Reston - The Connection Newspapers

Pet Connection
Patricia Papzian from McLean
brings 4 1/2 month old Athena to
the park for convenience and to
give Athena the chance to run
free and play.
By Samra Khawaja
TheConnection
The Fairfax County Park Authority
welcomes canines to the several
dog parks present in the county.
Next to Baron Cameron Park in Reston,
an off-leash dog area gives canines the
chance to free play.
A separate area for small dogs is
present, while larger dogs can run freely
in a fenced section next to them.
At times, the Baron Cameron Dog Park
is filled with dozens of pets and their
Melinda and Tom Logan, Sterling
“Max is very sweet and fairly intelligent.
He went through doggie training easily.
However he’s still working on greeting at
the door. We let him run around and get
tired out. Coming to the park helps him to
learn how to behave and socialize with others.”
Paws in the Park
Baron Cameron Dog Park gives canines a place to play.
Tom Krasselty, Reston
“Katie likes treats. She’ll go to others
for treats. She loves to cadge treats from
humans the most when she comes to the
park.”
owners according to Charlie Gillen from
Reston. Yet everyone is expected to look after
his or her dog, he said.
“It’s well kept and people are cautious
about their dog and keeping the place neat
and organized,” said Oak Hill resident Peg
Vanvlack.
Where dogs can come and socialize, dog
owners get a chance to meet new people as
well.
“This is social spot,” said Tom Krasselty
from Reston.
Krasselty, who joins friends Gillen and Pat
Hyland from Reston, try to bring their pets
Pat Hyland, Reston
“Frankie (front) is an Irish Terrier, probably
one of the only ones that comes to this
park. We love to come to the park because
not only can the dog interact with others,
but the humans can too.”
Peg Vanvlack, Oak Hill
“Mosby (right) is our first Golden Retriever.
He’s sweet, but can also be foul
and evil. He loves to come out to the park
and looks forward to it everyday. He has
a group of friends. It does him best to be
out with the dogs.”
out to the park at least once a day.
“We’ll sit here and do this all day long,”
said Gillen.
At the Baron Cameron Dog Park,
shaded benches circle the off-leash area
so visitors have a place to sit and watch
their pets play. Built by regular visitor
Krasselty, garbage cans resting on
wooden bases give visitors easy access for
waste disposal.
While the park unites community members
to keep the success of the park going,
the pets that come out learn from
their owners how to properly play.
Charlie Gillen, Reston
“Daisy (pictured in Hyland’s lap) is
nothing but a lap dog. We call her that
because she’ll go sit on anybody’s lap.”
Photos by Samra Khawaja
Meet Reston Pets
From Israeli Desert to Reston Woods
Kona newly arrived all the way from Be’ersheva, Israel and is enjoying
the woods of Reston after three years in the Negev desert.
Taking the First Bath
Liz Battocletti of Reston submitted this photo of her dog Roan taking his
first bath.
Lilly Loves Long Walks
Mary Hallisy of Reston and her mare Lilly. “Lilly takes great care of her
riders — young and old. She loves to take them on long walks through
the woods and fields, especially if she can stop for a little snack of grass
along the way,” Hallisy says.
8 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ July 27- August 2, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Reston Connection ❖ July 27- August 2, 2011 ❖ 9
Photo by Mary Portelly
Like Brothers
Beth Foster of the Lake Shore Crest area in Reston says “Puck (left) and Oberon (right) are like brothers even
though they are different breeds. They love to sleep by each other and are never far apart. Puck is the best
purrer in the household — you can almost hear him from another room. Oberon (Obie) is the lovable lap cat —
never far from your side.”
A Playful Spirit
Cleo, a blue New Jersey
Wooly rabbit, of Reston,
enthusiastically models a
hand-painted pet bowl by
Tracie Griffith Tso, her
artist owner and potter.
She is charmingly curious
and expressive in her
body language and is an
inspiration with her
playful spirit.
Love at First Sight
Kira’s first complete sentence at age 2
was, “Can I have a dog?” It quickly became
her most frequent refrain. She acquired
an extensive collection of stuffed
dogs, but it didn’t fill the need. In 2010,
we fostered a set of five puppies —
heaven! When they were adopted we
fostered a dog that had five puppies days
later — heaven again! She begged to
keep one, but after eight years the answer
was still no. Just as the last puppy
went to its new home, we saw a gorgeous
border collie mix puppy on petfinder.com
— her dream breed! Mom finally relented.
We drove to Baltimore to meet
her and it was mutual love at first sight.
We’ve had her a year now, and, while she
is definitely Kira’s dog, Riley is the perfect
dog for us. She is smart, playful,
loyal, friendly, and happy. The lab in her
loves water, and she and Kira have
proven to be a talented dog agility team.
Oh, and she is great with our two cats.
Yes, Kira, you can have a dog.
— Sheila Baugh
Sheila Baugh of Reston submitted this photo of Kira Baugh, 11, and her
dog Riley, a year and a half old.