Decatur Is Doggone Paw-some
The River City through a dog's eyes!
I know you are sitting there on the other side of this screen wondering “How in the world is this incredibly handsome dog writing a blog post?”. Well I will have you know that I am, in fact, the smartest fluffers in the whole wide world, or at least that’s what my humans always say. Speaking of humans you all are too focused on the “hows” and not focused enough on the “whys”. WHY I’m writing this blog post is the only thing that matters. I am here to tell all those with opposable thumbs why all the dogs (and myself) love Decatur! I was 3 months old when I left my farm life days behind me and began to explore the River City with my new family.
When I first came to Decatur I was shocked by how many fun outdoor festivals and activities my humans brought me to! There were one or two every month! Of course this means I had to wear seasonal bandanas or silly costumes to all of them. Humans are weird about covering their bodies. It is also a great way to make friends because so many other doggies were there too! The first event I attended was just a few weeks after being home. It had so many people and doggies but the best part were the brightly colored huge balls filled with fire that floated up into the sky. It’s called Alabama Jubilee and it was paw-tastic. There are so many fun events it is impossible to choose a favorite. In the winter there are these giant white and grey birds that come to one of my favorite walking trails and I can see them flying and hear them squawking (Festival of The Cranes)! In the spring there is another fun day that I love. It starts in the morning and there are parades with huge colorful floats, music and fun costumes all day! There is even a doggie parade and pup royalty that attend (Carnegie Carnival). There is one event to honor America’s independence (Spirit of America). There is also a fun shopping festival with booths of human things and even doggie treats for sale, they also have train rides and a petting zoo and marching bands (Hartselle Depot Days). There is even a festival to celebrate art. I am a refined dog with exquisite taste in the finer things, so this is pawfect for me (River Clay Arts Festival). Once it gets cooler again there is another event where all dogs and humans had on silly outfits and went from shop to shop downtown getting treats like chocolate which I am not allowed to eat! (Downtown Trick Or Treat). My humans dressed me up for that one. In a devil costume! As if!!! At the end of the year, they have a big celebration where everyone gathers around the special giant tree decorated with lights and celebrates when the lights turn on! It is so beautiful! Then there is a whole forest of decorated trees to walk through. I love the forest trees with their beautiful lights but these trees taunt me because they are the only trees my humans won’t let me potty on. One day I will get my revenge (Christmas Open House and The Enchanted Forest).
My favorite event of all time is Point Mallard doggie swim day! After the humans have had their fun for the summer they let us doggies swim! At the beginning of September, they open their doors for one more day for the puppers! I was a-splishing and a-splashing with all my doggie friends at the wave pool and kiddie pool! We were fetching balls, swimming and we even got Point Mallard bandanas!
There aren’t just fun yearly events but monthly and weekly events too! On the evenings of the 3rd Friday in April through October there is an outdoor festival. Downtown streets are blocked off, doggies are everywhere, there are delicious food smells and people dancing in the streets and some vendors for your humans to enjoy too (3rd Fridays Downtown). In the spring and fall there are outdoor concerts at the Daiken Amphitheater in Founders Park on Monday evenings. I like to shake my nub and howl to the music (Concerts on The Lawn). One of the most delicious occurrences happens on the first Friday of the summer months. This is where humans in giant boxes on wheels give you food! The smells are mouthwatering (Food Truck Friday).
Sometimes you don’t want to wait for a special day or festival to have a fun outing with your humans. There are plenty of everyday activities to keep you busy! I love stopping by Tess’ Place on Second Avenue to grab a pup cup, shop downtown in pet friendly stores like Urban Atlas and have fun at Cross Eyed Owl Brewing Company! I love going to the Decatur Farmer’s Market to see all of my favorite vendors and farmers. They are so nice and give me so many pet-pets! Sometimes you have to make your humans feel loved and special. One way I like to do that is taking them out to a dog friendly restaurant! Many downtown restaurants offer patio seating for both humans and pups! Mellow Mushroom, Moe’s Original BBQ, Josie’s, The Brick, Simp McGehee’s and more! Be sure to have your human call ahead to verify puppy seating.
Humans are great, they feed you, shelter you, give you lots of toys and cuddles but every now and then you need a furry friend who REALLY understands you. An animal who understands the need to sniff another dog and eat grass even though it makes you sick. A great way to make friends is at the Decatur Dog Park! With a fun fenced in area to run and play, doggie water fountains and two separate parks for different dog sizes it is perfect for planned play dates with friends or making new besties!
If the name “Huckleberry” didn’t already give it away I am a skilled adventurer! I love exploring new things and going to new places. I am also extremely energetic and if I don’t regularly get to run around like the Tasmanian devil I will be giving major side-eye and lots of ear piercing barkies. Decatur offers lots of fun trails to explore and let my adventurous side run wild! I love the Point Mallard trails. Sometimes if I walk slowly (almost never) I can spot turtles by the Tennessee river and have a staring contest with them until they ultimately lose and jump in the water; silly turtles. I also love to walk the trail beside Point Mallard Golf Course. It’s fun watching the humans hit balls with a stick even if my human won’t let me go chase the balls. I absolutely love the new trail at Wheeler Wildlife Refuge! The best part about the trails at the refuge is that they are very shaded and cool which is perfect for me since my gorgeous fluff is like wearing a fur coat 24/7. It must be nice to be mostly hairless like humans. On less sunny days I love walking the trails around local parks! Delano Park has a great trail and so does Rhodes Ferry Park. I love Sparkman Park in Hartselle for its shady trails but the humans often throw frisbees into weird bowls in the sky that I’m not allowed to catch. Rude! The trail at Wilson Morgan Park is a lot of fun because I am an amateur birder. I like to watch the geese waddling around the pond. Since they are basically feathered massive prehistoric beasts, I run when they get too close. Thankfully the trail is far enough away that I can just freeze like a statue and watch them for hours.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you are an artsy pup, adventurous hound, stylish canine, or a foodie dog, Decatur has so many opportunities for you to spend time with your humans. And that’s really all we care about anyway.
