As summer rolls around, Bloomington's streets are flooding with dogs and their owners, looking to enjoy the sun. Get ready to meet some of Bloomington's dogs, and welcome to the dog days of summer.
Dog: Eubie, named after the jazz pianist Eubie Blake. “He likes music a lot," his owner said. "He always comes into my music room when I play.”
Owner: Jay McKinney.
Breed: Possibly a Pitbull and Boxer mix.
Adoption story: “We drove into the driveway, and he had just showed up on our porch.” That was April 1, 2013.
Favorite Bloomington spot: Karst Farm Park, Griffy Lake.
Favorite toys: Other dogs.
Favorite pastime: Playing with his owner.
Personality: "He just loves people and other dogs."
Dog: Tank.
Owner: Brandon Bartley.
Breed: Rhodesian Husky mix
Age: 2 years old.
Adoption story: Brandon adopted Tank, a service dog, when the dog was 6 months old. He was previously owned by a homeless man who didn’t want to keep Tank out in the cold during the winter. Brandon was going to adopt a different dog, but after three days of coming in to play with Tank, he changed his mind.
Qualifications: Certified emotional support dog
Favorite toys: Anything squeaky.
Favorite pastime: Walks.
Personality: “I’ve fostered a lot of animals, so I’ve seen a lot of different kinds of dogs," Bartley said. "It was great to see how easily Tank especially got acclimated. He was so comfortable so quickly.”
Instagram: @thedanklifeoftank
Dog: Cooper.
Owner: Joe Faulkenberg.
Age: 5 years old.
Breed: German Shorthair Pointer.
Adoption story: “We just saw the Mickey Mouse patch on his back and knew we wanted him.”
Favorite toys: Any balls.
Favorite pastime: Going boating.
Personality: “He loves kids, and he is definitely not a lap dog, but he sure thinks he’s a lap dog.”
Dog: Rosie, “because she’s a pretty as a rose,” her owner said.
Age: Two-and-a-half years old.
Adoption story: Rosie was adopted from Brown County Shelter just before Christmas when she was one-and-a-half years old. “They had to carry her out of her cage. She was a very nervous girl but a very sweet girl. She’s definitely come out of her shell since then.”
Favorite pastime: Jogging, playing fetch, barking at other neighborhood dogs.
Favorite toy: Any tennis ball.
Dog: Theodore.
Owner: Jenna Deckard.
Age: 6 years old.
Breed: French bulldog. “He has the longest tongues of all the Frenchies I’ve seen.”
Nicknames: Baby Raisin, Cream Puff.
Favorite toy: Toy antlers, football. “He’s really good. If they had an NFL for dogs, he’d be a star.”
Favorite place: Dairy Queen. “He loves his puppy sundaes. And he knows the sign. If we pass by a Dairy Queen, we have to go in.”
Favorite pastime: Going for rides in Jenna’s truck.
Personality: “He’s my best friend in the whole world," Deckard said. "Everywhere we go, little kids come up and people want to take pictures. He makes people happy wherever he goes.”
Dog: Laika. “It’s inspired by the very first dog I ever had, and it’s inspired by the first dog who went to space," his owner Romario Pacheco Antrade said.
Owner: Romario Pacheco Antrade and Sherman Charles.
Age: 3 years old.
Adoption story: She was adopted from Bloomington's animal shelter in 2016.
Favorite toy: Stuffed llama and stuffed mole
Favorite pastime: Running with her dads
Favorite place: Griffy Lake, Jackson Creek
Favorite memory: “When she was just a puppy around Christmas, there was no heat, so she woke us up, shivering. And we made a nest of blankets for her beside the bed.”
Personality: “She is the sweetest, most social butterfly dog I’ve ever seen.”
