do too. She breaks up their day. For a minute or two she feeds them her energy and they melt and run down into their shoes. They say things like:

"Wow, she's so soft I can hardly believe it." or "Thank God, there's Stella."

They go back to whatever they were doing, somehow refreshed. It's nothing earth shattering or terribly important but it feels good and it's legal. I'm beginning to think it should be mandatory. But, if the big office supply chain wants me to leave her at home well - that's okay. There are lots of places to buy office supplies. We'll just look around for one that embraces diversity and has sense enough to enjoy a good belly rub.

*Kite Flyer is the carnival ride pictured above.

Other Stuff

Nathan's Hot Dogs annual hot dog eating contest - Sunday July 4th - Coney Island.

I hate to say it but there are uglier dogs than this on my street.

Hope everyone has a great holiday. We're dog sitting (for Banjo and Ginger) so that could be a lot of fun.

Birthday Girl

This day in history from History.com:

On this day in 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.

Today is birthday number two. I got Stella a baby pool. She hasn't seen it yet but I'll be sure to take a picture, I think she'll be pretty excited. Last week we were walking around the neighborhood and stopped in at her friend Banjo's house to play for a few minutes. For the second time in two weeks, she commandeered the baby pool so I decided to get her one of her own to splash around in. It's 95 degrees outside so it shouldn't be too hard to get her in it.

The Bumble Bee ride (shown above) was built in 1961.

Road dogs

It's been a while since we met any new carny dogs. Stella and I have been hanging around with the North American Midway Entertainment folks this last week though and they're awfully good to their dogs over there. Some of you may remember Dolly from last year. She's doing great and has grown into a beautiful and totally lovable (OMG) dog. It's safe to say that when she found Kathryn & Rod, it was the luckiest day of her life and despite the fact that she occasionally snacks on their furniture, she's a keeper.

Dolly isn't the only canine we ran into. There was Polly and Blue, Yoshi and a rumored ten Poodles which (unfortunately) I wasn't able to verify with pictures. Stella and I did walk by their motor home early on though at which point they tried to tear the blinds off the windows. Stella just stood there looking dumbfounded. It was like somebody turned on a tornado inside that big bus.

Not to be outdone, I should mention that we met some carny cats while we were there too. Casey, Birdie, & Ruthless. All of these creatures and their humans are currently on the way to a fair in St. Louis but I'll post a few of their pictures here in the next couple of days. People who don't live on the road often assume that carny dogs and cats have it rough. Some do of course, but most of the time that isn't the case. Most of the time they're above average, well-loved and well adjusted, social butterflies with a lifestyle and privileges that suburban dogs could never know or understand. Oh, and they do have rather idyllic access to french fries and other canine culinary delights.

As for the photos, until today I had no idea there was a population of seemingly intelligent people with good paying jobs no less, who spend time thinking about why Goofy leads a relatively human existence while Pluto is forever relegated to being a dawg (link). Understand the same could be said of yours truly for reading it. There's no clear answer to this question of course but I if you look around on the midway next time you're there, you'll find both characters kicking it down in Kiddieland. Disneyland is sweet and all but Pluto and Goofy - they're carny dogs at heart.

Old Friends

Last week while the fair was going on here, Stella and I took a stroll down the midway a number of times. As I mentioned before, it was almost like she never left there. She can dive under a bally cloth and come out with what's left of a chicken-on-a-stick like it was put there for her. Anyway, we were just out there by ourselves one day, it was early in the day and an old friend in a golf cart came riding by. At first he waved, then he spotted her and turned back in our direction. He studied her for a couple of seconds and said, "Is that Billy Winn's puppy?" I confirmed his suspicion, happy there was someone left who might recognize her. Turns out, Ritchie had fallen for Stella much the same way I did. He'd spent a large part of his summer last year bringing her rawhide chews and little stuffed animals from his joints.

"Hey girl," he said,"you remember me?"

They greeted each other and although both of us wanted her to remember, it was impossible to tell if she actually did or not. He said the first time he saw her she bolted out from under the truck barking like she was the resident guard dog and that eventually he visited her enough times that she got to know his golf cart. He said that when they left Nashville last year and got to Louisiana, he noticed her missing and went looking for Billy fearful that he'd lost her somewhere along the way. Billy told him that she stayed in Nashville with me and despite the fact that he was crazy about her, it's doubtful that he'd thought about her since; until he spotted her on the midway a year later, at the Tennessee State Fair.

Mr. Belvedere

Mr. Belvedere, seen here with one of the Photo Boyz at this year's Tennessee State Fair, signed on at the last spot. He was shy and a little nervous at first but after a couple of weeks of socialization, it is now believed that he'll make a fine carny dog. I'm hoping that his owner (and all of the owners for that matter, will keep us posted periodically). Are those some fabulous ears or what?

Mugboard #1

This week (the 16th) is mine and Stella's one year anniversary. To celebrate, me and two little boys spent ten minutes trying to get her to poke her head through this hole. By the time she did it, I was laughing so hard I could barely take the picture.

Hope

Hope will be sixteen years old on Valentine's Day. She started coming to the fair about the same time I did. Her owner, Frank runs a very popular photo joint near the end of the independent midway. He's been coming to the fair longer than all of us. There's a pretty nice slideshow that includes a nighttime shot of Frank's joint HERE if anyone is interested. It's a popular stop for carnival goers.

Bear

Bear greets customers at the door to Galaxy Amusement Sales' supply trailer. This dreamy two-and-a-half year old German Shorthaired Pointer appears to have a personality that matches his size. He travels around the country to fairs and festivals with his owner, Todd Kunz.

Cataract Jack

While I was shooting, Jack got a visit from his puppyhood friend Jigs (right). Jack's owner moves a portable roller coaster called the Crazy Mouse.

Pete Pope, Concession dog

We met Pete (left) at the Wilson County Fair last week. He's eight years old and what's more - is about as midway savvy as a dog can get. He's such a good dog says owner James Pope (right), that they got a new puppy recently in the hope that Pete can teach the puppy some of his wonderful habits before moving on. We'd like to wish them many, many more successful runs at the fair before that happens.

Enter

Well, it took about fourteen seconds for Stella to remember her old garbage picking ways. Suddenly all that time she spends with her nose on the ground made sense. I've always suspected she was related to some kind of hound dog but now I think it's the midway she remembers. She happily, revisited her childhood for about four hours this afternoon; rain and all. She met carnies galore, splashed through mud puddles, ate disgusting smashed food off the ground and added yet another fancy eighteen-wheeler, perhaps the most distinguished one of all, to her collection.

Two farmers, three Mexican men and a Jamaican guy, all charming, offered to take her off my hands.
If they only knew.
(more on this little adventure later..)