With a pack of about 70 dogs waiting patiently for their walk to begin, the path on the north side of Switchyard Park was filled with canines wearing neon lights and dressed in Halloween costumes.
A small white dog pranced in a cheerleader outfit, and two more dogs jumped around in turquoise dinosaur costumes. One large black and white dog happily stepped up to strangers to have her ears scratched, as a second collar made from three glow sticks illuminated her dark fur.
With some daylight left and a slight chill in the air, the City of Bloomington’s “Howl at the Moon” dog walk began at about 7:30 p.m. Friday night. The annual night walk in Switchyard Park, one of multiple dog-related events the city hosts, encourages Bloomington residents and their friendly dogs to walk on a 1.5-mile trek that loops around the park. The first 50 dogs received glow sticks to attach to their collars.
The fastest dogs sped to the front of the line, while slower canines trotted along at the back. The yapping quieted as each animal sidled up to an owner or strained against the leash to sniff the fresh earth.
The city first held “Howl at the Moon” during the week of a full moon in Oct. 2018, Community Events Coordinator Bill Ream said. Inspired by other glow-in-the-dark, dog-related and full moon events, like the “Full Moon Night Paddle” at Griffy Lake, the city offered leftover glow sticks from other community events to the dogs participating in “Howl at the Moon.” Ream said the kids and owners loved them, and the dogs were unbothered.
Ream said the walk, and events like it, are mostly attended by Bloomington residents and can be multigenerational, with lots of children coming to dog-centered events.
For this gathering, first-time participant Brad Snyder brought his 4-year-old border collie mix, Lucy, after hearing about “Howl at the Moon” from Facebook. Snyder said he could see himself coming again next year.
“Lucy is more interested in the humans than in the other dogs, so I like to bring her to interact with the dogs and people, and she does,” Snyder said. “She’s very, very good in a crowd, just walking, good on a leash.”
For others, like dog owner Rose Hessert, who attended the event with her 6-month-old boxer-poodle mix, Morphy, the event marked a great training opportunity.
“The reason I wanted to do this one is because he doesn’t have any experience walking with a group,” Hessert said. “So, we’re going to use it as a training experience.”
Tori Thacker brought her 1-year-old Bloomington Animal Shelter rescue, Arizona, to “Howl at the Moon” for the first time in order to go out in the nice weather, grab a glow stick and work with her dog. Because of Arizona’s breed, Thacker said she wanted to bring her to events and get her used to new surroundings and people.
“Since she’s a pit bull mix, my personal project is to get her as well-socialized as possible, and this is a really good way to socialize her,” Thacker said.
The three owners appeared to be in consensus: socialization and training were the main factors in their decision to participate.
At the tail end of the walk, owners could visit a table with treats and reward their obedient companions with snacks before heading home.
A few rowdy canines barked until the walk began or immediately dragged their owners into the grass, but most of the animals were well-mannered, gentle and friendly — especially as they wore themselves out during the hour-long trek.
Since “Howl at the Moon” is an annual event, Ream said community members can join in on the fun in the future.
“There’s always room for more,” Ream said. “We’d love to have more people out, and it’s a good social event for a lot of the owners and for the dogs.”
